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India Eyes Su-30 AESA Upgrade

NEW DELHI: India is looking at fitting its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters with Russian Phazotron Zhuk-AE active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radars.

The X-band radar can track 30 aerial targets in the track-while-scan mode and engage six targets simultaneously in attack mode. By 2018, the Indian air force inventory is expected to comprise around 300 Su-30MKIs.

India’s Sukhois currently use N011M passive array technology, which delivers less peak power than an AESA. The N011M also has limitations in its back-end processing and requires more maintenance.

Defense Minister A.K. Antony recently told the Indian parliament about a proposal to upgrade the Indian air force’s Su-30 fleet. The upgrade is be carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Russia’s Irkutsk, the original equipment manufacturer, starting in 2012. It is likely that the order for the AESA also will be made simultaneously, as the radar will have to be integrated into most parts of the aircraft, including the navigation systems and engines.

The Su-30 entered service in India in 2000 — the purchase was approved in 1997 — and the aircraft have not been upgraded since.

AESA technology offers improved performance and reliability compared with traditional mechanically scanned array radars. India also has made it clear that having an AESA will be critical in the competition for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). For instance, the F-16IN is being proposed with the Northrop Grumman APG-80, while the F/A-18E/F is being bid with the Raytheon APG-78. All the other contenders have offered an AESA road map,

During the April trials for the MiG-35, the Zhuk AE test radar had a slightly smaller array than the production version would feature. The MiG-35 also is a contender in the MMRCA competition.

India would also expect to field an AESA on the fifth-generation fighter — the co-development and production effort with Russia built around the Sukhoi T-50.

New Indian Airborne Early Warning Aircraft Nears Trials

NEW DELHI: India’s domestically developed airborne early warning and control system is taking a big step forward with the first of three modified Brazilian EMB-145s headed for flight trials.

The preliminary testing, due to kick off in the next two months, will be carried out in Brazil by Embraer and a team from the Indian air force’s Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in association with Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil and its Indian counterpart, the Center for Military Airthworthiness and Certification (Cemilac).

Defense Research and Development Organization sources reveal that the first platform will be equipped with a dorsal radar unit containing dummy electronics, an in-flight refueling probe, environmental controls, auxiliary power units, internal fuel tanks, satellite communications and antennae.

India’s Bangalore-based Center for Airborne Systems (CABS) — the laboratory spearheading the AEW&C sensor program — already has supplied Embraer with a dorsal unit (with dummy electronics) and a Ku-band SATCOM dome, while the Defense Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), CABS and the Defense Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) have shipped in antenna units for electronic support measures, communications support measures (CSM) and U/VHF. The aircraft will undergo flight tests until July 2011.

While the EMB-145 in the AEW&C configuration undergoes flight tests in Brazil, the configuration to be ferried to India in August 2011 will include only the aircraft with the dorsal pylon but not the antenna unit or other features, such as the extra auxiliary power unit or internal fuel tanks. Once the first aircraft reaches India, it will undergo a flight testing regime with CABS, ASTE and Cemilac in association with an embedded Embraer team.

After a series of checkout flights in India, the aircraft will be integrated with a dorsal unit containing real electronics and other mission system equipment, including five operator workstations, avionics racks, crew rest seating, seats and cabling. Program sources indicate that the aircraft will be tested in three different locations in the country, Yelahanka in the South, Bareilly in the North and either Bagdogra or Tezpur in the East.

On June 23, EADS Cassidian (the former Defense & Security unit) announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply consultancy services to CABS for developing the AEW&C’s system architecture with particular regard to certification and mission equipment optimization, giving the European company its third big aerospace consultancy in India, following advisory contracts in the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft program.

The first Indian AEW&C aircraft is slated to achieve full operational capability in 2014, with inductions of three aircraft the same year. While numbers remain unofficial, the Indian air force has hinted at a need for at least eight of the indigenous AEW&C aircraft.

The air force also recently decided to exercise options with Israel for two more Phalcon AWACS, though the platform is likely to be a business jet rather than the Ilyushin-76, a platform that remains plagued by maintainability, availability and spares problems at its home base in Agra. The air force will achieve final operational capability on the Phalcon in November of this year, with the third aircraft to arrive shortly thereafter.

Price Talks Imminent On GE F414 Engine For India LCA

NEW DELHI: Price negotiations will begin soon for 99 General Electric F414 fighter jet engines selected to power the Mk II version of the Indian Air Force’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) awarded the contract on Oct. 1, and it is expected to be signed in a few months (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 1).

The F414 engine was in the running along with the EuroJet EJ-200. The contract’s value cannot be confirmed until it is finalized, a Defense Research Development Organization spokesman says. “We could always go for more [engines],” he adds.

The selection follows earlier GE engine buys for the Indian Air Force (IAF). In 2007, India purchased 24 F404 GE engines, and in 2004 the country bought 17 F404 engines to power a limited series of operational production aircraft and LCA naval prototypes.

