Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar: ‘A replacement (for the MiG-21) could be the LCA Tejas or another – I’ll not call it low end – but a single engine lighter aircraft. Tejas is a good aircraft but it has its limitations.’
Dassault can wait to have their way in the MMRCA negotiations knowing the aversion of the IAF and defense ministry to a re-tender, unless the defense ministry walks away from the table itself, first.
The Boeing F-15 Strike Eagle aircraft will fly from Kadena in Japan for what will be their first appearance at the Indian air show, which will also see F-16, C-17, P-8A and KC-135 aircraft.
After spending USD 30 billion on the FGFA and USD 20 billion on the MMRCA, the Indian Air Force will be left with a serious shortfall of at least 14 squadrons in 2032, going by the ‘best-case scenario’.
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.
RAF Eurofighter Typhoons and Airbus A-330 MRTT refueling and transport aircraft will be in the capital on their way to Malaysia.
The final session of the roundtable summarized the state of Indian air power and discussed ways to alleviate the difficult situation the air force could find itself in future.
The roundtable moved on to discuss the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, the DRDO development of a new fighter to be produced by HAL, and raised serious concerns on the impact of it’s possible failure.
The discussion moved to the IAF’s tender for acquisition of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat aircraft with the question being: How does MMRCA fit future air power needs, costs, squadron strength?
In the next round, the roundtable discussed the balance of air power in India’s neighborhood and the challenges posed by the air forces of Pakistan and China.
In the second session, moderator Inderjit Badhwar initiated the discussion deconstructing the evolution and process of the Indian Air Force (IAF) competition for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
Pushpinder Singh, Editor of Vayu, introduces the state of Indian air power in comparison to neighboring countries and presents some stark realities in an authoritative presentation, which is essential viewing.
The 37 percent escalation by a margin of roughly INR 1,200 crore for the US government offer to India for 145 M-777 light weight howitzers comes into effect on Tuesday, along with the imminent closure of the assembly line for the artillery.
It’s time for the defense ministry and IAF to question whether there is any aircraft that can replace the MiG-21 on the horizon, keeping in mind existing acquisition programs.
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.
