Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

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ShauryaT
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by ShauryaT »

JayS wrote:
UlanBatori wrote:(Sigh!) Which goes to show that it's not Strategic Bombers that were and are needed: it is Straight-Thinking Brains.
This is why I have been maintaining that when as a nation we will have a need to project power we will have LR bombers. Before that even if we have, they will be pretty much useless, as far as their main intended use. When our whole mindset is the one of self-defense and maintaining status quo, we will neither have hunger to project power neither feel need to have the means. Anyway, without the aim, there is no use of mean. We need to put our horses before the cart. Right now we don't have the horses and we are discussing of buying uber and shining carts from goras.
We do have the aim and intent clearly defined. It is to have a triad and a credible one. There could not have been a more explicitly written down set of aims and doctrine you will get in the Indian context to justify a LR strategic bomber. Furthermore, the use of the long range MPA TU-142M, that did have capability to carry torpedoes and missiles by the IN is further justification. The TU-142 roamed the IOR and forays into SCS were not uncommon. What more justification do we need?

I feel, we need to get out of the coolie mentality that only the gora nations and pretend goras have a right to have this in your face platforms.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by ShauryaT »

^I want to further clarify that our needs for LR strike are not first use oriented hence no need to spend loads of operations budget on keeping them hot and active at all times.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by JayS »

ShauryaT wrote:
JayS wrote:
This is why I have been maintaining that when as a nation we will have a need to project power we will have LR bombers. Before that even if we have, they will be pretty much useless, as far as their main intended use. When our whole mindset is the one of self-defense and maintaining status quo, we will neither have hunger to project power neither feel need to have the means. Anyway, without the aim, there is no use of mean. We need to put our horses before the cart. Right now we don't have the horses and we are discussing of buying uber and shining carts from goras.
We do have the aim and intent clearly defined. It is to have a triad and a credible one. There could not have been a more explicitly written down set of aims and doctrine you will get in the Indian context to justify a LR strategic bomber. Furthermore, the use of the long range MPA TU-142M, that did have capability to carry torpedoes and missiles by the IN is further justification. The TU-142 roamed the IOR and forays into SCS were not uncommon. What more justification do we need?

I feel, we need to get out of the coolie mentality that only the gora nations and pretend goras have a right to have this in your face platforms.
Nuclear triad doesn't mean one has to have LR bomber. We already have Triad for self defense (the naval part is still weaker, but its being worked on). We all agree on importance of IOR region. But I see current dispensation focusing on Navy (ships) to cover that part.

And let me say it in very humble sense, there is no need to overcompensate by blindingly copying goras, just to get over coolie mentality. Putting money on something which is not as useful as some other platforms (for ex more SSBNs, better equipped bases in AN etc) which could give us more bang for the buck in near future, would be unwise. We don't have enough resources to show false bravado.

Yes, I am all for starting work on developing LR capability. But we don't have to hurry as yet and pour in billions and have a lot of them just now.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

Just heard that another Indian ship has been seized by Somali pirates. Would you send the LR bomber fleet to build parking lots in Somalia? If there were hypersonic strike capability the pirates wouldn't dare - their leader's bungalow will be ash.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by ShauryaT »

JayS wrote: Nuclear triad doesn't mean one has to have LR bomber. We already have Triad for self defense (the naval part is still weaker, but its being worked on). We all agree on importance of IOR region. But I see current dispensation focusing on Navy (ships) to cover that part.
What do you make of the credibility of the air component against China or are you saying no need for the triad there. I think, the SFC will disagree with your assessment, if it is so? As of now, their plans seem less than credible. Which reminds me, I owe a response to Shiv ji's use cases a few pages back.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

Just out of curiosity: Why should it be a TRIAD? (let me guess: because the westerners said so)

Deterrence can come from
1. land-based ballistic missiles
2. air-launched missiles and bombs (could be from fighter planes with long-range tanks, heavy bombers, heavy cargo planes, or a transonic airliners loaded with nukes...
3. ship-launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles
4. submarine-launched ballistic missiles
and...
5. PLUS: JDAMS (jehadi-detonated...) smuggled devices
6. Hypersonic-cruise missiles launched from any of the above.

