Indian Military Aviation- Jan 10 2012

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 14 Mar 2012 22:05

INDUCTION OF DRONES IN IAF

In order to meet its operational requirements the Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to increase the strength of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in a phased manner. These include Micro and Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft.

The Remotely Piloted Aircraft are employed for surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering tasks and not for filling gaps in our Air Defence capability.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 15 Mar 2012 00:01

Russia to foray into India’s civil aviation market

“Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Sukhoi Design Bureau have started work on the preliminary design of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), the Indian variant of Russia’s Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF)," the UAC chief said.

“We’re working as one team. Indian specialists are in Moscow, while a Russian team is in Bangalore.”

Pogosyan also said Russia and India plan to sign by July a preliminary design contract for the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), which the two countries will jointly build for their air forces.

jai · Post by **jai** » 15 Mar 2012 00:28

rohitvats wrote:Landed at about 12pm at the Jodhpur airport....which is part of the IAF base here.....as the ATR was moving down the runway, saw the beautiful sight of three SU-30 lined up on the taxiway waiting for our a/c to clear...and by the time our a/c reached the civilian terminal, saw the awesome sight of three MKIs taking off one after the another.....and the sound..sorry, make that ROAR of those engines......simply awesome.....eye watering momemt for a jingo!!!!!

I have the pleasure of calling this city my own and do visit it a few times a year, the highlight of each visit are various sightings and the last few months, Rambha sightings. The last interesting one in mid Jan was the big boy formation with 76' s, 32's, and 228's.(130's were not there) that flew the republic day parade, and Rambha, 27, and 78 takeoffs and landings+ choppers. It's a swell place for fighter enthusiasts. Pune is equally good as the last time there (some years back) one saw some awesome Rambha dogfight practice runs. Cheers !!

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 15 Mar 2012 02:00

^^^ Lucky guys... Rohit... did you take some fotos... sitting in Khanland i am not fortunate enough to see these beauties.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 15 Mar 2012 11:23

^^^^Take photos?????? on a IAF airbase with 5-6 AK-47 arme guards surrounding the puny ATR?????????????????????

eek:

bredators......this evil high case brahmin wants me to don the sooosai vest......

...isay ban this fundamentalist...

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 15 Mar 2012 13:50

I LIKE IT

Indian Rotorcraft to commence operations at GMR Aerospace Park

The GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Ltd., a company of the GMR Group announced today that they have reached an in-principle agreement on terms with Indian Rotorcraft Ltd to locate an AW119ke helicopter assembly and flight testing facility at the GMR Aerospace Park in Hyderabad.

The 8-seat AW119Ke is a top-of-the-range helicopter in the single engine market and has excellent performance even in extremely hot and high operating environments. Over 190 AW119 helicopters have been ordered to date in around 30 countries by more than 90 customers. The AW119Ke is ideally suited to perform a wide range of tasks including law enforcement, utility, fire-fighting, EMS, VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport as well as military missions.

An area of 10 acres has been allocated within the aviation specific Special Economic Zone of the Aero Park with an option for future expansion of the current facility or in order to establish new capabilities. The site was selected by Indian Rotorcraft after an exhaustive process of evaluation of other potential sites in India. Indian Rotorcraft Ltd will commence construction after all necessary Governmental approvals are obtained. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered from the new facility in 2012.(other reports say mid 2013)
The AW119Ke assembly line, the first of its kind in private sector in India will provide remarkable industrial opportunities in the aerospace sector in India and will enable the company to play an increasing role in the development of the Indian helicopter market.

Speaking on the development, GMR Group Chairman, Mr. GM Rao, said “We are pleased to welcome Indian Rotorcraft to the GMR Hyderabad Aerospace Park. Tata Sons and AgustaWestland are leaders in their respective fields and the GMR Group takes pride in being the chosen partner to these two eminent companies. I would like to wish the venture all success and I hope this sets a trend for many other leaders in the aviation sector to start making Hyderabad their home.”

<SNIP>

About Indian Rotorcraft
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Tata Sons are establishing together in India, a final assembly line for the AW119Ke helicopter through a newly formed company, Indian Rotorcraft. Indian Rotorcraft will be responsible for AW119Ke assembly, completion and delivery for the worldwide market.

