Indian Military Aviation
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Mid-Air Refuellers Add to India’s Economic Clout
IndianExpress
[quote]Mid-Air Refuellers Add to India’s Economic Clout
Vinod Mathew
Posted online: Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 0052 hrs
Pune, May 28: With IAF’s latest acquisition, the IL-78 M mid-air refuellers, Fully Operational, New Delhi's deep-penetration air strike capability has crossed the Range of its Agni Strategic Missile. Multi-role Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters can now fly non-stop for nine hours and target 5,400 kilometers away from Indian territory. This is a step towards New Delhi acquiring the promised strategic capability as the first PHALCON AWACS (airborne early warning system) is to be inducted into IAF later this year from Israel.
But the IAF would rather downplay this important milestone as it feels that India’s strategic reach capability is not merely about how far into the enemy territory our Su MKI 30s, Mirages and Jaguars with nuke-weapon carrying capability can reach. Just as there is no denying the military advantage of strategising how deep into, say, Chinese mainland our fighter aircraft can fly by hugging the international waters for air-to-air refueling, it is also about finding out how best to deploy this primary advantage during peacetime.
“The benefits from our A-2-A refuelling capability should be viewed as much from the economic perspective as from a military one. With growing importance of the Indian Ocean due to its sizeable maritime hydrocarbon traffic and the country’s growing stature as a global economic power, our deep reach capability has many ramifications. Consider, for instance, busy shipping channels like the Strait of Hormuz, Malaccan Straits or the Sunda Bay where in the conceivable future we could have interests and the acquired capability gives us a definite edge,â€
IndianExpress
[quote]Mid-Air Refuellers Add to India’s Economic Clout
Vinod Mathew
Posted online: Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 0052 hrs
Pune, May 28: With IAF’s latest acquisition, the IL-78 M mid-air refuellers, Fully Operational, New Delhi's deep-penetration air strike capability has crossed the Range of its Agni Strategic Missile. Multi-role Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters can now fly non-stop for nine hours and target 5,400 kilometers away from Indian territory. This is a step towards New Delhi acquiring the promised strategic capability as the first PHALCON AWACS (airborne early warning system) is to be inducted into IAF later this year from Israel.
But the IAF would rather downplay this important milestone as it feels that India’s strategic reach capability is not merely about how far into the enemy territory our Su MKI 30s, Mirages and Jaguars with nuke-weapon carrying capability can reach. Just as there is no denying the military advantage of strategising how deep into, say, Chinese mainland our fighter aircraft can fly by hugging the international waters for air-to-air refueling, it is also about finding out how best to deploy this primary advantage during peacetime.
“The benefits from our A-2-A refuelling capability should be viewed as much from the economic perspective as from a military one. With growing importance of the Indian Ocean due to its sizeable maritime hydrocarbon traffic and the country’s growing stature as a global economic power, our deep reach capability has many ramifications. Consider, for instance, busy shipping channels like the Strait of Hormuz, Malaccan Straits or the Sunda Bay where in the conceivable future we could have interests and the acquired capability gives us a definite edge,â€
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Hmm, may be its not entirely DDM. Think about it gentlemen, its a 9 hour sortie. while "keeping company" might not entirely be the reasoning behind procuring the bird, i'm sure its seriously useful on such sorties.
I dunno about flying but I find it difficult to drive a car for over 3-4 hours without breaks. I daresay such a (9 hour) routiine sortie would be impossible for just one pilot no matter how capable the plane. JMT
Regards,
CM.
I dunno about flying but I find it difficult to drive a car for over 3-4 hours without breaks. I daresay such a (9 hour) routiine sortie would be impossible for just one pilot no matter how capable the plane. JMT
Regards,
CM.
