Boeing eyes military aviation deals with India

With Indian armed forces looking at a possible $50 billion worth of purchases in the next five years, US major Boeing has set its eyes on garnering a large chunk of that pie which includes the IAF's and Navy's requirements of airborne early warning system and mid-air refuellers.

Boeing's vice president and India head Vivek Lall told PTI here that his company had already carried out a briefing for the Navy and IAF on its B 737-700 platform AEW&C, apart from receiving the IAF's tenders for the refuellers. The two deals are estimated to be worth over USD one billion each.

"Boeing has briefed the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force about Airborne Early Warning and Command (AEW&C) aircraft on the basis of Request for Information (RFI).

However, no Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued as yet," Lall said in an interview.

The AEW&C system that provides for long distance beyond horizon radar coverage encompasses both the B 737-700 aircraft platform and a variety of aircraft control and advanced radar systems.

Comprising components created by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, the B 737 AEW&C represents the future in this force multiplier system.

IAF plans to have at least 10 AEW&C, apart from developing its own system through the DRDO to be fitted on Embraer platform.

"Boeing has received RFP for IAF's requirement of refuellers. We are currently evaluating the RFP to determine whether to bid or not," said Lall, who was appointed Chairman of the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue by the Indo-American Chamber of C

Boeing has the KC-767 tanker/transport refueller based on its commercial 767 platform. Boeing is also contemplating developing a variant of its larger 777 design. European consortium EADS' Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport(MRTT) is Boeing's competitor for the contract.

India has already bought three Israeli Phalcon early warning system and plans to get two more of it soon.

With regard to the IAF's tenders for 22 attack and 15 heavy lift transport helicopters, Lall said Boeing's Apache AH-64D and Chinook had completed the flight and weapon trials in both India and the US.

The IAF is awaiting the arrival of the Russian Mil Mi-28 and the Mi-26 for the trials of the two class of helicopters to strengthen its armed chopper and transport fleet.

Lall said the Indo-US negotiations for the 10 C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft deal worth USD 5.8 billion were progressing well.

"Negotiations are going on well with regard to 10 C-17s. The deal has a 30 per cent offset requirement which will give a boost to the Indian industry. Congressional approvals have already been granted to the deal," Lall said.

Boeing also got a huge boost when India decided to buy the 24 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-to-surface missiles and concluded a USD 170 million deal last month.

"With the contract for the Harpoon missiles, India and US have arrived at an End-User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) for the first time," he said.

Last year, the two countries had arrived at a generic EUMA agreement, which entails US inspection of systems provided to India to verify usage as required under American laws, was arrived at during the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and following talks between her and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.

The US aerospace major will also be providing eight P-8I maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft to the Indian Navy for USD 2.1 billion early next year and is excited over the prospect of India deciding to opt for four more of these aircraft to take the fleet strength to 12.

"We have not received any formal intimation (on the follow-on order for four more P-8Is) so far," he, however, clarified.

Regarding the USD 11 billion worth Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), termed 'mother of all deals', Boeing has fielded the F/A-18 Super Hornets to compete with American Lockheed Martin's F-16IN, Russian MiG-RAC's MiG-35, French D'Assault's Rafale, Swedish SAAB's Gripen and EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon.

After the flight and weapon trials of the six contenders for the MMRCA deal, the IAF has submitted its evaluation to the Defence Ministry for a narrow-down of the contestants to two or three aircraft.

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik had last week assured that the final contract for the most-awaited military aviation business would be concluded by July 2011.

"We have unveiled an international road map for Super Hornets, which would allow India to define its capacity requirements for the future. We have been investing heavily on preparing this road map for the past two years," Lall said on the F/A-18 programme.

"It (road map) provides increased survivability, situational awareness, heightened performance and compelling value for the product. The key attributes of the road map are next generation cockpit, missile laser warnings, internal Infra-Red Search and Track system, enhanced performance engines, conformal fuel tanks and enclosed weapons pod. Some of these have already been offered to India in the Boeing proposals for the MMRCA tenders," he added.

