Russian PAK-DA Next Generation Stealth Bomber Not For Us :Says IAF Official

Indian air force official have Said that , “IAF never ever considered nor did Russians ever presented any proposal on it ” has quoted by a serving IAF official when asked on rumors of India’s interest in PAK-DA development or purchase .

PAK DA (or PAK-DA), is a next generation strategic bomber which is being developed by Russia. It stands for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Dalney Aviatsyi which means Future Air Complex for Strategic Air Forces. The PAK DA is going to be heavily based on Russia’s current supersonic bomber Tupolev Tu-160 and is expected to have it’s maiden flight by 2015. and enter service by 2020-25 time frame .

Russia To Sell 34 Mi-171 Transport Helicopters To China

Russia will finalize the sale of 34 transportation helicopters to China by August, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.

The Mi-171 helicopters are being built in a plant in Russia's Buryat republic. The plant is a part of the Russian Helicopters holding.

The plant's CEO, Leonid Belykh, said the contract for building the helicopters was signed in 2010.

"This is not the first and hopefully not the last contract with our Chinese partners," he said.

Belykh said that Russian helicopter builders have been gradually shifting their cooperation with China from direct shipment to joint projects.

France Wants No More Delay In Indian Scorpene Submarine Project

France has said that delay in the Scorpene submarine project was because of inadequate infrastructure at Mumbai shipyard and price negotiations with India.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, who was on a two-day visit to India, however, said there would not be any more delays in the Scorpene project as modernisation efforts at Mumbai shipyard have started showing results.

"This delay is the price to be paid by India to become autonomous in manufacturing the most modern submarines in the world... The modernisation effort (at Mumbai Shipyard) is showing results and we have good reasons to believe that there would not be more delays," Longuet said.

He was replying to a query on the progress made by both the countries in the construction of six Scorpene submarines.

Australia To Receive First Airbus Military A330 MRTT

The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT new
generation tanker/transport for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has left Madrid at and will reach the Australia on Monday.

Designated as KC-30A in RAAF service, the aircraft is scheduled to arrive at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland on Monday 30 May.

On its ferry flight, the A330 MRTT is being flown by Airbus Military and RAAF crews, and will transit via McCarran (Nevada) and Hickam (Hawaii) in the USA.

US, Pakistan Near Open War -- Chinese Ultimatum Warns Washington Against Attack

 

China has officially put the United States on notice that Washington’s planned attack on Pakistan will be interpreted as an act of aggression against Beijing. This blunt warning represents the first known strategic ultimatum received by the United States in half a century, going back to Soviet warnings during the Berlin crisis of 1958-1961, and indicates the grave danger of general war growing out of the US-Pakistan confrontation.

“Any Attack on Pakistan Would be Construed as an Attack on China”

 

Responding to reports that China has asked the US to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the aftermath of the Bin Laden operation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu used a May 19 press briefing to state Beijing’s categorical demand that the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan must be respected.” According to Pakistani diplomatic sources cited by the Times of India, China has “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China.” This ultimatum was reportedly delivered at the May 9 China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington, where the Chinese delegation was led by Vice Prime Minister Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Chinese warnings are implicitly backed up by that nation’s nuclear missiles, including an estimated 66 ICBMs, some capable of striking the United States, plus 118 intermediate-range missiles, 36 submarine-launched missiles, and numerous shorter-range systems. 

Support from China is seen by regional observers as critically important for Pakistan, which is otherwise caught in a pincers between the US and India: “If US and Indian pressure continues, Pakistan can say ‘China is behind us. Don’t think we are isolated, we have a potential superpower with us,’” Talat Masood, a political analyst and retired Pakistani general, told AFP. 

The Chinese ultimatum came during the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani in Beijing, during which the host government announced the transfer of 50 state-of-the-art JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan, immediately and without cost. Before his departure, Gilani had stressed the importance of the Pakistan-China alliance, proclaiming: “We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend. And China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times….When we speak of this friendship as being taller than the Himalayas and deeper than the oceans it truly captures the essence of our relationship.” These remarks were greeted by whining from US spokesmen, including Idaho Republican Senator Risch. 

Sky Wars: Pakistan, India and China

Pakistan has been promised an urgent delivery of a fresh batch of 50 advanced multi-role JF-17 Thunder fighter jets by China during the visit last week of Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani to Beijing.