yes talking to each other is a serious requirement in any extra long duration flightI dunno about flying but I find it difficult to drive a car for over 3-4 hours without breaks. I daresay such a (9 hour) routiine sortie would be impossible for just one pilot no matter how capable the plane. JMT
Other is ofcourse biological
you can fall asleep even in a sukhoi and the result can be catastrophic
ok with mirages we have no option but maybe they will never be deployed in such a mission
Pilot fatigue is a significant, but often under-reported problem in both civilian and military aviation operations. Although estimates vary, official statistics indicate that fatigue is involved in at least 4–8% of aviation mishaps, and surveys of pilots and aircrew members reveal that fatigue is an important concern throughout today's 24/7 flight operations. Regulatory efforts aimed at limiting flight hours and ensuring at least minimal periods of crew rest have to some extent mitigated fatigue-related difficulties in the cockpit, but it is clear that much remains to be done about this insidious threat to air safety. Scheduling factors, sleep deprivation, circadian disruptions, and extended duty periods continue to challenge the alertness and performance levels of both short-haul and long-haul pilots and crews. Solutions for these problems are not straightforward, but they can be developed through the cooperative efforts of scientists, regulators, managers, and the pilots themselves. Over the past 20 years, scientific understanding of human sleep, fatigue, and circadian rhythms has expanded considerably. The thorough integration of this new knowledge into modern crew-resource management practices will facilitate the establishment of optimal crew scheduling routines and the implementation of valid aviation fatigue countermeasures.
http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2008/jun/may-jun08.pdfA spate of incidents involving laser pointers and aircraft has
spurred the Federal Government to move to a ban on the
importation of laser pointers, place restrictions on their sale,
and impose harsher penalties for offenders. The Australian
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development
and Local Government logged 325 reported incidents of aircraft
targeted by laser pointers from January 2007 to January 2008.
Tightening controls led to the conviction of an Adelaide man
on 8 April this year, following his targeting of a police helicopter
with a laser pointer. In sentencing Lanfranco Baldetti, 23, to two
years and three months’ gaol, Judge David Smith said, ‘What
occurred here was disaster in the making’.
An incident involving four coordinated green lasers took place
in Sydney on 28 March, resulting in ATC changing the flight
paths of the six aircraft involved. On 21 April, the NS W Government
declared lasers to be prohibited weapons. This follows
Victoria, where such laser pointers have been banned since
1998, and Western Australia, whose legislation controlling the
use of lasers became effective earlier in April this year.
The use of high-powered laser pointers in particular, has
become more prevalent as prices for powerful, top-of-the-range
models become more affordable, especially when they are
purchased online.
Lasers (an acronym for light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation) are devices which emit a highly-focused,
single-wavelength beam of light. This beam can be brighter than
all known natural sources; for example, the sun. They are divided
into four categories according to their capacity to cause ocular
(eye) or skin injury form direct or reflected exposure.
The energy outputs of lasers may be enough to cause eye
injury even at a distance of a kilometre or more. Lasers emitting
light in the visible range (400-700nm [nanometres]) can have an
especially powerful effect on the eye’s retina because the lens
focuses visible light, resulting in a 100,000-fold increase in irradiance.
And since there are no ‘pain fibres’ in the retina, even a
significant injury may not be associated with pain.
FOCUS on
Categories of laser
Class 1
Basically safe – no risk;
for example, supermarket
barcode scanners
Cl
Laser pointers are manufactured in a range of colours
(wavelengths) ranging from green (532nm) to red (670nm).
Green laser pointers appear brighter than red pointers of
the same power because that wavelength (532nm) is near
the eye’s peak sensitivity. The eye will perceive a green
laser of equivalent power to a red one as being about 35
times brighter than the red.
Dangers to aviation
Pilots who have been targeted by laser pointers may
suffer temporary visual impairment and visual effects,
including:
1. Dazzling/glare – a temporary disruption in vision. The
presence of a bright light within an individual’s field of
vision can obscure a pilot’s forward visibility, and can
wipe out the contrast on optical displays.
2. Flash-blindness – an inability to see, caused by bright
light entering the eye which persists after the illumination
has gone. The impact of flash-blindness (similar to
a camera flash) depends on the time of day, being worse
at night; and how bright the ambient light is.
3. Afterimage – a reverse contrast, shadow image which
remains in the visual field after an exposure to bright light.
While none of these is likely to cause permanent eye
injury, they can be extremely hazardous, especially if
they occur during critical phases of flight, such as landing.
Small planes and helicopters, being under manual
control, are especially at risk.