Indian Air Force of the future

Planning for the future has always been a daunting task, especially when it concerns the military of a nation. As the military is a vital component and in fact the ultimate instrument of national security, improper assessment or gross miscalculation of its pattern of development can have catastrophic ramifications. The task of forward planning is rendered particularly difficult in a scenario where long term plans need to be evolved in a coordinated fashion amongst the three wings of the Armed Forces – the Army, Navy and the Air Force. Also, for any long term planning to be meaningful, two inputs are prerequisites for military planners – a clear long term strategic vision for the nation, and assured availability of resources commensurate with national security imperatives, in that order.

In the Indian context, the lofty and fiery rhetoric on both these aspects emanating from the highest levels of governance have rarely crystallized into reality. Over the last six decades since Independence, in the Indian Air Force (IAF) there has been piecemeal acquisition of hardware as cleared by the civilian bureaucracy to be sanctioned by the political leadership on the basis of stand alone case-by-case justification and not in conformity with any long term national plan. Possibly there has been none. The process of acquisition of new equipment has generally followed a pattern of one to one replacement with equipment procured from a source that is either the cheapest, politically expedient or both. Acquisition of hardware has often been contingent not on the availability of resources but on allocation of funds.

Obsolescence In The IAF

For decades the IAF had largely been tethered to one non-western source. Much of the inventory acquired through this route has now been overtaken by obsolescence. As a result, in recent years, there has been an alarming erosion in combat power and other capabilities. Even after prolonged and reportedly vigorous effort, the indigenous Research & Development Organisations and the Aerospace Industry have not been able to provide a respectable degree of self reliance to the IAF. The near total dependence on foreign sources for cutting edge technology and frontline equipment is potentially perhaps the most debilitating factor that often threatens to seriously undermine the capability of the IAF.

Despite the limitations, the IAF has managed to attain and project an image of a potent force capable to preserving the sovereignty of the Indian skies and in more recent times, to project power albeit limited in quantum and reach. And even in the future there appears to be no option but to procure advanced technology and hardware from abroad. There is however an attempt to indigenize products through co-development, co-production and the difficult, but innovative, concept of “Offsets”. Though not the best, this route is the most expedient under the circumstances to accord military hardware a semblance of Indian character.

Life of a modern weapon system is in the region of thirty years which is normally extendable by another 10 to 15 years after a mid-life upgrade. New equipment procured for the IAF over the next decade will remain operational up to 2050 at the very least, possibly up to 2060. As the nature of warfare itself is undergoing transformation, it is necessary to make a comprehensive reassessment of the contours of the operational scenario that the IAF will have to contend with and reconfigure its inventory accordingly. To do this at this point in time, the IAF needs to take note of India’s regional power status in the emerging world order and assess its possible role and responsibility in the new geopolitical and geostrategic environment.

The Pakistan Factor

In view of the asymmetry, Pakistan is unlikely to take the initiative for large scale conventional military operations against India. While it will continue to retain the capability to put up stout defence against any assault, as indications are, it is more likely to engage in clandestine warfare against India in a variety of ways, some of which were amply demonstrated by way of attack on the Parliament in 2001 or the raid on Mumbai in November 2008. Such operations should no longer be seen as purely internal security problems.

Our land and sea borders are extensive and quite impossible to seal through measures on the ground – such as erection of physical barriers or through the deployment of paramilitary forces/civil police that are riddled with porosity on account of corruption. In the present scenario, it is relatively easy for the well trained enemy agents or commandos collectively described by India as “terrorists”, to penetrate unsecured borders and inflict disproportionately high levels of damage and human casualties. It should not come as a surprise if the various religious, political and social divides that afflict the nation actively facilitate such operations by the enemy.

