I wouldnt disagree with the above and it does explain a lot but its shocking to think that the UK army is tied up in such naughts that it can only put a standing army totalling 40,000 in any given war or as a total for a multiple of wars.

Also why can troops beployed for only 6 months every 2 years? what happens to the other 1.5 years?

Why are they not building the S-47 as the Fifth gen fighter?

:S

Upgradation of MIG-29 Squadrons

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued November 23, 2009)

The government signed a contract for upgradation of MiG-29 aircraft with Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC MiG) on 7 March 2008. The MiG-29 aircraft upgrade is planned in two phases namely Design & Development (D&D) phase in Russia and series upgrade in India.

Upgrade of six aircraft in D&D phase commenced from August 2008. The series upgrade for the remaining aircraft is expected to be carried out in India from June 2010 onwards. The cost of the upgrade of the MiG-29 aircraft is 964 Million US Dollars.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Pradeep Majhi and others in Lok Sabha today.

Procurement of MMRCA Aircraft

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued November 23, 2009)

The proposal for procurement of quantity 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force has not been finalized.

The proposals received in response to the Request for Proposals are presently at Field Evaluation Trials stage.

The estimated cost of the proposal is Rs. 42,000 crores approximately.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri L Raja Gopal and Shri Hansraj G Ahir in Lok Sabha today.

-ends-

So you get a draggy plane with range which is not so hot and to get over that you put a bigger more powerfull engine on it to get over the draggy issue to get better speeds?

hmm so you buy an MMRCA pay more for it than your top line fighter i.e. Su-30MKI and shorten its range even more.

hey but look on the bright side you will always have that AESA radar should you ever make it to the the border.

India tests nuclear-capable missile: defence official
(AFP) – 7 hours ago

BHUBANESWAR, India — India carried out a night-time test of a nuclear-capable, medium-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast on Monday, a defence official said.

The surface-to-surface Agni-II, which can deliver a nuclear warhead to targets within a range of 2,500 kilometres (1,560 miles), was fired from a mobile rail launcher on Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa state at 7:50pm (1420 GMT).

“It was a user training trial to handle the missile at night,” the defence official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Indian-developed 20-metre-long missile, which has a launch weight of 16 tonnes, is capable of carrying a one-tonne conventional or nuclear warhead.

The missile is one of a series being developed by India’s Defence Research Development Organisation as part of the country’s deterrent strategy against nuclear-armed neighbours China and Pakistan.

India already has the 3,000-kilometre range Agni-III missile — the longest in the Agni series — which can also carry conventional or nuclear payloads.

Unconfirmed reports suggest India is also building an Agni variant with a range of 5,000 kilometres.

The Agni-I missile has a strike range of 1,500 kilometres.

It’s not about engine. It’s about navigation and guidance and today’s missiles have multiple sensors (IIR/radar/laser, etc…), just to be able to correct its trajectory along the way and successfully hit the target.
Aircraft’s INS has about 1nm error per one hour of flight (subsonic). That means an error of 900m on target for a cruise missile at M.9 for 30 min (~500km). So, you need either en route corrections from missile’s memory (stored waypoints/IIR-radar images comparison), home base, aircraft, or satellite. Navigation module is arguably the most important (and expensive) part of cruise missile and requires high level of tech/manufacturing standards (precise calibration f.e.).

Well either way the engine isnt he hardest thing in the word. Also if you want to keep some one busy you dont need he bestest things in the world, as long as it flies high enough to cause a blip on the enemies air defenses, and if it has a warhead it is not like it could be ignored they would either have to ping it and fire off some SAM’s or they would have to launch aircraft to down them.

Either way cheapish missiles could keep them busy…

You do not need expensive electronics or dont have to pay a big price to do this.

The germans didnt so badly with simple equipment way back then in WWII .. You can build cheap enough guidance system using off the shelf equipment.

Matt, I sure hope you are kidding right?

Besides which I am talking of a TF not a TJ.

Take a look at the weight a proper CM is & the turbofan thrust required & for long range, a competitive SFC. There are currently only a handful of countries that make TFs for long range missiles of the required capabilities & hoard the tech closely. Even turbojets of lesser capability are monitored under the MTCR.

And there are some other technologies as well where we lack, but unless somebody from a lab comes out and says it openly, why bother going there..

But what about the Lakshya engine? isnt that a turbo as well?

wasnt kidding