MIG-29 (MIG brand in general) is known commodity across the world. There are trained pilot, technicians & infrastructure. from Ex-Iraq all the way to Burma.
MIG should just churned out these many fighters ever year regardless of customer and distribute freely among allies at time of need.
IF MIG manage to raise output to 50 to 100 MIG-29M per year at $50m price. It will cost $5b at most to Russian government.
The more Russia stand up for these countries. The more contracts for MIG and other busineses will come down.
first benefit of Russian veto.
http://www.emg.rs/en/news/world/174200.html

Russia need not have to gift away things….I feel there is market left for MiG-29s (excluding India), but there need to be a pro-active policy form the Russian side to see fruitful outcome. According to my projection/speculation, prospects for MiG-29 are as follows…
The key point to success is selling the need, concept & capability to the customer. Rest will follow…

Let me remind once again, it is just a speculation! But a speculation which can be transformed into reality if (& only if) there is a political will. $15-20billion worth in deal for national economy is way much better than any UN crap…!

1) Iran
Quantity needed/projected – 120-200
Deal amount – make it $75-85million/unit (with Zhuk-MFE or Zhuk-AE)

Iran will be the biggest market for any foreseeable future if Russia takes a pro-active stance and use the current UN arms embargo for what it is worth. To wipe your ar$e. Iran faces a formidable force in the region and needs a good built up to meet the challenge thrown against it by the huge number of F-15, Typhoon, F-16 on the other side of the gulf.
If the card is played right, the deal with Iran could dwarf the MMRCA deal in terms of numbers & even in terms of value.

2) Argentina
Quantity needed/projected – 48-60 aircraft.
Deal amount – $60-65million/unit (with Zhuk-M2E or Zhuk-MFE)

Argentina is facing a military built-up in their backyard by the Brits and they require good cost-effective platforms to have a say in the matters. Britain is also proving right what people were saying years ago on the real cause for Falkland war. i.e it was for OIL.

3) Vietnam
Quantity needed/projected – 48-60 aircraft.
Deal amount – $60-65million/unit (with Zhuk-M2E or Zhuk-MFE)

Except for the handfull of Su-30MKV, they do not have any newer platforms. Su-30s looks too big for them and I feel MiG-29 will make much sense for them.

In the case of India
4) India – Indian Navy & Indian Air Force follow-on orders.
Quantity needed/projected
– 60 for Indian Navy (land based to replace maritime Jaguar)
– 60+ for Indian Air Force
Deal amount – $70-80million (with Zhuk-AE)

Rafale M for indian Navy ?

http://indiastrategic.in/topstories1304_Indian_Navy_to_have_100_jets.htm

I doubt it….for various reason.
Is there any confirmation that Rafale-M can take-off from a STOBAR carrier??
I very much doubt that with a low 75kN thrust engine Rafale-M would be able to take-off from a STOBAR carrier with any meaningful load, if at all it is able to take-off. Maybe its possible with a 90kN thrust engine in the future. Were as the MiG-29K as we speak today is cleared for STOBAR with a 5,500Kg payload.

btw, when can we see the 90kN thrust engine in Rafale? Hope IAF version is coming with that engine.

Another quote from the article.

The 60 other combat jets being planned for acquisition may be different. Adm Verma did not elaborate.

I’m not sure of this is Navy’s official statement and if the said requirement is for land-basing (to replace IAFs maritime Jaguar) or if it is meant for the carrier.

These 60 aircrafts could also be the NLCA. If not, then the other two likely options are…

MiG-29K/M
a) Very high commonality with Naval & Land variant – change of hook/drag chute underneath the fuselage makes it a land or carrier variant! (if the a/c is already with fold-able wings)
b) A case in point is the loss of MiG-29KUB recently. They fitted the land-based 967 with hook and aircraft was back on the carrier deck to fill the place of the lost 947.
c) Current RD-33MK variant is with 88kN thrust and in 2013 Russian Navy is to get their MiG-29K with an improved variant, RD-33MKM, with ~95kN thrust.
c) Pocket friendly, training & support infrastructure already available.

Rafale-M
a) AFAIK, land and naval variants have different landing gears & arresting mechanism.
b) 75kN is low and 90+kN would be a good bet for any STOBAR operation.
b) Heavy on pocket. More than double the cost of MiG-29K (& NLCA)

Aren’t those for Syria ?

Yes. They are for Syria as per the reports.

TR1,
thanks buddy.
I’m eager to know more about the A-50…..any tanker involved in the patrol etc.

A lot more pics of the different rigs and details on the N-LCA from the Tarmak blog

Tech Leap to future -Naval Aircraft

I found this detail on the re-certification of the LRUs to be quite new. Didn’t realise that this would be required.

good info on whats coming and I heard that its a separate team for NLCA.

But the interesting thing to look forward to will be how well the teams on LCA & NLCA are able to document their final product. A product without proper documentation is going to be a maintenance hell and a disaster in the making.

