Endangered

Navy denies reports of delay in delivery of Admiral Gorshkov

MUMBAI, MAY 1 (PTI)

The Indian Navy today denied reports that the delivery of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov would be delayed till 2010 and said the refurbishing of the ship was moving as per schedule.

"The work is going on as per schedule and I do not know where this particular report came from. The work is only three to four months behind schedule and we can expect the aircraft carrier to be delivered by late 2008 or early 2009," Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta told reporters here.

He was commenting on reports in a section of media recently which said that the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov or the rechristened `Vikramaditya' aircraft carrier would be delayed to 2010.

The aircraft carrier is currently being refurbished at a cost of USD one billion, which includes 16 MiG 29K aircraft, is being built at the Sevmash shipyard in Serverodvinsk City of Russia.

Mehta said that the Russians have committed for a timely delivery of the ambitious aircraft carrier to the Indian Defence Minister.

"Our officials, who are stationed at the spot have said that the work is going on as per schedule and we can have a month long delay once the work is completed as that part of Russia is frozen for a long time," he said.

Mehta was in the city to preside over the investiture ceremony of naval officers and men held at INS Kunjali today.

URI

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Wild Wild Web

Endangered

India acquires 12 contracted Weapon Locating Radars

The Indian Army has taken delivery of all the 12 sophisticated Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) it had contracted to buy from leading US arms manufacturer Raytheon.

Ten of the 12 Firefinder radars had been supplied till last year, and the remaining two recently, according to a report in the coming issue of India Strategic defence magazine, an advance copy of which has been made available to IANS.

Designated AN-TPQ/37 Firefinder, the radars are used to locate and destroy hostile artillery fire. The army had actually projected their requirement in the early 1980s but their urgent necessity was felt when in the 1999 Kargil war it suffered more than 80 percent of its casualties to Pakistani artillery fire.

Pakistan then also had the advantage of WLRs, although of an earlier version -- AN-TPQ/36, which it had acquired in the early 1980s virtually for free in military doles from the US.

The deal for WLRs, signed in 2002, was the first one India signed with the US in the post-Cold War era, thanks to the improving diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Washington.

Initially, India looked for only eight WLRs under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme for $140 million but later, another four were added, taking the value to nearly $200 million.

Although the Indian Army needs a number of WLRs, there is no transfer of technology (ToT) involved in the deal with Raytheon. The remaining requirement is being met by a newly developed phased array system indigenously built by the public sector Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Carrier vehicles for the Firefinder radars and support systems are being supplied by another public sector company, the fast growing Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).

As for the AN-TPQ/37, the highly advanced radar can track 'first-round' hostile fire within seconds from a range of three to 50 km, and then launch precise counter attacks. Significantly, this radar can also be configured to detect missiles by adding a 60-degree sector mode antenna to extend its range.

A radar's computerised signal processors detects, verifies and tracks up to 10 artillery, mortar or rocket projectiles, and then estimates their firing position as well as the impact point. The system helps in correcting friendly fire in neutralising enemy positions. Manned by a crew of 12, the radar is capable of separating any clutter generated by birds, helicopters and aircraft.

Raytheon does not make platforms like aircraft or ships but, according to Admiral Walter F. Doran (retd), the recently appointed president of Raytheon Asia 'lends substance' to them. For instance, INS Jalashva, or the former USS Trenton, which the Indian Navy has purchased this year for $45 million under the FMS programme, has its main onboard equipment supplied by Raytheon.

'We do not manufacture platforms, but we lend substance to them... We are the technology virtually behind every mission,' Doran told India Strategic in a recent interview in New Delhi.

Notably, Raytheon also has the most advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar technology at the moment, which is going to be a key determinant in buying the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA). Raytheon has offered to install it on either of the two US jets, the Boeing F-18 Super Hornet or the Lockheed Martin F-16, depending upon India's choice.

Other contenders in the race are also developing their AESA radars, promising mature technology by the time India buys them.

Raytheon officials say that as its AESA radar has no moving parts, it can be used for 10,000 to 15,000 hours, that is, 10 to 30 times more than older radars. The AESA units also function as messaging tools for communication between a number of aircraft, satellites, ships or ground control.

The Firefinder deal includes generators, trailers, communications equipment, logistic services, quality assurance, spare parts, publications and other programme support elements.

URI

stupid

New Delhi Wants To Buy Lockheed C-130Js From U.S.

