I recall video of a prototype pitching up and down rapidly on takeoff and belly landing at end of runway. this one must be the first of the in-service aircraft.

methinks they will buy one fighter (air superiority) and build another one(strike) perhaps in collab with US/EU consortia. heavily customized version of JSF named F-35J with a smaller internal bay to accomodate just AAMs and reduce drag, and improved engines and radar. this should be able to defeat J10/flanker type opponents comfortably.

the stealth strike plane is upto them whether want it quick, easy but lack of control – JSF based or more expensive but good for domestic industry.

courtesy asharma@BR from a TribuneIndia article:

British radar offered for copter

Britain -based BAE Systems is teaming up with the Russian Kamov helicopter company to offer an upgraded version for the Ka-28 anti- submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter with the Indian Navy.

The upgrade package would include the new Sea Spray radar, the world’s first active electronic scanned array radar from BAE Systems and a new Russian multi-sensor turret with forward- looking infra-red (FLIR), BAE Systems Director of Marketing Communications John Neilson told The Tribune. (The Ka-28 is equipped with homing torpedoes and depth charges for the anti-submarine warfare role.) The package will also include some Indian- supplied electronics. India has had some recent successes in this area – the ‘Project Vetrivel’ mission computer and allied electronics and software for the Sukhoi-30 MKI is a key example.

Russian strengths in aerodynamics and airframe and power plant design are not matched by its abilities with avionics, thus creating many collaborative opportunities. Mr Neilson said that BAE was increasingly involved with Russian aircraft manufacturers for upgradation programmes.

Joint efforts include avionics and cockpit management upgrades for the Mi-17 helicopter and an IFF (friend or foe identification) for the MiG-29 fighter. A lot of such collaboration is with former Soviet states, which have a lot of Russian platforms. States like Slovakia, which are new NATO entrants, cannot afford to discard their Russian assets.

On the NATO side, helicopters like the Mi-24 are valuable assets to have in the overall NATO arsenal if their avionics and other systems are upgraded to ensure inter-operability with other NATO armed forces.

Another key driver is that the very nature of engagements are changing, with the focus now on delivering weaponry in a precise fashion, from beyond the visual or “stand-off” range, necessitating advanced radars, network strengths and sensor-to-shooter links.

BAE will feature an Mi-17-2 cockpit with upgraded avionics and tactical command systems at the Aero India, 2005.

thousands of years ago, sea levels were different. there was a landbridge of sorts (a chain of close islands separated by shallow water) between india & lanka it looks like. the islands in the arabian sea maldives, seychelles, mauritius and madagascar may also have been bigger and higher out of the water to form a more easy set of stopping places when the ancient natives of the andaman islands perhaps sailed east from africa.

even today the india-lanka palk straits is too shallow for large cargo ships so
they sail around the island. there is talk of dredging it deeper to shorten the
transit time and cost between the indian coasts.

prolonged ops in hostile weather like north atlantic or pacific isnt necessary
for IN. just the ability to ride out rough monsoon storms and cyclones 2-3 days if need be. I figure planes properly lashed to the deck ought to manage
the rain and wind.
USN operates f14, f18, c2, e2, two types of helis from the same ship so a
mix of LCA and Mig29K could be managed but I think N-LCA would be
fielded on the ADS onward not on AG.

Arshad, the same guy posted much the same details on Aug11, 2004 in the same journal . then he was saying 24. looks like one
of those old news they keep repeating now and then with slight
changes.

http://www.c4isrjournal.com/story.php?F=327978

India’s Use of UAVs To Widen

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
August 11, 2004

India’s need for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is growing, according to military officials here.

The country’s UAV requirement first became apparent after the 1999 conflict in Kargil, which drove cooperation with Israel and led to the purchase of more than 150 UAVs, including Searcher-1, Searcher-2 and the Heron.

