DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russian Air Force To Acquire New Aircraft, Helos, Bolster Arctic Presence

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russian Air Force To Acquire New Aircraft, Helos, Bolster Arctic Presence

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Defense News

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 10, 2014:  Russia’s Ministry of Defense has unveiled plans to acquire more than 150 new aircraft and helicopters in 2015 as part of plans to bolster and modernize the country’s Air Force.

Col. Igor Klimov, the spokesman for the Russian Air Force, told local news agency ITAR-TASS that, in the forthcoming year, the Air Force will focus its efforts on strengthening its military presence in the Arctic.

Under the plan, the new aircraft will include Sukhoi Su-34 bombers, Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters, Kamov Ka-52, Ka-226, Mil Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-28N and Mi-35 helos, Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced jet trainers, as well as Ilyushin Il-76MD-90 transport aircraft.

The Russian Air Force will also acquire new Nebo-M, Gamma and Sopka radars to boost its air surveillance capacity, Klimov said.

The latest announcement follows the recent establishment of the Arctic Strategic Command by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Arctic has traditionally been a sphere of “special interest” to Moscow.


“It is a concentration of practically all aspects of national security — military, political, economic, technological, environmental,” Putin said April 22 at an expanded meeting of the country’s Security Council.

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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Y-20 Heavy Lifter Aircraft To Boost Military Capabilities

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS:  Y-20 Heavy Lifter Aircraft To Boost Military Capabilities
**The Y-20 aircraft is part of the PLA's plans to modernise its hardware, but engine problems continue to hinder its successful development

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Minnie Chan - SCMP
(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - December 4, 2014: The development of the Y-20 heavy transport aircraft will benefit the military and civilian aviation industries if engine problems can be overcome, military experts said.

Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun confirmed last week it is developing the Y-20 military transport aircraft as part of the People's Liberation Army's modernisation drive and for service in humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts.

Three days earlier, on December 24, several photographs believed to be showing China's first domestically produced heavy-lift military transport plane were posted on a mainland website by military enthusiasts. The aircraft bears a striking resemblance to the US Air Force's C-17 transporter, built by Boeing, but appears to be of a size that might fit somewhere between the C-17 and the Airbus A400M.

As such, it appears that the Y-20 will be wide enough to accommodate most large PLA combat and support vehicles, including its Type 99 series tanks, which weigh close to 55 tonnes.

Yang did not say when the Y-20 would be ready for service, only saying that "the research and development of the large transport aircraft is going forward as planned".

The photographs on the Chaoda Story Land website, a forum for military enthusiasts, were purportedly taken from long range at Xian Aircraft's Yanliang airfield in Shaanxi .

Xian Aircraft Industry is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the leading military aircraft maker.

Some features of the new transporter can be identified despite the poor quality of the images. It is powered by four jet engines that appear to be Russian Soloviev D-30KU engines, used on Russian Ilyushin Il-62M and Tupolev TU-154M airliners and the Ilyushin Il-76MD, a multi-purpose, four-engine strategic airlifter.

The PLA Air Force operates a small fleet of Russian-made Il-76 transporters powered by the D-30KU engine.

But Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canadian-based Kanwa Defence Review, said the Y-20 would not use D-30KU engines when development and research was completed.

He said the D-30KU was a noisy fuel-guzzler and even the Russians were abandoning it. China was likely to use a homegrown aircraft engine such as the CJ-1000A displayed at the Zhuhai air show in November, he said.

"I have no idea about the Chinese engines that will be used by the Y-20 as it is still being developed," Chang said. "But it will be a significant jump for China's aviation industry if it successfully develops the Y-20, especially for its larger aircraft projects which can be used for both military and civilian purposes."

Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said the Y-20 project was still in its early days.


"Like other aircraft projects, the Y-20 project is still facing the same problem - engines," he said. "But if we overcome such a knotty problem, the PLA's ability to project military force on the battlefield or send relief materials to disaster-hit areas would definitely be strengthened."

*Related Y-20 Heavy Lifter Aircraft Images;

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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Set To Buy Additional Russian-Israeli AWACS Planes

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Set To Buy Additional Russian-Israeli AWACS Planes

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 15, 2011: India is close to purchase two additional Russian-Israeli airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, the Times of India newspaper reported.

