India to Issue $2Bn Joint Tender for 312 Helicopters

(Source: ddi Indian government news; issued April 10, 2008)

Close on the heels of floating multi-billion dollar global tenders for buying long-range artillery guns, India plans to invite international bids for purchase of 312 light helicopters.

The tenders for these helicopters, 197 for the army aviation and another 115 for the air force, are expected to be floated in the next few days and are estimated to be worth over two billion dollars.

India plans to buy these helicopters to give its forces capability of rapid deployment and for logistics support on the icy heights of Siachen glacier.

"These choppers are being inducted to enhance the operational capability of the armed forces in the high Himalayan frontiers," according to Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.

Textron-based American helicopter major Bell, European arms major EADS, Russia's Kamov and Italian Augusta Westland are expected to be the main bidders for the Indian tenders.

The four helicopter manufacturers were also the bidders in the Indian army request for proposals for 197 helicopters, which was cancelled at the last moment after government said rules of procurement had been flouted by a bidder.

At the time of cancellation of the deal, officials were engaged in price negotiation.

The combined army and IAF tenders were to be out in the first week of this month, but were delayed as the air force was late in firming up its requirements, according to officials. The tenders would be floated after they are cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council meeting on 10th April, officials said.

The new helicopters are being inducted to replace IAF's and army ageing fleet of French-acquired Chetak and Cheetah helicopters which have been operating now for more than three decades.

Along with plans to acquire these new light helicopters, India is also in advanced stage of negotiations with Russia on purchase of 80 medium lift advanced version of the MI-17 helicopters.

"The medium choppers are being purchased to boost up IAF's logistic capability", Singh told reporters.

The Defence Secretary said army and IAF had also concluded a major deal with Hindustan Aeronautics for purchase of 166 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH). These would be inducted in phases by 2011.

He said ALH had performed well in high altitudes and Srinagar-based 15 Corp had procured a number of them for use in high altitude areas.

Besides the light helicopters, India is also planning to purchase 15 heavy-lift helicopters and at least two squadrons of new range helicopter gunships with day and night strike capability.

IAF is also looking at new range of gunships for use in high altitudes. Its present fleet of Russian acquired MI-26 and MI-35 have only an operational ceiling of 9,000 feet.

Army had last month floated international tenders for purchase of various variants of 155mm guns. Under its modernisation plans, army is vying to induct wheeled, tracked as well as towed versions of these guns.

India will also float international tenders for acquiring 126 multi-role combat aircraft. The last date for submission of these tenders is 28th April. The contract is worth over ten billion dollars.

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Indian Defence Briefs

(Source: Indian Ministry of Defence; issued April 21, 2008)


The [Indian] Government has signed a contract for upgradation of 63 MiG 29 aircraft with RAC - MiG, Russia, at a total value of about 964 million USD on March 07, 2008.

Thirteen MiG 29 aircraft have crashed till date since their induction in mid 1980s. The upgradation of all 63 aircraft is likely to be completed by March 2014.

This information was given by Defence Minister A K Antony in a written reply to Shri Braja Kishore Tripathy and Shri Kishanbhai V Patel in Lok Sabha today.


--Discrepancies In Eurocopter Deal:
The helicopter offered by Eurocopter for field trials was a civilian version whereas helicopter offered in their bid was the military version. Further, the engine fitted on the helicopter during trial was different from the one offered along with the military version of helicopter in the bid of Eurocopter.

This Ministry is not aware of any person or agency as a go-between for Eurocopter in this acquisition process.

This case has been foreclosed and the process as per the extant Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), has been initiated afresh. Requisite provisions to eliminate middlemen in defence deals already exist in the extant DPP.

This information was given by Defence Minister A K Antony in a written reply to Shri K S Rao and Shri Milind Deora in Lok Sabha today.


-- Middlemen In Defence Deals:
On the basis of Ministry of Finance’s instructions issued on 31st January, 1989 relating to Indian Agents of foreign suppliers for all the Ministries / Departments under the Government of India, supplementary instructions were issued by the Ministry of Defence in April 1989 and in November, 2001 to regulate authorized Indian representatives / agents of foreign suppliers.