The UAVs became critical in the absence of airborne warning and control system aircraft in the Indian defense forces, and were used in the upper reaches of the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where no radar could be installed. The Navy also relied on UAVs, said a senior Indian Navy official, and acquired six Herons, which have been deployed on warships in the Arabian Sea for surveillance and monitoring of Pakistani naval activities.

Heron, a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV system, accommodates payloads up to 250 kilograms and has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight. The Indian Defence Ministry is negotiating to buy 36 additional Herons from Israel at an estimated price of about $6.1 million apiece.

Indian Defence Ministry officials say the military has a requirement of more than 250 UAVs in addition to the Nishant and Lakshya developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Earlier, rejection of Nishant by the Indian Army for use in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir helped spur acquisition of Israeli UAVs.

Besides the order for Herons last year, the Defence Ministry had invited bids from overseas companies to supply short-range UAVs. The UAVs are required to be as light as possible, should have an endurance of three to five hours, fly at a height of 10,000 to 12,000 feet, and at a mission range of 50 to 60 kilometers.

Companies Invited To Bid

The letters inviting bids for 16 short-range UAVs for $87 million were sent in 2003 to Israel-based IAI Malat, Elbit and Aeronautics Defense Systems; Germany-based STN Atlas Electronik and EMTI; France-based CAC Systems; U.S.-based AAI and Freewing Aerial Robotics; South Africa-based Denel and ATE; Austria-based Schiebel and Vectra; Switzerland-based Swiss Aircraft and Systems; and the Russian government firm Rosoboronexport.

However, due to the April-May parliamentary elections, the procurement process was delayed and now is expected to be complete within two years.

Indian UAVs in Limited Production

Early this year, the DRDO also began limited production of the homegrown Nishant, said a senior DRDO scientist, after earlier problems were overcome.

The Indian Army has ordered an initial 24 Nishants, developed by the Bangalore-based, state-owned Aeronautical Development Establishment, which functions under DRDO. Developed for battlefield surveillance, the Nishant project began in 1988 and was scheduled to be inducted into the Army by 1996-97.

A senior scientist with the Aeronautical Development Establishment said Nishant now is fully capable of instantly providing time-sensitive battlefield intelligence to field commanders through data designed to survive electronic countermeasures.

Nishant has a range of at least 100 kilometers, and the 360-kilogram vehicle is designed for electronic intelligence and electro-optic reconnaissance for the Indian Army.

A DRDO-developed, 35mm mini-pan camera, which is used for low-speed aircraft operating at a low altitude, and several other components imported from Israel have made it possible for the completion of Nishant, said the DRDO scientist. He refused to give details on the equipment imported from Israel.

The other UAV, Lakshya, will be produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bangalore, which is expecting an order for 20 vehicles from the Indian defense forces, said Nalini Ranjan Mohanty, the company’s chairman.

Lakshya is a turbojet aircraft capable of carrying a 350-kilogram payload 600 kilometers. Several indigenously developed payloads are now available for UAV applications, such as electro-optic imaging, a laser ranging and designation system, and an airborne infrared target sensor.

Lakshya is reusable, can be launched from land or sea, and can be controlled from as far away as 100 kilometers. The controls are executed via a portable transport mode.

India not only wants to use UAVs for surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir, but to monitor the Chinese military base in the Coco islands in Myanmar.

dont worry, a joint milsat proposal shall come out soon. its inevitable and gives the services full control rather than sharing some channels (which they are doing now on insats). rather than worry about launch vehicles its better to build the best satellite and launch it from russia if need be if the limited# of GSLVs are booked other ISRO missions. it will be hard for ISRO to fit new sats into its limited GSLV launches until the program ramps up much more.

per an article I posted recently, the navy chief was saying
phase1 of networking the ships was done and phase2 would
start. for a start it gives each ship a look into the weapons situation on all other ships in the network , I guess sensor data sharing would be next.

take care not to get shot though 😉 it aint Netherlands!