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AERO INDIA 2009

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Good pictures but that bandana has to go. What ever happened to the Maroon/Red Beret worn by Airborne SF troops all over the world?

dude they are airforce sf .Red Beret are worn by para forces and they come under army

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Regarding MCA:

There is no specific development fund sanctioned for it. IAF and other parties are thinking about the specifications. So the pictures shown are not the final design.
 
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Russia Fights Increased Competition in India
U.S., Israel make inroads in market once dominated by Russia
By wendell minnick
Published: 13 Feb 06:50 EST (11:50 GMT)

BANGALORE - Russian defense contractors put on a brave face at Aero India, as its traditional dominance of the Indian arms market appears to be slowly fading.

Spectators pose for a photograph near Indian fighter aircraft Feb. 13 at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru, India. ( M. Scott Mahaskey / Staff) The former Soviet Union was the dominant supplier of "neutral India" during the Cold War. India's foreign and defense policies often alienated the U.S., and Russian equipment was cheap and reliable. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been a sea change in India-U.S. relations as New Delhi has become an important political power in the region.

Russia is banking on its long history arming the Indian military.

India procured its first Russian fighter, the MiG-21, in 1962, and over the years procured the MiG-23, MiG-25RB/MF and MiG-29. Russia is currently engaged in a modernization of the MiG-29 and delivering the MiG-29K for the Indian Navy, said Mikhail Pogosyan, first vice president, United Aircraft Corp.

The U.S., European and Israeli defense contractors demonstrated a strong presence at this year's show. U.S.-based Boeing recently won the maritime patrol aircraft competition with its P-8. Israel is invading the modernization and upgrade market for India's inventory of Russian helicopters and fighter aircraft. The U.S. has signed contracts to sell India the stretched version of the C-130J and even Brazil's Embraer is selling airborne early warning and control aircraft to India.

There are even unconfirmed reports a Chinese military delegation, traditionally a staunch Pakistan ally, is visiting Aero India for the first time.

Russian officials downplayed Israeli upgrade deals with India on Russian fighters and helicopters as "not a real modification."

For the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, Russia's MiG-35D is seeing tough competition from Europe and the U.S., with Saab Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale, and Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper and Boeing F/A-18 fighter. Both Lockheed and Boeing gave demonstration flights to local Indian celebrities in an effort to improve the chance of winning the tender.

Russia still appeared confident it would win the MMRCA.

"We have a fair chance of winning the contract for the 126 multi-role combat aircraft from India as our aircraft will meet all requirements of the Indian Air Force," said Pogosyan.

Russia is also proposing the joint development of a fifth generation fighter with India. "This program is a 50/50 deal with India," said Pogosyan.

"We are going to harmonize the two programs," he added, a reference to both the F-35 and the fifth generation fighter program.

"We have made good progress since concluding an inter-government agreement in 2007 for the joint development and production of the fifth generation fighter aircraft and are ready to sign detailed contracts this year for implementing the program," said Pogosyan.

The Russian delegation emphasized the key to the relationship was technology sharing agreements and production deals.

"The key to our relationship is that we share technology with India," said Alexander Fomin, first deputy director of State Service for Military Industrial Cooperation, and head of the Russian delegation.

"We will deliver top notch technology on schedule and are prepared to transfer technology to India," said Pogosyan.

However, even if Russia loses the fighter program, it is unlikely to be completely swept out of the Indian arms trade. Modernization and upgrades to existing Russian equipment will require India to turn to Moscow on a regular basis.

Among the ongoing Indian programs is the delivery of Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters to the air force, continued licensed production of the Su-30MKI fighter and T-90S main battle tanks, and a modernization deal for India's ageing Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft.

"India and Russia are the countries possessing high-tech capabilities and having a long history of mutually beneficial military-technical cooperation," said Viktor Komardin, head of Rosoboronexport's delegation. "We've taken part in all seven air shows in Bangalore."

Russian officials said that over the past 40 years, the volume of Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation exceeded $35 billion. India accounts for about one third of Russia's total arms exports, with aircraft making up the bulk of sales.

Russia Fights Increased Competition in India - Aero India - 2009
 
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Good pictures but that bandana has to go. What ever happened to the Maroon/Red Beret worn by Airborne SF troops all over the world?

Battle gear - so no Beret :)

the Beret is still worn during ceremonial occasions, though
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Indiancommandos.jpg

Also the last personal is a Garud [the ones before him al being Army SF personel]

Garuds, even though all parachute qualified have Black berets as part of their uniform
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Info/Badges/Garud-Commando.jpg
 
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I am scared.

EDIT - and so uncalled for.