India has officially protested saying this will affect the strategic defense balance in the region. So what’s the fuss all about; why does Pakistan need these planes and why is India alarmed? Contrary to perceptions, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s China visit and the Thunder deal is not an exclusive response to the Osama operation by the US, which has been hailed by New Delhi much to Islamabad’s chagrin.
Pakistan has for years been trying to replace its ageing F-16s fleet of 40 fighter jets that it secured in the 1980s from the US, about a dozen of which are out of service. The urge to augment its air muscle by Pakistan is also a response to India’s ambitious plan to purchase a staggering 1,500 combat planes over a 10-year period that began in 2005. As part of this plan, India this month moved closer to clinch the biggest fighter aircraft deal of the world in 20 years which will cost over $10bn and secure India about 125 fourth generation multi-role combat jets. Half of these will reportedly be based in India’s western sector (read Pakistan-specific). These will be European jets, not American F-16s, which were surprisingly rejected from the tripartite race involving American F-16, French Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

Turkish Indigenous Helicopter Arikopter Prototype

The countdown has started for the first flight of Arikopter's prototype which is designed by Istanbul Tech. University and built by TUSAS (TAI), under the support of State Planning Organization.

.... " Since the start, the project has been a subjact for 15 international articles, over a 100 international reports and 40 Master's thesis. A team of 60 people have worked on it since it started in 2002 by ITU.

... It is to be completed next year. The integration of main and infrastructure to the body frame are being carried on in TUSAS at the moment. Transmision ground test are to be started next month in Istanbul. After completing the certification period, the helicopter would be produced for many different utilities, such as education, health, media, business and diplomatic purposes.

The French Rafale Fighter Jet That Nobody Wants

The Rafale has cost $53 billion and is the key to France's defense economy, but it's not selling abroad.

The Rafale fighter, made by France's Dassault Aviation, is loaded with high-tech avionics, radar, and targeting systems. Now all it needs are customers. France has been peddling the supersonic jet since 2000 and hasn't sold a single one. In the latest setback, Brazil said on Jan. 17 that it would reopen bidding for a fighter contract worth up to $7 billion—a deal France had thought it was close to sealing last year. Neither Dassault nor the French Defense Ministry would comment on Brazil's decision.

The Rafale's plight signals the end of an era for France. With their Mirage fighter program, developed in the 1950s, the French were able to bolster their national defense, promote new technologies, and provide well-paying jobs—while recouping much of the cost by exporting hundreds of jets worldwide. Hoping to duplicate that model, the French government has spent some $53 billion on the Rafale, more than the country's $40 billion annual defense budget. But deal after deal has fallen through, with prospective buyers South Korea, Singapore, and Morocco choosing Boeing's (BA) F-15 and Lockheed Martin's (LMT) F-16 over the Rafale.

IAF Chief Naik Witness Flight Demonstration OF PAK FA Stealth Fighter Jet in Russia

Indian Air Force chief Pradeep Vasant Naik witnessed flight demonstration of 5th Generation fighter aircraft PAK FA along with upgraded Indian air force’s Mig-29UPG .

Event was witnessed by the President of the United Aircraft Corporation, CEO of Sukhoi and RSK MiG Mikhail Pogosyan, the representatives of Rosoboronexport, the Russian Air Force. and the flight demonstration was held at Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow .

JF-17 Block II, A Final Thunder & The FC-20

Pakistan and China have recently concluded a final agreement for the manufacture of a second batch of JF-17s. According to well-vetted sources from Pakdef (Eagle Hannan), these 50 jets are the final form of the JF-17s. The aircraft will be manufactured at Kamra, Pakistan, but will be flown to China for additional work. This work is said to relate to a new generation of avionics and sensor suite.

The Block II JF-17 is believed to have AESA radars similar to those observed on the J-10B. The integrated avionics, sensors and EW suite is entirely Chinese and is believed to be at the level of Europes best planes. The AESA radar is a slightly smaller version of the one being utilized for the J-10B. The radar is highly sophisticated and its installation is beyond the present capacity at PAC Kamra and will thus require the aircraft to take a trip to Nanjing, China.

The Block II will be the standard version to be used in the PAF with the older Block Is to be retired after the end of production for the first 150 aircraft. This suggests that the structural changes needed to convert the Block Is to Block II standard are significant, suggesting considerable changes to the revised edition. The following are believed to be some of the key changes:

China To Deliver 50 JF-17 Fighters To Pakistan

China has agreed to expedite the delivery of 50 fighter jets to Pakistan, a Pakistani government minister confirmed on Friday, as Islamabad tries to deepen ties with Beijing as an alternative to increasingly fragile relations with the United States.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has been holding talks with Chinese leaders during a visit that comes as ties with the U.S. have faltered after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan this month.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar told media that his country was aiming to receive “50 aircraft in six months” from China at between $20 million and $25 million per aircraft.

The Wall Street Journal originally quoted an unnamed high-ranking Pakistani Air Force spokesman, in Beijing with Gilani, as saying the jointly developed JF-17 jets would be in addition to another batch of the same aircraft that is currently being assembled in Pakistan.