Despite the perceived success in the recently held elections in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the end to the turmoil is not in sight. There is no doubt that Pakistan will continue its campaign in the state, in all likelihood, with renewed vigour and intensity to turn the tide against India. The techniques of warfare and tactics adopted by Pakistan in J&K will be similar to those employed by other regions in India and possibly with an enhanced level of support from the local populace.

The induction of nuclear weapons in South Asia has added a new dimension to the Indo-Pak military confrontation. Pakistan is believed to have unknown quantities of Chinese supplied nuclear weapons and has the capability to deliver these using surface-to-surface missiles with adequate range to cover most important cities and targets of strategic value. India too has nuclear weapons and has one advantage over Pakistan wherein the latter lacks strategic depth. In order to neutralize the Pakistani nuclear threat and raise their threshold substantially, India needs to enlarge her own nuclear arsenal and diversify her delivery capability with bias towards surface-to-surface missiles complemented by combat aircraft in the ratio 75:25.

The nuclear warfare capability needs to be developed to the extent necessary to obliterate most cities in Pakistan in a single strike and this capability must be clearly made known to them by direct or indirect means. With such a capability in being, there would be a high probability that Pakistan would be deterred from first use of nuclear weapons. Although the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari has proclaimed a “no first use” policy, it would not be prudent to take this assurance at face value and neglect or delay the build up of own capability. We need to bear in mind the principle that nuclear weapons are not meant to win but to prevent wars.

Against the traditional enemy with whom India has fought three major conventional wars since Independence and who now is engaged in aggressive subversion in different parts of the country, it should be clear that in the future, the traditional military posture will progressively become less relevant as the clandestine warfare of the future will have no clearly defined fronts. This would necessitate redefined doctrines and restructured inventory. First and foremost, there has to be a profound qualitative change in the capability of surveillance and communication intelligence through extensive employment of aerial platforms.

Surveillance platforms parked at medium to high altitudes must be capable of providing resolution of a few centimeters with all-weather capability through cameras in the optical and infrared frequency range, Synthetic Aperture Radar or other new generation sensors to be introduced in the future. These advanced sensors need to be mounted on new generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) with continental range and high endurance capable of being controlled and operated thousands of miles away from parent base through satellite based data link.

The nuclear warfare capability needs to be developed to the extent necessary to obliterate most cities in Pakistan in a single strike and this capability must be clearly made known to them by direct or indirect means.

Such a system can provide round-the-clock cover of any part of land and sea frontiers as also inland areas of the nation. This will obviate the need to reposition the bulky control infrastructure in different parts of the country. The airborne platforms must also carry powerful and agile sensors to record, identify and pin-point the source of all radio transmissions on a wide range of frequency bands. Intelligence gathering through UAVs on continuous patrol would have to be supported by high speed, possibly automated intelligence data processing and analysis systems, which should include capability of integration with intelligence inputs from other agencies.

Threat thus analyzed must be available in the shortest possible time to security agencies required to respond. For swift response, an effective method is vertical envelopment through a heli-borne force with the helicopter fleet dedicated to this task, data linked with the UAV to get a real time view of the objective.

The ever increasing cost of fixed wing combat aircraft and their weapons, as also substantially enhanced lethality of enemy air defence weapon systems, would render employment of such aircraft both in the deep strike role and in the tactical battle areas, less and less cost effective in the future. It would be necessary therefore to place greater reliance on surface-to-surface missiles for deep strike against heavily defended targets in depth such as airfields. In the tactical battle area the fixed wing combat aircraft would have to be replaced by Unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicles (UCAV) and rotary wing platforms with stand-off weapons, both integrated with the ground forces. Fixed wing aircraft when employed would have to be effectively protected through versatile electronic warfare capability. Strategic Air Defence capability of the IAF would have to be augmented through the enlargement of the fleet of AWACS and AEW aircraft . These systems would effectively close the prevalent gaps in the low level surveillance capability of the IAF. Simultaneously, it would be necessary to induct new air defence missile systems for area and point defence and revamp electronic warfare capability across the board.

