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Threat to Innovative Fix-Dependent System
Rahul Bedi
November 3, 2010
Considering the volume of defence equipment under negotiation with the U.S., It is only a Matter of Time before the Highly Dependable ‘Jugaad' Ceases to Exist as a Force Multiplier in the Indian Military.
The steady flow of varied American material and the anticipated ingress of much more following President Barack Obama's visit later this week could impinge adversely on India's ‘Jugaad' or Innovative Fix-Dependent Defence Systems.
U.S. pacts like the End Use Monitoring Agreement (EUMA), the only one of three crucial accords concerning American defence exports to which New Delhi has so far agreed, foreclose the possibility of the Indian military pursuing its accomplished, long-established and, at times, essential ‘Jugaad' Route. This not only provides the military the much-needed flexibility but ably renders overseas equipment wholly serviceable in climatic extremes, assorted terrain, and diverse operational requirements.
The fine print of the EUMA, concluded after much wrangling and extended negotiations last year, proscribes the buyer — in this case India — from retrofitting and adapting military equipment to its needs without the Original Equipment Manufacturers' (OEMs) consent and participation for the entire duration of its service which in the case of the U.S. has almost never ever been permitted.
With the 80-odd countries with which it has concluded the EUMA, the U.S. has reportedly made an exception only once by allowing the Israel Air Force to incorporate locally developed sensors and weapons into the Lockheed Martin F 16s supplied to Tel Aviv. Recent reports indicate that a similar agreement has been reached with regard to some systems aboard Lockheed Martin's F 35 Lightning II fifth generation fighter, of which Israel is planning to acquire two squadrons.
Significantly, all U.S. military purchases by India via the Foreign Military Sales or FMS programme have been concluded under the Stricter “Golden Sentry” EUMA, governing not only physical verification of the equipment — over which New Delhi and Washington have managed to reach a workable via media — but also its final disposal. This protocol is Far Stricter than the “Blue Lantern” EUMA Governing the Direct Commercial Sale of U.S. Materiel Worldwide.
But such foreclosure on U.S. defence goods supplied to India would, military officers concede, encroach on decades of amazing and efficient implementation of ‘Jugaad' elevated to sophisticated levels and one which has ensured that imported weapon systems perform well above their declared operational potential.
For decades, ‘Jugaad' has rendered a range of platforms not only highly serviceable and effective but in some instances even lethal. These, to mention just a few, include the fleet of 180-190 Chetaks and Cheetahs — principally Alouette IIIs and SA-315B Lamas — capable after the ‘Jugaad' of operating almost daily for decades at heights of over 14,000 feet in the Siachen glacier region which their French manufacturers could never have imagined possible.
Alongside, some 125 Mig 21 bis ground attack fighters have been effectively upgraded with Russian collaboration by innovatively equipping them with French, Israeli and locally developed weapons, sensors and electronic warfare systems. These include the deadly RR 550 Magic air-to-air missile developed by Matra of France. The fleet of ground attack Jaguars too has been retrofitted successfully, provided with mid-air refuelling capability among other capabilities supplied by vendors other than the OEM.
Even the frontline Su-30MkI multirole fighters, the muscle of the Indian Air Force's combat squadrons, have local and other-than-Russian competent force multipliers fitted on board. Earlier, during the 1999 Kargil conflict, the IAF had ably Equipped its Mirage 2000Hs with Indigenous 1000-lb Precision Guided Munitions, Delivering them with Devastating Effect on the Pakistani Army.
Similarly, the Indian Navy's depleting Sea Harrier fleet is getting an upgrade that includes replacing the original Blue Fox Radar, supplied in a downgraded export configuration through the 1980s and 1990s, with Israel's Elta EL/M-2032 multimode fire control radar with a 100-km Operating Range. Matching Israeli Rafael Derby beyond visual range air-to-air missiles completes the retrofit.
