WisePandathat now only leaves the Mirage as one without any proposed upg plan.
Mig21 -> older ones retiring, newer ones Bison(125)
Mig23 -> all retiring
Mig27 -> older ones retiring, 40 newest ones upg
Mig25 -> all retiring
Mig29 -> all 67 upg
Su30MK -> to be upg
AN32 -> engine and nav upgs in progress
IL70 -> older ones to get PS90x engine?
Dhruv -> ardigen engine
KiranI & II, Iskra -> replace with Sitara & Hawk starting this yr
Mi35 -> finished upg
AlouetteIII(chetak) -> most will retire, few will get the dhruv engine (chetan)
Llama(cheetah) -> most will retire, few will get new engine? (cheetal?)
IL38 -> doing upgs now
Tu142 -> all will retire, no upg planned
Sea King -> all will retire
Sea Harrier -> all will retire around 2010
Jaguar -> I guess all will retire by 2020, no upg of the older ones planned.
(MRCA will replace)
New buys in next few years
– MKI
– MRCA
– Tejas
– Mi17V helos
– Dhruv
– P3C (2+8)
– new LRMP (P8 / ATR ? )
– new naval helos (NH90 / SH60)
– 6 IL78 tankers
– 3 phalcon
– new AEW on embraer/atr
– Mig29K
– more KA31 AEW for ADS ?
– 2 more IL38 to makeup losses
– new light, medium and heavy UAV with israel
– 19+20 new jaguar
– Dornier228 for coast guard
– BBJ for VVIP duty (as one arrived already?)
– few more IAI astra for ELINT
– more IL76 one would think to supplement the existing
WisePandain another report HAL has apparently handed over 7 of the new twin-seater Jaguars to IAF and will finish 12 more in 2006. in 2007 and 2008 they will build 20 single-seater Jaguars of the same std.
WisePandaJDW…excerpt.
India issues request for MiG-29 fleet upgrade
RAHUL BEDI JDW Correspondent
New Delhi
* India is looking to upgrade its MiG-29 fighters, which will join upgraded MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighters already in service or set to enter service
* The three aircraft types will have increased commonality to improve serviceability
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is finalising a request for proposal for imminent dispatch to Russian Aircraft Corporation (RSK)- MiG to upgrade its fleet of 67 MiG-29 multirole fighter aircraft, including eight trainers, for around INR40 billion (USD888 million).
The MiG-29 upgrade programme is an important component of the IAF’s continuing modernisation drive, which also involves retrofitting 125 MiG-21bis and 40 MiG-27ML fighter aircraft.
The MiG-29 programme includes replacing the aircraft’s N019 pulse-Doppler radar with the Phazatron Zhuk-M radar and installing an upgraded weapon suite, air-to-air refuelling capability and a new avionics suite.
…….
Granted financial clearance by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2005, the MiG-29 upgrade project – delayed by over two years – is now likely to start only in Financial Year 2006-07 and be completed around four years later, official sources said.
The upgraded MiG-29s would thereafter remain in service for 10-15 years. According to military sources RSK-MiG will be the sole vendor to upgrade the IAF’s fleet of MiG-29 fighters and MiG-29UB dual-seat trainers and the company will independently source the customer- furnished equipment currently being decided.
In addition, RSK-MiG will also carry out life-extension checks on the upgraded multirole fighters that were first inducted into the IAF in 1986.
“The avionics architecture that the IAF is firming up will be a mix-and-match of Russian, local and imported systems that are likely to be sourced from France, Israel and possibly the US,” a senior official said.
Various options being debated by air headquarters include dispatching a limited number of MiG-29 fighters to RSK-MiG to be outfitted similar to the two MiG-21bis aircraft that were retrofitted in Russia in the late 1990s, MoD sources said. The upgrade will then take place at the IAF’s No 11 base repair depot at Nasik, western India.
Meanwhile, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Managing Director K P Puri said 94 of 125 MiG-21bis had been upgraded to an improved MiG-21 Bison configuration at the HAL MiG complex at Nasik, while the remaining 29 will be completed by the end of 2006.
…….
Prototypes of the MiG-27ML retrofitted by HAL at Nasik have already been certified in the initial operational configuration and the first 12 upgraded ground attack fighters will be handed over later in 2006.
