Jang,

90 Kn itself is going to make the MK1 perform pretty well. At a public event, I had asked a bunch of LCA program guys about LCA topics, and in a passing comment one of the folks remarked that much of the hype about the LCA weight etc was overblown. He was ex-MiG-21 himself and said that with the new engine (he meant the Ge404 IN20) for the MK1, the LCA would be very competitive performance wise & meet most of the IAF requirements. Only payload would not be as high as originally required, but it was not such a big deal since with precision missiles & air to air armament (HOBS missiles, RF BVR) the LCA MK1 could still carry significant punch with decent fuel inside. Now the extra 8-10 kn (the Ge414 INS6 rating is not available AFAIK at this point of time) will not have to deal with a massive increase in weight for the LCA MK2. The weight increase will only go for some extra structural weight to increase the MTOW and also for some more fuel. Overall, the TP, who watch the program with a hawks eye, were very positive.

Thats good and I think therez no need to worry about higher payload for Mk1. The first batches need to be concentrated on the AA arena so that it can fill the base that is being vacated by the MiG-21. It should have been the priority from the start and the way the project should have moved without getting everything into the little bird in the first go. Later on they could have added the A-G capability in trenches like what Typhoon & Rafale did.

Also, there is no given issue that if the aircraft is using composites today, it can’t use better technology tomorrow. For instance some of the LCA’s composite structures will be replaced by other composites which are lighter, as strong and in some cases are cheaper and faster to produce due to advances in manufacturing tech. locally. Also, its a fallacy to believe that if you have an all metal, “simple” aircraft, you can “composite it” later. Composites in many cases need to be designed for in the specifications of the platform itself. They can’t just be used as one to one replacements for legacy designs.

Maybe you are right. But will there be any composite during the time IAF needs the fighters and if it will give the adequate weight reduction margins to justify its usage will determine if the current composites will be replaced with any future composites.

Finally, coming to the light fighter issue, what must be understood is that the IAF has moved on from the light fighter dominant force it once was. The PAF is still somewhere there. The IAF on the other hand has to face both the heavy fighter deploying PLAAF & the PAF which has significant numbers of medium class fighters (or at least aims to deploy the same). As such the IAF has gone for heavy platforms in a big way. The earlier ratio was light (MiG-21):medium (MiG-23,27,29, Mirage) in a round 60:40 ratio, later coming in at around 50:50. Now, the ratio is changed with the deployment of the Sukhois. Taking the PAKFAs into account, the ratio will be around 50 (heavy):25-30 (medium):25-20(light).

The numbers should have been like represented below. Unfortunately, IAF is going the opposite direction.
L-MRCA > M-MRCA > H-MRCA

There are 272 Su-30 MKIs planned for instance, plus the PAKFA at around 250 planes (214 mentioned, whereas other reports mention upto 250). These will supplant a part of the MKI fleet. Whereas the MMRCA/Rafale comes in at 126-189. The LCA at similar numbers! The AMCA will replace the Mirage 2000s and MiG-29s, plus remaining Jaguars (which have not been supplanted by the Rafale). That’ll add upto around ~200 planes. Overall the heavy fleet will continue to dominate.

I personally consider it as a bad mix…. single engined fighter need to form the base of the structure. By base, it does not have to mean aircraft with low-tech of low-capablity, but a cost-effective multi-role aircraft that makes up the largest numbers.

It is going to be costly in the future…. a single engined low cost fighter have its own advantages. Even US have stood by its single engined fighters and the only major AF (lets keep the Brits aside now) which have done away with the smaller fighters is Russia which was based on the requirements of their large territory. It looks like IAF is moving in that direction of too many twin-engined fighters with hardly any new generation single engined fighter.

Its all about trends, and frankly, the IAF is firmly moving towards the heavy end of the spectrum. It needs light/medium fighters on account of cost effectiveness, but the LCA alone is not the answer to the IAF’s need for larger, heavier platforms.

If direct operational cost need to be lowered, it can only come with the use of lighter single-engined aircraft. Twin-engined medium weight class is not going to give the margin that a single-engined MRCA is going to give.

I dunno.

The F-15 after all did completely outclass everything for a long time and especially the mainly Russian ****heaps it flew against (monkey model MiG-21/23/29) as well as more up-to-date Mirage F1.

Is there any campaign (all of which anyway were 3rd rate powers) in which your “mighty” jets have ventured out alone?? :rolleyes:

Give credit to Sukhoi. They have been through so hard times in the past, still they are standing on both feet.

I disagree on the ‘sympathy’ being shown for Sukhoi having to go through the worst time in the early 90s. In fact, Sukhoi did not face such a hard time in thee 90s and was the only manufacturer who did well due to their political clout and the order backlog that helped them to tide over the very bad time of early 90s.

From wiki…

Delivery of the aircraft began in February 1991 and finished by September 2009. The first contract was for 18 Su-27SK and 6 Su-27UBK aircraft. The deal, known as ‘906 Project’ within China, saw the Su-27 exported to a foreign country for the first time.

Differences over the payment method delayed the signing of the second, identical contract. For the first batch, 70% of the payment had been made in barter transactions with light industrial goods and food. Russian Federation argued that future transactions should be made in US dollars. In May 1995, Chinese Central Military Commission Vice Chairman, Liu Huaqing visited Russia and agreed to the term, on a condition that the production line of Su-27 be imported. The contract was signed the same year. Delivery of the final aircraft from the second batch, occurred in July 1996.

