black eagleIAF wants EJ200 engines for Tejas, but..
BY : Praveena Sharma / DNA
The geopolitical factor that determined state-owned Air India’s choice of commercial aircraft in the mid-2000 may come into play again in the Indian government’s selection of engines for its indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas.In 2005, when the national carrier’s order for 50 aircraft worth $6 billion went to US aerospace company Boeing, its French rival Airbus Industrie had said it was the “geopolitical factor” that had clinched the deal.
DNA Money has learned that Indian Air Force (IAF), which is the user of LCA Tejas, has in its recommendations to the Ministry of Defence favoured the purchase of European aerospace company Eurojet’s EJ200 over US aerospace firm General Electric’s F-414. These are the only two companies that have bid for the $750 million order for 99 engines.
An IAF official, who did not want to be named, said IAF want the EJ200 to power Tejas so that there is no delay in building the LCA with enhanced power. The government is currently carrying out technical evaluation of the two military aircraft engines.“The thrust of EJ200 (about 85+ kilonewton) may be slightly lower than F-414 (95+ kilonewton), but it will easily fit into the LCA. And if the weight is reduced, its (EJ200) power will be adequate. Thus, we will not have to change the design of the fuselage,” the official said.
The official said since the F-414 was a “fatter” engine with a bigger diameter, it could require redesigning of fuselage. “And if that happens, then all the test flights, many of which have already been carried out, will have to be repeated and the whole programme could get considerably delayed. It will also escalate the cost.”
He, however, said the price of the European engine was higher than the American engine. “Generally, aircraft equipments bought from US are cheaper because of their scale of production. European manufacturers do not have the same volumes and so tend to be expensive,” he said.
But even though the IAF is pitching for the EJ200, the final decision would be made by the Ministry of Defence with inputs from the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) — the state-owned company that is manufacturing the aircraft — and Defence Research and Development Organisation.
A defence analyst, who did not want to be named, said looking at direction of the winds in the Indo-US relationship, which is very positive at the moment, the aircraft engine deal could well fall in the lap of the US aerospace company.
He said the order for F-414 would also work in favour of HAL and ADA. “It (F-414 order) will mean more money and work for both of them (HAL and ADA) as the aircraft require redesigning. This way we will get more business. Everybody is trying to push their own agenda,” he said. “My guess is that F-414 will be thrust upon the IAF despite the fact that they want the EJ200 because Americans are pushing hard for it.”
The two major aircraft and engine manufacturers are aggressively lobbying for the engine deal because its outcome will have a bearing on India’s order for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) worth over $10 billion.
“The government is likely to go for aircraft, which is powered by the same engine as Tejas. One argument is that if these fighter jets come in time, then any delay in the Tejas programme will have less significance on the IAF,” said the analyst.
black eagleSteps to check rising accidents of MIG planes
In the last two decades (since April 1989 and upto November 26, 2009) 265 MiG fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force have crashed. A total of 96 service personnel and 44 civilians were killed in these cases.
Each aircraft accident in the Indian Air Force (IAF) is investigated through a Court of Inquiry and remedial measures are undertaken accordingly to check their recurrence in future. Besides, continuous and multifaceted efforts are always underway in the IAF to enhance and upgrade flight safety. These include measures to enhance the quality of training to improve the skills levels, ability to exercise sound judgement and situational awareness of pilots and constant interaction with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to overcome technical defects of aircraft. Anti-bird measures are also undertaken.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri NK Singh and Smt Shobhana Bhartia in Rajya Sabha today.
black eagle‘Natasha’ alerted Sukhoi pilots of fire
BY : Hindustan Times
The second-ever crash of a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet in Rajasthan on Monday may have been caused by engine fire, air force sources said, ruling out the possibility of human error.
A female voice warning system in the twin engine Su-30 cockpit, called Natasha in the Indian Air Force, alerted the pilots about the engine fire.
The air force sources said on Tuesday, “The pilots also spotted the fire and took a decision to eject. The cause of the fire will be established by a Court of Inquiry.”
The plane’s flight data recorder or black box has been sent for an analysis.
Natasha, a voice information and reporting system (VIFR), warns fighter pilots if they are flying too low, if the engine develops a snag or the aircraft is running low on fuel.
The female voice warning system is known as the Bitching Betty in the US fighter aircraft. It is believed within military aviation circles that most male pilots would respond more quickly to a female voice.
Su-30s, inducted in 1997, were grounded for a day on Tuesday pending a preliminary inquiry. The fighter jets will resume flying in a day or two.
