RayRIAF team to oversee LCA induction and operation
Ravi Sharma
# `LCA Induction Team’ will be stationed in Bangalore
# Team likely to be headed by an Air Vice Marshal
Bangalore: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to dedicate a team of its officers to oversee the logistical problems that may crop up during the induction and operation of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) into squadron service.
The “LCA Induction Team” to be stationed in Bangalore will possibly be headed by an Air Vice Marshal. This is an indication of the determination of the Air Headquarters to ensure that the induction of the indigenously developed LCA into its squadrons takes place smoothly and as per schedules.
The decision also reflects the desire of the IAF to be more “forceful” in its participation in the multi-crore LCA programme that has seen numerous cost and time overruns. The team is expected to be in place as soon as the Air Headquarters chooses officers from various commands and works out procedural modalities such as whether officers should be posted or sent on deputation.
Sources told The Hindu that the team would oversee aspects such as technical specifications, maintenance, spares support, generation of user manuals, user and operational evaluation, training programmes, simulation methodology, setting up of laboratories and workshops in air bases where the LCA would be based, ground support equipment, and manpower required at the new LCA bases.
According to a senior official from the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which has been responsible for the design and development of the LCA, the idea of an IAF team stems from the fact that disconnect between designers, technicians and pilots should be minimised. “From the technical point of view, we know that the LCA is foolproof, but it should also be comfortable operation wise. The presence of an IAF team will help us to transfer technologies to the next level of people (technicians and pilots),” the official said.
However, this is the first time that the IAF is setting up a dedicated team to oversee aspects of the LCA programme. The need for such an induction team is also a confirmation of how desperately the IAF, which is faced with a depletion in its combat fleet, thanks to a phase out of a large number of aircraft especially from the aging MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 stables and the inordinate delay in the acquisition of the 126 multi-role combat aircraft, requires the LCA.
The IAF has placed an order (worth upwards of Rs. 2,000 crore) for 20 Tejas aircraft, deliveries of which, according to schedules should start in April 2009. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is expected to roll out eight aircraft every year.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/03/stories/2006120301790500.htm
RayRElta 2032 I assume as the AESA 2052 has yet to be released.
Yup its most possibly the 2032…….unless they really did some improvement on the MMR.
RayRJoey did you get your money yet?
Waiting for a drink…… 😀
RayRIsraeli imprint in Prithvi missile test
Rajat Pandit
[ 3 Dec, 2006 0010hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
NEW DELHI: In yet another indication of the deep but often covert strategic ties between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, it’s now clear that there was an Israeli imprint in the incipient ballistic missile defence (BMD) system tested by India last Monday.
The crucial long-range tracking radar (LRTR) used in the Indian “exo-atmospheric” BMD system, which “successfully intercepted” an incoming Prithvi missile on November 27, owes its origins to the Israeli Green Pine early-warning and fire control radar. India had imported two Green Pine radars, which constitute a crucial part of the Arrow-2 BMD system deployed by Israel to counter the threat of Iranian and other missiles, in a hush-hush manner in 2001-2002.
“Other than the basic radar, which we modified to meet our requirements, all the other elements, hardware and software, are homegrown,” said DRDO chief controller R&D, V K Saraswat. Since missile defence can take place both inside (endo) or outside (exo) the earth’s atmosphere, DRDO will now test an “endo-atmospheric interceptor” in the next four-five months. The “exo-atmospheric” hypersonic interceptor missile tested on Monday destroyed the Prithvi missile at an altitude of 50-km.
The “endo-atmospheric interceptor”, in turn, will shoot the “hostile” missiles much closer to earth with a 30-km range. “Our endo-atmospheric interceptor will be similar to the American Patriot-3 AMD system, which has a 15-km range,” said Saraswat.
Though the indigenous BMD system is still several years away from becoming operational, as reported by TOI earlier, it will be a “unique” two-tier system once it is ready. The system will have a mix of the two types of interceptor missiles for a kill probability of 99.8%. “A couple of these missile batteries, for instance, should be able to protect Delhi,” :diablo: said Saraswat. “We have made a very good beginning. At least half-a-dozen tests would be required over the next three years before the system can become ready,” he added.
DRDO claims to have modified the Green Pine radars, which can detect targets at ranges up to 500-km :confused: and can track them at speeds over 3,000 metre per second. The modifications included making the radar capable of tracking intermediate range ballistic missiles.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Israeli_imprint_in_Prithvi_missile_test/articleshow/690102.cms
RayRJesus Christ..now are we demanding Russian territory (even cities 😮 ) as chinese when China itself is occupying the whole of Tibet?…and that too by persons who are not chinese :rolleyes:
RayRIt’s deliberate provocativeness. Best ignored.