Indian Rotorcraft Breaks Ground on AW Production Facility

Plans call for Indian Rotorcraft to start producing the light AW119Ke in mid-2013, with other types to follow, up to the 16-ton AW101. Indian Rotorcraft intends to hire more than 70 people, who will receive training from AgustaWestland.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 16 Mar 2012 20:06

indranilroy wrote:I LIKE IT

Indian Rotorcraft to commence operations at GMR Aerospace Park

Good news if true. I worry about the number of scams coming out of AP.

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 16 Mar 2012 22:08

rohitvats wrote:^^^^Take photos?????? on a IAF airbase with 5-6 AK-47 arme guards surrounding the puny ATR????????????????????? eek:
bredators......this evil high case brahmin wants me to don the sooosai vest...... ...isay ban this fundamentalist...

a good one... I still remember those days where Hawai sundaris used to come down the aisle and pull down the shades before takeoff and landings in Desh. do They still do it?

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 18 Mar 2012 01:01

MiG-29UPG KBU3123. Has been flying in Russia since 4-2011.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 18 Mar 2012 03:53

the shades need to be open while landing and take-off - safety norms. AFAIK, this is to ensure that in case of any accident, the firefighters/rescue workers can see "in" from the outside. Well, what goes my fathers??? I get to ogle at them beauties at IAF base(s).

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 18 Mar 2012 06:15

Good to see the upg Baaz looking all mean and ready for some action. I'd like to see a pic of the pit though. Let us see how similar it is to the K.

mayankdr · Post by **mayankdr** » 18 Mar 2012 06:30

To all Guru, I have asked this question earlier too.
Whats the difference between Mig29KUB vs Mig-29UPG??

andy B · Post by **andy B** » 18 Mar 2012 07:42

SU30s in UP Bases Rambha 2 page spread

in AFM
http://www.mediafire.com/?ro17o17bz772l5l

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 18 Mar 2012 09:16

mayankdr wrote:To all Guru, I have asked this question earlier too.
Whats the difference between Mig29KUB vs Mig-29UPG??

KUB is a 2 seat naval trainer variant while UPG is the IAF upgraded MiG-29B. Both are in service with IN and IAF respectively.

mayankdr · Post by **mayankdr** » 18 Mar 2012 09:43

^^ So that means UPG and KUB are same in terms of technology and specifics and play and can play same role???

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 18 Mar 2012 10:22

that's not what he said.

you asked about the KUB, KUB is the trainer variant of mig-29k, the naval variant. all Mig-29k's are new built aircraft made to a modernised design. this wiki article gives you the info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29K

mig-29UPG is an India specific upgrade of IAF's older fulcrums. I wrote about it in my blog : http://brfrahulm.blogspot.in/2012/01/fu ... grade.html

while similar there are still significant differences owing to the fact that the k is a new design. it has a different airframe, different engine, different version of radar, FBW that the UPG lacks and so on.

Gurneesh · Post by **Gurneesh** » 18 Mar 2012 10:28

Is the RD33 Series3 engine in Mig20UPG smokeless ?

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 18 Mar 2012 11:10

andy B wrote:SU30s in UP Bases Rambha 2 page spread in AFM
http://www.mediafire.com/?ro17o17bz772l5l

Pic #8 if first picture with AAR pod. It is not the Russian UPAZ pod since it is driven from a ram air turbine. Maybe the reason why lack of IL-78 refuelers is not a pressing issue.

SB313 and SB324 are the 'highest' serial numbers noted till date.

A surprise from me was that Bakshi ka Talaab airbase is different from Bareilly AFS.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 18 Mar 2012 11:15

Gurneesh wrote:Is the RD33 Series3 engine in Mig20UPG smokeless ?

Yes, as also mentioned in Rahul M's blog article from the link pasted by him above.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 18 Mar 2012 11:52

so it was claimed. unfortunately it seems I was incorrect. jagan posted a vid in his vayusena FB a/c which shows an UPG fulcrum smoking badly.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 18 Mar 2012 11:56

is this that vid ? smokes like a leyland 1616

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Mar 2012 12:00

It smokes badly but RD-33 Series 3 is classified as Low Smoke Engine and not No Smoke Engine.

We will have to watch few more videos to be sure that the Series 3 or the original RD-33 while UPG is being upgrades. Difficult to judge looking at just one prototype.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 18 Mar 2012 12:02

yes true and if it still smokes after that it is because of indian pilots and technicians rodina cannot be faulted ever

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Mar 2012 12:35

Mig-29 in IAF has been smoking as hell thats no secret , we need to see if the series 3 engine makes a visible difference as they claim they did.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 18 Mar 2012 13:04

Bakshi ka Talab is the place where IAF AB is located. There is no other AB in Bareilly.