The instructions provide for the regulation of representational arrangements through a system of registration, categorical and open declaration by the foreign suppliers of the services to be rendered by their authorized representatives / agents and the remuneration payable to them by way of fees, commission or any other method.

So far no authorized Indian representatives / agent has been registered by the Ministry of Defence in terms of these instructions.

Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2006 and Defence Procurement Manual (DPM 2006) under implementation with effect from 1st September 2006 provide for direct dealing with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or Authorised Vendors or Government sponsored Export Agencies (applicable in case of countries where domestic laws do not permit direct export by OEMs).

Further, the procedures inter-alia incorporate provisions for penalties being imposed if any seller engages any individual or firm, whether Indian or foreign whatsoever, to intercede, facilitate or in any way recommend to the Government of India or any of its functionaries, whether officially or unofficially, to the award of the contract to the seller.

This information was given by Defence Minister A K Antony in a written reply to Shri Shyam Charan Gupta and Shri Hansraj G Ahir in Lok Sabha today.

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Proposal to Equip Indian Air Force with Super Hornet Fighters

Boeing Company | Apr 25, 2008

ST. LOUIS: The Boeing Company today delivered a detailed, 7,000-page proposal offering its advanced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the Indian Air Force as part of India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition.

"Our proposal team worked diligently to fully understand and meet the requirements set out by the Indian Ministry of Defense (MOD). We are offering India the best-value, most advanced and proven multirole combat fighter in production today," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).

India issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 126 new multirole combat fighters in August 2007. Boeing completed its proposal before the initial March 3 deadline, which the MOD rescheduled for April 28.

"Boeing's strategic goal has been to seek a long-term partnership with India to help strengthen the country's aerospace capabilities and enhance its national security," said Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Precision Engagement & Mobility Systems. "Choosing the F/A-18E/F would give Indians a direct hand in building an advanced fighter aircraft that will robustly defend their shores and airspace, infuse new strength into the Indian Air Force, and serve as a catalyst for India's growing defense aerospace industry."

The Super Hornet variant being offered to India, the F/A-18IN, is based on the F/A-18E/F model flown by the U.S. Navy and currently being built for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Advanced technology -- such as Raytheon's APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar -- and proven reliability are drawing U.S. and international customers' increasing interest in the aircraft as a cost-effective and lethal air defense.

Boeing has delivered more than 340 Super Hornets to the U.S. Navy. Australia has ordered 24 Super Hornets to bolster its fleet of F/A-18 Hornets, and Boeing is in discussions with several other international customers about their interest in procuring the Super Hornet.

"One of the concerns here in India is the cost of owning and maintaining combat fighters over their lifetime," said Vivek Lall, Boeing IDS vice president and India country head. "The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet offers a very attractive life-cycle-cost dynamic, since the fighter won't need a scheduled visit to a maintenance depot until it has clocked a minimum of 6,000 hours of flying time, and even well beyond that."

Over the past 36 months, Boeing IDS has reached out to the Indian aerospace and technology sectors to identify potential public and private industrial partners. To date, it has signed long-term partnership agreements with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Tata Industries, and Larson and Toubro. If the F/A-18IN Super Hornet is selected, these companies and others are expected to play a significant role as Boeing transfers some production and assembly to India.

The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi will formally turn over the Boeing-U.S. Navy submission to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Delivery of the first F/A-18IN Super Hornets can begin approximately 36 months after contract award.

India Looks for Defence Partners at Berlin Air Show

(Source: Indian Ministry of Defence; issued May 23, 2008)

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony leaves New Delhi on Sunday, on a three-day visit to Germany. Accompanied by a high-level official delegation, Shri Antony will attend the International Aerospace Exhibition and Conferences – ILA 2008, popularly known as Berlin Air Show and will hold talks with his German counterpart Dr. Franz Josef Jung.

