Indian Military Aviation

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 22 Sep 2011 15:23

Meanwhile the videos at Times Now show dhruv's being used for rescue at Sikkim.

karan_mc · Post by **karan_mc** » 27 Sep 2011 09:11

Top alert

No so called Dog-fight in Shahid kappor starter Mausam , some one has uploaded the video of Mirage 2000 action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbtRsZ7yTM

link

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 27 Sep 2011 13:33

karan_mc wrote:Top alert

No so called Dog-fight in Shahid kappor starter Mausam , some one has uploaded the video of Mirage 2000 action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbtRsZ7yTM

link

I like it. There are precious few flying sequences of modern Indian fighter aircraft. My compliments to the fellow who held a cellphone camera up through the movie

Sanjay · Post by **Sanjay** » 27 Sep 2011 16:54

Shiv, I am not so generous. I think the flying scenes in Hindustan Ki Kasam were of a higher standard. We need to make a proper IAF movie with no expense spared.

member_19626 · Post by **member_19626** » 27 Sep 2011 17:02

Does anybody remember the movie "Vijeta". It was directed by Govind Nihalni starring shashi Kapoor. Good one.

ParGha · Post by **ParGha** » 27 Sep 2011 18:20

It is interesting to note that M2K drivers are also carrying Makarov pistols. I thought only the pilots of the Russian planes used it (Russians ship it as standard gear)... I would've guessed that others used the Indian FN35s in M2Ks, Jaguars, LCAs, etc.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 27 Sep 2011 18:32

Anybody see the B-grade Agni Pankh movie which came about sometime in 2004 or so. Had to end up watching that movie as dint get any other tickets for any other worthwhile movie in that cineplex and my friends scolded me for many days for taking them to that disaster of a movie.

In that movie the hero gets captured across the LOC when he goes in for a bombing raid in a mig-21

, graphics were ok, but again cross border bombing with a mig-21, way to go Indic film story writers! You make the DDM look good!

aniket · Post by **aniket** » 27 Sep 2011 18:55

How is it that in every movie that has content about the military , it always shows them the military as brave servicemen and women with equipment that always fails....Why do movies have to portray the Indian Armed Forces in a bad light ?

negi · Post by **negi** » 27 Sep 2011 19:10

Best scene is from Vijeta where Group Captain Verghese shows Angad how to put the AC in spin; he described the controls exactly the way Air Marshall Rajkumar explained in his article when he evaluated the BAE Hawk and Alphajet. Moreover that movie had almost no CGI nonsense, most of the footage was real.

Here is the scene in question .

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Sep 2011 08:36

Amrish puri got typecast as a villain, but like val kilmer he is a very underrated actor.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 28 Sep 2011 08:39

darn, the download is taking way too long to view that clip.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Sep 2011 12:08

HAL aspires to be $6 billion firm in a decade: Ashok Nayak

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aspires to be one of the top 20 global defence companies, with a turnover of $6 billion, within the next 10 years, Chairman Ashok Nayak said on Wednesday.

“HAL plans to provide seamless maintenance support, encompassing first and second line support, for aircraft and helicopters at customer bases,” he said.

The target would call for a multi-fold increase in production requirements and HAL believes growth in India’s aviation sector will act as an opportunity for the over seven-decade-old company to meet its objectives, Mr. Nayak said.

With 19 production units and 10 research design centres at eight locations across India, the company has an impressive track record, including 14 types of aircraft manufactured with in-house R&D and 14 produced under licence, he said.

HAL has positioned itself as a comprehensive solutions provider to the Indian Defence Services in aviation, contributing to modernisation efforts by manufacturing aircraft and helicopters of various types and using diverse technologies, he said.

“With new initiatives and future programmes, the company continues to be a major partner of the defence forces,” he added.

HAL has already diversified into aerospace-related fields, with its aerospace division supplying critical components, structural assemblies and tankages for various launch vehicles and satellites of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Mr. Nayak said.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Sep 2011 12:10

Singha wrote:Amrish puri got typecast as a villain, but like val kilmer he is a very underrated actor.

