India to Acquire Fresh 40 Su-30MKIs

[Bull]

New Delhi: A crisis has been brewing in the Indian Air Force and it's about to blow up in the face of the government. The Indian Air Force (IAF) top brass has informed the Union Government that if corrective measures are not taken immediately, India will lose its air superiority over Pakistan.


"Unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in Indian Air Force's force levels, the nation will for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan."


This is a what the three-page letter of warning, written by Air Chief Marshal Tyagi to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, says.


A copy of the letter, which has raised serious concerns over the declining combat force level of the IAF, is available with CNN-IBN.


In his letter, the Air Chief Marshal writes, "Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is being beefed up with 44 F16s from America. They have a clearly defined goal of attaining parity with the IAF. With China supplying J 10 and JF 17 aircraft (fitted with Russian engines), PAF force levels of combat squadron will increase."


"Unless steps are taken to move ahead with procurement, the IAF's combat strength will deplete to a level, which would entirely neutralise the conventional superiority held by IAF since our Independence. PAF will have 19 to 26 squadrons by 2011-12, while the IAF could reduce to 26.5 by 2015."

Says Additional Director, Air Power Studies, Kapil Kak, "This aircraft induction will take at least 10 years from today and in those 10 years, the MiG 21's will progress if they get wound down. Their total technical life and design life will end and we will have the Air Force combat force strength winding down, worringly fast."


The Indian Air Force has always enjoyed an edge in numbers over its adversary - the Pakistan Air Force - and thus the downward spiral has been a cause for concern for sometime.


The Standing Committee on Defence raised the same objections, but this time the concern comes from the Air Chief - whether it's the much hyped Light Combat Aircraft, or the Request for Proposals for 126 Multi Role Medium Range Combat Aircraft, several of these inductions are very delayed.


It's these very concerns that the Air Chief wants the Defence Minister to address.


In his letter, the Air Chief Marshal has also requested the RM to spearhead the following:

• Direct acquisition of 40 additional Su-30 MKIs from Russia on fast track.
  
  
• Request for Proposal for 126 Multi Role Medium Range Combat Aircraft be issued at the earliest.
  
  
• And last urge the Russian govt maintain their commitment of not permitting China to sell aircraft with Russian engines to Pakistan.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=7332

 

[Bull]

More Sukhois for the IAF

Defence minister AK Antony on Saturday sought to dispel doubts that military acquisitions would suffer while he's at the helm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as he would remain shackled by his "clean image" and would be chary of taking critical decisions. To prove his point, Antony said the defence acquisition council (DAC) had already cleared the decks for the purchase of additional Su-30 MKIs for the IAF from Russia.

In his first formal interaction with the media after assuming office in October, the defence minister emphasised that there was no question of defence deals being put on the backburner and his endeavour would be to ensure that the requirements of the armed forces were met as quickly as possible.

Asked if there had been any forward movement as regards the purchase of 126 multi-role combat aircraft for the IAF, he said the MoD had taken a decision and the air force would be getting the fighters at the earliest. The ministry has been sitting on the request for proposal (RFP) for the $7 billion MRCA deal for almost two years, despite steady depletion of IAF's combat power.

In fact, in a letter addressed to former defence minister Pranab Mukherjee in July, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi had underlined that unless immediate steps were taken to arrest the depleting force levels, the nation would for the first time in its history lose conventional air superiority over Pakistan.

Tyagi had requested the government to issue the RFP for the fighter aircraft at the earliest and also put the acquisition of 40 additional Su-30 MKIs from Russia on fast track. Antony said, "The DAC has cleared the Sukhoi deal. The thrust is on bringing in reforms with transparency and transparency does not necessarily mean delay." It will now be put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval.

The squadron strength of the IAF currently stands at 33 against the sanctioned 39 and half, and the number could touch a low of 26-27 by 2015.

Earlier, the defence minister and the three service chiefs paid floral tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate to mark the 35th anniversary of Vijay Diwas, which commemorates Indian victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1870162,0008.htm

 

[Bull]

This will to a great extend negate the advantage that PAF is trying to gain with acquisiton of new 40 odd F-16s.