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI


India is petitioning to buy the U.S.-built C-130J transport aircraft for its Air Force.
Defence Minister A.K. Anthony announced in the parliament here May 3 that the government has sent to Washington a formal request to buy C-130Js. This would be the first American military aircraft purchase for India, which currently uses Russian military transport planes, An-32s and Il-76s.
The Indian Air Force evinced interest in buying the aircraft because of its ability to land and take off even in short airfields and without lights.
The airlifter is essential for moving India’s special forces at short notice, a Defence Ministry official said.
India wants to buy an unspecified number of the aircraft via the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales program, the ministry official said, but no contract has been signed. The formal agreement for the C-130J purchase will be completed this year, the official added.
The Air Force is in the final stages of contracting the procurement of six C-130Js, a Lockheed Martin executive in New Delhi said.

http://defensenews.com/story.php?F=2732056&C=asiapac
DefenseNews.com - New Delhi Wants To Buy Lockheed C-130Js From U.S. - 05/03/07 10:46

Endangered

Boeing factors life-cycle costs into F-18 price

NEW DELHI, MAY 3 (PTI)

Showcasing their F-18 Super Hornet for India's 126 multi-role combat aircraft order, Boeing Integrated Defense System today said the total jet fighter procurement cost would be designed keeping in mind its life-cycle costs.

Announcing that the Royal Australian Air Force had yesterday become the launch customer for the aircraft, senior officers of the US aerospace major said the company was in talks with governments of Kuwait, Switzerland and Malaysia for selling the Super Hornets.

"The total costs are designed keeping in mind the life-cycle costs of the aircraft," Boeing IDS Vice President and Country Head Anil Shrikhande told reporters.

He and Chris Chadwick, the company's global communication head, said F-18s had been designed to last till 2025-30 and were fitted with very modern and sophisticated sensor package and armaments.

In reply to questions, both said they were not aware of any thinking in India about splitting the 126 aircraft order between two kinds of aircraft and said it would not be militarily and financially viable to have different war planes.

If selected, the first 18 F-18 Super Hornets would be produced and flown in and the remaining ones co-produced with Indian companies. In the long-run, Indian aerospace industry would have the capability to offer these aircraft to third countries, Chadwick said.

Shrikhande said Boeing's response to Indian Navy's Request for Proposal (RFP) for P-8 fighters had been accepted and the US firm had moved into the second phase of the selection process and submitted field evolution plan to the navy for further trials.

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Endangered

Maiden launch of GSLV Mark-III in 2009: ISRO

Ahmedabad, May 4 (PTI): India's ambition to grab a slice of the billion-dollar global satellite launch market will get a major boost when ISRO makes the maiden launch of its new Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III in 2009.

"The development of GSLV Mark-III is progressing well and we hope to have its maiden launch in 2009," said Madhavan Nair, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Thursday.

The GSLV Mark-III is an entirely new three-stage launch vehicle and is not derived from PSLV or GSLV Mark-I or II series.

With the development of GSLV Mark-III, India will be able to launch heavy satellites into the geosynchronous transfer orbit. This vehicle is billed as the technological successor to GSLV Mark-II.

Nair, who was at Space Applications Centre here to attend a "National Telemedicine Users' Meet", told the media that ISRO had identified the problems that had caused the failure of GSLV Mark-II launch last year.

"Last year we had a failure. But we have identified the reasons for it."

"There is nothing wrong with the design or any of the other sub-systems. It was only a fabrication error which caused the failure," he said of the three-stage 414 tonne launch vehicle which had lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in July 2006 only to plunge into the Bay of Bengal with a 2,168-kg INSAT-4C satellite.

Nair said ISRO had rectified the snag and the space agency will be re-launching the GSLV Mark-II by October this year.

"We hope that we will be able to make a launch sometime in September or October this year," Nair said.

"Till date we have had four launches of GSLV of which only one has failed."

The first two flights of GSLV were developmental, while the third was an EDUSAT communication satellite launch in September 2004.

Nair said satellite launch vehicles like the PSLVs and the GSLVs will also be used for commercial launches by ISRO.

"We are trying to sell it to the extent possible."

"The GSLV Mark-II is a very good vehicle for launching small satellites," he said, adding the vehicle could carry 2,500-kgs of payload into the geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural function of the "National Telemedicine Users' Meet", Nair said the year 2007 had begun well for ISRO in terms of space launches.

