Additions to the Arsenal of Indian Air Force

 There has been many recent additions to the Indian Air Force which consist of different aircrafts, missiles and defence systems.This blog post will tell you about all these additions and will give a brief description about that.

Helicopters

• Boeing AH-64 Apache 

It is one of the most advanced multi role attack helicopter which currently exists in the market. It is the only available combat helicopter with a spectrum of capabilities for virtually any mission requirement, including greater thrust and lift, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding. It is best suitable for CAS (Close Air Support).

Technical Specifications 

Standard Crew    2

Length    48.16 ft. (14.68 m)

Height    15.49 ft. (4.72 m)

Rotor Diameter    48 ft. (14.63 m)

Primary Mission Gross Weight    15,075 lb. (6,838 kg)

Maximum Operating Weight    23,000 lb. (10,432 kg)

Maximum Rate of Climb    2,800+ ft. (853+ m) per minute

Maximum Level Flight Speed    150+ knots (279+ kph)

Service Ceiling    20,000 ft. (6,096 m)

• Boeing CH-47 Chinook

The CH-47 Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter that will provide the Indian Air Force with unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions. 

The Chinook has unsurpassed ability to deliver heavy payloads to high altitudes, and is eminently suitable for operations in the high Himalayas. The aircraft has been battle-tested in diverse, extreme conditions throughout the world.

In 2020, Boeing completed the delivery of 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook helicopters to the Indian Air Force.

Technical Specifications

Rotor Diameter                         18.29 m (60 ft)

Length with Rotors Operating 30.14 m (98 ft, 10.7 in)

Fuselage                                         15.46 m (50 ft, 9 in)

Height                                         5.68 m (18 ft, 7.8 in)

Fuselage Width                         3.78 m (12 ft, 5 in)

Fuel Capacity                                 3914 liters (1034 gallons)

Maximum Speed                         302 km/h (170 KTAS)

Cruise Speed                                 291 km/h (157 KTAS)

Mission Radius                         200 nm (370.4km)

Service Ceiling                         6,096 m (20,000 ft)

Max Gross Weight                         22,680 kg (50,000 lbs)

Useful Load                                 24,000 lbs (10,886 kg)

*KTAS - Knots True Air Speed

Transport Aircrafts

• Lockheed Martin C130-J Super Hercules 

As the world’s premier tactical airlifter, the Super Hercules features tremendous lift capacity, outstanding long-range performance, and the ability to operate on paved or dirt airstrips. The C-130J Super Hercules offers superior performance and capabilities for every theater of operations today, with the ability to grow to meet future requirements.  The C-130J also counts capabilities as diverse as Special Operations, aerial refueling, firefighting, close air support, search and rescue, and personnel recovery.

Technical Specifications

Length                                                         112 ft 9 in/34.37 m

Height                                                         38 ft 10 in/11.84 m

Wingspan                                                    132 ft 7 in/40.41 m

Power Plant                                                 Four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 GE-Dowty Aerospace R391                                                                         6-blade propellers, all composite 

C-130J-30 Maximum take-off weight        164,000 lb/74,389 kg

Payload                                                        50,000 lb/22,670 kg

Operating weight empty                              81,000 lb/36,740 kg

Landing distance (135,000 lb)                     3,100 ft/945 m

Range (40,000 lb payload)                          2,390 nm/4,425 km

Maximum cruise speed                               355 KTAS/660 km/hr

*KTAS - Knots True Air Speed

• C-17 Globemaster III

A high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed military transport aircraft, the multi-service C-17 can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world. The massive, sturdy, long-haul aircraft tackles distance, destination and heavy, over-sized payloads in unpredictable conditions.

The Indian Air Force has a fleet of 11 C-17 Globemaster IIIs. Boeing has also established an in-country C-17 simulator training center which has completed thousands of training hours for aircrews and loadmasters.

Technical Specifications

External Dimensions

Wingspan to Winglet Tip 169.8 ft (51.74 m)

Length                                 174 ft (53.04 m)

Height at Tail                         55.1 ft (16.79 m)

Fuselage Diameter                 22.5 ft (6.86 m)

Engines

Four Pratt & Whitney PW2040 (military designation F117-PW-100) 40,440 pounds thrust each

Seating

Sidewall (Permanently Installed) 54 (27 each side, 18 inches wide, 24 inch spacing center to center)

Centerline (stored on board)         48 (in sets of six back-to-back, 8 sets)

Palletized                                 80 on 8 pallets, plus 54 passengers on sidewall seats

Cockpit

Flight crew                 2 pilots

Observer positions     2

Instrument displays     2 full-time all-function head-up displays (HUD), 4 multi-function active matrix liquid crystal displays

Navigation system         Digital electronics

Communication         Integrated radio management system with communications system open architecture (COSA)

Flight controls system Quadruple-redundant electronic flight control with mechanical backup system

Wing

Area         3,800 sq. ft. (353 sq. m)

Aspect Ratio 7.165

Sweep Angle 25 degrees

Airfoil Type Supercritical

Flaps         Fixed-vane, double-slotted, simple-hinged

Horizontal Tail

Area         845 sq. ft. (78.50 sq. m)

Span         65 feet (19.81 m)

Aspect Ratio 5.0

Sweep         27 degrees

 

 

What is Air to Air Refueling (AAR) ?