And, the Army's Soviet and Russian T72 and T 90S main battle tanks, range of artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles, in addition to numerous naval assets, have all been cleverly and effectively adapted through ‘Jugaad' with their efficiency, operability and lifespan much enhanced.
But under the EUMA, it seems India's military will have to forgo this functional option to retrofit U.S.-supplied equipment which, for the duration of its service, would exclusively remain the OEM's responsibility.
The Comptroller and Auditor-General's audit some years ago of INS Jalashwa — formerly the USS Trenton, the 38-year old Austin-class landing platform dock which the Navy acquired in 2007 — made special reference to this aspect. It declared that the Navy would remain ‘dependent upon U.S. support' for the LPD's spares and servicing for its service life, requiring American technicians to be flown in whenever it faced technical problems.
And though the government has obliquely claimed success in concluding the EUMA on Indian terms by securing the concession that the time and location of the U.S. equipment's verification process would be determined by New Delhi, it has cleverly avoided all mention of the life-long and costly reliance on the OEMs to keep all American equipment in service.
Earlier this year, Army Chief General V.K. Singh cautioned the government over acquiring U.S. defence equipment materiel via the FMS route, saying that after-sales maintenance support for it could prove “problematic.”
The Army claimed it had been Facing Recurring Problems with the 12 Thales-Raytheon Systems AN/TPQ-37 (V) 3 Firefinder Artillery Locating Radar acquired in 2002 for $142.4 million through the FMS programme. More than two-thirds of these Radars — India's first significant U.S. military equipment purchase in nearly four decades after Washington lifted sanctions on Delhi in October 2001 for its 1998 nuclear tests — were ‘Off Road' awaiting either Spare parts or maintenance or both precluding their operational deployment mostly in Kashmir. Many army officers believe ‘Jugaad' would have prevented the breakdown of the radar.
Meanwhile, India's hesitancy in confirming the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMoA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) also forecloses the option of the U.S. transferring advanced avionics and communication equipment and satellite navigational aids aboard the eight Boeing P8I Poseidon multimission maritime aircraft (MMA) and six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft configured for Special Forces employment, all costing over $3 billion. Under the U.S. law, both pacts need bilateral confirmation to ensure client compliance with sensitive technology control transfers.
The IAF and the Navy, However, are Planning Repeat Orders for at Least Six additional C-130Js and Four More P 8Is. The Border Security Force and the Meteorological Department Too Have Expressed Interest in Acquiring C-130Js in Varied Configurations.
But the absence of secure and encrypted communication equipment aboard them would curtail the operational efficiency of both aircraft, reducing them to little more than sophisticated aerial platforms even though Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, Somewhat Disingenuously, Dismissed Such Claims Recently.
National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon too parsed India's stand, claiming that the proposed defence pacts with the U.S. were “something brand new” and that the government would evaluate whether inking them was a “feasible route” forward.
Complex legal issues on warranty, liabilities and possible arbitration over supply of military equipment if something were to go amiss were still under negotiation between the U.S. and Indian officials. In the absence of crucial pacts remaining unsigned, many contracts like the transfer of three wide-bodied Boeing Business Jets for the IAF's VVIP squadron had, for instance, been concluded individually.
Of the three VVIPs jets, however, only one is believed to be equipped with missile deflecting security suites provided out of courtesy by President George W. Bush's Republican administration to a nascent strategic partner with military hardware buying potential. The remaining two Boeings await closure of CISmoA and BECA.
Washington's initial indulgence, it seems, has slid into obstreperousness and exasperation over India's reluctance to sign blanket agreements to facilitate materiel transfers that govern all American military sales. Considering the volume of defence equipment under negotiation, on offer and under trial, it is only a matter of time before New Delhi buckles and the ubiquitous and highly dependable ‘Jugaad' ceases to exist as a force multiplier in the Indian military.