He had a very calming effect in the movie withthe character he played , his personality and voice , no one in indian industry i know could have done that job any better than he did.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 28 Sep 2011 14:39

AWST Sept 5th issue has several reports on the IAF's acquisition plans,their status,helos of all types,aircraft,hypersonic B'mos dev.,UAVs,NCW/sats, etc.

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 30 Sep 2011 05:38

Jaguar re-engine program nearing FMS deal with Honeywell for the F125IN turbofan. About 100 Jaguars to be upgraded and even the Close Combat Missile is to be selected by the end of the year. If the internal IAF study considers that an engine replacement is the way to go, then there is no need to waste time negotiating with Rolls-Royce..might as well go with the F125IN and get it into service as quickly as possible. maybe placate the US in some way so that the MRCA deal can go ahead as well, without some political bananas thrown in the path for the deal to slip on.

link to AviationWeek article

...
The latest sign is that after seven months of on-again, off-again talks, India’s effort to re-engine more than 100 of its Sepecat Jaguar strike aircraft is finally moving forward, with indications that Honeywell will land the deal.

Indian air force officials say the defense minister, in late August, was told to fast-track the acquisition to replace the Jaguar’s Adour Mk811 engines in light of operational considerations and requirements. That effectively means a contract will be awarded to Honeywell for its F125N engine. Both U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for the $650 million deal during their visits to New Delhi last year. U.S. officials suggest that the paperwork for a foreign military sale (FMS) is already being processed. Any deal with Honeywell would involve the purchase of more than 200 engines.

But it is not a done deal. High-level Rolls-Royce officials says they are still in talks with the air force to upgrade the current powerplant. Rolls-Royce did not respond to the service’s request for proposals earlier this year and was believed to have stepped away from the competition in February, saying it had issues with the stated requirement. While Honeywell offered a new engine, Rolls-Royce’s was an upgrade of the existing Adour engine to the Mk821 standard, and therefore not strictly a “re-engining” as demanded by the Indian air force.

“We are still in dialogue with the Indian air force about what we believe is a much more cost-effective and lower-risk engine upgrade program. A package that would minimize aircraft integration and would utilize existing Adour infrastructure in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., which we believe should be a point of deep importance for the customer,” a senior Rolls-Royce India official says. Military officials confirmed that the firm has held several meetings with the acquisition team since February.

In briefings, Honeywell has criticized Rolls-Royce’s Mk821 program, suggesting that several parts of the engine were yet to be developed fully. Honeywell says its offering, the F125IN, is designed to “drop-fit into existing Jaguar airframes, resulting in an enhanced aircraft with superior mission capabilities and with a projected life-cycle savings of over $1.5 billion.”

Privately, Rolls-Royce has questioned Honeywell’s “drop-fit” claim, suggesting that certifying the F125N on the Jaguar is likely to take an unacceptable length of time from the military’s perspective.

The Indian air force, which began acquiring Jaguars in 1981, has since bought license-built variants from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., and has had them upgraded several times with new navigational aids, weapons capabilities and precision-attack systems, incrementally cranking up platform weight. After several complaints of low thrust across the aircraft’s operational envelope, particularly at medium altitude, the service decided four years ago to search for a new engine. In 2008, an internal study of the options available recommended an engine replacement rather than an upgrade.

Over the next few months, the Indian air force will also come closer to choosing a close-combat air-to-air missile for its Jaguars. The competitive field has been narrowed to MBDA’s Advanced Short-range air-to-air missile (ASRAAM) and Rafael’s Python 5. Live-fire field evaluations are scheduled to be held before year’s end.

...

karan_mc · Post by **karan_mc** » 30 Sep 2011 08:59

IAF MiG lost canopy in flight

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 30 Sep 2011 09:02

Since the Adour engine used in Jaguar and Hawk have same dimensions, is it possible in future to replace Adour engine of Hawk with Honeywell engine. One more question, are we just importing Honeywell engines or license manufacturing them by HAL.

