Detailed concept drawings of the fighter, dubbed the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), accessed by NDTV, are being studied by the Aeronautical Design Agency (ADA) and HAL which would eventually build the fighters if their development is funded by the government. Pictured future twin engine variant of Tejas aircraft will feature folding wings for aircraft carrier deployment.

New Delhi:

In twelve years from now, a twin engine variant of India’s Tejas fighter could start replacing Russian built MiG-29K jets deployed on board the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant which is yet to be inducted.

Detailed concept drawings of the fighter, dubbed the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), accessed by NDTV, are being studied by the Aeronautical Design Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which would eventually build the fighters if their development is funded by the government. What’s more, the design of an Air Force variant of the jet, the Omni Role Combat Aircraft (ORCA), with significant design differences, is also being studied. This variant would weigh a ton less than the Naval variant since it would not need heavy reinforced landing gear required for operations from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Sources close to the project have told NDTV that the total design and development costs for prototypes of the aircraft ”would cost less than the Rs.12,780 crore India Specific Enhancement package” signed between India and France towards customising 36 Rafale fighters being inducted into the Indian Air Force.

”The total design and development costs for twin engine variants of the Tejas fighter would cost less than Rs.13,000 crores with each fighter for the Navy costing in the range of Rs. 538 crores.” The Indian Air Force variant of the fighter would cost between Rs 35 crore and Rs.71 crores less than the Navy variant. The development time-scale for the project has been pegged at six years from the time initial funding has been provided.

Prototype of Twin Engine Tejas variant could be completed in six years of project funding.

Project designers say they could ”very comfortably develop” the new twin engine Tejas variant based on the experience they have gained in testing the Naval prototype of the Tejas fighter. This prototype is expected to land on the deck of India’s aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, for the first time within the next few weeks. The prototype is powered by a single US-built General Electric F404-GE-IN20 turbofan engine which is not seen to be powerful enough to justify serial manufacture of a Naval Tejas in its present avatar other than in very limited numbers. The significantly larger twin engine Tejas now being proposed would be fitted with two more powerful General Electric F414 engines and would have a significantly higher weapons payload and range. The additional thrust provided by two engines would also guarantee a larger safety margin for pilots while taking off and landing in hot and humid tropical weather conditions out at sea in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

Single-engine Navy Tejas prototype being tested will land on INS Vikramaditya soon.

Weighing 23 tonnes, the Navy Twin Engine Deck Based fighter would be significantly larger than the 13.5 ton Tejas Mk-1 fighter which has entered squadron service with the Indian Air Force and the 17.5 ton Tejas Mk-2 which is meant to be inducted into the Indian Air Force from 2030. The fighter would be in the size of the MiG-29K currently being operated by the Indian Navy on its aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya and would have the ability of carrying a weapons payload of nine tonnes. It would feature folding wings to save space on the deck of aircraft carriers. The jet would likely have a top speed in the range of Mach 1.6 or just under 2,000 kilometres per hour.

The twin engine Tejas variant would have a top speed of Mach 1.6 and carry a nine tonne weapons payload.

Both the Navy Twin Engine Deck Based fighter and the Air Force Omni Role Fighter would host several indigenous sensors and avionics which are now at an advanced stage of development. This includes an Active Electronically Scanned Radar (AESA) which can simultaneously track targets in the air and out at sea or over land with great precision. All the fighters would be built with made in India data links and communication systems which would enable the jets in a formation to securely exchange critical sensor information during a mission. A host of made-in-India weapons including long range variant of the Astra air to air missile which has recently completed tests would arm the jets.

The futuristic Tejas variants would be armed with weapons including the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile.

Project designers point out that none of the future variants of the Tejas now being studied are a part of the Navy or Air Force’s present procurement plans. ”More than 750 aircraft will need replacement between 2030 and 2050.” By 2040, several older aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force, including the Sukhoi 30MKI, presently the cutting edge, would need to retire. Development of a larger, twin engine variant of the Tejas, designers feel, is an incremental step forward as they simultaneously proceed with the design and development of a made-in-India stealth fighter called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), both larger, more capable and more expensive than variants of the Tejas. The AMCA is expected to start entering squadron service with the IAF from 2040 if funding is secured.

”A twin engine variant of the Tejas would be in the class of the Rafale, extremely nimble with excellent sensor fusion,” say designers working on the plans for the futuristic fighter. ”The jet would be extremely nimble with excellent sensor fusion. The fact that this would be entirely designed and developed in India would be a huge boost for our ambitions in being an aerospace power.”

Courtesy: NDTV

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) last month cleared a ₹9,000 crore joint proposal of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force to purchase two Airbus 330s and convert them into 360-degree long-range capability Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), senior officials familiar with the development said on Saturday.

Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter planes fly over Rajpath

The proposal is now before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the entire project is estimated to take three years after the apex committee’s clearance.

“The need for more AWACS was acutely felt post the Balakot air strike, with Pakistan being able to deploy its SAAB AWACS 24×7 in the north and south sectors and India being able to cover the two theatres only for 12 hours each day,” one of the officials cited above said.

The DRDO has also decided to hand over a third Embraer-mounted Airborne Early Warning system to the IAF (Indian Air Force) to further enhance Indian capability in battlefield theatre. The IAF already has two Israeli PHALCON radars mounted on a Russian A-50 platform and two DRDO-developed radars mounted on Embraer platforms.

According to the proposal cleared by the DAC, the Airbus AWACS will be a 50:50 joint venture between the DRDO and the IAF. Once the aircraft are purchased, the DRDO will mount a 360-degree rotor dome radar along with state of the art communication capability to guide the IAF fighters and attack helicopters in future war theatres, one of the officials cited above said.

The AWACS not only tracks the aerial threat, be it a fighter or a missile, but also guides the counter-response. Had it not been for PHALCON AWACS, the Indian response to the February 27 Pakistani counter-strike would have been weak and the IAF would never have known that Wing Commander Abhinandan had downed a Pakistan Air Force fighter code-named Red Mike on the radar. Whether Red Mike was an American F-16 sold by Jordan to Pakistan or any other fighter is still not confirmed.

Courtesy: MSN news

Pakistan has rolled out the first batch of its indigenous dual-seat fighter jets, manufactured in collaboration with its all-weather ally China.

To mark the occasion, a grand ceremony was held at the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in Kamra near Islamabad on Friday, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing and Aviation Industries of China Executive Vice President Hao Zhaoping were present on the occasion.

The first batch of eight dual-seat JF-17 aircraft was manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in collaboration with the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC).

Air Chief Khan congratulated the PAC and the CATIC on completing the fighter jets in a record time of five months.

He said the serial production of the dual-seat variant was a landmark development for the JF-17 programme and a true manifestation of the everlasting Sino-Pak friendship.

Khan said the JF-17 Thunder was the backbone of the PAF.

Chinese Ambassador Yao said the JF-17 was a testimony of the friendship and mutual cooperation between China and Pakistan.

The PAC and the CATIC also signed an agreement for co-production of Chinese commercial aircraft, the statement said. SH SCY

Curtesy: ET

New Delhi: General Bipin Rawat has become the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of the country. The central government had on Sunday raised the age limit for CDS post to 65 years. Gen. Rawat is retiring from the post of Army Chief on 31 December. Gen. Manoj Mukund Narwane will be the new army chief in the place of Gen. Rawat. The Ministry of Defence has changed the rules of tenure and service in the Army Rules, 1954.

The ministry, in its notification issued on December 28, stated that the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) or the Tri-Services Chief would serve till the age of 65 years. It states that, “Central Government can extend the service of the Chief of Defense Staff in the public interest if considered necessary.’

Earlier, on 24 December, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the CDS Post and its Charter of Duties. The post of Chief of Defense Staff is the Chief of the three arms of the country. Security experts have been demanding this since the 1999 Kargil conflict. After Kargil, the Group of Ministers (GOM), headed by the then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, also recommended the post of CDS for better coordination between the three arms – Army, Navy and Air Force.

Courtesy: newstracklive.com

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has green-lighted the appointment of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will be a four-star General and head the newly-created department of military affairs in the defence ministry.

Newly commissioned army officers march during the 142nd passing out parade at Indian Military Academy (IMA), in Dehradun, on December 7. (PTI Photo)

The development, perhaps the most significant reform in top military management in India, comes four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his Independence Day speech the creation of the post for more effective coordination between the three armed forces.

As the government gets ready to announce who will be the country’s first CDS, here are seven things you must know about the new appointment and why it was needed:

While the CDS would act as the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all tri-services matters, the three service chiefs would continue to advise the minister on matters exclusively concerning their respective services i.e. army, navy and the air force. The CDS will have the same salary and perquisites as the three service chiefs (who are also four-star Generals).

The CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three service chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership. Apart from heading the department of military affairs, the CDS would also don the hat of Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC). Until now, the chairmanship of the CoSC was held in rotation by the senior-most service chief for short periods and the arrangement was found to be unsatisfactory.

The department of military affairs would focus on promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the three services through joint planning and integration of their requirements. It will also facilitate the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

The appointment of a CDS was one of the most significant recommendations made by the K Subrahmanyam-led Kargil Review Committee (KRC) that was constituted in the immediate aftermath of the 1999 Kargil war to examine lapses that allowed Pakistani soldiers to occupy strategic heights, the initial sluggish Indian response, and suggest measures to strengthen national security. The KRC report was tabled in Parliament in February 2000.