At the moment two more Phalcons are going to be bought with plans for five more later on. I expect that these will be bought in batches of two to three with progressively more advanced versions in each batch and that the older version would be upgraded to the latest standard when they come in for overhaul. Already, the third and final Phalcon of the current batch is supposed to be more advanced than the first two. Also, the first Phalcon squadron is on its way to achieve full operational readiness by the end of the year.
The Embraer based AWACS that you had mentioned is being developed by the DRDO. There have been several detailed TechFocus articles on the state of the project and the various technologies and subsystems that have been developed for it so far. The first airframe has been manufactured and is undergoing mechanical modification and testing in Brazil. The plans are to buy a first batch of three with a total of twenty in incrementally more advanced batches just like the Phalcons. I view these as complimentary to the Phalcons rather than mere gap fillers. The Phalcon's radar operates in the L-Band while the DRDO-AWACS's radar operates in the S-band - It may have a smaller range than the Phalcon but within that range it will generate more precise tracking information than the Phalcon due to the shorter wavelengths it operates on (As a general rule of thumb, for a fixed power level you will gain more precision at the cost of range as you go towards the shorter wavelengths of the S band from the longer ones of the L band).
Given the kinematic and seeker performances of modern missiles, the quality of tracking information that can be generated from a modern S-Band radar is sufficient for fire control purposes. A modern AWACS in the S-band opens up some very interesting tactical possibilities: I envision a future wherein a PAK-FA/FGFA can take completely passive long range missile shots from speeds of Mach-1.5+ and altitudes of 60,000+ feet - The Phalcon will be the first to detect and track the target at 400+ kilometers. It will then hand it off to the DRDO-AWACS at around 200 kilometers by which time a PAK-FA/FGFA formation would have been moved into a missile launch position. The DRDO-AWACS then passes the initial targeting information to the PAK-FA/FGFA which launches the missile and provides it with continual guidance updates from the tracking information it receives from the DRDO-AWACS. All this for a notional fighter sized target. And it need not be just the PAK-FA/FGFA that takes the shot, any other aircraft will do. I only picked it for the extreme speed and altitude combination it will give me.
All the pieces needed to do this are starting to fall into place. The only one on which there is very little information is the so called Operational Data Link that will glue everything together in the air. The ground based counterpart of the ODL is the AFNET (the Air Force Network) that became operational recently and together both will form the backbone of the IACCS (the integrated air command and control system). Each air command is to have one such system.
There is a lot of talk about the IAF's declining squadron numbers. The thing to keep in mind is that the IAF is in the midst of transitioning towards larger 20 aircraft fighter/strike squadrons: All squadrons raised from new inductions (ongoing and planned) and all squadrons with upgraded aircraft are 20 aircraft squadrons. The other thing to keep in mind is that the types being phased out (21-M/FL and 23-BN) have poor serviceability rates due to their age and their squadrons are understrength due to attrition. Between the two each squadron is reduced to an effective dozen or so aircraft. So yes, when two of these smaller squadrons with poor serviceability and obsolete aircraft are replaced by one larger Sukhoi squadron with high serviceability the IAF becomes "understrength" by one squadron but that fact hides more than it reveals. However, no one in the media is interested in going into the details. It is much easier to indulge in high pitched sensationalism than do any research. The IAF on its part is more or less fine with this as it helps them get more money out of the bureaucrats. Note that I am not saying everything is hunky dory - just that things should not be exaggerated out of proportion.
Talking of the Sukhois, Ajai Shukla has mentioned that two more Sukhoi squadrons are planned for the north-east: one at Hasimara and one at Bagdogra. This would bring the planned total to four. Currently there is one squadron based at Tezpur and one planned at Chabua. In the west the picture is somewhat unclear. There are Sukhoi squadrons based at Pune and Bareilly and planned at Halwara and Jodhpur. Around 130+ aircraft have been delivered so far to form six operational squadrons (2, 8, 20, 24, 30, and 31) and a seventh squadron is under raising. I know for sure that two of these squadrons are at Pune, one is at Bareilly, and one is at Tezpur. There might be a third squadron at Pune and a second squadron at Bareilly - as I said the picture is somewhat unclear in the west
Fighter Aircraft to be Equipped with Life-Support System
Published : Thursday, Nov 4, 2010, 2:35 IST
By Nirad Mudur | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA
The fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force [IAF] and the Indian Navy will now have an advanced technology that will help pilots survive almost anywhere in the world.