He hailed the ISRO's space-recovery experiment conducted in January this year as the best achievement for the space agency.

"The space capsule was in space for 12 days, conducted experiments and had later successfully re-entered the earth's atmosphere," Nair said.

"It is the best achievement anybody can dream of."

URI

Endangered

HAL speeds up LCA project
Saturday May 5 2007 00:00 IST

BANGALORE: Even as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the defence has pulled up the Defence Research and Development (DRDO) for delay in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas project, the Bangalore headquartered Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is using all its resources to “speed-up” the prestigious project.

Despite time delays due to various reasons, the project has now entered the much-awaited production stage with the first Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft hitting the sky recently.

Two divisions at HAL, Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) and a LCA unit are working on the project. That apart, Line Replacement Units (LRU) which are significant in any aircraft programme, have also been set-up by a dedicated team at the PSU.

“Our challenge is to speed up the LCA project and we are putting all our resources to expedite the whole process,” HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ashok K Baweja told this website’s newspaper on Friday. “Four more platforms will be added by the end of the year and with that we will have more platforms to conduct the trials.”

Six LCAs, Technology Demonstrator I, II and PV I and II and first LSP aircraft are already flying. As on Friday, Tejas has completed 660 Test Flights (TD1-207, TD2-257, PV1-133, PV2-28, PV3-34, LSP1-1).

Adding more platforms will aid in conducting various tests simultaneously and expedite the process of getting Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and also the Final Operational Clearance. While IOC is expected by 2009, the final operational clearance is likely to come through by 2010.

The PSU, Baweja said, is working closely with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and the project is being reviewed every month. Bangalore-based DRDO lab, ADA has designed and developed the LCA and HAL is now producing the aircraft.

It is not unusual of HAL to take initiatives to expedite the project as it has a commitment of delivering 28 aircraft, of them eight LSP aircraft to the IAF. Delay in delivering the aircraft to IAF will dent the PSU's image and the top brass at the PSU are not in a mood to take any chances.

In its report presented in the parliament on Friday, the Parliamentary Committee on the defence has insisted on a strict deadline to complete the project.

URI

Endangered

DRDO planning 'perfect drop' using GPS tech
Saturday May 5 2007 00:00 IST

BANGALORE: The Defence Research and Development Organisation is aiming at developing a Global Positioning System (GPS)-guided parachute system that could deliver supplies from about 30,000 feet altitude with pin-point accuracy, avoiding important cargo loss during natural and man-made calamities.

The technology would also benefit the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE).

The last part of the SRE involves the space capsule splashing sown in the sea using a huge parachute. The space capsule is then retrieved by the Coast Guard.

DRDO sources told this website’s newspaper that the GPS-guided parachutes, to be developed by the Agra-based Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), would be aided by satellites to guide its descent which would be pre-programmed.

In case of severe wind causing it to drift, the parachute can also be guided from the ground using a control panel with a joystick.

The technology would be crucially relevant for dropping troops and supplies like food, weapons and ammunition in hazardous and zero-visibility conditions like in the Siachen region.

Experts said important cargo containing food and medicine have been lost earlier in earthquake-hit or flood-hit regions when the parachutes carrying the cargo have dropped out of reach of the affected people.

"The GPS-guided parachutes can have an error of 100 to 150 yards, which means that a location like an open field or a football ground can be pre-planned as the drop zone," explained a DRDO scientist.

ISRO's SRE programme Associate Director, N C Bhat, said the technology could greatly benefit the space capsule retrieval, which presently uses a beacon to emit signals to the Coast Guard to relay its location at sea.

He said the GPS capability could help the Coast Guard to be closer to the location of splashdown to cut time and cost during retrieval.

The SRE programme is a run-up to India's manned space mission in which the astronauts would return to earth in the space capsule. So cutting time would be crucial for the astronauts' well being.

The system is already in use in the USA and some European countries.

URI

Endangered

Govt clears HAL's proposal to enter aircraft engine field

A K DHAR, NEW DELHI, MAY 6 (PTI)

With Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)'s efforts to build a jet engine not producing results even after 20 years, the government has cleared proposals to allow the blue chip state-run undertaking to join hands with international design houses for the venture.

Under the new proposals, the government will allow HAL to become a co-development partner with established aircraft engine developers to give "initial impetus" to the development of aero-engines in India.

The step, defence ministry officials said, was mooted as realisation has dawned that there is an urgent need to bridge the extensive gap between India and advanced countries in the field of aircraft engine development.

