BlackArcherIt’s quite easy when you copy a Russian design and ask the Italians for “consultancy work” .
ah the Pakistani chips in with their PoV.. 😀
come back when Pakistan manages anything on remotely the same scale.
BlackArcherThere was talk of the Thai AF looking for an additional 12 or so Gripens..this may be a golden opportunity (supposing this news is true) to buy more and stand up nearly 2 full strength squadrons of Gripens instead of the current plan for just 1 full strength Gripen squadron.
BlackArchertruly sad state of affairs for the SAAF..just how bad is their budget? And what has caused such a calamitous drop in what was regarded as a professional air force once?
BlackArcherArmy to raise its own Rudra gunship squadron in August..eventually 6 such squadrons will be raised. Tie this in with rumours of a possible Apache purchase and the IA’s order for 114 LCHs, and the rotary wing of the IA will get some serious teeth.
IA to get its own Rudra gunship squadron in August
NEW DELHI: After fighting a messy turf war with the IAF over getting its own “attack” helicopters, the Army will take a major step forward in getting airborne firepower by raising its first-ever dedicated squadron of “armed” choppers next month.
The first squadron of “Rudra” helicopters, the weaponised version of “Dhruv” advanced light helicopters (ALH) manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), will be raised in Bangalore and later deployed in the western sector facing Pakistan, said sources.
While not in the class of heavy-duty “attack” helicopters, which have greater combat capabilities and armour protection, each Rudra will be armed with a chin-mounted 12.7mm canon, 70mm rockets, Magic Matra air-to-air missiles and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to form a “deadly package” against enemy forces.
“The difference between attack and armed helicopters is blurring. The Rudras will constitute the third dimensional maneuver arm to provide ground commanders with a lethal edge,” said a source.
“The ALHs did excellent rescue work in Uttarakhand recently. With combat firepower, speed and mobility, they will prove their worth in military operations too. While a Dhruv costs Rs 47 crore, each Rudra comes for Rs 71 crore,” he added.
The Army will initially induct six squadrons (10 helicopters each) of the Rudras, named after the Rigvedic god of the tempest. The first two squadrons will have imported ATGMs but the next four will have the indigenously-developed Nag-Helina ATGMs with a four-km strike range.
While the Army’s Aviation Corps (AAC) currently operates around 190 ageing Cheetah/Chetak helicopters as well as 70 Dhruv ALHs, attack and medium-lift helicopters were so far the IAF’s preserve only.
The Army for long had been demanding “full command and control” over “tactical air assets” for rapid deployment, holding that IAF can retain its “larger strategic role”. Finally, in a bid to resolve the long-standing battles, the defence ministry last year decided “future” procurements of attack helicopters will be for Army. IAF, however, will get the 22 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to be acquired from the US for over $1.4 billion.
Induction of Rudras marks a significant boost to Army’s endeavour to build its own “mini” air force. The raising of “aviation brigades” for each of the 1.13-million strong Army’s three “strike” and 10 “pivot” corps (each has around 75,000 soldiers) has already kicked off.
The force wants one attack helicopter squadron each for its three “strike” formations – 1 Corps (Mathura), 2 Corps (Ambala) and 21 Corps (Bhopal) — in keeping with their primary offensive role. Moreover, it has plans to induct 114 Rudras for the remaining 10 `pivot’ corps.
The force’s long-term plans include a squadron each of attack/armed, reconnaissance/observation and tactical battle-support helicopters for all the 13 corps. In addition, the force wants each of its six regional or operational commands to get “a flight” of five fixed-wing aircraft for tactical airlift of troops and equipment.
BlackArcherHey Y-20, why does South Africa want to dump the uber plane that you love so much and you’ve always figured as far superior to the JF-17? 😉
What confidence does that give to clients of the Gripen NG? Maybe you should give up on your hate campaign of the JF-17 and come to terms with something people sometimes refer to as reality… 😉
Its all to do with their shrinking budgets. I don’t think anyone except you will argue that the JF-17 is superior in any way to the Gripen.
BlackArcherJust read that South Africa may look to sell its Gripen C/Ds since it cannot afford to even operate them..despite the Gripen’s low operating costs..appears that they may sacrifice all fast-jet capability with such a sale.
Potential very lightly used, second-hand Gripen C/D customers? I’m guessing if they’re cheap then existing operators may be tempted to bulk up their Gripen fleets..
BlackArcherAMCA development continues, but on DRDO’s own funds..the GoI will fund the AMCA after the Tejas achieves FOC
AMCA to be developed in 12-15 years
July 06, 2013: While the DRDO puts its full weight behind priority delivery of the LCA Tejas to the Indian Air Force (IAF), its new Chief Dr Avinash Chander has made an ambitious claim: that the stealth fifth generation advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) will be delivered in 12-15 years. The AMCA, while not a formally sanctioned project yet, is still on the drawing board in the conceptual phase, and will receive formal funding only once deliveries begin of the FOC LCA Tejas Mk.1.
The DRDO is currently working on several enabling technologies, including stealth, vectored thrust nozzles, serpentine air intakes, internal weapons bays, advanced avionics, etc to form the foundations of the advanced aircraft. The aircraft will be larger and more powerful than the Indo-Russian PMF/FGFA, and will be a priority stealth strike platform for operations behind enemy air defences. Current research and development on the project is being funded through internal resources, and work will pick up in earnest from late 2014 when the burden of the LCA Tejas is off the DRDO’s shoulders. A degree of foreign consultancy will be inevitable on the AMCA, sources indicate.
