DRDO hunts for a supersonic Flying Test Bed. Will it be a Sukhoi

If the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has its way, an aircraft that can reach supersonic speeds would enter Bengaluru's celebrated list of fighters enjoying permanent residency.

Sources confirm to OneIndia that the DRDO has already moved a paper to acquire a supersonic aircraft that will act as a FTB (Flying Test Bed). The FTB is an aircraft being used for testing the performance of systems and sub-systems in airborne conditions. The systems can range from engines, radars, data links, EW (electronic warfare) suites, radio altimeters among others.

DRDO says the FTB reduces the cycle time for the development of airborne systems. Also, more FTBs under their command could reduce the dependency on foreign agencies. In May 2014, the DRDO had acquired a FTP Nabhrathna -- a modified and custom-made Dornier (DO-228) aircraft, built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Nabhrathna was rolled out from the hangars of HAL's Kanpur-based Transport Aircraft Division.

Sukhoi is the best bet as FTB ::

A committee has already been set up to look into the possibilities of acquiring the FTB. In addition to members from the DRDO, the committee has representatives from the Indian Air Force and HAL. While Sukhoi is leading the fray, the advantages of MiG 29 are also being considered by the committee.

The current requirement for a supersonic FTB is being explored for the primary use of Gas Turbine and Research Establishment (GTRE). Although GTRE's capabilities in developing a desi power plant for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas have run into a rough patch, efforts are being made to carry forward the technical expertise for other engine programmes.

Sukhoi is being tipped as the best choice with a price tag of around Rs 400 crore. DRDO officials are of the opinion that with HAL's MiG Complex in Nashik already rolling out, they have the advantage of making the modifications with less fuzz. "It's a huge process to make modifications if the aircraft is imported from abroad. We have to save time and money and Sukhoi could be the answer. Even certification too becomes easier in India," an official said.

BrahMos experiments will come handy ::

DRDO officials say that the modification work on Sukhoi done for launching the air version of BrahMos will come handy for DRDO. "The BrahMos missile weighs around 2.5 tonnes while a Kaveri engine is around 1.22 tonnes. There are two pilots in a Su-30 MKI and one can easily monitor the engine and independently operate it," the official said.

With the wind tunnel test results of BrahMos already available, DRDO is hopeful that a decision is taken soon in acquiring the FTB. "Our labs including LRDE, CABS, RCI and other national institutes such as IISC and NAL too will require a supersonic FTB," the official added.

Once DRDO acquires a supersonic FTB, it will be flown by Test Pilots from the Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment of IAF in Bengaluru. Currently, the DRDO operates a low speed FTB (IL-76) suitably modified to carry out Kaveri engine tests at Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI) in Moscow. 

"We felt the need for a high speed FTB capable of high manoeuvres for assessing the engine behaviour during transients. The feasibility of using MiG-29 available at GFRI Moscow is being studied now. We have already assessed the modifications to be carried out on the MiG-29," the official said.

IAF’s Jaguar aircraft crashes in Haryana, pilot ejects safely

A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed close to Shahbad town in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district on Thursday, with the pilot ejecting safely.

“The fighter aircraft crashed in the fields. According to preliminary information, the pilot ejected from the plane before it fell in the fields. He was reported to have sustained injuries,” Kurukshetra’s Superintendent of Police, Simardeep Singh said.

An IAF spokesperson said the pilot gave a distress call before ejection.

The pilot is safe, the spokesperson said. The aircraft crashed near Landi village, close to Shahbad town in Kurukshetra, about 65 km from here, at 1:15 PM. The pilot had taken off from Ambala Air base in the afternoon, police said.

Singh said that there were no immediate reports of any casualty on the ground where the plane fell. He said besides police, the IAF personnel from Ambala have rushed to the spot.

A helicopter from Ambala has taken off to bring the pilot to the city.

Russian co. offers joint development of Active Phased Array Radar for LCA Tejas

During Aero India 2015, a delegation of Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), a part of Rostec State Corporation, held a series of negotiations with the representatives of Indian companies on the modernisation of the country's air force fleet. At the end of the meetings, many agreements on developing cooperation with potential customers were struck.

India is one of priority markets for KRET. The military-technical cooperation between the two countries goes back half a century, and the Indian Air Force is widely using Russian equipment, Nikolay Kolesov, General Director of KRET, said. KRET is ready for broad cooperation with local companies, including the development of joint projects within the ‘Made in India’ policy framework, announced by the country’s leadership.

KRET products have generated great interest among Indian professionals from leading companies, including Bharat Electronics Limited, DARE (Defence Avionics Research Establishment), HAL, Indian Avitronics and DEFSYS. A number of them have signed joint cooperation protocols.

