Indian Air Force: News & Discussions (26 Viewers)

[Interested]

We should go for new super sukhoi productions instead of just upgrading the old stock . Upgraded ones are quiet capable fighterjets which can give edge for atleast next 15 years .

The production line will need to be started regardless and anyway they already have a plan to convert 84 existing jets . Eventually the entire fleet will be upgraded .

 

[sunnyv]

So because of Galwan conflict India had to fast-track the Rafale induction.

Air force was left with no choice as time was of essence.

TALIOS had to be procured as no time to wait for Litening Pod testing.

HAMMER instead of SPICE 2000 as LDP was never flight tested.

TOWED DECOY could not be integrated because Israel went into war immediately after COVID.

BNET SDR again pending because Israel is still engaged in ME.

Basically all Israeli goodies part of ISE are pending .

SO only thing that will certainly prosper is METEOR with Navy and Air-Force within 2-3 yrs time. And with Europe restarting the rusted/dusted manufacturing- Time to stock up SCALP and METEOR.

This COVID crisis in late 2019 when Rafale were about to be inducted + Galwan conflict forced the Air-Force hands and till today still waiting for ISE. Crisis after Crisis and Wars.

Just hope Europe and ME gets sorted out fast, next conflict Zone is already brewing in SouthEast Asia. We need those Israeli Engineers and French Engineers to get onto next flight to Ambala and work extra hours to complete all integrations and testing before 2026.

 

[randombully]

TOWED DECOY could not be integrated because Israel went into war immediately after COVID.

BNET SDR again pending because Israel is still engaged in ME.

Basically all Israeli goodies part of ISE are pending .

Israel continued to sell goodies and integrate them on other platforms tho.

Israeli Rampage is a recent example inducted in 2024.

Air force was left with no choice as time was of essence.

And then went back to its old lethargic habits.

 

[sunnyv]

Modifications on Russian Platforms is done in-house . Software Jigs is available.
There is a very detailed video approx 60mins on BharatShakti which showed how Testings of Million of codes are handled in house.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93NbwUkhyzI
So no surprises if ROCKS and RAMPAGE are integrated.
But with French Platform , things become gloomy. Can not do anything until all 3 parties have time to sit together and work out.

 

[shade2]

Is this true? interesting bit of trivia.
Although designer tenders aren't new for the user


View: https://x.com/FighterPiloting/status/1944696631884218561

 

[Nutcracker]

View: https://x.com/KSingh_1469/status/1944309768757424352

 

[liberalredditor]

View: https://x.com/KSingh_1469/status/1944309768757424352

tejas mk2 design period was as long as a clean sheet fighter.. even though this is 90% same, it is a larger derivative with added spine blocks and canards with new lru. peak laziness from sarkari authorities.

 

[randombully]

tejas mk2 design period was as long as a clean sheet fighter.. even though this is 90% same, it is a larger derivative with added spine blocks and canards with new lru. peak laziness from sarkari authorities.

It is a new clean sheet fighter jet.
It only has visual similarities with tejas mk1a.

 

[concard]

It is a new clean sheet fighter jet.
It only has visual similarities with tejas mk1a.

I don't see AMCA in the production line before 2040. By the time it does IAF will reject it. I am pinning my hopes on MK2. I wonder whether it can play a air superiority role and take on 5th generation jets given it's reduced RCS? I know I am asking too much here. With slightly more powerful engine, I am sure range of it's radar can be increased. I am guessing it's radar range will be 200 km minimum. How do you see it's prospects against JF-17, F-16, J-10 in Porki inventory?

If only MK2 is left with us, what do you think our strategy should be?

 

[liberalredditor]

It is a new clean sheet fighter jet.
It only has visual similarities with tejas mk1a.

it doesnt have any visual similarity, it is a larger tejas mk1 with canards. in these 15 years of design period, they never thought of changing the problematic intake. still the same even after such a long time.

 

[liberalredditor]

If only MK2 is left with us, what do you think our strategy should be?

its simple, quantity. just mass produce it. but our genius think tank wont. we should ideally have minimum 500 by 2035. but production got delayed from 2027-28 to 2030-31. mk2 should be the new backbone with constant iterational upgrades.

 

[randombully]

. I wonder whether it can play a air superiority role and take on 5th generation jets given it's reduced RCS?

Can be used based on case by case basis and there are tactics that can be utilized but It will be at high disadvantage when taking on stealth jets.
Stealth loyal wingmans can help somewhat.

How do you see it's prospects against JF-17, F-16, J-10 in Porki inventory?

Can take on anything except 5th gen in most cases.
Though also depends on how our overall integrated system comprising of many air ,ground & space based assests perform, fighter jets will only be part of a larger system, a very important part but again a part nothenless.

If only MK2 is left with us, what do you think our strategy should be?