 

[EagleEyes]

This will to a grat extend negate the advantage that PAF is trying to gain with acquisiton of new 40 odd F-16s.

PAF is not trying to get an advantage.

 

[joey]

spot on webby i like ur attitude.

 

[Bull]

Webby they are trying to reduce the gap, with this agreement India is making sure nothing changes.

For the 40 odd F-16s you are getting we are buying 40 MKI outright.
For the 50 off upgraded F-16s we are upgrading our entire Mig 29 squadrons ( 57 nos) and also the 49 mirage 2000s.
And for the 200 Jf -17 we have the 196 MRCA deal.

 

[centaurzhere.abdul]

Hmmmmm.......Looks like the IAF plan to Wake up the lazy Govt is Working.


The IAF plan of "India will lose its air superiority over Pakistan" is going well. It seriously waken up the Govt to Induct more Aircrafts. The PAK F-16s deal was rasing a lot of issues, especially those Armaans missiles

 

[melb4aust]

Don't you guyz see, US is still playing around with both of our countries, at one side offering Pakistan, F-16's, missiles and other equipment, while on the other hand opened the doors for india too, to have, handful of their toyz.

 

[Bull]

Don't you guyz see, US is still playing around with both of our countries, at one side offering Pakistan, F-16's, missiles and other equipment, while on the other hand opened the doors for india too, to have, handful of their toyz.

Even without the American weapons our countries would have still fought three wars or more infact.

 

[melb4aust]

Even without the American weapons our countries would have still fought three wars or more infact.

Yes indeed, but the others are taking the benefits outta this....., how about that

 

[Bull]

Yes indeed, but the others are taking the benefits outta this....., how about that

You mean we should have fought with bow and arrows. With out foriegn tech that would be what both of our countries would have had in '47,'65 and '71.

 

[melb4aust]

You mean we should have fought with bow and arrows. With out foriegn tech that would be what both of our countries would have had in '47,'65 and '71.

Even those bows and arrows ur talking about would have been acquired from foreign, by our countries

 

[Bull]

Even those bows and arrows ur talking about would have been acquired from foreign, by our countries

Well yeah..

 

[blain2]

Webby they are trying to reduce the gap, with this agreement India is making sure nothing changes.

For the 40 odd F-16s you are getting we are buying 40 MKI outright.
For the 50 off upgraded F-16s we are upgrading our entire Mig 29 squadrons ( 57 nos) and also the 49 mirage 2000s.
And for the 200 Jf -17 we have the 196 MRCA deal.

Bull,

I do not think you can look at it in this way. The way I see it, with the above purchase of additional MKIs, IAF only continues to enjoy the quantitative edge over the PAF. The difference here is that PAF is going up in terms of technology and there is nothing that IAF can do about that aspect.

Pakistan gets the technology boost which it relishes and knows that its not going to play a numbers game with the IAF because its not going to win that one. So now instead of having 32 or so F-16 blk 15s, IAF has to contend with about 96 or so F-16s with blk 50/52 avionics, ECM and weapons package which is a drastic infusion of high tech. Secondly, we get rid of all of our A-5s, F-7s etc., as the JF-17s come on line and there too, the technology boost is undeniable.

So as I have said, PAF will always be smaller, but the value of deterrance has gone up quite a few notches against the IAF. If we can contend against IAF's attempts at air superiority with high tech elements, then PAF is worth its keep...if not then we should disband our AF.

 

[Contrarian]

Webby they are trying to reduce the gap, with this agreement India is making sure nothing changes.

For the 40 odd F-16s you are getting we are buying 40 MKI outright.
For the 50 off upgraded F-16s we are upgrading our entire Mig 29 squadrons ( 57 nos) and also the 49 mirage 2000s.
And for the 200 Jf -17 we have the 196 MRCA deal.

Nicely put Bull, i never thought of all the acquisitions from that POV!

Now on comparing the advances by both India and Pakistan.
The numerical superiority would stay the same whereas the technological superiority would increase even more!