Questions of import substitution and after-sale service of Russian MiG-29K and MiG-29UPG, Su-30MKI and Ka-31 helicopters were the key issues during talks between KRET and the representatives of Samtel and Data Patterns. In particular, the company Data Patterns and KRET discussed the possibility of joint development of AFAR-equipped radar for the Indian aircraft LCA MK2 (Tejas), as well as the integration of IFF systems developed by Data Patterns. KRET specialises in latest innovations in the system of Identification of friend or foe.

During their meetings, KRET and the representatives of Indian Avitronics and DEFSYS touched upon the questions of modernisation of avionics on Soviet and Russian-made aircrafts. The negotiations resulted in the decision of the Indian side to send KRET the inquiry regarding the possibility of upgrading the helicopters Mi-8, Mi-17 and Ka-31 and aircrafts Su-30MKI and MiG-21. In particular, the KRET offered the Indian side the new onboard indicators for the Mi-8 and Mi-17, inertial navigation system INS-2000 for Ka-31 and the MK-Compass routing system for MiG-21.

KRET products are well known in India due to India-Russia military-technical cooperation. KRET is developing the onboard systems for the FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) for the Indian Air Force. During Aero India-2015. The Concern was able to attract attention to its civil products as well. For instance, the forum’s hosts showed much interest in the onboard data acquisition systems for civil aircraft of MZBN type (the black box). The technical characteristics of KRET's flight recorders are comparable with foreign counterparts by L3 Communications (USA), TELEDYNE CONTROLS (USA), Curtiss-Wright (USA).

The aero show also saw KRET presenting several unique developments such as President-S complex, created for the aircrafts and helicopters defence from missiles with infrared homing, and the on-board radar Zhuk-AE with active phased array antenna designed for the new generation fighter jets. KRET drew the attention of the host country to the large number of radars like Kopye-21I (Spear-21I) and Zhuk-ME, which are currently in service at the National Air Force, and invited it to modernize the outdated radars in India. This prospect kindled interest in one of the local companies. The two parties considered it rational to sign a memorandum of cooperation in the framework of the proposed projects.

The exhibition was attended by 12 KRET companies, including Avionika concern, Fazotron-NIIR corporation, Aerokosmicheskoe Oborudovanie corporation, KRRTI, Gradient RI, Electroavtomatika OKB, Aviaavtomatika im V.V. Tarasova, JSC Ramensky Instrument Engineering Plant, JSC Ramenskoe Design Bureau, NIIAO Institute of Aircraft Equipment, Ekran RI, Aeropribor-Voshod.

US to supply missile warning systems to India

The United States will supply a missile approach warning system to India to help military aircraft in deploying counter-measures when an enemy missile is fired upon.

Developed by Alliant Techsystems Operations at Florida, the missile warning system for the Indian Air Force and Navy would come by around 2017. India is purchasing the system using the foreign military sales route. 

The firm has received a $30 million contract from the US government to made these systems for the American armed forces as well as for India, Australia, Spain and Norway. The AN/AAR-47 (V) missile warning set comprises of electro-optic counter-measure sensors, counter-measure signal processors and counter-measure signal simulators.

The commercial contract was finalised within a month of the summit meeting between the US President Barak Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi and Washington negotiated the texts of the Defence Framework Agreement between the two countries for the next 10 years as the existing framework signed by then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and his counterpart Donald Rumsfeld expired in 2014. The new pact, which is yet to be signed, focuses on co-production.

The two countries identified four joint pathfinder military projects besides creating a working group to explore the possibility of using cutting edge American technologies for Indian Navy’s future aircraft carrier, whose design is still being worked out. A collaboration on jet engine technology is also in the offing.

The pathfinder projects are on mini-UAV, a proposed roll-on/roll-off mission modules for C-130 and other aircraft, mobile electric hybrid power sources and uniform integrated protection ensemble for the nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) warfare environment.

“While these pathfinder projects have stand-alone value, we intend for them to serve as pathfinder or pilots for deeper levels of cooperation between our military. I envision a day when American and Indian engineers sit side-by-side – or at least virtually – producing cutting-edge designs to be produced in partnership,” Frank Kendall, US Under Secretary of Defence for acquisition, Technology and Logistics said.

Kendall, who is visiting India for the third time in five months, held talks with Indian officials to kick start the projects under the defence technology and trade initiatives between New Delhi and Washington.

DAC orders IAF to buy indigenous HTT-40 trainer

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has prevailed over the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a long-running battle over the basic trainer aircraft on which IAF rookies will learn to fly.