India ordered three A-50EI variants, developed on the basis of the Russian Il-76MD military transport plane and fitted with the Israeli-made Phalcon radar system, in 2004. They are already in service with the Indian air force (IAF).

The Times of India cited on Tuesday defense ministry sources as saying that an $800-mln draft contract “is now…in the final stages of being examined” before being signed as a follow-on order to the previous $1.1-bln contract.

According to the paper, India needs to strengthen its early-warning radar capability as the neighboring rival Pakistan has purchased at least four Swedish Saab-2000 AEW aircraft and is about to receive four Chinese ZDK-03 AWACS planes.

“The Phalcons significantly boost the effectiveness of both offensive and defensive operations. Their enhanced detection and interception capability, connected to fighters and surface-to-air missile systems, are tremendous force-multipliers,” the Times of India quoted an Indian military official.

In many aspects, the A-50 is comparable to the E-3 Sentry of the U.S. Air Force. It is fitted with an aerial refueling system and electronic warfare equipment, and can detect targets up to 400 km (250 miles) away.

India is also planning to integrate domestically developed AWACS systems into three Brazilian-made Embraer-145 aircraft to be later commissioned with the Indian Air Force. However, the completion of the project has been pushed back to 2014.

Related News

• Russia sends 3rd AWACS plane to India
• India to purchase two more AWACS planes from Russia
• First Russian AWACS plane put in service with Indian air force
• Russia to deliver first AWACS plane to India 'soon'

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti

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DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: Israel, India Look To Hi-Tech As Trade Ties Expand

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: Israel, India Look To Hi-Tech As Trade Ties Expand

**Two countries aim to marry Israeli innovation with India’s vast manpower through trade and economic cooperation.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources David Rosenberg The Media Line | Jerusalem Post

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 7, 2011: Israeli and Indian industry associations signed a memorandum of understating on recently aimed at spurring cross-border innovation and entrepreneurship, as the two countries add high technology to their growing network of trade and economic cooperation.

While bilateral trade has grown exponentially, the agreement between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the country’s biggest trade association, and the Israel High Tech Industries Association, is unusual in that it focuses on technology. The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, home to the up-and-coming software center of Hyderbad, is close to signing a pact with Israel’s Matimop, a government agency that facilitates multinational research and development ventures.

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High tech is important to both countries, but their industries are very different. India is focused on software services -- writing code and operating systems for other companies. The National Association of Software & Services Cos (NASSCOM) forecasts will post exports of as much as $70 billion in the year to March 2012. The Israeli industry is much smaller but more diverse, and focuses on developing cutting-edge software, telecommunications and medicine. Exports in 2010 were about $29 billion.

Industry executives see potential to marry Israel’s innovative prowess with India’s huge and talented pool of human resources.

“There’s a complementary software story. Indian firms are entirely process orientated and Israel firms are much more about product,” Naushad Forbes, director of India’s Forbes Marshall and chairman of CII’s Innovation Council, told The Media Line. “If we put those two together, we can be unbeatable worldwide.”

Israel is trying to manage the shifting balance of world economic power. Countries like China and India post faster growth and present more intriguing markets than the older and slower economies of Europe and the US, which have been the biggest markets for Israel’s export-heavy economy. Closer trade and business ties also strengthens Israel’s political standing in the global community.

Starting at $200 million annually when diplomatic relations were established in 1992, trade between Israel and India ballooned to $4.7 billion mark last year when India vaulted into second place among Israel’s export markets. This does not include defense sales which are reportedly over $1 billion annually. In the first quarter of this year the level of trade plummeted to just $336 million, the Israel Export Institute reported on Wednesday, but industry figures and government officials are hopeful that growth will resume.

The two countries are negotiating a free-trade-area agreement (FTA) that will remove barriers to trade. In addition to the agreement with Andhra Pradesh, Israel is negotiating bilateral accords with two other Indian states. In March, Israel’s Finance and Industry Ministries allocated 100 million shekels ($29 million) to promote trade with China and India.