These boys look more like rag-tag militia men then Special Forces. As far as military discipline goes.....simply uncouth! The knee and elbow pads are out of place with such shabby uniform! The in-charge officer should be court martialed for having such shabbily dressed soldiers on duty and that too in an International Air Show! The emphasis seems more to be on fashion/ style (multi colored bandanas, jungle hats, black masks etc) then Military mannerism!

I see that the Indian AF Special Forces have readily adopted the Israeli Tavor as the staple assault rifle also using the trusted AK-47 and the 7.62mm Draganov as a Sniper Rifle.
 
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These boys look more like rag-tag militia men then Special Forces. As far as military discipline goes.....simply uncouth! The knee and elbow pads are out of place with such shabby uniform! The in-charge officer should be court martialed for having such shabbily dressed soldiers on duty and that too in an International Air Show! The emphasis seems more to be on fashion/ style (multi colored bandanas, jungle hats, black masks etc) then Military mannerism!

I see that the Indian AF Special Forces have readily adopted the Israeli Tavor as the staple assault rifle also using the trusted AK-47 and the 7.62mm Draganov as a Sniper Rifle.

But, they look Kick ***... Love the way it is..
 
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Aero India 2009: BrahMos failure prompts India to reduce reliance on US satellites

Rahul Bedi JDW Correspondent - Bangalore

The failure of India's reconfigured BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missile (SSM) to hit its target during trials in January has prompted its designers to reduce future reliance on US satellites to provide critical GPS guidance.

The GPS satellites "blinked" at a crucial juncture during the 20 January test-firing, diverting the SSM some 2 km from its objective, BrahMos Aerospace officials told Jane's at Aero India 2009.

They said that programme support from the 24 US navigational satellites for BrahMos Block II was now "in doubt" and that scientists were planning to concentrate on the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (Glonass) for future BrahMos and possibly even other missile tests.

Senior officials claimed the SSM's GPS could not link its onboard computers to the US satellites on which it was dependent, preventing it from achieving its objective of striking a specific target in a multi-target environment.

Inquiries into the failed trials in the western Rajasthan desert reportedly revealed that the two-stage, 8.4 m-long 'fire-and-forget' missile performed its flight plan "accurately".

However, the missile missed its objective as its advance seeker failed to obtain GPS direction via the US satellites.

BrahMos engineers now plan on using the eight Glonass satellites despite their restricted envelope compared to their larger US competitor.

"The necessary software modifications have been incorporated (onto the BrahMos Block II) to take care of the eventuality of not using many satellites," BrahMos Aerospace head Dr S Pillai said at Aero India.

This software alteration, he added, would be followed by simulation corrections after which the missile would be ready for re-trial "soon".

The unsuccessful test-firing of the fast attack BrahMos Block II version from a mobile launcher in a new, vertical-launch configuration led to the army expressing dissatisfaction and indicating its disinclination to induct the SSM into service unless it conclusively proved its accuracy.

The BrahMos, configured on Russia's 3M55 Oniks/Yakhont system, has been tested 17 times since mid-2001. Over 100 Block I missiles have been series produced at a dedicated facility in Hyderabad, southern India, most of them fitted onto Indian Navy warships.

The air-launched version of the BrahMos was likely to be test-fired from two reconfigured Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighters in 2010, BrahMos officials said, and made operational by 2012.

Trials from a 'Kilo'-class 877 EKM submarine, however, have been postponed and the missile will now be tested from a submersible platform, a senior BrahMos official said. He added that export inquiries for the SSM had been made by several countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

© 2009 Jane's Information Group
 
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Aero India: Companies compete for ISR-capable multimission aircraft contract

Rahul Bedi JDW Correspondent - Bangalore

Key Points
India is close to selecting either Embraer or IAI to provide nine customised multimission aircraft

The aircraft will form part of a wide-ranging effort to improve India's ISR capabilities in the wake of November's Mumbai terrorist attacks


The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in advanced negotiations with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Brazil's Embraer for nine specially customised multimission aircraft to augment its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

The IAF plans the outright purchase of "specifically configured" platforms valued at around USD650 million, which would also be capable of target-towing, communication, aerial photography and passenger transportation.

These aircraft would partly replace the four Soviet MiG-25 'Foxbat' strategic reconnaissance aircraft the IAF retired in mid-2006.

Embraer is fielding a platform based on the ERJ 135, while IAI is reportedly offering the Gulfstream G200. Both companies submitted bids in 2007 in response to a request for proposal dispatched a year earlier. Both aircraft have an operational range of 3,200 n miles and a service ceiling of around 42,000 ft.

Fausto Fagioli Ferreira, Embraer's ISR systems business manager, told Jane's at Aero India on 12 February that the IAF had completed technically evaluating the aircraft and that trials were awaited.

