The Indian Air Force [IAF] chief is warning that the nation needs to expand and upgrade its aging warplane fleet. Soviet-era jetfighters, which were built decades ago, comprise at least 41 percent of the planes in the IAF’s fleets and they are long overdue for retirement, according to Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
“We have quite a few fleets which are on their last legs,” Raha told a news conference in New Delhi on October 4.
He was answering questions about whether he worried about the IAF’s fighting capability in light of the slow pace of new aircraft procurement programs and amid growing military competition from regional rivals China and Pakistan.
“There is a delay in each and every project. … We have lost timelines. Overruns are much more than they should have been. It is definitely a matter of concern,” he said.
The IAF jetfighter fleet has 640 planes, of which 260 are Russian-made MiG-21s and MiG-27s, which were built during the Cold War.
These relics belong to a tier of planes slated to be phased out progressively by the year 2022. The next tier up includes a fleet of MiG-27s, along with European-made Mirage 2000s and Jaguars. The topmost tier consists of the Russian-made Sukhoi-30 MKI.
The Air Force has 34 fighter jet squadrons, which consist of 16 to 18 planes each. But the IAF needs to add at least 11 more squadrons to wage potential wars on two fronts.
“IAF is obviously worried about its fast-depleting air combat power when both China and Pakistan continue to flex their muscles along the borders,” The Times of India reported.
Procurement programs for replacing aging jets with new ones are running years behind schedule. As a result, the old MiG-21s and MiG-27s have yet to be replaced.
Meanwhile, the IAF’s other programs for refurbishing and extending the lifespans of 210 of its middle-aged jetfighters are under way but lagging.
These include a $964 million [USD] program to refurbish 62 MiG-29s. They each are being outfitted with the Zhuk-M2E radar system made by Phazotron-NIIR, an infrared search-and-track system [IRST], multi-functional full-color LCDs in the cockpit, enhanced fuel capacity and an in-flight refueling system.
The Air Force also is upgrading its fleet of 120 Jaguar jetfighters to display attack ranging inertial navigation III [DARIN-III] standards. These planes will feature advanced missile systems, new engines and head-up displays in all-glass cockpits.
Three-part acquisition plan faces delays ::
There are three prongs to the IAF’s programs for acquiring new planes: a joint Indo-Russian production plan for fifth-generation fighter aircraft [FGFA]; a long-awaited deal to purchase 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft [MMRCA] from Dassault Aviation, the French aerospace firm; and India’s home-designed Light Combat Aircraft [LCA], which has yet to receive operational clearance after 30 years under development.
The three components are part of a 15-year [2012-2027] Indian Ministry of Defense equipment acquisition strategy known as the Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan [LTIPP].
It is crucial that India adds new planes to the IAF fleets through the MMRCA and LCA programs to prevent a reduction in its Air Force as old jets fall out of service, Raha said, noting that the FGFA would take some time before taking off.
This joint Indo-Russian venture is expected to define the IAF’s future. The program’s first prototype, modeled on the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, is scheduled for delivery to the IAF for flight tests in 2017.
The Indian government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [HAL] will design and develop the prototype jet along with Sukhoi Design Bureau, the Russian aircraft manufacturer.
However, New Delhi and Moscow are ironing out wrinkles before they can sign a joint “full design” research and development deal valued at $11 billion [USD].
A core part of the FGFA is 140 new jetfighters, a package that will cost about $35 billion [USD]. The IAF hopes to put them into service from 2022 on. These planes will function as a “swing fleet,” which can deploy rapidly between the two potential Chinese and Pakistani warfronts.
“The FGFA will fructify but may not be in a time line determined earlier,” Raha said, adding that the Indians and Russians were trying to solve issues dealing with sharing labor and technology.
The MMRCA, the second prong in the 15-year plan, also is being held up because the Ministry of Defense has yet to accept Dassault’s proposal for the Rafale jet. Under the contract, the first 18 Rafales are to be imported while the remainder will be manufactured under license by HAL. But more than 32 months later, the deal has yet to be approved.
“The MMRCA is part of the LTIPP to prevent the drawdown of fleet due to phasing of legacy planes like MiG-21. Sooner or later, this contract will be wrapped up. It will take three to four years for the first squadron of MMRCA to arrive and another seven to eight years for the balance of the aircraft,” Raha said.
As for the LCA – the third and final prong – it is in its final stages for operational clearance. However, its December 2014 deadline may be pushed back by a few months.
HAL has built the jet, which is powered by engines made by General Electric [GE]. A mark-II version, equipped with GE 414 engines, is under development.
More squadrons needed ::
While waiting for delivery of the MMRCA and the LCA, the Indian Air Force will have to keep flying its MiG fleets for longer periods.
Some analysts are suggesting that the planned 45-squadron fleet is insufficient.
The currently planned 45 squadron force should be expanded to 53-63 fighter squadrons, the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, a government-backed think-tank, wrote in an issue brief titled “IAF Equipment and Force Structure Requirements to Meet External Threats, 2032.”
