MunsAir Force to acquire more fighters :
New Delhi, October 6
To ensure that the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) squadron does not get depleted, efforts are being made to acquire more multi-role fighter aircraft, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy said here today.
According the IAF’s projections, the force required about 125 multi-role aircraft and it was in the process of clearance from the government, he said.
“The IAF is expecting delivery of 10 additional upgraded Mirage 2000 from France by early next year,” the Air Chief said.
The acquisition of these aircraft, coupled with the delivery of the upgraded Su-30MKI and the upgradation of the Jaguar deep-penetration strike aircraft would bring back the IAF squadron strength back to its earlier level.
He said the decision to go in for a stop-gap acquisition of multi-role fighters had been triggered as the country’s indigenous LCA programme was running a “bit slow”.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the IAF, he said the Strategic Forces Command was fully operational at various locations.
At the same time, he acknowledged the fact that the strength of the fighter squadron of the IAF was already below 39 — much lower than the 45 squadron force as visualised.
The new fighter aircraft would be acquired much before the IAF discarded its ageing fleet of 300 MiG-21s in the next few years, he said.
His comments assume significance with the Army raising more missile groups to be armed with 700-km shorter surface to surface Agni-I and-2000 km medium range Agni-II missiles.
Mr Krishnaswamy said for the first time in 34 years the IAF fighter accident ratio had been the lowest this year at .83 per 1,000 even though it was still higher than the ideal accident rate of .5 per 1,000.
Within a year’s time some indigenous Su-30MKI would be converted into operational frontline mid-air refuellers which would be equipped with the capability to refuel in mid-air other fighters.
“For this we are developing a buddy refuelling pod on the Sukhois which can then refuel fighters like Mirages and Jaguars,” he said.
The government approval was awaited on Air Force Engineering College in Bangalore, he said, envisioning that work should start in the institution by early next year.
The specialised airbase protection force — Garuda — has now reached the deployment stage. The personnel of this force was trained in unarmed combat by specialised agencies like the Special Protection Group and the National Security Guard.
Outlining the measures for acquiring more indigenous radars to enhance the air surveillance cover, he said: “We have placed orders with BEL for more advanced Indra II radars and with Hyderabad-based LRD for 3-dimensional radars to improve the air surveillance coverage.”
Besides, the IAF would work in close coordination with the civil aviation authorities to integrate civilian radars for an improved National Air Defence System. In addition, Bharat Dynamics was examining the upgradation process of surface to air missile — Pechora — even as he stated eventually the missile had to be replaced as it had become almost outdated.
Moreover, the DRDO had been asked to complete the high-altitude testing of the indigenous Kaveri aero engine. This would enable the first LCA squadron to be airborne by 2007.
Regarding the proposal to establish an Aerospace Command, he said it was still at an academic stage.
On the issue of downsizing manpower, he said the focus was on manpower rationalisation by imparting multi-skilled training to IAF personnel while privatising civilian administrative jobs.
The entire process of downsizing would take about five years. The present manpower strength of the Air Force was about 1,50,000. The Air Chief, however, ruled out any move to curtail recruitment as it would adversely affect the age profile of the force.
MunsAir force records lowest accident rate in 34 years :
New Delhi, Oct 6 : The Indian Air Force (IAF), plagued for almost a decade by its poor flight safety record, has registered its lowest accident rate in 34 years, the force’s chief said here Wednesday.
“For the first time in 34 years, we have had a minimal accident rate,” Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy told a news conference here ahead of the Air Force Day, which is observed Oct 8.
“The accident rate recorded by the IAF so far this year is 0.83 accidents for every 10,000 hours of flying,” he said.
“But I am not satisfied, the desired level would be 0.5. We have worked quite hard on this issue and a lot more needs to be done to maintain this lower trend.”
Though the IAF did not give details of crashes involving IAF aircraft this year, warbirdsofindia.com, a website that tracks such accidents, has reported that the force has lost eight jets and four helicopters since February.
The website, which compiles its list from media reports and other sources, also reported that six pilots were killed in these accidents.
Among the jets lost by the IAF were three MiG-series aircraft and four Jaguar fighters.
But Krishnaswamy said that the total number of accidents this year was much lower than figures registered in past years. “There was a year when we lost 48-50 aircraft,” he said.
