Dassault Rafale, tender | News & Discussions

[Screaming Skull]

Russia aims to start making MiG-35 fighters for India in 2013​

13/08/2009

NIZHNY NOVGOROD (central Russia), August 13 (RIA Novosti) - Production of MiG-35 multirole fighters offered for sale to India cannot start before 2013 or 2014, a Russian aircraft maker said on Thursday.

Russia's MiG-35 Fulcrum-F, an export version of the MiG-29M OVT (Fulcrum F), is a highly maneuverable air superiority fighter, which won high acclaim during the Le Bourget air show in France last year.

"We have begun testing the MiG-35 fighter for the Indian tender," said Alexander Karezin, general director of the Sokol company based in Nizhny Novgorod.

Six major aircraft makers - Lockheed and Boeing from the United States, Russia's MiG, which is part of the UAC, France's Dassault, Sweden's Saab and the EADS consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies - are in contention to win the $10 billion contract for 126 light fighters to be supplied to the Indian Air Force.

Sokol earlier said that the first two MiG-35 aircraft would be delivered to India in August for test flights prior to the award of the tender. In late 2009, Russia will conduct a series of flight tests with live firing for an Indian Air Force delegation at one of the testing grounds on the Russian territory.

The fighter is powered by RD-33 OVT thrust vectoring engines. The RD-33 OVT engines provide superior maneuverability and enhance the fighter's performance in close air engagements.

Moscow said if MiG-35 wins the tender, Russia is ready to transfer all key technology to India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and provide assistance for the production of the aircraft in the country.

Russia aims to start making MiG-35 fighters for India in 2013 | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire

 

[Screaming Skull]

Hi guys,

2 F-18 SHs and a tanker have landed at the HAL airport. Spotted them while they were landing this evening.

-Skull

 

[Mig-29]

Hi guys,

2 F-18 SHs and a KC-135 tanker have landed at the HAL airport. Spotted them while they were landing this evening.

-Skull

You seems to be actively involved in the MRCA progress.

 

[Screaming Skull]

You seems to be actively involved in the MRCA progress.

lol no! Just plain lucky to be living near the HAL airport!

 

[Screaming Skull]

F-18s to fly over Bangalore today​

Boeing Integrated Defence System’s F/A-18 Hornet, one of the U.S. Navy’s frontline air platforms will take to the skies over Bangalore from Saturday.

Two F/A-18s — one single-seater and the other twin-seater — will take part in the MMRCA flight evaluation trials (FET) starting August 17. Bangalore has been chosen the venue for the evaluation under normal climatic conditions.

The IAF’s test pilots on the Indian Evaluation Team — Group Captain Dixit and Wing Commander Chauhan — will also get to fly and experience first hand the American fighter’s flying characteristics.

The team also has three flight test engineers, and representatives from the Defence Ministry, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Defence and Research Development Organisation, the Directorate-General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and the Air Headquarters.

Following the F/A-18s into Bangalore for the flight trials will be the F-16s, which Lockheed Martin are flying in from the United Arab Emirates (the only air force whose F-16s are equipped with active electronically scanned array radars). The French Rafale is scheduled to be in Bangalore from September 21, while the MiG-35 will arrive in October. In November, the Indian evaluation teams will emplane for Germany and Sweden to familiarise themselves with the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Gripen JAS-39. Both fighters are expected in Bangalore next February and March.

The Hindu : National : F-18s to fly over Bangalore today

 

[maverick2009]

The Americans have today arrived with their Super Hornets

They are FIRST to arrive to try and win the MMRCA bid.

The Hindu : National : F-18s to fly over Bangalore today

All six contenders will have been and gone over the Next 6 Weeks.

Reports are they will be tested at high Altitude in Dras & Kargil sectors and in desearts in Rajasthan as well as the plains. Tempratures ranging from -40 degrees to +40 degrees

 

[Myself.Patriot]

that is how they should be,
the intensively variable temprature range in our part of the world have already lead indians to some failuers like the Arjun Tank.

 

[IceCold]

Why exactly is this news posted in PAF military aviation section? Mods please move it to appropriate section.

 

[Beskar]

Maverick, Please post the articles where they belong. "Indian defence" is the right forum for this development.

 

[SBD-3]

The Americans have today arrived with their Super Hornets

They are FIRST to arrive to try and win the MMRCA bid.

The Hindu : National : F-18s to fly over Bangalore today

All six contenders will have been and gone over the Next 6 Weeks.

Reports are they will be tested at high Altitude in Dras & Kargil sectors and in desearts in Rajasthan as well as the plains. Tempratures ranging from -40 degrees to +40 degrees

In future wepons episode i saw F-16 to be the most successful fighter in Alaska.Hornet is mostly operated from carriers in sea conditions which are usually mild.so it will be interesting to note the performance of SH in extreme tempratures

 

[maverick2009]

OK !!!!! if you guys don,t want to discuss this we should move it i guess !!!

