Tag: Lockheed Martin

IAF officer fired for bribery

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.

Riding the Atlas

StratPost was invited to the annual Airbus Military Trade Media Briefing in Spain last week and, as it turned out, ended up getting a ride on the A400M. Read about the experience and check out all the pictures.

Images: Aero India 2013

Feast your eyes on a selection of the best imagery from Aero India 2013. These pictures include the ALH Dhruv, Embraer AEW&C, Rafale, Tiger Moth Light Combat Helicopter and the Czech aerobatic team, the Flying Bulls.

IAF looks to replace crashed Mirage fighter jets

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.

Why fighter operating costs matter

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.

French drive hard bargain on Indian MMRCA: Report

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.

Top Gun Saraswat

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.

All new F-16 might ring a bell

Lockheed Martin’s new variant of its successful F-16 fighter aircraft, the F-16V, will have upgraded capabilities that might remind readers of the configuration offered by them for the IAF contest for 126 MMRCA, designated the F-16IN.

See you at DefExpo 2012

Unsurprisingly, India’s two largest defense suppliers are also the biggest exhibitors at the show. Israel has taken up the most space at the show with 1,293 square meters and Russia brings the largest number of companies to the show, with the count at 37.

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.