Vikrant Deck Test, Titanium Alloy AMCA, Typhoon Shoots BVR, F-16 EW Mid-Flight Updates

Midhani supplies titanium alloy for AMCA airframe

As India works to further strengthen its armed forces by equipping them with the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), Midhani, has begun supplying the titanium alloy material needed to make the airframe for the aircraft.

The airframe is an important part of AMCA which is being developed for the first time in India. Other structures come up on airframe.

It was decided that the needed material would be developed indigenously under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme, the technology for it was developed at Midhani. While five slabs have been supplied so far, another seven will be supplied in due course for the work that has begun on the AMCA.

When the advance fighter jet becomes a reality, it will be a crucial arrow in the quiver of the Indian Air Force. With AMCA, India will be joining an elite club of countries which have a fifth-generation combat aircraft.

The plan is to have 120 stealth fighters to give muscle to the IAF and also the Indian Navy. The aircraft design is by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the ministry of defence with DRDO and HAL working on the project.

Going by what Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhaduaria said last year, the DRDO has set a target to roll out the AMCA by 2027. In the second phase of the production, sixth generation technologies will be included in the stealth fighter. Also by 2032, the IAF will have at least 18 squadrons of fighter jets if plans were to materialise.

Eurofighter Typhoon Shoots Deadly BVR Meteor Missile In First Ever Flight Test

The German Air Force has successfully conducted the first ever flight tests of the ‘Meteor’ air-to-air missile from its Eurofighter Typhoon jet. India is among the nations that use the MBDA made Meteor missile.

A video of these tests, which were conducted in June, was shared by the German Air Force Times on August 2. The service, called Luftwaffe, is yet to conduct live fire drills of the missile, which may be held later this year.

The initial tests of the Meteor were successfully conducted by the Luftwaffe’s Tactical Air Wing 74 from the aircraft which was operating out of Neuberg Air Base in Bavaaria.

According to reports, two Eurofighter jets were involved in the drills and the data obtained would be used for determining the performance of aircraft.

MiG-29K and LCA-Navy to be part of Flight Deck Certification of INS Vikrant

The INS Vikrant, which began trials of the southern state of Kerala on Wednesday will be carrying out series of Sea based trials for the next few months before it will be cleared to commence the Flight Deck Certification trial that will involve Russian developed deck-based MiG-29K fighter aircraft along with India’s locally developed LCA-Navy Mk1 fighter jets that will carry out multiple launches and recovery of the aircraft over a week at sea by mid of 2022.

To Certify Vikrant’s flight deck, the ship is required to complete over 100 day and 20-30 night launches and recovery over a short span of days to reach this milestone in Vikrant’s operational readiness. Vikrant’s flight deck will also have to carry out multiple launches of back-to-back deck-based fighter jets and also recover them minutes apart before certification can be awarded.

Indian Navy is collaborating with the US Navy to carry out Flight Deck Certification and Carrier Air Traffic Control Center Certification of the INS Vikrant.

LCA Navy is a Technology Demonstrator program that has demonstrated multiple launches and recovery of the aircraft from India’s INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier last year and will continue to be used as a Technology Demonstrator program for the upcoming Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) of the Navy.

Indian state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has offered to develop LCA Navy based Lead-in fighter training (LIFT) for advanced training of the next generation of pilots based on the proposed airforce variant of LIFT that is under development.

India flexes muscles with new aircraft carrier, task force

India is flexing its maritime muscles to counter growing Chinese influence, conducting sea trials on its first indigenous aircraft carrier and dispatching a task force for joint exercises with the United States and other allies. The INS Vikrant, which began trials off the southern state of Kerala on Wednesday, will be India’s second aircraft carrier in operation.

The Indian Navy said the country has now join a select group of nations with the capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier, which is a real testimony to the ‘Make in India’ thrust of the Indian Government.

The new 262 metre (860 foot) carrier joins the INS Vikramaditya, the Soviet-made Admiral Gorshkov that India bought in 2004. The Navy said 44 other ships and submarines were being built indigenously.

It is also pressing the government for a third carrier, with Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh saying the force could not remain “tethered”. China, vying for influence in the Indian Ocean where New Delhi has traditionally held strong hold, is currently building its third aircraft carrier.

The Indian Navy said separately on Monday that it was sending a task force of four ships to South East Asia, the South China Sea and Western Pacific for two months of exercises including with Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Australia and the United States.

The deployment seeks to underscore the operational reach, peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen existing bonds between India and countries of the Indo Pacific.

Game Changer: US Air Force Can Now Update Its Fighters Electronic Warfare Systems Mid Flight and Mid-Battle

The US Air Force has reported that it recently demonstrated a potentially revolutionary new capability to send updates for its aircraft’s electronic warfare systems during flight, with this being tested successfully on an F-16C Fighting Falcon.

The service said that this test represented an important first step towards developing a more expansive Electronic Warfare EW capability that could benefit its Cognitive Electronic Warfare concept - namely to utilise advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning to rapidly develop and deploy improved electronic warfare capabilities, including new countermeasures, to respond to emerging threats.

The ability to do so is particularly valuable as it could allow squadrons to very quickly adapt to enemy electronic warfare countermeasures, for example if tackling an enemy air defence system built around the S-400 or HQ-9B long range systems.