Sancho

India’s Medium Combat Aircraft

In August 2008, right about the time the Indian Air Force had decided to officially kickstart procedures to get the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) off the realm of theory, then Chief of Air Staff Fali Major happened to bump into DRDO chief M Natarajan and then HAL chairman Ashok Baweja at an industry suppliers function in Bangalore. The Chief was mildly irritated that both Baweja and Natarajan had provided media sound-bytes and interviews suggesting that the MCA would have “fifth generation technologies”. He impressed upon both gentlemen, over tea, that if the MCA went the LCA way, it would be not just unacceptable to the air force, but an act of criminal disregard for the country’s security. “Give the air force a bloody first-rate fourth generation aeroplane. That is the job before you,” he said.

Two months later, in October 2008, the name of the MCA programme was changed (on recommendation to the Secretary, Defence Production) to “Next Generation Fighter Aircraft”, though MCA continues to be used alternatively without any particular distinction.

As per official documentation by the IAF, it wants the MCA to be a twin-pilot configured multirole stealth aircraft capable of “close air support, all weather interception, air defence suppression, long-range strike, electronic attack, limited command & control and reconnaisance” — that’s the profile from an official IAF wishlist to the ADA last year. That might roll right off the air force’s tongue, like off a brochure, but they’re deadly serious. Putting all speculation to rest when it officially began dialogue about the MCA in 2008, the IAF said it was not willing to look at a strike aircraft with other capabilities. It wants a fully multirole (preferably, swingrole) aircraft for the job.

As we speak, a joint committee of several bodies involved with the NGFA is finetuning the configuration of the final jet, before work begins on building a tech demonstrator, three prototype vehicles and two production series trial jets — the wind tunnel model unveiled at Yelahanka in February 2009 is largely what the aircraft will look like, though there are three other variants that have not been displayed yet. A twin-engine delta planfrom version, which was a direct derivative from the LCA, has since been shelved — low observable requirements demanded a fully new airframe approach, which finally ended in the design that people got to see at Aero India 2009. While the wind-tunnel model, fabricated by a Bangalore-based engineering firm, is the product of an ADA/HAL study, there will be dramatic changes yet to the aircraft’s intakes (utterly radar friendly, according to the IAF), vertical stabilisers and dorsal section, say sources.

Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, in his first interaction with the ADA last year, seemed to nitpick on indigenous radar capability, more than anything else when it came to the topic of the MCA. Sources say he was deeply incensed when given a brief on the Multi-mode Radar (MMR), pioneered by the Electronics Research & Development Establishment (LRDE) for the LCA Tejas programme. In a chat with the director of the ADA, he said the next aircraft that the agency designed and built, needed to be centred around an Indian active array combat radar. In fact, the LRDE has already proposed a second radar (deriving from the MMR) for the MCA, with technological spin-offs currently being gleaned from its partnership with Israel’s Elta. But Naik didn’t buy that. He said it didn’t matter what the DRDO was learning from who at this stage. When it came down to putting the nails in, he said he wanted a fully Indian radar on the MCA.

While configuration fructifies, the following work has begun on the MCA in full earnest: DARE, Bangalore has appointed a special team to begin identifying avionics and cockpit packages for the first prototype vehicle, and will supply this in published form to the ADA by July 2010. This will include cockpit electronics, cockpit configuration, man-machine interface, mission console systems and computers/software with a focus on data fusion and modular architecture. The LRDE will, in about the same time frame, provide a separate project proposal for an all new radar, to be re-designated for the MCA, as a derivative of the MMR currently being completed with technology from Israel’s ELTA. LRDE will independently look in the market for a partner for active array technology, though it communicated to ADA in June 2009 that it had sufficient R&D available to build a reliable AESA prototype with assistance from Bharat Electronics Ltd and two private firms based in Hyderabad.

There is a collossal amount of work going on as far as materials is concerned for the MCA/NGFA. With the IAF unmoving in its demand for an aircraft that has stealth characteristics built into it from the drawing board forward, the DRDO has powered teams within its materials laboratories in Pune and Hyderabad to come up with new composities, low observable materials fabrication techniques, and of course, radar-absorbent control surface aggregates, airframe materials and paints. This is, of course, completely separate from design characteristics, including internal weapons, fresh leading edge innovations and a sustainable stealth maintenance footprint.

The most crucial part of the programme is of course the engine. The Kaveri-Snecma turbofan is being counted upon vigorously to be ready to power prototypes of the MCA by the middle of this decade. There is no Plan-B just yet as far as engines go. However, technologies such as single crystal and nickel-based superalloys in turbofans are still some way off as far as Indian development is concerned — the IAF wants the use of both to be a given in the engines that power the MCA.

