Whatever works in getting what the service wants…

India to Fast-Track Procurement of New Combat Aircraft

Defence Ministry to Place Order for 126 Aircraft: Mukherjee

(Source: ddi Indian government news; issued Oct. 3, 2006)

Keeping in mind the threat perception in the region, Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the government will issue request for proposals for purchasing 126 multi-role aircraft for replacement and upgradation in the air force.

Replacements would be made as the government was aware of the need for upgradation of the ageing fleet, he told reporters in Kolkata on the sidelines of a seminar “Defence – industry partnership in human resource development.”

Keeping in mind the threat perception in the region, the ministry would induct 126 additional aircraft for which the Request for Proposals would be issued, he said.

Mukherjee said some state governments were not carrying out rehabilitation of ex-servicemen in accordance with the norms laid down.

States like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh had allotted substantial land to ex-servicemen and preference was given to them in various state government jobs, he said.

The seminar was organised by CII and Directorate General of Resettlement

-ends-

Yeah check!

I’d wager MiG has some old airframes already which it can flog to Arab/ African countries, plus India may not want to go for the MiG-35 because of the amount of investment it has undertaken in local spares production, excerpts below:

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Info/11BRD.html

Tucked away in Ojhar, 25 miles off Nasik on the Mumbai- Agra highway is 11 Base Repair Depot, one of the eight base repair depots of the Indian Air Force under overall control and supervision of the Maintenance Command, Nagpur. To the average Ojharite, this out-of-bounds “sarkari daftar” is an enigma. Save for the daily bouts of earth shaking decibels of aircraft engines being tested and deafening din of low flying aircraft, like the puzzled Ojharite, most of the nation is unaware of the performance every day by this industrial techno-yard of the Indian Air Force, where two variants of the MiG get a new life.

Since 1987, No. 11 BRD has set off an ambitious programme to overhaul the MiG variants with indigenous knowhow, developed by a qualified and highly motivated team of innovators that the nation can be proud of. The men in blue here are out to falsify not just notions and mindsets but nerve-racking, cynical calculations on a burdening, jinxed aircraft fleet. It is not just indigenisation that provides the vital edge to this overhaul project, but the mind-boggling cost-cuts it bestows on the exchequer in the MiG modernisation programme.

Stunning are the figures doled out by Air Commodore R.R. Bhardwaj, the Air Officer Commanding of No. 11 BRD. “The overhaul programme for the MiG-23s and MiG-29s, which would have cost over Rs 400 crores if undertaken in Russia is incurring not more than Rs 50 crores at No. 11 BRD, all with indigenous technology, under the highest quality standards and total technical life enhancement programmes and that too in the quickest possible time”. He can afford to be exuberant when his men confidently develop Life Extension Technology for a meagre Rs 50 lakhs, the alternative in Russia costing some hundred crores. Till date, 191 overhauled MiG-23s and 51 MiG- 29s have rolled out of the Depot and are back in IAF squadrons.

If lAF’s mastery on overhauling of the airframe and avionics are on abundant display here, senior officers concede that engines are still a far cry. Of the blighted MiG fleet in the IAF, it is the MiG-23 that really takes the epithet of ‘frequent crasher’, with the highest fatality rate. With the MiG-23 engines drawing flak from all quarters. No. 11 BRD had taken care to stay away from the fuss, bothering more on avionics and airframes and leaving the engine part to the HAL engineers at Koraput and No. 4 BRD in Kanpur.

However, it was sheer global political circumstances that changed 11 BRD’s fortunes. With collapse of the Soviet Union, MiG spares were not easily forthcoming, forcing the BRDs to work on indigenising rotables and aggregates of avionics and airframes. Added to that, discrepancies arose in the Russian deliveries of spares and outsourced jigs and fixtures. When the Russian supplies became a problem, an Inter Agency Group for Life Extension was formed to work on indigenous life extension technology, “Russians were unyielding about pricing and had demanded Rs 400 crore for the whole process. When options ran out, we decided to take matters into our hands. What Russians did for Rs 22 crore for each aircraft, we did for below Rs 2 crore with our own indigenous life enhancement technology,” said a senior officer.