Maybe call it a SEX-Ad??
So, most respectfully, the Strategic Triad is as yesterday as the Maginot Line or the Locked-Shield Roman Square or the Nokia 5320 phone (oh, wait! that's mine).

IB4TL
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Ravi Karumanchiri »

FYI anyone who wants to imagineer a novel design, I've recently discovered a FREE 3D Modelling software that works much the same way as those pricey softwares out there. You can check it out for yourself at http://freecadweb.org/.

I am still learning it, but will soon give form to the 'Strategic Craft' I would suggest for India, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

The broad outlines of this design are inspired by that 'ekranoplan' video I was turned-onto by esteemed and knowledgeable Rakshaks in this thread. In particular, the craft that appears under construction after 1 minute of that Youtube I posted above, in this thread.

My design is up-scaled somewhat, with a 'wingspan' and length both roughly around 30 meters. (NB: The C-130 Hercules has roughly 40 meters wingspan and 30 meters length. But since the entire fuselage itself is the wing area; 40 meters is probably too large for best use, and 30 meters in size is more practical. So, 30 meters is the 'wingspan' constraint I'll design ab initio. This lent itself to being powered by a pair of *existing generation Kaveri engines*. CONSIDER: While the Kaveri may be currently unable to better 85kn thrust, and this is insufficient to propel the LCA to its design envelop; this level of output may be perfectly sufficient for a craft designed to fly much, much slower than mach 2.0.

In a 30 meter 'flying horseshoe crab' design, two Kaveris could be on board and em placed *internally* within this 30 meters fuselage. (Please note a Nirbhay is 6 meters long, and a Brahmos LR is probably 8.5 meters long; which I mention as a relevant point of reference.

So, 30 meters diameter..... 170kns thrust powered by twin Kaveris.... an extensible/retractable tail that can be used to draw-up water to be propelled downward for water take-offs and landings ***with no aircraft carriers or runways of any description being required to takeoff and land***.


Much has been written in this thread and others, about fancy aircraft of every description, but all of them must 'rally' at 'choke points' called airports and air bases or at least, runways. Of course, the reality is: All of these immovable areas (and in the case of naval aircraft carriers, the carriers themselves do move, but so are they even more critical targets); the enemy will seek to destroy India's ability to operate from/within/through that air domain, by attacking assets on the surface (whether land or sea).

This is the true genius of amphibious 'strategic craft' (i.e. potentially, but not necessarily, nuclear armed vessels that fly slow and low, and can shoot and scoot and hide and surprise -- operating far afield and far offshore, in constellations of differing craft, each with special abilities that represent a *distributed capability*). The enemy's counter strike against these deployed forces, becomes asymmetrically more expensive and less workable, as uncertainty and dispersion increases. (More on this later.)

If such an amphibious 'strategic craft' could be made to truly love the water; I mean get wet over its head (but perhaps not much over it's protruding sensors); this could be akin to having *re-position-able* missile silos in the ocean. To underscore this point: I am advocating for a 'basic design' which outwardly looks identical from one model/version to the next. However, one such craft could be maximized for fuel carriage, to re-fuel the others. Another might be for troop-carrying, or air defense with a wide variety of anti-air weapons, or anti-submarine designs of various descriptions. The point is: Having multiple kinds of platforms that look essentially identical: Means the enemy would not know which of these deployed craft to target during a first strike, and would have to risk starting an all-out counterattack and escalating war, over a mere listening station (or is it carrying a Shourya, a K4?).

Being able to operate in distributed fashion, is itself of great deterrent value. Not to mention: The basic design I've suggested lends itself to carriage of very heavy warloads. It may not be a swift craft, but it has much to recommend it as a 'punishing' design, as warbirds go.