Air to Air Refueling (AAR) 

Refueling mid-air is also referred to as aerial refueling, which is the pumping of fuel from one aircraft, the tanker, to another aircraft. The procedures require that both the aircrafts fly in formation and in close coordination with each other.

Types of AAR

• Probe & Drogue - This is an easier method to adapt to existing aircraft. The engineer unrolls a long hose from a wingtip or below the fuselage. There is a basket or a drogue at the end of the hose that looks like a windsock. Once the hose has reached the maximum extension, the receiver pilot must insert a retractable probe into the basket or drogue. The retractable probe is mounted on the plane’s nose. The engineer and the receiver pilot must gently maneuver the probe so that it will latch into the basket.

       

• Flying Boom - The flying boom is a method that requires a dedicated operator who sits at the back of the tank. He navigates a telescopic tube into a receptacle which is located near the front of the receiver plane. A signal is sent to the tanker to begin pumping aviation gas when the boom latches. The flying boom can pump a lot more fuel than the probe-and-drogue. This is efficient for large airplanes which have much larger fuel tanks.

Advancement in Flying Boom Method

Airbus has recently achieved the achievement in conducting first ever automatic air to air refueling using the flying boom system.

Once the system is activated by the ARO (Air Refueling Operator), the A3R system flies the boom automatically and keeps the alignment between the boom tip and the receiver receptacle with an accuracy of a couple of centimetres. The proper alignment and the receiver stability is checked in real-time to keep a safe distance between the boom and the receiver and also to determine the optimum moment to extend the telescopic beam to achieve the connection with the receiver. At this point, the fuel transfer is initiated to fill up the receiver aircraft and once completed and the disconnection is commanded, the boom is cleared away from the receiver by retracting the telescopic beam and flying the boom away to keep a safe separation distance. During this process, the ARO (Air Refueling Operator) simply monitors the operation. 

Should Indian Air Force lease air refueling tankers ?

What is air to air refuelling ?

Air to air refuelling is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) during flight. It is an effective method of increasing the endurance and range of aircraft by refuelling them in flight. For detailed info please refer to our other post on AAR.

Why is Air to Air refueling tankers important for armed forces ?

Air Refueling Tankers support overseas deployments anywhere in the world at short notice and they need to provide in-theatre support to the receiver aircraft, meaning that they will have to be stealthy enough to avoid detection as they are bulky and cannot perform evasive maneuvers. 

Tankers play an important role in serving bombers, fighter jets and, more recently, drones. It allows air power to be used farther from home and concentrated where and when it is needed most. Aerial refueling also saves time because the aircraft doesn't have to land to refuel.

It also benefits aircraft operating on short runways, which have to limit their takeoff weight to be able clear the end of the runway. A tanker flying overhead can then refuel the plane once it's airborne.

Is leasing critical defence equipment the new trend ?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is considering, for the first time, leasing aerial refuelling tanker aircraft to extend the reach of its fighter jets instead of a direct purchase against the backdrop of previous failed attempts to buy new tankers. The doors to leasing military hardware were opened for the first time last week with the government unveiling a draft policy on arms acquisition that allows the armed forces to go in for leased capability to cut down on costs associated with purchasing weapons and systems.

“The IAF has made two attempts to buy tankers during the last decade-and-a-half. On both occasions, we were close to signing the deal but things fell through because of the high acquisition cost. Leasing is a good option to fill the capability gap,” said one of the personnel of IAF.

The IAF operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78  tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and the force urgently needs at least six more.

“We are finalising the requirements for the proposed lease of tankers to boost our in-flight refuelling capabilities. We are looking at aspects such as whether we should opt for a wet [the lessor provides crew and maintenance] or dry lease. Leasing will be a better option as our budget is under pressure,” said a officer of IAF.

 

Leasing has been introduced in the draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2020 as a new category for acquisition in addition to the existing ‘Buy’ and ‘Make’ categories in order to substitute huge capital expenditures.It is permitted in two categories—where the lessor is an Indian entity and is the owner of the assets and where the lessor is a global entity. 

The interesting thing is that the latest Dassault Rafale fighter jets which were flown to India by IAF Pilots were assisted by two A330 Phoenix MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) French Air Force tankers. International cooperation can be expected from countries which are friendlies but during wartime we cannot speculate what will happen. 

The Indian Air force is ill equipped to support its jets, as a typical fighter jet has a limited range and cannot fly forever. Instead of leasing air refuelling tankers IAF should start procuring these tankers on permanent basis as then they will not be dependent upon help from other countries during a war situation. 

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