Thats right on the money…some people have taken it to the point of it being an art 😉
RayRMiG-21 mishaps due to adulterated fuel
😡
From Kalyan Ray DH News Service New Delhi:
In a revelation, the Centre has identified “possible contamination of fuel” as one of the reasons behind many MiG-21 crashes.
Has adulterated fuel caused MiG-21 accidents? In a revelation, the Centre has identified “possible contamination of fuel” as one of the reasons behind many MiG-21 crashes.
After years of diligent analysis by aviation engineers and scientists, the Defence Ministry for the first time has identified jamming of reciprocating slide valve (RSV) in the engine fuel system of MiG-21 as the reason for the snag leading to the accidents. The ministry has concluded that the jamming happened due to fuel contamination.
While the IAF has modified the RSV that governs the revolution per minute (rpm) function as set by the pilot, Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has been asked to use one micron filters during refuelling of aircraft and “maintain a high level of fuel discipline,’ official sources said, adding that these measures have resulted in sharp reduction in the accident rate of MiG-21 aircraft.
Sources told Deccan Herald that dust contamination of aviation turbine fuel can happen at the supply, storage or transmission stage. And if there are undetected dust particles in the fuel above a certain limit, it can affect the functioning of some of the finer engine components.
In the last three financial years, as many as 12 MiG-21 had crashed, killing 13 persons including seven pilots. So far in 2006 one MiG-21 accident took place in Rajasthan near the Uttarlai base in March though there were three cases of MiG-29 and one case of MiG-27 accident.
After investigating all the MiG-21 accidents of the last three years, the IAF has found that five of the twelve accidents occurred due to error by the aircrew while four were due to technical defects. Two crashes were due to human error on the part of servicing personnel at HAL and one was due to bird hit.
However, the same conclusion can not be drawn in all MiG-21 accident cases because many times ‘the components are destroyed due to high impact speed and intense fire in the wreckage’, says the Defence Ministry.
Accidents in the fleet of these aged warhorses have also caused huge financial losses in the exchequer as the cost of a MiG-21 aircraft varies between Rs 1.5 crore for the oldest version to Rs 14.5 crores for the latest version, the IAF says.
Incidentally after a recent crash of MiG-29 fighter in Chandigarh in early October, an IAF officer was quoted in a newspaper report as saying that the possibility of use of adulterated fuel leading to seizure of the engine and the subsequent crash was explored. “There is reason to explore this angle,” the IAF officer said.
The IAF claims that over the years, Category-I accidents in the IAF – in which more than 50 per cent of the aircraft is written off – have declined from 3.72 for every 10,000 hours of flying in 2002-03 to 1.07 in 2004-05.
http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov242006/national22213520061123.asp
RayRWell….whatever may have been the idea behind opening this thread…still i guess we could see it as an informative thread.Now i am not a “Mr.-Know-it-all” like some people may be and i can say that i got some good pieces of information from here….For eg…i didnt know that the AWACS had to fly at high AoA and so the consoles and the controllers’ seats are tilted towards the side 😮 .And whatever may be the truth but i guess nobody can deny that manufacterers will always highlight the good points and downplay the negative ones.Nothing is perfect.And from whatever i have seen i think planar arrays might have a problem seeing in certain sectors…and that should be the problem with every aircraft using them.I saw publications claiming this is good or that is good but none of them can defy the logic thats behind the whole argument.Erieye is a good system for what it offers but to claim that its 100%(400% in case of some) perfect is downright foolish.
RayRI thought you were more the swallow type :diablo:
:p
Ehhh….What …didnt get u…
RayRWhat’s it got to do with the aesthetic preferences of someone who was born in 1975 (that’s 30 years after the war ended)?
Nic
Oh well…since you are judging by the aesthetic angle …what can i say…beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder…I personally like the spit a lot. 🙂
RayRNo I don’t, since the brits refused to send spitfires during the battle of France…
Besides I wasn’t born, were you?
Nic
Nope i wasnt….but i seem to remember that the Spitfires ultimately played a role in the outcome of WWII..
RayRAir Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi in Myanmar on a Goodwill Visit
Daily News & Updates
Dated 20/11/2006
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The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, is currently in Myanmar on what has been described as a ‘goodwill visit’.
Tyagi, who left New Delhi Saturday, is expected to return over the weekend, a defence ministry official said.
Analysts here pointed out that given the fact Tyagi would be spending five days in a country that is largely shunned by the international community, showed there was much more than ‘goodwill’ involved in the visit, given the fact that New Delhi and Yangon have steadily been increasing their economic and military engagement over the past few years.
