Indian Naval Aviation

[Aathithya2]

Naval air combat capabilities weak, says CAG
BY: PTI

India's naval air combat capabilities are quite weak with ageing aircraft carrier INS Viraat on the verge of retirement and naval fighter jet fleet all but depleted, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said on Tuesday.

In its latest report presented to Parliament, the CAG said due to its age and maintenance requirements, Viraat, the only carrier that India operates at the moment, was unavailable from March 2008 to August 2009 on account of special refit and repairs to extend its life till 2012.

"As a result, the Navy was without an aircraft carrier in operation for a significant length of time. More importantly, for INS Viraat to be effective, it has to possess a quality strike force, which it does not," the report said, asking the Defence Ministry and the Navy to speed up its acquisition process.

The report noted that the Sea Harrier fighter jets, the Navy's only combat aircraft till last year, were procured (about 30 of them) between 1979 and 1986 to be deployed on INS Viraat.

"During the audit period, on an average, only 42 per cent of the aircraft fleet was available with the squadron. The total inventory itself has depleted. Eight accidents took place in the combat aircraft fleet during the audit period. As of December 2009, 65 per cent of the Sea Harriers acquired had either crashed or been rendered ineffective," the report said.

It also noted that the aircraft had an alarming number of 18 accidents that were not of major nature during the audit period.

The high rate of accidents was stated to be due to pilot error or material failure.

Although the Navy had received four MiG-29s aircraft in December 2009, these are meant for INS Vikramaditya that was originally the Russian Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier that would join the Indian Navy fleet in late 2012.

"Weak operational capabilities were also reflected in the performance of existing avionics (of Sea Harriers), namely the fire control radar, which was unsatisfactory," the report said.

Also, the missiles on board the aircraft had not been fired for practise since 2003 and the bombs required to be carried by the aircraft too were obsolete since 2007. That apart, there had been minimum utilisation of the 30 mm guns on board the aircraft, the CAG report noted

http://idrw.org/?p=162

 

[wild goose]

India's Sea Harrier Shortage


Covering a potential aircraft carrier gap isn't India's only naval air issue these days. In response to a Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) question, India's Defence Minister Shri A K Antony said:

"The Indian Navy is facing shortage of Sea Harrier aircraft. The ongoing upgrade of Sea Harrier programme has also temporarily affected the availability of the aircraft. Contract for the limited upgrade of Sea Harrier aircraft was concluded with M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in March 2005 at a cost of Rs. 476.69 crore [DID: about $109.8 million at the time]. The upgrade programme is expected to be completed by 2009."

Can India's Sea Harriers survive as an effective force, until MiG-29Ks aboard the rebuilt INS Vikramaditya can replace them?

India's Sea Harrier Mk51s are old aircraft, predating the AV-8B+ Harrier IIs currently flown by the US Marines and Italian Navy, and their British GR7/GR9 or Spanish EA-8B counterparts. The V/STOL Sea Harrier fighters were inducted in 1983, with 25 used for operational flying and the remaining 5 as trainers. The current fleet reportedly stands at 13 as of December 2007, due to 17 crashes over the aircrafts' service lifetime (a known hazard for Harriers). With only 13 aircraft on hand, cycling aircraft in for lengthy upgrades without disrupting already-low fleet numbers becomes a challenge.

The current upgrade program will involve new IAI Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radars, RAFAEL's Derby short-medium range air-air missiles, plus combat maneuvering flight recorders and digital cockpit voice recorders.

UPDATES

Aug 3/10: A CAG report says that Indian naval aviation has suffered in recent years, and makes it clear that on-time induction of MiG-29Ks into the fleet will be critical. As of Dec 30/09, fully 65% of India's 30 Sea Harriers, bought from 1979-1986, have either crashed or been "rendered ineffective" and unusuable in some other manner.

Of those that remain, availability is only 42%, and the audit period included 8 significant accidents and 18 minor ones. That isn't entirely surprising, as the Harrier is known as a difficult aircraft to fly, especially during vertical landings. Of even more concern are reports of problems with the Blue Vixen fire control radars, a squadron that had not fired missiles in practice since 2003, obsolete bombs, and minimum utilisation of the 30 mm guns on board the aircraft. Those are signs that India's naval aviation may require additional training, in order to make up its previous shortfalls.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Indias-Sea-Harrier-Shortage-04774/#more-4774

 

[MadMax]

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/08/13/Russian-nationalist-analysts-assail-JV-aerial-projects/UPI-40981281724776/

MOSCOW, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Russia's defense industry, previously largely off-limits to journalistic scrutiny, has increasingly entered the public debate.

