WisePandaAVP is good. I like that genre of movie two gorillas fighting and a bunch of blundering humans in the middle.
WisePandamalaysia is in general sliding down the slippery slope of islamic fundamentalism….decades of gains can be undone by a few yrs of bad policy.
WisePandathere is a strong streak of brilliance running through US foreign policy for the last couple of decades, starting with the afghan episode, the entente with PRC in 1971…
one awaits with bated breath other tactically brilliant moves to ‘checkmate’ India :diablo:
WisePandaimo the 8-ton bombload appears excessive. thats nearly 19,200lb – probably ok for a F-15E F110 only with dozens of pylons right upto the tailpipe.
WisePandamy uncle’s brother’s barber’s cousin’s teacher who knows a Qatar AF pilot was saying the Qatar deal fell thru not because of price (cover story) but because Unkil intervened to block the sale then…maybe in a fit of love for the munna.
with Indo-Unkil relations gradually sliding down the toilet…no surprise the deal
is back on the table via dassault upg.
😉
WisePandadefencenews: with IA and IAF raising alarm bells, IN joins the feeding line …
Posted 10/16/06 13:53
Spare Parts Shortage Plagues Indian Navy
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
The combat readiness of the Indian Navy’s warship and submarine fleets is severely hampered by a shortage of spare parts, service sources said.
Purchased in the 1960s and ’70s, nearly 20 percent of the 140 Soviet-era warships and 35 percent of the 16 submarines are inoperable, the Navy sources said. Twelve of the subs were built in Russia and the other four are German-built boats.
Other weapon systems in trouble because of the spare parts shortage include P-21 surface-to-surface missile systems mounted on destroyers and missile corvettes; RZ/61 surface-to-air missile systems aboard large warships and destroyers; and MK/335 sonar systems on 95 percent of the Russian-built warships and submarines. Others now beyond repair on some ships include steering, surface control, weapon control and diving systems.
High Western Price Tag
The cost to use Western-supplied parts to fix Soviet-era weaponry would be too high, the Navy sources said. For example, they said the RZ/61 was replaced by the Israeli Barak system aboard the ships at a cost nearly 20 times more than the original system.
A Navy official said nearly 90 percent of the missiles and weapon control, electronic warfare, radar, communication and navigational systems on Russian-built warships and submarines are now beyond repair or upgrade. The Navy now must find replacements from Western sources.
The official added that the Navy has asked the Ministry of Defence to set up a task force to look into alternative arrangements for replacing and modernizing entire weapon systems, among other things.
Supply Line Halts
The supply of spares stopped after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Navy currently spends about $1 billion each year to buy spare parts, most of which come from Soviet-origin warships, aircraft and submarines.
When the direct supply line dried up, the Navy sought equipment and parts from the original equipment manufacturers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), but several had closed down.
The government then increased the number of defense attachés at Indian missions in CIS countries. This proved beneficial, as the attachés from 1992-’97 were able to locate original manufacturers and enter into agreements to restart some supply lines, the Navy official said.
The Navy needs to replace more than 50 warships rather than upgrade them piece by piece, as the overall cost would be the same, said a retired vice admiral. He said the ships and submarines should not be from one source, but procured from Russia and Western sources.
WisePandanote the diff suit for Mig-25
WisePandaPN may buy a few marlin, a v2 scorpene. I havent heard any talk of getting U-boats which would be a duplication of marlin and need expensive training and new facilities…but then again I dont visit pak fora much these days. so far details on what marlin offers -vs- the scorpene and agosta90 seem to be nonexistent. we know the scorpene & agosta90 have same subtics system, torpedoes and exocet with scorpene having a 10 yr lead in machinery design and hull shape.
WisePandaSumeet@BR:
http://rapidshare.de/files/36774800/Rao_ADA.pdf.html
The size is 7.75 MB.
There are 156 slides. All as informative as the other.
Slides# are all about MCA and future tech.
105,106,107,108,114,115,146-156.
WisePandaNew Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to buy 80 medium lift multi-role Mi-17 1V helicopters outright from Russia, making it perhaps the first of the five helicopter deals pending with the three services to be cleared.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (ACM) S.P. Tyagi told “India Strategic” newsmagazine that he expected the procedural formalities to be over within a few months and the deliveries to commence in 2007 and be over within a year.
“The Russians can be very fast in manufacturing equipment and I expect them to supply the entire lot by 2008,” Tyagi is quoted as saying in the October issue of the newsmagazine.
There was competition but the twin-engine Mi-17 1V met all the Air Staff Requirements (ASRs) – the parameters set by the air force – and has been its work horse for about 15 years now, not only in the Himalayas but also on UN missions. It was appropriate accordingly for the IAF to place what Tyagi called “a follow-on order”.
The Indian Armed Forces have been considering acquisition of about 350 helicopters, the biggest of them being the order for 197 light multi-role helicopters for the army, the prime contenders for which are Bell Helicopter and Augusta Westland.
Sixty of them would be bought outright and the remaining 137 would be manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under a technology transfer agreement.
The army is reported to be finalising its choice and a decision is expected to be announced around the end of this year.
The Indian Navy also has a tender out for 16 Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters as replacement for the old Sea Kings that are being phased out, while it is reported to have finalised its choice for an additional six logistics/troop carrier helicopters that will be on board the Trenton, the amphibious equipment and personnel carrier the navy is acquiring from the US next year.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash told “India Strategic” recently that the navy actually required around 40 or 50 helicopters and that there could be an order for more later as and when the Naval Staff Requirements (NSRs) were defined.