HAL, they said, will thus become the second major official agency to try to develop an indigenous aero-engine.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation's Bangalore-based Gas Turbine Research Establishment is working to produce the Kaveri engine to power the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

To gain a foothold in aero-engine technology, the defence ministry has said that proposals were being studied for HAL to take up the co-development of F-125 engines with Honeywell of the US and Adour Mk821 and 250-C40B engines with Rolls-Royce.

Collaboration between HAL and Pratt and Whitney was also under consideration, they said.

HAL's Engine Test Bed Research and Design Centre (ETBRDC) will work to produce the turbo-shaft engine for the proposed indigenous multi-role combat aircraft being designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

"Such an engine can alternatively be installed in the fifth generation fighter proposed to be developed jointly by India and Russia," an official said.

ETBRDC is simultaneously being tasked to produce another twin spool turbofan engine to power an indigenous cruise missile. This engine will be jointly developed by the National Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL) and DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment.

The government has already invited proposals for co-development of the Kaveri engine that will power the second batch of LCAs for the Indian Air Force, and French, Russian and US companies have submitted bids.

In a significant move, the key Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has recommended that HAL should be totally delinked from DRDO. "It should be re-structured so as to make it an autonomous research and development organisation," the panel said in its latest report tabled in Parliament.

The Committee noted that HAL has been unable to develop leadership in aeronautic defence research projects and blamed this on "bureaucratic control" by the defence ministry.

"HAL should be given full autonomy on the lines of ISRO and the Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile project," the committee suggested.

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Jaguars to pave way for civilian airlines in Pune

NEW DELHI, MAY 6 (PTI)

A contingent of IAF's Jaguar fighters, based in Pune to look after the strategic tasks, is being moved to Jamnagar in Gujarat to give more flying space to civilian airlines operating mainly from Mumbai.

The Jaguars, capable of carrying out maritime strikes and ground attacks, are expected to move out of Lohegaon base to Jamnagar within a month, official sources said.

The combat squadron is being relocated to clear "air congestion" in the region as, among other reasons, the "training requirement" of the Jaguars involves lower level flying.

The sources, however, made it clear that the strategic role of these fighters, including the security of Bombay High and shipping assets in the Arabian Sea, would not be compromised as the aircraft would carry out their operations from Jamnagar including training sorties.

With the aviation sector witnessing a quantum jump in operations, the IAF has been facing difficulties in carrying out exercises involving Jaguars in view of high civilian traffic. The Mumbai area itself has been handling over 600 civilian flights a day.

URI

Endangered

IAF MiG-29 crashes, pilot safe

JALANDHAR/NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashed near here Tuesday but the pilot ejected safely.

The pilot was identified as Lt. Commander Vikram Chauhan of the Indian Navy. He was on attachment to the IAF to train on the MiG-29 ahead of its deployment on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov that will be joining the navy fleet next year, an IAF spokesman said in New Delhi.

The fighter took off from the Adampur air force base, 20 km from here, at around 4 pm and crashed within two minutes, the spokesman added.

The fighter was on a routine sortie. It crashed near Dharoli Khurd village, missing some houses by just 200 metres.

"The crash occurred immediately on take off. The pilot ejected safely," the IAF spokesman said.

The pilot was admitted to the military hospital in Jalandhar and is being kept under observation.

A court of inquiry had been ordered.

Fighters from the Adampur base will participate in an Indian Army-IAF joint exercise starting near Jalandhar May 11.

Three IAF MiG-29s have crashed in the past 11 months.

In September 2006, a MiG-29 that had taken off from Adampur crashed while preparing to land at Ambala. The pilot ejected safely.

In June, a twin-seat trainer version crashed into the sea off India's west coast but both pilots bailed out safely.

Tuesday's is the fifth crash of an IAF aircraft this year.

A Jaguar fighter had crashed at the Nal air base in Rajasthan on Jan 18. An indigenously developed Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) had crashed on Feb 2 while rehearsing for the Aero India international air show at Yelahanka near Bangalore. A MiG-21 fighter met a similar fate near Kurseong in West Bengal on March 1.

On April 11, two pilots were killed when a Cheetah helicopter crashed over the Siachen glacier in Jammu and Kashmir.

Soon after assuming office last month, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Fali Major, had said the force had recorded its lowest rate of 0.36 per cent accidents in its 75-year history.

