ARC seeks to boost its relevance with V-22 acquisition India's Aviation Research Centre (ARC), responsible for electronic surveillance and signals intelligence along the country's borders with Pakistan and China, wants to acquire Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft to augment its operational capabilities. Bell-Boeing has recently provided the ARC with price estimates and delivery schedules for four Ospreys acquired via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, official and industrial sources have told IHS Jane's . The four aircraft would cost around USD500-600 million, industry sources have said. The ARC, which operates alongside India's external intelligence-gathering agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), aims to use the Ospreys to deploy Special Frontier Force (SFF) personnel and provide them logistic support on 'sensitive missions'. http://www.janes.com/article/51323/arc-seeks-to-boost-its-relevance-with-v-22-acquisition
. RAW already had some Good ELINT aircrafts under it's ARC, they were modified in Israel to carry more ELINT pods, For ELINT V 22 not seems a Good platform, in Janes Rahul Bedi's reports are no so accurate, even the price figure is also doubled..!!
This is a good craft. I would love the IAF to do trials at Siachen to get a better idea of the capabilities. If it succeeds then could be a solution for our troops.
@sob isn't Chinooks already selected for that role. And for navy s70b, so where does v22 comes, we don't have that kind of money to splurge on foreign equipments.
Ospreys can be useful for IN (Carrier Based Operations) for quick deployment of forces to Foreign shores (Only if IN aspires to acquire such capability). Another possible utility can be Stationing them in A&N for troop deployment across the Islands.
I think Osprey's can be used for AEW role and Tanker Role from our STOBAR carrier, For Shore based operations submerged small platforms and speed boats are good, Coming with heavy sounded powerful V 22 isn't a good idea
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/v-22-osprey-options-for-india/ By Air Marshal Raghu Rajan Issue Vol. 28.3 Jul-Sep 2013 | Date : 04 Feb , 2015
But does the Price tag justify the capability of Ospreys in Indian context? Agree with @SajeevJino on IN may use it as AEW platform for CBG.
Some people do have hard ons about expensive yankee weapon systems and the inclination is never gonna go away. However what kind of exclusive duty osprey can pull for ARC that no other aircraft can do in half the price? when osprey with its unique system can be useful for our carriers in AEW Role which other niche it can feel in oud armed forces which can justify the huge price and several hindering conditions it will come?
I dont think that Chinooks have been selected for Siachen ops. i could not find the payload for V 22 at the hts of Siachen. Plus there were reports that V 22 was going in for a more powerful engine. My idea was if it works at height we could use it for supplying our troops.
Maximum ceiling reported at 24, 500 feet, but no information about Hover above 13,000 feet.! one report mentions it Hover at the altitude of 13,000 feet
Then Siachen is out of syllabus. If ARC use them for ELINT op along Baki and Chinese border, Noisy Ospreys with a service ceiling of 24500ft will become easy Preys of SAMs/AAMs. Poor Choice!