A year later, in February 2001, a Group of Ministers (GoM), under then home minister LK Advani, submitted its report to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The GoM was set up in April 2000 to review the national security system against the backdrop of the KRC recommendations. It recommended that a CDS be appointed. But the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decided that the appointment of a CDS be taken up later after holding talks with different political parties.

Courtesy: HT

Bethesda MD (SPX) Dec 17, 2019 Finally, although not officially approved, Congress had agreed on a bipartisan budget agreement for 2020 that will see the creation of the United States Space Force, a new branch of the military dedicated to the protection of last frontier.

This is the first new service branch in more than 60 years, charged with the mission of ensuring America’s freedom to operate beyond the atmosphere and to deny the use of space to its adversaries. The drafted 2020 National Defense Authorization Agreement directs the Pentagon to transform Air Force Space Command into the United States Space Force.

This new service will be organized as a military service branch within the Department of the Air Force and have a Chief of Space Operations (CSO), somewhat similar to that of the U.S. Navy with its Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).

USSF’s assets will include most of the Air Force’s space assets, such as satellite launching facilities at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, the spacecraft ground control base in Colorado and the network of GPS satellites. Once established, USSF’s responsibilities will include space doctrine, organization, training, materiel, personnel and facilities.

Although the Space Force would initially be organized as a military service within the Department of the Air Force, the intention is that, at some later time, USSF will be transferred to a new Department of the Space Force.

However, the Space Force will not include the National Reconnaissance Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration nor other non-military space agencies.

The USSF will be responsibility for all major space acquisitions programs and manage its own budget. This new service will include all uniformed and civilian personnel within the Department of Defense that conduct and support space operations.

While standing up the Space Force inter-service transfers will be used as necessary. The military head of the USSF, Chief of Space Operations, will be a general grade officer who will also be a full member of the Joint Staff.

If Congress grants final approval, the DOD would start the establishment process by creating a Space Force headquarters element, initially with approximately 200 military and civilian personnel who have expertise in policy development, personnel management, financial management and other service support functions.

At the same time a CSO would be nominated. The next step would involve the transfer of a majority of space forces from the other military services. USSF establishment activities are expected to be completed in FY 2024.

Courtesy: Spacewar

WASHINGTON: The US reprimanded Pakistan Air Force chief in August for misusing F-16 fighter jets by undermining their shared security platforms and infrastructures, a media report here has said, months after the Indian Air Force shot down an F-16 jet of Pakistan Air Force during an aerial combat over Kashmir.

Andrea Thompson, the then-undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, wrote a letter to Pakistan Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan in August over the matter, US News reported on Wednesday.

While the letter written did not directly mention the incidents in the immediate aftermath of the February 26 Balakot airstrikes, US News quoted a source as saying that the communication served as a direct response to America’s concerns about the F-16 use over Kashmir in February.

“While we understand from you that these aircraft movements were done in support of national defense objectives, the US government considers the relocation of aircraft to non-US government authorised bases concerning and inconsistent with the F-16 Letter of Offer and Acceptance,” Thompson said in his letter.

A suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14.

India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinanadan Varthaman, who was later released.

The IAF had said that during the aerial engagement on February 27, one of its MiG-21 Bison shot down a F-16.

The Indian Air Force on February 28 displayed pieces of the AMRAAM missile, fired by a Pakistani F-16, as evidence to “conclusively” prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir.

“Such actions could subject sensitive US-technologies to diversion to or access by third parties and could undermine our shared security platforms and infrastructures,” warned Thompson, who has now left the government.

The State Department and the Embassy of Pakistan has refused to comment on the letter.

According to US News, in her letter, Thompson raised concerns about American access to the bases and the US-made equipment there.

Thompson said it had been four years since Office of Defense Representative of Pakistan – the office that carries out defense cooperation with partner countries – had been allowed to perform an assessment of the security vulnerabilities on the Pakistani bases, the news report said.

Courtesy:TOI

Akash has a 96 percent indigenous component and a range of 25 km. The missile, produced by Bharat Dynamics, uses a high explosive, pre-fragmented warhead that can engage multiple threats simultaneously. It has a large operational envelope, from a low altitude of 30 metres to a maximum of up to 20 km.

The Indian defence ministry claimed that by introducing the basic version of the Akash missile system, the country had saved $5.3 billion with more orders in the pipeline from the army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

India’s defence ministry has given the nod to purchase a locally-made short range surface-to-air missile to protect its airspace along the border with China and Pakistan. The ministry said that it had withdrawn the global tender to purchase a missile system from foreign countries.

