321 operates HAL Chetaks too.
Of the 17 Dhruv MK3 for Navy, 6 will have low frequency dunking sonars too. 1 will be a specialised Medical utility one.
Mumbai is dependent on Mk42B for ASW duties. I see few MK3 with dunking sonars being based out of Mumbai and functioning in conjunction with upcoming ASW shallow water carfts.
323 operates the same from Goa.
322 operates older Mk1 from Kochi.
With western sea board getting all the new additions in rotors , it will be interesting to see if MH60R goes to Vizag or not.
Of the 17 Dhruv MK3 for Navy, 6 will have low frequency dunking sonars too. 1 will be a specialised Medical utility one.
Mumbai is dependent on Mk42B for ASW duties. I see few MK3 with dunking sonars being based out of Mumbai and functioning in conjunction with upcoming ASW shallow water carfts.
323 operates the same from Goa.
322 operates older Mk1 from Kochi.
With western sea board getting all the new additions in rotors , it will be interesting to see if MH60R goes to Vizag or not.
Tried but zero info on upgrade of any Ka28PL. But the aircrafts have been "repaired". Engine, gearbox, etc.
US offers India discount on Guardian drones, proposes to set up maintenance facility too
New Delhi: The US has offered India a discount in the proposed $3 billion deal for 20 Sky Guardian and 10 Sea Guardian drones, while also offering to set up a maintenance and repair (MRO) centre that will cater to all such American systems in the region, ThePrint has learnt.While it was not immediately known how much discount has been offered, sources in the defence and security establishment said discussions are on.
They said that once the defence ministry clears the first tri-service procurement project, further cost discussions will take place.
As reported by ThePrint in March this year, while the deal had been hanging in the balance for a while, the three Services have finally agreed on procuring the system.
Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar had Monday chaired a meeting of the Defence Procurement Board (DPB), which had discussed the project.
Sources told ThePrint that there need to be further discussions before the DPB clears the proposal, after which it will be sent to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) that is chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Once the DAC clears the deal, the final clearance will come from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security.
‘Healthy discussions will continue’
Speaking on the issue Tuesday, the Navy’s Vice Chief, Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, said there is a process for procurement under which the stakeholders will continue to have healthy discussions.“That process is on. The whole effort of the procurement is that we take a very balanced decision and therefore inputs of all stakeholders are taken. The process is on and we have progressed quite a bit. This will move to DAC in a short while,” Ghormade said in response to a question during a briefing on the upcoming commissioning of the first Visakhapatnam class of guided missile destroyer and the fourth Scorpene submarine.
The erstwhile Donald Trump administration in the US had expected the drone deal to be announced at the 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi on 27 October 2020, but India did not give in to the hard American push to seal the deal.
In 2018, the US had offered India the armed version of the Guardian drones, which were originally authorised for sale for only surveillance operations.
US offers India discount on Guardian drones, proposes to set up maintenance facility too
In 2018, the US had offered India the armed version of the Guardian drones, which were originally authorised in surveillance configuration.
theprint.in
Before Crashing, How Stealth F-35B, Rafale Marine Fighter Jets Displayed Their Prowess During Gallic Strike Drills
The UK Royal Navy’s stealth fighter F-35B and the French Navy’s Rafale-M or Marine conducted joint drills along with their respective carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and Charles de Gaulle earlier this year.Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and their respective naval variants are the most advanced and powerful fighter aircraft in the world and are being marketed to allies, partners, and friendly countries.
The carrier groups of both countries came together for a joint maritime exercise called ‘Gallic Strike’ in the Western Mediterranean Sea. These drills become significant in the face of Western interests in the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific region.
Both F-35B and Rafale M are among the most sought-after fighters of the world and their cooperation serves as a force multiplier for the two navies and NATO, at large.
The Gallic Strike exercise primarily focused on training for a twin carrier operation, that is, training for aircraft carriers to coordinate and battle together in a single command organization.