The Berlin Air Show is the oldest air show in the world dating back to 1909. India is participating in this leading air show as a Partner Country for the first time in Defence sector. Germany’s Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel will open the Air Show on 27 May during a 90-minute tour of the event. She will be accompanied by Shri Antony, Mr Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Mr Matthias Platzeck, Minister President of the Land Brandenburg, Mr Harald Wolf, Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economics, Technology and Women, and Mr Jürgen Thumann, President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

In a message to the organizers of the show, Shri Antony said, India’s participation marks another milestone in our cooperation with leading countries and global firms in the aviation and aerospace sector. He said, a strong industrial base, sophisticated Research and Development institutions and a huge domestic market have resulted in a fast growing aviation sector in India. This provides new opportunities for cooperation and strategic alliances between domestic and international partners. ‘India is harnessing its indigenously developed civilian space technologies as a key multiplier for development’, Shri Antony said.

Referring to the Indian Defence Sector, Shri Antony said, ‘new policies to transform this sector by actively encouraging all players-whether private or public, Indian or foreign-to play a larger role in defence production through mutually beneficial partnerships, private investment and technology transfers have been put in place. Companies that proactively seek out industrial partners in India will enjoy advantages in our expanding market. In this context, we welcome recent commitments made by some European partners to transfer technology to Indian partners and locate production in India’, the Defence Minister said.

The Air Show provides an ideal platform for exploring business opportunities and joint ventures. A large number of Indian companies – both public and private and Defence Organisations will showcase their defence related capabilities and products at the Show. The composite India Pavilion covering 1200 sq meters will witness the participation of five Defence Public Sector Undertakings namely Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI); the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and five private defence industries – TATA group of companies, Larsen & Toubro, CADES, ACCORD Software & Systems , Saraswati Dynamics. Indicative of the importance being attached to India, a seminar on “Opportunities in the Indian Defence Sector” will be held on 28 May . The SARANG team of Indian Air Force will give a scintillating display of aerobatics with their helicopters. The Air Warriors Symphony Orchestra will also perform at Berlin Air Show.

Over the years, Indo-German relations have remained cordial and friendly. India was the first country after the Allied withdrawal to establish diplomatic relations with Germany in 1951 and was among the first few countries to have supported the cause of unification in the early stages. Indo-German relations have made rapid strides in the last few years backed by a number of high level visits from both sides.

The two countries signed an agreement on Bilateral Defence Cooperation in September, 2006. The agreement envisages that the main forum for guiding the defence relations between India and Germany will be the High Defence Committee, which would meet once every year alternatively in India and Germany at the level of Defence Secretary. The agreement is also aimed at establishing expert level talks in the form of sub- groups on strategic defence issues i.e. Security and Military Policy, Arms Control, Disaster Relief, Defence Technology, Procurement Procedures, etc. It would also provide higher level of strategic partnership for co-development, co-production, joint ventures and transfer of technology.

India and Germany also signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information on Defence related issues during the visit of German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel to New Delhi on October 30, 2007.

The delegation to accompany the Defence Minister includes Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh, Secretary Defence Production Shri Pradeep Kumar, DG Acquisition Shri SK Sharma, Advisor to Defence Minister Shri Sundaram Krishna, Additional Secretary Defence Production Shri Ajoy Acharya, Joint Secretary (Exports) Shri Satyajit Rajan besides representatives of DPSUs. Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh will also be attending the Berlin Air Show from May 28.


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India Seen Spending $100Bn on Weapons by 2022

(Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued May 28, 2008)

LONDON --- The Indian Armed Forces’ forthcoming modernisation programme will make India the Asia Pacific region’s second highest defence spender within the next five years, and the seventh largest globally by 2016. To examine where short, medium and long-term investment growth opportunities exist for European companies and to explore future procurement plans for the Indian defence sector, Frost & Sullivan held a briefing on ‘Market Growth Opportunities in the Indian Defence Industry’.

Organised by Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defence practice, the seminar offered an in-depth view of the significant business opportunities within the Indian defence industry and particularly within the Indian Armed Forces. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the total spending for the Indian defence market will reach US$36.2 billion by 2013. The total opportunities for procurement are forecast to exceed US$100 billion by 2022, including the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market, while the offset potential during the forecast period is expected to reach US$10 billion by 2013.

The event held last week in London was attended by over forty representatives from leading defence organisations including Raytheon, EADS, Lockheed Martin, Thales, QinetiQ, General Dynamics, SAAB, RBS and GE. Also present at the seminar were top-level institutional representatives from the United Kingdom Trade & Investment organisation as well as the naval adviser from the High Commission of India, among others.

