BlackArcherI guess having a sense of humour is an essential requirement to join the PAF :p
the original was by the USN..the PAF version is ahem, a copy.
BlackArcherBoeing is showing of..
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_boeing-to-unveil-stealthier-f-a-18-aircraft_1502260
But what does it have to do with india?
Keen on follow-on orders perhaps?
These are part of the Super Hornet International upgrade path. They’ll be trying to get the IAF to be interested in seeing what teh Super Hornet CAN be in another decade and how with some of these stealth technologies, it can possibly be a viable MRCA even 20 years down the line when more and more UCAVs and stealth fighters are around. After all, many of these capabilities are not yet developed and would need some International customer to fund them into development.
BlackArcherIf there are thoughts of exporting AMCA (stupid not to think of exporting it IMO), India will need to convince potential customers that it can provide adequate product support. Best way to do that is to export Tejas first, identify shortfalls in support, sort them out and establish a track record of competence in this domain. It is much easier to convince a potential customer that you will be able to provide adequate product support if you can demonstrate that you are already providing it for a similar product (fast jet).
My suggestion: get Tejas Mk2 sorted as quickly as possible (preferably with a suitable JV engine) and get some small export orders. There will be support problems to sort out. Use 2 or 3 small orders to learn how to support a fast jet made in India but operated by air forces thousands of miles away.
Spitfire, IMHO, there is very little chance of Tejas being exported. And the reasons have less to do with the Tejas itself but more to do with the structure of military production and development in India. Tejas is the product of ADA and HAL with HAL being the production agency, and being Public Sector Enterprise, HAL has historically been very domestic centric. They have very little experience in exporting products with the ALH being an exception and lack the kind of export-oriented thinking and setup that European and American firms have. Even China knows that weapons sales are part of its foreign policy and helps build stronger relations with other countries. In India, that kind of thinking is nascent to say the least.
If you compare the kind of sales/marketing/support focus that Boeing, Saab, Dassault, Bae, LM or others have as compared to HAL, you’d realise that they are light years behind. It might have something to do with the fact that they’re PSUs and not private sector companies looking to maximise profits..that will be a fundamental issue that will need more than just a few small export orders to resolve.
BlackArcherWe’ll get to see the second LCH prototype soon..
HAL plans treat for Aero India- Business Standard
HAL honchos promise that the LCH will fly manoeuvres that will eclipse the Indian Air Force’s globally-acclaimed Sarang aerobatics team, which flies the Dhruv helicopter. This is rare confidence in a helicopter that came onto the drawing board just three years ago; currently, there is only a single flying prototype of the LCH, which has flown 60 hours since it took to the air last May. The second prototype of the LCH is scheduled to make its first flight live at Aero India 2011. Eventually, India’s military plans to buy 65 of these heavily armed and armoured attack helicopters.
Alongside the LCH, the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter is also set to make a splash at the air show. Five Dhruvs will be handed over to the Indian Army as the first tranche of an order of 105 helicopters. In addition, the IAF has ordered 54 Dhruvs, which HAL supplies at a competitive price of about Rs 44 crore each.
Besides a gigantic Rs 7000 crore order of 159 Dhruvs from the Indian military, that helicopter is drawing attention from overseas. Ecuador, which bought 7 Dhruvs in an internationally tendered competition, is so pleased with the product that it is exploring the purchase of more. On a visit to the Dhruv assembly hangar, Business Standard witnessed the finishing touches being given to a Dhruv for the Ecuador Air Force, which is buying a replacement for one of the Dhruvs that crashed due to a pilot’s error. The nose of the Dhruv was being painted with a cobra head and — as requested by Ecuador’s air force — the word “cobra” was painted above it in Devanagari script.
“We are ramping up the production of Dhruvs to cater for the growing demand from the military, the paramilitary forces, and state governments. There is also overseas interest from the Indonesian and Malaysian armed forces”, reveals Ashok Nayak, HAL’s Chairman and Managing Director. “But our main focus is India’s military. This year, we will give them 25 Dhruvs; and, from next year onwards, we will hand over 36 Dhruvs each year. Orders from other customers will be delivered over and above this basic production.”
…
Designed to allow two pilots to hover above a helipad at 20,000 feet, carrying 200 kilogrammes of payload, a Dhruv helicopter powered by the Shakti engine exceeded that requirement handily during tests last summer. At the Indian Army’s 21,000 foot high Sonam Post, astride the Siachen Glacier, the test helicopter hovered with a payload of 600 kilogrammes.
…
BlackArcherat 2:50 mark in this video on NDTV, you can see a Su-30MKI with the UPAZ buddy refuelling pod with drogue extended. Its in Hindi, so most may not understand what is being said, but quite good footage overall.
BlackArcherAs if your caring and wanting this bird or that matters ! We are all just expresisng our opinions here.
I never said my opinion counts either. But your whining is quite boring really.
BlackArcherI dont think the change would be that drastic..even noticeable.A few changes here and there ..may be the intakes or a small change on the wing or body to improve the aerodynamics.Any drastic change means it will take another 3-4 years at the very least.
but the Mk2 is anyway only going to fly for the first time in Dec 2013. That is 3 years from now. So structural changes can be added, if the payoff is big enough.