The IAF last week floated another tender for 12 helicopters for the VVIP role that would be equipped with advanced communication, anti-missile and other equipment.
Tyagi did not mention the costs of the Mi-17 1V helicopters but according to market sources, these could be around Rs.30 billion ($662 million) depending on the configurations and the onboard equipment like avionics.
Mi-17 is a derivative of the good old Mi-8 that even VVIPs have safely used from the days of late prime minister Indira Gandhi. Mi-17 1V is an upgrade to the original Mi-17 and there have been some other modifications too in the recent years.
Of course, the requirements for VVIP helicopters have tremendously changed over the last 15 years due with the rise of the terrorist threat.
IAF has both Mi-17 and Mi-17 1V in its inventory. The new Mi-17 IVs will be a replacement for the old Mi-8s that the IAF is gradually phasing out.
Both the Mi-8s and Mi-17s have played an important role in sustaining supplies to the troops in high altitude areas like Siachen and elsewhere in the Himalayas as well as during the natural disasters within India and outside, particularly during the 2004 tsunami in the neighbouring countries.
With a service ceiling of six km, or about 20,000 feet, the Mi-17 1V has functioned well in hot, high and humid conditions. It can transport troops and cargo, undertake fire-fighting, medical evacuation and search and rescue missions, and can also be quickly armed for combat and special operations.
According to published reports, IAF has about 350 helicopters for various missions, but due to its growing strategic role and peacetime requirements within and outside India, it would need many more machines in the coming years.
At present, IAF has also deployed 20 of its helicopters on UN duty.
Tyagi said the air force expected the government to announce tenders also for the 126 multi-role combat aircraft very soon.
Meanwhile, a top Boeing official said that his company was offering to sell the upgraded Chinook twin-rotor Ch 47F heavy lift helicopters to India.
He pointed out however that while no requirement had yet been projected by any of the three Indian services, the US government had cleared the sale of this helicopter to India for potential requirements.
Chinook was born during the Vietnam war days and has played a highly successful role both in combat and peacetime operations.
The new Chinooks are “totally different and much better equipped than their Vietnam day fathers” and will serve even the US Army till the 2030s, he said.
–By Gulshan Luthra
http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17707
WisePandaX-posted from BR:
Hi guys … no images this time … but a bit of a debrief on Ex Indradhanush between the Royal and Indian Air Force which ended yesterday in Gwalior (fighters) and Agra (tankers and AWACS).
A couple of points …
As is now customary, the Indian Air Force was at great pains to explain that the exercises were about training, joint formations and lessons learned and not so much about who scored more hits. This has to do with the attitude of being gracious hosts and not wanting to stir up a controversy. The Royal Air Force, on the other hand, were perfectly candid on the outcome of the exercises. This was refreshing and a sign of their professionalism in handling media.
The fact of the matter was that the RAF’s Tornados were overwhelmed in the exercises by the presence of the Su-30 MKI, the Bison and the tactics of the Indian Air Force. To quote Air Commodore Julian Stinton, “The Indian Air Force did very well, thank you very much.”
Answering specific questions on the role and performace of the Su-30 MKI in these exercises, the Air Commodore added, “the RAF pilots who flew the Su-30 came back with a silly smile on their faces.” When asked about whether the Su-30MKI vs Tornado match up was unfair, the Air Commodore who I interviewed extensively had this to say about the MKI: “This is a third straight or fourth generation fighter behind me … absolutely wonderful piece of kit … I would love to fly it … that (pointing to Tornado) is a maginificent warplane … its 1980s technology … If you want to put this in Star Wars terms, that is a Battle Station and this is an X Wing fighter.” “In the dog fight arena, there was no comparison.”
This isn’t to say that the British Tornados didn’t have their share of kills. Referring to BVR engagements, the Air Commodore said “In the BVR arena, if there was a trap, then there was a trap.”
Now some specifics:
* The two sides used notional missiles which had ranges of 20 miles and 18 miles.
* British Tornados flying mixed formations with Indian jets communicated information which they were picking up on their data links. (added by me: means E3 <–datalink–> Tornado <–voice radio–> IAF)
* Several systems on the Tornados and the Sukhoi remained classified.
* IAF Su-30 pilots did not reveal the ECM or ECCM characteristics of the radar.
* Air to air refuelling was used in the large force engagement exercises which were conducted in an airspace of 120 km by 60 km and involved 4 vs 4 engagements.
*The British referred to the exercises as an immense success.
* The Tornado pilots were by and large far more experienced than their IAF counterparts. Some of the pilots had flown 4000 hours plus.
Thats all I can remember right now.
Cheers
Vishnu Som
Associate Editor (Defence)
NDTV
WisePandaA gunship version of the Mi26 would be nice to watch
– titanium and fibre armour bathtub
– 2 x 3-barrel cannon turrets on the side and 1 x 3 barrel in nose
– 24 ATGMS/rocket pods on dual “sopwith camel” biplane wings
– a bomb bay for another 24 missiles/bombs
– 2 x HMG operated by door gunners
– XM777 105mm field gun pointing out the rear
WisePandaGreenday1:
vely clear sire….I understand sopwith camel:spitfire vely well sire :diablo:
you have the camel we have the spitfire.
WisePanda“I am shirtless, hungry and have zero prospects at home, but I am happy to point out your fly is open”
WisePandaIAF has very small # of Mi-26. its a different kettle of fish than Mi17V. in indian service its a hanger queen and very expensive per flight hr. for repairs they ship it back to OEM coz it isnt cost effective for such a small # to establish base repair locally. mostly used to recover downed a/c and hauling special loads in mountains.
the Mi17V is adequate for 95% of the tasks.
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