“If the numbers of FGFA are increased, then 53 squadrons may suffice,” says Vivek Kapoor, the brief’s author.
Source: www.asiapacificforum.net/
“We have quite a few fleets which are on their last legs,” Raha told a news conference in New Delhi on October 4.
He was answering questions about whether he worried about the IAF’s fighting capability in light of the slow pace of new aircraft procurement programs and amid growing military competition from regional rivals China and Pakistan.
“There is a delay in each and every project. … We have lost timelines. Overruns are much more than they should have been. It is definitely a matter of concern,” he said.
The IAF jetfighter fleet has 640 planes, of which 260 are Russian-made MiG-21s and MiG-27s, which were built during the Cold War.
These relics belong to a tier of planes slated to be phased out progressively by the year 2022. The next tier up includes a fleet of MiG-27s, along with European-made Mirage 2000s and Jaguars. The topmost tier consists of the Russian-made Sukhoi-30 MKI.
The Air Force has 34 fighter jet squadrons, which consist of 16 to 18 planes each. But the IAF needs to add at least 11 more squadrons to wage potential wars on two fronts.
“IAF is obviously worried about its fast-depleting air combat power when both China and Pakistan continue to flex their muscles along the borders,” The Times of India reported.
Procurement programs for replacing aging jets with new ones are running years behind schedule. As a result, the old MiG-21s and MiG-27s have yet to be replaced.
Meanwhile, the IAF’s other programs for refurbishing and extending the lifespans of 210 of its middle-aged jetfighters are under way but lagging.
These include a $964 million [USD] program to refurbish 62 MiG-29s. They each are being outfitted with the Zhuk-M2E radar system made by Phazotron-NIIR, an infrared search-and-track system [IRST], multi-functional full-color LCDs in the cockpit, enhanced fuel capacity and an in-flight refueling system.
The Air Force also is upgrading its fleet of 120 Jaguar jetfighters to display attack ranging inertial navigation III [DARIN-III] standards. These planes will feature advanced missile systems, new engines and head-up displays in all-glass cockpits.
Three-part acquisition plan faces delays ::
There are three prongs to the IAF’s programs for acquiring new planes: a joint Indo-Russian production plan for fifth-generation fighter aircraft [FGFA]; a long-awaited deal to purchase 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft [MMRCA] from Dassault Aviation, the French aerospace firm; and India’s home-designed Light Combat Aircraft [LCA], which has yet to receive operational clearance after 30 years under development.
The three components are part of a 15-year [2012-2027] Indian Ministry of Defense equipment acquisition strategy known as the Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan [LTIPP].
It is crucial that India adds new planes to the IAF fleets through the MMRCA and LCA programs to prevent a reduction in its Air Force as old jets fall out of service, Raha said, noting that the FGFA would take some time before taking off.
This joint Indo-Russian venture is expected to define the IAF’s future. The program’s first prototype, modeled on the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, is scheduled for delivery to the IAF for flight tests in 2017.
The Indian government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [HAL] will design and develop the prototype jet along with Sukhoi Design Bureau, the Russian aircraft manufacturer.
However, New Delhi and Moscow are ironing out wrinkles before they can sign a joint “full design” research and development deal valued at $11 billion [USD].
A core part of the FGFA is 140 new jetfighters, a package that will cost about $35 billion [USD]. The IAF hopes to put them into service from 2022 on. These planes will function as a “swing fleet,” which can deploy rapidly between the two potential Chinese and Pakistani warfronts.
“The FGFA will fructify but may not be in a time line determined earlier,” Raha said, adding that the Indians and Russians were trying to solve issues dealing with sharing labor and technology.
The MMRCA, the second prong in the 15-year plan, also is being held up because the Ministry of Defense has yet to accept Dassault’s proposal for the Rafale jet. Under the contract, the first 18 Rafales are to be imported while the remainder will be manufactured under license by HAL. But more than 32 months later, the deal has yet to be approved.
“The MMRCA is part of the LTIPP to prevent the drawdown of fleet due to phasing of legacy planes like MiG-21. Sooner or later, this contract will be wrapped up. It will take three to four years for the first squadron of MMRCA to arrive and another seven to eight years for the balance of the aircraft,” Raha said.
As for the LCA – the third and final prong – it is in its final stages for operational clearance. However, its December 2014 deadline may be pushed back by a few months.
HAL has built the jet, which is powered by engines made by General Electric [GE]. A mark-II version, equipped with GE 414 engines, is under development.
More squadrons needed ::
While waiting for delivery of the MMRCA and the LCA, the Indian Air Force will have to keep flying its MiG fleets for longer periods.
Some analysts are suggesting that the planned 45-squadron fleet is insufficient.
The currently planned 45 squadron force should be expanded to 53-63 fighter squadrons, the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, a government-backed think-tank, wrote in an issue brief titled “IAF Equipment and Force Structure Requirements to Meet External Threats, 2032.”
“If the numbers of FGFA are increased, then 53 squadrons may suffice,” says Vivek Kapoor, the brief’s author.
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Source: www.asiapacificforum.net/
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