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A Complete News Magazine on National Security
Dream Machines
With the induction of Su-30MKIs, Bareilly station takes a strategic turn
Bareilly: Till a few years ago, the Bareilly Air Force Station reflected the spirit of the town it is based in: Sleepy and not on many people’s radar screens. Its operational role, though no less important, was executed by its helicopter unit and included communications, casualty evacuation and search and rescue in the hills of Uttaranchal.
But the coming of Su-30K in 2004 changed all that. In 2003, Pune-based Su-30Ks, which were given by the Russians as an interim measure, pending the development of India-specific fighter, were replaced by Su-30MKI, the first aircraft to be built exclusively for India according to the parameters laid down by the IAF. Consequently, the older aircraft were shifted to Bareilly, till the station got its very own squadron of Su-30MKI a year later. Today, the air station has two squadrons of Su-30MKIs, its pilots are just back after participating in the US-led exercise Red Flag and four of its fighters are in Leh doing preliminary flying in the high altitude. Bareilly is no longer a somnolent air force station. While once upon a time, its location in the hinterland was its biggest drawback, today it is its biggest strength.
Air Officer Commanding, Bareilly Air Force Station, Air Commodore D.P. Upot does not exaggerate when he says, “Earlier this station was on the back-burner. Now with the induction of Su-30MKIs, it has become a station of significant strategic importance. I see that in the next three to five years the importance of this station will increase even further once all the ground infrastructure is in place.” According to him, the importance of the station lies in its very location. Being far removed from the border areas and in close vicinity to other stations like Agra (home to heavy-lift IL-76, FRA IL-78 and eventually, the AWACS), Gwalior (multi-role fighter Mirage) and Gorakhpur (deep penetration strike fighter Jaguar), the Bareilly air station offers unrestricted and safe air space for joint exercises with other aircraft.
This is the reason Bareilly hosts a quarterly exercise called Shock Effect with the three neighbourhood air stations. In addition to this, it also conducts a large number of bilateral exercises with Mirages. Though the number of exercises with Jaguars is less because of the distance to Gorakhpur, integration exercises are conducted with them from time to time. Apart from the fighters, Bareilly station also conducts periodic Search and Rescue and casualty evacuation exercises with its helicopter units in the foothills of Himalayas. Because of its proximity to the mountains, the station is required to carry out a large number of casualty evacuation missions for the civil population in the event of natural calamities.
The varied roles apart, the centrepiece of the air station remain the Su-30MKI fighters and all conversation inadvertently veers towards these. Gp Capt M.B. Ranade, the chief operation officer of the station whose job it is to ensure safe flying environment, raves about the aircraft. He says, “The data-linking on the Su-30MKI enables several aircraft to interact with one another at the same time while airborne without switching on their radars. This is a huge capability.”
Statements like these are seconded by the commanding officer of one of the Su-30MKI squadron, Wg Cdr Anjan Bhadra, who flew the training sortie along with two other pilots on the day the FORCE team visited the air station. According to him, with the increasing number of aircraft in the service, his squadron is also carrying out a lot of conversion training for new pilots. “With the coming of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, a rookie would need to do six months on it before moving on to Su-30MKI,” he says, adding that, “even experienced pilots would need four to five months of training on Su-30MKI before they can claim to have mastered it.” For weapon systems operator (the twin-engine Su-30MKI needs two people to fly it), the training is for about seven months. “Since the aircraft is so complex, a pilot on an average requires seven to eight months of training,” says Wg Cdr Bhadra. Since Su-30MKI does not have a simulator, most of the training is done in the air. Though indigenously-developed computer-based training software and Cockpit Procedure Training, which is a mock-up of the cockpit, are available in Pune to facilitate training, Bareilly is shortly going to get Part Task Trainers from Russia. Moreover, one full mission simulator is likely to come up in Pune.
While clearly, Su-30MKI pilots have a lot to look forward to as far as training is concerned, there are passionate youngsters like Flying Officer Teejay, who love the machine so much that they say, “Su-30MKI does not require the pilot to do much. The fighter is flown by the computer.”
