Indian Air Force News & Discussions
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Textron offers Scorpion light attack jet to India
Although Textron has offered the Scorpion to India, there is no aircraft in production anywhere in the world, which meets the ecifications of the IAF RFI for intermediate jet trainers.
Scorpion Airland | Image: Textron
US defense company Textron has offered the newly developed Scorpion light attack jet in response to the Indian Air Force (IAF) Request For Information (RFI) for an Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), which can double as a light attack aircraft.
Although the process is at a preliminary stage, the RFI has given rise to a number of points of interest.
Firstly, although the IAF has sent the RFI to all potential aircraft manufacturers, there is, in fact, no intermediate jet trainer in production anywhere in the world, at this point.
Boeing, which has recently been in a tie-up with Swedish aviation company Saab for the development of a new trainer aircraft, has also decided not to respond to the request.
An emailed response from Boeing said, “While we appreciate the opportunity, we do not plan to participate in the IAF’s Request for Information at this time. Presently, we are not in a position to meet the specific published requirements for an intermediate jet trainer.”
The company clarified, “Boeing has partnered with Saab to compete for the T-X competition in the U.S. and we are focused on creating an all-new purpose-built Family of Systems training solution, including an advanced trainer, designed to meet the specific needs of the U.S. Air Force.”
The IAF RFI is specific about its interest in an aircraft that can also undertake a light attack role. Doubtless, it is this aspect that driven Textron to respond, considering the design idea behind the Scorpion. But although the RFI has inquired about a single-engine aircraft, the Scorpion Airland is twin-engined.
It is, however, not clear whether the RFI could proceed to the RFP stage, considering the absence of a production aircraft of the specified type.
Unlike many other air forces, the IAF continues with its three-stage aircraft training program, which begins with the basic trainer, a role taken over by the Pilatus PC-7, and culminates with training on the Hawk. Unlike these other air forces, there is lesser emphasis on simulator training, requiring the intermediate trainer as well as an emphasis on flight hours for training. Other countries have put together a mix of training on basic trainers, advanced trainers and substantial simulator training, precluding the intermediate trainer from their programs, entirely.
This absence of an intermediate trainer from these programs is also the reason for the lack of demand for such an aircraft, which is why no manufacturer builds a production aircraft of the type.
Also signigicant is the IAF's interest in the light attack role for the aircraft,whcih could mean a different mission profile for it,beyond training.
Textron offers Scorpion light attack jet to India | StratPost
Although Textron has offered the Scorpion to India, there is no aircraft in production anywhere in the world, which meets the ecifications of the IAF RFI for intermediate jet trainers.
Scorpion Airland | Image: Textron
US defense company Textron has offered the newly developed Scorpion light attack jet in response to the Indian Air Force (IAF) Request For Information (RFI) for an Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), which can double as a light attack aircraft.
Although the process is at a preliminary stage, the RFI has given rise to a number of points of interest.
Firstly, although the IAF has sent the RFI to all potential aircraft manufacturers, there is, in fact, no intermediate jet trainer in production anywhere in the world, at this point.
Boeing, which has recently been in a tie-up with Swedish aviation company Saab for the development of a new trainer aircraft, has also decided not to respond to the request.
An emailed response from Boeing said, “While we appreciate the opportunity, we do not plan to participate in the IAF’s Request for Information at this time. Presently, we are not in a position to meet the specific published requirements for an intermediate jet trainer.”
The company clarified, “Boeing has partnered with Saab to compete for the T-X competition in the U.S. and we are focused on creating an all-new purpose-built Family of Systems training solution, including an advanced trainer, designed to meet the specific needs of the U.S. Air Force.”
The IAF RFI is specific about its interest in an aircraft that can also undertake a light attack role. Doubtless, it is this aspect that driven Textron to respond, considering the design idea behind the Scorpion. But although the RFI has inquired about a single-engine aircraft, the Scorpion Airland is twin-engined.
It is, however, not clear whether the RFI could proceed to the RFP stage, considering the absence of a production aircraft of the specified type.
Unlike many other air forces, the IAF continues with its three-stage aircraft training program, which begins with the basic trainer, a role taken over by the Pilatus PC-7, and culminates with training on the Hawk. Unlike these other air forces, there is lesser emphasis on simulator training, requiring the intermediate trainer as well as an emphasis on flight hours for training. Other countries have put together a mix of training on basic trainers, advanced trainers and substantial simulator training, precluding the intermediate trainer from their programs, entirely.
This absence of an intermediate trainer from these programs is also the reason for the lack of demand for such an aircraft, which is why no manufacturer builds a production aircraft of the type.
Also signigicant is the IAF's interest in the light attack role for the aircraft,whcih could mean a different mission profile for it,beyond training.
