Iaf Tries Hard

[EagleEyes]

Indian Air Force plans to move fast into Space and focus on Aerospace to flex its muscles as world’s one of the best capable Air Force
Sudhir Chadda
Oct. 15, 2005

Time has come to make the world know what Indian Air Force is capable in Space technologies and Aerospace competition.

India with its growing economy needed to pump in more resources to develop its aerospace power which is set to play a "beyond-the-shore" role in the times ahead, India's Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi said on Saturday [15 October].

"No future war can be won without adequate exploitation of aerospace power," Tyagi said at a Second Subroto Mukerjee Seminar on Aerospace Power here.

India's economic boom, the air chief said, would jack up energy demands. "India will get energy hungry. We (too) will need all IAF aircraft to be capable of air-to-air refuelling. We will need more tankers... more means of air surveillance," he said.

"There is no choice but to put more resources in aerospace power. I do believe that out north-centric focus will change and aerospace power will have to play a role beyond shores," the air chief said.

Tyagi said only aerospace power was capable of bringing about a change in what he called a status quo on hilly terrains.

"It is only through the means of aerospace power that you can change the status quo... as the terrain does not permit pumping in of ground forces," he said.

The air chief, however, attributed India's victory in conflicts with Pakistan to coordination between air and ground forces.

 

[miroslav]

IAF announces plans for massive upgradation
NEW DELHI, OCT 24 (PTI)

Concerned over its dwindling aircraft fleet, Indian Air Force today announced plans for massive upgradation of its entire frontline fighter fleet, barring the newly acquired Sukhoi-30MKI.

"It will be an interim measure as we hope to restore our authorised strength by the proposed induction of 126 Medium Range Combat aircraft," the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani said here.

The fighters lined up for upgradation through technology induction include the country's lone air superiority aircraft, Mig-29, multi role aircraft Mirage 2000 as well as more of the Mig-21's.

Along with upgrading the frontline fighters, the IAF also proposes to modernise and augment its transport fleet of IL-78 Air to Air Refuellers, An-32 medium haul aircraft as well its ageging fleet of Mi-17 helicopters, the Vice Chief said.

His remarks assume significance in the context of IAF's strength dwindling from the present 39 squadron to almost 32 squadrons, due to phasing out of Type 75 Mig-21 and ground support Mig-23 and Mig 27 aircraft.

Though the IAF has an authorised strength of 45 squadrons, it has never been able to reach the magical figure, due to total absence of any induction in the force between early 80's when French Mirage 2000 were brought and in late 90's when Sukhoi-30's were inducted coupled with the delay in the indigenious Light Combat Aircraft.

Bhavnani said in the new upgradation programme, IAF planners were also keeping the option open for upgradation of more MiG-21 aircraft. "Though we have phased out the entire lot of older MiG-21's, we still have some of them," he said. MiG-21 still forms the mainstay of the IAF, though number of them have been phased out, sources said adding the force was still flying 150 to 175 of these fighters. IAF has gone for upgradation of 125 of these aircraft with the modernised version being christened MiG-21 Bisons.

Maintaining that upgradation of the fighters was one of the main recommendations of the just concluded Senior Air Force Commanders meeting here, Bhavnani said a decision had also been taken for upgrading the country's surface to air missle defence systems, which is almost 30 years old.

Sidestepping questions on nature of upgrades being undertaken on the fighters, the Vice Chief merely said that Mirage 2000 upgradation would include installing new sensors, new missiles and avionics in these fighters to bring them at par with the contemporary fighters.

He, however made it clear that IAF main priority was on acquisition of the 126 new aircrafts. Five fighters - Boeing's F-18 super hornets, Lockheed Martin's F-16's, Dassault Mirage 2000-5, Swedish Gripper and Russian Mig-29 II - are vying for the Indian contract.

Link

 

[miroslav]

IAF combat fleet down by nine squadrons
Gulshan Luthra

New Delhi, October 19
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has phased out about half a dozen of its MiG series of combat squadrons in the past couple of years, forcing it to take unprecedented steps to keep up its fighting capability by technology induction.

As predicted in these columns at the beginning of this year, the present strength of the IAF combat force has come down to about 30 squadrons, down from 39 declared by the then Chief of Air Staff a couple of years ago. The loss is due to the large ageing fleet of MiG-21s as well as MiG-23s and MiG-27s, and the inability of the successive governments to timely replace them over the last two decades.