Please consider: Current aircraft carriers cannot operate aircraft during high sea states (too much wind and wave). But I think if this 30 meters craft had two Kaveris powering pumps; and this apparatus was used to suck-in water from the tail, and shoot it downward to propel the craft upward.... such a craft could launch into the wind (particularly if it had a projecting wing that sprung-up during take-off and flight, yet folded away while waterborne), even during very stormy sea states, and more wind and wave than an air craft carrier can handle.....

What would it mean to have 'bomb trucks' that could operate entirely from and into water?

Being able to operate from inland lakes, would mean not only are 'home' facilities impervious to bombing; it would mean that the enemy's inland lakes are potentially 'forward operating bases'!

What if such craft could re-arm and re-supply submarines at sea?

Or move large numbers of troops and helpful bits of armor and arty?

Think about it.

And if you can, draw it. Design it.

I'll do what I can, but I'm just learning CAD right now, as I go. This will be my first 'industrial design'.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

Isn't it simpler to recruit Pakistanis, give them each a soosai vest and ask them to fly this contraption into LaHore? The Ekramoplan is at least a few decades too old. Since about 1970, ppl discovered that unless u r going supersonic, and if u r flying low, high-bypass turbofans beat the heck out of these long turbojet thingies. So you don't need 16 engines racked up to do the job: 4 will do.

India could use a whole fleet of sea-planes to defend the long coastline. Much more needed than Long Range useless thingies. In fact, small sea-planes can serve as long-range aircraft: Look how Lindbergh did it (not sure if his was a sea-plane). Pan Am Clipper was long range.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

ShauryaT wrote: I feel, we need to get out of the coolie mentality that only the gora nations and pretend goras have a right to have this in your face platforms.
Shaurya - I request you to keep off this worthless rhetoric. As you know this is a word game that two can play. Note that the desire for a "long range strategic bomber" as expressed on this thread is solely based on cargo-cult coolie copying of goras with no semblance of knowledge of geography or tech limitations. "They have it so we must have it" - so describing opponents of that in fancy terms is specious.

Stick to specifics. What is required of a long range bomber. Where will it go (route and range)? What will it do? Where are we technologically placed to get there?
Last edited by shiv on 12 May 2017 07:12, edited 1 time in total.
shiv
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

JayS wrote: Nuclear triad doesn't mean one has to have LR bomber.
:D Totally true. But no one wants to know. Long range bombers are a result of geography and cold war history. I am perfectly willing to post pages and pages of data in support of this statement - but will spare this thread for now. They are not useless but unless we describe the (niche?) role we have for them it is too easy to try and copy the specs and weapon/sensor loads of cold war legacy weapons platforms and think that those are appropriate for us.
Last edited by shiv on 12 May 2017 07:13, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

If we need long range bombers (let me call them attack aircraft) to "project power" over foreign shores, who are we looking to send signals to? That is a fundamental question. If we can get an answer to that we can talk about how that can be done (or not done)
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

The whole point of the Strategic Triad and in our case the Sex-Ad, is to never have to use them. Their Strategic use is only on DoomsDay. All other instances of Long Range Bombers being used, have been just "Oh let's take the opportunity to take old Ludmila or Betty-Jean on a ride". Bush1 didn't really NEED to carpet bomb the Republican Guard caught in the desert - they would have surrendered given half the chance. The Pakiban caught in the Shomali Plain didn't NEED B-52s or B-1s or B-2s: F-16s and F-18s were doing an perfectly adequate job. In Syria the Tu-22s were just standing in for other fighter planes, and needed a chance for a test-drive.

So! there has been no real usage of a long-range strategic bomber after the nuclear age really started. Enola Gay was an experimental 1-bomb wonder, not so much a Strategic Bomber.