The remaining 28 MiG-27MLs, HAL officials said, would be upgraded at the rate of one per month under a INR6 billion service-life extension programme. Over 12 months behind schedule, it is due for completion by the end of 2008.
The MiG-27ML, which is undergoing extensive avionics retrofitting to boost its performance, will remain in service till 2020 and beyond.
For the retrofit France’s Sagem is providing the multi-function display and GPS/inertial navigation system in tandem with a locally designed mission computer, while Thales is supplying the head-up display and Israel’s Elbit Systems the digital moving map. HAL also recently announced that it had accelerated the indigenous production of 140 Su-30MKI multirole fighters for the IAF at a cost of USD3 billion.
“We are increasing production from eight aircraft per year to 13,” Puri said, adding that the programme that was scheduled to finish by 2017-18 will now be completed by 2014-15. The multirole fighter aircraft, will be the mainstay of the IAF, entered service in early 1997 with around 50 Su-30 and Su-30MKI aircraft being procured directly from Russia. In 2001 India signed the USD3 billion deal for the licensed production of 140 additional Su-30MKI-series fighters.
HAL began building the Su-30MKI fighters in 2004 and handed over the first to the IAF later the same year. The 26 platforms that comprise the first three batches are being assembled from Russian kits with an indigenous content of around 15 per cent. HAL claims this will rise progressively to around 45 per cent in the fourth batch of 114 Su-30MKI’s.
WisePandawell the french have charged a high price for Scorpene and are preparing a new design of Sub named Marlin (most probably will reuse most of Scorpene) for the pakistan navy – expected order of 5 boats.
so they are as “good” or “bad” a non-ally as anyone out there, nothing special.
the case should be decided on its merits and clearly the M2K-5 lags the advanced hornets and vipers , rafale and and Taifun.
India needs stuff which can comfortably beat off a F-16block50 which is not easy. the shortlist of such a/c is small indeed.all the better if the PRC cant get their hands on it (the Mig35 tech will be sold to PRC at the right price for “studies” I am sure)….rumours speak of attempts to sniff around at NIIP Tokhomirov for the bars radar details to develop appropriate ECM.
WisePandawell then the regular barak1 cells will need to be retained. seems to be quite compact and 2×8 arrangements along the sides are feasible.
WisePandawell a lot of corporate interests are trying to make the nuclear deal happen. lets hope they drag it through congress in the coming months…
2nd FEB 20:46 hrs IST
US industry lobby pushes nuke deal with India
– –
New Delhi: Any failure on part of the US administration to speedily implement its civil nuclear agreement with India would represent an ”unfortunate missed opportunity”, the head of a leading US industry lobby group said.
US-India Business Council (USIBC) President Ron Somers observed that India was committed to developing its civilian nuclear programme to meet its burgeoning energy needs ”with or without the US”. ”Our aspiration and hope is that we can do that together. To not collaborate would be an unfortunate missed opportunity”, the USIBC President told mediapersons at Defexpo 2006 underway here.
Somers is leading a large defence delegation representing 22 US companies, including majors like Raytheon and Honeywell. He emphasised that the team aimed to deepen defence cooperation and commercial ties ahead of the US President George Bush’s visit to India next month.
Responding to a question on whether India could turn to other countries like France and Russia if it was refused nuclear technology by the US, he said, ”We think that India is going to need to pursue energy security, which is a real issue..” ”And it is going to develop its indigenous capability (to generate nuclear power) with or without the US. That is the reality,” he said, noting that nuclear power would be economic in the long run and help cut emissions.
India and the US signed a historic civil nuclear cooperation pact on July 18, last year — but the implementation of the agreement has been delayed by prolonged discussions on changes to laws that have to be made by Washington and the separation of India’s civil and nuclear facilities.
USIBC, which represents close to 180 companies that have investments in India, has been spearheading efforts to lobby the US Congress to push through the civil nuclear pact. It recently hired a law firm, Patton Boggs, to lobby for the deal. Referring to the current status of discussions on the agreement, Somers said, ”I am happy to report that at all the meetings on Capitol Hill, there has been universal support for deepening the strategic partnership with India.”