This sequence, which featured a sea-to-land strike simulation and joint tactical maneuvers between the naval variant of the Rafale and F-35 aircraft, allowed them to collaborate in a variety of areas, including anti-air, anti-surface warfare, and force projection.
A French Navy E-2C Hawkeye, four French Navy Rafale M, and four British F-35B fighter jets fly in formation during the Gallic Strike exercise, in June 2021. (NATO image)
“Allied cooperation and interoperability have reached new heights with this first meeting of the French and UK carrier strike groups at sea. These initiatives ensure crew; aircraft and ships are interoperable and able to seamlessly support one another when the need arises,” said Major General Phillip A. Stewart, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) after the exercise that took place in June 2021.
Both France and the United Kingdom already cooperate as NATO members and as bilateral partners. Their militaries remain invested in the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) which draws numbers from the armed forces of both countries.
The Royal Navy F-35B
The HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier that led the British strike group is the largest and the most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy.It has been constructed to launch the American-built F-35B Lightning stealth aircraft from its deck. It is the world’s first aircraft carrier designed from scratch to operate fifth-generation combat aircraft that have been procured from the United States.
However, in an unfortunate incident, one of its F-35 fighters crashed in the Mediterranean recently. This incident comes months after the Gallic exercise and the deployment of HMS Elizabeth in the Mediterranean and IOR which followed the joint drill with its French counterpart.
According to various UK news outlets, a rain cover that was not lifted prompted the recent crash of a British F-35B during takeoff from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Officials doubt the rain cover was sucked into the stealth plane’s F-35B Lightning II engine, forcing the pilot to eject.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier group had conducted a trilateral exercise with the Indian Navy last month on its maiden deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
The F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jets are used by the US Marine Corps and the UK Royal Navy. The UK has been part of Lockheed Martin’s 5th gen fighter program which also includes the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Norway, Italy, and other foreign buyers.
Even though initially the Royal Navy remained hinged on the carrier-specific variant F-35C, it later changed tack and settled for the F-35B variant that was designed keeping the Marines in mind.
The Queen Elizabeth carrier design best supports the STOVL variant of F-35 and hence, the Royal Air Force infrastructure was upgraded and made compatible to support and complement the fifth-gen advanced stealth fighters.
There are about 8 more UK F-35Bs along with another 10 of the US Marine F-35Bs on the HMS Elizabeth which remains in the Mediterranean, days after the crash that brought the limelight on purported technical snags of the fifth-generation fighter jet.
French Rafale M (Marine)
The Charles de Gaulle carrier that led the French Navy in the Gallic exercise is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that allows Rafale M, the naval variant of Dassault Aviation’s advanced multi-role fighter jet to take off from its deck.Gallic Strike came towards the end of the French carrier’s Clemenceau 21 deployment, which took her task group into the Indian Ocean and Gulf.
The Rafale M’s ability to land with a considerable number of unfired ordnance or fuel provides it excellent flexibility of employment on board the aircraft carrier.
The Charles de Gaulle’s tactical use is similar to that of its big American cousins, due to its range of action, the safety of use (twin-engine), stability in the approach phase, and the ability to “clear” the aircraft.
Rafale M (Marine), comes equipped with the Meteor missile, robust radar, and has an enhanced Spectra electronic warfare system. In terms of weaponry, it integrates the GBU16 500kg laser-guided bomb. It features improved warning capability and strong resilience against GPS jamming.
It is a battle-proven, exceedingly capable fighter jet that can perform a wide array of tactical missions. Since the retirement of Super Etendard, the French Navy has channelized all its energy on Rafale operations, making it a highly powerful naval aircraft.
With India looking for a carrier-based twin-engine fighter, Dassault Aviation has pitched its Rafale Marine variant to the Indian Navy, as previously reported by Eurasian Times. Rafale M is competing against Boeing Super Hornets.