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Endangered

Indian submarine handed over by Russia after upgradation

MOSCOW, MAY 8 (PTI)

Indian Navy was today handed over its upgraded Kilo-class submarine 'Sindhuvijay' by Russia for sea trials after having armed the warship with sophisticated 'Club-S' missiles with a strike range of 200 kms.

The submarine, built by Russia in 1990, is the fourth such war marchine of the Indian Navy to be upgraded in the last 11 years.

It has been modernised with Indian-made equipment including USHUS sonar complex and the CCS-MK radio communications system, official sources said.

The diesel-powered INS Sindhuvijay, now equipped with Russian Club-S underwater-to-surface missile system, can destroy warships and land targets at a distance of up to 200 kilometres.

The submarine was "undocked" for sea trials at a ceremony in the Severodvinsk-based 'Zvyozdochka' nuclear submarine repairs shipyard in the presence of Deputy Chief of Indian Mission in Russia Divyabh Manchanda. The trials will be carried out in the White Sea.

INS Sindhuvijay, which has a displacement of 2,300 tonnes, length of 72.6 metres and speed of 17 knots, was built in St. Petersburg in 1990 and is the fourth Indian submarine to be upgraded in 11 years by the 'Zvyozdochka' shipyards.

Endangered

India sells maritime aircraft to Myanmar

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy (IN) is in the process of transferring two BN-2 'Defender' Islander maritime surveillance aircraft to Myanmar, an add-on to the pair it had supplied the military junta in August 2006, as defence co-operation between them proliferates, UK's Jane's Defence Weekly reports.

Quoting official sources, Jane's on Saturday said like the earlier two, the additional UK-built Islanders would be stripped of all armaments and deployed "exclusively on relief and humanitarian missions".

The IN has around 13 remaining Islanders it acquired around 1976 and senior military planners do not rule out the possibility of providing Myanmar more in the "near future," the respected defence magazine said.

The IN Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who is on an official visit to Myanmar till May 13, is expected to finalise details of the Islander's hand-over during his four-day visit and clinch those relating to establishing a naval aviation training facility for the military regime.

These two matters, amongst others relating to the transfer of Indian material to Myanmar, were discussed during the visits of its naval chief, Vice Admiral Soe Thane and Quartermaster General Lt Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo to New Delhi in April.

The navy's official spokesman declined to comment on the Islanders transfer but said Admiral Mehta's visit was aimed at "constructive engagement and establishing co-operative mechanisms between the two navies".

The IN is anxious to keep the two Islander's transfer to Myanmar under wraps as Britain had opposed the ones supplied earlier to the military junta. The British claimed that it contravened the original sale contract that prohibits their transfer to a third party without prior clearance.

India has recently stepped up strategic, diplomatic and economic ties with Myanmar agreeing to supply it varied military hardware like T 55 tanks, artillery guns, radar, assault rifles, light machine guns and ordnance.

In exchange Delhi is seeking to jointly conduct military operations against anti-India separatist groups waging insurgency for decades from inside Myanmar in the contiguous north-eastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur across the 1600 km long common border.

By augmenting defence ties with Myanmar, India also hopes to dilute China's deepening military relations with that country.

"India has long ignored China and to some extent Pakistan's growing influence with Burma's military government at its peril and it is now looking to supersede it," a senior military official said.

Pakistan and close military ally China, he added, were amongst the handful of countries which had disregarded international opinion and forged close military ties with Myanmar's military regime that seized power in 1988, cleverly complementing their strategy of encircling India.

China is helping Burma modernise its naval bases at Hainggyi, the Coco's islands, Akyab and Mergui by building radar, refit and refuel facilities that could support Chinese submarine operations in the region.

The Chinese are also believed to be establishing a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) facility on the Coco's islands, 30 nautical mines from the Andaman islands, reportedly to monitor Indian missile tests off the Orissa coast, an activity that has proliferated after the 1998 nuclear tests.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has been circumspect in fostering defence ties and quietly supplying Myanmar several shiploads of ordnance and other military hardware like 106 mm M 40 recoilless rifles and various small arms over the past decade. It also regularly trains Burmese soldiers to operate a slew of Chinese equipment like tanks, fighter aircraft, howitzers and tanks.