Keynote speakers at the seminar were Commodore AJ Singh, Naval Adviser, High Commission of India; Dr Pracheesh Mathur, MD, Raytheon – India; Malcolm Haworth – Operations Director, UKTI Defence & Security Organisation; and Ratan Shrivastava, Director of Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defence practice, South Asia and Middle East.

Summarising the mood of Indian Defence procurement Commodore Singh said, “We want all this, now!”. He highlighted briefly some of the salient points of the country’s huge procurement programme, in which “indigenisation is the new mantra”, indicating that the Air Force is the biggest deal for the international defence market, and that the Navy also has an ambitious expansion agenda, with nearly 40 ships under construction.

Mr Haworth examined the topic from a UK perspective. He mentioned that India is the UK’s third largest customer for defence exports, after Saudi Arabia and the USA, and gave a quick impression of the Indian defence procurement process.

Dr Mathur examined what he called “the Indian Defence Procurement Panorama” in which, although there are “bureaucratic tangles, funding is not an issue”. He pointed out that the end-user is very “tech-savvy and always looking for hi-tech solutions”. He stressed the advantages of local involvement: of having an “Indian footprint”, and that “relationships tend to trump contacts”, although the rule of law prevails. His talk also touched on the Indian Civil Security market, saying that, although this was now something of a mystery to the outside world, it was worth getting to know the people involved: a good relationship could reap significant rewards since this was an area of significant future spending.

All delegates, including Frost & Sullivan’s own Ratan Shrivastava, drew attention to the significance in the procurement process of India’s mandatory offset conditions in military contracts and the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian defence industries.

Nevertheless, Ratan suggested treating offsets as an investment opportunity and emphasised the importance of the after-market support as an important, steady revenue stream over the longer term. He also pointed for the need to develop partnerships with the Indian defence industry and establishment, where total imports are worth an estimated $12 billion in 2008 alone.

India Wants Technology As Well As Arms -- Minister

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued May 28, 2008)

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has made it clear that companies planning to sell major defence products to India must be prepared to part with technology. Speaking to a group of correspondents shortly before his departure from Berlin, Shri Antony said ‘the era of procurement alone is over as far as India is concerned.’

He said we would like to have fruitful defence cooperation with countries which are prepared to transfer technology and are interested in co-designing, co-development and co-production of defence products.

Referring to Indo-German defence co-operation, Shri Antony said he had impressed upon his German counterpart Dr Franz Josef Jung Monday that India is a responsible country and that Germany should be flexible towards India as far as technology transfer issues are concerned.

He was optimistic that outstanding issues in this regard would be settled soon in India’s favour in the near future.

Shri Antony who was here to attend the opening of the ILA-2008 Berlin Air Show in which India has been given the status of a Partner Country for the first time said the event has given an excellent opportunity to India to showcase its ‘emerging capabilities’ in defence, aviation and aero-space sectors.

He said many global giants are now showing interest in setting up their units in India and to forge collaborations with Indian companies. Indian aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd signed a delivery contract for the supply of the first three shipsets of Dornier 228 New Generation main structure components.

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India Issues RFP for 22 Attack Helicopters

(Source: Press Trust of India; issued May 29, 2008)

BERLIN --- In a bid to strengthen the offensive prowess of its armed forces, Indian government has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire 22 attack helicopters.

The RFP document, which includes offset clauses, was issued last week to major global helicopter manufacturers who were given three months time to respond, sources said here.

Confirming this, a senior Eurocopter official said "we have received the RFP and are looking into it. We have to reply by August."

"We will be participating in the bid process and will offer our Tiger helicopter. We are studying the RFP document and preparing our plan of action," Bruno Boulnois, General Manager of Eurocopter (India) told PTI.

Besides Eurocopter which is part of the defence and aviation consortium EADS, the other major contenders for this competition are Boeing's AH-64D, Augusta Westland's AW-129 Mangusta and Russia's MI-28N NightHunters.