Incidents involving laser pointers may appear to be
‘the careless acts of thoughtless individuals’ (Federal
Aviation Administration [FAA] Review, October 2006),
but they are nevertheless an issue for concern. According
to the FAA, ‘pilots should educate themselves on the
effects of laser illumination; try to avoid direct exposure;
and seek the immediate attention of an eyecare professional
in the event a laser exposure is suspected’.
came across this article and think may be important for our flight safety
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HAL Dhruvs at ILA Berlin
( Contrary to what was reportted, LCA is not part of display)
http://www.ila-berlin.com/ila2008/press ... view27.jpg
http://www.ila-berlin.com/ila2008/press ... view28.jpg
( Contrary to what was reportted, LCA is not part of display)
http://www.ila-berlin.com/ila2008/press ... view27.jpg
http://www.ila-berlin.com/ila2008/press ... view28.jpg
Besides that, this "WSO" is a pilot too - the MKI can be flown from the rear seat too!! Which means that both can nap seqentially!!! It was designed that a way.Cain Marko wrote:Hmm, may be its not entirely DDM. Think about it gentlemen, its a 9 hour sortie. while "keeping company" might not entirely be the reasoning behind procuring the bird, i'm sure its seriously useful on such sorties.
I dunno about flying but I find it difficult to drive a car for over 3-4 hours without breaks. I daresay such a (9 hour) routiine sortie would be impossible for just one pilot no matter how capable the plane. JMT
Regards,
CM.
Which other two seater has that capability?
IIRC, both helmets are slaved too.
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The Price seems comparable to Do-228. IN acquired 10 from 99-05 for 388.4 Crore. The Coastguard was supposed to acquire 7 for 72 million. Nice to see IAF taking interest in SARAS. After the third prototype is done hope thyey start on SARAS-S right away.Rahul M wrote:is that correct ??NAL, the designers of Saras, said for the first time in February that the 14-seat multi-role plane would cost Rs39.4 crore apiece, making it among the most costly plane in its class.
How does it compare with other such a/c prices ??
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Do228.html
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eh.. something called autopilot doesn't work ?..Must be pretty simple to put the thing on autopilot and go take snooze, with alarms to wake you up if anything goes wrong?.NRao wrote:Besides that, this "WSO" is a pilot too - the MKI can be flown from the rear seat too!! Which means that both can nap seqentially!!! It was designed that a way.
Which other two seater has that capability?
IIRC, both helmets are slaved too.
Serial production of EADS-DRDO missile warning system soon
India's DRDO and the defence and security division of EADS have successfully developed a "missile warning system" and will start its serial production shortly.
This was announced during the ongoing Berlin Air Show here by EADS which also looked at India as a manufacturing hub from where the technology could be exported to other interested countries.
The system developed by EADS and DRDO's Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) has passed extensive flight trials successfully, paving the way for equipping several hundred rotary wing and wide-bodied aircraft of the Indian armed forces, the consortium said.
The missile warning system, based on Missile Launch Detection System (MILDS), was tested on board an Indian Air Force test platform (aircraft) and was found perfect on all counts -- detection probability, accuracy, false alarm and reliability, said the Chief Executive Officer of EADS' Defence and Security Division, Stefan Zoller.
"Due to this success, the missile warning system has been accepted as indigenous equipment by the Indian authorities," he said.
"After initial cooperation of Defence Electronics and (Bangalore-based) Alpha Technologies which has already been started, the transition of series production at the Alpha manufacturing base is foreseen in near future," the EADS said while making the announcement.
"With DARE's and Alpha's high technology standards and our proven products, we are confident of fulfilling the Indian armed forces' needs for reliable protection against increasing threats," Bernd Wenzler, another top-ranking official of EADS, said.
Zoller, while talking about the cooperation with India in various fields, said this could be seen as part of EADS's efforts to rope in as many as Indian partners for its international ventures.
"We do not see India only as a partner but also as a manufacturing hub where such systems can be assembled and later exported to other countries," he said.
Asked whether the consortium was planning to equip civilian aircraft too with the missile warning systems, he said it was future business but admitted that civilian carriers like Singapore Airlines had shown their keenness to have such a system.
India's DRDO and the defence and security division of EADS have successfully developed a "missile warning system" and will start its serial production shortly.
This was announced during the ongoing Berlin Air Show here by EADS which also looked at India as a manufacturing hub from where the technology could be exported to other interested countries.
