Imported Single Engine Fighter Jet Contest

WolfPack86

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Examining F-16 offer to India : Will it be Viper with a Sting ?

Despite production backlog of only 15 aircraft which will be completed by end of 2017, Lockheed Martin is keen to establish an F-16 line in India to meet not only IAF needs but also the global spares and support market for their legacy product. F-16V on offer to India will formally be given Block 70/72 designation when it enters production. The F-16Vs specification is primarily centred around a Northrop Grumman AESA radar and improved cockpit layout and externally will be very similar to UAE operated Block-60 and most striking feature of the F-16V will be two shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks, integrated FLIR and targeting system (IFTS) and Falcon Edge electronic-warfare (EW) suite . Lockheed Martin has told India that any new build of F-16s will be only of F-16V and currently it is in talks with dozen countries operating various models of the base aircraft who are interested in upgrading their F-16s to newest block F-16V which will lead to sourcing of many materials and components from its India subsidiary and Indian Partners . Lockheed Martin has provided a roadmap to the Indian government that it is close to securing upgrade programme orders for nearly 300 legacy F-16s from three undisclosed customers who are keen on keeping their F-16s fighting fit even after 2040 and many more countries might agree to upgrade their F-16s at a later stage . F-16s which is the second largest production fighter jet ever and no doubt is still widely used and in operation fighter jet around the world which Lockheed Martin believes will win it further upgrade and spare & support orders , a commitment which it is hard selling to Indian government but Lockheed Martin Business Development and its growth is with sale of its 5th generation stealth F-35 fighter jet and not with legacy F-16s . Conclusion : India has to weight pros and cons of Lockheed Martin’s offer on F-16 and consider whether it wants to give its force a modern and efficient fighter jet for its airforce or just wants to create a business opportunity in global arms sales with the critical transfer of technology and play job of outsourcing Industry to American Arms manufacturers .
http://idrw.org/examining-f-16-offer-to-india-will-it-be-viper-with-a-sting/
 

Scarface

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Man,I can't believe we will have to wait for the end of the current fiscal year for a final decision on this situation
 

WolfPack86

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Lockheed Martin F-16IN "Super Viper" Block-70 Prototype for India

F-16V/IN Super Viper, Lockheed Martin went as far as to call it “the most advanced F-16 ever”.
The integration of fifth-generation technology into the fourth-generation platform is pretty much what makes an already-potent fighter an even more potent air-to-air and air-to-ground killer. Using the Block 60 configuration as the base to work off of, Lockheed Martin added a number of upgrades to beef up the Fighting Falcon into the Super Viper. The most powerful upgrade comes in the form of the AN/APG-80 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar system, which is already in service with the United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 Desert Falcons. The AN/APG-80 gives the pilot incredible situational awareness and the ability to target and track in any weather/atmospheric condition with stunning precision. An infrared search and track (IRST) system, the ability to integrate the Indian Air Force’s Operational Data Link (which allows for interoperability with other Indian fighter/attack/AWACS/support units), an onboard electronic warfare suite from Raytheon, and an upgraded modular mission computer add to the F-16IN’s sizable resume. The cockpit has been redeveloped to an extent, with three color high-definition MFDs (multi-function flight displays) feeding the pilot everything he needs to know, as well as the ability to integrate the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). An updated General Electric F110-132A functions as the sole powerplant, able to output over 32,000 pounds of thrust.*
https://www.facebook.com/Defence360/
 

WolfPack86

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Hi-Tech Defence Technology Trade between India and US is making China-Pak 'Nervous'
If you watched the images at the recent G20 summit in Hangzhou, with Chinese President Xi Jinping playing the role of the impeccable host amid the gaffes committed by Chinese security officials against US President Barack Obama’s delegation, you may have wondered about the strange chemistry between the leaders of the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest communist country which has embraced capitalism without creating democratic institutions.

Let’s also bring in a third character to complete our triangle — India. The world’s largest democracy, as India likes to call itself, is ostensibly turning its back on the Non-Aligned Movement, once the bedrock of its foreign policy, and has become a key player in a strong partnership, short of an alliance, with the United States. India is also, along with China, a member of the Brics group.

The India-US embrace is unnerving China and also Pakistan.

Two recent incidents have hardened India’s attitude towards China: China blocked India’s bid to get Pakistan-based Mohammad Azhar on the UN’s terrorist list and, secondly, China objected, prodded by Pakistan, to India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.

However, another thorny issue between India and China is the latter’s ambitious $46 billion (Dh168.8 billion) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The Indian government has criticised this project and asked China to cease such activities.

Washington has its own reasons to stop China’s big-power ambitions, manifested in the East and South China Sea where China is staking claims to islands by creating a fait accompli situation based on its “historical claims”.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is considered to be one of the chief architects of the growing Indo-US defence relationship – “the defining relationship of the 21st century”, in his words — culminating in the Logistics Service Agreement (LSA) signed in Washington DC during Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s recent visit. The LSA, US sources maintain, allows both militaries to use each other’s land, air and naval bases for replenishment, repair and the rest.

China fears that this will give the US the right to deploy full-spectrum rotational forces anywhere in India on a pre-planned case-by-case basis in order to contain China.