China, an Emerging Superpower

Riding the wave of stupendous economic growth, China has emerged as a major regional power and has clear aspirations to be a global power in the not too distant future. Despite prolonged dialogue, there has been no progress in the settlement of Sino-Indian border dispute and none is likely in the foreseeable future. China is a nuclear power and is currently embarked on a major upgrade of its somewhat outdated military machine. She has enlarged her sphere of influence in Asia and has effectively thrown a cordon around India through political, economic and military support to all the immediate neighbours. India’s growing proximity with and subservience to the US consequent to the Indo-US nuclear deal, has clearly pushed India on to the opposite side of the international political divide. With this development, the possibility of rapprochement with the emerging superpower has practically receded into oblivion. In the long term perspective, China is potentially a greater military threat to India than Pakistan is.

Thus it would be unwise for India to depend solely on diplomacy or support of the US to secure the nation against the awakening giant in the north. The limitations of diplomacy without the backing of military power have so clearly been exposed in the confrontation with Pakistan in the wake of 26/11. If India’s diplomatic demarche has not succeeded against Pakistan which is relatively a weak state, it would be naive to assume that it will be effective against China. The character and level of threat from China is qualitatively different and the nation’s armed forces must be geared to meet the long term threat beginning to loom over the horizon. Finally it would be the armed forces that would have to face the consequences of diplomatic failure and bear the brunt of a Chinese offensive in any form.

First and foremost, the IAF must have the capability to counter China’s nuclear capability through a missile based credible nuclear deterrence. Simultaneously, the Sino-Indian borders need to be kept under surveillance through satellites and unmanned platforms. The IAF must also acquire the capability to launch precision attack in mountainous areas from high altitude using advanced precision guided munitions. In addition, it must have the capability to neutralize targets with mobile units of surface-to-surface missiles with conventional warheads in coordination with target data obtained from UAVs.

Space

A completely new dimension in future wars would be the employment of space-based assets for reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. There has been some progress in this area but much more needs to be done. However, the new problem that is emerging is the security of the space-based assets. There appears to be no clear solution at this point in time except for multiple redundancy which may be expensive and impractical. In addition to space-based assets, the IAF needs to acquire the capability to neutralize space-based capability of the enemy through hard or soft kill techniques with weapon systems located on the ground or mounted on airborne platforms.

Power Projection Capability

A major responsibility of the IAF in the future would be in the area of strategic airlift. Internal security compulsions will place growing demand for the movement of quick reaction as also regular security forces within the country on short notice.

To provide effective air defence of the homeland, the IAF needs to acquire a fleet of AWACS and AEW aircraft over and above the few already on order to enhance surveillance capability at low level.

Given its emerging regional power status and the newly forged strategic partnership with the US if not abrogated by the incoming administration, India may be called upon to project power in the region which may involve airlift of large military forces to areas of interest of either of the partners in the region outside our borders and to provide sustained logistic support. Strategic airlift capability of the IAF would therefore need to be built up practically from scratch as the existing fleet is fast approaching the end of its total technical life.

At the tactical level, the IAF should be equipped with a fleet of medium tactical transport aircraft and helicopters capable of speedy response with special forces over shorter ranges.

The IAF has taken some baby steps towards acquiring the capability of projecting combat power in the region. At this point in time, the capability is limited to a token force and cannot be described as significant. However, while steps are in hand to augment the existing fleet of long range combat aircraft as also to acquire a new fleet, the capability of power projection would in the ultimate analysis be limited by the size of the fleet of in-flight refuelling aircraft. This fleet would have to be suitably enlarged for any meaningful power projection that is capable of making an impact.

