Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[TheHurtLocker]

Indian Mi-17-1V Overhauls
A contract covering overhaul of 30 Indian Air Force Mi-17-1V tactical transport helicopters has been awarded to Russian Helicopters. According to Deputy Director General of Russian Helicopters, Igor Chechikov, responsible for the aftersales services, the overhaul works have been awarded to the Novosibirsk Aviation Repair Plant. Work is to be completed within 18 months. Five Mi-17-1Vs have already been delivered to the plant; their overhaul is expected to be complete by July 2017. Six batches of five helicopters, will be cycled through the plant.

From Air International May 2017 Issue

 

[TPFscopes]

Any thoughts on the underwing bomb?
The voice inside my head tells me that it's a BL755 but I think we retired them...

Anglo-French AS-37 Martel missile

 

[rrrajesh.yadav]

Crashed, Grounded, Indian MiG-21 Pilot Wins Landmark Case Against HAL
--May 02 2017


In a verdict that has big implications for the quality of defence manufacture in India, liability of manufacturers, flight safety and accident investigations, an injured Indian Air Force fighter pilot today defeated both Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) as well as the Indian Ministry of Defence in the Delhi High Court. The pilot in question is Wing Commander Sanjeet Kaila, a MiG-21 pilot who couldn’t fly again owing to injuries sustained in a 2005 MiG-21 crash — an accident in which he stayed inside the doomed aircraft till the last moment in order to save a village on the ground.

The pilot’s court victory is significant for more than one reason. Apart from fixing accountability on HAL for the MiG-21 accident, Livefist has learnt the Delhi High Court has imposed costs on both HAL and the government. The case was filed by the officer against both in 2013 after he discovered that it was a manufacturing defect by HAL that contributed to the near fatal accident. The Indian Ministry of Defence, helmed at the time A.K. Antony had accused the pilot of hunting for compensation though Kaila and his lawyers had repeatedly informed the Delhi High Court that he was looking for accountability to be fixed, not monetary compensation.

Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Deepa Sharma ruled in the pilot’s favour, saying he had been operating in an environment with ‘more risk’ than he had bargained for. The verdict was based on Kaila’s case against the government on charges that the defect-spurred accident was a violation of his fundamental right to life, especially the right to work in a safe environment, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Your correspondent reported in India Today in 2014 on the details of the 4 January 2005 incident where it all began:

Wing Commander Kaila, then a Squadron Leader at the IAF’s frontline fighter base in Nal, Rajasthan, took off on a regular flight exercise in a MiG-21 (Tail No. C-2236) as part of daily flying duties. His aircraft jerked dangerously to one side immediately after take-off. Over radio, he was informed by his wingman in a MiG-21 flying near him that his aircraft’s tail was on fire. According to his petition, and thereafter recorded in official communications within his unit, “Despite a near-complete engine/control failure and at grave risk to his own life, Kaila continued to stay put in an almost uncontrollable aircraft so as to steer it away to safety from a nearby village. To save human life, he ejected only seconds before the crash of the aircraft.” Despite the crash, Wing Commander Kaila continued to fly fighters for nine months after the accident, but was then forces to stop after his condition in his spine abruptly deteriorated. A Court of Inquiry into the crash revealed that the chief caused of the accident was a fatigue crack in the welded portion of the after burner manifold leading to a fire in the aircraft — the structural weakness of the safety-critical component was attributed by the IAF to to a manufacturing defect and poor workmanship at the HAL’s MiG-21 license production facility.

Wing Commander Kaila, now posted in Nashik, spoke to Livefist shortly after the court verdict today, saying, “It’s been years-long fight and I feel vindicated. I hope this has the necessary implications for defence industry and responsibility.”

The implications of financial liability on manufacturers could be significant and the case appears to set a clear precedent. It also seems fairly clear that industry will need to look closely at the judgement. Livefist is awaiting a copy of the court judgement and will update this post with details.

https://www.livefistdefence.com/201...21-pilot-wins-landmark-case-against-govt.html

 

[TheHurtLocker]

Anglo-French AS-37 Martel missile

Incorrect.
Google tells me that the Martel looks like this:

Tail Unit 1121 + 1000lb Bomb..... under the wing

Much appreciated, thanks.