IOW, even if the Chinese come marching over the Himalayas and are 100 miles outside Delhi, India will not use any Strategic Bombers to send nukes to China. It would be national suicide.
Last edited by UlanBatori on 13 May 2017 06:31, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

I would like to launch into a tirade.

When we talk of big powers and big boys - we need to see the extent to which we follow rules set by the big boys. The extent to which we make our own rules is an indicator.

For example the MTCR limit of 300 km that we laboured under for years (but broke out of on our own) was solely to protect the US and NATO allies from "near enemies" like Cuba, Iran etc. For India it meant jackshit. The threat from Pakistan was in no way mitigated by this idiotic regime.

We need to look at "strategic bomber" through the perspective of how it gives us global power rather than regional power. Dominating or threatening China only makes us a convenient ally of the US. Whatever system we develop has to be useful against anyone - including the US. There is no use thinking that simply threatening China will make us a world player. From this perspective a long range strategic bomber becomes virtually useless. But I will repeat myself if I re state why that is so.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by yensoy »

Looks like we are trying to revive a process from the 60s http://www.siloworld.net/DOWNLOADS/SAC% ... educed.pdf.

There is one thing you can do with bombers which you just can't with missiles. Fly over enemy territory, open bomb bay and threaten; yes you can do that only to enemies without anti aircraft guns. Their utility ends there. For actual delivery, missiles will do the job faster, cheaper and more precisely.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

to beat up the two local hoodlums I am thinking if the b1b/tu160 are white elephants, perhaps a next gen ELO design around the size of the famous british V_bombers - the valiant, victor and vulcan(of falklands fame) is the right size. bigger than platypus, smaller than backfire. i think all had internal bays.

take a look
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_bomber
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by kit »

Singha wrote:to beat up the two local hoodlums I am thinking if the b1b/tu160 are white elephants, perhaps a next gen ELO design around the size of the famous british V_bombers - the valiant, victor and vulcan(of falklands fame) is the right size. bigger than platypus, smaller than backfire. i think all had internal bays.

take a look
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_bomber

Boss the B1B and B52 do have their utility for a global expeditionary power like US . As bomb trucks they are unparalleled in cost effective delivery of smart weapons.

Now is India thinking along similar lines and put a blackjack to work in an uncontested air space ? This we don't know . Hence there is a futility in this discussion.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Philip »

Shiv is right,we don't want to excite too many external powers what! But that is exactly what we want to possess."Speak softly but possess bombers carrying "big sticks" with a v.long reach.The talk is now of a "900km" BMos variant set to make its entrance before 2020. Along with Nirbhay,which should have a 1500KM+ range, Heavy strat. bombers with huge bomb bays can carry an awesome arsenal of stand-off weapons. One is not suggesting that we fly over Beijing and drop "dumb bombs". Fighters found it v.difficult just intercepting the Bear at alt. which is the fastest turboprop flying. A Mach 2 strat. bomber is going to be more difficult. Until our "flying wing" arrives,and is alarge enough for it to carry a reasonable amt. of hardware,we must eat what one can find on the shelves.

"I am hungry today,give me unripe fruit",is an old saying,but the fruit on the shelf is ripe,perhaps a trifle over-ripe but certainly not green!
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

The mighty victor bomber

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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

Valiant bomber



Uk had a huge aerospace industry to produce 3 types of bombers from 3 cos in parallel
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

Avro vulcan the mirage8000

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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by JayS »

Singha wrote:Valiant bomber



Uk had a huge aerospace industry to produce 3 types of bombers from 3 cos in parallel
This I saw in a documentary so take it FWIW. I have not verified it. UK after WW2, in the frenzy to cover the lost ground was spending upto 10% of its GDP on defense (including nuclear program and all). Yes, their Aero Industry was doing good. But they could not sustain it through 1960s. Soon UK's aero industry bundled up. Even US and USSR have spent crazy amounts on their MIC built up. We spend only a minute fraction on development of our MIC and thus our returns remain below par.

