So much bribe money (3,00,000 Euros !) just for getting prime static display slots at AI-11, then imagine how much foreign vendors may bribe pliable IAF and IA officers to scuttle indigenous products (where they have no chance of getting bribes after all which Public Servant will bribe another Public Servant?!) in favour of foreign equipment worth hundreds if not thousands of millions of $.

It has always been speculated that Russian arms mafia was behind the T-90’s being purchased in such huge numbers despite its failing against the Arjun. This honey trap business was also believed to have been used to trap a senior IN officer who was working on the Gorshkov deal.

The Tejas was always being maligned with many being planted reports of failing to meet specifications and what not. There have been umpteen foreign weapons and systems that were inducted despite not meeting the requirements fully, whereas for indigenous weapons systems, they made DRDO jump through hoops to get them inducted. carefully planted stories trashing the Tejas and others extolling foreign fighters as if they had absolutely no development issues at all are all part of careful PR and most foreign OEMs are very well versed in the tricks of that trade. I was just recently listening to radio and there was a story of a PR and lobby firm in the US whose job it was to make Tunisia seem to be a dream destination for investors and tourists alike. That charade went on right until the bubble burst.

This is definitely one of EADS, SAAB or Dassault that was behind the bribes (considering that they bribed him with Euros not $). They need to find out which one it is and look deeper into how much further and deeper this malaise of bribery goes. The company that is responsible for this HAS to be thrown out of the competition whatever its standing in the results table because no one can ever be sure whether they paid bribes to get favourable reports during evaluation. It is exactly this kind of impropriety that led to the Bofors scam causing the IA tremendous harm with them not having bought a single howitzer in over 25 years despite serious shortages and the last thing that the IAF needs is a competitor throwing a spanner in the works by alleging that bribes were paid by a competitor who won.

IAF officer caught taking bribes at AI-11

A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered against Wing Commander Thakur on the basis of a report of Assistant Provost Marshall (Bangalore), Wing Commander Vijay Kumar.

This report was sent to Air Headquarters in New Delhi a few days after February 12, the day Wg Cdr Thakur was allegedly caught red-handed accepting Rs 20,000 in marked currency notes from a decoy which the Department of Defence Productions and Supplies had employed to lay the trap. Thakur, previously a fighter pilot, had later moved to flying IAF transport aircraft.

The CoI is being presided over by Group Captain Daniel Victor. The trap was set up after allegations surfaced that Wg Cdr Thakur was seen accepting money on the first two days of Aero India from foreign exhibitors. According to preliminary investigations, he is suspected to have collected three lakh euros. IAF officers, like Wg Cdr Thakur, were decision makers to position exhibits in the static display area and they had leverage to favour some exhibitors over others.

Wg Cdr Kumar’s report has raised questions of not just the involvement of other senior IAF officers in the bribes-for-favourable-placements case, but also suspects that previous Aero India shows in Bangalore may also have been tainted with under-the-table dealings.

Senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials disclosed to Deccan Herald that soon after he was trapped, Wg Cdr Thakur first called up a Bangalore-based superior officer whose name is being withheld for legal reasons.

….

While the CoI will probe Wg Thakur’s case, parallel investigations by the IAF, the MoD and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) will likely inquire into suspicions that senior officers might have links with foreign aircraft manufacturers.

Astra infoboard
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/media/AeroIndia2009/pkartikk/AeroIndia2011/Hanger-ADA/DSC_0475.JPG.html

so the launch speed actually refers to the fighter platform’s launch speed (between M0.4 to M2.2) ! And I’d seen confusion in the past about the Astra itself having a speed of only Mach 2, which has been clarified as been false. The actual speed of the Astra itself is more than Mach 4, which is in-line with other contemporary A2A missiles.

Will also be interesting to see the MA-1 ELINT/SIGINT platform which is apparently in the final stages of negotiations..7 of those MA-1 EMB-145s and 2 for target towing are apparently being negotiated between IAF/DRDO and Embraer.

India looking to cooperate with Embraer on the Regional jet and has also expressed interest in having Brazil cooperate on the AMCA, but apparently Embraer hasn’t shown interest in that.

By Graham Warwick [email]graham_warwick@aviationweek.com[/email]
Sao Jose dos Campos

India is hopeful of cooperating with Embraer on development of a 90- to 100-seat regional airliner, says a government official at the Feb. 20 unveiling in Brazil of the first EMB-145 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform for India.

The contract to provide three EMB-145 AEW&C testbeds lays a foundation for cooperation between India and Embraer on commercial aircraft and other programs, says VK Saraswat, director general of the Bangalaru-based Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Saraswat says the Indian government has sanctioned the development of a 90- to 100-seat regional transport and talks have taken place with Embraer. He also notes the potential for cooperation with Brazil on India’s planned fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, but Embraer says no discussion have taken place on that program.

link to Aviation Week

How accurate is this chart on AMRAAM, MICA, Derby and RVV-AE specifications ?

MiG-29UPG

So the MiG-29UPG is getting Thales Top Owl-F HMDS.