The highlight of this interaction was President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s the visit to Myanmar earlier this year.
During the three-day visit, Kalam held talks with Myanmar’s military strongman General Than Shwe. The visit to Myanmar was seen as an important political gesture by India, reciprocating an October 2004 visit to India by Shwe that renewed bilateral diplomatic relations.
Simultaneously, India has been a vocal supporter of Nobel Prize winning democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest in Yangon since the military junta’s 1988 crack down on the country’s pro-democracy movement.
Even so, Myanmar is firmly on the radar of India’s ‘Look East’ policy that aims at strengthening ties with all the countries of Southeast Asia.
India has also transferred to the Myanmar Air Force an Islander transport aircraft in spite of vehement opposition from Britain, which threatened to cut off supplies for the remaining Islanders being operated by the Indian armed forces.
There are also reports that India has transferred substantial quantities of small arms and ammunition to Myanmar but these have not been independently verified.
New Delhi has also been able to persuade Yangon to take action against rebels from India’s north-east who are sheltering in the dense jungles on the Myanmarese side of the border. There is, however, no proposal to conduct joint operations, officials said.
RayRAfter Boeing…now its Lockheed Martins turn to hope…. :rolleyes:
Lockheed Martin Hopes to Win Indian Defense Contracts
Daily News & Updates
Dated 21/11/2006
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Aerospace major Lockheed Martin has raised the ante for winning Indian defence contracts, saying it had identified ‘potentially viable’ local partners for sourcing supplies, even as it was ideally positioned to comply with the country’s new arms purchase norms.
The Fort Worth-based company, which recorded sales of $37.2 billion in 2005, said Tuesday it was currently engaged in ‘site surveys to validate Indian manufacturing and quality capabilities in preparation for eventually placing work with Indian companies’.
It also said it had a ‘long and successful record’ of offset or counter-trade participation, having accomplished projects valued at more than $40 billion in 37 nations.
India’s new arms purchase norms unveiled earlier this year introduced an offset policy under which 30 percent of all contracts over Rs.3 billion has to be re-invested in the country.
Lockheed Martin is hoping for a major share of an Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) to replace its ageing fleet of Mig-21 and MiG-23 jets. It has also offered its Hercules C-130J tactical airlift aircraft to the IAF.
The company’s site surveys are a follow to a two-day supplier conference it conducted in Bangalore in August.
Over 50 Indian companies were represented at the conference ‘and more than 20 have been visited or are scheduled to be visited by site survey teams before the end of the year,’ Orville Prins, Lockheed Martin vice president for Business Development-India, said.
‘Potentially viable companies have been identified in locations including Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kerala and New Delhi,’ he added.
The objective of this exercise was ‘to promote India capabilities to match current needs for airframe parts, major aircraft systems, engineering services and Integrated Logistics activities required to support the corporation’s defence products.
‘These activities are the next step in the process of developing long term business relationships between Lockheed Martin and the Indian supply chain,’ Prins pointed out.
According to the official, Lockheed Martin offset programs ‘have provided customer nations with technology transfer and participation in the development of new aircraft and systems, in addition to build-to-print component manufacturing’.
Japan’s F-2 fighter and Korea’s new T-50 trainer both resulted from joint development projects established with Lockheed Martin.
More than 40 companies in a dozen different nations have produced parts for the F-16 aircraft, and nearly 1,000 F-16s have been delivered from manufacturing facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and South Korea, Prins mainatained.
As part of its business development efforts, Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, visited India earlier this month and met with a number of government, industry and military officials.
Ralph D. Heath, president of the corporation’s aeronautics business area, visited India during October.
Military aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin include the F-16 multi-role fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, the C-130J Super Hercules transport and P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft. The company also provides a wide variety of other goods and services for use by governments, ranging from air traffic management systems to postal sorting.
RayROne would hope not.
Now what could be the reasons for that… 😉
RayROriginally posted by Showtime 100
Let me quote one of yr sentence..
That statement is based on the simple fact that F16 BLK 52 with its APG68 radar and Amraam sets a good standard against which other aircraft can be compared….and a aircraft would do really well if it can compete with it…but i guess you are too drunk on the JF17 to see the facts clearly….. :rolleyes:
How u know JF-17 is not as good as F-16 block 52 since u don know what radar is going into JF-17 ??
Good attempt of putting a spin on that one….but its you who thinks that the JF17 is comparable to the F16 just because its got SD10…when you dont even know what radar it has got…what ECM equipment….etc etc
Answer me!!
You should be doing the answering here why you think JF17 is comparable to Blk52 F16….
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