The IAF had taken special measures to address the four major reasons for accidents — pilot error, bird hits, technical problems and environmental conditions, Krishnaswamy said.
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=35127
Muns
MunsI’ve sold nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and N Korea
By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore and Anton La Guardia
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/03/wpak03.xml
Pakistan sold nuclear
materials to Iran, Libya
MunsCome on, even Musharraf has admitted himself that they bought missiles form North Korea, No New News that…
Pakistan’s president says his country did obtain missiles from North Korea but all defence contacts are now ‘over’.
President Musharraf said in Seoul on Friday that his country had obtained short-range missiles and technology from Pyongyang but that now it could make the missiles itself.
MunsEr whats the second last pic? The plane with the glass nose and its function, thanks….
MunsIndia developing it’s Lakshya PTA into a cruise missile. Reported to have a range of 600kms and powered by the turbojet PTAE 7.
MunsExactly, whats flagwaiving? and i don’t see anything wrong with asking about particulars of a letter of intent…It may well be as people mention the swedish government is still deciding whether this a saleable item. The moment sensitive questions are raised…someone starts distracting and screaming bigot, racist etc…
From India’s perspective, for all the spin it being a defensive or an offensive platform it is against her interests, and will be interesting to see whether there is an official statement from the Government.
Thinking too about the denial of sale of Phalcon and technology to China by US pressure, will this figure in the talks and conditional guarantees that Saab/Ericssons technology will not be exported elsewhere??
MunsErrr assuming here that Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are there to observe…
MunsCope Thunder to help pilots hone war skills
By Vince Little, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, July 16, 2004
Officials plan to launch Cooperative Cope Thunder this week, the Air Force’s largest multilateral air-combat exercise in the Pacific.
The annual drill, which was to begin Thursday and will run through July 30, is being staged at Eielson and Elmendorf Air Force bases in Alaska.
Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mongolia, Canada, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia are among the nations signed up to take part this year.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force, also headed to the exercise, is deploying F-15s to the United States for just the second time, said Maj. Eric Hilliard, a 5th Air Force spokesman. The Indian air force is sending its fighter aircraft to American soil for the first time, he added. That country is set to operate out of Eielson.
About 210 servicemembers from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, are taking part in the Alaska drill, said Maj. Brenda Campbell, a Cope Thunder spokeswoman based at Elmendorf, with 160 headed to Elmendorf for the F-15 maneuvers and 50 going to Eielson to support KC-135 refueling missions. Yokota Air Base, Japan, is sending a handful of representatives.
Cope Thunder simulates the combat conditions pilots would face in wartime, Hilliard said. At the end of each session, mission evaluators will critique aircrews.
“Each day will end with a debrief conducted by all the persons involved in the day’s flying events,” Campbell said. “They are not graded but rather they note what tactics, techniques and procedures they accomplished well and what others need to be reviewed further.”
Cope Thunder gives Air Force units a chance to sharpen air combat skills, exchange air-operations tactics and promote closer relations among participating nations, she added.
More than 1,800 people are attending the exercise, including about 680 U.S. servicemembers.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=23295
MunsThanks to photographers and discovering BR members :
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/621625/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/621501/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/621500/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/617871/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/617837/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/618592/L/
Credits to victorzv2
http://forums.airbase.ru/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=6304
http://forums.airbase.ru/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=6305
http://forums.airbase.ru/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=6306
http://forums.airbase.ru/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=6307
http://forums.airbase.ru/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=6309
Munsand on the topic of the kaveri,do u know when it will be fully developed
From Bharat Rakshak news, Kaveri has succesfully completed high altitude testing in Russia and integration tests for the Tejas are soon to begin…although thats not to say itll soon be powering the Tejas LCA.
MunsCan’t believe Bharat Rakshak wouldn’t want an updated page on the Tejas with all new info, or even ACIG, members at India-forum.com would be only to glad as well…..
MunsAnyone got new info on Trishul, last heard passed all developmental trials again and DRDO and the Navy were hapy with it, and entering user trials soon. Even heard about a VLS system for trishul…anymore???
MunsFirst time noticing Mig 29’s were part of the exercise as well
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