The Gripen Demo aircraft, which landed at Air Force Station Jamnagar, Gujarat on Monday, cleared its high altitude trials in Leh today. Air Force sources confirmed to LiveFist that the aircraft went through the full routine of tests that the Gripen-D did earlier this year. IAF pilots already got a chance to fly the Gripen Demo in the first week of April at Linkoping, Sweden, but calling the Demo airplane to India was necessary to complete all the demands in the field evaluation test (FET) plan.
I think Gripen Will win the race for MMRCA! As it's affordable fighter for india. Also TOT is also easy.
Shiv If i ask you who should win the MMRCA! Then what would be your answer?
Hi Shiv, did it include the overnight soaking and restarting tests ?
do you know "The fan/compressor discs and case, compressor spool, hubs, seals and the entire afterburner are designed and produced in Sweden."So they could Tot of them for our Kaveri engine.Apart from Selex Galileo's AESA Vixen could used in LCA.And both could share engine.Is could happen as it biggest order for them bigger then their in country order.Whereas as ajai in his blog pointed US company not a big deal and true for rest in little sense/degree.Gripen with max ToT is right choice.Do not forget performence of Bofor from Sweden In Kargil War.
MiG-29K is the best fighter until in our inventory .Reasons ::=
1.Low RCS(defining point in survival)
2.Good Radar(Zhuk-ME has a detection range of up to 120 km)
3.Good Armament(# Air to Air Missiles-
AA-10 "Alamo" [R-27ER/ET], 130 km, Infrared homing medium range AAM, 120 km,Kh-35U, 130 km,Kh-31P passive radar seeker missiles is used as anti-radiation missile)
4. Avionics(look at cockpit no more needed to say)
5.True four-channel digital fly-by-wire flight control system.
I hope it does not win
mig 29 has the most unreliable engine
Gripen is a beauti. It will change IAF in a good way but it will also kill the LCA dead. Its going to be a big dilema. I personally think that the LCA is pretty dead.
do any compant like Tata or L&T or any indian firm is think of Denal it make lot guds which we import and could tech from denal .It is golden opportunity.
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=109313
If i was indian firm ,I would more than happy to deal
Treat this m mrca as an investment and not a purchase and go for Eurofighter. There is nothing in Gripen to ToT. Gripen can only provide addresses of vendors to contact for sub-components.
the rafael is the best choice
This is perhaps the best fighter for IAF and India can leverage the most out of Saab (tot plus adding non european stuff on it with minimal cost) without claiming grandios political brownie points but the key is with the babus on this one.
And unfortunately the ruskis and the french know how to do business with the babus much better than the rest.
Lungikawasta
@ anon 10:45 pm
NOT REALLY
1. Low RCS(defining point in survival)
Nope – its RCS is small because it’s smaller than SU 30 but by that logic MIG 21 would be a better plane as its RCS is smaller than MIG 29.
2. Good Radar(Zhuk-ME has a detection range of up to 120 km)
Nope – Check the radar on SU 30
3. Good Armament(# Air to Air Missiles-
AA-10 "Alamo" [R-27ER/ET], 130 km, Infrared homing medium range AAM, 120 km,Kh-35U, 130 km,Kh-31P passive radar seeker missiles is used as anti-radiation missile)
Nope – Same is available to SU 30, some missiles are carried by MIG 21/27.
4. Avionics(look at cockpit no more needed to say)
Nope – how so? BTW look at the SU 30 cockpit
5. True four-channel digital fly-by-wire flight control system.
Nope – this is redundancy, After a point it becomes pointless (a 5 channel digital fly-by-wire flight control system would not mean a better plane, would it?).
Again, SU 30 has the same system.
I somehow feel that this will be the dark horse – single engine or not. Its small, reliable and sort of idiot proof in that the Swedes design most of their fighters to be run by conscripts.
Its funny how the Army and the Airforce takes a completely no-nonsense approach to indigenous products such as Arjun and the LCA and subjecting them to relentless criticism for even the simplest of matters. When it comes to foreign competitors, they always seem to get a second even if they tried to field a version of their product which is not even meant to compete in the competition. I wonder why the Gripen which is sort of an equivalent of the LCA is even being fielded in this competition which is in the medium weight category. Can anyone answer that question?
Daanish, Rafael will never win thw race. Because it's too costly. India is looking for low cost fighters it has also announced that if the vendors are giving aggresive price they will win the contract. Indians are smart enough to use their money. Also India has taken Admimiral Gorokshov aircraft carrier for the navy because the construction would be easy and they will get 2 aircraft carriers with in next 2-3 years. As this will strenthen India.
@ Anand
It does bother me as well, as to how the IAF allowed the MOD to send the RFI to LM and SAAB (for a single engine fighter) as well as to MIG (for a fighter that was on drawing board at that time) to Dassault (Rafa cant do super cruise, no AESA still) to European Conmen (No AESA, actually none baring Unkil's planes have them so far). So, only Boeing should have been asked to reply to RFI but then why such drama?
Just select F18 through the FMS route (BTW, it can’t do super cruise either) so like you i am still very confused. Also, none other than MIG had a TV engine of any kind at the time of posting the RFI to through speed post.
Indian def procurement is fuzzy logic indeed!
Shiv, would you please care to comment on my opinion about this matter? Thanks
Anand
@ anon 8:05 AM
1.Low RCS is not only because of it’s smaller size than SU 30 .it also use with extensive use of radar-absorbent materials.No such on Su-30 and by the way Su-30
RCS is 20 m2
rcs of mig-29K is 1 m2
RCS of mig-21 is 2m2
SEE it and know on web.
defining point in survival
One of reason why su-30mki version was drop and Su-35BM and ordered them later in 2009-2010 by Russian.
Do forget su-30Mki is ordered by Russian whereas Mig-29K is ordered by them.
"2. Good Radar(Zhuk-ME has a detection range of up to 120 km)
Nope – Check the radar on SU 30"
N011M has a 350 km search range and a maximum 200 km tracking range, and 60 km in the rear hemisphere.
Zhuk-ME has detection range of up to 120 km vs a 5 m2 RCS target.
Note RCS of target is not mentioned in N011M radar of su-30.It may be slightly higher in 5 m2 RCS target as in case Zhuk detected up to 300 km away and up to two surface targets can be tracked at once can done by Zhuk-ME.
3. Good Armament(# Air to Air Missiles-
AA-10 "Alamo" [R-27ER/ET], 130 km, Infrared homing medium range AAM, 120 km,Kh-35U, 130 km,Kh-31P passive radar seeker missiles is used as anti-radiation missile)
Nope – Same is available to SU 30, some missiles are carried by MIG 21/27.But Armament on Mig-29K is latest version vs su-30mki 10 year old missile version and .We all know how they performed on Mig-21/27 in reality.
"4. Avionics(look at cockpit no more needed to say)
Nope – how so? BTW look at the SU 30 cockpit."
I have seen it on web anfd see ur self and then talk
Mig-29K cockpit
http://img390.imageshack.us/i/mig29ksimulator1si6.jpg/
http://img77.imageshack.us/i/mig29cockpit9ki.jpg/
Su-30Mki cockpit 1st pic is front cockpit and 2nd pic is rear cockpit
http://www.ausairpower.net/000-Su-30MKI-Fwd-Cockpit-1S.jpg
http://www.ausairpower.net/000-Su-30MKI-Aft-Cockpit-1S.jpg
5.True both have Digital FBW i agree.
6.Only place where Su-30 is ahead is engine power :
Su-30 max power :131 kN with afterburner (27,557 lbf) each
Mig-29K:90 kN each
RCS of JF-17 is less than >1m2.