Indian Air Force News & Discussions

[RPK]

IAF to induct 15 indigenously-built Saras aircraft


The indigenous aircraft programme has got a boost with the Indian Air Force planning to induct the light transport aircraft Saras into its fleet.



The IAF is in the process of placing orders for acquiring 15 aircraft developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, official sources said.

The IAF order is considered to be a shot in the arm for NAL. A prototype of the 14-seater aircraft had crashed during a test flight in March, killing three persons onboard.

"The IAF has already finalised that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be manufacturing the aircraft and the firm order will be placed with the NAL by year-end," a source said.

This transport aircraft has suffered delays for a decade due to design flaws, an under-powered engine, excess take-off weight and non-availability of components following the 1998 sanctions imposed by the US.

However, when contacted, NAL Director A R Upadhya said that the new aircraft will have better engines that pack more power and engineers have also succeeded in reducing the total weight of the aircraft by 500 kg.

The earlier prototypes were heavier by at least 500 kg, thus leading to operational difficulties.

Upadhya said that a Commission of Inquiry has been investigating into the crash of the Saras prototype and the report is expected in another three weeks. Upadhya said the NAL Saras is a multi-role aircraft, ideal for executive transport, light package carrier, remote sensing and aerial research service, coast guard, border patrolling, air ambulance and other community services.
Saras is equipped with two rear-mounted turbo-prop Pratt and Whitney engines in a pusher propeller configuration and is designed to take off from and land on short, semi-prepared runways.

It is designed to carry between eight and 14 passengers and can be extended to an 19-passenger variant in multiple modes of operation.

The two prototypes of Saras, named after the Indian crane, have flown at least 100 hours since its maiden flight in May 2004 till the crash of prototype-II in March.


Saras is only the second plane after Hansa, a two-seater trainer aircraft, that is being developed indigenously.

NAL is also working on designing a 70-seat passenger aircraft called the RTA-70 for regional transport.

 

[RPK]

The Hindu : News / National : We'll make IAF dominant airpower: Antony

Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Monday said the government is taking a series of steps to develop the Indian Air Force (IAF) into a "dominant aerospace power."

Addressing the first meeting of the Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament attached to his Ministry, Mr. Antony said the steps include enhancing significantly the strategic reach of the IAF and integrating potent capabilities in terms of space-based assets and air defence, surveillance, modern aircraft and advanced weapon systems, an official release said.

Mr. Antony said the government's endeavours are aimed at seeing that the IAF's capabilities are in consonance with India's stature, aspirations and threat perceptions. "We also need to conceptualise and build asymmetric capabilities against superior forces."

Referring to the perspective plans of the Armed Forces, he said the gestation period for the induction of new equipment is long and, therefore, there must be clarity in our strategic assessments and projection of requirements. "We need to hasten our procurements to prevent voids in defence preparedness".

The Defence Minister said efforts were being made in the Ministry of Defence and its various wings to ensure that the country reaches the level of developed countries in defence technologies without going through all the intermediate steps. He informed the IAF is in the process of considerable transformation and modernisation and gave account of the various projects.

Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal P.K. Barbora gave a detailed account of various measures being taken by the Air Force to spread its assets across the country, as also to keep the morale of air warriors high.

However, some MPs felt disappointed that the briefing did not relate to the current security scenario and challenges in the region. "Much of the information is already available in public domain and on the IAF website. It was disappointing." an MP told The-Hindu on condition of anonymity.

The MP was of the view that the opportunity could have been utilised to sensitise MPs who have opted to be on the consultative committee on developments in the region, country-specific assessments and preparations of the IAF.

Many of them wanted to know the roadmap the IAF is following in the next 10-20 years to meet security challenges. Some members expressed concern over corruption in acquisition of the Ministry and under-utilisation of funds earmarked for capital acquisition.

 

[RPK]

India should build asymmetric warfare capabilities: Antony

With gaps in the military capabilities of India and China growing, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the country should "build" asymmetric warfare capabilities to counter threats from larger armed forces.



"We (Indians) need to conceptualise and build asymmetric capabilities against superior forces," Antony told the first Consultative Committee meeting of new Members of Parliament attached to the Defence Ministry, which dwelt on the Indian Air Force (IAF) strengths and weaknesses, here.



