FIRST IMAGES: LCA Tejas Weapon Trials At Jamnagar

In its path towards Initial Operational Capability (IOC), a pair of LCA Tejas fighters — Prototype Vehicle-3 (PV3) and Limited Series Production-2 (LSP-2) — were recently deployed to Jamnagar for a period of five weeks for testing by the South Western Air Command (SWAC). The trials entailed flight envelope expansion in various stores configurations, as well as air-to-ground weapon delivery trials in different modes of weapon delivery. According to a DRDO statement, “The aircraft has successfully demonstrated its ability to tackle targets which are designated visually by the pilot. After this phase, the Tejas will be able to take on targets whose parameters in terms of location and altitude are fed to the on-board navigation and attack computer. The target does not even have to be visible to the pilot at the point of delivery.”

The flight trials were conducted by the flight test crew of the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC), who deployed test pilots, flight test engineers and instrumentation specialists for the task. This is the first time that the Tejas aircraft have operated away from home base for so long. The support provided by the personnel of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) the manufacturers of the aircraft, ensured that this indigenous fighter aircraft was able to take to the skies regularly. The Tejas team included specialist groups from Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Central for Military Air Worthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and DG-AQA.

The Indian Air Force teams working at ADA and the Air Force base where the trials were conducted have contributed significantly for the success of the trial. The excellent weather conditions prevailing in the Saurashtra sector and the enthusiastic support of the Indian Air Force ensured the successful completion of the current phase of flight trials. With this milestone achieved, the entire Tejas team is upbeat and the Tejas is one step closer to induction into the Indian Air Force.

Eventually they will come to a negiotiated price , these are common tactics adopted by OEM to get more money and end user to reduce the cost.

The upgraded Mirages will be here for the next 25 years or atleast untill 2035 , same for upgraded Mig-29.

At ~ $2 Billion the cost of upgraded 51 M2K is more than double the cost of IAF upgraded ~ 65 Mig-29 which costs ~ $ 950 million , additionally the airsuperiority Mig-29 after upgrade will get full multirole capability and a new RD-33 series 3 engine.

So it would be interesting to see what goes inside the M2K upgrade to cost $ 1 billion more for 15 less aircraft to upgrade.

Read the article in the previous page. Despite IAF diluting their requirements they cannot agree on a pirce, so the MoD is considering keeping the Mirages as they are and eventually replacing them with the MRCA. Ajai Shukla is a reliable source and for me it makes a lot of sense.

May be this would even be used to split the MRCA order between Americans and Russians, like ordering some MiG 35 and the rest F 16/18. Or may be 200 odd Gripens 😀

Replacing the Mirages too means that the IAF may be inclined to go for a single engined fighter. It could be a boon in disguise as with the Mirage beign replaced by the MRCA winner, that would mean fewer types and logisitc issues.

IAF’s $11 -bn order may become larger
Ajai Shukla

India may go beyond the purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.

The winner’s jackpot could soon become even bigger in what is already the world’s most lucrative fighter aircraft tender: India’s proposed purchase of 126 meidum multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for an estimated Rs 51,000 crore ($11 billion)

The reason is a breakdown in India’s long negotiations with Dassault Aviation, the French aircraft manufacturer, for upgrading 51 Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighters. According to senior IAF sources, Dassault has refused to reduce its quota of Rs 10,000 crore ($2.1 billion) for extending the service life of the IAF’s Mirage-2000 fleet by fitting new radars and avionics. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) considers this price — Rs 196 crore ($41 million) per aircraft — unacceptably high, given that the airframes and engines will not be changed.

In comparison, each of the 126 brand-new, next-generation MMRCAs will cost some Rs 400 crore ($87 million) per aircraft. That includes the cost of technology transfers, as well as capital costs for setting up a manufacturing line in India. Once those costs are amortised, additional MMRCAs would be significantly cheaper.

Dassault’s India head, Posina V Rao, did not return multiple phone calls from Business Standard. MoD sources say Rao is engaged in last-ditch attempts to salvage the deal.

But, the MoD is veering around to the view that the Mirage-2000 fleet should continue service in its current form. After six squadrons (126 aircraft) of MMRCAs have entered IAF service, an additional two squadrons of MMRCAs would be built to replace the 51 Mirage-2000 fighters. That amounts to a 40 per cent rise in the MMRCA’s numbers.

Israeli aerospace companies have reportedly entered the fray, offering to upgrade the Mirage-2000 for half the price being quoted by Dassault. The MoD, however, is not inclined to accept that offer.

