Posted on 08/18/2012 11:19:47 PM PDT by MBT ARJUN
NEW DELHI: India's quest for a futuristic stealth fifth-generation fighter, which will see the country spend around $35 billion over the next 20 years in its biggest-ever defence project, has zoomed into the decisive phase now.
India and Russia are getting all set to ink the full and final design or R&D phase contract for the 5th Gen fighter by this year-end or early-2013, say sources. It will again underline India's firm rejection of the US offer of its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) or the F-35 'Lightning-II'.
Ahead of the R&D contract, under which India wants to induct over 200 stealth fighters from 2022 onwards, a senior team of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) engineers and IAF experts is going to Russia within a fortnight to ensure that the "full documentation and other work" of the earlier preliminary design contract (PDC) has been completed.
During his visit to Moscow last week, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne reviewed the performance of the 5th Gen fighter, called Sukhoi T-50.
While the Indian fighter will primarily be based on the T-50, it will be tweaked to IAF requirements.
India had inked the $295 million PDC with Russia in December, 2010. The R&D contract on the anvil is pegged at $11 billion, with India and Russia chipping in with $5.5 billion each.
"The three Russian T-50 prototypes have flown around 180 sorties till now. HAL's Ozar facility at Nashik will get three prototypes in 2014, 2017 and 2019...they will be flown by IAF test pilots," said a source.
"Russia has already given the draft R&D contract to us. It will include the cost of designing, infrastructure build-up at Ozar, prototype development and flight testing. So, India will have scientists and test pilots based both in Russia and Ozar during the R&D phase up to 2019. HAL will subsequently begin manufacturing the fighters," he added.
Interestingly, after first specifying the requirement for at least 166 single-seat and 48 twin-seat of these 5th Gen fighters, India is veering around to the view that it will go in for only single-cockpit jets now.
"Both F-35 and T-50 are single-seaters. A second cockpit will compromise the stealth capabilities by at least 15% apart from adding to the weight and reducing fuel capacity. Moreover, R&D costs could go up by another $2 billion for the twin-seater," he said.
IAF is confident the swing-role fighter will meet its future operational needs.
As a critical interim measure and confronted with a declining number of fighter squadrons, IAF also wants the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 French Rafale fighters to be sealed within this fiscal.
According to numerous readers’ comments at the source, this deal will simply enrich a bunch of corrupt politicians and India will get Russian flying coffins once again.
It will again underline India's firm rejection of the US offer of its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) or the F-35 'Lightning-II'.
In any event, India must soon ponder how to cope with the next stage in the evolution of air warfare -- autonomous, stealthy, unmanned combat aircraft. India will then have to turn to US and European suppliers if it wishes reliable, deliverable aircraft and control systems.
I can see I’m out of the loop on this one. Thanks very much for your comments.
I was hoping that India would be a natural US ally, as they’ve got China next door (who is Pakistan’s biggest ally) competing with/threatening them. But no, they choose to align themselves with Russia, who has buddied up to.... China. Good going there, India.
Ah, you beat me to it!
It’s because the US aids and abets Pakistan’s military machinery, which then has the ability to divert funds to feed terrorism into India.
As for autonomous aircraft / UAVs / UCAVs, Israel is whom India will be approached by. Israel has already worked together with India and Russia on the PHALCON AWACS system.
>>>>>I was hoping that India would be a natural US ally, as they’ve got China next door (who is Pakistan’s biggest ally) competing with/threatening them. But no, they choose to align themselves with Russia, who has buddied up to.... China. Good going there, India.>>>>>>
FRiends, take some history lessons, please!
US is Pakistan’s biggest ally, not China. US is de-facto Chinese biggest ally as well with all that Walmart diplomacy.
Russia sees both Pakistan and a China as a threat. Anyone who able to read between lines can see that Russian-Chinese alliance is a bluster. Both nations are technically in a Cold War since late 50s as Soviets ditched gulags and hardcore communism for soft socialism.
That actually makes India and Russia natural allies.
India, going from a second class power to third class.
Eh, it is their money to spend. Buying from the Soviets worked so well for their military in the past...
Umm how exactly does the addition of 250 stealth fighters and another 200 modern French fighters turn India into a third rate power from second rate power?
As does your President “all countries are close allies”–
India sees China and Pakistan as "the threat". It will naturally be reluctant to completely trust a close ally of Pakistan.
Russia, France and Israel have a formidable reputation in India that no other country enjoys, and most certainly not the US. And there are two major reasons for that. All of those countries have pledged 100% support for Indian position in an Indo - Pak conflict. And all of those countries sell their military items with total technology transfer. It's much better to have slightly inferior weapons but with total access to technology then to have the most expensive weapons with no access to technology.
As for stealthy UCAVs India is already on to indigenous development with jv from Israel. Europe doesn't have stealthy UCAVs yet and US is unlikely to release the technology.
Russia, France and Israel have a formidable reputation in India that no other country enjoys, and most certainly not the US. And there are two major reasons for that. All of those countries have pledged 100% support for Indian position in an Indo - Pak conflict. And all of those countries sell their military items with total technology transfer. It's much better to have slightly inferior weapons but with total access to technology then to have the most expensive weapons with no access to technology.
As for stealthy UCAVs India is already on to indigenous development with jv from Israel. Europe doesn't have stealthy UCAVs yet and US is unlikely to release the technology.
In light of India's endemic governmental corruption and many arms procurement scandals, it is hard not to suspect that behind the nationalistic and supposed merits based explanations, what is actually at work is the rich prospect for graft offered by deals with Russia and other non-US arms vendors.
Even promises of domestic production and technology transfer for well-proven US weapons systems have not satisfied India's procurement officials. They then start mumbling that they want the very best the US has to offer in the way of new weapons systems still in development. Yet why should the US endanger its military edge and the vast sums that the US spent to develop its first line weapons?
Until now US is used to having allies who would play by America's rules. Well....India is different. US will just have to get used to that.
American’s like you are very predictable when you start spewing about Indian corruption and graft especially when India rejects an American vendor and picks European or Russian instead. Those corruption charges are plain BS and clearly you forget America's own poor record at preventing advance technology from falling in the hands of Russians and Chinese. But its a very common American reaction to piss on foreigners (read India) for what is actually their own fault.
What US has to offer is not the top of the line weapon systems but more often the same thing that Pakistan already has, with very little or no technology transfer or domestic production offset and with demand for rigorous end user monitoring. In contrast Russians and Europeans are ready to offer everything under the sun. India is actually a bigger customer then their own domestic market. India has a huge leverage there. And its not the actual weaponry that India wants but the technology and domestic production. Its just a simple case of what Russians and Europeans have to offer as against what US has to offer....which is very little and with too many strings.
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