Indian Air Force News & Discussions

[bhagat]

IAF gets licence to ensure security of online information


Taking a major step towards its net-centric vision to put in place a foolproof information network, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has acquired a license to issue Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) which would give legal recognition to the electronic data.

The license to issue DSC was formally handed over to the IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) Dr N Vijay Aditya at Air Headquarters on Monday, IAF officials said here.

With this, the IAF would be able to put in place a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure information security in today's highly networked environment, the officials added.

With the capability to provide Information Assurance and Identity Management, PKI would ensure data integrity, user identification and authentication, data confidentiality, encryption and digital signature services for programs and applications on Air Force Network.

With this license, IAF would also be able to issue software and manage hardware certificates on state-of-the-art Internet Protocols (IP) on its network.

IAF is the first defence force in the country and second agency after the National Informatics Center (NIC) to receive this license.
IAF gets licence to ensure security of online information - Brahmand.com

 

[sudhir007]

Not worried over Chinese moves: Air Chief | idrw.org

In the backdrop of US official reports suggesting that China was deploying nuclear-capable missiles along the borders with India, the Air Force today said it was not ‘worried’ over these developments and has its own plans to deal with the issue.

“These are all known, it is nothing that we are worried about. We have our own plans and we are moving ahead with our own plans. These are the realities we have to deal with,” Air Chief Marshal N.A.K Browne told reporters on the sidelines of a CII event here.

He was responding to a query on the US Pentagon reports suggesting that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has deployed nuclear missiles along the borders. However, the Pentagon reports have been dismissed by the Chinese government also.

Asked that what could India learn from China in developing its indigenous aerospace industry, the IAF chief said: “One thing that one could learn from them is that they don’t attempt to do everything themselves.”

“Once you start the Research and Development and then wait and wait, then you make it the test-tube model, it takes you 20-30 years (to finalise the project),” he said.

Browne said that though India doesn’t have direct evidence, but ‘we still do know that despite all the sanctions and all other things, they (China) got a fair amount of technology from outside’.

Browne said the Chinese were spending ‘a lot of money on R&D. In case of our PSUs, the existing levels are very low.”

Asked about its plans to upgrade the Nyoma ALG into a full-fledged airfield, Browne said the proposal was with the Government.

In the recent past, India has deployed its fighter aircraft including the frontline Su-30MKI in Assam and is in the process of upgrading its Advanced Landing Grounds in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

 

[Kinetic]

Found this in another forum.... Not sure how much credible it is but Friday Times (Pakistani) is not banana source like few others.

What this could be? High altitude engine test facility which was part of C-17 deal? or anything else?




Burgeoning relationship: US-India-Pakistan
A high official of the Obama administration held forth at a select gathering in Washington DC recently about the burgeoning relationship between the US and India. He laid out the huge canvas of cooperation, military as well as civilian, and the massive amounts of money involved in Indo-US business exchanges, defence deals and technology transfers. One example was a workshop undertaken by US Air Force scientists in India recently which "will end up being the largest bilateral technological cooperation in the world". The high official also spoke about the potential scope of the Indo-US relationship. "When you see a vacant lot in prime real estate in an American city, you think it remains empty for a long time. Actually, it's not empty. A lot of work is going on behind the scenes. When building commences, you suddenly notice that a huge skyscraper goes up in no time at all. That's precisely because of the painstaking and meticulous work that was done for a long time on building a secure and durable foundation". That's what the Indo-US relationship will look like before long, he predicted. At the end of the talk, as the participants milled around, one official let slip that the Indo-US relationship is of "great concern" to Pakistan's military leadership. And that they often raise it as an issue in meetings with their American counterparts. The official said the Pakistan military has a "litany of emotional complaints". Hum ko un say wafa ki hai umeed jo naheen jantay wafa kya hai? Cynics say this could apply equally to both sides.
Hot Features: Such Gup

 

[SpArK]

Quite amazing stuff from IAF

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

Awesome interior shots of the Dhruv........Sorry if it has been posted before

 

[RPK]

IAF chopper makes emergency landing near Raigarh | NetIndian


An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter with 14 defence personnel on board made an emergency landing at Koda Tarai airstrip, about 12 km from Raigarh, due to inclement weather.

Police sources said all the IAF officials and jawans on board the chopper were safe. The helicopter was on a routine sortie from Ranchi to Raipur.