Shubham · Post by **Shubham** » 30 Sep 2011 12:06

kmkraoind wrote:Since the Adour engine used in Jaguar and Hawk have same dimensions, is it possible in future to replace Adour engine of Hawk with Honeywell engine. One more question, are we just importing Honeywell engines or license manufacturing them by HAL.

Just my 2 cents, I don't think that a trainer ac will undergo such a dynamic change in role that it would require a higher thrust rated engine. For a long time to come Hawks will be used as a transition from basic flying to introduction to basic combat flying and armaments use. Maybe IAF will not see an introduction of a much heavier weapon system in training, only thing that should be added would be a radar (??).

A point in case is the good old Kirans, the only visible thing changed in them are some instruments( even the Ejection Seats being almost 40yrs old

, though well serviced

) .

Juggi G · Post by **Juggi G** » 30 Sep 2011 18:34

Microwave Oven, Coffee Machines and Bunk Beds in IAF's C-130J Super Hercules Cockpits

Microwave Oven, Coffee Machines and Bunk Beds in IAF's C-130J Super Hercules Cockpits
Gautam Datt
New Delhi
September 27, 2011

A microwave oven, a coffee dispenser and bunks to catch up on sleep - cockpits were never so comfortable for Indian Air Force (IAF) transport pilots.

There was no room for crew comfort in the cramped cockpits of Russian aircraft, which have been the mainstay of the IAF's transport fleet for over four decades.

But with the induction of five new American C-130J Super Hercules, the old order seems to be changing. The Veiled Vipers - as the No. 77 Squadron which flies the C- 130Js is known - saw action for the first time after coming into existence in this year when it was asked to send a planeload of relief material for victims of the earthquake in Sikkim this month.

The first aircraft was airborne by midnight, reaching Bagdogra in two-and-a half hours with the first batch of specialised forces, including sniffer dogs that are saviours in quake-hit regions, locating casualties under the rubble.

"Any other aircraft wouldn't have been ready to take off so quickly as it takes time to prepare a plane for a transport flight," Group Captain Tejbir Singh, who commands the squadron, said.

Tejbir has flown Russian An-32s and IL-76 transport aircraft all through his professional career before he was handpicked for IAF's first Special Forces squadron.

An inside view of a C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft cockpit.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Sep 2011 18:40

I am sure a heated galley to stash away food for long endurance missions would come std in the P8I. we should obtain it separately from wherever boeing/airbus sources it and fit in our other long endurance platforms like Phalcons and Midas.

a well rested and comfortable crew is a force multiplier.

Juggi G · Post by **Juggi G** » 30 Sep 2011 19:15

Mi-17 Boost for Cops

karan_mc · Post by **karan_mc** » 03 Oct 2011 09:19

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defences

sum · Post by **sum** » 03 Oct 2011 09:29

3 IAF men killed, 4 others injured as SUV rams their car on Rajpath

Three Indian Air Force employees were killed when a speeding Skoda SUV rammed their Maruti Omni van at the Rajpath-Janpath crossing on Sunday around 9.45 am. Police said the victims were on their way from the Air Force unit on Dhansa More to Akshardham temple for an outing.

Four others were also injured in the mishap — three of whom are from the Air Force. The driver of Skoda, Nishant Kumar (26), has been arrested.

According to police, owner of the Omni, Lakhandass, had picked up five of his colleagues from the Dhansa unit around 7 am. One of them was accompanied by his wife on the trip.

“At Rajpath-Janpath crossing the traffic blinkers were on. They slowed down while crossing the signal and also honked. But the speeding Skoda SUV, which was on way to Safdarjang Enclave from Le Meridien Hotel, rammed the van from the left,” said a senior police officer.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 03 Oct 2011 10:00

kmkraoind wrote:Since the Adour engine used in Jaguar and Hawk have same dimensions, is it possible in future to replace Adour engine of Hawk with Honeywell engine. One more question, are we just importing Honeywell engines or license manufacturing them by HAL.