 

[shiphone]

Tail Unit 1121 + 1000lb Bomb..... under the wing

and Tail Unit 1111

 

[Bahamut]

The Indian Ministry of Defence, helmed at the time A.K. Antony had accused the pilot of hunting for compensation though Kaila and his lawyers had repeatedly informed the Delhi High Court that he was looking for accountability to be fixed, not monetary compensation

It a shame that AK Anthony used those words

 

[republic_roi97]

The US-made Chinook heavy-lift helicopters being acquired by the Indian Air Force will be based at the Chandigarh Air Force Station, for which new facilities are being established.

India had signed a deal with the US in September 2015 for 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters, with an option for another four machines. These are expected to start arriving in 2018. The deal includes 22 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.

Source:- http://www.tribuneindia.com/mobi/news/nation/chinook-base-in-chandigarh/401380.html

 

[porky_kicker]

can anybody identify this aircraft based on boeing 707 ?
purpose ?
operated by whom ?

ELINT ?
SIGINT?

http://*****************/attachments/img_0283-jpg.5146/

 

[porky_kicker]

can anybody identify this aircraft based on boeing 707 ?
purpose ?
operated by whom ?

ELINT ?
SIGINT?

http://*****************/attachments/img_0283-jpg.5146/

i see American involvement here (maybe israeli)
becz aircraft cannot be modified without OEM help

was it for chini up north ?

 

[TPFscopes]

can anybody identify this aircraft based on boeing 707 ?
purpose ?
operated by whom ?

ELINT ?
SIGINT?

http://*****************/attachments/img_0283-jpg.5146/

ELINT electronic intelligence aircraft, or Il-76-11

 

[porky_kicker]

but the airframe looks like that of boeing 707 ........................................................................................

 

[republic_roi97]

but the airframe looks like that of boeing 707 ........................................................................................

Yes it is Boeing 707 ELINT.

The Indian Air Force is believed to operate one Boeing 707 configured for ELINT duties and mainly targeted against Pakistan.

Source:- http://www.spyflight.co.uk/boeing707.htm

 

[TPFscopes]

ELINT electronic intelligence aircraft, or Il-76-11

Yup it is Being 707-D2 with fin ID K2999
It was a typo (for ID)

 

[TPFscopes]

Spy planes of India - Boeing 707 SASS

Aviation Research Centre (ARC) the airborne wing of R&AW used to operate two Boeing 707-337C SIGINT platform in its inventory. They used the aircraft as a Strategic Surveillance Airborne System (SASS) to look deep into the enemy’s territory and gather intelligence.

ARC received two ex-Air India Boeing 707s in May 1987. The aircraft VT-DVB (C/N 19248) and VT-DXT (C/N 19988) were numbered K-2900 and K-2989 respectively. The 707 sports IAF roundel on the top side of the aft fuselage and the fin flash - a rare illustration of this type in IAF colors. Due to the CIA's involvement in the establishment of the ARC in 1962, they were equipped with a US mission suite by then-US contractor E-Systems which has since then been subsumed by Raytheon. The exact details of the systems installed on the aircraft were never revealed. They were deployed on ARC’s secret base in Charbatiya, Orissa which was also the location for CIA’s U2 flights during the 60’s.

The B-707s were extensively used during the Kargil conflict for ELINT operations. These aircrafts played an instrumental role in identifying enemy positions in the mountains and intercepting/ jamming enemy communications while flying at high altitudes.

One of the aircraft was upgraded in Israel after 2006. It’s characterized by the 'cheek' antenna fairings just behind the cockpit.

Both B-707s are currently parked at the Palam Air Force Base, Delhi gathering dust. These aircrafts are still classified, hence the personnel who operated them are prohibited from revealing details about them even now.

 

[Modern Patriot]

via
https://www.facebook.com/IndianAirForce/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

 

[Vinod DX9]

Tu-160? Is there going to be a deal for it? Is Russia offering us? Why does he say so suddenly...? (He is a defence journalist, except CLGM news one no other wrong info he has given ever, even sometimes what news he provides, that time no other source can give, so unlikely he is bluffing )

 

[indiandefencefan]

View attachment 15702 Tu-160? Is there going to be a deal for it? Is Russia offering us? Why does he say so suddenly...? (He is a defence journalist, except CLGM news one no other wrong info he has given ever, even sometimes what news he provides, that time no other source can give, so unlikely he is bluffing )

He is just speculating.
Neither IAF/IN expressed interest nor have the Russians offered it to us.

No other journalist has covered this. It's a a good case of bhavishyavaani.