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Hot Weather Trials of LCA Tejas

Press Trust of India | Jun 10, 2008
LINK

The Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' underwent hot weather flight trials at Air Force Station, Nagpur recently. The trials were planned at Nagpur because of the high ambient temperature conditions prevailing there during this period.

The aim of the trials was to check operation of the aircraft systems under high ambient temperature conditions of over 40 deg C, representative of the stringent conditions the aircraft would be expected to operate in, after induction into the Indian Air Force. The Team which carried out the triaIs was a composite team with members from Indian Air Force (IAF), Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Centre for Military Airworthiness Certification (CEMILAC), Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) with support from Air Force Station, Nagpur and Maintenance Command of IAF.

All aircraft systems, specifically the avionics system, flight control system and air conditioning system were tested extensively during the trials and functioned satisfactorily on ground as well in flight. A total of seven flights of four hours duration were flown at Nagpur on two prototype aircraft PV2 and PV3.

The tests included flights at 200 meters above the ground with a speed up to 1000 km/h after 'hot soaking' the aircraft on tarmac for 2 to 4 hours. During this ‘hot soaking’ the aircraft skin temperature reached above 70 deg Celsius. The test flights were monitored in real time using a mobile telemetry station of ADA, positioned at Nagpur for this purpose.

This was the first time that the Tejas aircraft had flown a non-stop distance of about 1,000 km from Bangalore. This was possible due to the presence of external fuel tanks (drop tanks) on the aircraft which were integrated recently.

This was also the first time that the Tejas aircraft had been flown at such high ambient temperature conditions.

A first look at the test data indicated that all the trial objectives were met satisfactorily. A large amount of data has been collected and is under detailed analysis by the aircraft designers at ADA and HAL.

The aircraft is now planned for delivering precision guided bombs in the deserts of Rajasthan, later this year.

India Picks Embraer for Future AEW&C Aircraft

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued July 3, 2008)

In a path-breaking development, India and Brazil have entered into a deal to jointly develop an Early Warning system for the Indian Air Force. The agreement was signed here today by Dr. S Christopher, Director, Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), DRDO, and Mr. Luis Carlos Aguiar, Executive Vice President (Defence and Govt. Market), M/s Embraer in the presence of Mr. Marco Brandao, Brazilian Ambassador and Shri M Natarajan, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister.

The Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) System is being developed by the Bangalore-based CABS for the Indian Air Force. Under the deal, Brazil's Embraer aircraft manufacturer will modify its regional jet aircraft, EMB-145 to carry the Active Array Antenna Unit (AAAU), developed by the DRDO, on the aircraft's fuselage.

Three modified EMB-145 aircraft will be developed under this agreement; the first one to be delivered in three years.

The various sub-systems of the AEW&C Mission system will be integrated into the 'modified green' aircraft by DRDO and the full-fledged EMB-145 based AEW&C will be flight tested for mission system in India by DRDO along with IAF from 2012.

The AEW&C system comprises many sub-systems like radar and communication links that are being designed and developed by DRDO.

A few EMB-145 based AEW&C/AWACS versions are already in operation with Air Forces of Brazil, Mexico and Greece.


(EDITOR’S NOTE: Indian press reports value the Embraer contract at $210 million. Separately, deliveries of the three Russian IL-76s fitted in Israel with IAI’s Phalcon radar and command and control system are scheduled for September, about a year late. These aircraft were ordered in 2004 under a $1.1 billion deal.)

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Embraer and DRDO will develop a new airborne early warning aircraft for India by fitting an Indian-developed active array radar to three EMB-145 aircraft. (Embraer photo)

HAL Bags Helo Order from Ecuador

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued June 26, 2008)

The Defence Public Sector Undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has secured an order for supply of 7 Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters to Ecuadorian Air Force. HAL has bagged this order amidst strong competition from M/s. Elbit, M/s. Eurocopter and M/s. Kazan.

HAL’s offer of $ 50.7 million for 7 helicopters was about 32% lower than the second lowest bid from M/s. Elbit. The first helicopter would be delivered by HAL in 6 month’s time.

The contract for the supply of helicopters is likely to be signed within a few weeks. This order signifies Ecuador’s confidence in Indian technology and can lead the way for further collaboration.

