Indian Navy requirement of 30 Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft

Hindustani78

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
1,326
Likes
386
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...miral-lanba/story-EveBYJcrQp9paRoqL8VJtO.html

P-8I, often referred to as the “submarine killer”, is perhaps the most advanced system that any of the three Indian services have acquired in recent years.


india Updated: Jan 13, 2018 12:31 IST
Indo Asian News Service, New Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...miral-lanba/story-EveBYJcrQp9paRoqL8VJtO.html

The Indian Navy is considering the acquisition of more Boeing P-8I aircraft for surveillance and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), according to Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.

In an interview to the magazine ‘India Strategic’, Admiral Lanba said that air surveillance capability is an important subset of naval operations and that while the proposal was on the table, he could not disclose the required numbers.

His predecessors have spoken of a requirement of 30 Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, under which the navy has already inducted eight aircraft and placed an order for four more.

Because of the overall tardy process of routine modernisation of the armed forces over the last 30 years, the Indian Navy has not been able to renew its inventory of submarines but the acquisition of the P-8I (I stands for India) has given it a very strong offensive capability to detect and hunt hostile submarines.

In fact, in terms of contemporary weapon technologies, the P-8I, often referred to as the “submarine killer”, is perhaps the most advanced system that any of the three Indian services have acquired in recent years. The aircraft was deployed in 2013 by the Indian Navy around the same time the US Navy did.

The Defence Ministry has officially stated that the P-8I is “capable of thrusting a punitive response and maintaining a watch over India’s immediate and extended areas of interest”.

Asked about the growing number of hostile submarines in the Indian Ocean, nearer home in fact, Admiral Lanba said: “As a professional military force, we constantly evaluate the maritime security environment in our areas of interest. We lay a lot of stress on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). Accordingly, we are fully seized of the presence and likely intentions of all extra-regional forces operating in the Indian Ocean. Our Navy is fully capable and ever ready to meet any challenges that may arise in the maritime domain.”

Significantly, the agreement for the P-8Is was signed on January 1, 2009, within a couple of months of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which exposed the vulnerability of the country’s maritime defences. The attack, in fact, triggered the government to clear quite a few proposals for the armed forces as well as to review what should be done to ensure security of Indian waters, particularly the coastal belts on the country’s eastern and western seaboards.

The Navy is now the nodal agency for coordinating surveillance through satellites and aircraft and a network of police and small boats has also been integrated into the system.

The Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) also operate a number of HAL-made Dornier 228 aircraft, while some proposals for more LRMR and Medium-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) have been on the table for the last few years.

Observed Admiral Lanba: “Every endeavour is being made to collectively ensure that our maritime security, of which coastal security is an important subset, is adequately strengthened.”

“A number of measures have been taken since 26/11 to strengthen maritime, coastal and offshore security by the concerned agencies in the country. These measures broadly include increasing capacity and capabilities of maritime security forces, enhanced surveillance and domain awareness of the maritime zones, increased regulation of maritime activities, streamlining intelligence-sharing between different agencies and strengthening overall maritime governance. There have been significant improvements in the operational response to developing situations at and from the seas,” he added.

At the national level, coordination of coastal security-related activities is being carried out by the National Committee for Strengthening Coastal and Maritime Security (NCSCMS).

The Navy had ordered eight P-8I aircraft in 2009 for $2.1 billion along with a training package. Weapons and torpedoes were extra as needed, and then, under the Options Clause, four more aircraft were ordered in August 2016.

The standard delivery schedule begins within three years of signing a contract and making the first payment. Boeing has said that it delivered the first lot of eight aircraft “on time, on cost” and helped set up their base at the INS Rajali Naval Air Station at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu.

Boeing had been awarded a three-year contract in June last year for engineering and logistics support for the P-8I fleet. In January 2018, the Navy has been given approximately Rs 2,000 crore (almost $315 million) for a Training Solution along with a 10-year package for comprehensive maintenance service.

The training facility at INS Rajali will be the third of its kind after those in the US and Australia, and will train pilots, observers and ordnance and technical personnel. Spread over 60,000 sq ft, the facility would be completed by 2021.

A Training Simulator to be set up at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT), Kochi, for ab-initio training of the technical personnel is part of the package.

Pratyush Kumar, Boeing’s India President and Vice President International, had observed after signing the three-year contract last year: “Our team remains focused on executing our commitments to customers on schedule and cost. With this contract, the Indian Navy can be assured of achieving exceptional operational capability and readiness of the P-8I fleet.”

Boeing’s earlier contract was due to expire in October 2017.

The Indian variant has certain Indian components, including communication software and IFF (Identify Friend or Foe), to align with Indian naval and Air Force aircraft and net-centric systems.

It has 360-degree radar view, thanks to Raytheon’s AN/APY-40 forward looking radar’s 240-degree coverage and the rest from Telefonics aft-looking radar.