He said the government's endeavours were aimed at ensuring the IAF's capabilities are in consonance with India's stature, aspirations and threat perceptions, and it was taking a series of steps to develop the IAF into a "dominant aerospace power."



The Defence Minister said the steps included enhancing significantly the strategic reach of IAF to operate effectively far away from the Indian mainland and integrating potent capabilities in terms of space-based assets, air defence, surveillance, modern aircraft and advanced weapon systems.


Referring to the perspective plans of the Armed Forces, he said the gestation period for induction of new equipment was long and, therefore, there should be clarity in strategic assessments and projection of requirements.


"We need to hasten our procurements to prevent voids in defence preparedness," he added.


Antony said efforts are also being made in the Defence Ministry and its various wings to ensure that the country reached the level of developed countries in defence technologies, without going through all the intermediate steps.


"In our drive for modernisation and in execution of our daily tasks, we must be ever mindful of economy and avoid waste or duplication. We must lend our shoulders to indigenisation and think of ways in which we can reach the level of advanced states without necessarily following all the intermediate steps," he said.


Antony informed the members that IAF was in the process of considerable transformation and modernisation. Giving an account of various projects, he said the 'Hawk' Advanced Jet Trainers had already been inducted into the IAF, the inter-governmental agreements on the Fifth General Fighter Aircraft and Multi role Transport Aircraft had been inked with the Russians, and the evaluation process for the selection of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft was on.


The Members of Parliament, appreciating the IAF's role over the years in not only protecting the country but also providing humanitarian relief during natural disasters, wanted to know its road map for the next 10-20 years to meet the security challenges.


Some members expressed their concern over cases of corruption in acquisition process and under-utilisation of funds earmarked for capital acquisition. IAF vice chief Air Marshal P K Barbora gave a detailed account of various measures being taken by the Air Force to spread its assets across the country, as also to keep the morale of air warriors high.


The MPs, who attended the Consultative Committee meeting included Murli Manohar Joshi, Shivaji Adhalrao Patil, Harsh Vardhan, Manish Tewari, Lalit Mohan Suklabaidya and S S Ramasubbu, all from the Lok Sabha, and Ram Chandra Khuntia, Shivanand Tiwari, Janardhan Waghmare and Veer Singh from the Rajya Sabha.

 

[brahmastra]

Air Force: Pregnancy makes women pilots cost-inefficient


In a week's time, President Pratibha Patil will fly a half hour sortie on a Sukhoi. It's a feat also accomplished by her predecessor, President Kalam.

But setting a tone that could kill Patil's high, the Air Force has offered this startling opinion: in general, training women as pilots just isn't cost-efficient. Explaining that it costs about 11 crores to train a pilot, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff stated, "Nature's way of life is that you get married, bring up a family. Now the latest position on ladies flying is that if a lady goes into family way, she is off-duty for 10 out of 12 months. Now while we can always utilize... a lady in some other job, but in the pure profession in which we have invested so much if the poor lady herself who has contributed so much... if we cannot utilise... then it is not fruitful for either party. But we are looking at it and in a few more years we can see a change coming with certain pre-conditions."

Air Marshal PK Barbora is expected to confront a deluge of angry reactions from women activists, and from women in the Armed Forces, who point out that their careers entail daily battles against sexism.

Officially, defence forces say women are not psychologically fit for combat, but the fact that 75-year old Pratibha Patil has been declared fit to fly only adds insult to the injury.

In her defence, President Pratibha Patil's aides say she hops on the treadmill every morning and evening, and works out often with a yoga instructor.

"The President does want empowerment for women," said Archana Datta, OSD to President.

So, while China, Israel, America and even our neighbours Pakistan have all allowed women into combat, Indian forces remain shy. In their defence, India says only one out of 7 women remain in Pakistan's combat force but that's one more than us.

Air Force said that it was the President's desire to fly a fighter plane but for other women, who are not Supreme Commander of Chief, their wish to fly combat cannot be fulfilled just yet.

 

[brahmastra]

IAF Vice Chief asks for more FDI in defence

Suggesting that politicking was hampering defence requirements, IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal P K Barbora today said private industry’s participation be increased in the defence sector and India should be “bold enough” to allow more FDI in the area.

