Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

scatterStorm

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Gulfstream G550 aircraft was seen heading east from Delhi. Do we have this in our inventory? The other IAF I.e Israel airforce uses this aircraft as special mission EW and COMJAM aircraft.

Gathering Intel over Tibet? Or heading to Tezpur AFB?
 

BangaliBabu

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Gathering Intel over Tibet? Or heading to Tezpur AFB?
please leave it to the professionals.

It's a matter of pride and utmost joy that as a sovereign nation we can properly keep and deploy such assets to ensure national security objectives. It's just plain rude to talk about such assets and their expected deployment in such testing times. I hope my point got through to everybody here. :) Just keep the excitement limited to FR-24 data. Thank you..........
 

WolfPack86

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Atamnirbhar Hoax : IAF shelves 3 major acquisition projects for Make in India, which were already shelived
Amid PM Modi’s government push for indigenisation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has shelved three major acquisition projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore. The projects shelved by the IAF include its plans to buy 38 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft from Switzerland, 20 additional Hawk planes from Britain and the plan to upgrade 80 Jaguar fighter planes with engines from America. “We are not going forward with the additional Pilatus basic trainer aircraft that we were intending to (buy). Additional Hawks (trainer aircraft) were in the plans but at the moment, that has been shelved. There was a Jaguar re-engining plan which was totally imported and we have shelved that project,” Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria told ANI in an interview on Monday. “We are going to go in with the HAL support and some other engine -related upgrades that will help see through the fleet,” the IAF Chief added. He stated that these projects have been shelved for different reasons including Make in India. The plans to acquire 38 additional Pilatus Basic Training Aircraft worth around Rs 1,000 crore from Switzerland has been scrapped as the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is in advanced stages of development of the HTT-40 trainer planes. The Air Force chief said the force would be buying 70 of these Made in India planes. The 20 additional Hawk plane deal expected to be worth around Rs 2,000 crore has been shelved as the project was stuck for over 3-4 years now mainly over the price of the planes. Under the Jaguar re-engining project, the plan was to equip the Jaguar fighter aircraft with new engines from Honeywell corporation from the United States but the project has now been shelved.
 

Akula

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Atamnirbhar Hoax : IAF shelves 3 major acquisition projects for Make in India, which were already shelived
Amid PM Modi’s government push for indigenisation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has shelved three major acquisition projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore. The projects shelved by the IAF include its plans to buy 38 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft from Switzerland, 20 additional Hawk planes from Britain and the plan to upgrade 80 Jaguar fighter planes with engines from America. “We are not going forward with the additional Pilatus basic trainer aircraft that we were intending to (buy). Additional Hawks (trainer aircraft) were in the plans but at the moment, that has been shelved. There was a Jaguar re-engining plan which was totally imported and we have shelved that project,” Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria told ANI in an interview on Monday. “We are going to go in with the HAL support and some other engine -related upgrades that will help see through the fleet,” the IAF Chief added. He stated that these projects have been shelved for different reasons including Make in India. The plans to acquire 38 additional Pilatus Basic Training Aircraft worth around Rs 1,000 crore from Switzerland has been scrapped as the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is in advanced stages of development of the HTT-40 trainer planes. The Air Force chief said the force would be buying 70 of these Made in India planes. The 20 additional Hawk plane deal expected to be worth around Rs 2,000 crore has been shelved as the project was stuck for over 3-4 years now mainly over the price of the planes. Under the Jaguar re-engining project, the plan was to equip the Jaguar fighter aircraft with new engines from Honeywell corporation from the United States but the project has now been shelved.
HTT-40 trainers have high import content in them especially engine, avionics.
 

Assassin 2.0

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HTT-40 trainers have high import content in them especially engine, avionics.
Make in India: Honeywell has made an impressive Make in India footprint since the government launched the programme in 2014. ... Since it began the relationship in 1975, HAL has built more than 225 TPE331 engines for the Indian military services, including the national Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force.