There has been a robust exchange of high-profile visits between India and the US. Before Parrikar arrived in Washington, Secretary of the US Air Force Deborah Kelly James visited Delhi in late August and held talks with India’s senior civilian and military leaders.

James told me in an interview in New York that she would examine the building of “interoperable capabilities and efficiently managed coalitions”.


Technology Acquisition ::

She confirmed that the US and India are continuing their talks on the joint production of jet fighters and jet engines, and on assembling Lockheed Martin’s F-16 aircraft and producing the Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s in India, conforming to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make-in-India” campaign.

Judging by the critical comments in the controlled Chinese media outlets, which toe the official line, China is worried about the US technology acquisition by India which is now producing sophisticated weapons.

The US wants India to play a greater role in the vast Indo-Pacific geographic expanse. India, which has close defence ties with Vietnam, one of China’s toughest adversaries in the South China Sea, can supply weapons and military equipment to Vietnam to resist China, which is forcing the smaller nations to unify and put up a common stand against China. James emphasised that the US believed in the right to free navigation in international waters, and praised the recent Hague tribunal’s ruling supporting the Philippine position and rejecting China’s “historical claims” to the islands. China has categorically rejected the ruling which is clearly a setback to its ambitions in the region. But China is offering economic sops to some nations in the region in return for foregoing further moves that could hurt China’s claims to the islands.

Maritime trade is the lifeline of China’s growing economy and its global One-Belt-One-Road commercial network. The US, on its part, has been encouraging the Indian navy which as a trans-regional operating force between the Indian Ocean region and the East and South China Sea could become a problem for China in the years ahead.

India is also strengthening its multilateral cooperation with Southeast Asian countries aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation.


Economic Leverage ::

If China is not happy with the intensifying Indo-US defence cooperation, it needs to reflect on the reasons behind the growing bonhomie between India and the US. China has needled India and pushed the latter into the US’ embrace.

In Southeast Asia, anti-China sentiments are widely prevalent but China’s economic leverage is the reason why China’s neighbours are presently reticent about escalating tensions.

However, China’s economic clout may not always calm the current situation in the region.

Chinese posturing might push together all the affected countries to form a united strategic front against it; China’s image has been already dented as it continues to build artificial islands to create military facilities in the South China Sea in violation of the international law of the sea.

China should take a consensus-based approach with the smaller nations instead of taking an “everything-or-nothing” stand.
http://www.defencenews.in/article.aspx?id=8141
 

WolfPack86

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She confirmed that the US and India are continuing their talks on the joint production of jet fighters and jet engines, and on assembling Lockheed Martin’s F-16 aircraft and producing the Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s in India, conforming to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make-in-India” campaign.
Is the US really giving Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s to India.
 

no smoking

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Is the US really giving Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s to India.
Why not, since the collapse of Soviet Union, they are no longer threatened by a huge scale armor force. These cold war toys are too damn expensive to keep in their air force. They need to cash out these stock and production lines.
 

WolfPack86

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Fighter Radar: SAAB Eyes Tech Transfer Under Make In India

Gothenburg (Sweden): Swedish aerospace and defence major SAAB Group is planning to introduce its latest fighter radar in India. It is also ready to offer full technology transfer under the Make in India program.
“SAAB as a radar supplier will offer and transfer the highest technology level for the fighter jets,” said Lars Tossman, Vice-President and Head of business unit Airborne Surveillance, SAAB.
SAAB, which manufactures the Gripen fighter jet, is willing to co-produce the latest Gallium Nitride AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar with the Indian defence firms, Tossman added.
“The idea is to complement the Indian industry with experience as a fighter radar system and create future possibilities for Indian industry together with SAAB.”
Earlier this year, SAAB held a series of meeting with top officials from the Defence Ministry and Air Force to jointly develop the technology in India if the Center approves the production of Gripen in the country under Make in India. SAAB is the first company to develop and deploy Gallium Nitride AESA radars in various forms. It has received orders from other fighter programs around the world for its GaN AESA technology.

SAAB has offered this program to India also under the Tejas LCA program. However, the MoD is yet to respond on the offer, Tossman added.
GaN is a semi-conductive material currently under intensive development. Areas of use include LED-lights and Blu-ray components, and now it is also being incorporated into microwave applications in the military industry.
This cutting-edge technology is already included in the new members of SAAB’s extended surface radar family, which were launched in 2014.
GaN gives higher power efficiently, higher output power and is a more robust material for chip design. This allows an extended range through higher output and higher reliability.
In the airborne surveillance, SAAB is already engaged with the Indian Dhruv program for full spectrum Integrated Self Protection System. The deliveries of this had been going on since 2012. Under this program, SAAB is fully supporting technology transfers in maintenance and production.
http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2016/09/fighter-radar-saab-eyes-tech-transfer.html
 

AmoghaVarsha

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She confirmed that the US and India are continuing their talks on the joint production of jet fighters and jet engines, and on assembling Lockheed Martin’s F-16 aircraft and producing the Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s in India, conforming to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make-in-India” campaign.
Is the US really giving Fairchild Republic Warthog-10s to India.
Do we really need the Warthogs?And arent they obsolete?
 

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