BlackArcherI care no more get it over and done with….
With all due respect, your caring or not caring does’nt matter one bit. so whether or not you are patient or impatient about shortlisting or handing over $10 billion worth contracts is immaterial.
There is a lot of money at stake here and due diligence is required. Rather be safe than sorry because some one in the MoD made one wrong step or didn’t follow some process to the T, something that could derail a process in a bureaucratic country like India. Any whiff of impropriety and you can be sure that the losing parties will raise a massive stink which might as well cause a re-tendering and if the artillery procurement is to be considered, the IAF can say bye bye to the MRCA if that happens.
BlackArcherHow much is the Superhornet being sold for to India and which baseline version of the SuperHornet is being offered to India for that price. Ignore all the future upgrades. Just the baseline SuperHornet.. or is it the newer UltraHornet which is being sold to India?
That price info you’re asking is not known for ANY of the MRCA contenders. And that info will not be known till the downselect occurs and commercial offers are opened.
The variant being offered is the Super Hornet Block II, with F-414 EPE engines that have 20% more thrust than any other F-414 variant. that is a significantly large thrust increase over the current F-414 variant used on USN Super Hornets.
One of the main reasons offered for that new engine being offered as per AW&ST in a recent issue, is that the Super Hornet is a drag-constrained airframe and to meet India’s air-to-air requirements, a higher thrust engine is required. Plus, the recent Super Hornet International roadmap is also aimed at India, with possible joint development offered for new cockpit avionics, CFTs and a new pod to carry upto 4 AMRAAMs or 2 AMRAAMs and a couple of JDAMs.
BlackArcherIAF C-130J begins delivery flight from LM’s Georgia plant
BlackArcherIndian AEW&C to be rolled out by Embraer on Feb 21
link
Anantha Krishnan
BENGALURU, IndiaIndia’s Embraer-built Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C) is scheduled for rollout Feb. 21 in Brazil.
A senior defense official confirmed to Aviation Week Jan. 27 that the first flight of the modified EMB-145 is expected around May. “The first EMB-145 will land in India in August 2011 for system integration and subsequent induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF),” the official says.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the AEW&C program in October 2004. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) gave the task to the Bengaluru-based Center for Airborne Systems (CABS). The initial project was approved at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore ($396 million) to develop two operational systems and one engineering prototype within 78 months. But the IAF could only finalize the operational requirements in 2007. CCS looked into the delay and extended the probable date of completion to March 2014, while approving funds to carry out additional tasks.
“The AEW&C with the systems integrated by CABS will fly in India in early 2012,” the official says. “CABS have already begun the integration on ground-based systems [according to the] exact specifications [of] the EMB-145, including the seating arrangements.”
….
The Indian AEW&C system can operate with a maximum crew of 12. “It can fly non-stop for 10-12 hours with midair-refueling,” the official adds. “The all-up weight is 24 tons. The aircraft is being modified to enable mounting of mission systems and be certified for airworthiness, including . . . icing conditions, by Brazilian authorities as per the FAR 25 standard.”
BlackArchera Tejas Mk2 image by some fan of Livefist blog..not sure if Tejas Mk2 will get canards or not, but Ajai Shukla had mentioned that it would get Eurofighter like canards, way back in 2008..but since DRDO is going to display the Tejas Mk2 model at AI-11, we’ll probably get a good idea of what design changes they intend to make on the new variant.
BlackArcherLooking at IAF doctrine, i’d say air defense has priority,
in fact i share the Authors view on scenarios and doctrinal use from p29
exactly. The IAF will be most keen on the aerodynamic performance and will definitely rate the fighters with a lot of aerodynamic criteria topping the list.
BlackArcherThe US just recently stated that India could join the F-35 Program if it wanted. So, I see very little reason why it wouldn’t partner with India to develope a 6th Generation Fighter. (i.e. man or unmanned)
Respectfully, many on this forum some years ago discounted India even purchasing any American Hardware. Yet, today it’s ordered C-17’s, C-130J’s, P-8I’s, M777’s, etc. etc. etc.
Plus, the Super Hornet is the frontrunner in the MMRCA Contest. Which, is one India biggest Military Contracts ever!
Maybe you want to reconsider your position???:confused:
Join the F-35 program ? And why is that such a big deal ? The F-35 program has had its share of problems (and I don’t want to get into a fight about that) and India hasn’t shown the least bit of interest in joining that program to date, so such unsolicited “offers to join” don’t mean a thing. When it would come down to the real deal, its the amount of technology that the US would share that would count and I think everyone knows how even the UK, the US’ closest ally had issues on this front.
Super Hornet is not a frontrunner in the MRCA competition..heck, there are no frontrunners till the final shortlist occurs. There are reports putting Typhoon and Rafale at the top so if anyone is a probable front-runner, its those 2. The only way that the Super Hornet could be a frontrunner in India is through political pressure on the Congress govt.
BlackArcherIf, Indian selects the Super Hornet. She may think about joining forces with Boeing. Maybe merging the AMCA with the USN’s F/A-XX Program. (i.e. Boeing)
Sorry, that sounds like that the least likely option..a US firm transferring technology or partnering in the development of a 5th gen fighter seems like the unlikeliest thing ever.
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