The agreement is an expansion of the Honeywell and Hindustan longstanding relationship dating to 1983, when Hindustan Aeronautics first began licensed production of TPE331-5 engines,” said Rob Wilson, President, Business and General Aviation. “Hindustan Aeronautics manufacturing capabilities in the TPE331 family enable further global reach for the most fuel-efficient and reliable turboprop engine in the industry. The engines will be used on a broad range of aviation applications.”

Hindustan Aeronautics has manufactured more than 200 TPE331-5 engines for use by the Indian military services, including the national Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force. The company also provides full maintenance and service on the aircraft engines at its facilities in Bangalore, India.


The Garrett TPE 331-5 Turbo prop Engine is being manufactured, overhauled and repaired for various Customers under licence from Garrett Engine Division of Honey Well Company [earlier Allied Signal Aerospace Company, USA] since 1988 and belongs to one of the most popular series of small Turbo prop Engines powering a large number of Commuter and Corporate Aircraft such as Dornier DO-228.



( this engine is the perfect choice we have been maintaining it and it have shown it's reliability over the years)
 

Snowcat

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Can anyone share some information about the IRST pod used by IAF. I know the one on Su 30, but what about MK1, Mirage 2000 -5 and the mig 29UPG , and how do they compare with each other.
If you could share the specs too.
TIA
 

WolfPack86

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More midair refuellers, UAVs — Bhadauria explains how IAF is bracing for new nature of war
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to launch a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six midair refuelling planes, even as it works to bolster its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) fleet with fresh inductions and upgrades, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria has said.

The IAF chief made the statement in an email interview to ThePrint, as he addressed queries about the force’s preparations amid a changing nature of war that is likely to result in more aerial engagements.

He also said the IAF is not in favour of “rigid theaterisation” of the defence forces, which he claimed would divide the “already scarce IAF combat assets and effort”. However, he clarified that the IAF is not against integration.



‘Specifications for midair refuellers ready’

Bhadauria said the IAF is set to float a request for proposal (RFP) to solicit bids for six midair refuellers.

The plans to address the shortage of Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) have been worked out in a phased manner and short- and mid-term solutions are being looked at, he added.

“As a long-term measure, we have initiated the process of procuring six more FRAs. Draft ASQRs (Air Staff Qualitative Requirements) have been prepared and the RFP is likely to be floated soon,” he said.

ASQRs refer to the desired specifications of the aircraft, as put forth by the buyer.

“The induction process will address the IAF requirement in the long term in keeping with the LTIPP (Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP),” he added. The LTIPP specifies the capabilities the armed forces desire to achieve over a period of 15 years. The current one outlines goals for the period between 2012 and 2027.

When inducted, the refuellers, also referred to as tankers, would prove to be a vital strategic asset and force multiplier as they will allow fighter jets to stay airborne longer.

This will be the IAF’s third attempt to procure midair refuelling aircraft since 2007. The European Airbus 330 multi-role tanker transport and Russia-based Ilyushin’s Il-78 had competed in the past two attempts, but the tenders were reportedly scrapped because of “price complications”.

Currently, the IAF operates a fleet of six Russian IIyushin-78 tankers that suffer from maintenance and serviceability issues, as pointed out in an August 2017 CAG report that studied the refuellers’ operations between 2010 and 2016. The tankers were bought in 2003-2004 at Rs 132 crore per aircraft.

The IAF chief’s comments come at a time when there are fears that the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic impact of the ensuing lockdown will take a toll on the defence budget, an even more worrying prospect amid longstanding concerns over what is seen as meagre allocations for the military in recent years.


IAF to induct more UAVs, upgrade existing fleet

The IAF, he said, is also looking to induct more UAVs and upgrade its existing fleet of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

“Various classes of RPAs, ranging from small/medium to medium altitude long endurance (MALE), high altitude long endurance (HALE) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) are being considered,” Bhadauria said, adding that options are available under Make in India too.