Among the topics under debate is the percentage of foreign components and financing in Russia's previously autonomous weapons and civilian aircraft systems, Vedomosti reported on Thursday.

Two of the top issues under discussion are the Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 fighter, a prototype for the Sukhoi PAK FA fifth generation stealth fighter jet currently being developed by Sukhoi OKB for the Russian Air Force and the Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane. Nationalist critics of the Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 fighter have focused on India's involvement with the project, along with the fact that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane will be powered by jet engines designed by a joint venture between Russia's Saturn and a subsidiary of France's Safran.

The Sukhoi PAK FA T-50, designed to directly compete with Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters, upon becoming operational is intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in Russia's Air Force inventory and furthermore, serve as the test bed the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA project being developed in a joint venture with India. The Sukhoi PAK FA T-50, Russia's first all-new warplane since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, made its maiden flight in January and has subsequently made 15 additional test flights.

The aircraft is designed to be a major element in future armaments sales by Russia's state-owned Rosobornekhsport program. Sukhoi OKB director Mikhail Pogosian has predicted that Rosobornekhsport 1,000 aircraft over the next four decades. As the Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 is a joint venture with India, the Russian and Indian air forces will be the initial recipients of two hundred fighters apiece, with an additional six hundred being manufactured for export. Initial deployment is planned for 2015. A naval version of the Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA will be eventually deployed on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and future Russian aircraft carriers, as well as India's former Soviet carrier Admiral Gorshkov, currently undergoing a lengthy refit in Russia's Sevmash shipyard. The Admiral Gorshkov, a modified Kiev-class Soviet aircraft carrier, was purchased in 2004 by India and after refitting will enter the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane has a similar high profile in Russia's export plans. Saturn is controlled by Russia's state-controlled Sukhoi and 25 percent owned by Italy's Finmeccanica. Saturn's deputy managing director Yury Basyuk said that Saturn hopes that the Sukhoi Superjet 100, the first passenger plane built by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, will achieve 1,000 unit sales in international markets after the plane is certified, perhaps as early as October.

 

[JBH22]

Any idea why Navy did not acquire a squadron of the Su-30MKI???

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Any idea why Navy did not acquire a squadron of the Su-30MKI???

The Idea was rejected later, According to them AF Su-30mki will be provide Long Range Anti-ship air-craft..
those 50 Su-30mki modified for carrying bhramos, half of them will be under Navy`s control..

 

[JBH22]

The Idea was rejected later, According to them AF Su-30mki will be provide Long Range Anti-ship air-craft..
those 50 Su-30mki modified for carrying bhramos, half of them will be under Navy`s control..

Ultimately the with Navy having control over them will be an indirect acquisition so cheers formidable anti-shipping platform we have with this plane and the (EXOCET,KH-35,PJ-10 and NIRBHAY) :happy_8:

 

[wild goose]

India Seeks Info on Light Helos From Contractors


NEW DELHI - The Indian Navy has entered the global market to buy 50 light utility helicopters to replace aging Chetak helos, which have outlived their life.

A request for information (RFI) has been sent to Eurocopter of Europe, AgustaWestland of Italy, Bell Helicopters of United States and Kamov of Russia. After the receipt of the RFI, formal requests for proposals will be sent to global vendors in three months, said a senior Indian Defence Ministry official.

The helicopters will be used for search-and-rescue missions, casualty evacuation, observation and surveillance, and limited electronic intelligence gathering.

The Navy is looking for a twin-engined helicopter to improve survivability while flying over maritime areas, and wants fully integrated advanced avionics. The Navy requires the helicopters to have controls for two pilots but be capable of single-pilot operation. The helicopters should be able to attack submarines with torpedoes and depth charges, in addition to serving anti-terrorism and anti-piracy roles, said Navy official.