Much of the trade until now has been focused on defense, where increased arms spending has created a natural market for Israel military technology like unmanned pilotless vehicles (UPVs) and early airborne radar systems. These ties will likely deepen because of an Indian requirement that local components account for 30% of any contract, said Forbes. That will require Israeli companies to outsource or set up manufacturing in India.

Ties between Israeli and Indian technology companies are just starting, but they will likely involve more than sales. Companies will benefit mostly from combining Israeli innovation with India’s vast low-cost manpower.

“Israeli companies are already operating in India. We can learn from each other. There is a tremendous opportunity for collaboration and joint ventures,” Shri Sachin Pilot, the Indian minister of state for communications and information technology, said in Jerusalem.

In January 2009, India took delivery of the first of three Phalcon all-weather AWACS, also built by IAI, the flagship of Israel's defense industry, under a $1.1 billion deal. The radar system, produced by Israel's Elta Industries, is built around the Russian-built Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. Delivery was advanced by two months following the carnage in Mumbai.

The Phalcons made India the first state in South Asia to have advanced multi-sensor AWACs capable of providing tactical surveillance or multiple airborne and surface targets and able to gather signals intelligence.

As part of the Phalcon deal, the Israelis disclosed they would establish five factories in India to produce artillery shells, a project reportedly worth $250 million.

Andhra Pradesh is already a high tech powerhouse, with software exports last year of $8 billion, equal to half the state’s total. But Ajay Misra, principal secretary to the state’s Information Technology and Communication Department, said India had ambitions to expand out of software into computer and telecommunications hardware. Israeli innovation could help, he said.

“That’s our next step,” he told The Media Line. “We’ve achieved a lot in the software and service sector, but in hardware we haven’t done anything on a big scale.”

In a taste of the kind of tie-ups that may be on the way, last Bangalore-based Tejas Networks, India's largest domestic telecom manufacturing company, is planning to acquire Ethos Networks, an Israel-based high-technology company specializing in carrier Ethernet and network-management products. Tejas now uses the Ethos team as an Israeli R&D center.

Steven Katz, a principal at the Israeli high technology investor, Vertex Venture Capital, said Israeli companies could also benefit from closer ties with India. But, he cautioned, managers will have to be careful about when and how they do it. It is critical that the most innovative parts of any new technology, where Israel’s comparative advantage lies, be developed at home.

“Once you [the company] get to a certain size and you need to build a new software module and you need 20 engineers, that’s when you can perform the development there,” Katz told The Media Line. “But the creativity and ingenuity should stay in Israel.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources David Rosenberg The Media Line | Jerusalem Post

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DTN News: Air Transportation Article Index ~ Il-76s Falling Apart