Sources say that the IAF has sought an immediate step-up in the production level of SU-30 aircraft from eight to 12 per year, creation of another MiG-21 BIS squadron, and also placed an order for additional Jaguar Attack jets with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Induction of force multipliers like laser-guided and other precision bombs, standoff weapons, better radars and longer-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or pilotless surveillance aircraft has also been boosted.

According to noted defence analyst, Air Marshal Ashok Goel (retd), the loss of numbers is indeed worrying keeping in mind the increasing strategic role of India on the one hand and the fact that a much smaller country like Pakistan has 22 squadrons, or about three-fourths of what India has.

“The Air Force and the Ministry of Defence are now working fast to ensure the induction of 126 multi role combat aircraft (MRCAs) to replace the phased out jets, and although the formal request for proposals (RfPs) to the five contenders would be send by the year-end, their induction would still take time. Fast induction of force multipliers is one immediate measure to keep the force fighting fit,” he says.

Till 2003, India had approximately 700 combat jets, according to the Military Balance published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). About 600 of these were of Soviet/ Russian origin, and of them, more than half, or 300-plus, were MiG 21s. Then there were 78-MiG 23s, 135 MiG-27s, 63-MiG 29s, and seven MiG-25s, the last being the mainstay of aerial reconnaissance.

Except for 125 MiG-21s, which are being upgraded to the MiG 21-BIS standard, all other Mig-21s and all the MiG-23s and MiG-27s aircraft are due to be phased out by 2007.

That is a very large number, creating a vacuum of nearly half of the IAF’s combat strength, but for the timely induction of SU-30s and force multipliers from flight refuellers to precision bombs, the first of which were used in the 1999 Kargil war to throw out the infiltrating Pakistani troops.

India already has a squadron of six Il-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRAs), which can extend the range and staying power of SU 30s, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s. The number of the FRAs, and possibly also that of Phalcon AWACs, three of which India is buying from Israel, would go a long way in helping the IAF defend the nation.

It may be noted that the IAF has received some Mirage-2000 aircraft to make up for the periodic training and operational losses (maintenance reserve and strike off wastage) that any force has to bear, but its expectation to buy 12 Mirage-2005 from Qatar, all of which are in excellent condition, has fallen through due to the differences over price. A deal would have been nice as these aircraft would have come both with spares and weapons.

Mirage 2005 is among the five MRCAs that the IAF is considering, the others being Russian Mig 29M2, Swedish JAS 39 Gripen and the US F-16 made by Lockheed Martin and F-18 made by Boeing.

The F-18 Hornet has been designed for ship-borne attacks but is a good aircraft and can be used particularly from air bases along the shore.

Nonetheless, the choice has to lie with the IAF as it will have the responsibility to deploy them in compatibility with its overall training and operational perspective.

According to Air Marshal Goel, HAL is the lifeline of the IAF and accordingly has a major responsibility, qualitatively and quantitatively, to deliver whatever aircraft the IAF orders on time.

That includes the SU 30s, Jaguars, MiG-21 BIS and the LCA Tejas, whose induction is due from 2007-08 onwards. Of the 126 MRCAs, IAF would get only about 20 in flyaway condition and the rest would be assembled or manufactured by HAL. The process should be time-bound and customer-responsive.

Pointing out that one former Prime Minister opposed the induction of SU-30s, Air Marshal Goel says that it is time the politicians stopped playing blame games with one another and thereby adversely affecting the armed forces.

Delays in induction of aircraft and technology for the Air Force, and similarly modern equipment for the Army and Navy, would threaten the security of the country.

The lesson is clear: ageing equipment loses its heart and soul and technological transplants cannot prolong its effective life. The IAF needs new aircraft and newer technologies. The acquisition process needs to be speeded upto make up for lost time.

Link

Miro

 

[VisionHawk]

miroslav beside pasting indian links try giving some international links :harhar:

 

[miroslav]

Originally posted by VisionHawk@Oct 28 2005, 04:19 PM
miroslav beside pasting indian links try giving some international links  :harhar:

[post=1561]Quoted post[/post]​

Challenge for Pakistan Air Force

AIR MARSHAL (RETD) Ex-PAF AYAZ AHMED KHAN

On March 25, 2005, the Bush Administration accorded its approval to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan "in a major policy shift rewarding a key ally in the war on terrorism, and angering neighbouring India". A senior Bush administration official said that initial estimates called for the sale of 24 F-16s to Pakistan. But the State Department said that Washington has set no fixed limits on how many F-16 aircraft Islamabad can buy. White House spokesman said "the F-16 jets are vital to Pakistan's security as President Musharraf takes numerous risks prosecuting the war on terror".