Defence minister A.K. Antony had attributed the first Sukhoi crash, on April 30, to a likely failure of the fly-by-wire system. This means the pilot could not get the plane to respond to his command. The air force has lost 13 aircrafts in accidents this year.
The Sukhois are due for an upgrade in their weapons package, radar and avionics. The IAF has around 100-odd Sukhoi fighters scattered across fighter bases in Pune, Bareilly and Tezpur.
black eagleAgni-II missile fails to clear night trial
BY : TNN
India’s nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-II missile, test-fired for the first time after sunset on Monday, reportedly failed to get the desired results.
The Army test-fired the surface-to-surface Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) from Wheeler’s Island, Bhadrak district, around 7.50pm.‘‘The liftoff and the first stage separation was smooth. But it faltered just before the second stage separation and behaved erratically, deviating from its coordinated path. Further analysis is on to ascertain the cause,’’ said a source.
The entire trajectory of Monday’s trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and a naval ship.
The launch, originally scheduled in the first week of this month, was deferred due to some technical snags in its pneumatic system. Though the snags were rectified, another glitch surfaced during Monday’s test, leading to the fiasco, the source claimed.
The nuclear capable 2,000-km-plus range missile has a length of 20 meters, a diameter of one meter, weighs 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of around 1,000 kg. It was first tested on April 11, 1999.
The test launch was significant from India’s strategic point of view because for the first time since the beginning of DRDO’s missile development programme, a missile was put under trial during night. The user trial was conducted by Army officials while scientists from DRDO were present to provide necessary logistical support.
http://idrw.org/?p=1801#more-1801
black eagleIndian Navy keen to buy newer generation aircraft
By Gulshan R. Luthra
New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS) The Indian Navy has floated a Request for Information (RFI) for a newer generation of aircraft which can operate from the two indigenous aircraft carriers it will commission over the next 10 years.
The Ministry of Defence and industry sources indicate that the RFI, issued recently, is of a “generic” nature, looking for newer platforms and airborne technologies and what is on offer from some of the well-known manufacturers. The US Boeing and French Dassault have confirmed receipt of the RFI for their respective F18 Super Hornet and Rafale.
The number of newer generation aircraft is yet to be decided.
According to the coming issue of India Strategic defence magazine, the new generation aircraft will be in addition to the 45 Mig-29Ks the navy is buying from Russia, 16 of which were ordered in 2004 along with Admiral Gorshkov. The Mig-29K is a modernized naval variant of the Mig-29 operational with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The order for an additional 29 Mig-29Ks is being processed, and is likely to be placed shortly after price negotiations and delivery schedule are worked out.
There should be no delay from Russia on the supply of the Mig-29Ks although it has delayed the delivery of Gorshkov by four years and is also demanding an extra $1.2 billion over and above the contract price of $974 million. The old carrier was given free and the price was for repairing and refurbishing the vessel which was damaged in an onboard fire accident.
The Super Hornet, a successor of the earlier Hornet, was introduced in 1998 for the US Navy while Rafale, a successor of the old Mirage 2005, has both air force and naval versions already operational. Both these aircraft are also competing for the nearly 200 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) requirement of the Indian Air Force.
Eurofighter Vice President and Head of India Campaign Directorate Dr Matthias Schmidlin told India Strategic that while he could not confirm receipt of the RFI for the naval variant of Eurofighter, his company would bid for the Indian Navy’s requirement if invited.
In fact, he pointed out, Eurofighter is the only aircraft among the six contenders for the IAF order which would have thrust vectoring capability in the coming years. Thrust vectoring capability allows an aircraft to stand still in the air, and takeoff and land even in vertical mode like a helicopter.
Some 200 Eurofighters have been produced so far, predominantly to meet the requirements of participating nations which include Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy.
Thrust vectoring is being developed and would be operational on Eurofighters within the first half of the next decade, Dr Schmidlin said.
Harrier, which India bought in the late 1970s from Britain, was the first aircraft with thrust vectoring. The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), being developed by Lockheed Martin for US Air Force and Navy for the coming years, will have this capability.
Besides Boeing, Dassault and Eurofighter, the other contenders in the IAF competition are Mig-35 (a newer version of Mig-29), Gripen from Sweden and F 16 Viper IN (US Lockheed Martin).
The Indian naval brass is reportedly only doing a bit of loud thinking on its new requirement, but if it formally opens the competition in the coming years, it would add a new dimension to the IAF’s ongoing contest.
