Posted on 02/10/2005 9:26:44 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Navy eyeing U.S. airborne early warning aircraft
By Rasheed Kappan
BANGALORE, FEB. 10. Keen on acquiring six all-weather Hawkeye E-2C Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, the Navy has invited next week the United States defence firm Northrop Grumman, aircraft manufacturer, for initial aircraft carrier compatibility assessment.
The Navy is looking at equipping the carrier Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya) with the E-2C.
The U.S. Government has issued Grumman the licence to open technical discussions with the Navy for sale of the aircraft. The U.S. has also provided the necessary "price and availability" document to go ahead with the talks, a top company official told The Hindu .
Delivery
The assessment will be followed by a "request for proposal" before the final deal.But the company officials said the first delivery of the aircraft would take at least a year after the contract is signed.
The company wants to build up the necessary offset business mechanism before the deal comes through. "Over the last one year, we have been in dialogue with several Indian companies — big and small — including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Tata Sons Ltd (TSL), for offset business," the company's manager (offset programmes), Edward C. Gordon, said.
Last December, Northrop Grumman's chief engineer, Mark Kassner, made a presentation on the aircraft to the Navy Chief. The Navy is in the process of chalking out its need for an integrated communications system.
AWACS
Although the Navy does not have the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) capability, six Israeli Phalcon AWACS — to be mounted on the Ilyushin-76 platform — are in the pipeline for the Air Force. Besides, the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) is developing an indigenous airborne early warning system after the project was revived last year by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The Hawkeye E-2C is billed as the only aircraft in the world designed for airborne early warning.
Incidentally, it was the centrepiece of the U.S. Navy's "Operation Iraqi Freedom." While the U.S. Navy has about 75 of these aircraft, Egypt and Taiwan have six each, Japan 13, Singapore four and Mexico and France three each. Butonly the American and French navies are operating them off aircraft carriers. India will be the third country if the deal comes through.
Yr after request, US firm to clear air on Hawkeye
Invited by Naval HQ, Grumman will show how Hawkeye can be deployed from Admiral Gorshkov or INS Viraat
SHIV AROOR
Posted online: Friday, February 11, 2005 at 0152 hours IST
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 10: US defence firm Northrop Grumman, which is looking to sell six E-2C Hawkeye 2000 airborne early warning aircraft to the Indian Navy, has been invited by Naval Headquarters to clear concerns that the system may not be suitable for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier that India is in the process of acquiring. The company’s Director (AEW programmes) David Murray will be meeting the Navy’s controller of warship production and acquisition, Vice-Admiral J.S. Bedi, on February 14.
The Navy first sent a request for information (RFI) to Northrop Grumman in early 2004, the company replied with details of the Hawkeye 2000 in October. However, while the Hawkeye needs a catapult jump on an aircraft carrier, the Gorshkov has a ski jump, and so do the INS Viraat and the Air Defence Ship currently being built indigenously. The Hawkeye 2000 would be used by the Navy to guide carrier-borne MiG-29s and Harriers on fleet-defending and combat missions.
Murray told The Indian Express: ‘‘We did an assessment with the US Navy, and now believe that it is possible to launch the Hawkeye, with appropriate modifications, from the Gorshkov’s angle deck in the absence of a catapult jump. We will present our findings to the Navy next week, constituting a second order level of detail of the assessment we have made.’’
The Hawkeye is the only dedicated Naval carrier-borne fixed wing AWACS aircraft in the export market today.
While Northrop Grumman will have to prove through a demonstration that the Hawkeye can be deployed from the Gorshkov or Viraat’s angle decks, for now it will use ‘‘existing US Navy performance charts, engineering models, open source information on Gorshkov’s dimensions and meteorological conditions in the Indian Ocean — since we know the dimensions and statistics of MiG-29 fighters used off the Gorshkov, we will use that data as well in our study’’.
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=64462
For the naval aviation buffs here-how feasible would it be for the Hawkeye to take off with the help of a ski-jump rather than a catapult??
Wow. You mean that India's actually going to get that Soviet rust-bucket running?
That's ... amazing.
Great idea if it can work. This will instantly enable the Indian Navy to conduct joint operations with USN.
The AG cannot technically be called a rust bucket as she barely saw 5 years of active service with the Soviet navy before being consigned to port.Besides,it is undergoing intensive modernisation in Russia -like removing it's existing anti-ship & gun armaments,extending & reinforcing the flightdeck,installation of western electronics & some tweaking on the propulsion systems before it joins the IN By 2008.
rust bucket or not, it will still be better than france's joke of an aircraft carrier.
Pay was lousy, but I got three squares a day, a deck and overhead and a free tuxedo to wear on a daily basis.
Not sure on that as Indian carriers have much shorter flight decks than their American counterparts & both current & future ones will include ski-jumps to operate their Sea Harriers(used on the serving carrier) and the Mig-29K or the French Rafale(proposed for future carriers).IIRC,the E-2 has not taken off using ski-jumps or off short-flightdecks without catapults.
India never operated AEWACS from ACs. The inter-operation of Soviet and US equipments would be really interesting to see and would be a great experiance.This will provide the IN an awsome force projection in the Indian Ocean.
Yup,Once the rusty ol' soviet carrier is up and running, the Carrier Battle Group will give PN and the PLAAN the "creeps".
Hey did you read this?