The F414-GE-INS6 is the highest-thrust F414 model. It boasts Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) and additional single-engine safety features. “GE keeps infusing the latest technology,” a company official says. “If, for instance, we have a version 12 of the blade, the customer gets just that.”

Helping seal the deal was GE’s offer to provide increased technical manpower and base workers in India to help develop the engine, officials said.

The contract requires 8-10 engines to be provided in fly-away condition, with the rest to be delivered in semi-knocked-down condition and assembled in India. The agreement also contains a 30% offset clause and will tap some of the 24 Indian companies that GE has certified. “The deliveries will depend on when the development phase of the LCA is over,” and official says.

A remaining point of contention is the technology transfer clause.

“The requirement and conditions were not clear,” an engine manufacturer says. “You cannot offer a product unless you know how it will be used. Besides, you need to consider which of the two technologies are more advanced.” GE requires U.S. government clearance for transfer of technology. “We can almost be sure there will be no transfer of crystal blades of the F414,” an analyst says.

India has expressed interest in the F/A-18 and F-16 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), which can carry an active electronically scanned array radar.

There is speculation that the F414 decision is a sign that either the Gripen or F/A-18 — both contenders in India’s program for 126 MMRCAs — will gain a competitive edge. But since the engine comprises 20% of the total aircraft order’s cost, “this will not impact nor provide a financial advantage. The two contracts are not connected with each other at all,” IAF chief V.K. Naik says.

Indian industry says it is looking forward to working with GE in honoring its offset requirements. Quest Global signed an memorandum of understanding with GE a month ago to source assets for the F414. The company says it hopes to be involved in the project by using its current capability in engine design and components manufacturing.

“GE has a strong sourcing strategy ... and we are a part of it. We see Quest supplying seals, casings and engine accessories [for fuel systems] to GE,” says Nagabhushana Junjappa, Quest’s vp for strategy.

While the LCA Mk2 has been slated for production by 2014, that is seen as a distant dream, an analyst says. The new aircraft’s fuselage and components need to be modified and put through armament tests, and the behavioral patterns of the aircraft will change accordingly. The LCA Mk 2 also will need to undergo at least four technology demonstrators that will delay military commissioning beyond 2014, the analyst said.

India also has been in discussions to develop Kaveri, an indigenous engine, for the LCA. Technology and assistance discussions were held with Snecma last week. The Kaveri requires greater thrust and a reduction in weight, a spokesman says.

C-17 deal with India could create 30,000 jobs in US: Blake

WASHINGTON: USD 4.4 billion deal of C-17 Globemaster aircraft with India has the potential to create as many as 30,000 jobs in America, a top US official has said.

"India and the US are working toward finalising an agreement for Indian Air Force to acquire ten C-17 Globemaster aircraft. This USD 4.4 billion deal could potentially create up to 30,000 jobs in the US," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake said at the 27th Annual Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Lecture at San Diego State University in California.

Often referred to as the 'workhorse of US military', these transport aircraft will boost India's strategic airlift capabilities, improving its ability to respond to military and humanitarian crises in India and around the globe, he added.

"This deal could potentially create up to 30,000 jobs in the US and would be particularly important for Southern California: the assembly line for these colossal aircraft is located in Long Beach, just a mere 80 miles up the freeway," Blake said in his address in San Diego, California.

As India emerges as a global player, it seeks to build a 21 st century military with the latest cutting-edge technology, he said, adding instead of relying on its historical partner Russia for hardware, it has started to look to the US, and San Diego-based companies are a key component.

"For instance, a company called 'M Ship, based mere blocks away from the San Diego harbour, is a small, but very innovative naval architecture and technology firm that recently conceived of and developed the M80 Stiletto, an experimental Navy craft with a patented M-shaped hull," he said.

The 'M hull' is designed to limit wake and ensure a calm ride, even at high rates of speed, often critical for sensitive military missions.

"M Ship has reached out to begin 'preliminary work' with a Hyderabad-based company to find new building materials. M Ship's CEO Bill Burns notes could enable further US-India collaboration in M Ship's building and design endeavours," Blake said.

India's fighter-jet program soars past Japan's

India and Japan are both in the process of procuring a new frontline fighter aircraft that will see them through to the middle of this century. They may even end up buying the same airplane. That, however, is where the similarity ends.

The circumstances in which the two countries are conducting their fighter procurements could hardly be more different. A buoyant India has breezed into the marketplace, while Japan still hovers unsurely by the gate, dithering over what it's actually come here to buy. The nub of the difference is that the Indian selection is not constrained by politics - they have a free hand with which to buy the best plane under the best possible terms. The Japanese decision, by contrast, is severely circumscribed by political considerations, both domestic and international.

The plane-builders of the world have converged on India like love-struck suitors; the object of their desire is a US$10 billion contract for 126 planes, with possibly more to follow, as well as favored access to more of the $80 billion that India will spend on defense kit in the next five years.