India's Rustom MALE UAV Second Successful Test Flight

A successful flight test of Rustom1 UAV was conducted at around 12 noon on 21st May 2011. It was the second successful flight of "Rustom 1" being developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a DRDO lab engaged in pioneering R&D work in the field of aeronautics. The "Rustom 1" has an endurance of 14 hrs. and altitude ceiling of 8000 meters. Rustom 1 has been achieved by converting a manned aircraft in to a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) by removing pilot seat and making required electrical, mechanical and aerodynamic modifications. 

The test flight was conducted at the airfield belonging to the M/s Taneja Aerospace (TAAL) located near Hosur. Many improvements have been carried outs since the last flight, in terms of piloting, landing, taxiing etc. The flight was a precursor to the flight with payloads as required by the Services. The complete sequence of events went off well to the total satisfaction of the scientists and technical personnel of the Bangalore's Aeronautical Development Establishment who have developed the UAV. Lt Col Thappa from the Army was the external pilot for total mission flight who had no difficulty for control of the vehicle.

India to receive 15 Russian Mi-17B-5 Helicopters

India will receive 15 Mi-17B-5 helicopters this year from Russia as part of the contract for 80 choppers.

Russia is to supply the helicopters to India within the framework of a contract India's Defense Ministry signed with Russia's arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

The contract is likely to be complemented with an extra order for 59 such helicopters, the general director of the Helicopters of Russia holding company, Dmitry Petrov, told Itar-Tass.

Twin tail L-15 Trainer Concept Unveiled

Military blogs reported of China's twin tail L-15 concept. If underway, such a project would extend the L-15's potential and possibly turn it into a "mini fighter" or a close support aircraft. It would also be a good choice as a fighter trainer or a Marine Corps attack aircraft for carrier groups.

Huitong briefly mentioned that an attack aircraft based off the L-15, called the Q-6, is under development. It is not sure if this is related.

Indian Military Wants To Buy Hundreds Of UAVs

Kaveri-Snecma Engine To Power AMCA Indian Stealth Fighter

ADA has send a Technical requirement detail for the engines which will power India’s locally developed 5th Generation fighter aircraft to the GTRE recently .ADA which is the prime development organisation of the Advance Medium Combat Aircraft is looking for an engine in 100 to 110 kn thrust range, and while the work on the preliminary designs are almost done and work on the AMCA Project will officially began from July 2011 onwards for which 2 billion Dollars have already been allocated for the AMCA Project.

GTRE has successfully carried out first batch of on board trials on a modified IL-76 Test Bed in Russia. Even though Kaveri engine project has been delinked from LCA Project few years back , GTRE is still hope full that current Kaveri engines might power Tejas MK-1 aircrafts when their GE Provided F-404IN engines will come up for replacement.

China To Supply 50 JF-17 Thunders To Pakistan On Urgent Basis

Pakistani Local news station GEO has just broad-casted (that China will supply 50 JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighters to Pakistan on urgent basis.

Indian Air-to-air Astra Missile Successfully Test Fired

The Air-to-air Astra missile is likely to test- fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. The test is reportedly scheduled for the next two days subject to weather conditions.

The active radar homing missile is envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed in head-on mode, at a range of 80 km and in tail-chase mode at 20 km.

The smallest of the missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Astra is a single stage, solid-fuelled missile and can carry a conventional warhead of 15 kg. The Beyond Visual Range missile is 3.8 metre long and has a diameter of 178 mm with an overall launch weight of 160 kg. The missile could be launched from different altitudes - at 15 km to cover a range of 90-110 km, at 8 km to cover a range of 44 km and at sea-level for a range of 21 km.

Indian DRDO Developing 6000 km Ranged Agni-6 SLBM With MIRV Capability

 

Indian DRDO Developing 6000 km Ranged Agni-6 SLBM With MIRV Capability.

India Set To Sign $2.4bn Mirage Fighter Upgrade Deal With France

Defence ministry sources  said the long-awaited deal with France for the upgrade of 52 Mirage-2000 multi-role fighters in IAF's combat fleet is "finally ready" at a cost of almost Rs 11,000 crore ($2.4 billion).

"This is also now going to CCS for approval. Another big contract, which was being progressed simultaneously, for around 450 MICA (interception and aerial combat missiles) systems to arm the upgraded Mirages is also in the final stages now," said a source. 

 

This comes after long-drawn negotiations with French companies Dassault Aviation (aircraft manufacturer), Thales (weapons systems integrator) and MBDA (missile supplier), which were "initially asking for much more", said sources.

Under the contract, the first four to six Mirages will be upgraded in France, while the rest will be retrofitted in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with transfer of technology from the French companies.

Prototype Of Turkey's First National Tank Named ALTAY Tank Ready

  

 

A prototype of the "ALTAY" tank will be on display in the north-western province of Istanbul on Tuesday, May 10.

