Rentaka - Rentaka Defence Portal

T-50 PAK-FA fighter jet project with Russia hits turbulence

1/9/2014

An artist illustration of the Prospective Multi-Role Fighter (PMF). The PMF is jointly developed by Russia and India and based on the T-50. (Photo: India Today)

By: India Today (intoday.in)

New Delhi is increasingly concerned about the sluggish progress in the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project, a joint endeavour between India and Russia.

Driving India's worries is the fact that the Russians are neither explaining why a prototype aircraft caught fire during a technology demonstration earlier this year nor addressing other technical doubts expressed by India. In fact, the defence ministry is quite sceptical about reports from Russia that a final design contract for the next generation combat jet is on the cards.

ANALYSIS: India's air force modernisation challenge

5/8/2014

IAF C-17 transport aircraft being tested at Edwards AFB prior its delivery. India has embark on a massive and hugely expensive modernisation of its air force. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Atul Chandra (www.flightglobal.com)

The modernisation of the Indian air force is massive in scale and hugely expensive, but should deliver capability that will put the service at the forefront of any future conflict.

At the beginning of this decade New Delhi embarked on a modernisation of the Indian air force on an unprecedented scale. The process is under way as part of the long-term integrated perspective plan, which spans a period of 15 years from 2012. This plan split into five-year periods, from the 12th plan, which runs until 2017, to the 14th plan, which covers 2023 to 2027.

Engine rejig to cut Su-30 burnouts

4/8/2014

The IAF faced an unusually high number of mid-air engine failures over the past two years (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Ajay Banerjee (www.tribuneindia.com)

IAF’s frontline fighter jet Sukhoi-30MKI will be modified under new specifications laid down by its Russian manufacturers to fix mid-air engine trouble in its fleet.

The move comes after the IAF faced an unusually high number of mid-air engine failures over the past two years (January 2102 onwards) and asked the Russians to rectify the problem in the fighter jet. The Tribune had highlighted this in its July 21 report. The IAF has a fleet of 200 Sukhoi aircraft and another 72 are on their way from Moscow.

HAL Edged Out In Trainer Competitions

3/4/2014

The Indian Air Force has released an RFI for the acquisition of 106 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainers, in addition to the 75 it ordered in 2012 to replace the HAL HPT-32. (Photo: Pilatus Aircraft)

By: Neelam Mathews (www.ainonline.com)

Impatient with delays in inducting the HJT-36 Sitara intermediate jet trainer from government-owned defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), the Indian air force has issued a request for information (RFI) for StageII intermediate jet trainers. The Indian Air Force (IAF) requires 85 IJTs, and the cutoff date for RFI response is April 4.

Faulty Avionics Gear Grounds Some Indian Su-30s

1/4/2014

With Su-30MKI facing avionics problems, one wonders if Su-30MKM operated by RMAF is facing the same problems. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Vivek Raguvanshi (www.defencenews.com)

Avionics failures have led to the grounding of more than 20 of India’s Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, with Indian and Russian officials each suggesting the problem subsystems could have been supplied by the other side.

The avionics faults have included the head-up display and the mission computer, an Indian Air Force source said.

Russians go slow, Sukhoi fleet in trouble

20/3/2014

Sukhoi SU-30MKI Picture:Wikipedia Commons

By: Vishal Thapar (http://www.sunday-guardian.com)

A shocking 50% of the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter fleet is on the ground due to unresolved servicing issues with the aircraft's Russian manufacturers. This has also eroded the combat capability of India's frontline long-range strike aircraft and compromised even that part of the fleet which is capable of being flown.

The IAF and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have rung the alarm bells about the repeated mid-flight failure of the Su-30 mission computer and the blanking out of all cockpit displays. The Russians have not responded to the repeated SOS' from the Indians for over a year.

Malaysian plane saga highlights air defense gaps

16/3/2014

Investigators are baffled on how a Boeing 777 which is devoid of any stealth qualities can escape sophisticated military radar detection. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Peter Apps & Frank Jack Daniel (www.reuters.com)

Whatever truly happened to missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, its apparently unchallenged wanderings through Asian skies point to major gaps in regional - and perhaps wider - air defenses.

More than a decade after al Qaeda hijackers turned airliners into weapons on September 11, 2001, a large commercial aircraft completely devoid of stealth features appeared to vanish with relative ease.

