Fund crunch delays IAF’s purchase plan

[shah1398]

Of course they can jam or evade LRSAM or any other sams.... it's upto the skills of the pilots. .. what I'm stating is when the air defence is very thick its difficult to evade.... and as of now I don't think so there's any Sam deployed that could intercept a F22.... the story if Chinese intercepting F22 due to the reason F22 was not in full stealth mode...

Sometimes just i single word changes the whole meaning of a sentence...i missed the word be. I was trying to give analogy to LRSAMs tech like S-400 to tech of F-22s and F-35s. My bad though...What i actually meant was that

"LRSAMs are suppose to be F-22s and F-35s of this modern era of SAM tech and hence so costly. If anyone can jam or evade LRSAM then MRSAM and SRSAM are no match for that evader."

S-400 boasts that it can kill as small a flying object as a football and that too at any altitude.LRSAMs and MRSAMs should be part of IA as their positions keep on changing and hence are the first line of defence and are suppose to protect IAF from any incoming aerial threat. IAFs installations are mostly fixed as they consist of MOBs and FOBs. So only SRSAMs should more than enough for them as if at all anything can evade IA SAM system so they should be used against it. Its an era of netcentric warfare which ensures getting max of minimum and what i have heard that India really boasts of this factor but as per @randomradio the situation is like

To answer this, India hasn't yet achieved the maturity necessary to combine all types of SAMs into one system like the S-400. Maybe in the future.

If both IA and IAF keep on getting platforms as per their own requirements then it would be sort of duplication and waste of money which otherwise can effectively be used in some other purchases. I may be wrong in many things and thats why i asserted that I am adopting a novice approach.

 

[Agent_47]

While contacts for two additional airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) and a replacement of the C-130 that crashed are expected to be signed this fiscal, some key IAF procurements such as fighter aircraft, aerial refullers, and helicopters, and upgrade projects are likely to roll over to the next year due to paucity of funds.

Parliament’s Standing Committee of Defence, in its latest report, has listed out 10 contracts worth over Rs 6,728 crore that are unlikely to be signed this year. This includes procurement of 56 new aircraft to replace the ageing Avro transporter, 48 medium-lift helicopters, six mid-air refuelling tankers, 20 Hawk advance jet trainers and 38 Pilatus basic trainers.

The Indian Air Force’s wait for the much-needed KA-226 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters, long-range surface-to-air missiles, engines for the Jaguar fighter, electronic warfare suite for the MiG 29 and avionics upgrade for IL-76/78 has also lengthened.

For the Rafale fighter jets, the procurement of which has been hanging for about a decade, a separate proposal will be moved for additional funds in 2016-17 to procure the 36 aircraft after details regarding cost and delivery timelines are finalised, the committee observed.

Among the eight contracts, valued at Rs 2,039 crore, that would hopefully be signed this year are AWACS, a C-130 special missions aircraft, 14 Akash anti-aircraft missile units, upgrade for medium helicopters, precision-guided munitions, recce pods for Su-30, armament suite for Dhruvs and radio sets.

This fiscal, the IAF is facing a shortfall of Rs 7,748 crore in its capital budget and of Rs 2,769 crore in revenue budget. The shortfall in capital allocations will slow down modernisation, delay induction of important capabilities, erode IAF’s superiority and result in asymmetry in capability with respect to envisaged threat perception and flight safety

The lower revenue allocation will impact procurement of spares and fuel, affect serviceability, and lead to shortfall in training, resulting in compromise of operational preparedness and expenditure for disaster relief operations.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/fund-crunch-delays-iaf-s-purchase-plan/234521.html

@Abingdonboy
Would like to know your view on this.
I remember you saying IAF have enough CAPX for many of these deals with numbers back last year. Looks like we are facing serious CAPX shortfall.

 

[Abingdonboy]

@Abingdonboy
Would like to know your view on this.
I remember you saying IAF have enough CAPX for many of these deals with numbers back last year. Looks like we are facing serious CAPX shortfall.

CAPEX is always an issue according to any defence cheif in any military, it is in their interest to make this point. I'm not saying there is a considerable excess but the situation isn't as bleak as they would have us believe, the truth lies somehwhere in the middle. With most "big ticket" deals being paid for in installments spanning 5-10 years there are ample funds for multiple "big ticket" deals to be signed every year.

Some other points that are worth mentioning:
1) The Indian military has CONSISTENTLY returned hundreds of millions (if not billions) of USD every year in unspent CAPEX or, as the IA does, ends up transfering unspent CAPEX to their OPEX account towards the end of the FY.
2) The total defence budget for 2016-17 is unchanged from 2015-16 but the CAPEX allocation has been marginally increased.