The system developed by EADS and DRDO's Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) has passed extensive flight trials successfully, paving the way for equipping several hundred rotary wing and wide-bodied aircraft of the Indian armed forces, the consortium said.
The missile warning system, based on Missile Launch Detection System (MILDS), was tested on board an Indian Air Force test platform (aircraft) and was found perfect on all counts -- detection probability, accuracy, false alarm and reliability, said the Chief Executive Officer of EADS' Defence and Security Division, Stefan Zoller.
"Due to this success, the missile warning system has been accepted as indigenous equipment by the Indian authorities," he said.
"After initial cooperation of Defence Electronics and (Bangalore-based) Alpha Technologies which has already been started, the transition of series production at the Alpha manufacturing base is foreseen in near future," the EADS said while making the announcement.
"With DARE's and Alpha's high technology standards and our proven products, we are confident of fulfilling the Indian armed forces' needs for reliable protection against increasing threats," Bernd Wenzler, another top-ranking official of EADS, said.
Zoller, while talking about the cooperation with India in various fields, said this could be seen as part of EADS's efforts to rope in as many as Indian partners for its international ventures.
"We do not see India only as a partner but also as a manufacturing hub where such systems can be assembled and later exported to other countries," he said.
Asked whether the consortium was planning to equip civilian aircraft too with the missile warning systems, he said it was future business but admitted that civilian carriers like Singapore Airlines had shown their keenness to have such a system.
thanks ranganathan,The Price seems comparable to Do-228. IN acquired 10 from 99-05 for 388.4 Crore. The Coastguard was supposed to acquire 7 for 72 million. Nice to see IAF taking interest in SARAS. After the third prototype is done hope thyey start on SARAS-S right away.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Do228.html
what are other such a/c from v'desh ?? what about their prices ??
What would be its nearest competitor in this segment ? other than the new built do-228, I mean.
All two-seaters allow the rear seat pilot to fly the aircraft as well..in trainers it makes sense because the newbie is the one in the front flying and the instructor should be able to take over should the need arise. remember the Jag incident where the pilot placed an unrestrained cardboard box in the rear cockpit seat and it blocked the control stick so that the front control stick became immovable as well, leading to a crash?NRao wrote: Besides that, this "WSO" is a pilot too - the MKI can be flown from the rear seat too!! Which means that both can nap seqentially!!! It was designed that a way.
Which other two seater has that capability?
IIRC, both helmets are slaved too.
in some aircraft, the rear and front are decoupled, as in the WSO has his own set of displays and avionics, and not just the HUD repeater. but even in such cases, the rear seater can fly the aircraft if required.
http://www.f-16.net/news_article1131.htmlRahul M wrote:not for fighters, then ?paving the way for equipping several hundred rotary wing and wide-bodied aircraft of the Indian armed forces, the consortium said.
what is the difference can somebody kindly explain ??
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India to Acquire 22 Attack Helicopters
No DDM or V'deshi News Report has ever stated, even by mistake that AH-1Z "SuperCobra" is also in the running for the "Attack Helicopter Competition".
Is it not good enough to be included or What
Why is that the Bell's AH-1Z "SuperCobra" or its other Variants have never ever been included in the "Attack Helicopter Competition", Does Anybody KnowIndia to Acquire 22 Attack Helicopters
Sumir Kaul
Thu, May 29 08:05 PM
Berlin, May 29 (PTI) In a bid to strengthen the offensive prowess of its armed forces, Indian government has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire 22 attack helicopters. The RFP document, which includes offset clauses, Was Issued Last Week to major global helicopter manufacturers who were given Three Months Time to Respond, sources said here.
Confirming this, a senior Eurocopter official said "we have received the RFP and are looking into it. We have to reply by August.
" "We will be participating in the bid process and will offer our Tiger helicopter. We are studying the RFP document and preparing our plan of action," Bruno Boulnois, General Manager of Eurocopter (India) told PTI.
Besides Eurocopter which is part of the defence and aviation consortium EADS, the other major contenders for this competition are Boeing's AH-54D, Augusta Westland's AW-129 Mangustu and Russia's MI-28N NightHunters. PTI.