Fighter planes will be fitted with an advanced technology — integrated life support system [ILSS] — which could help the Navy do some of the things its US counterpart does.
The ILSS ensures uninterrupted oxygen supply to the pilot and protects him from adverse effects of high-altitude flying and extreme gravitational forces during high-speed combat manoeuvres.
VC Padaki, director, Defence Bioengineering & Electromedical Laboratory [Debel], told DNA that the IAF’s fighter aircraft merely carry oxygen cylinders for the pilots. But these have limited supply and the pilots need to return to base to replenish.
“But now, we have developed an engineering model of the ILSS which has an onboard oxygen generation system, or Obogs, which continuously supplies oxygen to the pilot without fear of being exhausted,” Padaki said.
Debel is a unit of the Defence Research & Development Organisation [DRDO] and the two have developed the technology jointly.Under the system, oxygen will not run out till there is fuel.
Padaki said since most advanced fighters have mid-air refuelling capabilities, there will be no constraint on oxygen supply. In this case, Obogs would separate nitrogen and oxygen from the compressed air in the engine and supply the latter to the pilots.
Obogs would maintain the oxygen status at sea-level condition even while flying at high altitudes.The system’s anti-G valve would render adequate G-suit inflation pressure to maintain the pilot’s blood circulation and prevent him from losing consciousness, Padaki said.
The technology, available only with USA, Russia, UK, France and Israel, will be integrated first with India’s light combat aircraft Tejas. Subsequently it will be tailored for long duration sorties such as those done by MiG-29, SU-30 MKI and Mirage-2000.
The engineering model of the ILSS prototype was rolled out on Wednesday from Debel by W Selvamurthy, chief controller, research and development, DRDO.
Colombia has accepted the modified second-hand Boeing B-767-200ER based multi-role tanker/transport/VIP transport aircraft modified by IAI. I'm posting this news item here because IAI was also sent the RFP by the IAF for the tanker contest.
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There is a lot of talk about the IAF's declining squadron numbers. The thing to keep in mind is that the IAF is in the midst of transitioning towards larger 20 aircraft fighter/strike squadrons: All squadrons raised from new inductions (ongoing and planned) and all squadrons with upgraded aircraft are 20 aircraft squadrons. The other thing to keep in mind is that the types being phased out (21-M/FL and 23-BN) have poor serviceability rates due to their age and their squadrons are understrength due to attrition. Between the two each squadron is reduced to an effective dozen or so aircraft. So yes, when two of these smaller squadrons with poor serviceability and obsolete aircraft are replaced by one larger Sukhoi squadron with high serviceability the IAF becomes "understrength" by one squadron but that fact hides more than it reveals. However, no one in the media is interested in going into the details. It is much easier to indulge in high pitched sensationalism than do any research. The IAF on its part is more or less fine with this as it helps them get more money out of the bureaucrats. Note that I am not saying everything is hunky dory - just that things should not be exaggerated out of proportion.
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I dont get the point. With each fighter generation the capability of sqn is improving. So 30 sqn flying MiG-21 are a far cry from present day unit. But so is the threat and tasking which is increased in scope and difficulty.
Minimum force level is required regardless of the technology.
........As you might expect, the AURA team has been consuming as much information as it possible can about existing stealth UCAVs in development globally now, including the European Neuron, the British Taranis, the Russian Skat and the American X-47A. The classified Indian programme will work to freeze broad design parameters by the middle of next year. The official list of government laboratories and academic institutions involved in the AURA now include GTRE Bangalore for the engines, DEAL Dehradun for datalinks and advanced electronics, DARE for avionics and electronic warfare equipment, LRDE and HAL for sensors, NAL/DMRL for materials and IIT-Kanpur for critical subsystems.
