Indian Air Force : Updates & Discussions

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Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria To Be The Next Chief Of The Indian Air Force

By Chandrashekhar Bhattacharyya - September 20, 2019
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On Thursday, 19 September 2019, the Government of India announced that Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM will take over as the next Chief Of Air Staff (CAS), Indian Air Force (IAF) from Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, who superannuates on 30 September 2019 after a tenure spanning two years and nine months. Given the above, it behooves us to take a quick look at AM Bhadauria’s distinguished record of service with the IAF.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, Bhadauria was commissioned into the IAF in June 1980, and has since clocked over 4250 Hours of flying on nearly 26 different types of aircraft. Back in the day, as a Wing Commander, he commanded a frontline Jaguar Deep Penetration Strike Squadron on the South Western Sector, facing Pakistan.

Affectionately called ‘Chhotu’ by his peers and seniors, it would be no understatement to say that he has an exceptional flying record. An ace flier, AM Bhadauria is also a ‘Category A’ ‘qualified flying instructor’. In the past he has also served as a master green experimental test pilot, and as a pilot attack instructor for the IAF’s prestigious Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment, Gwalior.

Beyond his obvious pedigree as a flier, lies the fact that he has made critical contributions towards the evolution of the indigenous HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) into an operational flying platform. Indeed, AM Bhadauria’s long association with the LCA programme, has seem him serve noteworthy tenures as the Commanding Officer of Flight Test Squadron at the Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bengaluru and as the Chief Test Pilot and Project Director of the National Flight Test Centre, Bengaluru.

Flag Rank Experience

More recently, AM Bhadauria serving as Deputy Chief of Air Staff, at Air Headquarters, headed the Price Negotiation Committee set up for the purchase of 36 Dassault Rafale aircraft for the IAF. This was followed by his tenure as Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of Southern Air Command,Thiruvananthapuram from March 2017 to August 2018 during which he performed a notable solo flight in a Tejas MK-1. From August 2018 to May 2019 he served as AOC-in-C Training Command.

Vice Chief Of Air Staff, since May 2019, AM Bhadauria is set to take over as CAS on 30 September 2019.

Awards and Recognition :

AM Bhadauria was decorated with the Vayusena Medal in 2002, the Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2013 and the Param Vishist Seva Medal in 2018. In 2019, he was made an Honorary Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India


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Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria To Be The Next Chief Of The Indian Air Force
 
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IAF to begin fresh hunt for mid-air refuelling aircraft

The IAF currently operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and more refuellers are required to stay prepared to counter China in the eastern sector.

Updated: Sep 26, 2019 16:16 IST
by Rahul Singh
New Delhi
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The Indian Air Force is (IAF) preparing to begin a fresh hunt for new-generation mid-air refuelling planes to extend the reach of its fighter jets(PTI)

After two failed attempts to induct new tankers during the last 12 years, the Indian Air Force is (IAF) preparing to begin a fresh hunt for new-generation mid-air refuelling planes to extend the reach of its fighter jets, two senior IAF officers said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.

The official process to buy tankers is expected to begin within two months with the IAF seeking acceptance of necessity (AoN) from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) --- the defence ministry’s apex procurement body --- to take the proposal forward, said one of the officers cited above.

Under India’s defence procurement rules, the AoN by the council (headed by the defence minister) is the first step towards buying a weapon or platform. “We plan to seek the AoN for six new tankers in November-December. It will clear the way for sending request for proposals (RFPs) to foreign military contractors,” the second officer said. The refuellers could cost more than $2 billion.

The IAF currently operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and more refuellers are required to stay prepared to counter China in the eastern sector.

According to an August 2017 Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report, the desired serviceability of the Il-78 fleet should be 70% by IAF’s own standards but it stood at 49% during 2010-16 --- barely half of the planes were available for missions at any given time.
Experts said it was imperative for the IAF to strengthen its refuelling capabilities to allow fighter jets to stay airborne longer.

“Flight refuelling aircraft are vital combat enablers. The IAF has just six, and two previous attempts at procurement faltered due to lack of funds, despite an aircraft being shortlisted both times. We have lost more than 10 years. Hopefully, wiser counsel will prevail this time,” said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

This will be the third tender for air-to-air refuelling planes since 2007, with Il-78 and Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) offered by European aerospace company EADS, competing in the previous contests that failed to end up as contracts due to price complications.

American (Boeing KC-46A), Russian (Il-78) and European (A330 MRTT) military contractors are expected to compete for the upcoming tender, industry executives said. Israel Aerospace Industries’ Bedek Aviation Group could also participate in the contest with its Boeing 767-200 multi-mission tanker transport --a conversion of the Boeing aircraft by Bedek Aviation.