Does the Adour engine of Hawk have afterburners ? Perhaps not.

K

sohamn · Post by **sohamn** » 03 Oct 2011 11:04

^^^ No, it doesn't have any afterburners.

Nihat · Post by **Nihat** » 03 Oct 2011 11:36

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of A&N defences

Kalaikunda: The air base at Kalaikunda will now play an extremely crucial role in the country’s defences.

Aircraft based here will be involved in air defence over the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Bay of Bengal. The tri-services command at the A&N Islands will be in charge of the squadrons of Su-30 MKIs and other advanced aircraft based at Kalaikunda for this specific purpose. This decision was taken when plans for basing Sukhois in the Andamans got scuttled after the 2004 tsunami in which the IAF lost assets. “Till now, Kalaikunda — while performing several other duties — has been a bridge with the Andamans. The role of the base will grow and aircraft based here will play a vital role in patrolling the skies over the Andamans and the Bay of Bengal. Kalaikunda will play several roles that include air defence, training and building better co-operation in the region for a possible Nato-like alliance with India playing the pivotal role,” an official said.

The Kalaikunda airbase is nestled among forests of Sal in the Maoist badlands of West Midnapore. Set up by the Americans for its Superfortress bombers operating during the Burma campaign, the facility has grown steadily in importance over the years. “A large area falls within the responsibility of this base. There are several bases in the northeast but along the eastern coast, the closest one is in Chennai. It is our job to handle the defences along the coast and the Bay of Bengal region. We play host to several foreign air forces interested in joint exercises with the IAF,” the official added.

“This is a very compact base built in classical American style. The Americans used to operate flights from Kalaikunda, Dudhkundi and Salua. Today, we have a radar station at Salua and Dudhkundi has been converted into an air-to-ground firing range. Over the years, Kalaikunda has developed into a major location for international air exercises. Soon, we shall have the Republic of Singapore Air Force visiting Kalaikunda. The base is close to Bay of Bengal where air-to-air firing can take place,” says Air Commodore R Radhish, AOC, Air Force Station, Kalaikunda.

But Kalaikunda goes well beyond an exercise hub. Apart from the MiG-27 ground attack aircraft and MiG-21 Fn fighters of the OCU, squadrons of Su-30 MKIs and other advanced varieties from the IAF’s fleet call on Kalaikunda on a regular basis. A squadron of Su-30 MKIs is now at the base.

Over the last few years, Delhi has started to realize that China is as great a threat as Pakistan and there has been a rush to upgrade facilities in the eastern and northeastern sector. Fighters from Kalaikunda can fly to the Andamans and beyond for longrange patrols. Unlike older aircraft, the Su-30 MKIs can fly at very slow speeds (nearly that of a helicopter) and carry out surveillance before zooming away at twice the speed of sound.

“In case of some mischief by our northern neighbour, this is the place where our defences can fall back to. Also this base is playing a crucial role in developing regional cooperation. There may come a time when a Nato-like organization develops here with India playing the role of the US. If this happens, our assets would no longer have to be on their toes for 365 days a year. Pilots of the Nato countries have to be on active duty for only 90 days at a stretch,” an IAF official said.

SriSri · Post by **SriSri** » 03 Oct 2011 13:08

IAF Chief: 214 FGFAs, HAL Tejas Clearance Delayed, MRCA Deliveries by 2014 and more..

2011-10-03 In a press conference in New Delhi, the Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne revealed the following:

* Indian Air Force has the funds for the MMRCA programme. There will be a realignment in committed liabilities and MMRCA deliveries should begin around by 2014.

* Final operational clearance for HAL LCA Tejas has been delayed by one year.

* Indian Air Force plans to induct the FGFA / PAK-FA as 166 single-seaters and 48 twin-seaters.