Textron offers Scorpion light attack jet to India | StratPost
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Indian Air Force unearths suspected World War II bomb
Midnapore, (West Bengal): Air Force officials unearthed a suspect 1000 pound (lb) World War II bomb at a site while routine clearing of land in Midnapore district of West Bengal.
A 1000-pound bomb is suspected to be dropped during World War II and will be defused soon. It was found near Kalaikunda Air Force base near west Midnapore.
Police bomb squads moved in, carefully, to dismantle the bomb. Authorities said it was simply too big to explode in place, which is usually the safest option in such circumstances.
The device is believed to have been dropped during World War two and will be soon defused as it was unearthed by Indian Air Force.
"It is a suspected thousand pound bomb, used during British period. An Air Force officer, BB Talukdar said that if confirmed it will be demolished.
ANI
Indian Air Force unearths suspected World War II bomb
Midnapore, (West Bengal): Air Force officials unearthed a suspect 1000 pound (lb) World War II bomb at a site while routine clearing of land in Midnapore district of West Bengal.
A 1000-pound bomb is suspected to be dropped during World War II and will be defused soon. It was found near Kalaikunda Air Force base near west Midnapore.
Police bomb squads moved in, carefully, to dismantle the bomb. Authorities said it was simply too big to explode in place, which is usually the safest option in such circumstances.
The device is believed to have been dropped during World War two and will be soon defused as it was unearthed by Indian Air Force.
"It is a suspected thousand pound bomb, used during British period. An Air Force officer, BB Talukdar said that if confirmed it will be demolished.
ANI
Indian Air Force unearths suspected World War II bomb
Mujraparty
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NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force and the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are at odds over development of an airborne warning and control system capability, with DRDO promoting indigenous development of the radar system and the service wanting an overseas acquisition.
DRDO has floated a global tender to buy aircraft for mounting the homegrown radar so it is not put on hold by the next government, an Air Force source said. But since the AWACS radar only exists on the drawing board, completion of the program by the target date of 2020 is unlikely to be achieved, given DRDO’s history with high-technology projects, the source said.
The Air Force has an urgent requirement for 10 additional aircraft equipped with AWACS and does not want to wait for indigenous development. India’s Defence Ministry will be asked to cancel the program
, the source added.
“The 10 AWACS are required for specific areas and will be part of network-centric operations, and are expected to be able to provide adequate coverage of specified areas,” an Air Force official said.
Currently, the service operates three AWACS, composed of the Phalcon AWACS radar purchased from Israel and mounted on Russian Il-76 transport aircraft.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who has always favored state-owned defense companies and DRDO, approved the AWACS program last year.
“With chances of the ruling Congress-led coalition government unlikely to win the [upcoming] general elections, the new government is unlikely to award defense projects to state-owned companies, including DRDO, ... as liberally as Antony.” said defense analyst Nitin Mehta.
The Bangalore-based Centre for Airborne Systems (CAB), a DRDO laboratory that proposes to develop the AWACS radar, last week floated the tender for the purchase of six aircraft with necessary modifications for installing the AWACS payload.
CAB officials say they need an aircraft able to carry an antenna that is 10 meters in diameter. However, the status of the antenna is still not clear.
A DRDO official said the proposed AWACS program is a spinoff of a homegrown airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system that CAB is developing for a modified Embraer ERJ-145 passenger jet. The proposed AWACS program will offer a system with 360 degrees of coverage, compared with 270 degrees for the ERJ-145 system, and it will have better detection range.
A DRDO official said the ERJ-145 AEW&C program is in progress. Integration of the radar, communications and control equipment is proceeding and will be followed by trials; all three AEW&C planes are scheduled to be operational this year.
The Air Force source, however, said integration of the radar and other gear will be the key to the success of the AEW&C project.
The AEW&C program also is behind scheduled by more than three years. The Indian government in 2004 approved a $450 million proposal for the program, but the purchase of aircraft was delayed by three years because the Air Force wanted modifications to carry an increased payload, the DRDO official said. ■
Indian AF Pushes for AWACS Competition | Defense News | defensenews.com
DRDO has floated a global tender to buy aircraft for mounting the homegrown radar so it is not put on hold by the next government, an Air Force source said. But since the AWACS radar only exists on the drawing board, completion of the program by the target date of 2020 is unlikely to be achieved, given DRDO’s history with high-technology projects, the source said.
The Air Force has an urgent requirement for 10 additional aircraft equipped with AWACS and does not want to wait for indigenous development. India’s Defence Ministry will be asked to cancel the program
, the source added.“The 10 AWACS are required for specific areas and will be part of network-centric operations, and are expected to be able to provide adequate coverage of specified areas,” an Air Force official said.
Currently, the service operates three AWACS, composed of the Phalcon AWACS radar purchased from Israel and mounted on Russian Il-76 transport aircraft.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who has always favored state-owned defense companies and DRDO, approved the AWACS program last year.
