India working on homegrown Advanced Jet Trainer

Friday, 20 August , 2004, 15:33

Bangalore: Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy, on Friday confirmed that India has begun designing a homegrown Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) and said the country should stop imports at 66 British Hawk AJTs. “It should (import of Hawks) stop at 66 aircraft. After that, an indigenous AJT should fly,” Krishnaswamy said in his inaugural address at a national seminar on Military Airworthiness and Certification in Bangalore.

“We have discussed with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and they are doing final design studies. Work is going on,” he later told reporters, adding that the twin engined AJT would be an upper progression of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), which India has already built for stage II training of pilots. The IAF and HAL, he said, would approach the government once the design was finalised for the indigenous AJT, to fly at transonic speed (Mach 1, which is the speed of sound).

The AJT will have the same cockpit as that of the IJT and larger wings. “Let us keep a time limit, in 15 years an AJT should roll out of the production line”, he said. India early this year signed a deal with BAe Systems to acquire 66 Hawk AJT for stage III training of pilots. The first Hawk is expected to be inducted in IAF by 2006.

http://sify.com/news/othernews/fullstory.php?id=13548779

Colin Powell, Remarks En Route to Kuwait:

QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit about the significance of the designation of Pakistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally? How that came about? And why it did?

SECRETARY POWELL: There are a number of countries that we give that status to and it gives them greater access to excess defense…EDA…excess defense [articles] and property that we might have. In some instances it is more symbolic than practical. I don’t know if Pakistan, whether they’ll be able to take great advantage of it. But it is just a sign of the strength of the relationship and there are a limited number of countries in the world who enjoy major non-NATO access, as it is called: MNNA.

We’ve been working on it for some time. It was approved within the Administration and we’ll have to make a notification to Congress, so this seemed like a good time to make note of it publicly.

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/30562.htm

India, Russia negotiate partnership for a new missile

New Delhi, March 2

After their recent success in developing a supersonic cruise missile, Brahmos, India and Russia are negotiating a partnership for developing an ultra long range beyond-visual-range air to air missile . The missile is at present being developed by the Russian guided weapons builder Novator and highly placed sources here indicated that India was involved in the project by way of investment and technical participation.

The missile, designated so far as R-172, is being developed by the Russians to be integrated with the fifth generation aircraft, with New Delhi likely to be a customer for its export version. The new missle, the sources said, was aimed at engaging high asset airborne targets such as AWACS aircraft, air to ground surveillance and mid air refullers, which normally operate from stand off distance during battles.

The proposed acquisition assumes significance in the wake of recent media reports that Pakistan was in the process of purchasing such a missile from western countries to counter India’s moves to acquire Israeli AWACS and the recent induction of Uzbek IL-78 mid-air refuellers by the Indian Air Force. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also currently developing a beyond-visual-range air to air Missile Astra. The DRDO Chief Dr V K Atre recently told PTI that the missile was still in technology demonstrator stage and no tests had been undertaken of the new missile. MORE PTI AKD VSC JW

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Meanwhile, after undergoing six highly-successfull flight tests since mid 2001, the naval version of the 290 kms range Brahmos missile has been approved for installation on all surface warships of the Navy. Defence Minister George Fernandes recently said that the Brahmos naval version had achieved all mission objectives and had been cleared for placement as a major weapon system on all surface warships. Facilities for production of Brahmos have already been set up at Bharat Dynamics in Hyderabad and the first of the naval ships would be armed with the missiles within the next three months by joint teams of Russian and Indian experts, officials said.

The air-breathing Brahmos anti-ship missile is powered by a liquid Ramjet engine, has a maximum speed of Mach 2.8 and can carry a warhead of upto 300 kgs to a distance of 300 kms. The DRDO, along with full-fledged trials of the Naval version of the missile, have quietly also undertaken some trials for the land based version of the missile, which is to be mounted on specially modified Tetra Chasis. DRDO sources said that the land version of the missile could be ready for induction into the army by another 15 months after undertaking user trials. The air force is also gearing for the missile with modifications, which is planned to be integrated with the SU-30mki. However, scientists said that this programme could take upto 30 months.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_595093,0008.htm

Originally posted by phrozenflame
ok my question: Reportedly the plane can detect & track? 50 targets right?..well isnt the majority of these going to be India’s own planes???

AWACS have got FOF (Friend or Foe) identification system, which helps an AWACS to identify weather a target is a Friend or Foe.

I think the 50 targets taken into account by the AWACS should be Foe targets, the Friendly aircrafts would be ignored.