”Of course, there are questions about nuclear proliferation and these are being addressed, and we have positive comments from the US Embassy and those in the Indian government dealing with the issue,” he said. He said, ”Challenges were in the details”.
But with the ”convergence in economics and alignment in politics”, Somers said USIBC’s ”hope and goal” was civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US.
WisePandaits hard to say, but the reason why F-18 was let into the race initially was better strategic goodies from the US like civilian nuclear technology. the fate of the nuclear deal will be known inside of 6 months , long before the MRCA deal is signed – so it would be fair to say without a good deal its very unlikely F16/18 stand a chance.
WisePandaPRC and India operate the very same shtil, top plate radar, rbu, klub, kilos, kamov helis, su27 family and a host of other stuff. IN will operate Scorpene with same subtics combat system, exocet, torpedoes and perhaps AIP as the PN khalids. P3C orion will be another common element.
so I wouldnt count the F-16 out. it will need to be customized to near the block60 std though to match the SHblock2.
WisePandaM2K-5 one weakness without any solution was the weak P53 engine of early 1980s vintage. and the french had nothing to replace it.
I agree it was the weakest contender.
methinks if we are going “MUNNA crazy” the F-16 Block52 with APG80 radar and internal targeting system is probably the most versatile and cost effective soln, followed by the superhornet. Rafale comes 3rd due to its smaller array of weapons and EF 4th. Gripen is too small.
if both are armed with APG80, would there be a big diff in cost and capability between the SH and F-16-52 ?
bear in mind IAF needs high numbers not a squadron or two of gold-plated platinum bullet “Carlo kopp” weapons. So high cost of Rafale and EF hurts them there vs F16 cost amortized across 1000s of airframes and F18 hundreds of planes ordered by USN.
WisePandaAustin could have the last world afterall :devil:
WisePandaIts well known the french were mighty p*ssed with the delays and the comments of IAF western air commander last week that MRCA would be selected from “US and Russia” cant have helped their mood any.
http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=4758§ion_id=3
French Mirage pulled out of dogfight for IAF deal
Updated 1537 hrs IST (+GMT 5:30), 02.02.06
New Delhi: The dogfight for bagging the Indian order for 126 fighter aircraft has taken a sensational twist. The front-runner, the French Mirage 2000-5, has pulled out, complaining that India is taking too much time to make up its mind.
The French aviation company Dassault cannot wait anymore for the Indians to make up their mind on whether or not to buy the Mirage 2000-5.
The production line for this fighter aircraft in France has closed down.
And the French have now done some plain-speak.
They’ve conveyed that the costs of sustaining an idle production chain – while waiting indefinitely for the notoriously slow Indian defence procurement process to unfold – are prohibitive.
“Now informally, I also keep hearing, but till I hear formally in writing, then we will see,” SP Tyagi, Chief of Air Staff, said.
Indeed, the French fighter manufacturer is conspicuous by its absence at India’s biggest defence exhibition, which is currently running in New Delhi.
While the French are still considering whether or not to field their heavier and more expensive Rafale fighter, the withdrawal of the Mirage is very significant for the Indian Air Force.
The peculiar requirement for 126 fighters was initially worked out by the IAF keeping the Mirage in mind.
New players are now trying to fill the space vacated by Mirage.
These are the American F/A 18 Super Hornet and the British Typhoon, which were not on the original list of fighters surveyed by the IAF.
Here’s what the gate-crashers had to say:
“We took a year to crash into the party but we think we’ve got a very good shot,” Michael Rietz, F/A 18 Programme Manager, says.
“I would not say it’s a gatecrash, I would think it’s a worthy competitor,” AVM HG Mackay, Royal Air Force officer, says.
The line-up of contenders includes Russia’s MiG-29, Sweden’s Gripen and America’s F-16. While it’s too early to say who’s the new front-runner, there’s already some cheeky salesmanship.
“We just wanted to see how the F-16 would look in Indian colours. We thought it would look nice,” Joe Stout, Spokesman, F-16, said.
The stakes are obvious because the IAF’s order will be the world’s biggest since a decade.
With so many twists and turns even before the race has begun, this contest promises to be a thriller of a dogfight.