* The Kargil runway to operate all aircraft types, including all fighters and strategic lift aircraft. The Kargil airfield will be made fully operational for Lockheed Martin C-130J, Boeing C-17s and Ilyushin Il-76s.

* Indian Air Force will maintain 34 fighter squadrons. Squadron No. 17 will be phased out.

* First four Mil Mi-17-V5s delivered last week. More deliveries expected in the coming days. By March 2012, the Indian Air Force will have 25 units and they will be based at Suratgarh.
Six additional Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules ordered. These will be based in the eastern theatre.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Oct 2011 18:17

took a look at some iaf bases on google earth today
jodhpur - huge and powerful looking, bristling with large nos of Mig27 and Jags
bhuj
naliya

all the above seem to have a black and white leopard print pattern on parking aprons and some taxiways

tezpur - dec 2010 photo - 5 flankers visible parked, base needs expansion of aprons and taxiways if its to be the hub of eastern fwd defences.
chabua - a bunch of aeging looking mig21 clumped into two revetments (pic was from 2009 though)...needed work to build addl parking stands and HAS. evidence of some old but overgrown with grass revetment areas visible.

on the whole the two eastern bases looked about a generation behind the three western ones. a fact thats been commented upon by a AFM writer who said our bases tended to get better the more west he travelled on his assignment.

thats gotta change.

kalaikunda looked much better and some addl parking areas and revetments were under construction when the satellite took the pic. a good bunch of mig21 and mig27.

hashimara and bagdogra - close together and very strategic position next to sikkim. these have to expanded and become our anchor CAS bases to pound the living crap out of the PLA between sikkim and bhutan.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 03 Oct 2011 19:56

IAF hoping to ink Rs1850-crore deal for trainers by month end.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) today said it was expecting to sign a Rs1850-crore deal with Swiss firm Pilatus to procure basic trainer aircraft for its rookie pilots by the end of this month.

"Pilatus-7 aircraft is in the final stages of procurement and the case is with the Finance Ministry. I think by the end of this month, the contract for this trainer aircraft would be signed," IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said at the annual Air Force Day press conference here.

Observing that pilot training has been an area of concern for the IAF, he said, "In the last few months, this has been the area of main focus for us. If we sign the contract by the end of this month, the Pilatus basic trainer would join the IAF by July 2013." Replying to a query on such training in absence of basic trainers, Browne said, "We have introduced changes in the syllabus. By 2013-14, when we would get the additional Hawks and the Pilatus as well, we would be able to fulfil all the key requirements for training of our pilots."

He said the gap in the basic flying training of pilots occurred because of the grounding of HPT-32 aircraft in 2009. "HPT-32 aircraft joined the IAF as basic trainer in 1988. But these were grounded in 2009 after a series of engine problems. So far, we have noticed at least 108 problems in the engine of this aircraft," he said.A series of accidents involving HPT-32 further dented the confidence of young pilots affecting their training, Browne said."We had 23 pilot fatalities. So there came a time in 2009, when the required confidence level of our pilots was lost," he said.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 03 Oct 2011 21:04

Kargil to be a major Indian Air Force base.

Learning lessons from the 1999 war with Pakistan, India is all set to develop the Kargil airfield as a full-fledged transport base by 2016, by when the Indian Air Force (IAF) aims to operate both medium and heavy-lift planes from there.

It also plans to operate combat aircraft from Kargil sometime in the future.

The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, said at the annual press conference on Monday ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8 that the IAF will expand the 6,000-foot runway in Kargil to enable operations of all major transport aircraft such as the Soviet-origin IL-76 heavy-lift planes, the newly-ordered C-17 heavy-lift aircraft from the US, and the just-acquired C-130J Super Hercules.

Soviet-origin medium-lift AN-32 transport planes are already being operated from the Kargil airfield, in the northern part of Jammu and Kashmir, since the 1999 war with Pakistan.

Kargil was the primary theatre of battle during that conflict when Indian troops forced a retreat of Pakistani regulars who had clandestinely occupied heights that were vacated by India during winter.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had activated the airfield in 1996 for civilian aircraft operations and it was under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) till the Kargil war, when the military operations began there.

