IAF’s air-to-air missiles are faulty: Report
Updated on Thursday, July 16, 2009, 12:34 IST
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Nearly half of Indian Air Force’s beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missiles that were tested either did not home in on targets during evaluations or failed ground tests because they were ageing much before their shelf lives, a report claimed on Thursday.
As per the report by an leading English daily, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its yet to be released report has raised serious questions on the usability of the R 77 (RVV-AE) BVR missiles, each costing Rs 2 crore, which are fitted on board the Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and MiG-21 Bisons.
India has been procuring these missiles from Russia since 1996 and has even ordered for more than 2,000 missiles after the Kargil conflict out of which 1,000 have already been delivered.
The missiles failure has affected the “operational preparedness” of the IAF, the daily said quoting CAG report.
Moreover, just yesterday Defence Minister A K Antony had disclosed that there were structural problems with India’s lead fighter planes, the MiG-29.
IAF?s air-to-air missiles are faulty: Report
Updated on Thursday, July 16, 2009, 12:34 IST
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Nearly half of Indian Air Force’s beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missiles that were tested either did not home in on targets during evaluations or failed ground tests because they were ageing much before their shelf lives, a report claimed on Thursday.
As per the report by an leading English daily, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its yet to be released report has raised serious questions on the usability of the R 77 (RVV-AE) BVR missiles, each costing Rs 2 crore, which are fitted on board the Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and MiG-21 Bisons.
India has been procuring these missiles from Russia since 1996 and has even ordered for more than 2,000 missiles after the Kargil conflict out of which 1,000 have already been delivered.
The missiles failure has affected the “operational preparedness” of the IAF, the daily said quoting CAG report.
Moreover, just yesterday Defence Minister A K Antony had disclosed that there were structural problems with India’s lead fighter planes, the MiG-29.
IAF?s air-to-air missiles are faulty: Report