Category: News

India approves 9 maritime patrol aircraft buy

The Defense Acquisitions Council of the Ministry of Defense has accepted the necessity for procuring nine Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft for the Indian Navy. The Acceptance of Necessity (AON) this week came after the evaluation of data provided by vendors in response to the Request for Information (RFI) issued almost exactly a year…

Lockheed Martin to announce new F-16 Block 50 variant

Although the design will be based on the Block 50 model, it will incorporate newer features that have, so far, only been included in the Block 60 Desert Falcons flown by the UAE Air Force and were part of the F-16IN Super Viper for the Indian Air Force tender for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft.

44 facts about the MMRCA

StratPost tweeted facts about the Indian Air Force (IAF) tender for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and the participating aircraft last week. Here they are on a single page, for easy reference. And please feel free to add any more in the comments. They will be updated on this page.

Rafale wins MMRCA: The Cost

A cost escalation of 50 percent (INR 63,000 crore, in this case) or more, requires approval again from the Ministry of Finance, before the Defense Acquisitions Council (DAC) can proceed with it. With the cost of the tender for India safely ranging from INR 83,000 crore to 1,25,000 crore, the revision of the estimated expenditure on the MMRCA would require the approval of the finance ministry.

Rafale wins MMRCA

The French Dassault fighter aircraft Rafale has been selected to be the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Dassault beat the four-nation consortium’s Eurofighter on price, with the fighter being identified as L1, or the lowest technically qualified bid. StratPost understands that Dassault has been issued a letter from…

IAF airlifts 1,377 people in Kashmir

Srinagar: A total of 1,377 tourists and locals stranded because of bad weather were transported by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Srinagar to Jammu and vice-versa Saturday. “The last IAF sortie operated as late as 11 p.m. Saturday,” Amir Ali, in charge of the disaster management cell, told IANS. He said 827 passengers were…

Army Day Special: The Soaring Gideons

Your correspondent was invited to visit an army aviation squadron in Jammu and Kashmir, to get a first hand feel of their functioning. Take a look at the operating routine of the 202 Army Aviation Squadron (UH), which operates the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).