He indicated that two of the nine proposed aircraft would be dedicated to signals intelligence-gathering: a requirement that had gained urgency after the November terrorist strikes on Mumbai by 10 Pakistan-based gunmen who arrived undetected by sea.

Defence sources said both rival vendors would eventually source the requisite electronic, radar and surveillance equipment to be fitted onto the aircraft as required by the IAF from Indian, European and US companies. Once inducted, the aircraft will supplement surveillance of India's porous land and maritime borders presently conducted by the Aviation Research Centre (ARC).

Working closely with the Research and Analysis Wing, the country's external intelligence-gathering agency, the ARC is almost exclusively responsible for communication and electronic surveillance along the frontier with Pakistan and China through a range of ageing assets that badly need replacing.

ARC aircraft are operated and maintained mainly by IAF personnel seconded to it for limited durations under a two-star officer. The ARC also has a small dedicated staff of pilots and ground crew of its own.

However, official sources concede that the ARC's assets - which include Ilyushin Il-76s, Antonov An-32s, General Dynamics Gulfstream III/SRA-1s and upgraded Gulfstream IV/SRA-4s - urgently need updating.

The ARC is also believed to have thwarted attempts by the rival, newly created and equally secretive National Technical Research Organsisation (NTRO) to acquire five ISR aircraft capable of operating at over 41,000 ft. Canada's Bombardier and France's Dassault were competing for the contract which, for now, has been shelved.

In June 2008 Embraer secured a contact worth more than INR18 billion (USD370 million) from India's Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) to supply three EMB 145s to be fitted with a locally developed airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system.

Embraer will modify the EMB 145s - the first of which is due for delivery in 2011 - to enable it to carry the CABS-designed Active Array Antenna Unit (AAAU) on its fuselage.

"Embraer engineers are working closely with CABS technicians for the programme that is progressing well," Ferreira said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the IAF are expected to test fly the AEW&C platform some time in 2012. This will supplement the three IAI-built Phalcon AEW radars mounted on Ilyushin Il-76/A-50 heavy-lift transport aircraft with improved PS-90A76 turbofans.

"This is part of enhancing India's network-centric-war fighting capabilities by developing an integrated real-time C4ISR [capability]," a senior DRDO official said.

© 2009 Jane's Information Group
 
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Aero India 2009: Indian Army considers Hellfire purchase to meet ATGM requirement

Rahul Bedi JDW Correspondent - Bangalore

Key Points
The Indian Army is considering the purchase of up to 12,000 Hellfire II missiles to arm both aerial and ground-based systems

Lockheed Martin hopes to collaborate with Indian companies to manufacture the Hellfire and continue its development


Lockheed Martin is in talks with the Indian Army to supply 8,000-12,000 AGM-114 Hellfire II modular missile systems for its aerial and ground-based platforms to meet urgent requirements.

The company is also negotiating the possibility of building Hellfire IIs in collaboration with India's state-owned missile manufacturers, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), in addition to developing the missile's range and capabilities.

Lockheed Martin Vice President Joe L Garland told Jane's at Aero India on 12 February that a five-member team had visited BEL and BDL in January to further explore this possibility.

"We are looking at [Hellfire's] spiral development with Indian collaboration," he said, adding that Lockheed Martin had been granted approval from the US government to pursue the joint venture - which could take the Ministry of Defence in Delhi two to three years to approve.

Garland said he envisaged the Hellfire II, with its range of between 500 m and 8 km, being mounted on the Indian Army's BMP armoured personnel carriers and the attack helicopters that the air force is tendering to acquire.

The army is desperately short of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), as it has only partially accepted the locally designed Nag 'fire-and-forget' ATGM.

In January it signed a deal with MBDA of France to transfer technology to BDL to build some 4,000 advanced MILAN 2T ATGMs over the next three years for USD14,000 each.

BDL, which has produced MILAN ATGMs since 1983, was also given the contract last year for some 4,000 Russian Konkurs ATGMs with a 4 km range. It was contracted to produce only 443 Nag missiles and 13 accompanying tracked Namica carriers scheduled for induction in around 2011-12.

Lockheed Martin is also targeting the Indian Army as the launch customer for its newly developed DAGR (Directional Attack Guided Rocket) semi-active laser guidance kit, which delivers guidance to Hydra 70 mm unguided rockets.

Such a system could be effectively employed in an urban terrorist siege situation similar to that recently seen in Mumbai, Lockheed Martin executives said.

The company is also offering India its Patriot Advanced Capability 3 anti-ballistic missile (ABM)-capable and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems as part of growing strategic and military ties between Washington and New Delhi.

