Indian Air Force: Aircraft
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Combat power
2017: problems and plans
From The Times of India, October 6, 2017
See graphic, India's Air Combat Power, problems and plans, as in October 2017
Crashes
Alarmingly high crash rate
Rajat Pandit, Sukhoi-30MKI fighter, Chetak chopper crash, March 16, 2017: The Times of India
With a frontline Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet and a Chetak helicopter crashing in different parts of the country, the IAF continues to record an alarmingly high crash rate. Fortunately , the pilots in both the crashes managed to escape safely .
The armed forces have lost over 60 aircraft and helicopters in crashes, which have killed over 80 people, since 2011. With the two primary reasons being technical defects and human error, the combination of ageing machines, inadequate training to rookie pilots, shoddy maintenance and poor quality of spares continues to be a deadly mix and exacts a heavy toll.
On Wednesday , the Chetak helicopter developed engine failure on a routine sortie from the Bamrauli airfield near Allahabad around 7am.“The two pilots tried to land on an uneven field nearby but the helicopter toppled over,“ said an officer.
Seven hours later, the Sukhoi-30MKI took off on a training sortie from the forward Utarlai airbase, in Barmer area of Rajasthan, but it also developed a technical snag soon after. The two pilots then went in for a “planned ejection“ to parachute down safely at about 2.15pm, but three villagers were left injured on the ground.
While the armed forces are still forced to fly the ageing single-engine CheetahChetak helicopters due to failure of successive governments in taking timely decisions, the crash of the twin-seat Sukhoi “air dominance“ fighter is more worrisome. IAF has now lost at least seven of the 240 Sukhoi-30MKI jets it has inducted till now. In all, India has contracted 272 Sukhois from Russia for over $12 billion, with the bulk of them being “produced under licence“ by Hindustan Aeronautics. The Sukhoi fleet is now likely to be grounded for systematic precautionary checks before they can take to the skies again, like it happened after crashes in April 2009 and December 2011.
IAF lost 24 aircraft, 5 choppers since 2014
The IAF continues to be dogged by a high crash rate, with the force losing as many as 24 aircraft, five helicopters and nine pilots in accidents since 2014-2015.
Overall, the armed forces have recorded crashes of 65 aircraft and helicopters, which have killed over 80 people, since 2011. There are over 30 fighters, including at least five twin-engine Sukhoi-30MKIs, the country's latest and the most potent jets, among these crash figures.
Officials say the two major reasons identified for the crashes are “technical defects“ and “human error“. In other words, ageing aircraft and poor maintenance, coupled with inadequate pilot training, contribute to the high crash rate.
The defence ministry says preventive measures are being taken to avoid accidents. “These include invigoration of the Aviation Safety Organisation, streamlining of the accident reporting procedure, analytical studies and quality audits of the aircraft fleets to identify vulnerable areas,“ said minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre, in a reply to Rajya Sabha
Rafale
The first squadron
Rajat Pandit, Dragon's lair on Rafale flight path, Jan 7, 2017: The Times of India
First Squadron Will Be Based In Bengal To Boost Firepower In Eastern Sector
India will base its first squadron of Rafale fighter jets, which are also capable of delivering nuclear weapons, in the eastern sector as part of the overall policy to gradually build nuclear as well as conventional deterrence against China.
With Sukhoi-30MKI fighters already operating from Tezpur and Chabua in Assam, the IAF has now finalised plans for the first 18 Rafales to be stationed at the Hasimara airbase in Bengal from late-2019.This comes at a time when India is also conducting final trials of the nuclear-capable Agni-IV and Agni-V ballistic missiles after the Strategic Forces Command inducted the AgniIII a couple of years ago.
Under the Rs 59,000 crore (7.87 billion euro) deal inked with France in September last year, the IAF will get 36 Rafales in batches by mid-2022 or so. With 14 India-specific requirements, including the capability for “cold start“ from high-altitude regions, the Rafale packs quite a punch with its ability to carry 9.3-tonne of weapons and simultaneously perform both air defence and ground attack missions.
“The Hasimara airbase currently has MiG-27s that will be retired over the next two-three years. They will be replaced by Rafales. A team from Dassault Aviation has already visited Hasimara to review the maintenance and other infrastructure required there,“ said an official.
“The Sarsawa base (UP), among other places, is being considered for the second Ra fale squadron. Under the contract, Dassault has to ensure minimum 75% availability for the jets at all times under the performance-based logistics support for the first seven years, which can be extended by another five,“ he added.
The IAF also activated the advance landing ground (ALG) at Tuting, in Arunachal's Upper Siang district, just 10 days ago. It is the sixth such ALG to be made operational in Arunachal apart from the ones in eastern Ladakh, all with an eye firmly on China.
Moreover, the Panagarh base in Bengal is also set to get its six C-130J Super Her cules aircraft. Panagarh, of course, is also going to be the headquarter of the Army's new 17 Mountain Strike Corps being raised with two high-altitude infantry divisions, apart from other armoured, artillery , air defence and engineer brigades spread from Ladakh to Arunachal.
Medium multi role combat aircraft/Rafale