PS: Well its true afterall. Chart of UK defense spending as % of GDP:
Image
Last edited by JayS on 12 May 2017 22:53, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Cosmo_R »

yensoy wrote:Looks like we are trying to revive a process from the 60s http://www.siloworld.net/DOWNLOADS/SAC% ... educed.pdf.

There is one thing you can do with bombers which you just can't with missiles. Fly over enemy territory, open bomb bay and threaten; yes you can do that only to enemies without anti aircraft guns. Their utility ends there. For actual delivery, missiles will do the job faster, cheaper and more precisely.
Ohio Class SSGNs suddenly turn up having crossed the Pacific undetected and it sends a shiver looking for a Chinese spine to run up.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

Uk seems master of the wing root blended engine
Victor valiant canberra then the beautiful de havilland comet
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

The Russians are the ones who showed that all those curved metal fabrication nightmares are not worth it. Anyway these were transonic/subsonic, not enough power to punch through the transonic without diving. If you want a modern supersonic long-range bomber, probably the best best for India is to tie two Su-30MKIs wingtip to wing tip and hang a big bomb-container-cum fuel tank minimum-drag supersonic body in the middle. 4 engines, 4 intakes. 2 pilots or 4 pilots.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

A scaled up by 50% yf23 with 2 deep internal bays would great. Great speed at dry thrust and vlo. Both are musy for contested airspace

Image
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

Singha wrote:Avro vulcan the mirage8000

The guy uses up more than 1/2 the runway before he allows his nosewheel to touch the runway. And that frightening climb rate with its massive 0.3 T/W ratio? Just kills me. This plane when loaded will do exactly nothing from Leh or Tibet airfields
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

Ancient engines compared to todays composites and engines.

Yb23mki is it.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by UlanBatori »

Nope. Expanding a fighter is a non-starter - how will you expand the cockpit? What about engines - need totally new engines. Totally new landing gear.

Twin-Su30MKIs. Because you need 4 engines to carry the big bomb load, and a nice slung fuel container in between to extend the range. f 1 or even 2 engines are kaput, no big deal, can still make it back to base. Look at the f-82 Twin Mustang was - mission was also long-range (fighter escort, so maneuverable), designed in a hurry. They can save weight by converting one side cockpit into radar/ ECM module, and eliminating 2 of the 4 tails (the ones that remain must be bigger). Make sure to tie the thrust-vectoring paddles together or things can become very bad.
designed to escort Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on missions exceeding 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the Solomon Islands or Philippines to Tokyo, missions beyond the range of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and conventional P-51 Mustangs. Such missions were part of the planned U.S. invasion of the Japanese home islands, which was forestalled by the surrender of Japan
During the Korean War, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. The first three North Korean aircraft destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by F-82s, the first being a North-Korean Yak-11 downed over Gimpo Airfield by the USAF 68th Fighter Squadron.
This can be mass-produced in India since India already knows how to assemble Su-30MKIs. I have never been sure how India manages to have engines for the Russian planes built in India, but same can be done here. Minimal technological leap (needs a good mid-wing spar and integrated tank/bomb bay designed to match supersonic area rule of the whole vehicle), proven capabilities, absolutely unique in the world, 400% India-geniusly designed and built. Pls remember to send me a postcard when this smashes PLA out of Tibet and Xinjiang and Myanmar and Gwadar.

if you look at B-52, Bear and B-2, the common feature is high aspect ratio. B-52 and Bear have just very long wings. B-2 IS a wing. Vulcan and B-70 and Tu-22 were in their times built for world-beating speed so they went with very large wing area (low wing loading). Tu-22 incorporated swing wing to get subsonic high aspect ratio, then swept wings for supersonic dash. Su-30 design can have both if the central wing is properly designed.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by abhik »

Another characteristic of heavy LR bombers is the ability to carry 80-100+% of its empty weight in internal fuel, compared to 40% ballpark for most fighters.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Klaus »

UlanBatori wrote:Isn't it simpler to recruit Pakistanis, give them each a soosai vest and ask them to fly this contraption into LaHore? The Ekramoplan is at least a few decades too old. Since about 1970, ppl discovered that unless u r going supersonic, and if u r flying low, high-bypass turbofans beat the heck out of these long turbojet thingies. So you don't need 16 engines racked up to do the job: 4 will do.

