Originally posted by waynos
Firstly I would say that 8 years is not a long time for a plane to be in service so I don't get why these MK's should be 'battered'? 20-30 years is an average lifespan for a service fighter.

Originally posted by chinawhite some development breakthoughs have happened and your stuck building older planes.

1200 engines?. The figure normally stated is for 920 engines. But these engines are only 2D engines which go up and down. When the contract was signed this is probaly the best TVC avabile in 2-3 years later we now have 3D TVC which is better because it can move in all directions instead of placing the engines inward to have that effect as on the MKI

India's Defence Minister George Fernandes laid the foundation stone of a new HAL factory at Sunabeda (20 kms from Koraput, Orissa) on Dec 15, 2002. This brand new facility is licenced to produce 1200 AL-31FPs. It is said that the manufacture of the AL-31FP engine "involved 31 new technologies required to be adopted and mastered" (Outlookindia.com).

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 6: In an indisputable sign that Indo-Israeli defence ties have matured, the governments of both countries have signed their first-ever joint weapons development contract to design and produce the Barak-II next-generation air defence missiles.

The Barak-II will be jointly developed by the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI), the Barak programme’s secondary integrator Rafael and by the Hyderabad-based Defence Research & Development Laboratories (DRDL), with the two countries splitting the approximately $330 million kick-start investment.

DRDO sources told Express, ‘‘It will be based on the original Barak, but we will work together for longer range, a more refined seeker, a long-range target-tracking system, better downlinking capabilities and possibly a new propulsion system and payload capacity.’’ In a phased manner, the Barak-I and the Barak-II missiles will replace the ageing Russian OSA-M and Volna RZ-31 missiles. Sources pointed to the inherent advantage of the Barak family’s digital systems over the analog computers that guide the Russian missiles.

Israeli efficiency is also a factor as compared to the traditional delays of dealing with the Russians

India ranks high on the list of countries ordering fighter jets, having set aside a budget of eight billion US dollars for 126 aircraft, said Mr Bob Kemp, Sales and Marketing Director of Gripen International here today.

He said Gripen was offering its jets to the Indian Air Force with most flexibility, allowing India to select its own arsenal systems. The deal would also come with most flexible financing scheme to be supported by the Swedish government. ''Our aircrafts are most suitable to replace India’s Mig-21,'' he said, expecting India to place an order of 126 jets with one specific international company. Gripen and the Swidesh government would not have any objection to India adding its own systems to the aircraft, the technology of which is just about 10 years old compared with the American and other fighter jets, some of which were built based on 30 to 40 years old technology.

According to Mr Kemp, India would also be seeking 100 more fighter jets during the second round of Air Force building programme. This would make India the largest buyers of fighter jets.

NEW DELHI: In a remarkable act of long-range maritime snooping, the Navy's reconnaissance aircraft and spy drones detected, tracked and photographed a spanking new Chinese destroyer and a tanker traversing through the Indian Ocean region this weekend. Sources said the newly-commissioned Sovremenny class destroyer, built for the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) at Russia’s St Petersburg-based North Shipyard, was "picked up" as soon as it entered the Arabian Sea from the Red Sea.

A Tupolev-142M long-range maritime patrol aircraft, flying from the Goa naval airbase, spotted the Chinese destroyer and the accompanying tanker off Yemen’s Socotra Island, located east of the Gulf of Aden, almost 2,300 km away from the Indian mainland. "The TU-142M, with its long-range cameras, photographed the destroyer carrying out underway replenishment or refuelling from the tanker," said sources.

Once the Chinese warships were pinpointed, the Navy kept them under constant surveillance throughout their passage in the Indian Ocean on way to South China Sea. Apart from TU-142Ms, Ilyushin-38s and Israeli Searcher and Heron UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were deployed to keep track of the two ships. This, incidentally, is the second time in recent months that the Navy has caught the Chinese on the high seas. In December, a TU-142M had photographed two new Chinese submarines near the Cape of Good Hope. The destroyer, tracked by the Navy, was handed over to China on December 28.

Pak lodges strong protest with India over violation of airspace

Friday February 17, 2006 (0453 PST)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with the government of India through their High Commission in Islamabad for violation of its airspace and Exclusive Economic Zone by an Indian maritime aircraft and two coast Guard Fast Patrol Crafts on February 13.

Indian Dornier maritime aircraft made a number of low altitude passes over MSS Vehdar a vessel of the Pakistan Amritime Security Agency which was engaged in patrolling and apprehending/clearing Indian fishing boats involved in poaching well inside Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone at position 2329N 6735E at 0300 hrs on February 13 2006.

The aircraft again made repeated low altitude passes at about 1530 hrs in approximately the same area. Thereafter, around 1645 hrs two Indian Coast Guard Fast Crafts approached MSS Vehdat at 03 Nautical Miles in a proactive posture with ammner armament pointing towards the Pakistani vessel. These Indian Fast Patrol Craft remained in the vicinity of the Pakistani vessel.

These Indian Fast Patrol Craft remained in the vicinity of the Pakistani vessel for approximately two hours befoe clearing away. A similar demarche about these violations was made by the Pakistan High Commission with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in new Delhi.