So often dysfunctional in its approach to defense procurement, India has got this one right. The Indian Air Force set out a clear vision of its requirement: a medium multirole fighter aircraft (MMRCA) that can match anything flying today bar the US's stealthy F-22 Raptor. This plane will provide a capable deterrent against Chinese and Pakistani threats until the more advanced "fifth-generation" fighter being jointly developed with Russia is ready from 2020 onwards.

Suppliers respond to this kind of customer clarity, and six of them entered the race, each desperate to secure what is the biggest defense contract currently on offer anywhere. This has given the Indians exceptional bargaining power, not least because they have made it abundantly clear that all six contenders have a genuine chance of winning - if they are willing to meet New Delhi's demanding conditions.

On the face of it, India has strong political reasons to favor one of the two US suppliers - Boeing and Lockheed Martin - as ties between Washington and New Delhi continue to warm. President Barack Obama will stress these political incentives when he doorsteps India, model planes in his briefcase, in November. Yet sources close to the competition suggest that the American aircraft did not shine in the Indian Air Force's technical evaluation, that they compare poorly on cost, and that their promised level of technology transfer is underwhelming. ''We need to get full technology transfer: India will not budge on that issue,'' says Arun Sahgal, of India's United Services Institute. ''Some of the bidders need to bring their prices down and offer a lot more than license manufacturing''.

America's rivals are fighting hard. Sahgal describes Swedish company Saab's offering of full technology transfer as ''phenomenal''; the Eurofighter Typhoon is understood to be highly rated by Indian decision-makers; and Russia, a long-time Indian defense partner, is also seen as a safe backup option with its MiG-35. The point is that the US - just like other hopefuls - must offer India a genuinely excellent deal if it wants to secure this contract, not merely hold out vague prospects of American friendship.

As the Indian competition glides towards a verdict (expected by June 2011), Japan's fighter procurement remains stalled on the tarmac. After repeated delays, Japanese business leaders had been talking up the prospect of Tokyo finally issuing the long-delayed request for proposals for its future fighter program, dubbed F-X, this October.

Issuing the request for proposal (RfP) now could have led to a decision being made in a year's time and the first aircraft touching down in around 2016.

But it's not going to happen. The government – itself in a state of constant flux – is currently rethinking the country's National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG); the update is due for publication in December. This ought not to have interfered with the F-X RfP. Japan has a fleet of 40-year-old F-4s that it desperately needs to replace: these will soon be fit for scrap whatever Japan's new defense policy says. However, the F-X programme has fallen victim to Japan's wider political malaise. The Ministry of Defense declined to say when the RfP would finally emerge, but it now looks like being 2011 at the earliest.

More serious is the fact that, as the NDPG review implies, Japan is in a strategic tangle. Pacifist inclinations jar with geostrategic reality: Tokyo understands the arguments in favor of adopting a more assertive defense posture, but is paralyzed by the weight of its historical baggage and by its ultra-conservative political culture.
Now, it is poised to make all the wrong choices when it procures its new fighter. Despite emphasizing, like India, the importance of technology transfer and the need for local industry involvement, it may end up securing neither. Its requirement of only 40 or 50 F-X fighters does not create the economies of scale needed to set up a local production line, and Tokyo is in no position, like India, to demand extensive technology transfer and bargain prices.

Remarkably, only three contenders have shown a clear interest in the Japanese competition: two US firms and Eurofighter. The Eurofighter Typhoon is in many ways the strongest proposition: twin-engine (and so a good bet for maritime patrol duties) and better at the air-superiority duties that Japan needs its F-X fighter to fulfill, it would also offer local industry participation.

But any technical and industrial strengths will most likely be overridden by political prerogatives. ''Japan will go for a US airframe, it's that simple,'' says Christopher Hughes, professor of international studies and Japanese politics at Warwick University. ''There won't be a hard-headed analysis: it will buy US for alliance reasons.''

The American options are Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet – a single-engine multirole fighter that perhaps struggles to meet Tokyo's need for a twin-engine, air-superiority jet – and Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II, an expensive choice that is still under development and which could only be supplied to Tokyo off the shelf.

Certainly, neither US alternative is strong enough to render the European proposition uncompetitive - were it not for Japan's hard-wired aversion to turning its back on the US alliance, even at great cost to itself. The near-certainty of an American selection explains why only one non-US firm has thrown its hat into the ring.

The lack of competition can only be bad for the Japanese taxpayer and also for the Japanese military, if it does not end up with the aeroplane that it really needs. Nonetheless, political prejudice, not defense requirements, will steer Tokyo's decision.

In the final analysis, Tokyo expects to pay up to $10 billion for 40 or 50 F-X aircraft: the same budget that New Delhi has set aside for 126 jets of similar capability. You don't have to be a top gun to figure out who's getting a good deal.