India’s current drone fleet includes unarmed Heron and Searcher UAVs, both from Israel, that are used for reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering. The IAF also has a fleet of Israeli Harpy UAVs that can attack enemy radar positions and are self-destructing.

Domestic efforts to churn out UAVs include a strategic partnership agreement between state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Indian firm Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL), signed in February this year at the DefExpo. The partnership is aimed at joint manufacture of a high-endurance drone Heron Mark II, which will not be armed but could be converted into an armed UAV.

India is also working on getting the armed Predator-B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for the three services from the US-based General Atomics.

Bhadauria said the IAF is constantly reassessing threats and balancing its force structure, weapons, technology and training methodologies to develop the desired capabilities.

“The IAF has combat capability across the spectrum of air operations. We are constantly upgrading our existing combat fleets and acquiring appropriate replacements for aircraft being phased out,” he added.

“Our focus is primarily to achieve combat and technological edge compared to our adversaries and I can assure you that the IAF is fully prepared for suitably handling any future conflict.”


IAF chief against ‘rigid theaterisation’

Bhadauria, who has 4,270 hours of experience on fighter jets and transport aircraft, was commissioned as a fighter pilot in June 1980. A decorated officer who has been awarded the Vayu Sena medal (2002), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2013) and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2018), he took over as IAF chief in September 2019.

In the interview, the IAF chief expressed reservations about plans to create theatre commands — integrated commands of the Army, Navy and Air Force that would subsume regional commands. He, however, said he is not against jointness or integration, but against rigid theatrisation “that will divide the already scarce IAF combat assets and effort”.

In an interview with ThePrint earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said studies were underway on theatre commands are on and suggested that the Air Defence Command will be the first on the block. The command will function under the IAF, he said.

“A study team established to work on the contours of Air Defence Command is progressing well, which will synergise our air defence setup,” Bhadauria added. “A similar approach would be followed to work out the optimum plan of joint commands or theatres that will achieve the desired integration.”

Bhaudauria said an integrated operations room for UAVs will be operationalised soon to help achieve synergy. “It is part of the process of enhancing jointness,” he added.

“The integration of UAV assets of the three services to be controlled from a joint operations centre will allow centralised tasking of all operational demands and decentralised execution of missions, thus enhancing efficiency,” Bhadauria said. “All capabilities of UAV platforms of the services will be put to optimum utilisation.”
 

scatterStorm

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How is that IAF Mig-21 numbers reduced by half and number of SEPECAT Jaguar numbers increased from 91 to 106 in wiki page.

View attachment 49294
1. Either somebody is editing it to display false information.
2. It could be decommissioning of Mig-21.
3. We recently acquired some new Jags. And france was supposed to donate some 30ish Jags.
 

Saichand K

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1. Either somebody is editing it to display false information.
2. It could be decommissioning of Mig-21.
3. We recently acquired some new Jags. And france was supposed to donate some 30ish Jags.
yes but those jags are for spares. mig-21 bison still unbelivable.
 

samsaptaka

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More midair refuellers, UAVs — Bhadauria explains how IAF is bracing for new nature of war
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to launch a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six midair refuelling planes, even as it works to bolster its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) fleet with fresh inductions and upgrades, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria has said.

The IAF chief made the statement in an email interview to ThePrint, as he addressed queries about the force’s preparations amid a changing nature of war that is likely to result in more aerial engagements.

He also said the IAF is not in favour of “rigid theaterisation” of the defence forces, which he claimed would divide the “already scarce IAF combat assets and effort”. However, he clarified that the IAF is not against integration.



‘Specifications for midair refuellers ready’

Bhadauria said the IAF is set to float a request for proposal (RFP) to solicit bids for six midair refuellers.

The plans to address the shortage of Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) have been worked out in a phased manner and short- and mid-term solutions are being looked at, he added.