Since then, the IAF has been operating the AN-32s from the airfield, apart from the Jammu and Kashmir government using it for operating tourist flights.

The IAF chief said as plans for Kargil base progressed, they would like to operate fighter jets from the air field there, "but that is still a distance away".

Browne said IAF was also planning to develop the Nyoma air base close to the border with China in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir into a fighter base and the plans had been approved by Defence Minister AK Antony.

"The Nyoma plans will soon go to the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval," he added.

The development of these air bases are part of the IAF's plans for developing its infrastructure in northern and northeastern India.

Nyoma already has a 12,000-foot runway and the air base is at an altitude of 13,300 fleet.

The IAF is at present operating AN-32s from Nyoma, apart from helicopters.

"We want to develop Nyoma into a base from where we can carry out fighter, transport and helicopter operations. Once the facilities come up, we can do a fair amount of defensive and offensive operations from there," Browne added.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 03 Oct 2011 21:23

wasnt this airfield in range of pak arty? or just beyond?

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 03 Oct 2011 21:30

I think it was Leh-Kargil link that was in the arty range.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 04 Oct 2011 01:43

'IAF expanding wings beyond Pakistan and China'

NEW DELHI: India is gradually building powerful military capabilities in tune with its expanding geopolitical interests, which are no longer limited to the swathe stretching from the Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait, even as the eastern and western fronts are being strengthened to deter the twin Pakistan-China threat.

After the over Rs 3,00,000 crore plan to build a potent three-dimensional Indian Navy for the future, reported by TOI last month, it was IAF's turn on Monday to assert it was on the path to transform into a true aerospace power with the capability to rapidly deploy and operate around the globe.

"No other air force has attempted to modernize at such a fast pace in such a short span of 15 years," said Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, indicating a doctrinal shift in the run-up to IAF's 79th anniversary on October 8.

But he was quick to emphasize this did not mean "an expeditionary force" on the lines of the US Air Force. "We are not going to fight other people's wars. But yes, IAF must have the wherewithal to meet the requirements wherever India's strategic interests lie," said the IAF chief.
As for the two-front challenge, apart from progressively basing Sukhoi-30MKI fighters and missile squadrons in the two theatres, the plan also includes upgrading the Nyoma advanced landing ground in eastern Ladakh, located 23km from the LAC with China at an altitude of 13,300 feet.
"We want a 12,000-feet runway capable of handling fighters as well as transport aircraft at Nyoma. It will give us both defensive and offensive options. After being cleared by the defence ministry, it's now going to the Cabinet Committee on Security," said Browne.

Similarly, learning lessons from the 1999 conflict with Pakistan, the Kargil airstrip will be extended to ensure strategic airlift aircraft like C-17 Globemaster-III and C-130J 'Super Hercules' as well as fighters can operate from there. Moreover, the next six C-130Js, after the first six procured for the Hindon airbase for $1.2 billion, will be based at Charbatia (Orissa) for the eastern sector.
Armed with perspective plans till 2027, IAF is looking at a combat fleet of 250-300 fifth-generation fighter aircraft, 126-200 medium multi-role fighter aircraft and 270 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, as also over 100 upgraded MiG-29s and Mirage-2000s. The estimated price tag for just these jets comes to over $70 billion.

"Our fighter squadrons will go up to 42 (from the existing 34) by end of the 13th Plan or 2022...We will be comfortable then,'' said ACM Browne.
Then, there are also different types of transport aircraft and helicopters, radars and missile systems, drones and mid-air refuellers in the pipeline to ensure modernization plans dovetail with long-term strategic interests.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 04 Oct 2011 05:03

Lalmohan wrote:wasnt this airfield in range of pak arty? or just beyond?

Well things will get really interesting for Pakis the next time artillery is used there.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 04 Oct 2011 05:36

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defences.