NEW DELHI: Even as Washington is keen on pushing the envelope on ‘big-ticket' defence deals and agreements during President Barack Obama's visit, the Manmohan Singh government has cleared a Rs.2,000-crore proposal to acquire a sophisticated equipment for the Indian Air Force.
The deal, which may not mean much in terms of value to the U.S., was given the nod late last week. It will allow the IAF to procure state-of-the-art equipment from the U.S. through the Foreign Military Sales route, sources in the top echelons of the government confirmed to The Hindu.
The decision to procure sensors for weapons may not fall under the ‘big-ticket' items that the U.S. hopes to sell, but it shows the increasing trend of the government concluding defence deals through the Foreign Military Sales route rather than the multi-vendor process that the Defence Procurement Policy advocates. The authorities maintain that the equipment is procured through the Foreign Military Sales route given the requirement of the armed forces.
around $400mil...so cannot be aircraft....could be the CBU-105 munition talked about in newspaper.
from 2008 - the cost does match.
October 6, 2008
India is buying 510 CBU-105 sensor fuzed weapons. Average cost is $735,000 each (including spares, maintenance gear, some training equipment and technical support.) First used during the 2003 Iraq war, the CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a cluster type bomb that releases computer controlled and radar equipped submunitions that hunt for tanks below and destroy them. Little robots, in effect. The CBU-105 can be used to attack formations of tanks, giving most of the submunitions an opportunity to destroy a vehicle.
CBU-105 is a half ton, GPS guided bomb carrying ten submunitions. Each of which uses a parachute to slowly descend. The submunition radar seeks out armored vehicles. If it spots one, the guidance system maneuvers the submunition towards the vehicle and fires a shaped charge that generates a self-forging warhead that is basically a bolt of molten metal travelling at high speed. This penetrates the thinner top armor of the vehicle and messes up the insides (this is similar to the Iranian shaped charge IEDs being used in Iraq). If the submunition radar does not spot (via it internal computer and library of vehicle types) a tank or other armored vehicle, it attacks any vehicle within a hundred meters or so, and attacks it. If there are no vehicles, the submunition detonates on the ground so that it does not lay around the battlefield causing a hazard.
or it could be ATC/meteorological eqpt based on ground for IAF airbase upg projects. stuff like portable approach control radars, doppler radars, ALG portable ATC trailer ...
Excerpts from the draft Communication Interoperability & Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) that the US wants the Indian government to sign.
Gives you a sense of why the Indian armed forces and government are so reluctant to proceed with it.
The US Embassy here has been tasked with (in their words) "educating" the Indian government about how CISMOA is simply an enabler of more substantive cooperation.
ramana wrote:ThE IAF old strength was 45 squadrons when did it become 39.5 squadrons? Did they phase out earlier than the acqusisiton?
Rahul M wrote:ramana ji 39.5 sqdn is IAF's sanctioned strength for a long time now, close to two decades if memory serves right. there have been talk of 45 sqdn and even an eventual force of 55 sqdn/1000 aircraft (which seems to have made a comeback after a decade) but nothing concrete so far.
IAF was made a 45-squadron air force pursuant to decisions made in the wake of the 1962 war, with 45 being the TOTAL number of squadrons, including the transport ones. According to IISS London's "Military Balance" reports published in 1970s, IAF's combat squadron strength was 34 at that time. In late 1980s, it was decided to increase the number of combat squadrons to 39.5 through a cabinet decision. However, this strength was never actually achieved.
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The Government has approved the present Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Delhi-based Western Air Command (WAC), Air Marshal NAK Browne for the appointment of the Vice Chief of Air Staff, as the incumbent Air Marshal P K Barbora retires on December 31, 2010.