The Indian Army and Air Force are already in the process of purchasing 384 light utility helicopters.

http://defensenews.com/story.php?i=4748275&c=ASI&s=TOP

 

[youngindian]

Pilots being made air-ready for INS Vikramaditya

Pilots being made air-ready for INS Vikramaditya

 

[wild goose]

Commercial tenders for 16 Navy multi-role choppers expire


Two years after Navy issued tenders for purchase of 16 multi-role helicopters worth USD one billion, a deal is not in the pipeline since bids from two competing global manufacturers have expired. Defence Ministry sources told PTI today that the commercial bids from American Sikorsky and British-Italian AgustaWestland expired last month and the Ministry was considering asking them to revalidate their existing offers or revise their prices. "Yes, the commercial tenders for the MRH from the two companies have expired and we now intend to ask them to revalidate or revise their offers," the sources said. The Navy's tenders (Request for Proposals or RFP in defence parlance) was issued in August 2008 and the two firms responded to the bids, while another European manufacturer did not submit its offers. The commercial bids were valid for 18 months. Industry sources said the two firms would respond to the Defence Ministry's request for revalidation or revision of their bids, if asked to. Sources said the Navy was yet to carry out the Flight Evaluation Trials for the two contenders — Sikorsky's S-70B SeaHawk and AgustaWestland's NH90 — for the contract, though technical evaluations were completed. The Navy urgently needs the MRH to replace its aging SeaKing fleet inducted in 1970. It had 40-odd SeaKing choppers in its air wing, but the numbers have come down to about 30 helicopters due to mishaps. The MRH's primary role would be anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, while its secondary role would include search and rescue, cargo carrying and casualty evacuation. The RFP for the 16 MRH was initially issued in early 2006, but the tenders were cancelled two years later and reissued in September 2008. Two years have since elapsed, yet little progress has been made on the procurement, Defence Ministry sources admitted. India also has another option to equip its Navy with MRH, as the American Department of Defense has offered US Navy's workhorse MH-60R — a Sikorsky platform with American systems and sensors — through the Foreign Military Sales route. Once the contract is decided and awarded, the Indian Navy would get delivery of the MRH within 46 months in three phases. The RFP provides an option of placing follow-on orders for another 44 helicopters, once the present contract is completed and mandates an offset clause under which the successful bidder would reinvest 30 per cent of the contract amount back in Indian defence industry



Commercial tenders for 16 Navy multi-role choppers expire

 

[Daredevil]

Navy warns of fighter planes' sonic booms in Goa:happy_2:

2010-09-07 19:20:00

After the sonic booms of Indian Navy's MiG-29K fighter planes triggered an alarm in Goa in February, the force Tuesday advised people not to panic if they hear similar loud sounds in the coming days.

The fighter planes' sonic boom was earlier mistaken for a series of mysterious, unexplained explosions by the public and the state administration.

A sonic boom is a sound similar to a loud explosion which is generated by the shock waves formed on an airplane in supersonic flight.

In a formal statement issued Tuesday, Indian Navy Public Relations Officer (PRO) Commander M.C. Joshi has advised the public not to be alarmed when they hear an occasional boom.

The navy, which did not give any details of the next exercise, assured that the fighter planes' exercises will be conducted deep into the sea to prevent public alarm.

'The public is advised not to be alarmed should an occasional boom be heard. They may only take it as an assurance that the Indian Navy pilots are practicing hard for safeguarding the nation whilst the citizens go about their daily work,' Joshi said.

'The MiG-29K is an advanced multirole 4th generation air superiority fighter at present being operated from the Indian Navy's naval air station INS Hansa at Dabolim. This aircraft has the capability to go supersonic at almost twice the speed of sound,' the PRO said.

'In certain atmospheric conditions, sonic booms from a supersonic aircraft may reach distances as far as 20-40 km. The ability to fly at supersonic speed is of great advantage to a fighter pilot in a combat situation and it is therefore important that supersonic flying is practiced to maintain a high level of operational readiness,' he said.

'To achieve this aim, without disturbing the resident population of Goa, MiG-29K pilots at INS Hansa will fly all flights involving supersonic profiles deep into the sea and at very high altitudes,' he said.

'However, there is still a possibility that sonic booms could be heard by the local population and our fishing communities from time to time. These are absolutely harmless to life, health and property. Supersonic flights have been undertaken by the IAF (Indian Air Force) all over the country since the 1970s and are an absolutely normal part of fighter training,' he said.

In February, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had to order an official inquiry in February after an alarm over the sonic booms in coastal areas.

It was only after the navy was formally contacted by the state administration that the mystery behind the loud sounds was solved, an official said.