Built on the Boeing 737 frame, the P8-I is capable of detecting and destroying hostile submarines deep under the water. It has 11 hard points for carrying Harpoon anti-shipping missiles and depth charges, and five stations in the weapons bay for Raytheon-supplied Mk-54 torpedoes. Two hard points upfront are for Search and Rescue equipment.

There are five operator stations, and windows for outside views. All the systems are integrated with the onboard Mission Computer and Display System for control and data distribution in high speeds with ultra-high resolution. The APY 10 radar is developed keeping in mind not just the land but waters of the vast oceans as well, be it day or night. It is capable of tracking even small vessels in littoral and high seas environments.

The Indian variant also has the Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) which measures minute variations and disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field caused by the underwater movement of steel-encased submarines.

India has already acquired a number of Harpoon Block II missiles for use both by the Navy and IAF, which also conducts maritime patrols.

****************

17-March, 2008 17:5 IST
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelcontent.aspx?relid=36590

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a MoU with Boeing to source sub-system for fighter aircraft and helicopters. An MoU has been signed by HAL with Boeing in December 2007 which envisages exploration of business opportunities principally relating to defence related work packages.

The proposal regarding procurement of Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft is in progress.


Such MoUs are expected to benefit HAL through enhanced export opportunities, development of new technologies and processes; and implementation of best practices and skills for global competitiveness.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Sugrib Singh and others in Lok Sabha today.

PK / VK

********************

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories1272_Navy_to_induct_P8I.htm

Published: December 2011

New Delhi. The Indian Navy will acquire 12 more Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft in addition to the 12 Boeing P8-I already ordered or being ordered.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma told India Strategic in an interview that the Navy was satisfied with the progress of the first eight Indian P8-Is being built by Boeing under a 2009 order and that the second order for four more aircraft was being processed to be placed within the current fiscal ending March 2012.

The Government had cleared these 12 aircraft already as requested by the Navy, and at a later date, it was being planned to acquire 12 more LRMRs for offshore surveillance and protection of the Indian waters and interests, bringing the total to 24, he said.

Admiral Verma said that the P8-I is the most advanced LRMR platform with capability to observe even small boats and destroy hostile submarines. India is the first export customer for this US aircraft, and the advantage is that India will benefit from the hi-tech systems being developed for the US Navy, (which has ordered 117 aircraft).


Most of the specifications of the US Navy and the Indian Navy are reportedly common but details are understandably being kept secret.

There would be some Indian components though, thanks to the offsets and Transfer of Technology (ToT) requirements. India’s Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has already started supplying its Data Link II system to facilitate P8-I’s communications with Indian space, naval, and land based-assets.

The aircraft can also perform electronic intelligence (ELINT) missions with its highly sophisticated Raytheon’s APY-10 radar and Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Warfare (EW) systems.

The P8 aircraft is a next-gen military version of Boeing 737-800 fuselage with wings from 737-900. The engines are also from the same CFM family used on commercial 737s but more powerful permitting the aircraft low level cruise over the waters and launch sonobuoys to detect submarines.

There are five stations for systems and weapons operators, and the aircraft can be in the air for several hours.

According to a Boeing statement, “All sensors contribute to a single fused tactical situation display, which is then shared over both military standard and internet protocol data links, allowing for seamless delivery of information while simultaneously providing data to everyone on the network.”
*************

 

Hindustani78

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
1,326
Likes
386
The P-8I aircraft is manned by nine crew members. The cockpit is integrated with primary flight display, multifunction displays, identification friend or foe (IFF), flight management system and stores management system.

The aircraft is equipped with a CAE AN/ASQ-508A magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) system, APS-143C(V)3 multimode radar and a global version of the Raytheon APY-10 surveillance radar.

The APY-10 radar provides precise information in all-weather, day and night missions. The P-8I also integrates BEL Data Link II communications system, Avantel mobile satellite system and a speech secrecy system from Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL).

The P-8I aircraft is powered by two CFM56-7 engines supplied by CFM International, a joint venture between Snecma Moteurs and GE Electric. Each engine provides a take-off thrust of 27,300lb. The engines are equipped with a new-generation full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system.

The P-8I aircraft can fly at a maximum speed of 789km/h and can reach a maximum altitude of 12,496m. The aircraft has a maximum range of 2,222km with four hours on station.
 

Spectre

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2015
Messages
46
Likes
27
Country flag
The P8 is a merely a 737 and hence it is vulnerable to long range SAMs and to interceptor aircraft. The P8 can thus only be operated (without risk) in a permissive environment and not in a contested environment . The Indian navy surely knows this, in that case, what are the measures being undertaken to reduce the vulnerability of this valuable flying sensor while still allowing it to complete its mission (hunting surface vessels and submarines) ? Eg. Does it get limited fighter escort, does it work under limited emcon?

What is the exact mission set that the P8 will be used for by the Indian navy and how does it fit into the ASW doctrine of the Indian navy.
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top