IAF’s Request for Proposals (or tenders), is for a firm order for 126 aircraft and for 63 more as an option at the same price. Given the continuing fall in the number of IAF squadrons due to the obsolescence of its largely Soviet-vintage aircraft, a repeat order for at least 100 more MRCAs is likely.
If the Indian Navy chooses the same aircraft, then it would be a bonus for the supplier, and also for HAL, which would be the lead integrator for Transfer of Technology (ToT) and 50 percent offset mandatory in the RfP.
Procedurally, the Navy would also find it easier to buy the same aircraft without opening an international competition, as it would be a follow-on order requiring no multi-vendor bid.
The Indian Navy has one small aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, which has recently been refitted and modernized for life-extension. There are a dozen old Harriers to operate from its deck, while Gorshkov will be available in 2012 or 2013.
Notably, Gorshkov is a 44,000-tonne carrier while India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, being built at Kochi, will only have about 37,000-tonne displacement. The second carrier, already sanctioned by the government, could be modified to be a little bigger.
Both these carriers are being designed by Italy’s Fincantieri.
It may also be noted that both Eurofighter and Rafale are smaller in size than the F 18 Super Hornet, which operate from very large US aircraft carriers floating in all the oceans.
But Boeing IDS’ Head for India, Dr Vivek Lall, told India Strategic that Boeing had done a computer simulation to verify that the Super Hornet could operate from Gorshkov and Indian carriers as and when they are commissioned.
black eagleAir force returns China’s border salvo
Says Beijing Has No Business In Ladakh, Arunachal
Rajat Pandit | TNN
New Delhi: A day after China let loose a missile at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over his recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the armed forces launched a sharp counter-offensive on Wednesday. China, they said, has no business complaining about reactivation or upgrade of airstrips and helipads in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
For, they fall in what is unquestionably Indian territory. Moreover, India has not objected to China’s massive build-up of military infrastructure in Tibet. “I don’t know why the Chinese are talking about it,” IAF vice-chief Air Marshal P K Barbora said.
“We have never said anything about China opening airbases in Tibet…and they are definitely expanding their airfields. I don’t think they should say anything about our ALGs (advanced landing grounds),” he added.
After reactivating western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyama in eastern Ladakh, the IAF is now concentrating on upgrading eastern sector ALGs like Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal.
Though India woke up rather late
to China’s rapid enhancement of operational logistics along the unresolved 4,056-km Line of Actual Control, the armed forces are now fasttracking measures to strategically counter the People’s Liberation Army under a Rs 5,000-crore plan approved by the UPA government.
These range from raising two new specialised infantry mountain divisions (over 30,000 soldiers) and an artillery brigade for Arunachal to procuring 17 armed speed boats for Pangong Tso lake (Ladakh) and deploying Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in the North-East.
The IAF, incidentally, is also going to deploy surface-to-air Akash missile systems, with an interception range of 25 km, and other airdefence missiles to guard against hostile fighters and drones in the North-East.
Holding that the armed forces did not “fear” the People’s Liberation Army, though it may be double in size, Air Marshal Barbora said the PM’s mandate was to develop infrastructure in the entire North-East, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, which had been left out of the mainstream for many years.
He was, however, quick to stress that the “creation of assets” was not directed against China. “It’s not country or adversary specific. We are building capabilities in tune with our requirements. The ALGs, for instance, will help to make air maintenance operations more effective and also boost tourism,” he said.
This is true, but the military escalation is primarily aimed at countering China, which has upgraded 14 airfields in Tibet — of which at least half are fully operational. Its Linzi airbase, for instance, is not even 30 km away from the LAC in Arunachal.
The IAF has been allocated around Rs 2,000 crore to upgrade the ALGs and airbases like Tezpur, Chabua, Hashimara and other airbases in the North-East. After the first two Sukhoi-30MKI squadrons become operational at Tezpur, Chabua will be the next in line.
Chinese opposed to Arunachal visits
New Delhi: A Chinese newspaper on Wednesday said an “overwhelming majority” of its web users were against “frequent” visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh. An online poll conducted by huanqiu.com, the website of Global Times’ Chinese edition, showed an overwhelming majority of users were against the visits. “Around 96 % of the over 6,000 respondents said they felt agitated by the frequent visits of Indian leaders to the disputed area, while about 2 % disagreed and 2 % said they didn’t care,” the paper said. The paper is a sister publication of the ruling Communist Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily.
black eagleInd, Russia to develop new hypersonic cruise missile
India
and Russia have agreed to develop and induct a new hypersonic version of their joint venture 290-kilometre-range BrahMos cruise missile by 2015.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between the two sides last month, in which they agreed on the final parameters for the new version of the cruise missile, Defence Ministry sources said.
