interview with Group Captain Suneet Krishna, who was a Squadron Leader when he joined the Tejas program as a test pilot deputed from the IAF.

Interview with Gp Cpt Suneet Krishna

Salman Khan, a famous Bollywood actor, visited INS Hansa and the video shows pretty much all of the IN’s air fleet, including Sea Harriers, Il-38SD, Ka-31 AEW picket helicopters, Kiran trainers and also the newly inducted MiG-29Ks. A little filmi but what would you expect when a Bollywood hero visits ? 😀

Salman’s visit to INS Hansa base

It has nothing to do with looks and more to do with finding a role that it can be useful in??? Clearly, the Indian Navy didn’t really want or need the Naval LCA. It is just stuck with it….:( Regardless, I think it would be perfect for the Advance Training Role. As its fairly Modern and Cheap to maintain and operate. So, in the end it could become very worth while addition….. Unlike the Mig-29K which is a Stop Gap.

The Indian Navy didn’t really want the N-LCA ? Where did you hear that ? It was the IN that approached ADA for a naval LCA variant and they have been quite supportive of it right from the beginning. In fact, if it was the IN that was the primary customer for the LCA early on, the program would’ve benefitted a great deal as compared to the very dodgy support that the IAF provided initially.

Austin has posted an interview with a senior IN aviation officer where he clearly says that while they would love to have a Rafale first-up itself, but the IN will support the N-LCA because as he put it “it is our own”. They have provided funding, have provided support by deputing their own personnel on the program and have an expressed intent to operate 2 squadrons of N-LCAs.

Flag Officer Naval Aviation, Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai

How effective can the LCA Navy be for carrier-based roles given that it is only an eight ton platform? What endurance can it have and what loads can it carry?

I wish we could straightaway develop a Rafale. But seriously, we have to look at the Indian Navy and its commitment towards indigenisation. I agree that we have made a modest start, but it has been a huge learning experience. LCA Navy will remain a modest platform with an uprated engine which will give us adequate capability at sea. It may not be what we want but it is our own aircraft. We are committed to being a builder’s navy. While it is easy to buy from abroad, sometimes it is extremely difficult to support those platforms. Our past experiences tell us that it is worth committing resources to develop our own assets.

so that does prove that all Su-30MKIs in IAF service sport the anti-glare paint, right ?

I’m more inclined to accept Martinez’s comments about matt and glossy paints being used and that being the reason. Some of the Su-30MKIs pictures (especially from the induction ceremony) indeed show a very glossy paint being used.

The first flight of the J-20 should happen very soon – within the next few days, and clear and better photos of the Chinese 4th (5th?) generation fighter will be released by the Chinese officials.
😉

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if that does happen?

PS: What if it doesn’t ?

Couldn’t find SB026, but there is SB023, from the same batch and it has the black anti-glare paint applied.

the post above just explained it.
an Su-30MKI with the black paint, and one with out it, and IAF flies both.
so its not an issue of angles.

besides. Polish and Indian MiG-29 have the black. Hungarian ones don’t. Same mig.

No thats not true. the picture you showed was that of the Su-30MKIs when they had just arrived from Russia. Now, all IAF Su-30MKIs sport this black anti-glare paint.

But earlier, when the IAF operated Su-30Ks and Su-30MKs, they didn’nt sport any black anti-glare paint. So once, again not sure what is the reason for using the anti-glare paint. Martinez may be right, but Flankerman says that the IAF Su-30MKIs use matt paint as well..