“We have to take steps. We need to be bold enough to invite Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), more so into defence use,” he told a CII seminar on energising aviation sector in India.

Foreign companies are currently allowed to invest only 26 per cent in Indian companies. Some of the global defence giants such as BAE Systems had proposed to start a joint venture with Mahindra Defence Systems with 49 per cent stakes but it did not get government’s approval.

Commenting on the politics over military purchases, Mr. Barbora said whatever defence requirements are cleared by the government, they are opposed by the opposition parties and the same happens when roles change and the opposition sits in government. “That impinges very badly on our defence requirements,” he said.

Stressing on the need for giving more freedom to private industry, Mr. Barbora said, “Private industry has to be evolved and given a market of their choosing and not our choosing, of course with certain guidelines.”

He said bringing in private players was very important for the aviation sector as India was not even contributing one per cent to the world market in the aerospace industry.

 

[ejaz007]

India no match for Pakistan as far as defence goes: IAF vice chief

NEW DELHI: While criticising Indian politicians for mixing the country’s military and defence needs with politics, Indian Air Force (IAF) Vice Chief Air Marshal PK Barbora said “as far as defence goes, we don’t even match up with Pakistan”. Addressing a seminar on energising the Indian aviation sector, Barbora said playing politics over defence purchases impinged “very badly” on the country’s military requirements. He also expressed his dissatisfaction over India’s defence exports. “The internal politics over the years is such that whatever defence requirements are cleared by the government, they are opposed by the opposition parties and the same happens when roles change and opposition sits in government, “ he said. app

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Tejas-MkII]

India no match for Pakistan as far as defence goes: IAF vice chief

NEW DELHI: While criticising Indian politicians for mixing the country’s military and defence needs with politics, Indian Air Force (IAF) Vice Chief Air Marshal PK Barbora said “as far as defence goes, we don’t even match up with Pakistan”. Addressing a seminar on energising the Indian aviation sector, Barbora said playing politics over defence purchases impinged “very badly” on the country’s military requirements. He also expressed his dissatisfaction over India’s defence exports. “The internal politics over the years is such that whatever defence requirements are cleared by the government, they are opposed by the opposition parties and the same happens when roles change and opposition sits in government, “ he said. app

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

what can i expect from a pakistani news paper ...

well here is the whole article and full statement Barbora,but main point to note his comment on chinese RE..

IAF Vice Chief’s latest: Politics stalls defence purchases

IAF Vice Chief’s latest: Politics stalls defence purchases

Two days after he said women could be recruited as fighter pilots only if they did not become mothers till a certain age, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal P K Barbora on Thursday took a swipe at the political class, saying politics over defence purchases impinged “very badly” on the country’s military requirements.

“As far as defence goes, we don’t even match up with Pakistan,” Barbora, while referring to Defence exports, told an aerospace seminar organised in New Delhi by the CII.

“The internal politics over the years is such that whatever defence requirements are cleared by the government, they are opposed by the opposition parties and the same happens when roles change and the opposition sits in government. That impinges very badly on our defence requirements.”

He asked the private defence industry to take note of the China example on reverse engineering of defence technologies. “Forget about ethics. China has done reverse engineering. Has anyone ever had the courage to ask China why are you doing it? No one cares a hoot. If you can’t do it yourself, you should know how to do reverse engineering.”

He took on the defence PSU sector, especially in the aviation industry, saying India does not even contribute to one percent of the global industry. He said Indian PSUs have remained happy manufacturing doors of Airbus aircraft while China has gone ahead and started mass producing commercial jets.

 

[Tejas-MkII]

IAF Vice-Chief slams politicos for poor defence

IAF Vice-Chief slams politicians for endangering defence

New Delhi: For the second time in a week Vice-Chief of Air Staff PK Barbora has hit the headlines. After being openly unapologetic for setting off a storm by terming women a liability for the military, on Thursday, Barbora lashed out at politicians, saying that red-tapism and Government inefficiency are jeopardising India's military preparedness.


He has accused politicians in India of making a "royal mess" of India's defence.


Air Marshall Barbora said, "The Government clears something, the Opposition immediately says no. When they change roles, the same thing happens. That impinges very badly on India's defence."


He also hit out at the slothful socialist culture promoting inefficient public sector undertakings, which he felt were a set back for India's military preparedness.