No DDM or V'deshi News Report has ever stated, even by mistake that AH-1Z "SuperCobra" is also in the running for the "Attack Helicopter Competition".
Is it not good enough to be included or What
Last edited by Juggi G on 30 May 2008 18:01, edited 1 time in total.
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I wish the Indian government begins to show as much energy in closing a deal as it shows in issuing RFPs. Most of these RFPs just begin a process that has no end. The forces cannot fight a war with RFPs alone. Something has to be delivered to them at the end of the process. The defence ministry's inability to sign and close a deal withing a reasonable period of time is harming the forces greatly.
cobra is a light attack helo, of the same class as our own LCH.Why is that the Bell's AH-1Z "SuperCobra" or its other Variants have never ever been included in the "Attack Helicopter Competition", Does Anybody Know Question
No DDM or V'deshi News Report has ever stated, even by mistake that AH-1Z "SuperCobra" is also in the running for the "Attack Helicopter Competition".
Is it not good enough to be included or What
the competition is talking about the heavier and more capable choppers like the longbow and mi28 and also the tiger. the tiger has a very underpowered engine compared to the other birds. unfortunately. so is the LCH.
.......................AH-64........AH-1SpCbr........Tiger..........HAL LCH
Empty wt::::::5,165 kg........4,953 kg........3,060 kg........------
Loaded wt:::::8,000 kg..........-----..............------............------
Max t/o wt:::::9,500 kg........6,690 kg........6,000 kg........5500kg
Engn:::::::::2×1490 kW......2X1300kW......2X873kW......2X900kW
The power to say no is with every TDH however the power to say yes is only with the PM and his own coterie. He wont say yes as that would upset the piss process. In meantime every TDH in the services slows the process down based on readng brochures.sanjaychoudhry wrote:I wish the Indian government begins to show as much energy in closing a deal as it shows in issuing RFPs. Most of these RFPs just begin a process that has no end. The forces cannot fight a war with RFPs alone. Something has to be delivered to them at the end of the process. The defence ministry's inability to sign and close a deal withing a reasonable period of time is harming the forces greatly.
War time and auto pilot?vina wrote:eh.. something called autopilot doesn't work ?..Must be pretty simple to put the thing on autopilot and go take snooze, with alarms to wake you up if anything goes wrong?.NRao wrote:Besides that, this "WSO" is a pilot too - the MKI can be flown from the rear seat too!! Which means that both can nap seqentially!!! It was designed that a way.
Which other two seater has that capability?
IIRC, both helmets are slaved too.
Having said that the MKI is automated enough to be programmed from take-off to near landing (it is my understanding that it even alligns itself to land ....... will check with GJMan on this). It does have capability to be pre=programmed to visit various geographic areas in sequences, etc. To that extent it has "auto pilot".
BUT, I think we are talking of say nuking Chicom (as an example only) and the pilots have to fly long distance and keep track of terrain (flying very, very low), in tocuh with base (for urgent instructions/whatever). ..... In short in times of great urgency - which is what fying 9 hours is.
Kartik,
Apples and Oranges. As far as I can recall (from some 8 years ago), MKI stood alone in the dept of twin seater capability..... in terms of pilot and rear seat pilot (Not WSO!!).
BTW, then, BOTH were Squad Leaders, no less a rank than that occupied the MKI.
More l8r
The Tiger engine power quoted is maximum sustained. Max T/O power is 958 kW.Rahul M wrote: the competition is talking about the heavier and more capable choppers like the longbow and mi28 and also the tiger. the tiger has a very underpowered engine compared to the other birds. unfortunately. so is the LCH.
.......................AH-64........AH-1SpCbr........Tiger..........HAL LCH
Empty wt::::::5,165 kg........4,953 kg........3,060 kg........------
Loaded wt:::::8,000 kg..........-----..............------............------
Max t/o wt:::::9,500 kg........6,690 kg........6,000 kg........5500kg
Engn:::::::::2×1490 kW......2X1300kW......2X873kW......2X900kW
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http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =EUR&s=TOPIndia to Buy 22 Attack Helos for $550M
The Indian Defence Ministry has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to buy 22 attack helicopters for about $25 million per platform, including weapons, to boost the Air Force's surveillance and combat capabilities.