“With chances of the ruling Congress-led coalition government unlikely to win the [upcoming] general elections, the new government is unlikely to award defense projects to state-owned companies, including DRDO, ... as liberally as Antony.” said defense analyst Nitin Mehta.
The Bangalore-based Centre for Airborne Systems (CAB), a DRDO laboratory that proposes to develop the AWACS radar, last week floated the tender for the purchase of six aircraft with necessary modifications for installing the AWACS payload.
CAB officials say they need an aircraft able to carry an antenna that is 10 meters in diameter. However, the status of the antenna is still not clear.
A DRDO official said the proposed AWACS program is a spinoff of a homegrown airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system that CAB is developing for a modified Embraer ERJ-145 passenger jet. The proposed AWACS program will offer a system with 360 degrees of coverage, compared with 270 degrees for the ERJ-145 system, and it will have better detection range.
A DRDO official said the ERJ-145 AEW&C program is in progress. Integration of the radar, communications and control equipment is proceeding and will be followed by trials; all three AEW&C planes are scheduled to be operational this year.
The Air Force source, however, said integration of the radar and other gear will be the key to the success of the AEW&C project.
The AEW&C program also is behind scheduled by more than three years. The Indian government in 2004 approved a $450 million proposal for the program, but the purchase of aircraft was delayed by three years because the Air Force wanted modifications to carry an increased payload, the DRDO official said. ■
Indian AF Pushes for AWACS Competition | Defense News | defensenews.com
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‘Wake turbulence’ led to C-130 J aircraft crash
The shocking crash last month of the IAF’s special operations C-130 J aircraft is believed to have been caused by the transporter inadvertently flying into the wake of the lead plane during the tactical training mission, leading to a loss of control at low altitude and the accident that killed all five crew members.
Preliminary findings of the detailed inquiry under way point to a “wake turbulence” incident in which the C-130 J, which was part of a two-aircraft formation practising insertion of paratroopers, stalled at a low level after hitting the wake of the lead aircraft.
The findings have ruled out any technical fault and suggested that the aircraft failed to adopt a flight path to avoid the massive wake generated by the four engines of the lead C-130 J. An error of judgement by the pilot could have contributed to the incident, the findings suggest.
The probability of such a loss of control is particularly high when heavy aircraft are conducting manoeuvres close to the ground. In this case, both aircraft were flying at 300 feet above ground level and had to climb to 1,000 feet when the accident occurred.
While the lead aircraft of the formation successfully climbed to 1,000 feet after the simulated “drop”, the second aircraft crashed into a river bed without any warning or distress signal.
This, sources said, suggests a sudden, drastic loss of control due to the turbulence generated by the lead C-130 J and is being corroborated by the air crash investigators with data from the flight recorders.
Once the inquiry findings are finalised, new safety directives are likely to be generated within the air force to avoid such accidents. The air force had also sought the help of the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, to decipher the voice recorder as well as the flight data recorder.
The loss of the air force’s most modern special operations C-130 J aircraft on March 28 was particularly shocking given that the plane had been inducted into the air force in 2010 and was commanded by Wing Commander Prashant Joshi, an experienced pilot and the second in command of the 77 ‘Veiled Vipers’ squadron.
Hours after taking off as part of a two-aircraft formation from Agra to carry out low-level flying training, the aircraft had apparently grazed a hillock before crashing 116 km west of Gwalior on the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border.
‘Wake turbulence’ led to C-130 J aircraft crash | The Indian Express
The shocking crash last month of the IAF’s special operations C-130 J aircraft is believed to have been caused by the transporter inadvertently flying into the wake of the lead plane during the tactical training mission, leading to a loss of control at low altitude and the accident that killed all five crew members.
Preliminary findings of the detailed inquiry under way point to a “wake turbulence” incident in which the C-130 J, which was part of a two-aircraft formation practising insertion of paratroopers, stalled at a low level after hitting the wake of the lead aircraft.
The findings have ruled out any technical fault and suggested that the aircraft failed to adopt a flight path to avoid the massive wake generated by the four engines of the lead C-130 J. An error of judgement by the pilot could have contributed to the incident, the findings suggest.
The probability of such a loss of control is particularly high when heavy aircraft are conducting manoeuvres close to the ground. In this case, both aircraft were flying at 300 feet above ground level and had to climb to 1,000 feet when the accident occurred.
While the lead aircraft of the formation successfully climbed to 1,000 feet after the simulated “drop”, the second aircraft crashed into a river bed without any warning or distress signal.
This, sources said, suggests a sudden, drastic loss of control due to the turbulence generated by the lead C-130 J and is being corroborated by the air crash investigators with data from the flight recorders.
Once the inquiry findings are finalised, new safety directives are likely to be generated within the air force to avoid such accidents. The air force had also sought the help of the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, to decipher the voice recorder as well as the flight data recorder.