Burmese military officers are believed to be regularly trained at Pakistan's Military Staff college at Quetta in Baluchistan province while others are reportedly learning how to operate 155 mm howitzers and tanks like the T 69, T 63 and T 53's which Rangoon recently acquired from China. Burmese air force and naval officers too are believed to be undergoing attending Pakistani defence academies.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's intentions of vindicating the bargain and cracking down on Indian rebel bases was confirmed around end-April by Brigadier General Tin Maung Ohn who led an 18-member army delegation to north eastern India for talks with army and paramilitary commanders in Nagaland and Assam.

"This is the first breakthrough, with Myanmar deciding to take proactive action against those Indian militants operating from their country," Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, head of the paramilitary Assam Rifles engaged in anti-insurgency operations in the northeast, said.

Despite pressure from the US, Britain and the European Union to shun Myanmar's military regime India has, since 2000 pursued a policy of 'constructive engagement' with its neighbour.

Besides increasing military co-operation it is also building and upgrading roads in Myanmar, modernising its ports, setting up a hydroelectric station, a satellite communication centre and an elaborate information technology project.

"Indian defence planners believe that Myanmar's military rulers entrench themselves more firmly every time the US and other Western powers put pressure on them in the UN and other world bodies. Engagement is a better way of dealing with them to secure Indian interests in Myanmar," former Brigadier Arun Sahgal of the United Service Institute said.

Endangered

India Finalizes Mirage Upgrade Deal

Dassault, HAL To Overhaul Aircraft’s Avionics, EW, Displays

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and France’s Dassault Aviation will work together to upgrade 52 Indian Air Force Mirage 2000-H aircraft. The $800 million deal has been finalized and the contract will be signed in 2007, a Defence Ministry official here said.

Dassault will upgrade the first two Mirages in France, where HAL engineers will participate in the work. The new avionics, to be bought from Israel, will be installed on the Mirages at HAL facilities in India.

The remaining 50 Mirages will be upgraded in India with technical help from Dassault, the Defence Ministry official said.

A HAL executive said Dassault’s agreement to train HAL engineers in France is the first of its kind for India.

HAL, India’s sole aircraft manufacturer, will remain the prime contractor for the contract and will be responsible for the overall combat-worthiness of India’s Mirage fleet, the Defence Ministry official said.

Dassault will receive 60 percent of the cost of all the Mirage hardware.
The Indian Air Force will also be involved in the upgrade, the Defence Ministry official said, but not with the purchase of the upgrade hardware, a condition the Air Force had earlier insisted upon.

The upgrades include:

• New avionics, including an advanced navigation system, mission computers, Mil 1553 B data with Digibus, a pulse doppler radar that can find objects out to 70 nautical miles.

• Two displays and an advanced head-down display in a glass cockpit.

• Electronic warfare systems, including new radar warning receivers with instantaneous wide-bank receivers, an integrated missile warning receiver with continuous time-to-impact information, and new jammers and countermeasure systems.

• Increased fuel capacity.

The improved Mirages will carry up to four Derby beyond-visual-range missiles, at least two short-to-medium-range Python V missiles and long-range smart munitions.

The deal with Dassault also includes full mission simulators.

The upgraded aircraft will have a warranty of 24 months or 360 operational hours.

Along with the Russian Su-30 MKI, the Mirage is the Air Force’s main combat aircraft, a service official said. The Air Force’s fleet strength has been sliding due to retirement of several of its MiG aircraft. India acquired its first Mirage 2000H/TH fighters in the mid-1980s to equip two air defense squadrons, and has lost at least seven through accidents.

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Endangered

IAF to appear at Royal International Air Tattoo

NEW DELHI, JUNE 1 : Indian Air Force chief Fali Homi Major will be heading for China in August, in a bid to seek cooperation between the air forces of the two countries.

Before Homi goes to China, he will be in the UK in July, for a week-long joint exercise with the Royal Air Force. The IAF will be sending around six Su-30 Flankers in a joint exercise, involving RAF Tornado F-3s from RAF Leeming and the RAF E-3 component based at RAF Waddington, UK.

Talking to FE in an exclusive interview, the air chief Major said, “For the first time ever, the IAF will appear at the Royal International Air Tattoo." The Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on July 14-15 to mark the Indian Air Force’s 75th anniversary.

The air chief also spoke of plans to strengthen India’s standing in the international airpower arena. “IAF has started upgrading its combat aircraft fleet since the last few years in order to enhance its operational capability and to retain the relevance of its aircraft as contemporary weapon platforms, capable of meeting the challenges posed by the securtity scenario in our region. While the MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar aircraft have already been upgraded, the upgrade of Mirage-2000 and MiG-29 is being planned.”