DTN News: Air Transportation Article Index ~ Il-76s Falling Apart

*Source: Strategy Page

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 13, 2009: Russia has suffered another setback in its attempt to revive the Il-76 military transport as an exportable aircraft for their struggling aviation industry. All Russian Il-76 were recently grounded because the engine fell off one of them while it was preparing to takeoff. All Russian Il-76s will remain grounded until it can be determined what went wrong, and whether or not the problem is common to all Il-76s. The IL-76 is a medium-range military transport aircraft, and is also known by the Nato codename 'Candid'. The missions of the aircraft are: to drop paratroopers; carry troop forces and combat material with crews and armaments, including medium-sized battle tanks; to airlift cargo for troop forces and transport for disaster relief operations. The IL-76 medium-range transport aircraft is produced by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex Joint Stock Company in Moscow and the Tashkent Aircraft Production Corporation in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Over 500 aircraft have been produced since service entry in 1974. There are several design variants, including the basic IL-76, IL-76M, IL-76MD and the IL-76-MF. In terms of design, aerodynamic configuration and flight performance characteristics, the IL-76M version virtually resembles the IL-76 basic aircraft, but has a maximum payload of 47t, compared to 28t for the IL-76. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has ordered three Il-76MD aircraft fitted with the Phalcon AEW (airborne early warning) system produced by Elta of Israel. The first aircraft is due for delivery in September 2008. In April 2008, the IAF requested the purchase of a further three aircraft for delivery in 2011–2012. In August 2005, Jordan ordered two IL-76MF variants and in September 2005, China placed an order for up to 38 IL-76 transports. It was only two years ago that Russia rolled out an upgraded model. New engines and electronics give the Il-76MD-90 eight percent better fuel efficiency, and the ability to lift up to 60 tons of cargo. Further improvements, in development, will increase fuel efficiency another 14 percent. Russia is trying to make the Il-76 a contender in the military air transport market. The Il-76 is somewhat similar in capability to the U.S. C-17, but uses older technology, more similar to the recently retired U.S. C-141. The Russians have also been buying a stretched version of the Il-76 (the Il-76MF). This version first flew in 1995, and has become popular with users of earlier Il-76 models. The Il-76MF has better engines and can carry 50 tons of cargo over 4,000 kilometers. Another popular Il-76 is the tanker version (called the Il-78.) There are far more Il-76's in use than all of America's four engine jet transports (C-5, C-141, C-17) put together. Over 900 Il-76s were manufactured over the last thirty years, with nearly a hundred exported, so far, mainly to Cuba, Iraq, China, India, Libya and Syria. With few foreign or domestic sales in the last decade, the Il-76 manufacturer (Chkalov) was surviving by manufacturing wings and other components for the An-124, An-70 and An-225 transports. In addition, it made replacement parts for the Il-76 and Il-114 aircraft. There was no help from Russia, because Chkalov was no longer a Russian firm,. When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, the manufacturer of the Il-76, which was located in Uzbekistan, was no longer under the control of Russia (the dissolution agreement left all Soviet assets owned by the post-Soviet nation they were in.) A 2006 Chinese order for 75 Il-76s forced the Chkalov firm to reorganize, and move at least 60 percent of the Il-76 production to a Russian firm (Ilyushin). The new assembly line at the Ilyushin Ulyanovsk provides the Il-76 with two production lines, as well as some protection against political problems in Uzbekistan (which needs the 18,000 jobs the Chkalov operation creates). Russia always produced many of the Il-76 components, and the Chkalov plant still has plenty of work manufacturing replacement parts, and refurbishing aircraft. Russia is also renegotiating the deal with the Chinese, because the Chkalov low balled the price so much that they were sure to lose a lot of money on it. Russia is a major user of Il-76 aircraft, and expects to buy or refurbish 75 of them in the next decade, and do nearly as much business with foreign customers. The new models of the Il-76 indicate a substantial R&D investment, and an effort to make the Il-76 a serious competitor (mainly on price, at about $50 million each) with the C-17 (which costs about three times as much, and is able to carry up to 86 tons). What the C-17 is best at is carrying about half that weight, half way around the world, non-stop. The Il-76 has a hard time matching that. The C-17 is also easier to maintain, and more reliable. But a fuel-efficient Il-76, that can be refueled in the air, has a price that's tough to beat.

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DTN News: Iranian Military Planes Crashes In Annual Parade

DTN News: Iranian Military Planes Crashes In Annual Parade *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) - TEHRAN, Iran: September 24, 2009: Iran's sole Simorgh AWACS aircraft was lost during a military parade Sept. 22, one of two Iranian military aircraft that crashed in Tehran while participating in a display to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Iranian fighter jets fly over the mausoleum of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, during a military parade ceremony marking the 29th anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, just outside Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. An Iranian military plane crashed into fields just south of Tehran early Tuesday, according to the state IRNA news agency, saying the plane flew in the air force show that was part of the parade, but there is no immediate word of casualties or details about the plane. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force operated a single Simorgh, a former Iraqi Air Force Adnan. The Adnan AWACS was in turn a modification of a Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-76 transport. The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force's Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, the crash occurred immediately after the parade. Apparently, no mayday call was issued. Both aircraft crashed in flames. Initial reports indicate that seven crewmembers were killed in the crash. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2nd L), President of Iran, is greeted by officials after speaking during the United Nations General Assembly September 23, 2009 at UN headquarters in New York. In total, Iraq built three AWACS aircraft, one Baghdad, and two Baghdad-2s, the latter later renamed Adnans. One Adnan and the Baghdad were evacuated to Iran during the 1991 Gulf War, while the second Adnan was destroyed on the ground by a coalition air strike in January 1991. The exact status of the Iranian Simorgh and its onboard systems was long uncertain. However, photographs suggest that the aircraft was equipped with a newly fitted functioning radar suite.