 

[Rebelkid]

Navy warns of fighter planes' sonic booms in Goa

Navy warns of fighter planes' sonic booms in Goa

Panaji, Sep 7 : After the sonic booms of Indian Navy's MiG-29K fighter planes triggered an alarm in Goa in February, the force Tuesday advised people not to panic if they hear similar loud sounds in the coming days. The fighter planes' sonic boom was earlier mistaken for a series of mysterious, unexplained explosions by the public and the state administration.

NEWSPOLITAN :: Navy warns of fighter planes' sonic booms in Goa

---------------

Hell yeah... I wanna hear those Booms baby :angry_1: :happy_2: :angry_1:

 

[Patriot]

Indian Navy Chopper Tender May Face Hurdles

India Defence Online, New Delhi — The Indian Navy continues to suffer delays in acquiring multi-role helicopters (MRH) as bids from international manufacturers have expired. The Indian Defence Ministry has indicated that the commercial bids from US firm Sikorsky and British-Italian firm Agusta Westland for the MRH have expired last month.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 16 MRH worth $1 billion was issued in August 2008 and since the commercial bids are valid for two years only, they stand expired. The Indian Defence Ministry now intends to request the firms to revise their offers. While the technical evaluation has been wrapped up, Indian Navy is yet to pursue the Flight Evaluation Trials for the two contenders.

The two contenders for the MRH for the Indian Navy are the US firm Sikorsky's S-70B Sea Hawk and British-Italian Agusta Westland's NH-90 helicopters. Once the contract is decided and awarded, the Indian Navy would get the delivery of the MRH within 46 months in three phases and the RFP provides an option of placing follow-on orders for another 44 helicopters.

The MRH aims to replace the ageing fleet of Sea King choppers with the Indian Navy. The MRH's main role would be anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare while its other role would include anti-ship surveillance and targeting, search and rescue, cargo carrying and casualty evacuation. The MRH will be equipped for in-flight refuelling and will coordinate logistics missions from naval vessels.

While the US firm Sikorsky is offering the S-70B Seahawk as a commercial direct sale, there is another option for India which is the MH-60R chopper as a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) under the U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). The American Department of Defence has offered the US Navy's workhorse MH-60R, which is a Sikorsky platform with American systems and sensors, through the FMS route.

Indian defence news and strategic intelligence




Indian Navy Chopper Tender May Face Hurdles | India Defence Online

 

[rakesh]

EXCLUSIVE: Inside The IAI-HAL Naval Rotory UAV

Just got this nifty little see-through picture that provides a vague sort of glimpse into what's been done to the Chetak/Alouette-III by IAI Malat to convert it into an unmanned platform for the Indian Navy. There are two prototypes known to be flying in Israel now.

 

[plugwater]

India, US defence deal set to get bigger

NEW DELHI: India's biggest- ever defence deal inked with US till now is all set to get bigger. Plans are virtually final now to order another four P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft to add to the eight already contracted under the $2.1 billion deal inked last year. Defence ministry sources say the project to acquire four more Boeing P-8I aircraft will be taken up for approval in the meeting of the defence acquisitions council, headed by A K Antony, on October 8.

It will be held in the backdrop of the recent visits of Antony and Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma to US. ''The new P-8Is will cost the same as each of the eight ordered in January 2009, without any cost escalation. There will also be similar offsets requirements. In the original $2.1-billion contract, the offsets were valued over $600 million,'' said a source.

India is going in for the 12 P-8Is to plug huge gaps in its maritime snooping capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which has become heavily militarised with even China increasingly making strategic forays into the region.

At present, Navy has a woefully-inadequate maritime reconnaissance fleet of eight ageing Russian Tupolev-142M turboprops and five upgraded Ilyushin-38SD aircraft, a dozen Israeli Heron and Searcher-II spy drones, and a few Dornier-228 squadrons.

Based on the Boeing 737 commercial airliners with cruise speeds of 445 knots, the P-8Is will not undertake just surveillance missions. They will also be capable of deadly anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, armed as they will be with torpedoes, depth bombs and Harpoon missiles.

They will have ''a mission radius'' of 600 nautical miles, with 5.5 hours on-station loitering time, and 1,200 nautical miles, with 4 hours on station. With mid-air refuelling, their operational radius will further go up. The first of the eight original P-8Is is slated to be inducted by early-2013, with the others following by 2016. The US Navy, too, will begin inducting the first lot of its 117 P-8A multi-mission maritime aircraft around the same time.