The new missile, they said, will be known as ‘BrahMos-2′ and will have a speed of over 6 Mach (around 6,000 kilometres per hour) with a striking-range of 290 kilometres.
The range of the missile will not be extended as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), to which Russia is a signatory, does not allow it to help other countries to develop missiles with ranges above 300 kilometres, they said.
http://idrw.org/?p=1194
what???? this is also going to be a 290 km missile!!!
I thought it will have an extended range of 1500km or more…
black eaglehey guys i need a little clarification. which of the following is the real rustom UAV that is being developed by the DRDO????
http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/display_image.cgi?243177768
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Dl2LL-s7kPU/SZgGRtki-dI/AAAAAAAAEkM/-tRB1_R8uZs/s640/IMG_0096.JPG
black eagleJunked: France joint missile plan
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, July 15: New Delhi has junked a proposal from Paris to develop a missile defence system in a joint venture, despite France’s charm offensive that saw Indian soldiers leading the Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees on Tuesday.
A senior defence ministry source, when asked today about the defence deals that figured in discussions during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Paris, said that a $500-million (Rs 2,430 crore) proposal from European missile maker MDBA to jointly produce low-level quick reaction missiles (LLQRM) — or short-range surface-to-air missiles (SR-SAMs) — was “not happening”.
Defence secretary Vijay Singh was a member of the Prime Minister’s delegation.
A French defence delegation is expected to begin discussions with Indian officials in New Delhi tomorrow, mainly to negotiate an upgrade order for the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft. The order could be about euro 2 billion (Rs 13,700 crore).
MBDA is one of the largest missile makers in the world and operates out of France, the UK, Italy and Germany.
The joint venture proposal to make the “Maitri” missiles figured in discussions in January 2008 that Nicolas Sarkozy had with Manmohan when the French President was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day ceremonies.
The scrapping of the Maitri project may have worked to the advantage of Israel. In 2007, the Indian Air Force contracted 18 Spyder missile systems for about $395.4 million (Rs 1,800 crore) from Israel. Israeli company Rafael was the contractor with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) being the major sub-contractor.
But in May this year, IAI was blacklisted after defence minister A.K. Antony ordered action against all seven companies named in a CBI investigation into the deals by the former ordnance factory board director-general Sudipta Ghosh. Ghosh’s houses in Calcutta were raided and he was arrested.
The defence ministry is now reconsidering its ban on the seven firms.
The Maitri missile project involved a technological collaboration between MBDA, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and defence public sector unit Bharat Dynamics Limited, the only company in the country that makes missiles.
The LLQRMS were to be designed for the navy and the air force, which are replacing their outdated OSA-AK Soviet-era missile defence systems.
India is the launch customer for Rafael’s Spyder and the Israeli company is seeking to expand the market for it. India’s military is in need of at least 1,000 short-range surface-to-air missiles to protect installations and VVIP complexes.
The DRDO was also hoping to use its experience gained in working on the now aborted indigenous Trishul short-range missile project and marry it with the advance seeker and guidance systems from MBDA’s MICA missile.
MBDA is a long-time supplier of missiles to India’s army, air force and navy. Earlier this year, the Indian Army ordered 4,100 Milan 27 anti-tank missiles that are also used for destroying built-up targets.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090716/jsp/nation/story_11243098.jsp
black eagleBrahMos missile misses target at first user trial
New Delhi: Ii is the pride of India’s defence research programme but the BrahMos surface-to-surface cruise missile failed to meet user and operational parameters at its first ever user trial at the Pokharan ranges in Rajasthan on Tuesday.
Sources at the test site told this newspaper that the Indo-Russian missile failed to hit its target after it was fired by the Army on Tuesday morning. The test-firing, first ever to be conducted by the Army after the missile was inducted in June 2007, was witnessed by Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and other senior officers.
The supersonic cruise missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher at the Pokharan ranges, barely a hundred kilometres away from the Pakistan border. However, Defence Minister A K Antony clarified that the test was pre-planned and not directed towards any country.
While DRDO has been silent on the test-firing, sources said the missile did not meet its ‘operational parameters’ and deviated from the pre-planned course, failing to hit its target. They said the test was a setback but ‘quiet normal’ during the development of any new missile system. More firing trials will be required to identify faults in the system.
The BrahMos, which has been described as a stealthy cruise missile that can deliver a 200 kg payload to a target 280 km away at speeds exceeding 2.8 Mach, has been in service with the Navy and was inducted into the Army in 2007.