“As a long-term measure, we have initiated the process of procuring six more FRAs. Draft ASQRs (Air Staff Qualitative Requirements) have been prepared and the RFP is likely to be floated soon,” he said.

ASQRs refer to the desired specifications of the aircraft, as put forth by the buyer.

“The induction process will address the IAF requirement in the long term in keeping with the LTIPP (Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP),” he added. The LTIPP specifies the capabilities the armed forces desire to achieve over a period of 15 years. The current one outlines goals for the period between 2012 and 2027.

When inducted, the refuellers, also referred to as tankers, would prove to be a vital strategic asset and force multiplier as they will allow fighter jets to stay airborne longer.

This will be the IAF’s third attempt to procure midair refuelling aircraft since 2007. The European Airbus 330 multi-role tanker transport and Russia-based Ilyushin’s Il-78 had competed in the past two attempts, but the tenders were reportedly scrapped because of “price complications”.

Currently, the IAF operates a fleet of six Russian IIyushin-78 tankers that suffer from maintenance and serviceability issues, as pointed out in an August 2017 CAG report that studied the refuellers’ operations between 2010 and 2016. The tankers were bought in 2003-2004 at Rs 132 crore per aircraft.

The IAF chief’s comments come at a time when there are fears that the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic impact of the ensuing lockdown will take a toll on the defence budget, an even more worrying prospect amid longstanding concerns over what is seen as meagre allocations for the military in recent years.


IAF to induct more UAVs, upgrade existing fleet

The IAF, he said, is also looking to induct more UAVs and upgrade its existing fleet of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

“Various classes of RPAs, ranging from small/medium to medium altitude long endurance (MALE), high altitude long endurance (HALE) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) are being considered,” Bhadauria said, adding that options are available under Make in India too.

India’s current drone fleet includes unarmed Heron and Searcher UAVs, both from Israel, that are used for reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering. The IAF also has a fleet of Israeli Harpy UAVs that can attack enemy radar positions and are self-destructing.

Domestic efforts to churn out UAVs include a strategic partnership agreement between state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Indian firm Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL), signed in February this year at the DefExpo. The partnership is aimed at joint manufacture of a high-endurance drone Heron Mark II, which will not be armed but could be converted into an armed UAV.

India is also working on getting the armed Predator-B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for the three services from the US-based General Atomics.

Bhadauria said the IAF is constantly reassessing threats and balancing its force structure, weapons, technology and training methodologies to develop the desired capabilities.

“The IAF has combat capability across the spectrum of air operations. We are constantly upgrading our existing combat fleets and acquiring appropriate replacements for aircraft being phased out,” he added.

“Our focus is primarily to achieve combat and technological edge compared to our adversaries and I can assure you that the IAF is fully prepared for suitably handling any future conflict.”


IAF chief against ‘rigid theaterisation’

Bhadauria, who has 4,270 hours of experience on fighter jets and transport aircraft, was commissioned as a fighter pilot in June 1980. A decorated officer who has been awarded the Vayu Sena medal (2002), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2013) and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2018), he took over as IAF chief in September 2019.

In the interview, the IAF chief expressed reservations about plans to create theatre commands — integrated commands of the Army, Navy and Air Force that would subsume regional commands. He, however, said he is not against jointness or integration, but against rigid theatrisation “that will divide the already scarce IAF combat assets and effort”.

In an interview with ThePrint earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said studies were underway on theatre commands are on and suggested that the Air Defence Command will be the first on the block. The command will function under the IAF, he said.

“A study team established to work on the contours of Air Defence Command is progressing well, which will synergise our air defence setup,” Bhadauria added. “A similar approach would be followed to work out the optimum plan of joint commands or theatres that will achieve the desired integration.”

Bhaudauria said an integrated operations room for UAVs will be operationalised soon to help achieve synergy. “It is part of the process of enhancing jointness,” he added.

