quadbikeThe Block 52 is soundly better than the Fulcrum in every and any area besides the HMS/Archer thing (which is entirely circumstantial), and yet the Eagle can get the better of the Viper down low
The older Fulcrums yes, the new ones like the IN MIG 29Ks will give the Block 52 a run for its money.
quadbikeDon’t you think that putting an AESA radar into an existing fighter is problematic ? For example the radar may not have the same number of T/R modules as the MIG 35 fighter radar would, IIRC they changed the nose cone drastically to house the ZHUK AE full array.
And even then you are likely to come up against Chinese Su 33 derivatives with a Bigger nose and Bigger radar and more payload capability.
Well it need not be the F 35, It can be the Rafale M, Mig 35K or the Sea Gripen.
What are the chances of NLCA being successful and on time ?
Is the MIG 29K certified for CATOBAR because the IAC 2 will have EMALS. Adm Verma was saying it will operate a tanker aircraft as well IAC 2 ie.
quadbikeWell the IN has hardly operationalise the Mig-29K on its Carrier and the N-Tejas has few years to go for operations.
Another new type like F-35 does not make any sense and it is a way to squander money.
Lets hope it does not make to RFP and dies a quite death.
The problem is that N-LCA and Mig 29 K may not fare that well against future threats like the Chinese carrier borne fighter or later block F 16, J 10 PAF may acquire.
Hence there is a need for a more advanced fighter, Lockheed and SAAB were not the only firms issued RFI it was issued to MIG and Dassault as well. Lockheed and SAAB were just the first to respond.
Now I am perfectly fine with a navalized MIG 35 till we get a stealthy carrier borne fighter. But to say that the 29K is enough is absurd.
quadbikeWhy do you want the EASA to ceritify Shakti for single engined military operations in India. Don’t we have our own safety agency to do so ? I think its outrageous that Europeans must certify something that is to be used by Indian military, I can understand in the future if its for sale outside India but now it seems outrageous.
quadbikeTrue for the money they will squandor on F-35 and other imported goodies they could have used the same amount to fund the AMCA project or the increase the number of Tejas Mk1 or Mk2.
Navy is doing its share to indigenous efforts, I doubt any of the platforms you mentioned will give the F 35B capability. It is unique like the Harrier.
quadbikeHAL confronts Snecma in light helicopter project
The Light Utility Helicopter (LuH), which Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is designing for the Indian military, has encountered turbulence even before leaving the drawing board. French engine-maker, Turbomeca, whose vaunted Shakti engine was to power the LuH, is demanding what MoD sources term “extortionist prices” for integrating the Shakti with the LuH.
HAL had paid Turbomeca to develop the Shakti engine for the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH); and the Shakti also powers the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) that HAL is developing. Because the Shakti is custom-designed for the high altitudes — between 15,000 – 20,000 feet — that characterise much of India’s border, and because HAL and Turbomeca will jointly manufacture the engine in India, the Shakti was selected to also power the LuH.
But the Dhruv and the LCH are twin-engine helicopters, while the lighter LuH will fly with a single Shakti engine. That requires Turbomeca to design a new transmission for the LuH. Additionally, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will have to certify the Shakti for single-engine operation. To HAL’s dismay, Turbomeca has demanded Rs 190 crores for these jobs, more than half the LuH’s entire budget of Rs 376 crores.
In formulating the LuH development budget, HAL had assumed that Turbomeca would design the new transmission system cheaply, to benefit from additional orders of hundreds of Shakti engines over the service life of the LuH.
An outraged HAL board, having decided against paying so much to Turbomeca, has approached other engine-makers — including General Electric, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney — for an engine for the LuH.
Reliable MoD sources tell Business Standard that Turbomeca is now negotiating with HAL to compromise on a price for the Shakti. The French company has offered to reduce the cost by Rs 90 crores, provided that amount is adjusted against its offset liability. But HAL rejected that offer last week, telling Turbomeca that even Rs 100 crores is too high a price. Turbomeca is now preparing a fresh proposal.
Senior HAL sources complain that Turbomeca is taking advantage of the rigid timelines that the Ministry of Defence has imposed on HAL in the LuH project. The MoD has split its order for 384 LuHs between a global tender for 197 ready-built LuHs; and an order for HAL to develop and build 187 LuHs by 2017. The MoD has specified a target date for each of the LuH’s development milestones: building of a mock-up; the design freeze; the first flight; Initial Operational Clearance, and so on. Each time HAL misses a milestone its order reduces from 187.
Turbomeca apparently believes that these time obligations reduce HAL’s bargaining leverage. HAL, however, has decided early not to put all its eggs in the Turbomeca basket.