Few years back, probably around the time when the first flight was carried out, there was an article which mentioned on the need for proper documentation of the aircraft. The author had mentioned the need for proper documentation (& proper placements/grouping of wires/pipelines etc rather than making it a birds nest) and that the designers of the LCA or HAL will not be able to get away and save their skin with LCA when something goes wrong by saying the documentation was that of the Russians or French or Brits and it was their fault.

This is our first major aircraft project of this complex nature and I want to be optimistic that they are already with a proper documentation to the last nut and bolt…..

Images of N-LCA from Tarmak blog

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qY3apdgbfMY/TzMoK0LXsMI/AAAAAAAABNo/b9pwgY6jYIM/s1600/NP-3.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qFh5fyfPMa0/TzMoN7AFR7I/AAAAAAAABNw/djAQG1rpx0o/s1600/NP-4.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lwp_c20bBOs/TzMoTFMj2nI/AAAAAAAABN4/VSnroFM1lkY/s1600/NP-5.jpg

Those landing gears looks heavy and over engineered…I think those might have added weight to the overall structure.
what is the weight ceiling planned for the NLCA?

Shalav,
what do you mean by WB setting??…white balance as in camera or anything else?
Btw, if I’m not wrong…..even the models displayed in various expos for IAF and IN came in such a light color.

Matt,
I meant Swami targeting Sonia and clubbing the Rafale win to connection with ruling family.

This was not posted earlier…

https://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120209_03.html

5 Russian fighter jets approach Japan’s territory

Aircraft from Japan’s Self-Defense Force have been forced to scramble after Russian fighter jets skirted Japanese airspace for 12 hours.

Japan’s Defense Ministry says 2 Russian TU-95 bombers and a single A-50 plane approached Japan over Sanin, western Japan, at around 9 AM on Wednesday. The A-50 is equipped with an early airborne warning and control system.

The Ministry says the bombers hovered near the Japanese archipelago for 12 hours while the A-50 circled over waters off Sanin for 9 hours, forcing Japanese planes to scramble.

The Ministry says that around midday on Wednesday, another 2 SU-24 surveillance planes approached the Japanese air space between Hokuriku, central Japan, and Hokkaido, northern Japan, before navigating over the Sea of Japan for several hours.

None of the planes intruded into Japanese air space but the Ministry says it’s unusual for Russian fighter jets to fly in such numbers so close to the country.

The Ministry adds that Russian planes with the early warning system have never been spotted near Japan before and that the Russian Air Force may have been conducting sophisticated surveillance drills.

Thursday, February 09, 2012 07:39 +0900 (JST)

There was few posts in an earlier thread which talked about the A-50 endurance….in which I also replied. If I remember correctly, the talk likely came up with the “huge” 9hrs endurance (one way) of Israeli G550 AEW and the comparatively “low” endurance of the A-50.

I had pointed out then that, the patrol endurance of the A-50 on station is over 4hrs@1000km from the base and the overall endurance of the A-50 is likely to be over 9hrs if we take the two way trip to the patrol area and back.

Berive quotes an endurance figure (on station) of over 4hours without refueling and 7hours with refueling from the base, which they say can be changed upon customers request. The recent patrol near the Japanese coast have given us a confirmation that the endurance for A-50 on station is over 9 hours.

I don’t know which model it is, but my guess is it has to be the old D-30KP (?) powered A-50. If this is indeed the old model, it is likely that the new models (or upgraded A-50, incl A-50EI) installed with the more fuel-efficient PS-90A engines is going to have a better performance figure.

But the missing link (for me) in the whole stuffs is the Japanese have not reported the presence of any tanker in or during the patrol and the 9hours reported for the A-50 on station is without the tanker support….. and that endurance is truly amazing. more info & theory on the A-50 endurance considering this recent patrol would be very welcome.

tohoku region

The Chugoku Region (中国地方, Chūgoku Chihō, literally “central country”) makes up the western part of Japan’s main island Honshu. It is commonly subdivided into the heavily urbanized and industrialized Sanyo region along the Seto Inland Sea coast and the much less developed, rural Sanin region along the Sea of Japan coast.

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20120209/171225017.html

Japan Scrambles Fighters to Meet Russian Bombers

© RIA Novosti. Ivan Rudnev
11:10 09/02/2012
TOKYO, February 9 (RIA Novosti)

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force had to scramble fighter jets in response to flights by Russian military aircraft near Japanese airspace on Wednesday, Kyodo news agency said on Thursday citing the Defense Ministry.

According to the ministry, a total of five Russian planes, including two Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers, two Su-24 Fencer reconnaissance planes and an A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control aircraft skirted Japanese territory on Wednesday.

“They flew over the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan off Hokkaido and the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan,” Japanese officials said, adding that it was the first time a Russian AWACS plane was spotted near Japan.

Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans in August 2007.