Air Marshal Browne is also in line for the post of the Chief of Air Staff, after Air Chief Marshal P V Naik retires in July 2011.
India’s First AEW System to Roll Out by End-2011
By Gulshan Luthra
Published : November 2010
New Delhi. India’s first indigenously-developed Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system is ready and is being sent to Brazil shortly to be integrated with an Embraer 145 jet.
The development is a major milestone in India’s Quest for Self-Reliance in Advanced Radars, and based on the success of this system, both the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN) could acquire a number of them over the coming years. For the present though, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing three of them for the IAF, and accordingly has ordered three Embraer 145 long-range jets.
DRDO’s Chief Controller (SI) Dr Prahlada, one of India’s most distinghished military technology scientists, told India Strategic that the first Embraer is due to roll out in Jan 2011, and the Indian AEW&C radar will be integrated on it by 2011-end.
It should take a couple of years to fully certify the system.
Notably, IAF and IN need varying levels of radar capabilities, from short to long range and wide area coverage. IAF has already taken possession of two Israeli Phalcon AWACs fixed on Russian IL 76 aircraft and the third is due early next year. Two More have been Ordered meanwhile, and IAF is also looking at Boeing 737-700 AEW&C, Equipped with Northrop Grumman’s Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) Radar, the type already sold to Australia.
The Indian Navy is ordering 12 Boeing P8-I Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMAs) but it will also need some indigenous capability to complement this capability. It is also considering Northrop Grumman’s carrier-borne Hawkeye 2D, an advanced version Hawkeye 2C now being used by the US Navy.
The AWACS and AEW&C systems are advanced radars, absolutely essential in contemporary defence requirements for long-range and precision engagement to neutralize hostile targets.
Both Indian Navy and IAF should require at least 20 each of them, although on different platforms and different capabilities.
According to Dr Prahlada, the Indian AEW&C is an Active Phased Array Radar, derived from indigenous effort to “look some few hundred km” 360 degrees by rapidly scanning the area around it for airborne and ground threats.
The systems is to be equipped with Identification Friend and Foe (IFF), Missile Attack Warning, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Communication Support Measures (CSM) and secure satellite and wireless datalinks with Air Force Net (AFNET) and IAF and Navy fighters as well as the AWACS platforms.
The Embraer aircraft will be modified for midair refueling to extend their 3000 km-plus range.
Its sophisticated Mission Computers, already working on aircraft like SU30 MKIs are indigenous.
DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) has designed the indigenous radar, partly perhaps learning from Israel’s Greenpine radar, one or two of which were sold to India some years ago without software.
Notably, many European Countries are keen for Collaboration with DRDO,
and with the US also now Lifting Sanctions on DRDO during the Obama visit,
the Development of the Indigenous AEW&C is Likely to Pick Up both in terms of Capability and Speed.
Juggi G wrote:
IAF is also looking at Boeing 737-700 AEW&C, Equipped with Northrop Grumman’s Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) Radar[/b], the type already sold to Australia.
The Indian Navy is ordering 12 Boeing P8-I Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMAs) but it will also need some indigenous capability to complement this capability. It is also considering Northrop Grumman’s carrier-borne Hawkeye 2D, an advanced version Hawkeye 2C now being used by the US Navy.
Wonderful. Just what we need to round off our museum. <hitwall>
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the latest fighter plane from Lockheed Martin which is designed to become the mainstay of the U.S. as well several allies air force and navy, is likely to be displayed at the Aero India 2011 show in Bangalore. Lockheed Martin is pitching the aircraft’s B or C versions for India’s potential tender for carrier-based fighters to replace the Sea Harrier and equip the indigenous aircraft carrier currently under construction at the Cochin Shipyard and scheduled to be launched in 2014.
Orville Prins, Lockeed Martin’s Vice President, Business Development for India said in New Delhi that the F-35 is the next generation fighter to suit multiple roles for the U.S. and its allies. Lockheed Martin is seeking U.S. government approvals to offer the aircraft to India. “We are trying to bring the F35 to the Aero India show so that Indian Navy can have a feel of the aircraft. We don’t know yet if the F35 will take part in the flying displays”.