P-8Is are being customised to Indian naval requirements, with communication, electronic warfare and other systems being sourced from India. For instance, defence PSU Bharat Electronics is delivering Data Link-II, a communication system to enable rapid exchange of information among Indian warships, submarines aircraft and shore establishments, for the P-8Is to Boeing. There is, however, the question of India having not yet inked the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) being pushed by the US as ''a sensitive technology-enabler'' for P-8I and other arms procurements.

But MoD and Navy are not too worried. Antony, in fact, told his American counterpart Robert Gates in Washington on Tuesday that while India appreciated the US government's view that pacts like CISMOA would ''facilitate access to high technologies'', there were still some concerns which needed to be addressed.

India, US defence deal set to get bigger - The Times of India

 

[RAM]

India Plans to Strengthen Naval Force by Procuring More U.S. Weapons

India is planning to buy more U.S. maritime planes and warships to strengthen its naval operational capabilities, local media reported on Thursday.

India plans to buy four more U.S. newly-developed P-8I maritime long-range patrol planes worth about one billion U.S dollars for its Navy, and the project of new P-8I acquisition will be taken up for approval in the coming meeting of the defense acquisitions council headed by Defense Minister A.K.Antony on Oct. 8, the Times of India reported, citing the source of the Indian Ministry of Defense.

Meanwhile, India will acquire two so-called newly- decommissioned Osprey-class coastal minesweepers from the U.S. for its Navy, and the U.S. Senate approved the transfer of the two ships to India on Monday, reported Press Trust of India.

The Indian Navy said its air surveillance fleet and coastal mine-sweeping group are aging and inadequate, and need to be replaced .

Presently, the Indian navy's air surveillance fleet consists of eight Russia-made Tu-142 long-range patrol planes acquired in the 1980s and five Russia-made long-range Il-38s, which entered the service in the 1970s.

The Indian Navy's coastal mine-hunting group comprises eight Russia-made Pondicherry class minesweepers procured between the 1970s and the 1980s and some Russia-made Mahe class minesweepers bought in the 1980s,

P-8I is the world's most sophisticated maritime long-range patrol plane, and the two Osprey class minesweepers commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Osprey class minesweepers are regarded as the second largest minesweepers and the largest glass-reinforced plastic warships in the world.

In January 2009, India signed an agreement with the U.S. to acquire eight P-8Is worth 2.1 billion U.S. dollars for its Navy. The Indian Navy will receive the eight P-8Is by 2016.

The four new P-8Is will greatly improve the Indian Navy's maritime long-range reconnaissance and striking capabilities over the Indian Ocean, and the two new minesweepers will boost the India's coastal operational capabilities, an Indian navy official said.

The P-8I is a new type of long-range reconnaissance plane with the functions of fatal anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare by carrying torpedoes, depth bombs and missiles.

Osprey-class coastal minesweepers are capable of using advanced sonar and other systems to find, classify and neutralize many types of mines in coastal areas. They are stealth ships with exceptionally low magnetic and acoustic signatures.

As the relation between the Indian and U.S. Navies develops in recent years, the Indian Navy is acquiring more and more U.S. weapons. In January 2007, the Indian navy procured the U.S. newly- decommissioned large amphibious ship Trenton with a full displacement of 17,000 tons at a cost of only 48 million U.S. dollars, and the ship becomes the second largest warship of the Indian Navy.

India Plans to Strengthen Naval Force by Procuring More U.S. Weapons

 

[Crusader53]

India Plans to Strengthen Naval Force by Procuring More U.S. Weapons

India is planning to buy more U.S. maritime planes and warships to strengthen its naval operational capabilities, local media reported on Thursday.

India plans to buy four more U.S. newly-developed P-8I maritime long-range patrol planes worth about one billion U.S dollars for its Navy, and the project of new P-8I acquisition will be taken up for approval in the coming meeting of the defense acquisitions council headed by Defense Minister A.K.Antony on Oct. 8, the Times of India reported, citing the source of the Indian Ministry of Defense.

Meanwhile, India will acquire two so-called newly- decommissioned Osprey-class coastal minesweepers from the U.S. for its Navy, and the U.S. Senate approved the transfer of the two ships to India on Monday, reported Press Trust of India.

The Indian Navy said its air surveillance fleet and coastal mine-sweeping group are aging and inadequate, and need to be replaced .

Presently, the Indian navy's air surveillance fleet consists of eight Russia-made Tu-142 long-range patrol planes acquired in the 1980s and five Russia-made long-range Il-38s, which entered the service in the 1970s.