This contract, which will establish HAL internationally, has been extremely significant and hard fought.

HAL has already supplied 76 helicopters to the defence services with excellent serviceability records. The company is presently executing orders for 159 more helicopters for Army and Air Force.

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Bush pushes US-India nuclear deal

LINK

TOYAKO, ***an - President Bush defended a languishing deal his administration negotiated to sell India nuclear fuel and technology, saying he reassured India's prime minister that the pact was important for both countries despite heavy opposition on both sides.

Bush's meeting on Wednesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was one of a series of one-and-one sessions the president scheduled on the final day of the three-day G-8 summit of economic powers.

"I respect the prime minister a lot," Bush said, speaking with reporters after their meeting. "I also respect India a lot. And I think it's very important that the United States continues to work with our friend to develop not only a new strategic relationship, but a relationship that addresses some of the world's problems. We talked about the India-U.S. nuclear deal — how important that is for our respective countries."

Singh said, "In this increasingly interdependent world that we live in, whether it the question of climate change or whether it is a question of managing the global economy, India and the United States must stand tall, must stand shoulder to shoulder."

If ratified by Washington and New Delhi, the pact would reverse three decades of U.S. policy by allowing the sale of atomic fuel and technology to India, which has not signed international nonproliferation accords but has tested nuclear weapons. In return, India, would open its civilian reactors to international inspections.

U.S. critics worry the agreement could spark a nuclear arms race in Asia and weaken international efforts to prevent states like Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In India, critics say it would undermine India's weapons program and give Washington too much influence over Indian foreign policy.

Singh's communist allies withdrew their support for his four-year-old coalition government on Tuesday to protest the government's plan to push forward with the nuclear deal.

Bush is trying to prod Congress to approve the pact before time runs out on his administration in January.

Indian AF At Red Flag Exercise for First Time

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued July 6, 2008)

The Indian Air Force would be participating in a multinational Air Exercise, ‘Ex Red Flag 08’ at the invitation of United States Air Force (USAF), scheduled to be held at Nellis Air Force Base in the US from 09-23 Aug 08.

The IAF would be participating in the exercise with eight SU-30 MK-I aircraft, two IL-78 air to air refuellers and one IL-76 transport aircraft. The contingent would comprise 156 personnel below officer rank and 91 officers (inclusive of 10 members of ‘Garud’ IAF Special Force team). The contingent is being led by Gp Capt D Chaudhury and Exercise Coordinator would be Gp Capt Ajay Rathore.

Exercise Red Flag is a multinational air exercise that is held thrice a year at Nellis Air Force base, USA. The IAF would be participating in the Exercise alongside South Korean Air Force with F-15K and the French Air Force with their latest Rafale aircraft, apart from the USAF. Red Flag was originally conceived in 1975 by USAF with an advanced aerial combat training format - the purpose being to ensure that pilots are trained well enough to survive in air combat and win air battles. The exercise holds tremendous learning opportunity for all the participating Air Forces.

Prior to the main Exercise Red Flag 08 at Nellis, the IAF’s contingent would be working up at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, US from 17 Jul 08 till 07 Aug 08. At Mountain Home, the IAF contingent would be flying with the F-16s & F-15s of USAF. The purpose of the work up phase is to streamline the procedures and have a clear understanding of the new flying environment.

The IAF contingent with its aircraft are scheduled to depart from Pune on 07 Jul 08 and transit via Doha (Qatar), Chorlu (Turkey), Mont de Marsan (France) and Lajes (Portugal) before reaching mainland USA and Mountain Home airbase on 17 Jul 08.

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Little-known group claims responsibility for deadly Indian blasts

LINK

AHMADABAD, India - An obscure Islamic group claimed responsibility for a series of synchronized explosions that killed at least 45 people in western India, warning of "the terror of Death" in an e-mail sent to several television stations minutes before the blasts.

Another unexploded bomb was found and defused early Sunday, said the city's police commissioner, O.P. Mathur. He said police had detained 30 people.

"In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!" said an e-mail from the group sent to several Indian television stations minutes before the blasts began.

The e-mail's subject line said "Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat," an apparent reference to 2002 riots in the western state which left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. The historic city of Ahmadabad was the scene of much of the 2002 violence.

