Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[Wisemarko]

IAF cannot afford the costly maintenance required of this plane in order to keep it flying more than 150 hours a year.

F-35 is cheaper to acquire and significantly cheaper to maintain compared to all 4th generation fighters.

Read this:
In what surely must be a hard thing for Lockheed’s competitors to read, the Swiss Federal Council says: “The F-35A also has the lowest operating costs of all of the candidates evaluated. The total costs of the F-35A (i.e. procurement plus operating costs) amounts to approximately CHF 15.5 billion [$16.77 billion] over 30 years.”

F-35 Nabs $6.5B Swiss Deal; 'Lowest Operating Costs' - Breaking Defense

"Switzerland has no industrial or program stake in the program, and Swiss procurement, like the country, is largely neutral, so this reflects very well on the F 35’s overall technical appeal," aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group says.

breakingdefense.com

Rafale and F-15EX cost 2.5x more than F-35 to buy and operate.
PS: Don’t forget to put laughing emoji to show your frustration dealing with facts!

 

[SKC]

F-35 is cheaper to acquire and significantly cheaper to maintain compared to all 4th generation fighters.

Read this statement from Swiss Government:
In what surely must be a hard thing for Lockheed’s competitors to read, the Swiss Federal Council says: “The F-35A also has the lowest operating costs of all of the candidates evaluated. The total costs of the F-35A (i.e. procurement plus operating costs) amounts to approximately CHF 15.5 billion [$16.77 billion] over 30 years.”

F-35 Nabs $6.5B Swiss Deal; 'Lowest Operating Costs' - Breaking Defense

"Switzerland has no industrial or program stake in the program, and Swiss procurement, like the country, is largely neutral, so this reflects very well on the F 35’s overall technical appeal," aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group says.

breakingdefense.com

Rafale and F-15EX cost 2.5x more than F-35 to buy and operate.
PS: Don’t forget to put laughing emoji to show frustration dealing with facts!

F-35 has a large no of orders from around the world. The production rate is high thus the parts are cheaper and more reliable.
It is optimized like no other plane in its competition.

 

[Blademaster]

F-35 has a large no of orders from around the world. The production rate is high thus the parts are cheaper and more reliable.
It is optimized like no other plane in its competition.

Have you seen recent news about the F-35's performance in South Korea? https://eurasiantimes.com/f-35s-struggle-to-fly-frustrated-south-korea-says-its-us/

And see this: https://www.defensenews.com/smr/hidden-troubles-f35/?

 

[Corvus Splendens]

Why is the F-35 even up for discussion. Americans won't even remotely consider offering it unless we hand over the S-400 regiments. And then congress will have a nice tussle over whether to give India access to the JSF program owing to our relations with Russia. Not to mention how much freedom we'll actually have over this stupid "always online" bird ? that can be gimped anytime remotely by an intern sitting in Maryland.

 

[binayak95]

Why is the F-35 even up for discussion. Americans won't even remotely consider offering it unless we hand over the S-400 regiments. And then congress will have a nice tussle over whether to give India access to the JSF program owing to our relations with Russia. Not to mention how much freedom we'll actually have over this stupid "always online" bird ? that can be gimped anytime remotely by an intern sitting in Maryland.

the F35B has been on table for 5 years now. Sorry to say but that was the major reason for the entire overhaul of VKD's flight deck.

The fire onboard last year caused further delays

 

[jai jaganath]

the F35B has been on table for 5 years now. Sorry to say but that was the major reason for the entire overhaul of VKD's flight deck.

The fire onboard last year caused further delays

Wait wait sirji are u saying vkd fight deck is being overhauled for f-35

 

[susilk]

Indian air force must have something in UCAV form in a year to deploy at LAC. Just testing for years in Chennai or Bangaluru and planning will not give strength to Indian armed forces. Deploy it and test it.

I think it will be cheaper to deploy drone to counter another drone.

 

[binayak95]

Wait wait sirji are u saying vkd fight deck is being overhauled for f-35

For trials with F35Bs and cross deck operations - no official word on induction but you should know by now most of these things do not get talked about openly.

 

[Corvus Splendens]

Then how come the F-35 didn't take part in the MRCBF tender alongside F-18s and Rafales ?

 

[binayak95]

Then how come the F-35 didn't take part in the MRCBF tender alongside F-18s and Rafales ?

Thats the question isnt it?
That is why I feel the entire MRCBF is hocus pocus. Chutia kaat raha hai IN sabka

 

[Aniruddha Mulay]

Indian air force must have something in UCAV form in a year to deploy at LAC. Just testing for years in Chennai or Bangaluru and planning will not give strength to Indian armed forces. Deploy it and test it.