However, senior Indian military officials remain wary about accepting the Patriot, as it would compromise the Advanced Air Defence-02 (AAD-02) hypersonic interceptor 'hit-to-kill' missile that India is developing indigenously. The AAD-02 successfully destroyed an incoming target missile 15 km over the Bay of Bengal during its maiden test firing two years ago.

"Missile collaboration with the US would depreciate efforts to locally develop a robust ABM capability, effectively circumscribing India's strategic missile programme," a senior official said.

© 2009 Jane's Information Group
 
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Aero India 2009: Boeing looks to build on Poseidon success in India

Gareth Jennings Jane's Aviation Reporter - Bangalore

Boeing is looking to capitalise on its recent success in selling the P-8I Poseidon multimission maritime aircraft to India with a series of bids for a variety of national competitions for combat aircraft, strategic transport aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and attack and heavy-lift helicopters.

Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Vice-President (India) Dr Vivek Lall told Jane's on 13 February that the company is "trying to become part of the aerospace fabric in India": a statement borne out by the fact that it has increased its presence in the country from one office in 2005 to nine in 2009.

Speaking at Aero India 2009 Lall and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President (Military Aircraft) Chris Chadwick outlined a number of the company's upcoming campaigns in India.

The most imminent of these is the country's multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) competition in which Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is pitted against the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen NG, Lockheed Martin F-16IN, MiG-35 and Dassault Rafale to equip the Indian Air Force (IAF) with 126 combat aircraft.

Chadwick told Jane's that field trials of the competing aircraft are expected to take place mid-year to make sure they are able to operate reliably in the Indian heat, which can routinely rise in excess of 40 degrees centigrade.

The IAF is looking for the first aircraft to be delivered in 2014. Given the 37 Indian companies included in Boeing's offset package and the aircraft's already proven track record with the US Navy, Chadwick said that the company is confident of the Super Hornet's success as the competition moves into its latter stages.

With regard to India's strategic lift requirement, Chadwick said that Boeing had received a request for information (RfI) in 2008 for which it has put forward its C-17A Globemaster III. Chadwick expects a request for proposals (RfP) to be issued by the Indian government "sometime soon".

However, sources close to the C-17 programme have told Jane's that the total requirement the IAF is considering would make India the second largest user of the type after the United States.

Following the selection of the P-8I Poseidon as the country's long-range maritime patrol aircraft in January, the company is also proposing the P-8 to fulfil the Indian navy's medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRMRA) requirement.

Chadwick told Jane's that the aircraft submitted for the MRMRA competition would be slightly different from the P-8I in that it would be predominantly an anti-surface warfare platform and so would not require an anti-submarine warfare capability.

With the P-8I about to enter service with India, Chadwick feels that the P-8 is ideally suited to fulfil the MRMRA requirement as it would offer fleet commonality with all its inherent advantages of cost reduction and spares availability.

Boeing will also be bidding for India's attack helicopter and rotary-wing heavy-lift competitions with its AH-64D Apache and CH-47 Chinook respectively.

According to Chadwick there is a feeling that the IAF may rescind the attack helicopter RfP it issued in 2008 while it takes another look at its specific requirements.

Chadwick expects a rotary-wing heavy-lift RfP to be issued "in the next two to three months" but would not be drawn on the number of aircraft he expects to be involved. He did say that the company will most likely offer the latest variant 'F' model Chinook and that, were the bid to be successful, the Chinook production line would have "no issues" with fulfilling India's requirement.
 
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Aero India 2009: Indian SR-SAM programme moves forward

Gareth Jennings Jane's Aviation Reporter - Bangalore

MBDA Missile Systems will later this year begin substantial development work on the short range surface-to-air missile (SR-SAM) programme, a joint effort with India's Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), according to a company spokesperson.

The SR-SAM will be developed as part of a strategic agreement between the two countries to meet an Indian armed forces requirement.

The spokesperson told Jane's at Aero India on 12 February that the company expects work on the vertical-launch SAM system to commence "sometime in 2009".

He added that, as the programme is still very much in its infancy, he was unable to disclose details of the possible contract value or the SR-SAM's performance characteristics. However, other sources told Jane's that it will have a range of about 20 km.

The spokesperson said that the programme will run into "hundreds of missiles", which will be manufactured in country by BDL.

Although the system is only being developed for the Indian armed forces at this time, the spokesperson said that the company sees "strong worldwide potential" in exporting it to other countries in the future.

MBDA (and its former entities) and BDL have co-operated on missile manufacture for more than 30 years, BDL having manufactured the MBDA MILAN 2 anti-tank system under licence for the Indian armed forces. In December 2008 the Indian government signed an agreement for the manufacture of MILAN missiles by BDL for another four years, adding to 30,000 MILAN missiles already made by BDL.
 
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