Summary

To summarise, the IAF needs to enhance some of the force multipliers already on the inventory as also to develop a range of new capabilities both in the strategic and tactical regimes. At the strategic level, the IAF must be able to provide the nation with credible nuclear deterrence against Pakistan and China. Also, it should be capable of power projection in its perceived area of national security interests and those of our ally in the region beyond the national borders with combat aircraft, in-flight refuelling and strategic airlift capability. These forces should be geared to provide swift response to a crisis situation and be able to provide logistic support to sustain forces for significant length of time. For strategic strike deep into enemy territory, the IAF needs to have a combination of missile based and airborne platforms, the latter with powerful electronic warfare equipment to suppress and defeat enemy air defence systems. Tactical roles may be transferred to UCAVs and helicopters.

To provide effective air defence of the homeland, the IAF needs to acquire a fleet of AWACS and AEW aircraft over and above the few already on order to enhance surveillance capability at low level. New generation area and point defence missile systems need to be inducted to replace the ageing and obsolete systems currently deployed. For strategic and tactical intelligence, the IAF must have its own satellite systems and a fleet of UAVs with a range of advanced sensors to provide all weather day and night capability. The fleet of UAVs should be adequately supported by appropriate ground infrastructure for automated and speedy processing of intelligence information, and fleet of tactical transport aircraft and helicopters for quick response with special forces.

It goes without saying that in future wars, the IAF must be geared to operate in a network-centric environment. But perhaps most important of all, there is the imperative need for the IAF to shed the defensive mindset.

IAF chooses Boeing’s latest C-17 for heavy-lift transport aircraft

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has shortlisted the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III as its new Very Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft (VHTAC).

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik is quoted by the India Strategic defence magazine as saying that the aircraft had been chosen after a thorough study because of its capability to take off and land on short runways with heavy loads, long range, and ease of operation.

IAF was looking at acquiring ten C-17s initially through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, and a proposal in this regard was being considered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), he said adding that the aircraft should come in about three years after a contract is signed.

The air chief, who spoke to India Strategic on the eve of the Paris Air Show beginning Monday, is also quoted as saying in its report that flight trials for the six Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) would begin in July and end around March 2010. The chosen MMRCA should start coming to India by 2014.

Outlining the trial procedure, Air Chief Marshal Naik said that initially, test pilots from IAF’s elite Bangalore-based Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) would visit the manufacturing facilities of the six contenders; in the second round, they would test the aircraft’s performance in humid, hot and cold weather in Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh; and in the third and final round, they would test live precision weapon firings from the aircraft in the country of their manufacturer or another country designated by them.

“There would be one team leader but two or three sub-teams, and the template would be common for all,” he was quoted as saying.

The six aircraft in the fray are European EADS Eurofighter, US Lockheed Martin F-16 Viper and Boeing F-18 Super Hornet, French Rafale, Swedish Gripen and Russian Mig 35. One of them would be chosen to supply 126 aircraft worth about $10 billion, but the order could go up by another 50 per cent to 189 aircraft, a clause for which is built in the tender (Request for Proposal or RfP) issued last year. The interview report has been published in the June edition of India Strategic, being released at the Paris Air Show.

Notably, except for the Su30-MKI, all the combat and transport aircraft of the IAF were acquired in the 1980s, and IAF needs new, and newer generation, aircraft to replace and augment that capacity.

India has about 100-plus medium An-32 and less than 20 heavy lift IL-76 aircraft. It is difficult to get their spares as the Soviet Union where they were made has disintegrated into Russia and other states. IAF has acquired old, refurbished IL-76 platforms for its AWACS and Midair Refueler requirements.

An agreement was being signed with Ukraine to upgrade and modernize the An-32s, the Air Chief said.

An IL-76 can carry a cargo of around 45 tonnes and has a crew of six while a C-17 can carry 70 tonnes, and is much easier to operate with a small crew of two pilots and one loadmaster (total three), thanks to its various power-assisted systems. Two observers though can also be seated.

Despite its massive size - 174 ft length, 55 ft height and about 170 ft wingspan - a pilot can fly the C-17 with a simple joystick, much like a fighter aircraft, which can be lifesaving in a battlezone as the aircraft can take off quickly and at steep angles. It is powered by four Pratt & Whitney F-117-PW-100 turbofan engines.