Price negotiations for the Mirage-2000 upgrade have travelled a rocky road over two years. Initially, Dassault quoted Rs 13,500 crore ($2.9 billion), which it brought down to the current level of Rs 10,000 crore ($2.1 billion) after the IAF diluted its upgrade requirements. But the MoD believes Dassault’s reduced bid only reflects the diluted requirements, rather than any flexibility on the latter’s part.

The IAF, traditionally a staunch supporter of Dassault and the Mirage-2000 fighter, is apparently changing its views. Dassault, say pilots, has badly damaged its credibility during the recent negotiations by arm-twisting the IAF over the supply of spares for the Mirage-2000 fleet.

The Gwalior-based IAF squadrons that currently fly the Mirage-2000 are Number 1 squadron (Tigers) and Number 7 squadron (Battle Axes).

Five of the six contenders for the MMRCA contract — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Eurofighter, Gripen and RAC MiG — know they could reap handsome gains, through larger fighter orders, if India chooses not to upgrade the Mirage-2000. The sixth contender, Dassault Aviation itself, realises failure to negotiate the Mirage-2000 upgrade contract could seriously damage the chances of its Rafale fighter for the MMRCA contract.

The fighters in contention for the MMRCA contract are sequentially undergoing flight trials and evaluation, which the IAF expects to complete by April 2010. It will take another six months to finalise the trial report and send that to the MoD, which will then announce the winner of the contract.

IAF Deal For 10 Globemaster-IIIs Near

The photos above show Indian Air Force officers in February this year getting a hands-on tour of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. IAF personnel are getting a far more personal experience with the Globemaster-III right now (from the same squadron above) as part of the Cope India 09 airlift and airdrop special missions exercise. According to sources, the government will shortly kickstart Foreign Military Sale (FMS) procedures to procure a fleet of ten C-17 Globemaster-IIIs from Boeing.

US and Indian forces will “exchange airlift, airland and airdrop delivery techniques, participate in aeromedical and disaster management exercises, conduct cooperative flight operations, to include aircraft generation and recovery, low-level navigation, tactical airdrop, and air-land missions; and conduct subject matter expert exchanges in the operations, maintenance, and rigging disciplines.”

India, Russia to launch fifth generation fighter jets

MOSCOW: India and Russia will launch the joint fifth generation fighters by year end and have agreed to collaborate to develop heavy lift
cargo helicopters and futuristic
infantry combat vehicles.

The path for more hi-tech defence collaboration between Moscow and New Delhi was paved with the signing of the joint defence protocol by Defence Minister AK Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.

The protocol extends military interaction between the two countries till 2020 and this is expected to make the path clear for inking more major defence joint ventures during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in early December.

The protocol was signed here at the end of 9th session of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on military-technical cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) after assurances from Moscow that all pending issues like the delivery of aircraft carrier Gorshkov and nuclear submarine Nerpa would be resolved at the earliest.

The protocol provides for completion of formalities by the year end to launch the joint designing, development and production of fifth generation fighter aircraft project.

Besides the development of a state-of-the-art multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) through a joint venture along the lines of highly successful BrahMos JV, India and Russia have also agreed to jointly develop a heavy lift cargo helicopter and futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV).

A joint statement released after the meeting said that India and Russia will collaborate in up-gradation of IAF’s main strike fighter Su-30MKI, the older Mig-27 and T-72M1 battle tanks.

It said that the two sides had also worked out the production in India of Main Battle Tanks (MBT) T-90S with full technology transfer.

In his closing statement at the 9th session of IRIGC-MTC – the apex body for coordination of defence cooperation, Antony announced that both sides have agreed to extend their military interaction programme till 2020 and the concrete projects would be identified shortly for signing during Singh’s Moscow visit in December.

“On many other issues, including the Admiral Gorshkov project, we have agreed to continue discussions to find mutually acceptable solutions,” Antony said expressing confidence that all the pending issues would be resolved at the earliest.

New Delhi and Moscow have also agreed to ink an inter-government pact on after sales and product support, so far the weakest link in defence cooperation with Moscow.

“This agreement should also be signed during the forthcoming summit,” Antony said.

Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who is the co-chairman of the inter-governmental commission said, “some extra measures,” have been taken to eliminate problems, in an apparent reference to delay in delivery of the Gorshkov and nuclear powered Nerpa submarine.

The Russian Minster said, unlike ties with other countries, Indo-Russian defence ties related to hi-technology.

“Our cooperation has confidently moved from buyer-seller relationship to joint research, development and production of hi-tech weapon systems and platforms,” he said.

Describing his discussions and meetings with Kremlin top brass as “constructive, free and frank,” Antony said that the two countries now had better appreciation of each others position on various issues.

“Both sides have identified a wide range of areas for future cooperation, including joint research, development and production of defence equipment and systems,” the Indian Defence Minister said.

Interview with ACM P.V.Naik