This is good news for the Pakistan Air Force, which since October 1989 had been denied access to advanced aircraft and weapons from the US, while the Indian Air Force has procured advanced aircraft, BVR missiles, precision guided weapons, and AWACs from Russia, France, Israel and UK. During 90s the balance of air power was already four to one in India's favour. The euphoria about new F-16s for the PAF has evaporated, since Washington has announced supply of very large numbers of F-16 Falcons and F-18 Super Hornets to the Indian Air Force. The air power imbalance will tilt further in favour of India.


Washington has moved fast to placate India, which is considered a bulwark for the furtherance of US strategic and economic interests in the region. On April 21, 2005, a high level US defence team led by Lt General Jeffry B Kohler held extensive discussions with the top Indian Air Force officials and submitted detailed technical parameters of the two fighters jets that the US has offered to India. The offer includes F-16 Fighting Falcons manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and twin-engined F-18 Super Hornets being manufactured by The Boeing Aircraft Company.
After a round of meetings, the Request for Information (RFI), was provided by Lt General Kohler - Director US Defence Security Cooperation Agency to senior IAF officials. Kohler said that the two US Companies would bid for Indian fighter aircraft requirements. These US aircraft manufacturers would be offering the latest versions of their fighters to India. Both the companies have plans to bring their fighters to India for trails, and would give detailed presentations to IAF officials." Lockheed Martin had already offered 140 F16 fighters to India. Twenty two off the shelf, while 118 designed and manufactured as per IAF requirements, to be assembled by HAL at Bangalore.

India has already asked for bids for the procurement of fourth generation fighters from Dassault of France, Swedish Grippen, and Russian aircraft manufacturers. Bids have already been received form these companies. The Americans are the last of the four countries to send their bids for the expected large scale fighter procurement programme of the Indian Air Force.

A US official said that India is contemplating a "very large purchase of fighters", including US built F-16s and F-18s. Jet fighter aircraft are expensive, and India would be spending billions of dollars to purchase fighter jets for offensive action and defence against assumed enemies. With over 2000 aircraft, which include 800 combat aircraft, Indian Air Force is the fourth largest in the world. India is not faced with any external threat.

Except self made disputes, like the unsolved Kashmir problem, forcible occupation of Siachen Glacier, Sir Creek, and building of dams and barrages in Kashmir in contravention of the Pakistan India water accord. These very serious irritants in the normalisation of relations could be solved if India so willed. These are the pretext for anti-Pakistan propaganda and for the massive build-up of forces, to threaten and intimidate Pakistan.

Both Pakistani and India have declared that the peace process is irreversible. But Indian military capabilities especially deployment of 600,000 regular troops in Jammu and Kashmir, past history of wars against Pakistan, recent deployment of entire Indian Armed Forces against Pakistan, Pakistan specific military exercises, and hysteric build-up of the Indian Air Force fully expose belligerent Indian intentions towards Pakistan.

The recently revealed Indian "Cold Start Doctrine", which aims at capturing Pakistan's strategic assets through rapid deployment of Indian combatant forces, reveals the mindset of Indian strategic policy planners. Indian plan is to surprise Pakistani armed forces, by capturing Pakistani strategic assets, "before the country reacts to any war alarms." Indian Air force will be a key player in any such pre-emptive action. Recently India raised a new Command, called 'The South West Command', to be deployed to threaten southern Pakistan especially Sind. Pakistan Army, the PAF and Pakistan Navy must review and rationalise their operational strategy to defeat Indian pre-emptive attack plans.

For Pakistan Indian plans to build dams and barrages in Indian Held Kashmir is a conspiracy to steal Pakistan's water and throttle its jugular vein. Pakistanis are emotional about Indian plans to control Pakistan's water resources. The water dispute is as serious as the Kashmir dispute, and could lead to the fourth war between Pakistan and India. Jammu and Kashmir is a flashpoint because both the countries are nuclear states, and have powerful conventional forces.