HAL Chairman, Ashok Nayak — responding to a question from Business Standard whether a new engine for the LuH made sense when the Shakti would allow the standardisation of a common engine across many more helicopters — replied, “We are using the Shakti engine for the Dhruv and for the LCH. It is not necessary to also use it on the LuH. How many helicopter manufacturers use a common engine on three entirely different helicopters? One should not overdo the standardisation aspect”.
So far HAL is comfortably beating the MoD clock and plans to beat the 2017 deadline by a full two years. It has built a mock-up within the timeline; plans to freeze the LuH design by the end of this year; fly the LuH for the first time by 2012; certify it by 2014, and begin delivery by 2015
quadbikethere is no need for EMALS for the IN to be able to operate F-35Cs if it chooses them.
May be not but there will be a payload penalty operating from a Ski-jump. In June 2010 dti Admiral Nirmal Verma says that the Navy is looking into EMALS as they are finalizing the design of the second IAC. 😉
quadbikeSo you think AWACS will detect any target at the same range? An B52 bomber at the same range as an F16? An Flanker at the same range as a cruise missile? That’s not gonna happen right?
Of course most of the rumoured RCS figures are in clean configs, but so is MKIs, when loaded with heavy A2G weapons its RCS will rise dramatically too. The point is, not the load alone decides about the RCS, the size alone makes a big difference. Conside the RCS of a fully loaded MKI from the side and compare it with a Rafale with the same load. Both will not be so small like they were from the front, bit the big size of the MKI, with the huge tail fins, it clearly would be detected far earlier than an Rafale, or any smaller fighter.
In an A2A a loadout or with an A2G loadout against fighter radars which are limited in range the Rafale does have an advantage, I have mentioned this in my posts because Rafale basically starts from a lower initial RCS. The difference becomes much less when there is AWACS and huge ground based radars. Also see the point some one (Teer?) made about AWACS using a different band radar than the X band against which stealth features are optimized.
Exaclty, only when air superiority is achieved, but if not it is an easy target for AWACS that will direct the air defence rapidly to counter it.
If the MKIs are carrying anti-awacs (anti radiation) missiles, much of the advantage is easily negated, I again ask you what anti radiation missile does the Rafale carry ?
Per unit maybe (recent news said upgraded MKI will cost $77 millions each!), but not in operational costs and only because they cost the same, doesn’t mean they don’t offer advantages. Also FGFA will come only by the end of the decade, or the begining of 2020, how should we counter PLAAF till then with MKIs and Mig 29SMTs, M2K-5 and LCA only?
I doubt the 77 million is the actual figure, I saw that debate rage and rage in the Su 30 thread in BR. Even if you spend 77 million you are not spending additional cost on infrastructure, weapons, support systems etc, which be there in the case of the MRCA. Look I am not against the MRCA, just that all this twin engined fighters of the same generation are a bit redundant. Our Su 30s can be upgraded to do most things these expensive twin engined fighters can. For example an early F 15 may not compare well to the Rafale or Typhoon, but thats not the case of a brand new K or SG, the Euro Canards may still have small advantages over it but not enough for F 15 customers to choose a different jet. We need a fighter that can compliment the MKI, by that I do not mean at war time only, It should be able to have a high sortie rate and cheap to operate even in peace time.
But still the huge RCS, we need something that has similar range, with such strike roles, but has a higher chance to survive behind enemy lines, even if air superiority is not achieved.
The aim is not to replace MKI, it still will remain our main air superiority fighter, but Rafale would supplement it.
At the present moment the later versions of F 15 is clearly better at strike, SEAD and DEAD than any Rafale. For the sort of capability you are talking about you should be looking at the F 35 and not the Rafale with its external stores and 2-3 drop tanks. With no anti radiation missile, the Rafale at the moment do not have that many advantages in the role you mentioned over an MKI or an F 15E+.
quadbikeSubmarine crunch hits navy
Despite sounding an alert to the ministry of defence last year, Indian Navy continues to face shortage of submarines.
After Russia delayed the release of Nerpa K-152, an Akula-II class, nuclear-powered attack submarine sought on lease by India for 10 years, indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant, launched last year in Visakhapatnam, too may not be inducted into service on time.
Chief of naval staff admiral Nirmal Verma had said last year that Arihant would be inducted into service two years after its launch.
But the submarine’s reactor is yet to be started. Nerpa was supposed to join the navy as INS Chakra in June 2010, but will now join only towards the end of this year. The delay is affecting the training for Arihant.
Admiral Verma, however, said, “Arihant is expected to be inducted on time. I don’t see any delay.”
Sources told ‘DNA’ Nerpa was being modified to suit Indian requirements, but its trials were delayed after it met with an accident in 2008, killing 20 personnel onboard.
Now, safety aspects of the submarine are being reworked.
