Indian AEW&C from Embraer goes to Western Border

India plans to base its indigenous Airborne Early Warning & Control system on the western border, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said today.

According to DRDO officials, the system would detect, identify and classify threats in the surveillance area and act as a command and control centre to support air operations.

After the operational requirements were firmed up between DRDO and IAF in 2007, the contract for three modified aircraft was finalised in August 2008. The first fully modified aircraft landed in Bangalore from Brazil a month ago.

Indian AEW&C ( Image courtesy - shephardmedia.com )

The second aircraft is slated to arrive in December and the third one next year.

The Air Chief Marshal and Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister V K Saraswat said all the three aircraft are proposed to be operationalised by the IAF in April 2014.

News Courtesy - business-standard.com

Indian Air Force - Jaguar never gets old !!!

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to make its Jaguars fighting fit for modern warfare and increase their service life. The Jaguars are being fitted with autopilots, next generation avionics and lethal armaments under an ambitious modernisation programme that will see the fighters flying well after 2030.

 

IAF's Jaguar on a sortie ( Image Courtesy - indianmiltarynews.wordpress.com )

Nearly 120 Jaguars are being modernised. So far, the IAF has procured autopilots for 55 Jaguars and talks for 95 more, which includes spare autopilots. Autopilots would lessen pilot workload, freeing them from physically flying the jet during long flights, though, in an ultimate test of IAF top guns, six Jaguars flew all the way to Alaska for a joint exercise with the US Air Force in 2004.

The government is also reviving a plan to re-engine the aircraft with a more powerful powerplant. The IAF feels the Jaguars, powered by Rolls Royce Adour-811 turbofan engines, are underpowered, and a more powerful engine for the fighters is also on the cards.

The Jaguar's cockpit will be completely transformed as well. It is going to turn all glass. There will be digital MFDs (multifunction displays) replacing the traditional analog gauges and dials, and pilots will have fly-by-wire controls.

 News Courtesy - dailymail.co.uk

IAF - Rafale Deal to be signed by October 2012

India plans to sign the $11 billion MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal with French Rafale by the end of this month-end or next month, a senior Indian Air Force official said today.

"I find no reason why it shouldn't be signed by the end of this month or next month", Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, IAF, Air Marshal Rajinder Singh said. 

Rafale ready for action ( Image Courtesy - airliners.net)

He indicated that negotiations are currently on with regard to pricing for the 126-aircraft deal. "There is money....this thing here and there (pricing being finalised)". 

The Air Marshal said, the first aircraft under the MMRCA deal would start "flowing in" in 2017.

News Courtesy - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Update : HAL AMCA - Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), formerly known as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA), is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter being developed by HAL. In Indian Air Force, it will complement the HAL Tejas, the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and the Dassault Rafale.

Unofficial design work on the AMCA has been started. A naval version is confirmed as Indian Navy also contributed to the funding. The AMCA will be designed with a very small radar cross-section and will also feature serpentine shaped air-intakes, internal weapons and the use of composites. A wind-tunnel testing model of the MCA airframe was seen at Aero-India, 2009.

An artist impression of HAL AMCA ( Image Courtesy - indiandefence.com) 

AMCA will be equipped with missiles like DRDO Astra and Precision Guided Munitions. The aircraft will feature extended detection and targeting range with the ability to release weapons at supersonic speeds. The aircraft's avionics suite will include AESA radar, electronic warfare systems and all aspect missile warning suite. AMCA is in  preliminary design phase from August, 2011. The final design is expected to be shown to the air force by 2012, after which full scale development on the aircraft may start.

News Courtesy - russiadefence.net

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Final Operational Clearance - LCA Tejas targeting Feb 13

India’s indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is likely to win its Final Operational Clearance, following testing as part of an air exercise in February, 2013. The single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter will be put to the test during the “Iron Feast” exercise to be held in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

“The Tejas will display its capabilities in the exercise, where its lethality, endurance and precision will be tested, and if the aircraft meets all parameters, its first squadron will be  deployed in Bengaluru,” says Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi, chief of Southwestern Air Command.

Tejas ready for a Test Flight ( Image Courtesy - thebharatmilitaryreview.blogspot.com )

As of March, the LCA had undergone more than 1,800 test flights up to speeds of Mach 1.4, Initial Operational Clearance was achieved in January 2011. The Tejas is designed to carry air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided and standoff weaponry.

The Indian air force (IAF), which has ordered 40 Tejas Mark I, has begun to induct the LCA, according to a ministry official. Out of the 40 aircraft, 20 were ordered under the IOC standards, and remaining 20 under Final Operational Clearance standards. IAF plans to induct six LCA squadrons over the next 10 years, the official adds.

News Courtesy - aviationweek.com

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Indian Air Force Transport Fleet C-130, C-17, MTA IL-214

The MRCA contract of 126 aircraft (may go up to 200) for Indian Air Force has been in such a limelight, that it has pushed many other important developments into the shadows. One such development has been augmentation in the fleet of transport aircraft for IAF. 

Indian Air Force had been relying on Antonov An-32 Cline for medium airlift, and on Ilyushin Il-76 Candid for heavy airlift, for multiple decades. Few years back, IAF realized that time has come for an upgrade of existing platforms and induction of new platforms inline with the strategic goal of maintaining the air superiority, both in terms of transport squadrons as well as the combat squadrons.

Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules was the first decision on those lines. followed by Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, both being acquired from United States. Along with that came the development of UAC/HAL MTA in partnership with Russian Federation. 

Indian Air Force transport aircraft inventory should have the following aircraft, by year 2020 -

Antonov AN-32 Cline		~ 08 Tons
Ilyushin IL-76 Candid		~ 50 Tons
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules		~ 20 Tons
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (by 2013)		~ 80 Tons
UAC/HAL MTA IL-214 (under development)		~ 22 Tons

IAF's An-32 Cline on a sortie ( Image Courtesy - airteamimages.com )

IAF's Ilyushin-76 at Red Flag Exercise in United States ( Image Courtesy - bharat-rakshak.com )

IAF's C-130 J Super Hercules on its way to India from United States ( Image Courtesy - xairforces.net )

A C-17 Globemater on a test flight after upgrade ( Image Courtesy - anupkumarchaturvedi.com )

An artist representation of HAL/UAC Multi-role Transport Aircraft ( Image Courtesy - airforce-technology.com )

The interesting part of HAL/UAC MTA development is that it is being developed to replace AN-32 Cline. As per the current timeline, MTA should be ready to join IAF by 2016. So, MTA will start flying along with AN-32 and would start to replace it from 2025. But MTA is a bigger aircraft with 22 tons payload and will replace a much smaller aircraft An-32 with just 8 tons payload. Hence, this replacement, though looking a normal replacement process from outside, will actually increase the transport capability of IAF, manifolds !!!

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