India could use a whole fleet of sea-planes to defend the long coastline. Much more needed than Long Range useless thingies. In fact, small sea-planes can serve as long-range aircraft: Look how Lindbergh did it (not sure if his was a sea-plane). Pan Am Clipper was long range.
Which is where a desi modified version of Japanese US-2 can serve as a true LRMP as well as a search & rescue type of craft in the deep Indian Ocean. The possibilities of such a plane are endless, it can literally communicate with subs by landing right next to them while they're at periscope depth in the water.

IN and the coast guard should have dozens of these planes, suitably modified for littoral and true LRMP capabilities respectively.
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by VinodTK »

INDIA TO USE TU-22M3 SUPERSONIC BOMBERS TO HUNT DOWN CHINESE WARSHIPS
The Ministry of Defence has sought to buy four Tupolev Tu-22M3 "Backfire" twin-engine strategic bombers and other latest high-tech weaponry from Russia. This was expressed in the official stand of the ‘Make in India’ Program at the International Industrial Exhibition in Yekaterinburg, Russia in July last year.

India will probably use these long-range jets on maritime strike missions to attack warships with volleys of modern anti-ship missiles (ASMs), including India's own BrahMos-A.



The Tu-22M3 was originally designed by the Soviet Union as a long-range maritime strike bomber armed with stand-off cruise missiles capable of attacking U.S. Navy carriers at very long-range.

When they arrive in India, the Backfires will become the country's first long-range strategic bombers. Indian media said these four variable-wing jets should be sufficient to deter China from further expansion in the Indian Ocean.

Indian military analysts said the only conceivable deployment for the Tu-22M3 is to attack PLAN warships in the Indian Ocean and in the South China Sea. The jets have a range of 6,800 km, allowing them to venture out to the South China Sea from Visakhapatnam, headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command. The distance to the Seychelles is 4,000 km.

Backfires from the Thanjavur Air Force Base in southern India armed with the BrahMos-A can hunt down and hit PLAN warships in the Indian Ocean.
The BrahMos-A can be modified to carry a nuclear warhead.

IAF plans to arm the Tu-22M3 with the air launched version of its own BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the BrahMos-A, or with the Russian cruise missiles it's designed to launch: the Raduga Kh-22/Raduga Kh-15. The Kh-22 has a range of 600 km and a 1,000 kg warhead. This weapon can also be armed with a nuclear warhead. The smaller Kh-15 (NATO: AS-16 "Kickback") with its 150 kg warhead is the world's fastest aircraft-launched missile.Originally a standoff nuclear weapon similar to the U.S. Air Force's AGM-69 SRAM, versions with conventional warheads have also been developed. As Jane's report, the Kh-15 climbs to an altitude of about 40,000 m (130,000 ft) and then dives in on the target, accelerating to a speed of about Mach 5, which makes it the fastest aircraft-launched missile to date.

Russia currently uses its Tu-22M3s to bomb targets in Syria in support of the Syrian government.
Karthik S
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Karthik S »

Same news, aircraft and number I've been seeing for more than a decade. Really hope this time we buy and can see the backfires in IN roundel.
Philip
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Philip »

Russia have dozens of legacy Backfires amazingly offered to us 4 decades ago.Rejected.Myopia of the then IAF chief .Great pity.Ironic if we now buy them! Blackjack prod at 3-4 /yr to restart.40+ planned.Backfires should if acquired be operated by the IN not IAF.
ramana
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by ramana »

Philip. Come on now. No need to go that way. I think we should support the IN acquiring them as IAF has no maritime interests. they have those limping Jags.