As Raigarh was experiencing heavy downpour since this morning, the pilot decided to make emergency landing at Koda Tarai at around 1040 hrs.

The airstrip was reportedly closed for over five years, the sources said, adding that the chopper would take off for Raipur only after the weather condition improves.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Awesome interior shots of the Dhruv........Sorry if it has been posted before

Four stretchers and space for four passengers- impressive cabin space and TOW.

 

[angeldemon_007]

Defence Security Report

 

[kaykay]

India to receive modified Mi-17s

The Indian Air Force will receive a more powerful, modified version of the Mi-17 combat helicopter within the next two to three weeks. Sources say that the first units will be stationed at a central airbase in Southern Punjab. The location of the base was selected with consideration of neighboring regions.



The delivery of the first helicopter was initially scheduled for last March. India has ordered a total of 80 helicopters. The $1.35 billion contract was signed in 2008 with FSUE Rosoboronexport (Russia’s major exporter of weapons and military equipment), India’s Ministry of Defense reported.



The Indian Air Force plans to use the Mi-17s for special missions, such as transporting troops and equipment, search and rescue operations, and emergency evacuations.



Airborne troops and Navy Special Forces have long used the Mi-17. Its modified version can land several crews at once via several onboard exit points.



The Mi-17 is the most recent upgrade for the Indian Air Force. The last helicopter deliveries occurred between 2000 and 2004. India’s Air Force has been using several types of Mi helicopters for the last forty years, including in operations in East Pakistan and the 1999 Kargil War. This helicopter is the mainstay of the Indian Air Force in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and the Himalayas.



The new model will feature a number of technical features that will allow pilots to start engines at an altitude of up to 6,000 meters, in order to serve facilities located in the Himalayas. Each of the twin engines now has a capacity of 2,200 hp, a significant improvement over the original Mi-17s, which had twin engines of 1,950 hp each.



India’s neighbors, China and Pakistan, also use Mi-17 helicopters. While Pakistan has only a few Mi-17s supplied by the US (a new delivery is pending), China has signed a joint production agreement with Russia.



As previously reported, Rosoboronexport signed a contract with the US Army in May 2011 to supply Afghanistan’s Air Force with 21 multi-purpose Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters for a total of $367.5 million. This deal is the first ever Russian-American military and technical cooperation project. According to Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, the Afghanis, who will be the end recipients of the choppers, have a long track record of operating Soviet-made helicopters. The Mi-17V5 is one of many upgraded versions of the world-famous Mi-8.



The first machines in this series were tested in combat conditions during the Afghan War in the 1980s.

---------- Post added at 10:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 AM ----------

the first fews will come within 2-3 weeks.....

 

[kaykay]

From Russia with love: PAK FA’s debut makes Washington ponder

Russia’s fifth generation fighter, the PAK FA, will enter service by 2015, according to Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Alexander Zelin speaking earlier this week, Defence Talk reports. Almost simultaneously, in 2016, the US will put into service two new fighter versions: the F-35A for the Air Force and the F-35C for the Navy. For the United States, this means that it must at any cost implement its plan to manufacturing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The advantages of the new Russian fighter were demonstrated to the public at the MAKS 2011 air show – something western experts see as yet further confirmation of Russia’s firm intention not only to produce Т-50 fighters for the Russian army but also to export them to other countries.

Russia announced plans to buy 60 PAK FA fighters by 2020. According to official information, there are plans to put into service 250 fighters and maybe more, western analysts say. India already intends to buy at least 250-300 Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) based on Russia’s Т-50 and adapted to India’s demands.

Since the United States stopped producing its F-22 fighter, the F-35 multirole fighter has been the only alternative to the Russian PAK FA available for the US and other NATO countries. At this point, the Russian fighter outdoes its western counterpart in terms of speed, maneuverability, sight range, lifting capacity, and even radar evasion. Russia describes its PAK FA as a fighter that &#8220;thanks to the use of complex materials and advanced technology <...> can reduce recognition by radar, optic and infrared recognition systems to a minimum.&#8221;

As for the limited optical visibility, experts largely attribute it to use of metamaterials and so-called &#8220;e-camouflage&#8221; in the more recent versions of the PAK FA. The negative refraction index of metamaterials makes them an ideal means for camouflaging military targets, as they cannot be discovered by radio reconnaissance equipment within a certain range of frequencies. Using this technology, on-board cameras record everything surrounding the aircraft, in real time mode. Supercomputers and metamaterials allow the cameras to project the image on to the aircraft&#8217;s surface, making it invisible. A similar effect was used in one James Bond movie, Die Another Day, where 007 was driving around in an Aston Martin invisible to the naked eye.

