A few years ago, I had read that the biggest reason why India made the political decision to buy the Ex-Gorshkov, the Mig-29s (and the T-90 tanks) was because that was the price to allow India to buy 20% into the Sakhalin 1 field. I can’t remember the source, so take it with a pinch of salt.

In mere technical terms, all three of those purchases were **** poor decisions by India. Taking a rusting hulk and installing maintenance intensive boilers, with no jet blast deflectors, poorly sized elevators and their locations, miles and miles of uncharted piping and wiring, adding thousands of tons of steel high on the deck, etc and putting on it an untested design in the Mig-29K (new one) were highly risky decisions. Throw in the mildly upgraded T-72 tanks called T-90s that would take a better part of a decade to get it work properly in Indian conditions, it all adds up to being, more than likely, a political decision. Was all that worth the 20% stake in Sakhalin 1? I Dunno.

From the Russian perspective, it was a great deal: Mig got money to design the new 29K, Sevordvinsk shipyard got enough work for a decade, Uralgo-something got to make the T-90s and India still had to pay the full price for the 20% stake in Sakhalin. If true, reminds me of the saying: A fool and his money…

… so the interest in the Rafale M is surprising.

I’m not sure if it was interest in the Rafale, per se. The IN sent out an RfI and Dassault responded. I’m not sure who else responded and to what end the IN is trying to use the RfI.

To add more drama…

Indian Navy Submitted an RFI to Dassault about the Rafale M Carrier Capable Variant

Dassault Aviation chief executive officer Eric Trappier announced yesterday during a press conference that the French company has replied to a request for information from the Indian Navy on the naval Rafale M single-seat carrier-capable variant of its fighter.

Astra is intended to be fielded by the entire IAF fleet. Python likely only the LCA and Mirage fleets.
Its likely post the Astra a local WVR missile will also be developed if they can manage a compact IIR seeker for A2A.

Any inkling as whether Astra be integrated with the FGFA? Maybe the MkII will be specifically designed for internal carriage by AMCA and FGFA?

Already Israel is India’s 2nd or 3rd largest defense partner. Working together in avionics, radars, UAVs, missiles, etc. I expect this relationship to go from strength to strength.

Breguet, are you in that picture? Or in the room when that pic was taken? 🙂

Poland To Spend Billions on Defense

Seventy multi-role helicopters top the list, a contract worth €2.5 billion.

The defence ministry is expected to name the winner of the lucrative tender soon and will ensure that Polish sub-contractors also reap benefits.

Aeronautics firms from both sides of the Atlantic have thrown their hats into the ring. The US-based Sikorsky is up against Airbus Helicopters — formerly Eurocopter Group — and the Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland.

“The Airbus offer is the only one that fully meets the specifications,” a Western expert told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“It’s proposing a single platform while the Americans are offering two — Black Hawk and Seahawk — while the Italians have proposed an unarmed device.”

Airbus helicopters are more pricey. But having a single platform would cut maintenance costs that account for up to 80 percent of the total expenditures over the lifetime of the unit.

Looks like a good amount of money will be spent by Poland.

Looks like the IN looking to replace the Tarantuls

Indian Navy puts out RfI for next-gen missile vessel

In the full article, the RfI stipulates that the vessel must have 8 ASCM/LACM, point defense missile, CIWS, and 25mm gun.

Tangentially, the IN has put out an RfI for 15 (5 battalions of 3) mobile missile coastal battery.

Kongsberg has proposed the NSM linky