The air base at Kalaikunda will now play an extremely crucial role in the country's defences.Aircraft based here will be involved in air defence over the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Bay of Bengal. The tri-services command at the A&N Islands will be in charge of the squadrons of Su-30 MKIs and other advanced aircraft based at Kalaikunda for this specific purpose.

This decision was taken when plans for basing Sukhois in the Andamans got scuttled after the 2004 tsunami in which the IAF lost assets. "Till now, Kalaikunda - while performing several other duties - has been a bridge with the Andamans. The role of the base will grow and aircraft based here will play a vital role in patrolling the skies over the Andamans and the Bay of Bengal. Kalaikunda will play several roles that include air defence, training and building better co-operation in the region for a possible Nato-like alliance with India playing the pivotal role," an official said.

The Kalaikunda airbase is nestled among forests of Sal in the Maoist badlands of West Midnapore. Set up by the Americans for its Superfortress bombers operating during the Burma campaign, the facility has grown steadily in importance over the years. "A large area falls within the responsibility of this base. There are several bases in the northeast but along the eastern coast, the closest one is in Chennai. It is our job to handle the defences along the coast and the Bay of Bengal region. We play host to several foreign air forces interested in joint exercises with the IAF," the official added.

"This is a very compact base built in classical American style. The Americans used to operate flights from Kalaikunda, Dudhkundi and Salua. Today, we have a radar station at Salua and Dudhkundi has been converted into an air-to-ground firing range. Over the years, Kalaikunda has developed into a major location for international air exercises. Soon, we shall have the Republic of Singapore Air Force visiting Kalaikunda. The base is close to Bay of Bengal where air-to-air firing can take place," says Air Commodore R Radhish, AOC, Air Force Station, Kalaikunda.

But Kalaikunda goes well beyond an exercise hub. Apart from the MiG-27 ground attack aircraft and MiG-21 Fn fighters of the OCU, squadrons of Su-30 MKIs and other advanced varieties from the IAF's fleet call on Kalaikunda on a regular basis. A squadron of Su-30 MKIs is now at the base.

Over the last few years, Delhi has started to realize that China is as great a threat as Pakistan and there has been a rush to upgrade facilities in the eastern and northeastern sector. Fighters from Kalaikunda can fly to the Andamans and beyond for longrange patrols. Unlike older aircraft, the Su-30 MKIs can fly at very slow speeds (nearly that of a helicopter) and carry out surveillance before zooming away at twice the speed of sound.

"In case of some mischief by our northern neighbour, this is the place where our defences can fall back to. Also this base is playing a crucial role in developing regional cooperation. There may come a time when a Nato-like organization develops here with India playing the role of the US. If this happens, our assets would no longer have to be on their toes for 365 days a year. Pilots of the Nato countries have to be on active duty for only 90 days at a stretch," an IAF official said.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Oct 2011 07:52

what I do not understand is why does a airbase expansion need to send a file to CCS? this just indicates the political and foreign policy meddling in what should be a purely military decision
just gives an opportunity to the pro-china appeasers in the woodwork to chime in and veto it so as 'not to spoil the atmospherics' or such BS.

karan_mc · Post by **karan_mc** » 04 Oct 2011 08:30

IAF to join US Red Flag exercise in 2013

HPT-32 trainer claimed lives of 23 pilots: IAF chief

alexis · Post by **alexis** » 04 Oct 2011 08:55

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JO ... 66421.html

Thankfully, no crash - but is it the same incident reported on Sep 30 or different? Any idea?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 04 Oct 2011 09:05

shiv wrote:
Lalmohan wrote:wasnt this airfield in range of pak arty? or just beyond?e]Well things will get really interesting for Pakis the next time artillery is used there.

Whats the use if MMS /GOI is preparing to give up the area to Paki.

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 04 Oct 2011 11:17

alexis wrote:http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JO ... 66421.html

Thankfully, no crash - but is it the same incident reported on Sep 30 or different? Any idea?

How the **** does that happen? What kind of protection is this plane offering the pilot at altitude?