Yesterday’s flights by Russian Air Force aircraft close to the coast of Japan were carried out strictly in accordance with international rules and took place over international waters, air force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Thursday.

“All flights by air force aircraft were carried out and are carried out in strict accordance with international rules on use of airspace above international waters, and not violating the borders of other states,” he said.

“They were escorted by on their flights by Japanese Air Self Defense Force F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft,” Drik said.

An Article in today’s Hindu Newspaper explains India’s official position on British aid to India. Indian Finance minister has repeatedly told parliament that India does not need what he calls as ‘peanuts’ from Britain, India is only accepting it because British politicians spent a lot of political capital on securing it.

So India is doing Britain a favour by accepting your aid and not the other way around.

The sooner it gets through to politicians there the better. Britain has more to loose than India if the relationship breaks down. Typhoon lost because it was not L1 that is all that mattered at the final stage. It could still win if Dassault screws up negotiations which i do not put beyond them.

The Brits have been very shameless with their claim and demanding their returns for “help”…..but Brit do not have that right to demand the gratitude and that is reserved for Russia, to whom India own the industrialization and almost every development after independence. Even the external border that India today posses and what Indians are taught in School!!! But they have not yet invoked their “Gratitude clause” with India where as the British media have already done that shamelessly for peanuts that British Govt have given India over the years!

Well that’s gratitude! We give India £1bn in aid, THEY snub the UK and give France a £13bn jet contract

India has snubbed British industry and awarded a £13billion deal to supply fighter jets to France.

The contract was lost despite Government claims that the UK’s £1billion aid package to India would help secure the order.

Yesterday’s decision also handed a propaganda coup to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who sneeringly claimed on Monday that Britain ‘has no industry’.

But, it is equally shame full on the reason why Indian Government does not want the funds. Such “cover-ups” reminds me of the huge, flashy & costly billboards that were placed on either side of the road to hide the slums & the living conditions of the people during the last Common Wealth Games in New Delhi.

India to tell London to stop aid next April
Source: The Indian Express, September 15, 2010
http://sify.com, September 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk, September 2010

India’s external affairs ministry has instructed the finance ministry to inform London that India will not accept further aid from the Department for International Development from next April. DFID is a UK government agency that manages Britain’s aid to poor countries to help alleviate poverty

India is considering rejecting any aid offers in future from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) — which accounts for over 80% of all bilateral aid to India — in view of the recent “negative publicity of Indian poverty promoted by DFID”.

http://infochangeindia.org/poverty/news/india-to-tell-london-to-stop-aid-next-april.html

The politicians and people in high places are rotten in both countries! Its a common uniting factor around the world! :dev2:

There are no reservation as far as the IAF is concerned. Each manufacturers eliminated were told why, and apart from some claims about India choosing a plane rather than a bad romance, none have claimed so far it was unfair.

competitors did complain and the mildest was from the Russians with it being a one time and probably one day affair…

The MiG-35’s radar, the Zhuk-MAE active electronically scanned array (AESA), from Russia’s Phazotron, failed to achieve the required acquisition and tracking ranges. And its Klimov RD-33MK engines also fell short of the Indian performance criteria.

Speaking to the media on 3 August, Vladimir Barkovsky, chief of MiG’s engineering centre, said: “The Klimov and Chernyshev [engine companies] briefed [India] at length about their capabilities and intentions to improve their offering, but unfortunately their arguments were not taken into account.”

Barkovsky also defended the Zhuk-MAE AESA radar, pointing out that the prototype nature of the model fitted to the MiG-35 meant that it did not meet the tender specifications, particularly regarding range.

We told the tender committee that this particular unit is experimental, and that in future we will make a larger radar antenna [capable of being used at a longer range].”

Barkovsky pointed out that the Eurofighter Typhoon is yet to be fitted with a working AESA radar.

“While the Russians demonstrated their radar fitted to the real fighter and working, [Eurofighter] demonstrated their radar on a helicopter,” he said.

Yanks pulled out their salesman from the American high-commission and there was articles and press release from the Yanks…. but everything is not over, their resident salesmen are active in the media and are trying to torpedo the Rafale with offer of F-35. Their resident salesman like Retd Col Shook Law and Retd Naval Chief Areyun Percash and others have batted for their great American master’s products and will continue to do so through their media space….
But surprisingly, the American media did not get sooooo much dirty like the English…

The reaction from the Brits and Germans were 3rd rate nonsense and they dived to a new level with their garbage against Rafale and the deal….

The Rafale was short listed on merit, and won on competitiveness. Any skepticism is done for political reasons, to place doubt in the public about the choice. No amount of simulation and “experts” will make the Rafale a lesser plane. In fact they’ve lost all credibility as far as I’m concerned.

Agree very much to that, it was the most matured platform among the non-American contestants….and being a strategically safe & sanction free aircraft after MiG-35 was a much needed and added bonus to its sound capability!