Being a multirole fighter, the PAK FA can also be deployed to repulse daylight ground attacks. It does not have to wait until night to perform combat operations, as was the case with the now decommissioned American stealth attack aircraft F-117, or perhaps the already mentioned F-35. Being invisible to enemy pilot puts PAK FA in a much more advantageous position. Yet the F-35 has a super sensitive electronic optical recognition system, which, in combination with helmet-mounted displays, allows pilots quickly to detect the warmth emanating from the enemy fighter.

Despite the PAK FA&#8217;s e-camouflage technology, Russia should not rest on its laurels, experts warn. The United States also has a fifth-generation fighter capable of competing with its closest analogues, both the Russian one and China&#8217;s J-20. Even so, the US will need to accumulate a lot of such aircraft if it wants not only to replenish its combat losses but also to get the upper hand in the fight for aerospace dominance.

Western analysts call on the US Congress to take into consideration Russia&#8217;s plans to export its new fighter to other countries. Along with India, potential buyers include Iran (if the UN cancels its embargo on weapons supplies), Arab nations (if the US refuses to sell its fighters), as well as Venezuela, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and perhaps even China, given that the PAK FA have a greater bomb-carrying capacity than the J-20, Defence Talk reports.
Thus, conclusions have been drawn but it is unclear how Washington will react to calls for urgent measures.

One thing is clear: Russia&#8217;s fifth generation fighter, the PAK FA, is a pioneer in the revival of Russia&#8217;s aerospace industry. Russia hopes to retain its position as the world&#8217;s leading manufacturer of military aviation equipment, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at the MAKS 2011 official opening ceremony.



&#8220;The government has supported and will continue to support Russia&#8217;s aerospace industry. This is a clear strategic priority for us&#8221;, he stressed.

 

[CypressHill]

KC-3806 (Final IAF C130J of this batch) @ RAF Brize Norton 3/4 Sept 2011 >>>> On it's way to India!

 

[Kinetic]

^^^^ US supplied all the C-130J exactly as scheduled which is non existent in the dictionary of Russians, French, British even Israelis..... the main supplier of weapons to India. Now P-8I is ahead of schedule.

 

[Executioner]

I' m loving it.

 

[sancho]

^^^^ US supplied all the C-130J exactly as scheduled which is non existent in the dictionary of Russians, French, British even Israelis..... the main supplier of weapons to India. Now P-8I is ahead of schedule.

Which is a good point indeed, but...

...would they have offered us an MRTA co-development?
...would they sell us arms and techs without restrictions and controls?
...does our industry benefit from ToT?
...how much did the operational capability of our forces suffered, even during war times and how much did our indigenous developments suffered, because of US sanctions?


I take any delay of Russian, French and Israeli arms and techs, as long as they remain to be totally reliable (especially in war times!), share their latest techs and treat us as real partners and not only as simple buyers. Not to mention that they give our forces total freedom to use these weapons the way they want and need it!

 

[RPK]

Procurement of Combat Aircraft
Su-30 MKI aircraft and TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft are the major modern combat aircraft that have been contracted for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF). The total cost of procurement of the Su-30 MKI is over Rs.55,717 crore while the cost of procurement of the TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft is about Rs.8691 crore.

Capacity for design and manufacture of modern combat aircraft involves development of very high and sophisticated technology skills which is a gradual process. Technology denial regimes have thwarted this effort in the past. The Defence Procurement Procedure provides for procurement of aircraft and their subsequent manufacture in India. Hence, major aircraft procurement programme entail a mix of outright purchase from abroad and subsequent manufacture in India with increasing levels of indigenization. M/s. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is already manufacturing the Su-30 MKI aircraft as well as the TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft for the IAF. Further, M/s. HAL would also eventually be manufacturing the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) planned for induction into the IAF.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Rajya Sabha today.

PK/NN
(Release ID :75720)