India had floated a request for information (RFI) earlier this year to seek a carrier based fighter plane. The RFI will be followed by an RFP as soon as the precise requirements are finalized, which could be in mid-2011. Thereafter the acquisition process will begin..
Chadwick did not commit Boeing to any future co-development projects with India government entities such as the Defense Research and Development Organization.
Boeing is also studying a request for information for a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned vehicle, says Vivek Lall, vice president for defense, space and security of Boeing India. In addition, the Indian navy has ordered eight Boeing P-8I aircraft to replace its aging fleet of eight Tupolev Tu-42s and two Ilyushin Il-38s. “We should be bending metal over the next few months for the P-8I, [which is] on target for delivery in 2013 to the Indian navy,” Chadwick says. “We have not been formally notified for four more,” he said.
Meanwhile, Boeing remains undecided about participating in India’s program to buy six midair refuelers, which has a proposal deadline of Dec. 15. “We are holding judgment as we see how that will play out … [we] think that decision will drive us and EADS …” Chadwick says.
India canceled a previous contract to buy A330-based refuelers from Airbus on Dec. 30, 2009. The program was rebid in September. With Boeing currently in competition with EADS to produce U.S. Air Force tankers, it is likely that the two companies will not decide to participate in the Indian tender until after the U.S. decision on the refuelers is made. An announcement is expected on Nov. 12.
In another matter, Indian helicopter Trials have been completed for 22 Boeing Apaches and 15 Chinooks. “Our focus is putting the best product in the competition with the right amount of capability,” Chadwick says.
A MiG-27 fighter plane of the IAF today crashed near Jodhpur in Rajasthan shortly after take off for a routine sortie, but the pilot bailed out safely. The crash occurred at 1320 hrs, 15 minutes after the aircraft took off from Jodhpur air base. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant A Patni, who is safe, had reported trouble in the aircraft, a defence official said, adding there is no damage on the ground.
The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry into the mishap. "The crash took place about 60 km away from Jodhpur," defence spokesperson Lt Col N N Joshi said. Police said there was no report of any loss of life or damage in the incident. "The is no report of any loss of life on the ground in the crash which took place in Mandawas village," B L Meena, Superintendent of Police of Pali district, which is near the crash site, said. "The pilot has been located and is safe," the SP said. The MiG-27 crash comes just a couple of days after a Cheetah helicopter of the IAF crash landed near the Siachen Glacier base camp.
it has been speculated that S-band phalcon radar and L-band emb145 radar could work in concert to id LO targets (I believe L band is better for that...some ships use that like SMART-L) ... until the X-bands of fighters light up for the final strike.
Singha wrote:it has been speculated that S-band phalcon radar and L-band emb145 radar could work in concert to id LO targets (I believe L band is better for that...some ships use that like SMART-L) ... until the X-bands of fighters light up for the final strike.
Isn't it the other way around - L band on the Phalcon and the shorter wavelength S-Band on the DRDO AWACS?
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation’s (HBC) T-6 military trainer will come to India later this month to take part in field evaluation trials with the Indian Air Force officials as part of its competition for a new basic trainer, a HBC release said.
As the mission of Flight Safety of Indian Air Force is to ensure operational capability by conserving human and material resources through prevention of aircraft accidents, the Air Force Station here on Thursday witnessed a day-long Aerospace Safety Council Meet being held under the aegis of the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.
An annual feature, the Aerospace Safety Council Meet witnessed the participation of commanders of all bases under Western Air Command (WAC) as well as Aerospace Safety and Inspection Officers of all commands of Indian Air Force and the members from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Addressing the commanders at the meet, which had the underlying theme- 'Enhancing Flight Safety through professional leadership', Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command said: "People are at the core of our Aviation Safety Programme and they must receive our highest attention."