There are lots of ways and lots of compromises can be made.
Some examples,Just for general gist.
Don't fight head on against incoming enemy airforce, accept that they have advantage.
Find other means of penetrating and hitting enemy ground assets, find ways to attack their fleet when its on ground, develop lot more standoff munitions, cheaper mass producable standoff munition.
Drones are already here, changed warfare forever.

re-settle your fleet into more dispersed, into mountain bunkers etc make it harder to destroy as enemy assets will penetrate air defense, for example Iran operates a deep mountain buried airbase, and only the most potent anti bunker weapons can hope to damage it, it does limit air operations a lot but it makes their airbase survivable against a superior enemy.
Develop more human element based assymteric capabilities, SF.
Etc.

You can learn a lot from russian in this regard, which has a large potent airforce but still outclassed by enemy's firepower.
They have 2+ decades of experience in this.

Their new oreshnik missile, is a asymmetric weapon to compensate having a weaker airforce.
Oreshnik is mainly developed against air bases, a single missile can disable an airbase for hours, 5-6 for few days, and given its flight profile, altitude and speed, very hard to intercept, its meant to limited/decrease the no. Of assests nato can put in the air.
You can also learn from Ukrainians, remember recent operation spider web?




None of this will fully compensate for things we lack, but will make us lot more capable in other ways.

 

[shade2]

I don't see AMCA in the production line before 2040. By the time it does IAF will reject it. I am pinning my hopes on MK2. I wonder whether it can play a air superiority role and take on 5th generation jets given it's reduced RCS? I know I am asking too much here. With slightly more powerful engine, I am sure range of it's radar can be increased. I am guessing it's radar range will be 200 km minimum. How do you see it's prospects against JF-17, F-16, J-10 in Porki inventory?

If only MK2 is left with us, what do you think our strategy should be?

MK2 will also be rejected after dragging trials and testing for 2 more decades and then saying it's obsolete.

There is nothing to pin your hopes on.

 

[randombully]

it doesnt have any visual similarity, it is a larger tejas mk1 with canards. in these 15 years of design period, they never thought of changing the problematic intake. still the same even after such a long time.

It's not problematic anymore.
And intakes of mk2 are different, similar looking but not the same.

 

[705-Lira]

tejas mk2 design period was as long as a clean sheet fighter.. even though this is 90% same, it is a larger derivative with added spine blocks and canards with new lru. peak laziness from sarkari authorities.

Maybe had IAF not taken 5 years dilly dallying its design configuration we wouldn't be having this discussion.
The commonality between Tejas Mk1 and Tejas Mk2 being 90% is straight up BS, the only thing common between both is "Tejas" in the name at best, everything else is pretty much different.

 

[liberalredditor]

i hope atleast they dont make anymore bahana for delaying real mk2 lru in prototype. with mk1a lru they are delaying it. idk how will they bring our the second prototype on time with gan radar and mk2 specs.
muh private companies turned out to be even more chai samosa than hal, tata and l&t havent delivered their units. only adani and dynamatic have delivered.

sab bhagwan bharose hai

 

[liberalredditor]

@randombully tejas mk2 intake too has issues ig, remember last year's onera tests?

ADA to Refine Air Intake and Canards Design of Tejas Mk2 After Crucial Wind Tunnel Tests in France

India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is refining the design of its Tejas Mk2 fighter jet based on crucial wind tunnel tests conducted at the French National Aerospace Research Center...

defence.in

 

[randombully]

@randombully tejas mk2 intake too has issues ig, remember last year's onera tests?

ADA to Refine Air Intake and Canards Design of Tejas Mk2 After Crucial Wind Tunnel Tests in France

India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is refining the design of its Tejas Mk2 fighter jet based on crucial wind tunnel tests conducted at the French National Aerospace Research Center...

defence.in

It's not problematic anymore.
And intakes of mk2 are different, similar looking but not the same.

It's not problematic "anymore".

 

[FalconSlayers]

How do you see it's prospects against JF-17, F-16, J-10 in Porki inventory?

The only thing it will fight against in paki inventory will be the JF-17 Block-3 and J-10C apart from the J-35 they want to buy. Rest are obsolete technologically, outranged by modern BVR missiles as well as have little airframe life left with them. Also, we should worry about PLAAF, pakis can be taken out on ground before they can do anything.

 

[BON PLAN]

From a french source :
ASTRA tested on Rafale at the end of 2025 (as 2 weapons from UAE)

Levée de risques sur le Rafale F5 - RAFALE : The omnirole fighter

Vedette du salon du Bourget 2025, Dassault Aviation et ses partenaires exposaient le Rafale, dans ses versions présente et future. L’occasion de présenter le standard F5 Rafale qui arrivera dans les forces à partir de 2030. 318 millions d’euros pour sécuriser l’innovation Le développement du...

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