Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[ArjunMK1A]

Propulsion system matters. Even an Kaveri Baseline can give much needed boost to certain programs like UCAF.

An successful development of HTFE-25 means we can scale the engine and upgrade the jaguar fleet. Looking at the integration of weapons on jaguar platform it will stay till 2040. Atleast upgrade the engine so it resolves the power issue. We can build advance trainer with this engine.

Success of Manik engine will give propulsion setup for CM, Hal cats warrior, Abhimanyu etc.

With DMS4 available, we should start next engine with more power than kaveri which can give spin off programs like high bypass turbofan, turboprop, marine gas turbine and industrial gas turbine.


Navy started solving propulsion issue with kirloskar marine diesel engines now. Future vessels, diesel electric submarine will have indigenous engines.

Same with CVRDE 600hp and 1500hp engines. Will simplify our work.

 

[Ajayant Tripathi]

LoL though a good effort, it won't have much effect, you're underestimating the thick skinned bean counting babooz in MoD and finance who have zero strategic thinking, and PMO and PM seem to prefer their advice over common men. And unfortunately even top IAF chiefs never mention this to PM it appears, they're too interested in only simping for MRFA and import import and more emergency import to fill gaps NOW, tomorrow be damned !

A voice is a voice. Modiji keep ears on ground. He may defer to babus on execution but he do clearly rely on his old friends for wisdom. Modiji is the only leader who have not ditched his friends with his rise in stature.

I am sure the demand for Indian Jet Engine by our Twitter Space may have reached the right ears. Some very well known handles posted about it.

So, Certainly it will be kept in mind. Now it has escaped from our limited discussion to public. Many people will be asking about it.

To us it was a general awareness campaign. Now the public mass and their desire for it will turn it into a political compulsion.

 

[BON PLAN]

Rafales need to be upgraded with Indian radar and mission computer. Once the order for 126 Rafales is placed under the MRFA program, I am confident they will be equipped with the Indian UTTAM AESA radar. This GaN-based radar is significantly more powerful and energy-efficient than the current GaAs radar used in Rafales.
The current fleet of 36 Rafales for the Air Force and the planned 26 for the Navy were originally intended to be equipped with Indian radars. However, the plan was canceled due to the high integration costs quoted by Dassault.

It is a fantasm, for 3 reasons :
1) The RBE2 is tailored made for Rafale. For exemple does the UTTAM radar have a space in the middle of its backs to fit OSF ? Does it have the right dimensions and weight? What about the data link between the radar and missiles (secret datas) ?
2) The Radar is studied closely to the Spectra system. It's not the case of UTTAM. It will cost a lot to made another set of try in anechoic chamber to be sure one is not jamming the other.
3) The new generation RBE2 is coming, with GaN and artificial intellingence. A generation ahead UTTAM.

I have never read a solid information about an indian radar fitted in Rafale, specially for so few numbers.

The real near future of UTTAM is SU30 MKI upgrade.

 

[Ajatshatru]

It is a fantasm, for 3 reasons :
1) The RBE2 is tailored made for Rafale. For exemple does the UTTAM radar have a space in the middle of its backs to fit OSF ? Does it have the right dimensions and weight? What about the data link between the radar and missiles (secret datas) ?
2) The Radar is studied closely to the Spectra system. It's not the case of UTTAM. It will cost a lot to made another set of try in anechoic chamber to be sure one is not jamming the other.
3) The new generation RBE2 is coming, with GaN and artificial intellingence. A generation ahead UTTAM.

I have never read a solid information about an indian radar fitted in Rafale, specially for so few numbers.

The real near future of UTTAM is SU30 MKI upgrade.

It depends on the level of trust between India and France, as it would require France to share the source code with India. If that happens, India will transform the Rafale into an even more powerful fighter jet.

 

[BON PLAN]

It depends on the level of trust between India and France, as it would require France to share the source code with India. If that happens, India will transform the Rafale into an even more powerful fighter jet.

In 2011 UAE wanted a kind of "super Rafale" with 9Tons engines & AESA radar. It failed because too costly And UAE had anothind kind of money in bank !
No, it willbe far too costly and difficult (in kind of delay) to integrate a brand new radar.