The loss of the air force’s most modern special operations C-130 J aircraft on March 28 was particularly shocking given that the plane had been inducted into the air force in 2010 and was commanded by Wing Commander Prashant Joshi, an experienced pilot and the second in command of the 77 ‘Veiled Vipers’ squadron.
Hours after taking off as part of a two-aircraft formation from Agra to carry out low-level flying training, the aircraft had apparently grazed a hillock before crashing 116 km west of Gwalior on the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border.
‘Wake turbulence’ led to C-130 J aircraft crash | The Indian Express
Abingdonboy
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Good idea to go with the Red Flag 08 footage- arguably some of the finest footage of them around, so clear and crisp.
arp2041
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Thanks Mate.
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It is a MiG29 OVT with TVC .
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A class in progress at the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), Bangalore. HATSOFF is a JV between HAL-CAE, Canada.
Source: Tarmak007 Facebook page
Source: Tarmak007 Facebook page
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Brahmos with Sukhoi-30 fighters to improve India’s strike options
By Ajai Shukla
HAL, Nashik
Business Standard, 23rd Apr 14
There will soon be a more practical way of retaliating against a foreign-backed terror attack on Indian soil than mobilizing our 16 lakh-strong military for a war that might trigger a nuclear conflagration. Instead, New Delhi will soon be able to punish terrorists harbouring across the border with surgical strikes from Brahmos cruise missile, fitted on Sukhoi-30MKI fighters.
The supersonic Brahmos, jointly developed by India and Russia, already equips Indian warships and artillery units. Yet its limited range of 295 kilometres means that targets far across the border are out of reach. That will change once Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Nashik, fits the Brahmos onto the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter, allowing the missile to be carried for over a thousand kilometres and then launched at a target another 295 kilometres away.
Parked in a hangar in HAL’s Nashik facility is the first Su-30MKI that is being modified to carry the Brahmos in the cavity between the aircraft’s giant engines. Later this year, ground tests will begin at Nashik. If successful, the aircraft will be ferried to Rajasthan to actually test-fire the missile in Pokhran. If all goes well, the air-launched Brahmos would enter operational service next year.
While HAL modifies the aircraft, the Indo-Russian joint venture that has developed the Brahmos is finalising and certifying an air-launched version of the missile.
Developing an air-launched Brahmos has not been easy, given its weight (2.5 tonnes) and size (8 metres long, 0.7 metres in diameter). The Indian Air Force (IAF) challenged both Sukhoi and HAL to propose competing solutions for integrating missile with aircraft. The Indian solution won out handily, and a contract was signed with HAL in January. Already the Brahmos has been mounted under the Su-30MKI’s belly, secured on two mounting stations that replace hard points that were designed to carry ten 250-kilogramme bombs.
“The Russians are most interested in how HAL is integrating the Brahmos. We beat them out in the contract and now they want to know what we’re doing,” says RP Khapli, who is leading HAL’s design team in the project.
Nobody will acknowledge this, but modifying a Su-30MKI to carry a 2,500 kg missile is a big step towards rendering it capable of carrying and delivering a thermonuclear bomb.
A Brahmos air launch is a relatively straightforward affair. Before take-off, the target coordinates are fed into the missile. When the Su-30MKI reaches the designated launch point, probably just short of the border to maximise range, the pilot releases the Brahmos. The missile drops clear of the aircraft before its booster ignites; then, powered by a ramjet, it quickly accelerates to more than twice the speed of sound providing little reaction time to enemy air defence fighters and missiles. Guided by navigation satellites, its inertial navigation system takes it precisely to its target.
Besides punitive strikes on terrorist targets, an air-launched Brahmos would also be the weapon of choice for striking heavily defended targets --- such as enemy air bases or headquarters --- without risking a manned aircraft. The Su-30MKI would release the Brahmos from a safe distance of 295 kilometres and then head back to base even as the missile heads for the target.
Integrating the Brahmos with the Su-30MKI encountered several technical challenges. IIT Mumbai assisted with studies in “computational fluid dynamics” to ascertain that the giant missile did not create disruptive airflow that would destabilise the fighter or starve its two engines of air.
HAL had already experienced such difficulties whilst upgrading the MiG-21BIS with four new missiles. That fighter’s engine had to be modified with an anti-surge system to avoid shut off. This experience, say HAL designers, came in handy.
Besides the Brahmos project, HAL’s Aircraft Upgrade R&D Centre (AURDC) has developed over 40 modifications to enhance the performance of the Su-30MKI. It has also developed almost 400 types of ground equipment, such as oxygen chargers, nitrogen chargers, mobile air charging trolleys and cooling trolleys.
“We are not just building aircraft for the IAF, but are also a knowledge partner for indigenization,” says Khapli.
Broadsword: Brahmos with Sukhoi-30 fighters to improve India’s strike options
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