"The Western Air Command (WAC) contributes to approximately 35 percent of total flying efforts of Indian Air Force, which also includes the round the year air maintenance operations carried out by WAC in the Northern Region of the country," he added. The commanders' carried out an annual review of flight safety records for flight safety or aerospace safety, which is ongoing concern for military aviation as it involves operating at the limits of human body, machine and environment.
With the aviation environment being extremely dynamic and the IAF operating a wide variety of aircraft of varied technological vintage, the meet provided a valuable platform for presenting and discussing various flight safety issues and sharing effective and innovative measures adopted at the bases towards enhancing flight safety and reducing the rate of accidents and incidents related to flying. Emphasis on environmental issues that directly affect flight safety such as the bird menace was also discussed during the meet.
It Doesn’t Pay to be Invincible
ET Bureau, 11 Nov, 2010
The very invincibility of the doughty refrigerator that has run non-stop for 63 years in a British village is a cautionary tale. While the third generation of the Ashley family may look upon their fridgersaurus as a lovable relic of the first industrial revolution-prompted ice age, the demise of the legendary Company that created it reiterates the necessity of planned obsolescence.
English Electric had the interest of its consumers at heart when it launched the refrigerator, as other working versions of the model still find mention in second-hand sales sites for tidy sums. But evidently it did not foresee the longterm implications of this sturdiness.
If gadgets never go kaput, sales figures eventually will. India has had firsthand experience of the indomitable character of English Electric products with the Canberra, which served the Indian Air Force for an incredible 50 years before reluctantly retiring from service in 2007. The feisty aircraft not only played stellar roles in the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, it sustained a Stinger missile hit while on a reconnaissance mission near the LoC during the Kargil conflict of 1999 and still returned safely to base.
In the spirit of that soundly whirring refrigerator in Shropshire, airworthy specimens of the Canberra are still engaged in research sorties and ceremonial fly-pasts.
But had English Electric planned the timely obsolescence of its products it too may have been whirring and flying instead of becoming a footnote in the history of the companies that bought over and succeeded it, from GEC to Alstom .
The wise strategy is to strike a balance between being branded flimsy and being praised as durable — as opposed to being deemed indestructible and then seeing profits wither away!
I was looking though some of my old stuff and found this Indian Air Force Calender(2008).
Posting few images of it. It has some cool artistic illustration of Indian Air Force's history.
LCH was doing a hover test today about 1km above HAL airport. it is no longer all-black. there is a yellow area below the front cockpit. the rest may be black or more likely dark green. yellow and green is the std Mi35 camo for IA.
sarkar wrote:I was looking though some of my old stuff and found this Indian Air Force Calender(2008).
Posting few images of it. It has some cool artistic illustration of Indian Air Force's history.
This one is probably the Atlantique Incident
Sarkar
Solid way of expressing IAF's might through the colours.
is there a 2nd proto flying? I also noted no gun below the chin. due to extreme operating range for my binocular I couldnt determine black or dark green, but big yellow patch is 101% .. also it is NOT WSI...it was a LCH 300%
it was hovering in one position for atleast 10 mins above the HAL apt, with a few seconds of sideways and rear flight, then moved away to heli division landing area. could have been there for much longer before I happened to spot it.
A Request For Information (RFI) was issued in September 2010 for Combat Search & Rescue Systems (SRS). The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to procure personal Rescue Beacons for its Fighter, Transport and Helicopter fleet and Emergency Location Transmitters (ELT) as well as Air borne Locator Interrogators for its Transport and Helicopters fleet. The estimated cost is Rs.120 crores.
During the past one year, there have been two fatal accidents and the bodies of three pilots who lost their lives in these accidents were recovered. Since these accidents took place near IAF airfields under positive control of Air Traffic Control (ATC), the present SRS was not required to be used to recover the bodies/debris.
‘Jugaad' Ceases to Exist as a Force Multiplier in the Indian Military.
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