DTN News: View Of ~ Indian Air Force's AWACS Touching Down In India On May 25, 2009

DTN News: View Of ~ Indian Air Force's AWACS Touching Down In India On May 25, 2009

*Source: DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) MUMBAI, India - July 28, 2009: Indian Air Force's AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform touches down at the Jamnagar air base in India, May 25, 2009. The first of the three Indian Air Force AWACS platforms arrived in India from Israel. India has officially taken delivery of an Awacs early-warning surveillance aircraft, part of a $1bn (£600m) defence deal with Israel.

Indian Air Force's MiG-29, left, lands after escorting an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform, at the Jamnagar air base in India, May 25, 2009. The first of the three Indian Air Force AWACS platforms arrived in India from Israel.

The plane, Russian-made but packed with Israeli radar, is expected to reinforce India's maritime security following the attacks on Mumbai last year. Only a few non-Nato countries have Awacs and critics say it is a bad omen for the arms race in South Asia. India has ordered another two AWACS as it upgrades its military capabilities.

The Ilyushin-76 - which arrived in India on Monday - gives India the capability to track hundreds of aircraft and potential threats at sea and on the ground, at considerable distances. Air dominanceIndia is the first country in South Asia to own an Awacs (Airborne Warning and Control System) plane, popularly nicknamed the "eye in the sky".

The second and third aircraft are expected to be handed over next year. Analysts say the purchase, part of a 2004 deal involving India, Israel and Russia, is part of India's efforts to achieve air dominance over its rival, Pakistan.

Russia and Israel are India's two largest military suppliers. India's defence procurement is expected to rise to about $100bn over the next ten years. Delhi recently signed contracts with Israel for medium range surface-to-air missiles, and with Russia for the design and development of fighter aircraft.

Other foreign defence companies, including those from the Americas, Europe and Asia, are also lining up to do business with India. Indian Defence Minister AK Antony, who attended the Awacs handing-over ceremony at Jamnagar air base, complained about the late delivery of defence equipment ordered by India from a number of countries. He pointed out that the Awacs should have been delivered 18 months ago.

DTN News: Russia To Upgrade Military Transport Fleet, Buy New Planes

DTN News: Russia To Upgrade Military Transport Fleet, Buy New Planes

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 29, 2009: The acquisition of new aircraft for Russia's military transport aviation will begin in 2012, while modernized Il-76, An-22 and An-124 aircraft will remain in service for another 20-30 years, a senior Air Force official said on Friday. According to various sources, there are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, An-72 Coaler, An-22 Cock, An-124 Condor and Il-76 Candid planes. Most of the aircraft entered service in the 1960s and 1970s and are considered outdated by modern safety and noise pollution standards. "The current state arms procurement program envisions the acquisition of new aircraft for military transport aviation starting in 2012," Lt. Gen. Viktor Kachalkin, commander of the 61st Air Army told a news conference in Moscow. In the light transport category, Russia has opted for the Il-112V plane although the aircraft is still at the design stage. In the medium-lift category, Russia relies on a joint Russian-Indian project set to be implemented in three to four years. Russia and India signed last year an intergovernmental agreement on the joint development of a multi-role transport aircraft (MTA). There is also a need for the Russian-Ukrainian An-70 medium-range transport plane, Kachalkin said. However, he said the procurement of new aircraft would not be enough to satisfy the demand for the high mobility of Russia's Armed Forces in line with a new military doctrine. Therefore, the current military transport fleet must be thoroughly upgraded and the service life of existing planes should be extended for another 20-30 years, the general said. "We are planning a deep modernization of the fleet of Il-76 and An-124 in service. Their airframes are still in great shape, and what we really need is to upgrade the avionics and possibly engines," Kachalkin said. The Russian Air Force has begun in 2002 to upgrade its Il-76MD transport aircraft, but this has been a slow process. According to the modernization program, 12 Il-76 aircraft are due to be modernized to Il-76MD-90 variant before 2010. The An-124 and its modernized version, the An-124-100, will remain in service as a strategic heavy airlift transport aircraft. Russia currently deploys an air regiment equipped with these planes.