I just thought it may be IMPORTANT development. Because i get the impression that the MMRCA race has genuinely started now with the TESTING.. after years of talk talk and no action.

 

[Arsalan]

ys the best way to get it moved is to stop discussing it here.
if we keep on posting then the thread will continue and this is not the place for it . .
so kindly no more psots here!!
MODs please it to Indian defence forum so we can all ontribute to it!regards!

 

[BSF]

Broadsword: Duel in the sky: Testing the MMRCAs and rating their chances
The world’s toughest testing ground

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has assembled a team of its hottest top guns for evaluating the six fighters in the fray. Overseeing the entire testing process will be Air Commodore Rakesh Dhir, the Principal Director, Air Staff Requirements at IAF Headquarters. He will have two separate teams to do the actual flight-testing. One will test the two US fighters --- the F/A-18 and the F-16IN --- and the Russian MiG-35. The other team will be responsible for evaluating the three European aircraft: the Gripen, the Rafale, and the Eurofighter

Jaisalmer: heat and dust

After the testing in Bangalore, each team will travel for two days to Jaisalmer to test aircraft performance in the desert heat. During the Jaisalmer leg, each contender will also drop unguided bombs at a ground target placed in the Pokhran Range. But the really high-tech weaponry --- guided by radar, infrared or laser --- will be tested in each aircraft’s home base. Switching on airborne radar is a strict no-no when there is the remotest possibility of it being recorded by a foreign country. An aircraft’s radar signal is as unique to it as a fingerprint is to an individual. Every major air force, India’s included, maintains a worldwide “library” of radar signals; aircraft in those libraries can be quickly identified whenever they switch on their radar.

Ladakh: hot and high

From Jaisalmer, the fighters head for what could be the trickiest part of the trials: the “Hot and High” trials at the spectacular Leh airfield, in Ladakh. On the face of it, there isn’t much to do in Leh: each fighter must land with a specified load of weapons and fuel; switch off its engines and systems; the pilot must alight and do a quick visual check of his aircraft, during which the cold starts to seep into the aircraft components; then after getting back inside, he must start up the fighter’s engines and systems, without external help, and then take off.

F/A-18 Super Hornet: Overall chances: COOL

Pros
1. Battle-tested, frontline fighter with the US Navy
2. Powerful, agile, rugged, designed for aircraft carriers
3. Advanced avionics and missile systems
4. Can function as refuelling tanker with external fuel tanks
5. Fields fully-operational and deployed Northrop Grumman APG-80 AESA radar

Cons
1. US restrictions on modifications and end usage
2. Earlier generation design, dating back to 1980s
3. Heavy, 30-ton aircraft, expensive

Eurofighter Typhoon: Overall chances: COOL

Pros
1. Contemporary fighter, still evolving
2. High performance, high-end technology
3. Offering India development partnership
4. No end user restrictions, easy transfer of technology
5. EADS already helping to develop India’s LCA

Cons
1. No combat experience
2. Heavy, 25-ton aircraft, expensive
3. AESA radar still under development

Saab Gripen NG: Overall chances: RED HOT

Pros
1. Only aircraft with Supercruise: supersonic flight without afterburners
2. Can land, refuel, rearm and take off in 10 minutes
3. Light, single-engine, highly cost-effective
4. Selex Raven AESA radar with advanced swashplate technology
5. Willing to hand over source codes for high-tech equipment

Cons
1. Has US components, including engines and avionics
2. AESA radar still under development
3. India has never operated a Swedish fighter

AC MiG, MiG-35: Overall chances: HOT

Pros
1. Dovetails easily with IAF’s MiG-29 fleet
2. Typical Russian fast, agile fighter
3. Vastly improved avionics and targeting system
4. Thrust-vectoring engines option exists
5. Cheapest ticket price of twin-engine fighters

Cons
1. Airframe barely improved from MiG-29
2. Zhuk-Phazotron AESA radar still under development

Dassault Rafale: Overall chances: DARK HORSE

Pros
1. Amongst the most contemporary options
2. France deploys on land and aircraft carriers
3. IAF’s Mirage-2000 fleet creates comfort level with Dassault
4. Transfer of technology smooth; no end user restrictions
5. Only non-US fighter with deployed AESA radar

Cons
1. Limited combat experience
2. 25-tonne, twin-engine aircraft, expensive
3. Only contender never to have flown in India

Read the full article here

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Looks like IAF Boys haveing Fun

 

[maverick2009]

I have also herd on other websites IAF may surpise us all and give the contract to GRIPEN.

Based on cost alone this deal will only cost around $8 billion and is a very contemporary fighter.

Should be very interesting one thing is for sure IAF will learn the secrets of all of these very powerful warplanes in coming weeks.

Very usefull data base and learning curve for IAF future LCA MK2 plans