Rafale’s weight to power ratio and its maritime strike capabilities, along with France’s proven reliability as a strategic ally work in the favour of the French aircraft.
The Indian Navy has shown keen interest in the Rafale platform. In its quest to sell the Rafale M to the Indian Navy, Dassault is expected to fly its Rafale Marine to India in 2022 for a showcase trip.
Standing Committee on Defence recommends three aircraft carriers for Navy
Making the point that a carrier each is required for the two coasts, the committee has said in its report submitted in Parliament that a third ship is needed to bridge operational deficiencies as repair work on the colossal vessels is a time-consuming affair.
HAL’s R&D wing launches upgrade programme for MiG-29K
🔴 The upgrade programme involves integration of indigenous mission computers, laser pods, indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
indianexpress.com
“The upgrade programme envisages integration of indigenous mission computers, laser pods, indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Successful integration will add additional lethality to the aircraft in terms of increased range, improved day/night situational awareness, night attack capability, accuracy of target hits etc,”
“The aircraft is equipped with weapons of Russian origin in order to carry out air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. It is learnt that the aircraft cannot be operated with non-Russian origin weapons without extensive modifications. Integration of indigenous weapons or western origin weapons on MiG-29K is extremely challenging due the absence of aircraft design data/ documentation/architecture etc,” he said.
@Gautam @randomradio what s this changing Mission computer s and other stuff?
Can we do that without OEM s approval?
Means upgrade are going to be done by us?
Soft pedaling of bigger changes to come ilke Uttam?
Can we do that without OEM s approval?
Means upgrade are going to be done by us?
Soft pedaling of bigger changes to come ilke Uttam?
Yeah, we are making all the Russian stuff more Indian than ever. I had pointed out a few years ago that the Mig-29K can also get the Mig-29 UPG treatment. Uttam is also up next, naturally the D-29 EW suite as well.
We can but we won't do so without an approval. It is likely we will get the Russians to agree to replacing their subsystems with ours. Replacing older Russian sub systems with newer Russian subsystems is not possible with the CAATSA. Going against American sanctions for important systems like S-400 makes sense. But picking fights over relatively low end stuff is not worth it.
The Russians would want to keep their hold over the Indian naval aviation market especially with Boeing & Dassault jumping into the fray. It makes sense for the Russians to give in to our demands & not bicker over low end stuff if it mean orders for high end stuff (like S-500, S-550) keeps coming.
We have an advantage in bargaining & it seems we are pressing our advantage. Let's see how it goes.
That's what they are seemingly trying to do. The eventual goal is to get the entire Russian sensor suite replaced with Indian sensors, including the radar.
Guessing even though we remained loyal, respect the agreement s and paid for it all, we remained at disadvantage vs Chinese, they are blatantly copying things multiples of times.
They get the weapons and system available easier and upgrade quickly .
During Balakote our missiles seems outdated we couldn't add other newer missiles and had to do emergency purchases..
Think, Our lack of flexibility is getting fixed.
I was also surprised to see Kamov helicopter suites are upgraded by Israel after part Russian upgrade.
They get the weapons and system available easier and upgrade quickly .
During Balakote our missiles seems outdated we couldn't add other newer missiles and had to do emergency purchases..
Think, Our lack of flexibility is getting fixed.
I was also surprised to see Kamov helicopter suites are upgraded by Israel after part Russian upgrade.
Russian did life extension Israelis added modern avionics and sensors. Because Russians suck at this. They do not have anything similar to offer.
Russian did life extension Israelis added modern avionics and sensors. Because Russians suck at this. They do not have anything similar to offer.
Rather, it's that they don't offer what they themselves operate. And what they offer for export is sh!t.
Plus we have the habit of replacing Russian avionics because we want to make them all NATO-Indian-compatible, especially ASW. So this is a driving factor. Of all the new stuff, only our Ka-31s are Russian, never mind the fact that we also use Russian avionics on the Mig-29K.