Saturday's e-mail, sent from a Yahoo account and written in English, was made available to AP by CNN-IBN, one of the TV stations that received the warning.

State government spokesman Jaynarayan Vyas said 45 people were killed and 161 wounded when at least 16 bombs went off Saturday evening in several crowded neighborhoods. The attack came a day after seven smaller blasts killed two people in the southern technology hub of Bangalore.

Investigators in Surat, a city about 160 miles south of Ahmadabad, found a car carrying detonators and a liquid that police suspect may be ammonium nitrate, a chemical often used in explosive devices, city police Chief R.M.S. Brar told reporters.

Cities around the country were put on alert and security was stepped up at markets, hospitals, airports and train stations.

The e-mail was sent by a group calling itself Indian Mujahedeen which was unknown before May, when it said it was behind a series of bombings in Jaipur, also in western India, that killed 61 people.

In its e-mail, the group did not mention the bombings in Bangalore and it was not clear if the attacks were connected.

<---I have my own fanboi club!!!



Indian Anti Tank Missile 'NAG' Hits Bulls Eye


(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued August 6, 2008)

The DRDO has conducted successful test of the 3rd generation fire and forget anti-tank guided missile NAG in the last two days. The tests, conducted over a range of 4 km on stationary and moving targets in the presence of top Army officials at Pokhran Range in Rajasthan, confirmed all system capabilities of the NAG missile, striking the targets precisely.

Dr. Prahlada, Chief Controller, DRDO and Chairman, Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), expressing happiness on the last milestone of the programme, said that for the first time, the Army has witnessed the flight tests of the production version of NAG Missile Carrier NAMICA, made by Bharat Electronics Limited, and missiles produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited.

The NAG missile, unique in the world in its class, has both top and front attack capability and having passive homing guidance achieved through Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker system. Many small and medium enterprises have participated in the development of the missile system.

With these trials, the development flights stand completed and the NAG system is now ready for user trials. The mobility in desert terrain has also been comprehensively demonstrated.

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“Mirage-2000 Upgrade Will Plug India's Combat Jet Gap”

(Source: Indo-Asian News Service; published Nov. 7, 2008)

PARIS --- The Indian Air Force (IAF) can address the alarming dip in its operational capabilities by upgrading its fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter jets, even as it evaluates a global tender it has floated for purchasing 126 new combat aircraft, says French electronics major Thales, which is on the verge of inking the upgrade deal.

"The upgrade will significantly enhance the IAF's air potential by extending the operational performance of the Mirage fleet and taking full advantage of the aircraft's world class capabilities," Francois Quentin, Thales senior vice president and head of its aerospace division, told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.

"As a result, the IAF will have a coherent platform-system combination for the next 20 years at a significantly lower cost than the acquisition of new-build aircraft with equivalent performance," Quentin added.

At the same time, another Thales official pointed out that a decision on the upgrade would have to be taken by the end of this year so that the project could begin early 2009, ahead of the parliamentary polls that are due by May but could be advanced to February.

"Our experience, not only with India but with other countries also, has been that if an election comes in the way, a decision on a project like this can be delayed by at least two years," the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

This statement acquires significance since the IAF is known to have been considering the upgrade for at least two years but floated a request for proposal (RFP) only in April, to which Thales replied in July. Price negotiations are set to begin later this month.

While Thales was reluctant to state figures given a confidentiality clause, the project is believed to be worth $1.5 billion for upgrading the 51 Mirage-2000s in the IAF fleet to Dash-5 levels. This will give the jets multi-role capability with longer-range radars and fire-and-forget missiles, enabling the aircraft to perform a given mission thanks to greater fuel and weapon-delivery capacities.

The upgrade will involve providing the Mirage-2000, which was first inducted in mid-1980 and of which the IAF now operates 51, a state-of-the-art fly-by-wire digital cockpit and an enhanced weapons-carrying capability.

Under the Thales proposal, the company would deliver the first two aircraft from its facilities in France within 40 months of the signing of the contract, and would simultaneously assist Hindustan Aircraft Limited (HAL) in upgrading another two aircraft in India in the same time frame.