Once “life extension” was declared as a thrust area, defence research labs throughout the country, HAL engineers and even IIT researchers were brought into the team for the operation. What started as a operation for life cycle enhancement soon metamorphosed into a movement for self reliance. There was not a single part of the aircraft that missed an attempt to indigenise. Other than the engine, everything from rotables, mandatory spares, radars to alloys and metals, BRD’s intrepid men “Indianised” anything in the MiG-23 on which they laid their hands!

Air Marshal KS Bhatia, then AOC-in-C Maintenance Command, after the inagural test flight of MiG-23BN which was overhauled at 11BRD in 1988

Inside the operations hanger, the studious engineers of 11 BRD did not strive long to unearth the latent critical problems with the aircraft. The culprit in most critical snags of Russian made aircraft, says Wing Commander Tiwari, was the power supply module. With this ascertained, the only option left was to also indigenise this system. Interestingly, the 11 BRD- developed power supply module is “six times cheaper with performance ten times better than the Russian one”. Indigenisation itself was no silly game for the BRD men. Keeping a tradition of developing low cost spares. No. 11 BRD developed indigenous spares and components for well under Rs 1 crore when for those parts Russians had charged Rs 8-12 crores. It is self-reliance that has won laurels for 11 BRD. On constant move, the effort was always to indigenise as many parts as possible. The great deal of effort and success shown in this self-reliance foray is demonstrated by the fact that 11 BRD has achieved 96 percent indigenisation of the critical mandatory spares for MiG-29s.

A MiG-29 waiting to be inspected after overhaul at Ojhar.

Sqn Ldr Sharnik Manna, who oversees overhauling of MiG- 29s describes: “The aircraft after wheeling in, is stripped of if engine, avionics, wings, fins and only the airframe’s skeleton remains. The MiG-29s have over 2000 types of parts, including nuts and bolts, and even the most minute one is arranged checked and the rotables are identified,” While all the rubberised items are replaced, the non-rubberised ones are recycled through a process of cleaning, followed by micro testing involving stringent quality standards to search for cracks and weigh’ dimensions and electroplated before being retained for reuse The whole set of looms or cables running across the aircraft are replaced completely. The engine is sent to the HAL’S Koraput plant and once back after overhaul, is checked with advanced internal scanning process before being integrated in the aircraft .

The whole process takes 296 days before test flight for the MiG-29s and 256 days for the MiG-23s. Although both aircraft go through similar process, the MiG-23s, with its exclusive swing-wing technology has to move through 14 stations of levels, while the MiG-29s have 13 stations. With minor differences in procedures, both aircraft go through disassembling in the first 2 to 4 stations, defect investigation’ between 4 to 8, rotable reassembling between 8 to 10 and total functional checks between 11 and 13. During all these stages the various processes are subjected to rigorous quality testing both by IAF and by external organisations, before going for independent post overhaul checking at the 13th or 14th level and the aircraft then taxied out for its first flight.

Concealed in a discreet comer is a specialist section working on composite materials for the MiG aircraft. With carbon glass as the ingredients, the BRD team has developed composite exteriors for the wings and fins of the aircraft to replace heavier alloys and metals, thereby reducing in considers amount weight of the aircraft and in the process, add tremendously to its speed and manoeuvrability.

Fifteen Years after the first MiG-23BN was overhauled at Ojhar, the type still continues to be sent for overhauls.

The day Vayu visited No. 11 BRD, one of the test pilots at 11 BRD, Sqn Ldr Chauhan was preparing for a third flight test sortie. “Usually an overhauled aircraft will have three test flights before being given the nod for return to the operational squadron. It is the test pilot who finally decides on giving the green signal. The aircraft has to satisfy all his parameters before the final affirmation.” Later, Vayu was to witness an impressive take and manoeuvring by Sqn Ldr Chauhan who was testing auto-pilot systems of a MiG-29.