Surprisingly, the first user test firing took place almost two years after its induction indicating that the missile was being fine-tuned by the joint Indo-Russian scientific team that is working on the project.
The surface-to-surface missile system has been inducted as a separate artillery unit consisting of four launchers. The Army is looking to acquire close to 80 launchers over the next few years to give a boost to its artillery units. The BrahMos was originally designed as an anti ship missile but DRDO is also working on a smaller air launched version, to be fitted on the IAF’s SU 30 MKI.
While the missile has been developed under a joint venture between India and Russia with both sides funding the research programme, Moscow is yet to place any orders for the missile. India, on the other hand, is also planning to install the missile on its submarines.
black eagle[SIZE=”3″]India plans to use laser weapons in Ballistic Missile Defence
[/SIZE]
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=10553
black eagleAre the IAF PHALCONs equipped with in-flight refuelling capability?
black eagleRussia likely to lease Shchuka-B class nuke subs to India
Russia could lease several Shchuka-B class nuclear attack submarines to India in coming years, a top official here said though the delivery of the first of the two nuke subs reportedly contracted by India is far behind schedule.
At the same time, the official had ruled out any plans by Moscow to strike similar deals with China.
“Yes, there is a real possibility of leasing for ten years several of our nuclear powered multi-role submarines of Project 971 of ‘Shchuka-B´class,” the Director of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Mikhail Dmitriyev was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS.
The Russian offer comes as Indian Navy has formulated a 20 year plan to produce indigenously 24 conventional submarines. New Delhi had also contracted for two nuclear submarines from Moscow, but navy has projected that in the next 10 years India would need to acquire or build another 10-12 nuclear subs.
These nuclear submarines would be similar to the ‘Nerpa´class, which was involved in an accident in November during final sea trials in Sea of Japan.
“This possibility can materialise in the coming years,” he added.
Dmitriyev also denied that Moscow was negotiating supply of nuclear submarines to China.
“The question of supply of our multi role nuclear submarines to China does not exist, as unlike India, China never asked for them. That’s why we never negotiated with China on their lease or sale,” Dmitriyev said.
“This issue was also not raised at the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission session on December 11 in Beijing,” he said.
http://www.idrw.org/2008/12/16/russia_likely_to_lease_shchukab_class_nuke_subs_to_india.html
black eagleRussia to supply 80 helicopters to India within three years
Russia today said that all the 80 ‘M-17’ helicopters, contracted this month under a whopping $1.5bn dollar deal, would be delivered to
India within the next two to three years. Director of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriyev said these new helicopters which would augment the ferrying capacity of the IAF considerably, would be supplied under the deal signed during President Dmitry Medvedev’s maiden visit to New Delhi.
The value of the contract also includes the training of helicopter operating crew.
“Under the contract the Indian side will buy 80 M-17 military-transport helicopters on the turnkey basis. The deliveries will be carried over a span of 2-3 years and also includes the training of crews,” Director of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriyev was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS.
The range of action of the Mi-17 helicopters which are already in service with the IAF is over 700 kms and the chopper can transport 4,000 kgs of cargo in the cabin and another 4,500 kgs hanging outside the helicopter.
http://www.idrw.org/2008/12/16/russia_to_supply_80_helicopters_to_india_within_three_years.html
black eagleLCA high-altitude trials at Leh successful: DRDO
India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has achieved a major milestone when its prototype landed at Leh air base in the high-altitude Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Tejas (LCA) programme reached a major milestone when the prototype vehicle PV-3 landed at Leh on December 13 this year at 1326 hours,” Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials said here on Tuesday.
The event is seen as significant on many counts as Leh airfield is situated at an altitude of 10,600 feet and is one of the highest airfields in the world with a temperature variation ranging from plus 5 degrees Celsius to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
The objective of the current phase of flight trials at Leh was to expose the on-board systems to the extreme low temperatures while making an assessment of the aircraft performance in the rarefied atmospheric conditions, DRDO officials said.
Two Tejas prototypes PV-3 and LSP-2 were involved in this important environmental test. The LSP-2 prototype powered by the latest IN20 engine with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) is in the Standard of Preparation (SOP) that would be cleared for induction into the IAF service soon.
As per reports received from the trial location, the current phase of flight trial was progressing well with aircraft and systems performing well, as expected, officials said.
The aircraft were soaked overnight in cold weather, with temperature around minus 20 degrees Celsius and powered up next day for operation, officials said.
http://www.idrw.org/2008/12/16/lca_highaltitude_trials_at_leh_successful_drdo.html
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