Dassault Agrees Rafale Workshare With India

13/3/2014

Rafale during take-off with full combat load. (Photo: Dassault Aviation)

By: Guillaume Lecompte- Boinet (www.ainonline.com)

Dassault Aviation has reached a firm agreement with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) over workshare for the 126 Rafale fighters that the country has agreed to buy. The agreement was confirmed on Thursday at Dassault’s annual financial results press conference in Paris byCEO Eric Trappier. The agreement covers the general configuration of the aircraft, the technology transfers and the detailed workshare between the two partners and their subcontractors. Also, it clarifies the mechanism for handling warranties, said Trappier.

India’s ageing war machine could grind to a halt, govt. warned

3/3/2014

IAF plans to retire its MiG-21 by 2018. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Praveen Swami (www.thehindu.com)

Frustrated by long delays in replacing their growing stockpile of obsolescent equipment, India’s three armed service chiefs have been warning the government that procurement delays are compromising the country’s war preparedness, military sources have told The Hindu. The government, the sources said, was told the Air Force’s combat jet fleet would soon begin shrinking dangerously, even as the Army was short of tanks and artillery.

India delays Rafale deal after exhausting capital budget

9/2/2014

Rafale has been chosen as Indian Air Force newest fighter but the acquisition progress is painfully slow. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Sanjeev Miglani (in.reuters.com)

India's military has postponed until the next financial year a plan to buy 126 fighter planes from France's Dassault Aviation, the defence minister said on Thursday.

rafale tested with maximum weapons load- 12 guided weapons underwing

27/1/2014

Rafale carrying an expanded configuration of weapons and fuel enable it to attack more targets and conduct counter-air missions at longer ranges. (Photo: Dassault Aviation)

By Tamir Eshel (www.defense-update.com)

Dassault Aviation has begun testing an upgraded variant of the Rafale configured to carry an expanded configuration of weapons and fuel. This configuration will enable the French strike fighter aircraft to attack more targets and conduct counter-air missions at longer range.

India May Close Interim MMRCA Deal Soon – Plus MRTT

9/1/2014

Rafale just finished conducting air to air refueling. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Neelam Mathews (www.ainonline.com)

With national elections looming in India, speculation is growing that contracts for the long-delayed medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), as well as the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), could soon be signed. However, the MMRCA pact might cover only the supply of 18 Dassault Rafale aircraft from the French production line, leaving further negotiations for the remaining 108 required to be concluded by the new government. India announced its choice of the Rafale in January 2012. But negotiations subsequently stalled over offsets, the transfer of technology and the role of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).

Delays in procurement are taking a toll on military force levels as Indian Air Force (IAF) squadrons deplete. This has resulted in pressure on the Ministry of Defense to increase the pace for awarding pending contracts. A government code of conduct prevents any contracts being awarded within 45 days of an election. The national election is expected to be called by March, also the end of the financial year.

How the Su-30 MKI is changing the IAF’s combat strategy

9/1/2014

A Su-30MKI lands during Red Flag 08 exercise. (Photo: US Air Force)

By: Rakesh Krishnan Simha (http://indrus.in)

With the induction of large numbers of class leading Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has not only made a huge technological transition from a MiG-21 dominated fleet, its war fighting doctrine has also changed, focusing on long-range and strategic missions.

Aggressiveness is a fundamental requirement of air combat, and the IAF has traditionally been an attack orientated force. For instance, on December 3, 1971 in response to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) raids on 11 Indian airbases, the IAF responded with initial air strikes the same night, which were expanded to massive retaliatory air strikes the next morning.

In previous wars, it didn’t matter if their opponents had better aircraft and radars, IAF pilots compensated for it with their superior training and ingenuity. IAF pilots truly internalised what Sergei Dolgushin, a Russian Air Force ace with 24 victories in WWII, said is a prerequisite to be a successful fighter pilot: “a love of hunting, a great desire to be the top dog”.

Long range and two fronts
It was with the MiG-29 Fulcrum that the IAF for the very first time acquired a superior aircraft compared with those operated by the PAF. However, the qualitative edge was marginal. On the other hand the Sukhoi-30 MKI is an “air dominance fighter” that is allowing the IAF to perform a multiplicity of missions required to keep in step with India’s rising global stature. The Sukhoi’s versatility – owing to its extended range, speed, firepower and super-manoeuvrability – has given the IAF considerable leeway in deploying the aircraft in offensive missions.

In April 2013 the IAF held its largest-ever combat exercise involving as many as 400 combat aircraft plus 200 transport planes and helicopters. The exercise was aimed at testing the IAF’s capability for a two-front war against China and Pakistan, by deploying “swing forces” from the western theatre right across to the east.

As part of the war games, Sukhoi-30MKIs flew 1800 km bombing missions from Chabua in Assam to the western front, with mid-air refuelling. This is possible because the Sukhoi has a range of 4.5 hours on internal fuel, and IAF pilots are known to lead missions over 10 hours.