Dream Machines
With the induction of Su-30MKIs, Bareilly station takes a strategic turn
Bareilly: Till a few years ago, the Bareilly Air Force Station reflected the spirit of the town it is based in: Sleepy and not on many people’s radar screens. Its operational role, though no less important, was executed by its helicopter unit and included communications, casualty evacuation and search and rescue in the hills of Uttaranchal.
But the coming of Su-30K in 2004 changed all that. In 2003, Pune-based Su-30Ks, which were given by the Russians as an interim measure, pending the development of India-specific fighter, were replaced by Su-30MKI, the first aircraft to be built exclusively for India according to the parameters laid down by the IAF. Consequently, the older aircraft were shifted to Bareilly, till the station got its very own squadron of Su-30MKI a year later. Today, the air station has two squadrons of Su-30MKIs, its pilots are just back after participating in the US-led exercise Red Flag and four of its fighters are in Leh doing preliminary flying in the high altitude. Bareilly is no longer a somnolent air force station. While once upon a time, its location in the hinterland was its biggest drawback, today it is its biggest strength.
Air Officer Commanding, Bareilly Air Force Station, Air Commodore D.P. Upot does not exaggerate when he says, “Earlier this station was on the back-burner. Now with the induction of Su-30MKIs, it has become a station of significant strategic importance. I see that in the next three to five years the importance of this station will increase even further once all the ground infrastructure is in place.” According to him, the importance of the station lies in its very location. Being far removed from the border areas and in close vicinity to other stations like Agra (home to heavy-lift IL-76, FRA IL-78 and eventually, the AWACS), Gwalior (multi-role fighter Mirage) and Gorakhpur (deep penetration strike fighter Jaguar), the Bareilly air station offers unrestricted and safe air space for joint exercises with other aircraft.
This is the reason Bareilly hosts a quarterly exercise called Shock Effect with the three neighbourhood air stations. In addition to this, it also conducts a large number of bilateral exercises with Mirages. Though the number of exercises with Jaguars is less because of the distance to Gorakhpur, integration exercises are conducted with them from time to time. Apart from the fighters, Bareilly station also conducts periodic Search and Rescue and casualty evacuation exercises with its helicopter units in the foothills of Himalayas. Because of its proximity to the mountains, the station is required to carry out a large number of casualty evacuation missions for the civil population in the event of natural calamities.
The varied roles apart, the centrepiece of the air station remain the Su-30MKI fighters and all conversation inadvertently veers towards these. Gp Capt M.B. Ranade, the chief operation officer of the station whose job it is to ensure safe flying environment, raves about the aircraft. He says, “The data-linking on the Su-30MKI enables several aircraft to interact with one another at the same time while airborne without switching on their radars. This is a huge capability.”
Statements like these are seconded by the commanding officer of one of the Su-30MKI squadron, Wg Cdr Anjan Bhadra, who flew the training sortie along with two other pilots on the day the FORCE team visited the air station. According to him, with the increasing number of aircraft in the service, his squadron is also carrying out a lot of conversion training for new pilots. “With the coming of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, a rookie would need to do six months on it before moving on to Su-30MKI,” he says, adding that, “even experienced pilots would need four to five months of training on Su-30MKI before they can claim to have mastered it.” For weapon systems operator (the twin-engine Su-30MKI needs two people to fly it), the training is for about seven months. “Since the aircraft is so complex, a pilot on an average requires seven to eight months of training,” says Wg Cdr Bhadra. Since Su-30MKI does not have a simulator, most of the training is done in the air. Though indigenously-developed computer-based training software and Cockpit Procedure Training, which is a mock-up of the cockpit, are available in Pune to facilitate training, Bareilly is shortly going to get Part Task Trainers from Russia. Moreover, one full mission simulator is likely to come up in Pune.
While clearly, Su-30MKI pilots have a lot to look forward to as far as training is concerned, there are passionate youngsters like Flying Officer Teejay, who love the machine so much that they say, “Su-30MKI does not require the pilot to do much. The fighter is flown by the computer.”