Pakistan is seriously threatened by the imbalance between the IAF and the PAF. Indian air power build-up, especially enhancement of its offensive air power potential, is a challenge for the Pakistan Air Force. Pakistan can ill-afford to ignore the strike and intercept capabilities of the IAF, especially of its 190 Sukhoi (Su-30k) and 50 Mirage 2000-H multirole aircraft. The force multiplier impact of 190 Flankers, 50 Mirages and about 300 F-16 Falcons and F-18 Super Hornets, the Indian Air Force could outgun the PAF in the war for air superiority. The smaller PAF will find it difficult to clear the skies over the FDLs. Armour advances of Pakistan army could be halted in their tracks by IAF's BVR weapons. Pakistan therefore has no option, but to build a strong air force, which is not inferior to the Indian Air Force, in quality and quantity.

Despite calls for "irreversible peace," India is arming itself for possible showdown with Pakistan. China or Bangladesh are also categorised as enemy countries by Indian military strategists and politicians. Former Defence Minister George Fernandes had repeatedly declared that," China is the enemy country". Indian military is already huge, and beefing it up to settle scores with Pakistan only does not make sense.

Indian policy planners are conscious of China's military capabilities, especially that of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Air force. Indian Air Force will have 190 Su-30 MK Flankers soon. But the PLA Air Force will have 400 Flanker jets; twice as many as the IAF. PLAAF's fighter arsenal comprises 78 Su-27Sk and 76 Su-30 MKK purchased from Russia. Recently PLA Air Force has received 24 advanced Sukhoi Su-30MK2 Flanker fighters.

These are naval versions of Sukhoi Su-30 MKK fighter. China is building another 200 Flankers under licence from Sukhoi. PLA's 400 Flankers constitute an formidable force for offensive operations, and for the air defence of China. According to Richard Fischer a top US defence analyst PLA's latest Flanker fighters can beat US jet fighters including the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon in air combat.
The Chinese Su-30 MKK, and the Indian Sukhoi-30 MK Flankers can outgun and outrun the best USAF fighters. He reports that F-15 fighters of the United States Air Force, performed badly during air combat training engagements in Alaska with the Indian Air Force Su-30 MK's. That the F-15s equipped with latest long range high definition radars, are inferior to the Flankers is disturbing for the Pentagon and the USAF. During air combat exercises IAF's Su 30 MKs and F-15 pilots saw each other at the same time with their radars, but the Indian fighter pilots invariably got the first shot with their AA-10 Alamo air to air missiles. They won all long range (BVR) air combats.

According to Richard Fisher, who is an expert on Chinese military," PLA Chinese Flanker fighters can beat the top US jet fighters including the F-15 Eagle. In 1992 Russian Sukhoi Su-27s (earlier Flankers) arrived at US Langley Air Force base to perform. Their performance and pilot handling was impressive. Since 1992 Pentagon has known that in a close-in dog fight the Su-27 and now Mk-30s would smear the F-15 Eagle. The USAF-Indian Air Force exercises have brought home the lesson that Russian radars, BVR systems and weapons and tactics have reached a high level, in which the F-15 Eagle is being outclassed in long range engagements".

Here is a lesson for the PAF. The future air combat with the IAF Su 30 MK Flankers will be long range engagements with BVR weapons. The gap is quality, quantity and advanced weaponry must be bridged immediately to ensure that PAF fighter pilots are not at a disadvantage in a future air war.

http://nation.com.pk/daily/may-2005/4/columns5.php

Miro

 

[Kaiser]

Dude If India goes for the f-16 (highly doubted) then Russia will start offering advanced fighers to Pakistan not only that but Pakistan would probaly counter by mass produceing the jf-17. The IAF cant afford 190 flankers,300 f-16s thats around US 25 billion excluding maintanance and weapons along with avionics...... :LOLANI:



Kaiser i will not tolrate abuse or offensive language in here Ahsan let you go easily but i am different this is your 1st and last warning and i hope you keep it that way so keep this in your head that crap like this doesnt happen in this forum again especially from you

P.S i am not your enemy all indians and Pakistani's are to be treated fairly.


Edit by admin: Kaiser your warn level has been increased. No other action besides this will be taken right now, but I hope you stop using weird PM titles and don't use abusive language or you and I know what will happen if that keeps happening.