The Indian Navy's coastal mine-hunting group comprises eight Russia-made Pondicherry class minesweepers procured between the 1970s and the 1980s and some Russia-made Mahe class minesweepers bought in the 1980s,

P-8I is the world's most sophisticated maritime long-range patrol plane, and the two Osprey class minesweepers commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Osprey class minesweepers are regarded as the second largest minesweepers and the largest glass-reinforced plastic warships in the world.

In January 2009, India signed an agreement with the U.S. to acquire eight P-8Is worth 2.1 billion U.S. dollars for its Navy. The Indian Navy will receive the eight P-8Is by 2016.

The four new P-8Is will greatly improve the Indian Navy's maritime long-range reconnaissance and striking capabilities over the Indian Ocean, and the two new minesweepers will boost the India's coastal operational capabilities, an Indian navy official said.

The P-8I is a new type of long-range reconnaissance plane with the functions of fatal anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare by carrying torpedoes, depth bombs and missiles.

Osprey-class coastal minesweepers are capable of using advanced sonar and other systems to find, classify and neutralize many types of mines in coastal areas. They are stealth ships with exceptionally low magnetic and acoustic signatures.

As the relation between the Indian and U.S. Navies develops in recent years, the Indian Navy is acquiring more and more U.S. weapons. In January 2007, the Indian navy procured the U.S. newly- decommissioned large amphibious ship Trenton with a full displacement of 17,000 tons at a cost of only 48 million U.S. dollars, and the ship becomes the second largest warship of the Indian Navy.

India Plans to Strengthen Naval Force by Procuring More U.S. Weapons

You can expect to see India purchasing more and more Western Military Hardware. Especially, from the US..........

 

[neo29]

SEA HARRIER RETIREMENT

Indian navy plans to retire Sea Harrier VTOL/STOVL jet fighter from its service from 2014 onwards , Naval officials based in Ins Hansa have confirmed this report , Ins Hansa is also a major base for Naval fighter squadrons and currently has Sea Harriers , recently acquired Mig-29k along with Kiran-Mk2 aircrafts

India Acquired 30 jets in mid-80's and later ten more were acquired in late 80's , bringing this numbers to 40 jets which included single and two seat aircrafts used for training purpose , Sea Harriers operated from the aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Viraat.

Sea Harriers had very troublesome history with Indian navy, jet was very difficult to master and operate , 28 jets were lost in this short service of 25 years with Indian navy , recently many of the jets have been upgraded with Israeli Elta 2032 MMR radar which enabled it to fire Rafael 'Derby' medium range BVR air to air missile , almost 14 jets were upgraded with this new radar giving it BVR capability along with mid-air refueling probe which was re-installed in them to carry midair refueling .

Even with upgraded Sea harrier has been lost in accident recently which killed its co-pilot of the Goa coast, Indian Navy in 2005 has decided to purchase 8 retired British navy Sea harrier to keep a Squadron of this VTOL fighter jets till 2020, but the plans to bring additional jets with additional engines fell flat since, price for acquisition and up gradation turned up to be in the higher side.

Since this jets have already been retired from British navy in 2006, spares are getting harder to come, with a small numbers of jet it possesses decision to retire them was made recently, retirement will start from 2014 onwards,

Indian navy also recently signed contract to acquire more 29 Mig-29k for its aerial operations and it fully committed to Countries Naval-Tejas fighter jet program, first flight of Naval-Tejas is expected by early 2011.

Indian navy also wants to acquire more 40 modern jets other than Mig-29k and Naval Tejas, and already has send RFP to international Aircraft manufactures, many defense have hinted that additional aircraft's from IAF's MMRCA aircraft deal might go to Navy.

Since this jets have already been retired from British navy in 2006, spares are getting harder to come, with a small numbers of jet it possesses decision to retire them was made recently, retirement will start from 2014 onwards, Indian navy also recently signed contract to acquire more 29 Mig-29k for its aerial operations and it fully committed to Countries Naval-Tejas fighter jet program, first flight of Naval-Tejas is expected by early 2011.

idrw.org

 

[vikramrana_1812]

India and Israel to Boost Naval Ties

India Defence Online, New Delhi — Indo-Israeli ties are expected to get another boost as the Indian Naval chief Admiral N.K.Verma is currently in Tel Aviv for a four day visit. Admiral Verma will be holding talks with Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak, chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Navy chief Eliezer Marom. The nature of defence talks will revolve around joint development projects including the potential sale of the jointly manufactured defence equipments to other countries.

