google this article is atleast 2-3 years old, it was posted on BR.
I dunno how it reappears again.

afaik there were no plans to replace with a indian signal processor, and maybe not the data processor too unless the a/c mission computer is the data processor for N011M (I dont know). in the ph3 MKI the indian vetrivale mission computer is expected…some tests had started in russia in 4Q2003 iirc. given the delays in delivery and testing, the first vetrivale definitive mkis are likely to be the HAL built ones in 2006.

the final deal was signed on March26 with reps of british govt and BaE in delhi. the first batch of around 20 indian pilots are expected to land in UK next month per another report.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/646318.cms

what kind of speeds can the Mig25 and Mig31 sustain without redlining and damaging the engine ?

I think they can tolerate some slippage by flogging the Kiran’s more and buying up a batch of Larzac’s for the initial 50 jets. the Kiran though old are reliable and we dont have a Mig21ish problem on that front.

the higher thrust version of the Larzac would also need some development, it was a offer contingent on india funding it. with the AL55 indian seems to have bought the intellectual property and control of the engine and downsized versions could be useful for stuff like UAV and cruise missiles in the future…a good small fuel sipping turbofan engine is a nice thing to have.

the L-88 aerostat radars are trailing edge from what I read on the web.

http://www.acig.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?forum=6&start=99&topic=179

The Aerostat radar is described as a relatively low technology, fixed site system, which will help US and Pakistani forces monitor infiltration on its western border with Afghanistan. In its earliest forms, the Aerostat resembled the kind of blimp or zeppelin that were used in stadiums during sporting events.

According to Lockheed Martin, the armament company that makes the equipment, the system is also “ideal for use by both immigration control and border security services as a mobile deterrent to groups who try to avoid border checkpoints.”

The US itself uses the Aerostat L-88 radar in a system known as the Tethered Aerostat Radar Surveillance (TARS) along the southern US border to monitor drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The system was devised after drug lords found ways of bringing in their stash on low flying aircraft, beating the more sophisticated US airborne radars like the P3 and 3A Awacs.

the engine is probably bigger inside than the tiny tailpipe would
suggest.

must be the bag of grenades pilot keep to throw when they run
out of bombs.

in another Bond movie set in afghanistan a C-130 is about to crash, he parachutes out a 4×4 from the rear ramp….it lands smoothly and he with the girl drives off towards karachi.