According to the ADA, the government will look to purchase upto 250 MCAs when its done and ready — not just as a replacement to the MiG-27s and Jaguars, but to complement the MMRCA fleet that will hopefully be half-inducted by then. A proposal in 2008 suggested that the MCA be used as a technology feeder platform to the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), but after hectic representations by DRDO and HAL, with support from the IAF, it was finally decided that the MCA would continue as a fully separate aircraft programme.

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2010/01/indias-medium-combat-aircraft.html

ZIL

First of all are you Russian ? Pak FA is a project between Indians and Russians. And the level of ToT has always been very high even in outright purchases and with Indians getting 25% of the workshare and giving 50% of the costs the ToT will be full. I asked if you are Russian because I am absolutely tired of people from a certain nation causing trouble flame baiting in every IAF related topic. It is akin to IT terrorism if you ask me.

And let me explain to you one thing, unlike it was rumored earlier, there is not going to be significant differences between PAK FA and FGFA. Basically the FGFA is the Indian name and PAK FA the Russian name. According to the contract that was signed Russians will buy 200+ FGFA(or PAK FA whatever you like) single seaters and 50 FGFA Twin seaters. The Indian Air Force will buy 50 FGFA single seaters and 200 twin seaters. HAL will have 25% work-share of the entire project, 25% stuff going into Russian and Indian fighters will be supplied by HAL and 75% by UAC. Both countries will have separate assembly lines.

So Both India and Russia is going to get the exact same equipment apart from the needed changes for the respective climates and Air Forces (like the Operational Datalink) for IAF.

As for the Investment. India may not have paid a dollar till now because it offically jointed the program only now. But that does not mean anything interms of 50:50 funding, the plane had its first flight but most of the subsystems etc still needs developing and Indian money will be used for it. Who pays first or who pays last does not matter.

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2010/01/india-russia-close-to-agreement-on-next.html

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2010/01/india-to-develop-25-of-fifth-generation.html

If you still want to troll saying Indians are going to get inferior equipment. Be my guest, I request fellow Indian members not to respond to him in that case and get this thread locked.

The PAK FA looks to be sporting a Wide-Angle Frameless Holographic HUD.

As for my answer to the OP’s question- I guess JXX, followed by ATD-X, then maybe European solutions or MCA. But Europe doesn’t seem to be pursuing 5th gen strongly, and I expect the MCA program to go about as well as the LCA program.

The MCA has a new name the NGFA – New Generation Fighter Aircraft. The New Name Is significant as they changed their idea from being a twin engined bigger LCA with stealth features to a fully fledged stealth platform. I doubt it would be plagued by the delays of the LCA. LCA was a project started after many years of inaction, now the knowledge base is already in place and IAF will be working closely from the design stage onwards. Working on the PAK FA will also help towards getting the NGFA ready in time.

There was an also an offer from SAAB for a possible Co-development and marketing of the MCA(NGFA) if the Gripen is selected in the MRCA. The engines will most likely be Snecma-Kaveri. I do not know how much of foriegn assistance the ADA/HAL would take for the MCA, because I expect it to be mostly an indigenous product with Engines, Missiles, Radars electronics all coming from within the country.

BEL develops advanced gunfire control system for Indian Navy

India’s premiere defence public sector unit, Bharat Electronics Ltd, has announced the development of a new generation multi-sensor, multi-weapon defence system for deployment on board naval ships. It said the state-of-the-art ”Gun Fire Control System” (GFCS) will be installed on board the P-28 class of ships.

”The GFCS is a quick reaction, multi-sensor, multi-weapon, short/medium/long range defence system against air, surface or shore targets on board naval ships”, senior company officials said.

The P-28 class of ships are anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes designed for the Indian Navy’s use in the 21st century.

The GFCS is designed to provide air or surface defence with 76mm and 30mm guns. It will track hostile targets through radars or video tracking systems, acting on data given out by early warning search radars and to track the approach of hostile targets with high accuracy.

Data generated by sensors is processed and used to control the weapons by pointing them in the direction of incoming missiles.

The GFCS comprises five functional sub-systems: tracker, weapon control, sight control, combat management system and support systems, each of which can be used as an independent system.

Source

Bhutan is basically an Indian protectorate.

US to announce weapons sales to Taiwan

The Obama administration is to announce its first arms sales to Taiwan, US officials have said.

The White House is to formally tell Congress of the deal, US officials told Associated Press news agency.

The weapons, thought to include helicopters and anti-missile defences, are part of a package first pledged by the Bush administration.

The sale is likely to anger Beijing, which considers the self-governed island a breakaway province of China.

Taiwan split from China at the end of the country’s civil war in 1949.

Beijing has hundreds of missiles pointed at the island and has threatened in the past to use force to bring it under its control.

The $6bn (£3.75bn) package is not thought to include F-16 fighter jets, an item highly desired by Taiwan’s military, news agencies said.

Beijing has already warned the US not to go ahead with arms sales to Taiwan. Ties between China and the US are strained by rows over trade and internet censorship.

Source