The navy’s last but one Foxtrot-class submarine, INS Vela, was decommissioned on Friday, while its only diesel-electric, kilo-class submarine with an integrated Klub missile system, INS Sindhurakshak, left Visakhapatnam for repair and refit in Russia.
Sindhurakshak, which will take over a month to reach Russia, will be at the Zvezdochka shipyard for two years. It will be modernised under a contract signed between the two countries.
With the last of the Foxtrot-class submarines to be decommissioned by yearend and the first Scorpene, being built at Mumbai’s Mazgaon dock, slated to join only in 2015, the navy will be left with just 14 operational submarines.
The first of the six Scorpenes was slated to join the navy by 2012, but has been delayed by three years.
quadbikeI thought I should ask it here. Now that LM has responded with F 35 for Indian Navy’s RFI, what would you think the earliest possible date that IN can get its first F 35 provided that it selects it and USG/Congress approves the sale.
Also India being a non-partner nation, how much do you think it will cost per-plane ?
quadbikeChandrayaan-2 launch as scheduled: ISRO chief
Despite technical snags in the indigenous cryogenic engine that powered the Geo-stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV, which was flight-tested in April, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is expected to launch Chandrayaan-2 on an indigenous cryogenic engine on schedule by 2013, ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan said here on Tuesday.
“We went through a very detailed analysis of what happened and why it happened. We have come to a couple of scenarios as to how such a technical snag could occur; or next task would be to confirm them through testing on the ground,” he said.
The next flight testing of the cryogenic engine would be done about a year later.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was in town for the celebrations of Statistics Day, on the birth anniversary of Professor P.C. Mahalanobis, at the Indian Statistical Institute. The institute as well as the National Sample Survey Organisation are the brainchild of Professor Mahalanobis.
Dr. Radhakrishnan said the ISRO was developing a satellite that would have instruments on board to test traces of greenhouse gases to enable a better understanding of “atmospheric chemistry.” It would be launched in a couple of years
For studying climate change, Dr. Radhakrishnan said several indicators, including those on land, atmosphere and oceans, were identified as essential climate variables. Of these, there were 26 that were best observed through satellite system. Of this, a few were being monitored, but the ISRO would monitor more.
Virtual technology
ISRO was studying the virtual technology that would be needed for India’s first manned space mission — a project to put humans on an orbit around the earth at a distance of 275 km above it.
“Essentially we are looking at the crew module and the environmental controls and life support systems — especially at the time of re-entry — on how to withstand the high temperatures. Another area is the crew escape system — if anything happens in the ascent phase, how do you save the crew members,” he said.
quadbikeThanks for the link.
Its states IN have issued RFI, this is a long way off from LMTAS being able to offer the F-35 right?
No IN issued the RFI a while back to which SAAB responded with the Gripen IN and Lockheed with F 35 B and C. It has been known for sometime that F 35 B would be on offer, the only surprise is that C is also being offered, this may point to:
a, The Second IAC may have EMALS propulsions as reported by dti four to five months back.
b, The F 35C is able to operate from STOBAR carriers as well.
quadbikeGeosynchronous Satellite relaunch with indigenous cryogenic engine in one yr: ISRO
“We have come across a few scenarios after detailed analysis of the failure. Now the immediate task is to test it on the ground and we look forward to relaunch it next year,” ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan told reporters on the sidelines of the 117 birth anniversary celebrations of Professor PC Mahalanobis at the Indian Statistical Institute here.
The five earlier versions of the GSLV had Russia-supplied cryogenic engines. India’s cryogenic upper stage (CUS) engine was meant to replace the Russian engines.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to relaunch the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with a home-grown cryogenic engine in a year’s time after the failure in April this year.
The GSLV D-3, the satellite launch vehicle showcasing the country’s indigenous cryogenic technology, trailed off its designated course and went out of control shortly after the lift-off on April 15.
The rocket, along with its two payloads — satellites GSAT-4 and GAGAN — crashed into the Bay of Bengal minutes after blastoff.
The failed mission caused loss of the GSLV-D3 rocket costing about Rs 180 crore and the satellites valued at Rs 150 crore.
The launch was the key to India’s space programme as it would have made it the sixth nation to successfully deploy cryogenic technology, joining US, Russia, Japan, China and France.
Meanwhile, Radhakrishnan said Chandrayaan-II will be launched in 2013.
quadbikeI am wondering if the MKI will get a MAWS as part of the MLU, like the MKMs have.
quadbikeKramer then please explain to me why everyone including Sukhoi is going for Low RCS now even in non VLO designs like Su 35. There is always a difference, the Super Hornet for example is never expected to fly with a clean loadout, but still then it has some really good RCS reduction measures ? Why ? Are you suggesting these people are fools ?
Sign In