Air Chief Marshal Naik said that IAF required contemporary and futuristic aircraft and systems, and that there was an urgency to acquire modern aircraft. The government shared the concern of the armed forces, and the pace to renew IAF’s assets was on schedule. By 2020-25, IAF would achieve its optimum level (of 45 squadrons).

At present, it is down from its sanctioned strength of 39.5 squadron to around 30-32, but this trend has been arrested, particularly with the induction of more Su30-MKIs and Jaguars. India has given a repeat order of 40 Su30-MKIs to Russia to take their total number to 230.

The requirement today is for technologically better, easier to maintain, and a larger number of combat and other aircraft, including helicopters, due to the strategic scenario around India and the need to ferry troops, men and material even within India in times of contingency and natural disasters.

He observed: “The IAF of the future, post-2025, would consist of FGFA (Fith Generation Fighter Aircraft), Su30-MKIs, MRCAs and Tejas/MCA (indigenous Medium Combat Aircraft) with multi-role as well as significant swing role capability.”

“They would employ advanced technologies, sensors and precision weapons. The larger aircraft, i.e. FGFA and Su30 would focus on Air Dominance and specialise in similar roles in long ranges over land and sea, while the MRCAs would don a variety of medium-range and tactical roles. These assets would be capable of all weather, day and night attack with adequate self-protection capability… these assets would be immensely capable and are not going to be confined to the strictly stereotyped roles. They would carry out a number of roles in the same mission.”

Air Chief Marshal Naik, who assumed charge May 31 from Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major, would be visiting the Paris Air Show along with top IAF officers to witness what new technologies are being introduced and displayed there by various aircraft manufacturers.

The Air Chief said that IAF was also looking at more AWACS but after studying how the first lot of three Phalcon AWACS functions. The first of these aircraft was delivered last month, and the remaining two would be delivered by Israel in 2010.

He indicated that IAF had short-listed the Airbus A330 MRTT to augment its Midair Refueller requirement, and that the proposal was being processed by the Ministry of Defence. IAF already has six IL-76-based aerial refuellers, designated as IL-78.

As for the C-17, Boeing has brought the aircraft several times to India for its literal catwalk on IAF tarmacs, including at the Aero India 2007 and 2009 in Bangalore. Indian military officials and journalists have been invited for the aircraft’s flight displays during the Paris Air Show.

The C-17 is the mainstay of the US forces for worldwide deployment, and can be refuelled midair. It is in fact the lifeline of US and NATO troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to the Boeing company, the high-wing, 4-engine, multi-service T-tailed military-transport C-17 can carry large equipment including tanks, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world day or night.

The massive, sturdy, long-haul aircraft tackles distance, destination and heavy, oversized payloads in unpredictable conditions. It has delivered cargo in every worldwide operation since the 1990s. It can take off from a 7,600-ft airfield, carry a payload of 160,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight for longer range, and land in 3,000 ft or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield day or night.

Boeing working on anti-submarine aircraft for Indian Navy

   

 US defence major Boeing has started work on the first P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian Navy. 

"The Boeing P-8I team began fabricating the first part for the Indian Navy aircraft on December 6 at Wichita , Kansas . This is an important milestone in the programme as we enter the build phase from the design phase," Boeing Defence, Space and Security Vice President Vivek Lall said here. 

He said the US Navy was investing USD 4.4 billion to design and demonstrate the mission systems of the P-8 programme and the mission systems in the P-8I aircraft meet the requirements of the Indian Navy. 

Lall said that during his recent US visit, Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma was also given an update on the programme. 

As part of the USD 2.1 billion deal signed on January 1 last year, India had placed orders for eight P-8Is, which are variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy. After placing the initial order, India is also going to order four more aircraft. 

Under the agreement, Boeing will supply the first aircraft in 2013 and the remaining would be inducted by the end of 2015. 