In August 2017, the national auditor found that the refuelling pods of the Il-78s were dogged by failures and the tanker’s airworthiness was questionable. The comprehensive audit of the tanker fleet also revealed that tanking them up on the ground was a problem, dedicated refuelling corridors were missing and there weren’t enough hangars for the aircraft.

IAF to begin fresh hunt for mid-air refuelling aircraft
 
The IAF doesn't want more Il-78; if they did they could just order more without going through a tender since they already operate the type.

The KC-46A is a complete disaster of a boondoggle as an aircraft, nothing works and everything breaks. Even the USAF has repeatedly stopped accepting more of the ill-designed frankenplane because of how shoddily they're built. But even if it worked, the A330 carries more fuel and costs less to procure and less to operate.

The whole tender is just a waste of time. The A330 MRTT is the only real choice here.
 
A Person said:
The IAF doesn't want more Il-78; if they did they could just order more without going through a tender since they already operate the type.

The KC-46A is a complete disaster of a boondoggle as an aircraft, nothing works and everything breaks. Even the USAF has repeatedly stopped accepting more of the ill-designed frankenplane because of how shoddily they're built. But even if it worked, the A330 carries more fuel and costs less to procure and less to operate.

The whole tender is just a waste of time. The A330 MRTT is the only real choice here.
Click to expand...

Tenders happen so we don't get shafted in a single vendor deal.

Also, it helps to know what technology's available so that we don't get taken for a ride with the vendor bringing in "crucial upgrades" that were not part of the main deal. And somehow those "ugprades" end up costing 3 or 4 times the normal. Already demonstrated by how expensive Rafale's India-specific upgrades were, almost equal to the AMCA's entire development budget (minus engine).

During tenders, there's an RFI process followed by RFP where the IAF knows all there is to know about the aircraft by having a rather transparent paper evaluation followed by flight evaluations. So this allows the client to call the shots.

You've already seen what even HAL tried to do with LCA Mk1A. And at least in that case we had the power to influence the prices, which is impossible with foreign companies.

But, as you say, A330 is the way to go, and the IAF's main interest is in the Airbus offer anyway. The other two, primarily the KC-46A, are meant to bring A330's price down to a reasonable level.
 
Mig-21Bis fleet to continue on for 5 more years in IAF

**** .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website Mig-21Bis fleet to continue on for 5 more years in IAF – Indian Defence Research Wing .
 
lcafanboy said:
Mig-21Bis fleet to continue on for 5 more years in IAF

**** .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website Mig-21Bis fleet to continue on for 5 more years in IAF – Indian Defence Research Wing .
Click to expand...
It was decided 2-3 years ago. These guys are so creative in coming up with stories.
 
PM Modi’s new aircraft with missile defence systems lands in June 2020
Two long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft with missile defence systems that will serve on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘Air India One’ fleet will reach India in June 2020, two people familiar with the development said.

The aircraft will be the first set of planes that will only be used by PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

The three dignitaries fly Air India’s Boeing B747 planes that the state-run airline deploys on commercial flights. These are temporarily reconfigured for the dignitaries when they need to travel; the call sign also changes to “Air India One’.

These two aircraft, which are being configured at a Boeing facility in Dallas, will be on par with the US President’s Air Force One in so far as security measures are concerned, according to South Block officials. These can fly between the US and India without having to stop for refuelling.

The Boeing B747 planes that are chartered from Air India for use of the three dignitaries are nearly more than two decades old. The one that President Ram Nath Kovind was flying on his three-nation tour last month, which developed a snag in Switzerland’s Zurich, has been in service for 26 years.

The new planes, South Block officials said, has been configured to give PM Modi some generous office space, meeting rooms and a wide array of communication systems.

These will also have the Self-Protection Suites (SPS) used in the US President’s Air Force One. This protection system includes large aircraft infrared countermeasures, integrated defensive electronic warfare suite and counter-measures dispensing system. These can jam enemy radar frequencies and divert heat-seeking missiles by disturbing their guidance systems.

This warning and countermeasures system uses multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems with no action required by the crew. The pilot will be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed.

The United States administration had announced its decision to give India access to these defence systems for the special aircraft in February 2019 as a special measure. These are estimated to have cost New Delhi US 190 million.
PM Modi’s new aircraft with missile defence systems lands in June 2020
 
It should be a slam dunk for the A330 MRTT because this aircraft is actually capable of doing what it's supposed to do, contrarily to the KC-46A that the USAF has forbidden from carrying troops or cargo and that cannot safely refuel aircraft; however the Boeing plane has one ace up its sleeve: it's one where you could transfer the assembly line to HAL and it would probably improve the production quality compared to what comes out of the Boeing factories, all rattling with forgotten tools and unbolted nuts between fuselage and inner walls.

Air Force’s Problem-Plagued New Tanker Likely Won’t Deploy for 3 Years or More
 
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