Added later: The Mig-21 mentioned in the article is from 35 Squadron, "The Rapiers"....which is tasked with EW duties. This squadron maintained the last flight of MiG-25s after 102 Squadrons - The Trisonics were number plated.

Check the commentary here: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Image ... s/Foxbats/

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 18 Mar 2012 17:08

Austin wrote: Reply with quote
It smokes badly but RD-33 Series 3 is classified as Low Smoke Engine and not No Smoke Engine.

I don't remember anywhere RD 33 Series 3 is mentioned as Low Smoke engine. Only Sea Wasp is considered to be low smoke engine.

Probably, the confusion is due to mixing of Series 3 and Sea Wasp info.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Mar 2012 21:51

They used to have details of RD-33 Series 3 at HAL website , now they have removed it. I remember it was described as low smoke engine with higher TBO compared to vanila RD-33 engine.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Mar 2012 21:58

that conformal housing for the IFR probe in 29upg might offer a low cost soln to folding the probe on Tejas and Rafale. much neater than having it extended always. even the EF has a slight bulge where it goes into fuselage though not this big.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 19 Mar 2012 12:31

Kanson wrote:
Austin wrote: Reply with quote
It smokes badly but RD-33 Series 3 is classified as Low Smoke Engine and not No Smoke Engine.
I don't remember anywhere RD 33 Series 3 is mentioned as Low Smoke engine. Only Sea Wasp is considered to be low smoke engine.

Probably, the confusion is due to mixing of Series 3 and Sea Wasp info.

Could it be that all engines will smoke in Indian conditions probably as a result of Indian fuel?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 19 Mar 2012 12:40

that video is from russia. other a/c do not smoke, including russi ones like MKI.

Bala Vignesh · Post by **Bala Vignesh** » 19 Mar 2012 13:48

Gurulog,
Pardon me if it seems stupid, but what causes a turbofan engine to smoke??? Aren't turbofan engines supposed to be clean and smoke free, unlike the turbojets???

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Mar 2012 13:54

I dont think turbo-anything (jet/fan/prop/shaft) has a bearing on smokiness. the design of the combustion chamber and the fuel feeds must ensure a perfect clean combustion probably to ensure less smoke (btw the GE 404 engine also smokes as does every western engine only to lesser extent than RD33). probably the RD33 being a 70s era engine was not so great in that department.
the Ivchenko engines on AN32's running loops around HAL smoke so bad one would think a MANPAD had scored a hit on both engines which are on fire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivchenko_AI-20

koti · Post by **koti** » 19 Mar 2012 13:59

TOI Link
When did we import the 20 Jaguars?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Mar 2012 14:03

we never did. but of the 37 or such new jaguars built many of the components like engines would be from UK.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 19 Mar 2012 17:14

Rahul M wrote:that video is from russia. other a/c do not smoke, including russi ones like MKI.

Is that true of all operating conditions/mode?

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 19 Mar 2012 21:34

merlin wrote:
Could it be that all engines will smoke in Indian conditions probably as a result of Indian fuel?

that video was from MAKS..sorry, you can't blame India for the engine smoking in this case.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 19 Mar 2012 21:44

I saw an AN-32 coming in low for a landing today morning, if that counts for anything :p

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 19 Mar 2012 21:50

actually the indian environment might have been a saving grace - because we have enough smoke and crap floating around

But this smokes so bad that it is visible even in Indian conditions.

I have been at a airbase in the East where a few Mig 29s were transiting through.

It was a one of those hazy winter days and in spite of that you could see the dark smoky trail of the 29s.

for the 21s and 27s going against it - it was good as they got a little headstart in picking it out.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 19 Mar 2012 21:58

Surya wrote: It was a one of those hazy winter days and in spite of that you could see the dark smoky trail of the 29s.

for the 21s and 27s going against it - it was good as they got a little headstart in picking it out.

The headstart may not eventually matter against a thoroughly outmatched competitor like the 21, but against a closely matched adversary like an F-16 it could be the difference between victory and defeat. I cannot figure out why the IAF did not go in for the RD-33MK engine used on the navy's 29s. That engine doesn't seem to smoke this bad.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 19 Mar 2012 22:00

^^^ size. sea wasp is bigger.