He further said, “The upgrade is essentially on the radar, avionics and weapon systems. Contracts for upgrade of the Su-30 MKI aircraft, as per provisions of the initial contract for the Su-30K, have beenm concluded.”

“Keeping in line with the ‘Open Sky Policy’ of our government, not only have all IAF airfields been offered for joint civil-military use, but watch-hours at airfields, like Pune and Gwalior, have been extended beyond normal timings to meet the demands of scheduled civil flights are operating,” the chief said.

According to him, on a number of occasions, the IAF had deputed, often at short notice, its ATC controllers, fire-fighters and other support staff at various civil aerodromes, whenever such requirements were projected by AAI to meet various contingencies.

Responding to a question on the new pay commission for the forces, the chief explained that “It is a known fact that the wages in the private sector are increasing annually by 12-15%, whereas the pay package in the Armed Forces is not keeping pace with such an increase. The Sixth Pay Commission has been constituted and the recommendations of the Services have been projected. The defence minister AK Antony has also expressed his views on the subject supporting the proposals.”

On the army’s displeasure on IAF getting more marshal ranks in the services, he said that at an earlier stage the army did have an objection to the quantum of select-rank posts proposed by Air Force and navy. However, several meetings were held amongst the personnel staff of the three services, but consensus could not be arrived at due to the fact that select-rank proposals were based on service-specific needs and were functionally inescapable. Finally, on directions from the chief of staff committee service-specific proposals have been submitted to the ministry of defence.

According to the chief, IAF is processing cases for acquisition of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), 40 (fast-track) Su-30MKI and 20 LCA in IOC configuration from HAL. The procurement of 126 MMRCA is not only a very big deal and a complex project, very capable aircraft of European, Russian and US origin are in the fray. Therefore, the issues related to transfer of technology, transparency of the selection criteria, maintainability aspects etc are being thoroughly scrutinised by both the government as well as the IAF.

IAF is also processing a case for procurement of 80 medium-lift helicopters to supplement the existing Mi-17 helicopter fleet and 12 helicopters for VVIP role, for which technical evaluation of the proposals has been completed. New acquisitons are also underway to address the issue of force level depletions, he added.

While technological advancements and better capabilities cannot be a replacement for numbers, induction of highly capable aircraft like the Su-30 MKI and force-multipliers like Flight Refuelling Aircraft, Aerostat radars, and the soon to come AWACS, would definitely counter the draw-down to an extent, Major explained.

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Endangered

India Picks Kazan To Build Helos

Russia’s Kazan Helicopter Plant has been tapped to build about 200 medium multirole helicopters for India’s Army, Navy and Air Force in a deal that could be worth up to $2.8 billion. A contract is expected to be signed by the end of this year.

Kazan was named the preferred bidder in late May by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) from a field of competitors that included AugustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter and Sikorsky Aircraft.

The production would begin within five years from the contract signing, said a Defence Ministry official. The details of the pricing structure offered by Kazan were not disclosed, but the ministry official confirmed that Kazan has been selected and that only formalities need to be completed before the contract is formally inked.

The helicopters, to be produced under license in India by HAL, will carry out assault, transport, high-altitude combat, logistics and combat search-and-rescue missions, as well as handle sling loads, drop mines and hunt submarines. They will carry sonar, radar and infrared sensors, be able to carry 24 troops and have two stations for anti-air and anti-surface weapons.
In April, Eurocopter won a $550 million contract to supply 197 light observation helicopters to the Indian Army. Eurocopter will supply 60 AS550 C3 Fennec helicopters in a fly-away condition, made in France and Germany, while the remaining 137 will be manufactured by HAL at its Bangalore facility.
Besides the licensed production of Eurocopter’s Fennec helicopters and the Kazan helicopters, HAL also is producing its Dhruv multirole helicopters. The Fennec will replace the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, also produced under license by HAL. HAL has manufactured more than 600 Chetaks and Cheetahs, variants of the French Alouette, of which some 350 are used by the Army.
The Air Force has Mi-8 helicopters, twin-seat Cheetahs and Chetaks, Mi-24 and Mi-35 gunships and Mi-17 helicopters, but most of these helicopters are not flight worthy.

Earlier this year, the Air Force contracted to buy 80 Mi-17 IV helicopters from Russia in a deal worth more than $600 million.

URI