I think it will be cheaper to deploy drone to counter another drone.

For drones to counter other drones, it will need A2A missiles

 

[SilentlAssassin265]

Why is the F-35 even up for discussion. Americans won't even remotely consider offering it unless we hand over the S-400 regiments. And then congress will have a nice tussle over whether to give India access to the JSF program owing to our relations with Russia. Not to mention how much freedom we'll actually have over this stupid "always online" bird ? that can be gimped anytime remotely by an intern sitting in Maryland.

S400 is not the issue being independent country is.
Murica has not sold F35 to any not puppet state and never will, that's why UAE had to order rafale.
If we agree to become their puppet state like SK or japan the will sell us F35 right away

 

[susilk]

For drones to counter other drones, it will need A2A missiles

Astra mk1 is there.

HAL ADA can integrate it with UCAV. But there is a need of a decent UCAV and of course 4.5 and 5.5th Gen Aircraft.
They way China is challenging India it is possible than sooner or later using light weapons can become a norm.

 

[Aniruddha Mulay]

Astra mk1 is there.

HAL ADA can integrate it with UCAV. But there is a need of a decent UCAV and of course 4.5 and 5.5th Gen Aircraft.
They way China is challenging India it is possible than sooner or later using light weapons can become a norm.

Astra Mk1 is a BVR missile, will require a radar to detect and track the enemy so that the missile can be fired.
Radars are power hungry, and I don't think that twin 180hp engines can power it, heck not even a 900hp engine would be able to power a radar.
Only option that remains is a WVR missile which can find the target on its own.

 

[DumbPilot]

Astra Mk1 is a BVR missile, will require a radar to detect and track the enemy so that the missile can be fired.
Radars are power hungry, and I don't think that twin 180hp engines can power it, heck not even a 900hp engine would be able to power a radar.
Only option that remains is a WVR missile which can find the target on its own.

Trying to lock something with just a heatseeker missile sounds a bit sketchy. You would still need a radar to initially guide the missile's seekerhead onto the target.

A better solution for drones seems to be jammers/etc or some low-cost hard kill system(miniature missile?), ground based

 

[jai jaganath]

For trials with F35Bs and cross deck operations - no official word on induction but you should know by now most of these things do not get talked about openly.

Is there possibility of IN inducting f-35b as intereste might grow bcoz they are modifying deck only for cross operation

 

[johnj]

the F35B has been on table for 5 years now. Sorry to say but that was the major reason for the entire overhaul of VKD's flight deck.

The fire onboard last year caused further delays

Wait, by who ??
LM happy to sell & USN want F35b/c in IN service.
IN interested in F35b ?? and what about v22 ??
IAF shown a little interest on f35 during earlier days of mmrca[they wanted f35 in the place of f16].

 

[Flying Dagger]

Is there possibility of IN inducting f-35b as intereste might grow bcoz they are modifying deck only for cross operation

There is always a possibility...

But very very low.

Trying to lock something with just a heatseeker missile sounds a bit sketchy. You would still need a radar to initially guide the missile's seekerhead onto the target.

A better solution for drones seems to be jammers/etc or some low-cost hard kill system(miniature missile?), ground based

New IIR missiles are pretty good and infact have better hit rates as always. We can use them on LCHs Apache Rudra etc

UCAV can work with data provided to them through ground based radars too. That could be used to guide the missiles.

For low cost drones we can use drone guns and have already started employing them.

But it's not a full proof system we will need many layers to be able to defend against drone swarm.

Specially with shahed like cheap drones which I am sure will be purchased by porks too the threat is real.

 

[blackleaf]

the F35B has been on table for 5 years now. Sorry to say but that was the major reason for the entire overhaul of VKD's flight deck.

The fire onboard last year caused further delays

If the F35B was an option then why was it not chosen for the navy? With F35Bs our carriers would be at an advantage against the bigger Chinese carrier. The F35B is so much better that what China can currently deploy from its carriers that the difference in numbers wouldn't matter.

 

[Flying Dagger]

If the F35B was an option then why was it not chosen for the navy? With F35Bs our carriers would be at an advantage against the bigger Chinese carrier. The F35B is so much better that what China can currently deploy from its carriers that the difference in numbers wouldn't matter.

Not an option just speculation.

Even if it happens,there will be lots of condition for sale which would warrant a direct refusal to purchase them by India.

And it's the A version which is more economical and with less problem.

Large Anti Sh missile in any case lose the stealth advantage.