Text in Russian, so translated text is below

On February 4, 2011. on the airfield of the Flight- research institute im [M].[M]. Gromov in Moscow Zhukovskiy took place the first flight of the head modernized fighter VVS of India MiG-29UPG (identification number KBU3301). Flight continued approximately one hour and passed without the observations. Aircraft piloted the chief of flying service – senior test pilot OF [RSK] “MiG” Mikhail Belyayev. Work according to this program is accomplished by a Russian aircraft-construction corporation “MiG” within the framework the contract, concluded on March 7, 2008. and foreseeing the overall modernization of entire park of fighters MiG-29, that consist at present in the arsenal VVS of India.

62 aircraft on the whole will be subjected to modification, including several two-place combat training MiG-29[UB]. As a result of modernization they will obtain contemporary onboard equipment and extended nomenclature of armament.

Furthermore, because of the modifications of glider and power plant they will grow considerably service life and the period of service will be realized the transfer of aircraft into the operation due to the technical state. Fuel stock aboard will increase due to the application of an additional fuselage tank after the cockpit. Simultaneously aircraft [doosnashchaetsya] by the system of refueling in flight.

As a whole the concept of the modernization of Indian MiG-29 corresponds to that accepted for the fighters MiG-29[SMT], that are been located since 2009. in the arsenal VVS of Russia and already successfully mastered by Russian military pilots.

Simultaneously in composition onboard equipment and armament is ensured the high level of unification with the carrier-based fighters MiG-29[K]/[KUB], accepted for the armament the Navy of India on February 19, 2010. During the construction of the complex [BREO] of that modernized MiG-29UPG at will customer realizes the integration of the systems of the production of the different countries (the so-called “international board”). A similar experience was already obtained and recommended well itself with fulfilling of Russian- Indian contracts on the modernization of fighters MiG-21UPG Bison, development and building of fighters Su-30[MKI] and MiG-29[K]/[KUB].

The basis of control system of the armament of that modernized MiG-29UPG composes new [BRLS] “beetle -[M]2[E]” with the slot array of development and production of corporation “synchro-cyclotron -[NIIR]” and optico- locating station [OLS]-[UEM] with the laser, thermal-vision and television channels of the development by NII (Scientific Research Institute) of the semiconductor devices (analogous [BRLS] and [OLS] they are used on MiG-29[K]/[KUB]).

The information-control field of flight deck is built on the base of multifunctional colored liquid-crystal indicators. “International” segment [BREO] includes the helmet system of the aim designation of the French company of Thales, the inertial- satellite system of the navigation of French firm Sagem, and also the Indian station of electronic reconnaissance and Israeli jamming station (similar systems they adapt on MiG-29[K]/[KUB]).

Basic composition of the armament of that modernized MiG-29UPG – the same as on MiG-29[SMT] and MiG-29[K]/[KUB]: in contrast to the series MiG-29, it is supplemented with rockets “the air-to-air” of medium distance with the active radar homing heads of the type [RVV]-[AE], and also by the high-precision weapons of destruction of ground-based and waterborne targets – by rockets of the general purpose X -29[t] with the television self-homing head, the antiship missiles X -31[a] with active radar [GSN], antiradar missiles X -31[p] with passive [RGS], corrected bombs cables -500[Kr] with television homing and others Fighters MiG-29 are found in the arsenal VVS of India since 1987.

In all into this country in the period from the second-half of the 80th to the middle the 90’s were set 80 such aircraft, into [t].[ch]. of approximately 70 one-place MiG-29 (version “B”) and ten two-place MiG-29[UB]. Deliveries to first party of 44 fighters began in 1987 ; the second party (26 machines) was set in 1989 ; the third (10 machines) – 1994- m. Fighters MiG-29 perform in three squadrons VVS of India: since December 1987. – in 28- y and 47- y, and since November 1989. – in 223- y. According to the data of the Indian Web site of warbirds.in, on extreme of 11 Indian MiG-29 (including one MiG-29[UB]) they were lost in the period from 1994 until 2008. in the flight accidents (known at least about four catastrophes and seven emergencies). According to the data of weekly “by Flight Of [interneshnl]”, at the beginning 2011 g. in the arsenal VVS of India were found 69 fighters of this type. In accordance with the contract, the first six Indian MiG-29 (four one-place and two “dual-control aircraft”) will undergo modification and tests in Russia, they arrived in our country from India in 2008. Remaining 56 aircraft will pass modernization directly in the territory of customer, at the production capacities of the 11th report base VVS of India, with the use of the complete sets supplied from Russia. As reported on February 9 at the airshow “aero- India 2011” in [Bangalore] Director-General – the design project leader OF [RSK] “MiG” Mikhail [Pogosyan], after the completion of tests in this year first modernized MiG-29UPG will be returned to customer.

Does anyone knows why the M-2000 still wears the old two-tone camoflage … and if it ever will receive the standard IAF-grey !???

Deino

Maybe because it just looks so pretty in the two tone scheme ? :p