So everybody’s sharpening their claws today at the same time ? Take a number peepul 😀

Just kicking around the old football! 😀

No, was shared by yoyur very own Indian media who reported the evaluation of Chinese AWACs in Pak, AFM thsi month reports the news. Obviously when the order is confirmed we can jump up and down more.

Put up the exact proof of the induction of 8 Chinese AWACs. Your claims apart.

The fact is even with 2-3 “indigenous” AWACs, 6 Phalcons (if extra are ordered), that will still leave Indian with
1) fewer AWACs then PAF

Yet to be proven.

2) Much larger area to defend

AWACs are for the TBA area. The rest are getting more GBAD radars. Its yet to be proven whether your birds can get through any decent screen!

3) Chinese border to look after

See above.

4) IL-76 airframe much more maintence intensive and having more down time and less availability then SAAB 2000 airframe of Erieye

Clutching @ straws here! 😀
In the same vein, the Il-78 has more space for a more powerful radar array, more powerful ESM system etc, longer endurance etc.

Please try and argue logically rather then posting links to “amusing” wikepedia words, its would do yoru much shattered credibility a world of good.

The wikipedia words are suitable for their purpose, which is to look through your jingoistic bombast & point to the exact meaning therein.

As regards credibility- I am still awaiting the proof for your (in)famous claims of PAF having integration experience of American BVR on Chinese planes. Or for that matter, the 8 Chinese AWACS being purchased.

Perhaps..
REgards,
USS.

Did you get my PM?

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=420702

IAF mulls purchase of French Mirage fighters

NEW DELHI, OCT 5 (PTI)
The Indian Air Force is exploring purchase of French Mirage fighters to maintain an effective airpower strength as an interim measure in the wake of delays in finalising the contract for buying 126 multi-role Combat Aircraft.

“We are in negotiations with France for supply of some number of Mirage-2000-5,” Air Chief SP Tyagi told newsmen here. Negotiations had also been revived with Qatar for purchase of 12 Mirage fighters, he said.

IAF is taking these emergency measures in the wake of reports that its fighting squardon strength has plunged to a low of 39 squardons and reports that Pakistan is on the threshhold of buying more F-16 fighters from United States. ( comment: dork media! the allocated squadron strength per GOI is 39 squadrons!)

Tyagi disclosed that India was close to wrapping up a deal to purchase quick reaction surface to air missiles from Israel. Under the deal, India proposes to buy 18 Spyder missiles system in a deal worth more than Rs 1,800 crores.

Asserting that Government was “alive and responsive” to requests by the IAF on measures to tide over depleting force levels, he also outlined that Hindustan Aeronautics had increased production of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters. He also said that IAF would go in for purchase of six more IL-78 Mid-Air refuellers.

While saying that the proposed induction of lethal military platforms and system in the country’s neighbourhood was a cause of concern, the Air Chief said that these arms purchases by Pakistan had already been factored by the country’s strategic planners.

Maintaining that “our vision” is to acquire “strategic reach” and trans oceanic capability, Tyagi said IAF was preparing for induction of British Hawk advanced jet trainers and airborne and early warning system (Awacs) aircraft by next year.

He also said that the force would be getting 20 additional upgraded Jaguars and 20 indigenious Light Combat aircraft by 2009.

“We are also taking measures to upgrade our air superiority MIG-29 and Mirage-2000 fighters,” the Air Chief said. Though, he did not not elaborate on interim purchases of Mirages, highly-placed sources said the effort was being made to go in for Government to Government deal.

A high-level French delegation is in town for negotiations on the deal.

Modernisation and upgradation is not not being confined to fighters, Tyagi said outlining that from next year IAF would be inducting 80 new helicopters as well as initiating measures to upgrade it present fleet of Russian Mi-17 helicopters, An-32 medium lift and IL-76 heavy lift transport aircraft.

On AWACS induction, Tyagi, who recently visited Israel to oversee the building of the aircraft by a three way joint collaboration between Israel, Russia and India, said preparatory work on the project was going on for setting up of special labs and installations for data receiving.