BlackArcherIAF receives its second C-17 today. in all 5 will be in service by year end itself. Huge boost to the IAF’s transport fleet.
India has taken delivery of its second Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport.
The new aircraft will enter service immediately, says Boeing in a statement. New Delhi will receive three more C-17s this year, followed by a final five in 2014.
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New Delhi received its first C-17 in June and is considering an additional six C-17s.
BlackArcherI’d add the HAL HF-73, which was to be the successor to the HAL HF-24 Marut design. It was supposed to be the IAF’s Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft, for which the Jaguar was eventually selected. This program was sadly, cancelled in 1973 and effectively led to a decade and more of no fast jet being developed in India. Cost India dearly, with the experience that was lost having to be gained back painfully with the LCA program.
There is a thread on Keypubs on the HF-73, with images
BlackArcherIndia commences first training course with new PC-7 MkII fleet. That should ease the burden on the Kiran trainer fleet quite a bit. Pilatus has already delivered 14 PC-7 MkIIs. Truly very quick.
India starts first training course with new PC-7-Mk-II fleet
The resumption of training involves more than 80 cadets and follows delivery of the air force’s 14th PC-7 Mk II in June 2013, Pilatus says. The company adds that it has already provided training to Indian instructor pilots and maintainers on the type, which will operate from the Indian air force academy at Dundigal, Hyderabad. It also has “delivered a complete logistics support package”.
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BlackArcherThese are basically the DARE EW suite, adapted for the LCA and MiG-29. It features a complete receive array (as in full coverage) with high accuracy direction finding capability & ability to sort through dense/overlapping signals, which is then fed to a central processing unit, which processes the information and provides it to the pilot plus also gives it to the jamming array for countermeasures. The central unit is combined with a techniques generator with DRFM. The jamming array, can be of any suitable type. For the LCA its a microwave power module based jamming system, whereas for the MiG-29, (which has a higher RCS and can also sport a heavier array), its an AESA jammer codeveloped with Italy’s Elettronica. Basically, DARE has developed a modular EW suite with better performance than its baseline RWRs, which can analyze and counter advanced radar threats, and be interfaced with suitable emitter (depending on the needs required).
Archived your post ! 🙂
Thanks Teer.
But does that imply that the reciever antennae on the MiG-29UPG aircraft have not been integrated as yet, since the EW suite is to be test flown this year? If you recall, the MiG-29UPG has new antennae on the wings and under the right rudder, which were part of the internal EW suite. Or were those antennae also from Elettronica?
Is the emitter also mounted on the airframe or will it be pod mounted?
Good to know that there is going to be DRFM jamming for the MiG-29UPG and Tejas Mk1/2. Thats more advanced than anything in IAF service currently.
BlackArcherAs per Aeromag, the LCA and MiG-29’s internal EW suite will be test flown by this year. Does any one have any details on this EW suite’s specs?
BlackArcherIf Dhruv is basically suitable (i.e. not half the size required) then the government should be required to purchase domestically. Seems the Defence Procurement Policy should be extended to all government departments.
if it wasn’t the size required, then the competition would be for medium sized helicopters, not in the 5t to 6t class. They want to keep the Dhruv in the competition, but open it to other foreign helos as well..apparently the MHA’s bureaucrats have missions in mind that even the IAF or IA cannot perform (since they operate Dhruvs and are happy with them).
This is a classic case of some babus (bureaucrats) acting too smart in a tender for helicopters, whose capabilities they would have no clue of. the GoI should slap their wrists and ask them to buy domestic. Or simply scrap any such requirement, and ask them to lease helis if required, by the hour.
The Agusta Westland bribery scandal gives us an idea of just how murky these import deals are.
BlackArchera ridiculous situation has arisen, where the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had a requirement for 12 helis, which were to be Dhruvs. Now they want an international competition for it, despite the stellar role that the Dhruv played in Operation Rahat during the recent calamity in Uttarakhand, where it flew 650 hours in severe weather conditions with poor visibility and in valleys where flying was risky.
Clearly a case of looking to see if some money could be made by bureaucrats through bribes..when a fine indigenous alternative exists, one that the IAF and IA are very happy with, what on earth the bloody MHA needs any other helis for, only those bloody bureaucrats know.
BlackArcherI see no reason why the LCA MKII from India couldn’t be a option for Vietnam. Yet, the price would have to be low and considering the long development and limited number planned. I am not sure that is likely??? As for up setting China I was referring to Europe not India.
I did’nt get what you meant by limited number planned. the current plan is to order 83 LCA Mk2s which can be upped depending on how the program delivers on timelines. HAL has already been asked to increase the production assembly line to 16 per year. That of course, doesn’t take into account the possible IN LCA Mk2 variant for which the IN intends to get around 45 units.
So, given that an LCA Mk1 was priced around $35 million, the additional cost of development, the costlier engine and internal EW suite may push the price up by a few million $. I’d expect the Tejas Mk2 to be priced at around $45 million each. Still a lot cheaper than what the Gripen E/F will be.
Clearly, India could find a market in such countries as Vietnam and possibly Taiwan for its Arms. Hopefully, it will take advantage of the opportunity……………time will tell.
Doubt that will happen. China is India’s biggest trading partner and however much it needles India on the border issues and uses Pakistan as a proxy, the current govt. totally lacks the gonads to return the favour. Vietnam will be a closer partner, with more military-to-military interactions, and perhaps even some arms sales, but the Indian political leadership is too wimpy to even consider a more strategic alliance.
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