 

[Cutting Edge 2]

IAF Begins Brutal Rejig Of Purchase Priorities. Expect Blood.
Shiv Aroor May 08 2017 10 15 am

Get the feeling that India’s ‘Make in India’ fighter project(s) have gone cold over the last two months? Well, for one thing, you’re not alone. For another, you’re right — it definitely feels like they’re on the proverbial backburner. And there are good reasons. We begin the first of this week’s special two-part deep dive on the Indian Air Force’s Make In India fighter projects by bringing to you a breakdown distilled from a range of conversations over two weeks with several officers leading the acquisitions and plans processes at the IAF and Ministry of Defence.

1. As we speak, a quiet, hard-nosed process is on at the Indian Air Force Headquarters. Budget constraints are nothing new to the IAF. But under its present chief, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, the acquisitions and plans wing is conducting a no-nonsense re-ordering of acquisition priorities that will, in the words of a senior officer, ‘see many projects quietly disappear into thin air’. This is almost certainly going to mean blood for high value acquisitions that can be reasonably put off or cancelled.
2. There’s no doubt that fighter acquisitions remain a top priority for the IAF, and the current priority shake-up won’t likely kill any pipeline plans. However, the IAF will almost definitely prioritise funds to add more fighter numbers quickly to the force. This could manifest in a series of ways: (a) A reconfiguration of the Make In India foreign fighter projects to include a definite number of quickly deliverable flyaway units, (b) Fast-tracking the addition of Rafale orders beyond the 36 on contract.
3. By all accounts, the departure of erstwhile Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has come as more than just a speedbreaker in proceedings that require a heavy political foot on the gas pedal at all times. There is no reason to believe that Parrikar’s successor Arun Jaitley won’t shepherd plans onward. But there’s no doubt in the minds of officers on the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the MoD bureaucracy or at the very top of the IAF, that precious impetus has been abruptly lost with the exit of Parrikar, a rare intangible commodity that must now be rebuilt from scratch.
4. Livefist has learnt that in the weeks and months ahead, a far more realistic acquisition ethic is to become apparent from the Indian Air Force’s requirements wing. The re-ordering of modernisation priorities mentioned above will produce a new list that expunges several declared ‘big ticket’ acquisition plans. Top sources indicate that a clinical pruning (or ‘rationalisation’) of the IAF’s surface-to-air missile requirement, for instance, could be chief among this series of moves.
5. The Indo-Russian FGFA programme appears to be inching its way out of years of a troubling stall. A 5-member Indian committee tasked with identifying and defining what’s in it for India is all set to submit its report to the MoD in a week. In the meantime, reports suggest the two sides are set to conclude a ‘milestone’ design agreement on the FGFA/PMF. While the IAF’s interest in the FGFA remains, Livefist can confirm that the IAF has, at the behest of the erstwhile Parrikar-led MoD, wargamed an acquisitions scenario that envisages the total collapse of discussions with Moscow.
6. The Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), a tri-service capability roadmap and wishlist produced by the Indian MoD under minister A.K. Antony in 2012-2013 has been an exercise in waste. Top sources say it is no longer even a broad, tentative touchstone for modernisation at any level. Unprioritised and without any committed budgetary support, it remains a sumptuous compilation of presentations with literally no concrete actionable elements to guide force additions.
7. Under Parrikar, the Indian military were able to arrive at the most specific definition of what they needed to be prepared for in all circumstances: ten days of intense operations on any front and across dimensions. All plans, ammunition levels and reserves need to revolve around this. The benchmark was revisited recently at the Air Force Commanders’ Conference. Apart from aircraft both fixed wing and rotary, acquisition priorities include ammunition and ordnance across mission profiles and equipment for the IAF’s small Special Forces units.

https://www.livefistdefence.com/201...ejig-of-purchase-priorities-expect-blood.html

 

[Cutting Edge 2]

Interesting prediction from Saurav but big question is how strategic bomber fits in IAF's doctrine? Maybe something changed under new MoD. Interesting times ahead.


TU 160 Photos.

 

[Chinmoy]

Interesting prediction from Saurav but big question is how strategic bomber fits in IAF's doctrine? Maybe something changed under new MoD. Interesting times ahead.


TU 160 Photos.

Actually it does fit perfectly in our doctrine of Nuclear triad. The current scenario of using Brahmos from MKI is classic example of jugaad. Deep penetrating Fighters like MKIs are not fit for carrying such heavy missiles. In future when you would come up with even longer range CM, then you need one dedicated strategic heavy bomber for that role. Loading a nuclear capable missile or a nuclear bomb under MKI or Rafale doesnt make one capable of possessing true Nuclear Triad.