I think INS Rajali is a good base for them. Say four on service and another four in pipeline spares. Total 8.
shiv
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by shiv »

Ironically Ramana those "limping" Jags are good at sea level which is what Britain would need them for because flying 2 minutes in any direction from Britain will get you ocean. Low and fast is what they are good at. I object to the statement that the IAF has no maritime interests. Until the navy acquired its first surveillance aircraft it was the IAF in Super Constellations. That aside - it is the IAF that maintains logistics to our ocean territories. The arming of Jags and Sukhois with anti-shipping missiles and the training sorties related to that do not sound like "no maritime interests" to me.

And I must say I resent the kind of picture you paint suggesting that the navy and IAF don't cooperate by claiming that the IAF "has no maritime interest". I think the level of inter services cooperation has been high and as usual what works is not noticed. When there is a conflict it gets highlighted as if that is the only reality.
Singha
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

even the creators of the backfires are struggling to use them properly right now. they have a payload of some 50+ 250kg OFAB bombs but do the occasional syrian mission with only 12 as money needs to be saved on 2 refuelings that a full payload would need even flying from caspian sea rim.
the maintainence needs would be high given the age of the airframes, the swing wings and the old engines.

unless they commit to a deep modernization and re-engining like on the 16 blackjacks, its not worth our money. tough but that is life.

instead of 1b on backfires let us commit 1b on new build blacjacks since production line is being funded to reopen. these will work and last a lot longer. they do not need to fly daily, maybe once a month round trip sortie to new spratly isles & mischief reef, loaded with 6 brahmos and 6 ALCMs ... the last leg over SCS can be with wings swept back and mach 2 :twisted:
Karthik S
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Karthik S »

Singha ji, you made me greedy. If we are looking at supersonic intercontinental bomber, why not go for the king of them all. Russian are looking at atleast 50 more, we can order a dozen for us too.
abhik
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by abhik »

As per some news article Russia needs to be "compensated" in case we don't sign up for the FGFA, with mig35 being pushed as the said compensation. I vote for a couple dozen blackjacks instead.
Singha
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

+160 saar and -35 !!
they bring the strike power of a CV squadron onsite SCS/IOR/Red Sea while remaining safer far away from any local counterattack. once they go supersonic , given their huge fuel load it will be very hard to catch them for a normal fighter. only something like the mighty Foxhound can hold that speed and chase them.

suppose 8 Mig29k from vikrant launch a strike on targets near karachi - paf masroor will be up in arms and throw F16s and harpoon armed P3 at them, with subs also out for the hunt. the CV group will need to be careful in its withdrawal and recovery phase. Blackjacks will just disappear back to some bases in the south, well out of F-solah range...going supersonic in time manner on ingress and egress to show a clean pair of heels. same equation holds for the east.

ofcourse they cannot undertake tactical LGB/CCIP missions like Mig29k and cannot tangle with fighters at all, but with proper missiles they are useful oceanic and deep strike assets.
Singha
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Re: Indian Strategic Long Range Bomber

Post by Singha »

Karthik S wrote:Singha ji, you made me greedy. If we are looking at supersonic intercontinental bomber, why not go for the king of them all. Russian are looking at atleast 50 more, we can order a dozen for us too.
this is very likely as PAKDA will take time to mature. they might actually appreciate an indian order of 16-20 as a addl funding to kickstart production. we could even ask to lease 3 of their 16 to build up our training and deterrence profile in meantime once brahmosA clears the su30 live fire tests.

the RuAF will likely be adapting the rotary racks and pylons for gliding and gravity guided PGMs and putting in a LDP like the B52/B1 do for bush war role. this will help for kargil/kobane thing situations. 20 x 2000lb LGBs on-target would scare the life out of anyone.
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