DTN News: Indian Air Force’s First AWACS Aircraft Lands At Jamnagar Air Base In Gujarat

DTN News: Indian Air Force’s First AWACS Aircraft Lands At Jamnagar Air Base In Gujarat

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 26, 2009: The first of three Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform aircraft touched down at the Jamnagar air base in Gujarat on Monday afternoon, flying in from Israel. Indian Air Force’s AWACS platform aircraft touches down at the Jamnagar air base on Monday. The giant Il-76 configured in its new version was escorted by three MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft each. The fighter formation took off from an advance fighter airbase of the South Western Air Command (SWAC). They caught up with the AWACS mid-air and escorted it as it entered the Indian Flight Information Region, till it made it home safely, IAF spokesman Wing Commander Tarun Kumar Singha said here. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SWAC, Air Marshal K.D. Singh, Air Defence Commander Air Vice Marshal P. Singh and the AOC Jamnagar, Air Commodore C. Hari Kumar and air warriors of the air base welcomed the crew of the aircraft. The crew included the Commanding Officer of the first AWACS squadron, Group Captain B. Saju. Their maiden touchdown on Indian soil marked the first landing of AWACS aircraft at an IAF air base. “It was a great feeling to be escorted by our fighters and it feels really good to be back,” Group Captain Saju said here on arrival. It was flown by a full complement of IAF pilots belonging to a newly formed squadron from the Ovda International airport in southern Israel. The eight-and-a-half hour flight skirted several countries. It flew over the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea before landing at Jamnagar. The aircraft is expected to reach Palam airport on Tuesday. A formal induction ceremony is scheduled on May 28. The aircraft will operate from the Agra air base under the Central Air Command as part of the extended fleet of the Il-76 family.

DTN News: India To Buy Airbus MRTT Tanker In A $1 Billion Deal / IAF Drops Russia From $1 Billion Deal

DTN News: India To Buy Airbus MRTT Tanker In A $1 Billion Deal / IAF Drops Russia From $1 Billion Deal

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 26 2009: Russia is set to lose a billion dollar (Rs 48,000 crore) defence deal for midair refuellers, signalling a break in its over 50-year-old monopoly as India’s preferred military supplier. The former communist giant has clearly lost favour with the Indian military, as the air force has decided not to field any more Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers to keep fighter jets airborne for considerably longer periods by tanking them up during flight. The Il-78 and Airbus 330 MRTT were competing for the $1 billion global tender floated in 2006 by the Indian defence ministry for six midair refuellers to extend the operating radius of Indian fighter jets. After operating Il-78 tankers for almost six years, the Indian Air Force has said the Russian platform does not meet its requirements and it wants to deploy the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) offered by European aerospace corporation EADS. After operating Il-78 tankers for almost six years, the Indian Air Force has said the Russian platform does not meet its requirements and it wants to deploy the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) offered by European aerospace corporation EADS. The Il-78 and Airbus 330 MRTT were competing for the $1 billion global tender floated three years ago by the defence ministry for six midair refuellers to extend the operating radiuses of Indian fighter jets. In an exclusive interview to HT, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said, “We have finished all evaluations and selected the A330 MRTT. The deal will come up for final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) very soon. The Russian platform did not meet certain requirements.” The A330 MRTT is a military derivative of the Airbus A330 airliner. Cracks in the India-Russia defence relationship have existed for some time now. Some of the irritants include Russia seeking mid-course price revisions in contracts for Sukhoi-30 fighters and aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, a problem of steady supply of spares, poor vendor support after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and transfer of technology issues. The air chief, who retires on May 31 on turning 62, said, “After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia has changed the whole pattern of doing defence business. Now we are faced with issues concerning spares, vendor support and built-in delays in the structure of their centralised military corporations.” Two years ago, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta had publicly said that India needed to take a relook at its military relationship with Russia, much to the government’s discomfort. The armed forces maintain that Russian equipment comes cheap but entails huge maintenance costs. The A330 MRTT has won several tanker competitions with contracts signed by the governments of United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The first A330 MRTT would be delivered to the IAF within three years of signing of the deal while the remaining five would be inducted 15 months after that.