"We go for outright direct purchase, and the seller is very happy. At their (foreign suppliers) mercy, the tap can be turned off and the tap can be turned on,” said Barbora.

Defence analysts say that in a stiff world of spit and polish, the IAF's number two man - Air Marshal PK Barbora - is quite the find, a character.


In a system which frowns on candour and outspokenness, Air Marshal Barbora stands out for speaking his mind.


The jury is still out on whether he's simply a maverick or an intrepid general who is willing to stick his neck out in national interest.

 

[FlyingEagle]

Hi All!
When the lady pesident will take her final flight? She is doing it just to fulfill a wish or she will use fighter for her international travelling?

Regards,

 

[blain2]

This is really funny. Although I agree with the Wing Commander and the former IA CoAS:

The shouting and yelling is really funny.

 

[IBRIS]

This is really funny. Although I agree with the Wing Commander and the former IA CoAS:



The shouting and yelling is really funny.

Thats what happens when you give women equal rights status as same as men. Being in combat is whole different ballgame.

 

[Tejas-MkII]

The Hindu : National : IAF gets MoD’s nod to acquire a basic trainer

IAF gets MoD’s nod to acquire a basic trainer


BANGALORE: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose training fleet is presently in a squeeze, the go ahead to acquire, ‘off the shelf,’ 75 basic trainer aircraft.

The Ministry’s decision comes in response to an urgent call from the IAF for an ab initio trainer, who, after the grounding of their Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) designed and manufactured Hindustan Piston Trainer-32 (HPT-32) last August, were left without this class of an aircraft to train flight cadets.

Official sources confirmed that the IAF will shortly send out a request for proposal (RFP) to a number of basic turbo prop aircraft manufacturers including Embraer (for their Tucano), Pilatus (PC-21), Raytheon (T-6 Texan), Finmeccanica (M-311), Grob Aircraft (G-120TP) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KT-1) in an effort to choose an appropriate trainer.

The grounding of the 125-strong HPT-32 fleet has meant that the IAF will perforce have to fast track the trainer’s selection process.

However, the selection process is expected to take a year, as the IAF must go through the tender process.

Given this scenario, a desperate IAF is even toying with the idea of introducing flying lessons for cadets at the Air Force Academy (AFA) near Hyderabad on the jet engine Kiran intermediate trainer.

But the HPT-32 still remains grounded with the Court of Inquiry that went into the reasons for the July 31 crash which killed two IAF instructs, finding that the trainer’s engine ran dry.

The HPT-32 has been plagued with engine cuts, a phenomena when the engine suddenly switches of in mid air. Ninety such incidents and 11 deaths have been reported since the trainer became operational in 1984.

 

[Tejas-MkII]

HAL to invest Rs 25K cr in next 10 years- Airlines / Aviation-Transportation-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

HAL to invest Rs 25K cr in next 10 years

20 Nov 2009, 1647 hrs IST, PTI

BANGALORE: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd plans to invest more than Rs 25,000 crore in the next 10 years on the back of a strong order pipeline and big
ticket projects on the horizon.

The Chairman of the defence PSU, Ashok Nayak, said the company has an order book of more than Rs 60,000 crore.

"We have got a new order for upgrading the Jaguar once more. Fresh order for the IJT (Intermediate Jet Trainer) is imminent ... it's under approval ... may be Rs 6,000(app 1.5 Billion $,IAF have req. of 250 IJT) crore additional order. Hawk ... additional 57 - 40 for IAF and 17 for the Navy -- they are trying to buy," he told reporters here today.

Nayak said HAL plans to invest Rs 25,000 crore, mainly through internal accruals. "We have some reserves. Some grant will be given to each project (by the government)".

On how HAL would realise its aim of becoming a $6 billion company in 10 years, from being a $2 billion company now, he said that "big-ticket projects" of multi-role combat aircraft, fifth generation fighter aircraft, multi-role transport aircraft and regional transport aircraft are expected to take off in the coming years.

"So these things will bring the company to that level," Nayak said. "We hope we can do lot more outsourcing. Infrastructure in the Indian private industry is also coming up. We would like to make use of that".