Issued May 23, the RfP was sent to AgustaWestland, Boeing, Eurocopter, Khazan and Bell Helicopter.
An Air Force official said the helicopter should weigh 2,500 kilograms or more when empty and have two engines. It must be highly agile, have advanced anti-armor capability, and include provision for a turret gun of 20mm or higher caliber and be able to fire 70mm rockets at a range of 1.2 kilometers.
In addition, it should be able to employ air-to-ground, fire-and-forget missiles with a range of at least 7 kilometers.
To survive the modern battlefield, the Air Force wants the helos to carry a state-of-the-art electronic warfare protection suite and carry a radar warning receiver capable of intercepting, identifying and prioritizing multiple airborne and ground-based radio frequency emitters.
The Air Force wants the helicopters to be operational in all weather, day and night, and be able to function in desert and mountainous terrain.
The first two helicopters would be supplied within 24 months of signing of the contract, with final delivery within 36 months. The contract is expected to take two years to finalize.
The vendor will be expected to provide a 30 percent offset, which would be about $165 million for a contract of $550 million.
"The Indian Air Force has been wanting to buy attack helicopters to boost its air surveillance and fighting capability for a long time" a senior Defence Ministry official said.
The Defence Ministry recently cleared the purchase of 384 additional light helicopters worth $2 billion for both the Air Force and Army. The RfP for this second purchase is expected to be issued in June, the Defence Ministry official said; 125 copters would go to the Air Force and 259 to the Army.
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LinkIAF reopens old air base in Ladakh near China border
The Indian Air Force (IAF) today made operational an old air base in mountainous Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir that was closed 43 years ago.
An AN-32 transporter plane carrying Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Western Air Command) P K Barbora landed at the Dawaltbaigh Oldi air strip around 0850 hours after flying from Chandigarh.
The air base was set up in 1962 during the Indo-China war and closed in 1965.
Barbora had last week said that the operationalisation of the base will demonstrate to the world that India is capable of manning airfield at such a high altitude.
The air base overlooking the strategic Karakoram pass is just 8 km south of the Chinese border. IAF plans to carry out regular AN-32 transport aircraft flights from here in future.
"It is a part of our efforts to improve air maintenance of far-flung posts in the region bordering China and Pakistan," IAF sources said.
Besides, IAF's MI-17, MI-26 helicopters, Chetak and Druv helicopters can land at the helipad to ferry much-needed supplies to troops deployed in the region.
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IAF reopens old air base near China border
CHANDIGARH: History repeated itself when an Indian Air Force (IAF) fixed wing aircraft (AN 32) landed at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), the highest landing airstrip in the world on Leh Division of J and K this morning after a gap of 43 years, defence release said here today.
The crew members of the historic flight was led Gp Capt S C Chafekar, the release said.
The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), where the aircraft landed, has an unpaved surface - kutcha strip and is located in the Aksai Chin area at a height of 16200 feet (4960) meters near the strategic Karakoram pass and very close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The release said that DBO is an important army forward area post which links the ancient silk route to China and base was built during the Indo-China conflict in 1962.
Packet aircraft of the IAF operated from DBO between 1962 and 1965. In 1996, an earthquake caused some loosening of the surface soil making this base unfit for further fixed wing aircraft operations.
The release said that regular operations by AN 32 class of aircraft will be initiated in due course of time.
Landing at DBO will not only enable India to induct army troops, improve communication network but also serve as a great morale booster for maintenance of the troops positioned there, the release said.
I have not seen any price figures for it apart from one news article about potential sales to Venezula which puts it at 20 million but credibility is doubtful. Its seems to little considering taking into factor its Albalet radar. The current ones the russian army operates do not have the radar integrated and are still undergoing testing, supposedly with Albatet radar it has some weight issues.Rahul M wrote:mi-28 costs within 20 mil. 22X20 = 440. also, a lot of weapons will be common with the hinds. this will be true to some extent for the european birds as well. (milan etc)
http://bearrising.blogspot.com/2008/04/mi-28n-news.html
As for armaments Havoc carries 80 mm and 122 mm rocket pods where as IA Hinds have 57mm rockets. Personally i would love IA to go for the Tiger best for COIN missions.