India's P-8I Neptune seen bristling with Harpoon missiles

[Abingdonboy]

I am sorry if i am wrong,i doubt whether these are real images.i doubt whether these are computer generated,especially the second one. Will be happy to be proved wrong!

I was also going to ask the same question ........

Looks like CGI .........If not good for us ...........

I see know reason to suspect these are fake- the pics look perfectly convincing and it's not like the P-8Is won't come with such weaponry is it?

Ok, this is what I think how the estimations might have worked

We presently have 6 Naval Air Bases including the new one INS Baaz. They are


The present fleet of LRMR Tu-142(8) and Il-38(5) aircraft are based in the following Stations
NAS Hansa - Dabolim, Goa
NAS Rajali - Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu

Since the Russian aircraft had a greater range 2 or 3 were sufficient to carry out 24/7 operations in any scenario over a particular area

The P-8I aircraft which can sustain 4 hours on station operations, so it means for a 24/7 surveillance considering 4 hours baseline a triple of the present 13 seems to fit in Indian needs..

My wild guess only .. So correct me if I am wrong and spare me any criticism

Idk about the exact planned distribution of the futre MPAs but all I can say is it is hardly our place to be questioning the IN or Boeing who have come up with internal predictions based on their own personal expertise wrt numbers of P-8s. We hardly know the technical calculations that have gone into making this figure or the threat perceptions. The IN aren't fools if this is what they say they need I say give it to them.

 

[SamantK]

Idk about the exact planned distribution of the futre MPAs but all I can say is it is hardly our place to be questioning the IN or Boeing who have come up with internal predictions based on their own personal expertise wrt numbers of P-8s. We hardly know the technical calculations that have gone into making this figure or the threat perceptions. The IN aren't fools if this is what they say they need I say give it to them.

Questioning is all we can do and will do, I asked if any one could explain. i was not questioning their calculation.

I neither did nor am terming IN as fools by any standard, how did you get that impression?

 

[sancho]

How much does this cost per one piece?

It's not a Turkish aircraft, but an Airbus C235 licence produced with some Turkish systems. India has the bigger C295 on offer for the MRMR competition.

We presently have 6 Naval Air Bases including the new one INS Baaz. They are

But not all of them will be operate MPAs, especially not the P8I and especially not the forwarded bases. We need more MPAs, but not necessarily more costly P8Is (although I would prefer them over P8I lights), we could go for a high low mix as well!

12 x P8I + 18 x C295MPA or Embraer 145 MPA with DRDO systems, which would be more cost-effective than P8Is and add more indigenous systems. Both platforms could be even produced in India under licence (unlike US platforms), one only needs to combine and speed up some of the competitions and get the best out of them.

As important as adding these MPAs will be the addition of more tankers, that could refuell these MPAs to extend their endurance. Currently we have no tankers suitable for P8Is, which will limit their operational capabilities by far.

A humble but wild idea: Induct P-8Is and relieve TUs . Transform Bears into missile carrier. Even if one plane is able to carry 4 Nirbhay or, Brahmos , it will throw a huge punch. Just imagine 15 Super MKI escorting 3 of these....

Buddy, against which targets we would use them? The only naval fleet that poses a threat to us is PLAN, but mainly their subs and Nirbhay/Brahmos are useless against them. It will take years till PLAN is able to deploy CBG to our reagion and even if, our own carriers with their fighters, our own subs and surface fleet with similar missiles will be way more useful against them, than a low number of such big targets, that has to be protected like this.
Way more useful will be the addition of these cruise missiles to Mig 29K and the fighters of IAC2, because these fighters will be smaller and more flexible targets to attack a surface fleet.

 

[illuminatidinesh]

Buddy, against which targets we would use them? The only naval fleet that poses a threat to us is PLAN, but mainly their subs and Nirbhay/Brahmos are useless against them. It will take years till PLAN is able to deploy CBG to our reagion and even if, our own carriers with their fighters, our own subs and surface fleet with similar missiles will be way more useful against them, than a low number of such big targets, that has to be protected like this.
Way more useful will be the addition of these cruise missiles to Mig 29K and the fighters of IAC2, because these fighters will be smaller and more flexible targets to attack a surface fleet.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian...istling-harpoon-missiles-3.html#ixzz22e8pUMaP

Exactly and the IN has no idea to retire the TU's if am correct the P8i will work along with the Tu's. For people out there who Tu's are old I think they are mistaken, the Tu's are real assets of Navy. Yes some time back they were actually considering the Tu's for long range bomber role but in todays military scenario ICBM are taking up that job.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

A humble but wild idea: Induct P-8Is and relieve TUs . Transform Bears into missile carrier. Even if one plane is able to carry 4 Nirbhay or, Brahmos , it will throw a huge punch. Just imagine 15 Super MKI escorting 3 of these....

Not at all a wild idea. The Tu-142s are indeed planned to carry the Brahmos. Though that plan was put on the back-burner till the IN cleared out how long they wanted to keep the Bears operational. That has been resolved now.

Though IMO, the (diet version) i.e. lighter Air Launched version of Brahmos will be integrated. But no urgency yet, the potential targets for this potent combination does'nt exist yet around India. The PN is miniscule in strength and size, while the PLAAN is barely there. So it will be a while yet before the need is real.

 

[Archie]

315 km?Shouldn't MTCR prevent export of missile with range greater than 300km?

Total weight and size of warhead also have a say in MTCR RESTRICTIONS

Also this being direct sale from USA , they can bend the MTCR for 15 Km additional range

For instance Aegis equipped South Korean Destroyers are provided with 500 Km range Cruise Missiles by USA for Land Attack

British Trafalgar class and Astute class carry 700 Km range Tomahawk Cruise Missiles which were directly purchased from USN

Converting existing bears will be a bad idea IMO,as they are getting old. May be we can get some new platforms to build a missile carrier,which will be awesome

WELL , we are upgrading 2 Tu-142 to carry 6 Brahmos cruise Missiles , these will act as test bed for air launched Brahmos

Also The Bears are undergoing MLU since 2008 , with first upgraded bear returning in 2011, with 3 expected this yr and remaining 4 in 2013
After the MLU , these will be able to serve till 2026

IL38 whose SeaDragon Upgrade were completed in 2010 , will be retired in 2020

 

[Sergi]

Nice find.

 

[tvsram1992]

US laughing on both of us. Buying same thing from US. How idiot we are....

No our Harpoons are better (we should believe that) . We have it as weapon on P8I , no other AFs have P8 aircrafts other than US and India as of now . Atleast our enemies wont get them . Pakistan wont get for sure . So our Harpoons are much more effective to have Maritime Superiority .

any chance of giving us the parameters used to arrive at those numbers?

Those are their estimation, if you know how that estimation was made it would be very interesting.

Hi dudes how are you doing ,
30 P8Is will make our dream to become blue water Navy come true . Its highly likely that we get many subs , ACCs and other warships at a faster rate . We need our air wing to be strong to supplement those war ships . Also 30 P8Is will ensure our defence atleast in our waters ie no enemy is present in our waters . 16 cant guarantee that . We also can base a few at Vietnam , Oman , Madagascar with whom our naval relations are developing . Having presence in complete IOR and SCS is in our Navy's interest .

 

[david blain]

 

[Screambowl]

If these photographs are authentic then it is not bad to acquire the weapon what hostile nations have. This will help us studying the performance of the weapon and its counter.