DTN News: Indian Air Force IAF's First Phalcon AWACS Arrive Today

DTN News: Indian Air Force IAF's First Phalcon AWACS Arrive Today

(NSI News Source Info) TEL AVIV, Israel - May 25 2009: Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots will fly in the first of three Israeli Phalcon AWACS on Monday, marking the induction of a potent force multiplier in the Indian sub-continent region. The formal induction of the aircraft is slated for Tuesday, with the newly installed defence minister in attendance. The AWACS aircraft is capable of tracking missiles, fighter aircraft, troop movements and gathering electronics and signals intelligence deep in enemy territory. From 1987, India has worked on an experimental AEW system codenamed "Airavat"; the project itself is called Airborne Surveillance Platform. HAL customized two HS-748 airframes with pylons and rotodome, but the project itself ground to a halt in 1999, following a Prototype crash, killing 8 scientists aboard. As of 2004, the project has been revived with new platform and an AESA Radar instead of a rotating one. India ordered 3 Phalcon AWACS from Israel with a cost of about $1.5 billion with the delivery to end in 2008. This was delayed and the first aircraft arrived in early 2009. The IAF cleared proposal to buy 3 more Phalcon AWACS in 2008. As part of its Eye in the sky project, India is developing an AESA radar which will be integrated on the Embraer EMB-145 aircraft. The AWACS will be inducted by 2011. The AWACS platform, which involves a Russian Il-76 aircraft and Israeli radar and electronics, has been created through a tripartite agreement involving Russia, Israel and India. The radome-mounted aircraft was scheduled to take off from the Ben-Gurion airport in Israel on Sunday and head first for Uvda in the southern Israeli coastal town of Eilat. Eventually it was supposed to fly at night from Eilat to Jamnagar, reaching India on Monday, according to defence sources. This all-weather, tracking and intelligence gathering system is capable of logging 60 targets simultaneously in a range of 400 km. It can detect incoming hostile cruise missiles and aircraft from hundreds of kilometres away, and act as a command platform for defence fighters in the course of combat operations. Its capabilities will allow IAFs frontline fighter aircraft, such as Sukhoi-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s, MiG-29s and Jaguars, to get constant data feed on the environment around them allowing them to react to enemy movement even before their own radars can come into play. They are in effect the IAF's ''eye in the sky''. The delivery of the first of the three aircraft is almost a year and a half behind schedule, mainly on delayed delivery of the Il-76 platform by the Uzbeks and subsequent integration of the aircraft with the Israeli electronics package. The remaining two aircraft are now scheduled for delivery sometime in 2010. Talks are in an advanced stage for the purchase of several more Phalcon AWACS. The first lot of three AWACS were contracted for at a cost of $1.1 billion. Eventually all AWACS will be hooked up with the larger Indian RISAT spy satellite to be launched sometime later this year, or early next year. In response to the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year a smaller, modified version was launched by ISRO early this year and is already in operation.

India To Get Its First AWACS From Israel On May 20 / India To Receive Phalcon AWACS In Late May

India To Get Its First AWACS From Israel On May 20 / India To Receive Phalcon AWACS In Late May

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 12, 2009: India is expected to acquire its first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) later this month, officials said May 11, crowning its drive to achieve air dominance over rival Pakistan. India ordered 3 Phalcon AWACS from Israel with a cost of about $1.5 billion with the delivery to end in 2008. This was delayed and the first aircraft arrived in early 2009. The IAF cleared proposal to buy 3 more Phalcon AWACS in 2008. The delivery by Israel of the sophisticated Phalcon early warning radar surveillance system, set for May 20, will also mark another milestone in growing military ties with the Jewish state. The AWACS "will be deployed straight away," air force spokesman T.K. Singha said. The AWACS is the first of three units that Israel Aerospace Industries agreed to sell to India as part of a 2004 deal involving India, Israel and Russia. The deal with Israel was worth $1.1 billion. The AWACS involves the mounting of surveillance equipment on the top of Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft. Receipt of the AWACS will also provide a deterrent to any threat from China on India's eastern frontier, defense officials say. The delivery of the remaining two AWACS is likely to be completed by the end of 2011, other government officials said. Senior Indian air force officials said the first Phalcon will be deployed in the northern city of Agra, which is also home to India's mainstay Ilyushin military transport aircraft fleet. "Agra suits us best because an AWACS taking off from that sector will have our western borders [with Pakistan] on its radar within minutes," an air force official said. The Phalcon AWACS can simultaneously track nearly 250 flying objects within a radius of 800 kilometers (500 miles) and also has a "look-down" capability allowing it to monitor movements on the ground or at sea, officials say. The AWACS will especially be used to reinforce maritime security in the wake of the attacks in November on India's financial hub Mumbai, which killed 165 people, the air force official said. The attackers reached Mumbai by sea. India will be the second Asian country after China to acquire the AWACS. Israel replaced France in 2007 as India's second-largest arms supplier after Russia and is likely to grab the number one slot through a vast array of defense agreements it has already signed with New Delhi.