Backing HAL and “Make in India”, the ministry of defence (MoD) ruled on Saturday that the IAF would have to buy the Hindustan Turbo Trainer — 40 (HTT-40), which HAL is developing in Bengaluru.

Until the HTT-40 is delivered, the IAF will make do with 75 PC-7 Mark II trainers it has already bought from Pilatus of Switzerland. Under an “Options Clause” of that contract, the purchase of 38 more Pilatus trainers was sanctioned on Saturday. These would cost about Swiss francs 230 million (Rs 1,500 crore).

After a meeting of the MoD’s apex Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which arrived at this decision, a senior MoD official, briefing the media, said: “The DAC has ordered the IAF to order the HTT-40 in adequate number, to make this project commercially viable.”

The IAF has steadfastly opposed the HTT-40 project. As Business Standard revealed (July 29, 2013, “Indian Air Force at war with Hindustan Aeronautics; wants to import, not build, a trainer”) then IAF boss, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, wrote to Antony, incorrectly claiming that the HTT-40 was costlier than the PC-7 Mk II.

HAL rebutted that claim, convincing the MoD that the HTT-40 would cost Rs 38.5 crore, compared to the Swiss Francs 6.09 million price of Pilatus trainer, which comes to Rs 39.5 crore. When life-cycle costs were factored in, the indigenous HTT-40 would be far cheaper over four decades of service.

Last month, Business Standard — which has followed and reported this issue in detail — revealed (February 14, “Defence ministry official questions whether Pilatus was cheapest trainer”), that a key MoD procurement official had written to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that the PC-7 Mark II trainer was actually far more expensive than had been originally assessed.

With the IAF digging in its heels and blocking funding, HAL has put Rs 300 crore of its own into the HTT-40. Senior project managers say the trainer is on track to fly this year, and enter service by 2017-18.

The DAC has ordered strict monitoring of the HTT-40 project, to guard against delays. “The progress of the project will be monitored by a Committee that will report regularly to the DAC”, said the MoD official who briefed the media.

IAF pilots undergo three stages of training. In basic training, or Stage-1, rookie pilots learn to fly on simple aircraft like the PC-7 Mk I, and the HTT-40. They graduate to Stage-2 training on intermediate trainers like the Sitara, which HAL is developing. In Stage-3 training, which is done on Hawk advanced jet trainers, pilots prepare to fly frontline IAF fighters.

With the Navy and Army air wings steadily expanding, these services are likely to buy their own HTT-40s, in case the trainer proves an unqualified success. HAL has also proposed the HTT-40 for import, positioning it as a weaponised light attack aircraft.

The IAF grounded its earlier basic trainer, the HPT-32, after a fatal crash in 2009 that killed two pilots. Experts say the HPT-32’s safety record did not warrant peremptory grounding of its 110-trainer fleet.

Over 30 years of flying, in which 2,000 IAF pilots were trained and the HPT-32 logged 400,000 hours, there have been 17 crashes in which 19 IAF pilots were killed.

While grounding the HPT-32, the IAF continues to fly the MiG-21, which has a far more worrying safety record. In June 2003, the IAF head, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy, told the media that 98 MiG-21 crashes had claimed 43 lives in 5,53,000 sorties between 1994-2003.

Over the years, according to MoD figures tabled in Parliament, 482 IAF MiGs (of all types) have crashed, killing 171 IAF pilots, eight other servicemen, and 39 civilians. Yet none of these fighters were grounded.

In another procurement decision on Saturday, the DAC okayed the tendering of a Rs 32,000 crore project to build 12 modern “mine counter measure vehicles”, or MCMVs, in India. Foreign shipyards will bid to partner Goa Shipyard Ltd in building these 600-1,000 tonne vessels that detect and defuse mines, which an enemy could deploy to deter movement of our commercial vessels and battleships. An earlier tender for these vessels was withdrawn amidst allegations of corruption.

In addition, the DAC cleared the Rs 533 crore purchase of one C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from US company, Lockheed Martin, to replace one that crashed last year.

INDIA concludes contract negotiations for Apache, Chinook choppers

The Indian government has concluded contract negotiations with US aerospace major Boeing for procuring 22 Apache AH-64E combat and 15 Chinook CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters.

Disclosing this, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, told a defence magazine in an interview that the process for the final step, that is approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has now been initiated and that "once accorded, the contracts would be signed".

Notably, all contracts above Rs.1,000 crore (approximately $165 million at the current exchange rate) in value have to be approved by the CCS, which is headed by the prime minister and includes the finance, defence, external affairs and home ministers.

Procedurally, once the ministry of defence (MoD) approves a proposal for forwarding the case to CCS, it has to be seen and signed by the defence minister and then goes to the finance ministry where likewise, the finance minister has to accord his signature. Any observations by the finance Ministry are generally addressed by the MoD before the case is put up to the CCS.

