IAF News & Discussions

Indian Air Force Plans Fleet-Wide Overhaul
http://www.edefenseonline.com
by Pulkit Singh
Nov. 16, 2005

Concerned about delays to its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program and the procurement of other aircraft, the Indian Air Force has decided to upgrade a large number of the aging aircraft in its fleet.

The upgrades to these aircraft, along with purchases of additional aircraft, will be conducted as soon as possible in order to maintain the combat worthiness of the force through 2012, an Indian Air Force official said.

In addition to the upgrades, the Indian Air Force has also decided to acquire six Il-78 air-to-air refueling aircraft and other medium-category transports, such as C-130s, along with 12 Mirage 2000-V aircraft to be purchased from Qatar under a plan announced earlier this year (see “India Announces Aircraft Orders”).

The Indian Air Force official said the service is entering a crucial period starting in 2007, when it will begin losing combat aircraft at a much faster rate than it is able to replace them. Fielding of all 140 Su-30MKIs, which are being produced under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) (Bangalore, India), will take at least 10 years, the official said (see “Indian AF Su-30MKIs Nearly Ready”), while the procurement of 126 Multirole Medium-Range Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), at an estimated cost of some $7 billion, will take at least seven to 10 years (see “Buying in Bangalore”).

Moreover, all of the MMRCAs will not be inducted at once, and it will take some time to get them all into operational service. In addition, the service plans to phase out its MiG-21 aircraft, but as the Indian Air Force official pointed out, the addition of the 126 MMRCAs will not be enough to maintain the required minimum fleet strength of around 40 squadrons, each with 16 to 20 aircraft. Indeed, as it stands now, the service has already been operating at about four squadrons below that level.

The LCA, meanwhile, is behind schedule by more than 10 years, and it is not prudent to rely on the LCA, the official said, because even the next planned induction date of around 2010 could be delayed, given the track record of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) programs (for more on the LCA, see “Indian MoD Reviews LCA Program”). “Every single aircraft in over 32 existing squadrons will need to be upgraded,” confirmed a senior Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) official, who also claimed that funding for the ambitious overhaul would not be a problem. A conservative estimate puts the total cost of upgrading some 300 existing aircraft at more than $3.5 billion over the next five to seven years.

The main problem for the Indian Air Force is that, in the immediate future, large numbers of aircraft are due for retirement. The Type 66, Type 77, and Type 96 MiG-21s are now well past their prime, and these planes were in fact supposed to be withdrawn over a decade ago. Some 125 MiG-21 aircraft, though, are currently being upgraded to the MiG-21-93 Bison configuration (a derivative of the MiG-21bis with enhanced radar, avionics, and self-protection systems) and are expected to serve until 2015, but these are the only MiG-21s plans to modernize. The service’s MiG-23s are also beginning to get long in the tooth, noted the Indian Air Force official.

HAL has already begun work on the upgrade of 135 MiG-27 fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force, with the $800-million program scheduled for completion by 2009. With the recent addition of an engine change to the aircraft under this program, though, this will be delayed. All of the service’s 140 Jaguar aircraft, meanwhile, will also be upgraded to improve navigation and targeting capabilities. These upgrades will be conducted in phases, all of which to be completed over the next five to seven years. Even the service’s Mirage 2000-H aircraft will be upgraded, said the Indian Air Force official, though he declined to provide further details.

Along with these fighter upgrades, the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters and An-32 medium transport aircraft will also be upgraded with improved avionics and sensors. In addition, the service will refurbish its An-32 transport planes and all of its helicopters to make them capable of midair refueling, added the Indian Air Force official.

The Indian MoD official claimed that, by 2020, the Indian Air Force will have one of the most advanced ****nals in the world, with three Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft arriving in 2007-08, 140 Su-30MKI fighters by 2016, and a huge fleet of light quick-reaction fighters, including the LCA. He admitted, however, that there is concern that the service’s fighter fleet is in danger of block obsolescence in the 2007-2012 timeframe, hence the decision to embark upon this massive overhaul of existing aircraft.

****Sorry Had to start a new thread since MMRCA and Mission is a never ending discussion , Lets be focussed on IAF news.*******