India and Israel have been building up strong military ties and the current focus will be to collaborate on research and development (R&D). The areas where both countries could collaborate include Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), submarine based cruise missile, precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and third-generation night-vision devices amongst others.

According to sources, the growing Indo-Israeli cooperation in crucial military equipment can be seen in the upcoming $2.2 billion deal between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israeli Aircraft industries (IAI) to develop a MR-SAM (medium-range surface-to-air missile), capable of detecting and destroying hostile aircraft at a range of about 70 kilometres. The missile was fired at an electronic target and met with its initial objectives in May this year.

The second test of the Barak-2 missile is scheduled to be held in India later this year. The Barak-2 MR-SAM will equip the three Project 15 Guided Missile Destroyers. The Barak-2 MR-SAM will equip Naval Ships while the Barak-2 LR-SAM will be shore based for use by the Indian Air Force. The Barak-2 LR-SAM version will have a longer range of 120 Kilometres in comparison to the Barak MR-SAM, which has a range of about 70 kilometres.

India is Israel's single largest importer of its defence equipment constituting about 50 per cent of Israel's defence exports and about 30 per cent of India's imports. The defence business between the two countries has been prominent as Israel has already supplied Barak missiles to the Indian Navy, night fighting devices to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force and improved the radar network by providing advanced electronic warfare systems and information technology. Phalcon airborne early warning radar systems (AWACS) supplied by Israel as part of a $1.1 billion deal has significantly augmented India's reconnaissance capabilities.

http://indiadefenceonline.com/2253/india-and-israel-to-boost-naval-ties/

 

[Patriot]

Why is Navy mum on use of junk US choppers?

Navy has refused to disclose any details about procurement of six phased-out helicopters from the US worth Rs 182 crore for which it recently received a rap from the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Navy, which was criticised by the country's top auditor for a deal "which would ultimately compromise operational effectiveness", has cited national security to withhold information about it.

In reply to an RTI application seeking details about the deal which came under fire from the CAG, the Navy cited section 8(1)(a) of the transparency law to deny the information.
The section exempts disclosure of information, which would 'prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence'.

"The information sought by you is classified in nature, hence exempt from disclosure under section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act," Commander-at-arms S K Gupta at Integrated Headquarters Defence Ministry replied to RTI applications filed by activist S C Agrawal.

The Navy had acquired six decommissioned UH3H helicopters under the Foreign Military Supply (FMS) programme of the United States in November 2006, along with training and support facilities at an approximate cost of Rs 182.14 crore.

The 35-40 year-old helicopters "were on the verge of completing their air frame life and are on extended life", noted CAG in its recent report.

"These helicopters were delivered with many defects including Category A 12 defects resulting in non-availability of the helicopters leading to delay in training and the operationalisation of the squadron," it had said.
In his appeal against the decision of the Commander-at-Arms, Agarawal said: "Section 8 clearly states that any information which is not denied to Parliament or state-legislature, cannot be denied under RTI Act. Since report of Comptroller & Auditor General of India is presented to Parliament, any query relating to CAG strictures on purchase of defective choppers cannot be denied under RTI Act."





http://theasiandefence.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-is-indian-navy-mum-on-use-of-junk.html

 

[wild goose]

Britain is considering selling a fleet of fighter jets


Britain is considering selling a fleet of fighter jets it can no longer afford to fly, a government minister was quoted as saying on Monday.

In an interview with the Financial Times, defence equipment minister Peter Luff said that some of the items axed in the government's recent cuts in defence spending, including the Nimrod MRA4 reconnaissance aircraft, would find a home abroad.

"I don't want them to feel as if they are being bounced. But we are looking at the options quite carefully at the moment," Luff said.

India is the most likely purchaser of the Harrier, according to the newspaper, while the United States could buy the planes to supplement its fleet used by the Marine Corps.

Last month, Prime Minister David Cameron set out the conclusions of Britain's first review of its armed forces since 1988, detailing cuts to the defence budget, manpower, equipment and strategic capability.

Contractual obligations meant the government had to retain two previously ordered aircraft carriers, although Britain will not have combat jets to fly from them for some 10 years.

Luff said there were overseas markets, particularly for the Harrier, but that he did not want to "speculate.



http://dailyairforce.com/395/Britain-is-considering-selling-a-fleet-of-fighter-jets.html