 

[Tejas-MkII]

Hindustan Aeronautics to fly light combat chopper soon

Hindustan Aeronautics to fly light combat chopper soon

November 21st, 2009 - 12:40 am ICT by IANS -

Bangalore, Nov 20 (IANS) A prototype of the light combat helicopter (LCH), designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is set for its maiden flight soon, a top company official said Friday.

“The prototype LCH is getting ready for a maiden test flight in the coming weeks. We are waiting for the final checks to be completed to commence flight trials,” HAL chairman and managing director Ashok Nayak told reporters here.

The 5.5-tonne LCH, a derivative of HAL’s advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, will be rolled out for anti-armour and anti-infantry roles by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army respectively.

Though the LCH was to take-off by August, HAL announced in September that the first flight would take place by this year-end or early January, as its overall weight had to be reduced by about 20 percent (580) kg.

“We have overcome the weight problem. The target weight will be achieved for a successful test flight,” a HAL copter division official told IANS later.

HAL launched the LCH project in 2006 and developed the prototype at a cost of Rs.3.8 billion (Rs.380 crore).

LCH is expected to get the initial operational clearance (IOC) by December 2010 and the final operational clearance (FOC) in 2011 for induction into the IAF by 2012-2013.

On the joint venture with Russian aerospace major (Irkut Corporation) for the multi-role transport aircraft (MRTA), Nayak hoped an agreement to that effect would be signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Moscow in early December.

“We hope the deal will take place this time so that we can jointly take up design and development of the MRTA for military and civilian use,” Nayak said at a function to mark 25 years of collaboration with the US-based technology major Honeywell International in manufacturing turboprop engine (TPE-331-5).

HAL plans to manufacture the 14-seater Saras aircraft, designed and developed by the state-run National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) here.

“We plan to make 30-35 multi-role light transport aircraft primarily for the civilian market,”:azn: Nayak added.

In view of the huge order book valued at Rs.60,000 crore (Rs.600 billion) and some big-ticket projects in offing, HAL plans to invest Rs.25,000 crore over the next 10 years for expanding its infrastructure and other facilities across the country.

 

[Tejas-MkII]

Another article regarding maiden flight of LCH

Welcome - Times Of India ePaper


HAL to make engines for Honeywell



TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Bangalore: Phoenix-based Honeywell will outsource the manufacturing of 600 turboprop engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) once the market picks up.
The Honeywell-HAL collaboration is already a quarter century old.
Speaking at a media conference here on Friday, Honeywell Business & General Aviation president Rob Wilson said Honeywell is responsible for 13,000 units of TPE331 engines that operate on over 80 aircraft platforms around the globe. Of these, 225 units of TPE331 engines built by HAL are currently in use by the Indian Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force.
Honeywell-developed TPE fleet has accrued more than 115 million flying hours.
“The engine’s single spool design provides pilots with immediate power response and its proven reliability pushes the TPE331 to the top of customer support surveys,” he said.
Honeywell India president Anil Gupta said the region continues to be an important part of the company’s global growth strategy as a manufacturing location, export hub and centre of engineering and R&D excellence. Honeywell recently invested $34 million to set up a technology centre dedicated to refining and petrochemical processing in Gurgaon and earlier this year it opened a $50 million research, development and engineering facility in Bangalore.

HAL TO INVEST RS 25K CR

Speaking to reporters, Ashok Nayak, chairman of HAL, said the PSU major would invest Rs 25,000 crore in capex to enhance production capacity for different models of aircraft in the next 10 years.
Some big ticket projects including multi-role commercial aircraft, 5th generation fighter aircraft, multi-role transport aircraft and regional transport aircraft are in the pipeline, he said. Nayak said the prototype of the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter, the lighter version of the weaponised ALH, would be ready in two weeks while its flight tests would continue for over 10 weeks.

Responding to a query on ALH Dhruv crash in Ecuador, he said over manoeuvring would have caused the crash, and the probe report is expected to be out in a week. One of the six Dhruv copters acquired by Ecuador for $40 million for rescue and search operations had crashed recently, following which the local government stopped operating all other Dhruv aircraft. “There were no cancellation of export orders on account of the crash,’’ Nayak said.

HAL has grounded its MRO facility plan for commercial aircraft in the wake of the slowdown. Its Canadian simulation facility is expected to be operational by 2011. The PSU’s order book position stands at Rs 60,000 crore.