It normally does not take more than a couple of months once a file is moved for CCS approval. And if all goes well which hopefully should ? then the approval should be there in March or April.

The contract then can be signed on ASAP basis within weeks.

According to Air Chief Marshal Raha, all the contracted aircraft should be delivered within five years of the signing; the first one though is within three years.

India will have to pay 15 percent (or whatever is agreed) of the negotiated value at the time of the contract. Payments are then made in accordance with the delivery schedule.

Sources in the MoD indicated that negotiations were also on with Boeing for buying four more P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft as per the options clause, and most likely, the contracts for the helicopters as well as P-8Is should be through by mid-2015.

The Indian Navy has already bought eight P-8Is, of which six have been delivered and two are likely to arrive in India over the next few months. All these aircraft are being acquired on the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) basis although their weapon systems like radars and missiles would be through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from the US Government.

As for the the Apaches, Boeing`s Vice President for Defence, Space and Security in India Dennis Swanson has pointed out that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be getting the very latest helicopter ? the AH-64E ? that has recently been delivered to the US Army. This version has 26 modifications over the earlier AH 64-D model.

The exact specifications for the Indian requirement are not known but normally, one in every three Apaches is equipped with Lockheed Martin`s sophisticated Longbow radar to acquire and designate targets for destruction. At present, IAF has very old Soviet vintage Mi-35 combat and Mi-26 heavy lift helicopters. They have done very well but have aged and need replacement with contemporary systems.

Drones to meet their nemesis in Light Combat Helicopter

Drones may be the biggest threats to national security, camouflaging themselves from radars and moving too fast for copters and too slow for a conventional fighter aircraft. But a drone hunter is round the corner, with the under-development Light Combat Helicopter Technology Demonstrator 3 (LCH TD-3) slated to be capable of hunting down Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

The Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) for ALH is expected by this year-end and weapon tests are expected by October this year. UAV hunting is the many roles the ALH is expected to don, say test pilots.

Calling the programme a game changer, Wing Commander (Retd) Unni Pillai, Rotary Chief Test Pilot at HAL, said: “This is one of the first attack helicopters built for high-altitude warfare. There are only three countries in the world who need it – Pakistan, China and us. Both their programmes haven’t taken off.”

The LCH has already undergone a ‘cold weather soak’ in Leh where the chopper’s systems performance were tested in -20 degree temperatures. “We will now be taking the chopper to Jodhpur for a hot soak (high temperature),” Group Captain (retd) and test pilot Hari Nair said, adding that the chopper will be taken to Leh again in the summer to validate performance.

The mean machine will have an elaborate arsenal: 20mm Turret Guns, 70mm rocket-launchers and Air-to-Air missiles among others. It is also expected to include Air-to-Ground anti-tank missiles. The choice for this category is the third generation fire-and-forget’ anti-tank missile developed in DRDO – Nag.

The Nag version for LCH will be called Helina (Helicopter Nag). “This is under development. Once developed, we will test and integrate it into LCH,” Pillai said, adding: “The difficult part of the process is software integration. All the weapons were from different manufactures and it was difficult to integrate the software.”

The chopper will also have additional systems like anti-radar and sensors for high-precision operations.

Although it is intended to be manufactured primarily for the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army is trying to outrun IAF by ordering more than 110 helicopters, he added.

Russia asked to prove single engine landing of MiG-29K on INS Vikramaditya

The Indian Navy has reportedly asked Russia to prove single engine landing of the MiG-29K on the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier as a safety measure in case one of the two engine fails on India’s only carrier based fighter.

The Hindu newspaper reported last week that the Russian side will be carrying out the proving trials on its own carrier in Russia, Admiral Kuznetsov.

Quoting an unnamed Indian official, the report said, “The aircraft is just too good and has a very powerful engine. To allay the fears of pilots, we have asked Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG to prove single-engine landing of MiG-29 K on board the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. This will happen in a fortnight.”

India has received some 23 MiG29K and MiG29KUB fighters from Russia so far. The latter are the two seater trainer versions. A further six are to be delivered this year followed by an equal number next year, sources from RAC MiG said.

Speaking to Defenseworld.net on the sidelines of the Aero India airshow in Bangalore last week, General Director of RAC MiG Sergei Korotkov said that the expanding carrier based operations of the Indian Navy will mean an increase in the requirements for the MiG-39 in future.

These aircraft need to be based on a shore facility and flown to the aircraft carrier and back. With the Indian Navy announcing a new air base on the east coast of India, a need may arise for additional fighters, he added.