Thereafter, HAL would upgrade one of the remaining 47 aircraft every month.

"The IAF will be further enhanced by the integration of new capabilities," Pierre-Yves Chaltiec, CEO of Thales Airborne Systems, said.

"These include longer range detection across the spectrum, improved tactical situation awareness, longer range weapon firing against multiple simultaneous targets, weapon stealth and extended operating envelope with the capability to engage ground targets while countering airborne threats," he added.

"The resulting tactical advantage will allow commanders to commit fewer aircraft while achieving a higher success rate, thanks in particular to greater fuel and weapon-delivery capacities. For instance, a typical border protection mission involving two hours on station will require just two upgraded Mirage-2000 aircraft compared with six current aircraft," Chaltiec said.

The IAF had floated a global tender in September 2007 for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft in a deal valued at $10 billion. Six jets are in the fray: the US Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Lockheed Martin F-16, the French Dassault Rafale, the Swedish Saab Grippen, the Russian MiG-35 and the Eurofighter Typhoon built by a four-nation European consortium.

The technical bids are currently being evaluated after which all the six aircraft will be put through a rigorous testing process in Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh.

The first is meant to gauge the aircraft's ability to operate in the humid conditions of southern India, the second their effectiveness in the deserts of Rajasthan and the third to study their suitability in the icy Himalayan heights of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

By the time the evaluation process is complete, the size of the order is likely to rise to around 200 jets, as the IAF, which is down to 32 squadrons from a high of 39 1/2, is expected to see a further depletion of its fleet due to the retirement of some its ageing Soviet-era MiG-21 aircraft. The IAF has a sanctioned strength of 45 squadrons.

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Pak Taliban Pledge to Fight India

December 04, 2008
Mclatchy -Tribune News Service
LINK

Pakistani Taliban commanders have stepped up anti-India rhetoric in the wake of tension between the two countries and offered their men and suicide bombers to fight alongside the armed forces in the event of hostilities on the eastern frontier.

Militant commanders have called on Pakistan's security establishment to end military operations against the Taliban in the tribal areas following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The Taliban leaders have issued statements saying they are not "anti-state" and are ready to "die for the motherland".

"We are fighting the Pakistan Army because it has launched operations in our tribal areas but we cannot allow India or any other power to invade our country," Qari Hussain, a top commander of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan based in South Waziristan, said in a statement.

Hussain, known for training suicide bombers, claimed an Indian attack on Pakistan would help the cause of the Taliban as it could force the army to stop military action in the tribal areas and the Swat valley of North West Frontier Province.

However, the Taliban have "no intention of exploiting such a situation because our priority would be to fight India", he said.

Another group of Pakistani Taliban headed by Maulvi Nazeer, who is based in South Waziristan, issued a statement that said: "We would be able to raise a force of 15,000 tribal Taliban to fight on the side of Pakistan's armed forces. We would infiltrate 500 suicide bombers into India to cause havoc there."

Nazeer's spokesman also said the militants "may have a dispute with the Pakistan government but we would set aside our differences if our homeland was threatened by outside powers. Pakistan's political and religious forces to unite in the face of the Indian threat".

Maulana Faqir Mohammad, the deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban who is leading militants against Pakistani security forces in the restive Bajaur tribal region, was the first commander to issue an anti-India statement.

"India has hatched a conspiracy to blame Pakistan and the mujahideen for the Mumbai attacks. India's discriminatory attitude toward its Muslim population was the reason for these attacks," he said.

"We are warning India not to invade Pakistan as any aggression would be resisted jointly by the armed forces and the mujahideen."

The outlawed militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, which is based in Khyber Agency, too issued an anti-India statement.

It said: "We have the history of our tribal forefathers before us. They offered sacrifices for Pakistan and defended its borders. It is our religious and moral duty to stop those wanting to invade and capture our territory."

The groups called on tribal elders and youth "to be ready to lay down their lives for saving our motherland".

The strongly worded anti-India statements by militant groups operating in the NWFP and adjoining tribal areas showed they "are out to prove their patriotism" in the wake of the tensions between India and Pakistan, the pro-establishment daily The News reported.