IAF drops plans
to acquire 21 MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia
Indian Air Force along with the Ministry of Defence has decided to cancel earlier plans to procure 21 airframes that are in deep storage in Russia to be later upgraded with UPG Standard kit to boost its declining combat aircraft strength as per the latest media reports coming out of the Defence Acquisition Council held recently.
IAF in 2020 had cleared the deal after inspecting the
airframes that are in storage for the last 20 years after cancellation from an
export customer and these airframes were never made into fully assembled jets
due to which they were offered at a reasonable price.
In 2021, Russia had handed over to India a commercial offer
to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters that included UPG Standard kits that were to be
upgraded locally by HAL.
IAF has not spoken about why it decided to opt out and what
aircraft it plans to procure to achieve its sanctioned squadron. IAF operates
three squadrons of the MiG-29A that were procured in the mid-80s as a response
to Pakistan acquiring F-16 fighter jets from the United States and they were
later upgraded to UPG Standard with extended service life, new engines, and
avionics and are considered reliable in the air defence roles.
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India drops plans for six more P8I Neptune
After Defence Acquisition Council approved procurement of six
additional P8I aircraft for the Indian Navy in 2019, DAC in consultation with
the Navy has dropped plans to acquire more submarine hunters and rather focus
now will be on the DRDO’s proposed development of Multi Mission Maritime
Aircraft on Airbus developed C295 Transporter that would include three tactical
consoles, an active electronically scanned array AESA radar, identification
friend and foe equipment, an electro optical/infrared sensor, and other
equipment consistent with the maritime patrol mission.
Indian Navy has a fleet of 12 P8I Neptune and the last four
ordered in 2016 were delivered just recently and have begun operation from INS
Hansa base in Goa for western command. Indian Navy was the first export
customer of the P8I Neptune when it placed orders for 8 aircraft in 2013. With
the cancellation of six additional P8I Neptune, India might have saved approximately
$2.4 Billion in terms of foreign exchange.
Its still not clear if Made in India C295 based Multi Mission
Maritime Aircraft will be supplementing the P8I fleet or plans are to procure a
larger platform and equip it with indigenous radars and sensors. In 2021 DRDO
has started testing AESA Multi Mission Maritime Radar derivate of the UTTAM
Radar for the HAL manufactured twin engine turboprop Dornier 228-200 series
aircraft.
France completes first engine test for its 6th generation
fighter
The French General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) completed a
first test for the development of the engine that will power the Future Combat
Air System aircraft. The DGA announced on January 10, 2021, that a prototype
derived from the M88, engine of the Dassault Rafale fighter was trialed on a
test bench as part of the Turenne defence technology project.
This test is distinctive by the technique used called
Thermocolor, which requires heat sensitive paint applied to the blades of the
engine’s high pressure turbine blades, it measures the temperature thanks to a
color change, the DGA explained.
This type of trial is very rare, It took five years for the
conditions to be ready for this experiment. Once the results of this first test
are analyzed, the project will move on towards an “endurance” test that should
last several months. Each of these advancements is a unique and necessary piece
of a puzzle of technological innovation. Combined with a latest generation
engine, they will make it possible to achieve the level of performance expected
from the SCAF program.
According to the French Ministry of Armed Forces, the New
Generation Fighter sixth generation fighter jet developed by France, Germany,
and Spain in the framework of the Future Combat Air System will require more
powerful engines than its predecessors. Higher thrust means higher
temperatures. The conditions could reach 2100 Kelvin (1826.85 degrees Celsius)
at the turbine inlet ie. 250 Kelvin more than those of the M88. Current
materials are not able to sustain such conditions.
Consequently, the DGA along with the French national
aerospace research center and the engine manufacturer Safran were contracted by
the Ministry to accelerate the development of new metal alloys and multilayer
systems for high temperature applications on turbine blades and disks.