WisePandaall fluff news items. every deal with US has its own price. if they sign up for SH there will be some offsets otherwise nothing.
WisePandamaybe 8 is all that india needs to maintain training and the viraat airwing for a while.
meantime, maybe move on IN’s first AAW system. hopefully barak-1 can be multiple
packed into barak2 cells.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1505901&C=mideast
Posted 02/01/06 12:27
India, Israel Will Jointly Develop Long-Range Barak
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
The governments of India and Israel have finalized their biggest defense development agreement: The state-owned Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, and Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) signed a pact Jan. 27 for the joint development and production of the long-range Barak air defense system for the Indian and Israeli militaries.
The agreement is based on joint investment by both companies to develop and manufacture unspecified numbers of Barak systems.
The initial co-development funding is about $350 million, of which IAI will finance 50 percent, for the next five years, a senior scientist of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. Additional funding will be infused by both parties as needed.
Israel also has projected some requirements for long-range Barak air defense systems, and it could source missiles and other systems from India, he said.
The agreement paves the way to meet the immediate requirements of the Indian Navy, the scientist said. Under this agreement, the DRDL and IAI will develop six long-range Barak systems for India’s stealth warships. The Navy is procuring three such warships from Russia, and the remaining will be built by the state-owned Mazagon Docks.
DRDO chief M. Natrajan said Feb.1 that he would gladly announce any major joint development program allowed by the government, but would neither confirm nor deny the Barak agreement with the Israeli company.
Joseph Fishman, IAI’s acting corporate vice president for marketing and business development, said IAI is not authorized to make statements on defense programs under a confidential agreement with its Indian customers, but said that IAI is not averse to joint development programs with India.
A senior Indian Defence Ministry official said there will be a transformation in the requirements of air defense systems for the three Indian military services. Based on these projections and the high cost of air defense systems, the ministry has approved the initiatives under which Indian state-owned agencies can forge joint co-development and co-production ventures with foreign companies because the technology will remain in India.
The Army and Air Force also have projected requirements for long-range air defense systems for a credible nationwide command-and-control structure.
The Navy as a policy has decided that in the future it will only mount long-range air defense systems and surface-to-air missile systems on warships that are under construction or yet to be built.
The Navy has already mounted short-range Barak air defense systems on many of its warships, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.
WisePandafrom outlookindia.com
Britain offers eight Sea Harrier jump jets to Indian Navy
NEW DELHI, FEB ONE (PTI)
Britain today said it had offered eight Sea Harrier jump jets to enable Indian Navy to maintain its naval fighter strength and said New Delhi would receive the first batch of Hawk advanced jet trainers early next year to fill a void in training of fighter pilots.
The offer was unveiled by visiting British Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Drayson who said the Sea Harriers would be from the inventory of the Royal Navy.
Heading a high level British official delegation to the DefExpo 06
WisePandaoutlookindia.com
Naval pilot flies ‘Tejas’
BANGALORE, FEB 1 (PTI)
The Tejas light combat aircraft achieved yet another milestone today when it was flown for the first time by a test pilot from the Indian Navy.
Commander J A Maolankar, an experienced Sea Harrier pilot, flew the Tejas (Technology Demonstrator-II) for about 30 minutes over Bangalore, Programme Director (Combat Aircraft) and Director of Aeronautical Development Agency, P S Subramanyam, who termed the flight a “breakthrough,” said.
The Tejas is used to be flown by airforce pilots and this is the first time that a naval pilot has undertaken the task.
Commander Maolankar, who graduated from the IAF Test Pilots School in 1995, is posted at the NFTC (National Flight Test Centre) here and accomplished the task after having been trained by NFTC staff.
“The fact that no two-seat trainer exists for the Tejas makes this achievement significant,” ADA officials said.
The Naval officer underwent a training capsule, which included a few flights on the Mirage-2000 of the IAF followed by simulator flying at the Aeronautical Development Establishment here.
Commander Maolankar became the 11th test pilot to have flown the Tejas.
ADA officials said development of the Naval version of the Tejas is well underway and flight-testing of the aircraft would also be entrusted to the composite team at NFTC.
Subramanyam said the naval variant of Tejas is expected to be ready by April next year.
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