GeorgeWelch wrote:
Will they? You just got through explaining how there are plenty of parts available for legacy Il-76s, yet somehow Russia is withholding them from India..
We covered this subject already. I just hate it when you feign amnesia. A little honesty wouldn't hurt in your posts you know? Or is there too much money at stake for you to risk honesty ?
When people were claiming here to have a picture of a T-90 inside an IL-76, I was the one who revealed the aircraft to be an AN-22. When I was wrong about the Arjun weight, I admitted it. When I assumed the IAF IL-76s flew 1000 hours a year, and you said they did not, I researched it and not only did I correct myself, but I posted my source. I am honest, up front and straight. I am sometimes wrong and sometimes make mistakes but am here to to learn as much as to share my experience and knowledge. You, on the other hand, often act like a weasel on this board. You even let people believe you are right when you are wrong, like this claim you made not too long ago about C-17s air-dropping bulldozers from the ramp, in Afghanistan, having the bulldozer bulldoze an un-improved runway and have the C-17s land on that runway. Such a thing never happened and you know it, you never provided proof, or references, but some people read your claim here and take it as the Gospel without further research. And that seems to suit your purposes very well.
Back to the subject:
According to Russian law, all exported Russian military hardware needs to be sold through state owned Rosoboronexport (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosoboronexport) So when the IAF needs Russian parts or support for its IL-76s, it has to go through that company. However, a commercial IL-76 operator that needs parts for its IL-76, does not and can deal directly with Russian parts suppliers.
So if the IAF has trouble getting parts for its IL-76s but airlines, even foreign ones, do not, the problem is certainly not a problem of parts supply but a problem between Rosoboronexport and the Indian Government. It could be a conflict between the Indian Government and Rosoboronexport over a sub deal or other....
I suspect that many foreign governments and Air Forces that operated IL-76s, also had government owned "civilian" companies that operated the same aircraft to by-pass having to deal with Rosoboronexport. Since 2005, all press accounts about the Jordandian IL-76MF order talked about a Jordanian Air Force order, and lo and behold, when they aircraft were finally delivered this year, they were painted in the colors of Jordan International Air Cargo. There may be another reason for this, for it is much simpler to get overflight permits for civilian cargo aircraft than for military ones. The down side is that civilian aircraft need to comply with civilian regulations such as noise while military aircraft do not (like noise regulations etc)
So India is attempting to sign a contract with a third party so service its IL-76s. This of course cannot be with any Russian company for Russian law forbids it. But it could be with Ukrainian company, or even an Indian one, as long as that company is directly supported by Ilyushin.
Now this article
http://www.defencenow.com/news/206/iaf- ... craft.html states
Apparently, the nine IAF Ilyushins which will be undergoing overhaul and total life extension at the time the contract is expected to be awarded will not be included.
(Its not clear if the 6 IL-78MKI and the 3 A-50s are included in this or not)
Now why would the IAF need to sign a contract with a non Russian company to maintain just 8 of its 17 IL-76 and not the other 9 ? Are they perhaps satisfied that these 9 will be adequately covered under some other RUSSIAN contract ? Or maybe there are parts available for those 9, but not for the 8 to be covered under a new contract ?
Explain this to us, please Mr GeorgeWelch. In a straight manner. Not like a politician deflecting an embarrassing question on the floor of Parliament.
(note it is a direct quote)
