Our pseudonymous analyst Mark is back with his take on the story so far of the IAF’s quest for fighter aircraft. He last contributed a much talked-about two-part analysis of the MMRCA tender in April 2012.
BAE Systems has figured out a way to convert unguided 70 mm rockets into guided weapons, typically onboard attack helicopters, with a component that has a tongue-twisting acronym.
Saab’s Lars-Olof Lindgren says his company has been quietly working on a plan to build the Gripen in India and has already done a lot of the homework for it.
Wing Commander Alok Kumar Thakur was convicted by court martial for allegedly accepting bribes from the representative of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault in a reported sting during the Bangalore Air Show in 2011.
Although the case for the acquisition of the two single-engine trainers is still at a preliminary stage, the IAF is ‘desirous’ of getting their ‘numbers up from 49 to 51’ again and is planning to make a pitch for the aircraft to the Ministry of Defense.
The IAF evaluation of the six competing aircraft for the MMRCA contest took into account the issue of life-cycle cost, which could be loosely understood to mean cost of ownership over the period of operation of the aircraft. This was because it was felt that the true cost of owning a fleet of aircraft was not reflected in the purchase price alone.
A recent French media report offers insight into the French position in the negotiations with the Indian defense ministry on the MMRCA fighter aircraft purchase by the IAF. Here’s an edited translation of the report and an analysis of what it could mean.
The study conducted by IHS Jane’s Aerospace and Defense Consulting, compared the operational costs of the Gripen, Lockheed Martin F-16, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 aircraft.
DRDO head, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, took a backseat ride in the Swedish Saab’s Gripen C/D aircraft on the sidelines of the Aerospace Forum held at Linköping, Sweden, last week.
This is the second and concluding installment of the two-part analysis of the process of acquisition of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
This, first of a two-part analysis, examines the MMRCA process and invites you to draw your conclusions as to the veracity of the claims of transparency and adherence to the rule book.
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.
The US offer of information on the F-35 to India in a report made to the country’s Senate Armed Services Committee comes curiously on the eve of the opening of the commercial bids of the IAF’s MMRCA competition.
US Pentagon: “Should India indicate interest in the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements (infrastructure, security, etc.) to support India’s future planning.” Also read inside: Reality Check: US F-35 offer report
The commercial bids of the two surviving contenders in the Indian Air Force (IAF) tender for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) are ready to be opened, according to the defense ministry.