“The integration of UAV assets of the three services to be controlled from a joint operations centre will allow centralised tasking of all operational demands and decentralised execution of missions, thus enhancing efficiency,” Bhadauria said. “All capabilities of UAV platforms of the services will be put to optimum utilisation.”
What about AWACS ? We are facing desperate shortage and porks outnumber us in this area . Yet no word from the chief on this, why?
 

WolfPack86

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Tata Lockheed to accelerate manufacturing in Hyderabad

Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd, a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Lockheed Martin, is seeing growth opportunities through its operations in Hyderabad, at a time when Central government is bringing defence reforms in terms of defence procurement, pushing indigenous manufacturing and increasing foreign direct investment (FDI).

Sharing the near-term outlook, Abhay Paranjape, chief operating officer, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures, told Telangana Today, “We are already engaged in additional manufacturing for fighters and helicopters in Hyderabad. This will accelerate more by the end of 2020. Once the new defence procurement procedure (DPP) is finalised, there will be more clarity on investment opportunities.”

“As a company, we are going to see disruptive innovations in our operations through Industry 4.0. We are going to use robotics in our Hyderabad facility for things that were done manually, earlier. This will provide leverage in competing worldwide with companies that require the precision,” he added.


The company is also developing F16 wings at its F16 wings. It expects a capacity to make 3-4 wings a month in the steady state.


Advantage Telangana

Talking about the ecosystem in the State, Paranjape said, Telangana has an advantage as it has a right mix of private industry in Adibatla cluster and in the GMR Aerospace Park, as well as the presence of public sector units and research labs headed by the DRDO and Midhani.

There is a significant layer of MSMEs in the State, which will be benefited from the recent
packages announced by the Finance Ministry, in terms of loans, equity and investments.

Also, Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) is looking to help MSMEs in the aerospace and defence sector with new capabilities so that they can get loans and equity and enter into new markets.

“Possibilities for Telangana are vast and the challenges can be turned into opportunities. The State is rightly poised to reap opportunities both in the manufacturing and research and development,” he noted.


Defence reforms

Paranjape observes that the recent DPP aims at time-bound procurement. Delays in procurement have been plaguing the Indian defence procurement system for years and that has been one of the major hurdles for industry to go and participate in the procurement process. With the time-bound procurement process, there will be a lot of interest in the industry, globally, to try and see how they can participate in the defence procurement.

The second major change that is coming through is the preference for the indigenous. Since 2012, the government has progressively added the ‘Make in India’ concept but now it is really going to take off, with the Finance Minister announcing specific packages for defence sector and how certain platforms and products that will be procured only from India, he said at a recent CII webinar.

There will also be another trend, ‘buy global but make in India’, which will make global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to look at setting up their manufacturing base in India. These developments will open up new doors for the indigenous industry in the country.

Additionally, the government’s focus on indigenous has also resulted in increase in foreign direct investment (FDI), taking the ceiling in automatic route from 49 per cent to 74 per cent, and up to 100 per cent in some cases. This allows funding to come from outside and also gives an incentive to the OEMs worldwide to come and manufacture or develop something in India because they can protect their intellectual property.

If they hold a significant share in their business, they can make sure that the processes and systems are followed according to their international standards. As a result, MSMEs will also be benefited with the presence of these OEMs.


Technology adoption

From the technology point of view, he said, “New materials are coming in for all sorts of platforms and products. Composites are getting more and more prevalent in structures. Smart structures are coming through that give stealth to aircraft. The man-machine interface is going through radical changes. Unmanned aircraft systems are being increasingly used. India is poised to take advantage of all these developments.”

Smart network systems are also offering new ways of operations, both in terms of on-ground as well as the systems in air. Machine learning, artificial intelligence and networking are going to make a significant impact. Industry 4.0 will bring a new change in defence manufacturing, Paranjape noted.

 

Vishal reddy

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I don't know whether it's the appropriate thread to post this, but is the IAF Police (Military Police). They have their separate K9 unit as well!!
Screenshot_20200608_120204.jpg
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