"We are on schedule and the Indian navy is looking forward to receiving its first plane," Boeing P-8I program manager Leland Wight said. 

The P-8I is likely to replace the Indian Navy fleet of Russian-origin Tu-142 and Il-38 aircraft for maritime reconnaissance purposes.

India to get first Super Hercules airlifter next week

The first of India's six C-130J Super Hercules airlifters, considered the world's most advanced transport aircraft, will be formally delivered on December 16 at a ceremony in Marietta, Georgia.

Two of the planes purchased from the US in a $1 billion deal, will be flown to India in early 2011 while two more will arrive in early summer and the last two will be delivered in late summer of 2011, its manufacturer Lockheed Martin has announced.

First three of the aircraft are already in flight test prior to deliveries. India's next three C-130Js have now reached the final production positions at the Lockheed Martin Marietta facility, it said.

The C-130J deal along with the recent $4.1 billion C-17 Indian deal with Boeing will double US-India defence trade and provide the Indian Air Force "a strategic airlift and humanitarian response capability that is unique to the region and emblematic of India's ambitions to play an increasingly global role," according to Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake.

Once all the aircraft have been delivered, India will have the second largest C-17 fleet in the world behind the US - "a highly visible manifestation of the US-India defense partnership," he said at a function.

India's six stretched-fuselage C-130J-30s would provide the Indian Army and Indian Air Force "new special operations capabilities using the world's most advanced airlifter", according to Lockheed.

Equipped with India-unique operational equipment, including an infrared detection set (IDS), the aircraft for the first time will provide the IAF an ability to conduct precision low-level flying operations, airdrops and landings in blackout conditions.

To ensure 80 per cent availability of the aircraft at any given time, Lockheed Martin has offered a long-term maintenance contract to the IAF on the lines of the ones it has with the US Air Force and the air forces of Australia, Britain and Canada.

The C-130J primarily performs the tactical portion of an airlift mission. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.

The flexible design of the Super Hercules enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing for one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Super Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to quickly switch between roles.

The C-130J Super Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems.

The aircraft can also be configured with the "enhanced cargo handling system". The system consists of a computerised loadmaster's station from where the user can remotely control the under floor winch.

The cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet long, 9 feet high, and 10 feet wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out and so extends the C-130J's time available to complete tasks.

These combined changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H siblings, such as 40 percent greater range, 21 percent higher maximum speed, and 41 percent shorter take-off distance.

IAF to induct five new Sukhoi squadrons by 2017

The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to induct five new squadrons comprising 80 Sukhoi 30MKI fighter aircraft by the year 2017. The Sukhois in operation will be armed with the supersonic cruise missiles, BrahMos, from next year.

Disclosing this to media persons after the passing out parade of 
the 119th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) on Monday, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik, Chief of Air Staff, said the new aircraft would be inducted into the Air Force in a phased manner. The aircraft is being manufactured at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) factory at Bangalore.

The Sukhoi 30MKI is India’s lead fighter aircraft and there are five squadrons in operation today. DNA (June 4) had reported how a new squadron of 16 Sukhoi 30MKI aircraft was to arrive at the IAF base at Lohegaon, Pune before being inducted at either Chabua or Bagdogra in the eastern sector.

Historically, the IAF Pune airbase has been the raising base for Sukhoi 30MKIs where squadrons are raised and deployed to various bases in the country.

Speaking to DNA on Monday, Wing Commander Tarun Kumar Singha, New Delhi-based IAF spokesperson, said the fresh batch of Sukhoi 30MKIs was meant for the eastern and central sectors.

Air Chief Marshal Naik told media persons that the IAF was on a modernisation drive and all its fighters, transport aircraft, helicopters and radar equipment would be upgraded in the near future.

Responding to a question on ‘end-user monitoring agreements’ being suggested by the USA for defence equipment, Naik said,

“These agreements are not unusual. They have been around for 30 years. We want the best equipment from the USA. It is important to get the wording of the agreement right.”