Turkish Minister of National Defense, Vecdi Gonul, said Saturday that the prototype of Turkey's first national tank "ALTAY" was ready.

Speaking to reporters in Manavgat town of southern province of Antalya on Saturday, Gonul said that "ALTAY" tanks would be better equipped than all tanks presently used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

Turkish Indigenous Male UAV TIHA

LEOPARD-2 Main Battle Tank-Next Generation

China Conducts Test Flight Of V750 Pilotless Helicopter UAV

New Missile Defence Shield In Romania Tests Russian-U.S. Relations

A new test for relations between Russia and the United States has arisen as Romania struck a deal with Washington Tuesday to deploy U.S. missile interceptors there, prompting Moscow to ask for "safeguards" from Washington.

This future missile shield could set one more obstacle for the talks underway between the two countries on European missile defense system, local analysts said.

Though Washington said the missile shield was to counter attacks from Iran, Moscow worried the shield could be turned against Russia, targeting its strategic nuclear forces.

Russian Fighter Jet Makers Loses Deal Of The Century

Russia has lost the largest arms tender of this century - the delivery of the medium multi-role combat aircraft for India. Russia was taking part in the tender with its MiG-35 fighter jet (a modernized version of MiG-29). The contract stipulated the delivery of 126 fighter jets in the amount of over $10 billion.

Now there are two rivals left, both of them are European companies: Rafale, France, and Eurofighter Typhoon, built by the Italian-British-European consortium.

The decision of the Defense Ministry of India is extremely important for the whole world market. Russia's defeat in the tender virtually means that Russia's Air Force will not be receiving those fighter jets either. It may also mean that Russia's chances to sell the jets to someone else in the world have decreased considerably, observers say.

 

Russia was certain from the very beginning that her aircraft would win the tender. Indian experts also estimated Russia' chances for the victory as very high. The MiG-35 fighter jet was taking an advantage over its competitors with its lower price. The jet is well-known on the world market.

 

Russian Sukhoi Begins Test Flights Of Su-35S Fighter Jet

Russia's Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer has started test flights of its first series-produced Su-35S Flanker-E multirole fighter, the company said on Tuesday.

The aircraft took off from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur airfield in Russia's Far East, spending one and a half hours in the air testing propulsion and control systems.

The Su-35 Flanker-E superiority fighter is powered by two 117S engines with thrust vectoring. It can effectively engage several air targets simultaneously using both guided and unguided missiles and weapon systems.

BAE Systems Will Not Submit A Proposal For Bofors Guns In Indian Artillery Tender

The purchase of 400 tower artillery-guns has been pulled out of the Defense Ministry’s interest today by Global defense major BAE Systems. The guns are an upgraded version of the currently used Bofors Guns, for the Indian Army. 

The reason for this decision was made after the company realized that the newer version of the guns were technically limited, allowing the competition to suffer from only minimal disadvantages with their FH-77B05 guns, stated BAE spokesperson Guy Douglas.

“After careful consideration of BAE Systems, we’ve come to the conclusion that our company will not submit a proposal. As we decided this, we’ve also informed the Ministry of Defense about this,” he added.

Eurofighter And Rafale Shortlisted For MMRCA

Sources have revealed on Wednesday that the defense ministry has requested Eurofighter and French Dassault Aviation for extension of the validiy of their commercial bids for a contract of 126 units of combat aircraft, worth a few billion dollars. This could be an indication that they are shortlisted for the mega deal that IAF (Indian Air Force) proposed.

There’s however no clarification regarding the details of this deal. The defense ministry refused to divulge into any interaction with third parties regarding the deal.

The defense ministry had sent certain communications to the two foreign firms, but it came on the eve of expiry of commercial bids of defense majors, who were also involved in the “race”.

Sources said however that the ministry has only written letters to Eurofighter and Rafale, in an attempt to extend the validiy of their commercial offers.

India’s IJT Training Aircraft Crashes, Pilots Safe

A crash took place an Indian Air Force training aircraft in the Udedurgam Reserve Forests in the Khrisnagiri District, on Thursday evening. The pilot and the co-pilot have ejected themselves from the flight, eye-witnesses said. According to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore, the incident took place during flight-testing.

The aircraft, which had burst into flames, crashed about 35 km away from Hosur.

With the help of parachutes, the two flight tenants – two squadron leaders – were able to land away from the crash site, about 650 ft. Further.

They weren’t able to land securely however. They were both wounded. One of them sustained a harsh leg injury, and the other became comatosed. With the help of an IAF helicopter, they were taken to Bangalore.

At Bangalore, a person identification exposed that the pilot and co-pilot were Squadron Leader Bathra and Squadron Leader Mathu.