Looks like the LCA will go into production afterall.
AIR force to buy 40 LCA from HAL
BANGALORE: UNI
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday firmed an order for 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), including 20 opitional purchases at a total cost of Rs 4000 crore.
Announcing this at a press conference, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi said the first LCA was expected to be delivered in 2008 and the LCA induction into the Airforce would take place in the 2010-2012 time frame.
He said the ADA had already been asked to hasten the LCA project and was sure that the delivery would be on schedule with all necessry flying hours logged. Three developmental aircraft had already logged 357 sorties, he said and added the first twin seater LCA was expected to be ready within the next one-and-half years, he added.
Replying to a question, he said the decision of the Air Force to go in for 126 multi role fighters in the 20 tonne class had nothing to do with the delay in the induction of LCA. ''We needed different aircraft in the airforce fleet. Don't mix up purchase of 126 aircraft with the LCA'' he added.
He said the Airforce had sent in for request for information for the 126 fighters and hoped the complex process would be completed at the earleist. He asserted that the proposal would not be delayed as was the case with the acquisition of the Advanced Jet Trainer Hawk and said the process would be completed in a much faster pace.
''All decisions do not rest in Vayu Bhavan'' Tyagi said. Different ministries in the union government, besides a whole lot of agencies, including the HAL, were involved in the process and definitely it would take time. ''But we will complete the process as quickly as possible in view of the demand for the aircraft''.
The first 20 aircraft would be fitted with the GE F404 engines, he said adding that it would be fine if the Kaveri engine being developed indigenously was fitted on to the LCA. ''The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) informed me that Kaveri engine will be delivered and I have no reason to doubt it''. However there is already an alternate engine option in the GE F404.
On weaponising the LCA, the Air Chief said the weapons had been identified and the appropriate agencies had been told about it.
Replying to questions about the HAL's plan for the development of a Combat Attack Trainer (CAT) whose mock up had been displayed at the HAL pavillion at the aeroshow here, the Air Chief said the project was still in the nascent stage. ''The HAL and the IAF had come up with some idea. A lot need to be done'' he added.
On the BrahMos missle being fitted into a fighter aircraft, he said the three tonne missle was a huge weapon and certain work need to be carried out to reduce its weight. Modifications need to be worked out on aircraft and the missle, he added.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb102005/i12.asp
I heard some crazy rumor the Indians are considering F-16C Block 40 to replace a large share of the MiG fleet, especially the 21s, as they have had a nasty habit of falling out of the sky recently. While I applaud the choice, I'd only recommend against it because in a visual engagement against Paki Block 20, it's going to be a mite tough telling freind from foe. But then again, they're having an air show soon, and we're showing them the F-15E. Now that ought to be interesting?
The F-16 was to have been the American fighter on display during Aero-India-05(which is taking place now),but last month,it was changed to the F-15E.There were rumours on the internet that the specifications competition for the 126 new fighters for the IAF had been changed from single engine jets to twin engined ones.Great Britain offered it's Eurofighter as well!!
Anyway,even if the rumour proves baseless,the F-16 stands only a miniscule chance of winning the Indian order as the Mirage-2005 & the Mig-29M are the frontrunners.(Earlier) variants of those aircraft have proven themselves in Indian service & besides, both France & Russia have been liberal with Tech transfer,license manufacturing rights etc.PS-I don't think the IAF has the need to go for something as old as the Block 40,it can easily afford the Block 50/52 or even the Block-60 & the fact that the F-16 is in Pakistani service & maybe sold again stands against the aircraft's chances.
India is planning to buy about 126 fighters to replace its ageing MIG-21 fleet. Yes the Mig-21s are to old. There are quite a few factors behind why the "fishbeds" are falling out of sky. Firstly India lacks an Adv. Jet Trainer, hence for rookie pilots its a big jump to move from subsonic jets on to the likes of Mig-21s. The Mig-21, mind you, is said to be the most difficult jet to fly. (India will soon be getting about 66 British Hawk AJTs.)
Even so India plans to keep about 125 of the heavily upgraged Mig-21s called the "Bisons". The "Bisons" are said to have been upgraded to 4th generation status with BVRs, advanced avionics, radars and all.
As for the 126 fighters to replace the good ol' war horse "Mig-21" there are many contenders and F-16 is one of them (not sure which block but last I read it was the same "dumb down" version same as the ones with Pak, which means F-16 is already out of the race). The other contenders are the Dassault Rafale,EF-2000, the Mig-29M(4th+ generation), the Mirage 2005 and the Swedish Saab Grippens.
Ask me, my favourite of the lot is the Eurofighter-2000 and the Dassault Rafale will come close second but if the US decides to pitch in the F-35 JSF, that would change things.
A few links for you here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1338984/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1339778/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1334938/posts
Gents, help out a confused western hemisphere guy. What is "Vayu Bhavan" -- obviously it is slang for something, like we say the Pentagon when we mean the Defense Department, but what? The Ministry, The Air Force?
Lots of interesting developments in India lately. Met a couple of retired military pilots recently (both still active in aviation, one with HAL) and they were both great guys.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Vayu Bhavan is Hindi for Airforce HQ.
Vayu -air
Bhavan -building
Well the carrier has a ski jump, like the Royal Navy ones. Also the jets are held back by tow blocks infront of the main gear, and are released at full power.
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