India Signs $210-million AWACS deal with Brazil Last Year, Contract Moving Smoothly

India Signs $210-million AWACS deal with Brazil Last Year, Contract Moving Smoothly

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - April 19, 2009: Even as India awaits the delivery of the first of the three Israeli 'Phalcon' AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) later this year, it has signed a $210-million deal with Brazilian firm Embraer for three aircraft for its own indigenous miniature AWACS project.

The indigenous AEW-&C (airborne early warning and control) systems being developed by DRDO will be mounted on the three Brazilian Embraer-145 jets, with the delivery of the first one slated for July 2011.

India, incidentally, had earlier acquired five plush EMB 135-BT "Legacy" executive jets, under a Rs 727-crore contract with Embraer, to ferry VVIPs around the country. "The AEW&C project is worth Rs 1,800 crore.

The EMB-145 aircraft will be modified to carry DRDO's active array antenna units, which will be mounted on top of the aircraft's fuselage," said an official.

"Though not as advanced as the Phalcons, the indigenous AWACS will nevertheless be potent force-multipliers. The full-fledged Embraer-145 based AEW&C will be flight-tested for mission systems in India by DRDO and IAF in 2012," he added.

The deal signed on Thursday comes nine years after DRDO's technology demonstrator HS-748 Avro, a test platform with an airborne early warning system, crashed in Tamil Nadu, killing eight persons.

The importance of AWACS, or "eyes in the sky", can be gauged from the fact that they can detect incoming hostile cruise missiles and aircraft much before ground-based radars, apart from directing air defence fighters during combat operations with enemy jets.

A Phalcon AWACS flying over Amritsar, for instance, will be able to detect a Pakistani F-16 as soon as it takes off from Sargodha.

Under the $1.1-billion Phalcon AWACS deal signed in March 2004, three Israeli early-warning radar and communication systems are being integrated with Russian IL-76 heavy transport military aircraft to give India its first advanced AWACS.

The deliveries were to begin from November 2007 but will now take place only from September 2008 onwards due to "technical difficulties".

Russia Completing Rotation Of Sudan Helicopter Unit - Air Force

Russia Completing Rotation Of Sudan Helicopter Unit - Air Force

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW -March 3, 2009: The second and final group of service personnel from Russia's aviation group will head for Sudan on Monday as part of a UN operation in the region, an Air Force spokesman said. "The military transport Il-76 aircraft will deliver over 40 personnel to Africa," Lt.-Col. Vladimir Drik said. Rotations are held twice a year. The previous rotation took place in August. The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Sudan comprises 120 personnel and four Mi-8 helicopters equipped to UN and international standards. The contingent provides transport services for UN military observers in Sudan, including accompanying freight, and also carries out rescue operations. The first unit of Russian peacekeepers arrived in Sudan in April 2006. They are expected to stay - with regular rotations - for five or six years. The UN Mission in Sudan was established in 2005 to monitor the peace agreement between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan, which ended the longest-running civil war in Africa. The UN presence in Sudan has since been expanded to include peacekeeping operations in Darfur. Since 2003, Chad and Sudan have accused each other of inciting conflict on their common border, which is along the west Sudanese region of Darfur. According to international estimates, more than 300,000 people have been killed and around 2.7 million displaced in the ongoing conflict in Darfur.