Defence Aviation News

Dassault Aviation, the French maker of Rafale fighter jet which is in exclusive negotiations with the Indian ministry of defence for the $12 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender is facing rough weather at home. In the latest strategic defence review carried out under the insistence of the French government, last month, France has capped the purchase of Rafale fighter jets to 225. Originally, the Rafale programme envisaged production of 320 aircraft for the French government but this was cut to 286 later and now to 225. Till date, only 180 of them have been ordered; all of them by France. The company is yet to find an export customer for its front-line fighter jet. As a result, the cost of Rafale to France has climbed steadily. The French Senate assessment of the 2013 national defence budget pegs the total cost of the Rafale programme, including development expenses, to the French exchequer at €44.2 billion. Dividing the total programme cost with number o...

On December 12, 1971, at the height of the India-Pakistan war, one of the most awaited events in aviation history took place. Two MiG-21 fighters of the Indian Air Force’s No.47 squadron, providing air patrol to sensitive installations in western India, intercepted a couple of Pakistan Air Force F-104 Starfighters approaching the city of Jamnagar. The MiGs drew first blood – while one Starfighter managed to flee in the direction of Pakistan, the other one was shot down over the Gulf of Kutch. During the war the MiG-21s played a crucial role in giving the IAF air superiority that played a huge part in India’s victory. Military analyst Edward Coggins writes in  Wings That Stay On: The Role of Fighter Aircraft in War that by the time the hostilities came to an end, the IAF MiG-21s had claimed four PAF F-104s, two PAF F6, one PAF North American F-86 Sabre and one PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The Russian fighter had clearly won the much anticipated air combat between the MiG-2...

A MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Monday while landing at Uttarlai airbase in Rajasthan's Barmer district, killing the pilot. "One MiG–21 Bison crashed at the Uttarlai airbase at about 0930 hours. The pilot sustained fatal injuries," the IAF said in a statement. The aircraft had taken off with its flight lieutenant-rank pilot from the airbase for a routine training sortie and crashed while landing at the runway, officials said. Defence ministry spokesperson in Jodhpur Colonel S D Goswami said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the reason behind the crash. There was no reported loss to civilian life or property, he said. In June, a MiG-21 plane from the same airbase had crashed, but the pilots had managed to eject safely. The vintage MiG-21s have been in service for over 40 years now and they are expected to continue flying till 2018-19 in view of the delays in the induction of the indigenous Light Combat Ai...

 The Russian Air Force is all set to receive over 100 new warplanes and helicopters this year. "Purchasing of over 100 planes and helicopters is envisaged by state defence order for this year," reported Xinhua citing deputy defence minister Yuri Borisov. Borisov noted that the warplane designers sometimes do not take into account the opinion of the pilots about the aircraft's technical characteristics. "The industry must know how (the pilots) perceive that production. The designers must take into account the pilots' proposals." The officer said the newest four-double-plus-generation MIG-35 fighters and newly-revamped SU-35 multipurpose fighters would be delivered in three years after tests are completed. MiG Corporation first officially presented the MiG-35 internationally during the Aero India  2007 air show. The MiG-35 was officially unveiled when the Russian Minister of Defence , Sergey Ivanov, visited Lukhovitsky Machine Building Plant "MA...

We have witnessed a lot about the Chinese Stealth fighter J-20, being developed by the Chinese Aircraft manufacturer Chengdu. The J-20 is a Fifth generation with stealth capabilities. Only time will tell if the J-20 will match the current stealth aircrafts or will be superior than them. The F-22 Raptor has proven technology and hence it has been speculated that most of the 5th generation aircrafts today are similar to the Raptor. It is also speculated that this proven design of the F-22 has either been taken by spying,purchasing and then reverse engineered to create a new prototype by rival nations. That is the main reason why US is not exporting the F-22 because they fear that nations like china and Russia would use their designs especially after 1.7 terabytes of top secret information was stolen from them. If we compare the look and design of J-20 you will find that it has a delta-wing-canard layout whereas the F-22 and...

Japan is looking to join the United States, China and Russia with a stealth fighter that senior Japanese air force officials say can be ready for a prototype test flight in just three years, significantly upping the ante in the intensifying battle for air superiority in the Pacific. The prototype will likely be able to fly in 2014, Lt. Gen. Hideyuki Yoshioka, director of air systems development at Japan's Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with The Associated Press. He said Japan has put 39 billion yen ($473 million) into the project since 2009, after it became clear the United States was not likely to sell it the F-22 "Raptor" - America's most advanced fighter jet - because of a congressional export ban. "We are two years into the project, and we are on schedule," Yoshioka said Monday. Yoshioka stressed that a successful test flight of the prototype, dubbed "Shinshin," or "Spirit," does not mean Japan will immediat...

An Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul crashed on landing at San Francisco's airport Saturday, killing two passengers, injuring more than 160 and and forcing dozens of frightened passengers and crew to scamper from the heavily damaged aircraft before it was engulfed in smoke and flames. There were 307 on board, including 16 crew. Officials said 123 escaped without injury and 181 were hospitalized or treated for injuries. Among the injured, 49 are in serious condition and five at San Francisco General Hospital, including a child, remain in critical condition. Among the 47 others at San Francisco General, several were treated for minor injuries, including fractures and abrasions, and were released Saturday night. "It was all over in 10 seconds," says Vedpa Singh, who suffered a fractured collarbone. "We heard a big bang, and it was over." The cause of the crash has not been determined, but the FBI has has ruled out terrorism. The Boeing 777 appeared to...

In a tragic accident that underlines the risks pilots are taking to evacuate those stranded after the Uttarakhand flash floods, a Mi 17 V5 helicopter ferrying rescue personnel from the temple town of Kedarnath to a base camp crashed on Tuesday afternoon. All 20 people who were reportedly on board are feared dead. The Mi 17 V5 chopper, the very latest in the inventory of the Indian Air Force, went down while it was heading towards the temporary air base at Gaucher, and crashed in difficult terrain north of Gaurikund, the base camp for the 14 km trek up to Kedarnath. However, the IAF continued flying operations in the region after the chopper was first reported missing just after midday. While there are conflicting reports of casualties, sources said the toll could be as high as 20, as the helicopter was transporting back a delegation of ITBP and NDRF personnel who had been camping in Kedarnath, coordinating rescue operations for the past week. All five crew members on board ...

 India's first IAC, being built at the Cochin Shipyard, will finally "be launched into water" next month. But don't be in a hurry to pop the bubbly. The already long-delayed 40,000-tonne warship will not become operational anytime before 2018. The IAC — to be christened INS Vikrant after the country's first carrier acquired from the UK in 1961 and later retired in 1997 — will be "launched with a weight of 20,000-tonne" at a ceremony to be chaired by defence minister A K Antony in Kochi on August 12. "The launch signifies the underwater work and fitting of machinery in the warship is over. Now, the superstructure, the upper decks and the out-fittings will be done,'' said an official. "We hope the IAC will be ready for trials from 2016 onwards. The trials will take well over one year since this is the first time the country is building an aircraft carrier,'' he added. The 260-metre-long IAC, with a crew of 160 officers ...