I think a better way to collaborate is to integrate Indian weapons on Rafale and sell it world wide. mini, Rudram, new bombs. Even for french air force.

 

[truthsoldier]

Can we really make this pivot?

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/india-eyes-partnership-with-france-s-safran-to-develop-engines-for-powerful-tejas-lca-mk2-jets-13051280.html

 

[BON PLAN]

Can we really make this pivot?

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/india-eyes-partnership-with-france-s-safran-to-develop-engines-for-powerful-tejas-lca-mk2-jets-13051280.html

the engine deal is a never ending indian story.
one time we heard India will clinch a deal with GE, another time R&R, after it is PW, now Safran.....
next time Saturn?

 

[Corvus Splendens]

Looks like indos are going ahead with Rafales after all. Unless they do another backflip at this hour.

 

[Ajatshatru]

the engine deal is a never ending indian story.
one time we heard India will clinch a deal with GE, another time R&R, after it is PW, now Safran.....
next time Saturn?

One area where France and India can collaborate is in developing next-generation engines for fifth-generation platforms.

 

[Ajatshatru]

Looks like indos are going ahead with Rafales after all. Unless they do another backflip at this hour.
View attachment 37635

Indonesia’s fighter jet acquisition program is starting to resemble India’s MRFA saga — dragging on for decades without a deal ever being signed.

 

[Gyyaan]

Anybody here has any idea what drones like Kizilelma and CATS are supposed to do in A2A fight?
They won't have enough power to use even a LIG nextgen1 size radar made for FA-50 and they have very small nose cone.
So they will have smaller radar and less power how are they going against stealth fighters or even act as a counter to them?
Specially CATS as it won't carry ASRAAM/Astra in IWB it will be an easy prey even for the 4th gen fighters and they are slow like the max speed is less than M0.9.
>They can ofc act as a shield by taking the AAM for fighter
>Act as extra pylon for fighter carry extra AAMs

IMO there is no point in using CATS for A2A role if it can't carry AAMS in IWB.

 

[Ajatshatru]

I learned that the Indian Air Force carried out SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) operations before striking Pakistani airbases and other military infrastructure to ensure that no BrahMos missiles were intercepted—although intercepting a BrahMos is nearly impossible given the current capabilities of Pakistan’s air defense systems.

 

[Spitfire IX]

One area where France and India can collaborate is in developing next-generation engines for fifth-generation platforms.

India talked to SAFRAN about it, negotiated with SAFRAN about it but could not agree on terms (i guess).

It is worth remembering a famous saying, often attributed to Einstein:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting to get different results

 

[Ajatshatru]

India talked to SAFRAN about it, negotiated with SAFRAN about it but could not agree on terms (i guess).

It is worth remembering a famous saying, often attributed to Einstein:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting to get different results

Those discussions were about the transfer of technology for the existing M88 engine used in Rafales—not the development of a new engine. France needs a partner to co-develop a fifth-generation jet, and India is the most suitable candidate financially, technologically, and strategically. If not India, then who else is willing to invest billions of dollars into an engine development program? There’s no other country, apart from India, that would commit to such a collaboration with France.

 

[Corvus Splendens]

Anybody here has any idea what drones like Kizilelma and CATS are supposed to do in A2A fight?
They won't have enough power to use even a LIG nextgen1 size radar made for FA-50 and they have very small nose cone.
So they will have smaller radar and less power how are they going against stealth fighters or even act as a counter to them?
Specially CATS as it won't carry ASRAAM/Astra in IWB it will be an easy prey even for the 4th gen fighters and they are slow like the max speed is less than M0.9.
>They can ofc act as a shield by taking the AAM for fighter
>Act as extra pylon for fighter carry extra AAMs

IMO there is no point in using CATS for A2A role if it can't carry AAMS in IWB.

They are reliant on the mothership fighter. They are just extra missile carriers that can leverage their lower RCS. They are not supposed to win one to one against a stealth front-line fighter. But they provide an edge by bringing extra ordnance (A2A/A2G) into the fight. The Warrior Mk2 will carry BVRs with it's more powerful engines.​