“In recent development, Short Range Surface to Air Missile global case has been withdrawn and also awarded to Akash Prime,” India’s Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said on Wednesday in parliament.

Akash Prime is an advanced version of the home grown Akash surface-to-air weapon system, designed and developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation.

An advanced version of the domestically made Akash will have upgraded “seeker technology, reduced footprint for weapon system elements, 360 degree engagement capabilities and high altitude/low temperature operation” and the same system will be deployed in the Himalayan region.

Akash has a 96 percent indigenous component and a range of 25 km. The missile, produced by Bharat Dynamics, uses a high explosive, pre-fragmented warhead that can engage multiple threats simultaneously. It has a large operational envelope, from a low altitude of 30 metres to a maximum of up to 20 km.

Previously, the Indian Army and Air Force had not shown much interest in the basic version of the missile system, and were believed to be seeking a system which would have a sensor to track and target incoming missiles more accurately.

Source: RIA Novosti

Courtesy: SpaceDaily

A third-generation Earth-imaging satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites from the US will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Andhra Pradesh.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Tuesday that it will launch three Cartosat earth observation satellites between November 25 and the first week of December to beef up border security surveillance.

Cartosat satellites are part of the Indian Remote Sensing Program (IRSP) and are used for Earth’s resource management, defence services, and monitoring.

Besides these three primary satellites, the launcher Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will carry over two dozen smaller foreign satellites.

The Cartosat PSLV C-47 rocket, to be launched from Sriharikota at 9.28 a.m. on 25 November, will be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degrees.

Two more surveillance satellites – Risat-2BR1 and Risat-2BR2 – will be launched in December with the help of PSLV C-48 and C-49 rockets, reports quoted space agency sources as saying on condition of anonymity.

Cartosat-3 is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having a powerful resolution of 25 cm which enables it to identify two objects separated by a distance of 25 cm. It also has a wider spatial (geographic) range (approximately 16 km), multi-spectral (captures light within specific ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum) and hyperspectral (captures light from across the electromagnetic spectrum) capabilities, which can assist in locating enemy hideouts and terror hubs.

The Risat-2BR1 and Risat-2BR2 satellites have the capability of seeing through clouds and taking images at night which can be very helpful in tracing border infiltration and terror activity.

Source: RIA Novosti

Courtesy: Spacewar

“The next step after the conclusion of cost negotiations is the clearance from the CCS and the process has started and once the approval is in place, the deal is expected to be inked soon,” said informed sources. According to sources the Ministry of Defence has recently concluded price negotiations with Tata and Airbus for C-295 Transport Aircraft for replacing the ageing Avros transport aircraft currently in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

With technical issues resolved, the process for the approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for the Airbus C-295 transport aircraft has been initiated. According to sources the Ministry of Defence has recently concluded price negotiations with Tata and Airbus for C-295 Transport Aircraft for replacing the ageing Avros transport aircraft currently in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“The next step after the conclusion of cost negotiations is the clearance from the CCS and the process has started and once the approval is in place, the deal is expected to be inked soon,” said informed sources.

There were some technical issues related to the deal raised during the discussions and these have now been addressed to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Defence.

While there is an urgent requirement to replace 56 Avro transport aircraft of IAF, the MoD has added six aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard for their maritime operations, bringing the total cost of the deal to around $ 3 billion.

The closure of the financial year is four months away, and the availability of funds will be the main focus before the deal is inked. There are several other programmes of the IAF which are in the pipeline including the deal for 83 Light Combat Aircraft `Tejas’ MKI1A.

Once the deal between MoD and Tata & Airbus is finalised, under the agreement, the initial 16 aircraft are expected to be manufactured by the Airbus at their own facility and the balance will be built in India under the Tata & Airbus joint venture. This will be done under Transfer of Technology by the Airbus to Tata.

The RFP for the replacement of Avros was issued to the global players in 2013, followed by approval by the DAC in 2015. Airbus and Tata were the sole bidders pitching the C-295 aircraft.

In an earlier interaction with The Financial Express newspaper, Airbus officials had said that the replacement of the Avro with the C-295 is an excellent ‘Make in India’ project. On the completion of the Indian order, the company executives are optimistic about building global orders out of the Tata facility which will have a robust base of domestic suppliers that will feed the production line.

The Airbus Group has around 50 Indian suppliers from both public and private sector who are embedded in their global chain. Suppliers including Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dynamatics, Aequs, Tata, Mahindra, HCL and Wipro, are involved in various projects and are building aerostructures, parts and systems, as well as engineering services of the commercial as well as military aircraft.

Courtesy: Fe Online