It was probably the Chinese contracts which actually saved the Russian military aviation industry (in particular Sukhoi) when allmost all other manufacturers were trying to stay alive.

It is not to take away any credit from the success of the Flanker series, but just to point out that Sukhoi does not deserve any sympathy. If ‘sympathy’ really need to be shown for the hard times of the 90s, the only deserving candidates that come to top of my mind now are are Tupolev (brand new Tu-204), MiG (MiG-29M/K) and Yakovlev (Yak-141/44)…

Turkish General Staff made an announcement that no indications of any kind of missile or any type of explosive found on the parts of the wreckage. Remaining parts of the airframe are being tried to be salvaged.

The statement is also very interesting since it refers to the aircraft as “the aircraft that Syria claims to have shot down”, instead of earlier phrases “the aircraft that was shot down by Syria”.

It seems that the RF-4ETM was NOT shot down by Syria but crashed by some sort of malfunction or error.

Thats interesting and maybe itz a diplomatic move from Turkey to cool down the heat and embarrassment. Either way its good for both and lets hope the Turkish fighters wont peep into Syrian beaches again.

Two days ago, a PC3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 2nd Fleet Air Wing, spotted a task force of 26 Russian naval vessels sailing through the Soya Strait.

at least we know these ships are in working condition. Too bad only one pr.956 Sovremenny in the flotilla (read operational?).

On May 27 the Japanese had spotted a Russian task force of 28 ships, somewhat to the south. Japanese sent everything they had to intercept. Looks like they got only 2 – those 26 mentioned in the link must have gotten away and made it North!

I did not get what you meant. What did i miss? :confused:

Is Mitrofan Moskalenko still in service? The last member of Ivan Rogov class.
It should be the largest landing ship in Russian service until Vladivostok comes.

Shez in reserve along with her sister ship in Black sea fleet.

Below is a Turkish design which is almost a pr.1174. Russia had every capability to produce a modernized version of the pr.1174 (like below Turkish design) or an enlarged variant of the original pr.1174 design. Unfortunately, the MOD chose not to…

w.r.t AIP, lets be fair here….Russia have far more experience with AIP than anyone else, courtesy their decades long experience with space station. If anything have made the non-availability of a Russian submarine based full-scale AIP unit, its only due to finance!

Also, below report from March 2012 tells us that Russia have already offered to jointly develop the AIP with India. Even if India make the mistake of not joining it, Russia will continue with it for their pr.677 Lada class, but probably on slower pace, depending on funds availability.

If India choose, they can repeat the wonderful process of FGFA initiative, where they pondered with head in ar$e for more than half a decade and then finally decided to join. :rolleyes:

Moscow May Help India Build Closed-Cycle Submarines
10:31 27/03/2012
NEW DELHI, March 27 (RIA Novosti)

Russia has offered help India build air-independent (closed cycle) propulsion systems for installation in Amur 1650 class submarines and also to equip future possible joint Indian-Russian built vessels, Viktor Komardin, the deputy head of Rosoboronexport’s delegation said at the Defexpo Indian defense show on Tuesday.

The Amur 1650 is one of several contenders, including the Scorpene (France), Type 214 (Germany) and S-80 (Spain) in a tender for the Indian Navy for six subamrines with a total value of $11.8 billion.

“Russia is currently completing tests of a new air-indepedent propulsion system, which could be installed not only on the Amur 1650 but on jointly developed boats,” Komardin said. “This is a critical factor for the Indians. So our chances here are good,” he added.

Rosoboronexport, Russia’s defense sales holding, has already offered India its Amur 1650 boat, which started trials with the Russian navy in 2010. The Amur has an armament of multirole torpedos and Klub anti-ship missiles, and can also strike land-targets with advanced cruise missiles, which may include the India-Russian Brahmos. “These missiles which the Indians want can only be supplied by Russia,” Komardin said.

The Amur 1650 has a good chance of winning the tender, Komardin claimed, thanks to its ability to remain submerged for over 25 days using its air-independent propulsion, and also its long-range weaponry. Similar foreign boats can only stay submerged for 15-20 days.

Russia is currently evaluating the Lada class air-independent submarine, a derivative of the Amur 1650. In 2010 the Lada class submarine St Petersburg entered service with the Russian Fleet.

The Russian Fleet Commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky told RIA Novosti previously that the first Russian air-independent boat, based on a similar design, the Projet 677 class, could enter service in 2014. Two such hulls are currently under construction at the Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard in St Petersburg, which could be fitted with a closed-cycle propulsion system.

An air-independent propulsion system is currently being rapidly developed by specialists from the Rubin submarine design bureau.

Air-independent submarines, usually using hydrogen-orygen fuel cells, are quieter than conventional diesel-electric boats, and do not have to surface or use snorkel tubes to breathe air, which makes them vulnerable to detection by radar and other sensors.

some nice shots of Rafale-M.

One thing I dislike on Rafale is its small nose… but in terms of looks that small pointed nose give it a very sharp looks thats very good from most of the angles.

We’ll have to live with this small nose due to Dassualt’s short sightedness (?) for going too small in the design process. Where as Typhoon, MiG-29K/KUB and even Tejas Mk2 might be able to accommodate larger and more powerful AESA in the future.