#111
Mensagem
por caixeiro » Qua Nov 12, 2008 3:09 pm
Nao e so nos que imaginamos coisas...
India’s Fighter Upgrades: Mirage 2000s Next?
09-Nov-2008 12:33 EST
Related Stories: Asia - India, Europe - France, Fighters & Attack, MBDA, Missiles - Air-Air, Other Corporation, Radars, Rumours, Thales
IDGA
Advertisement
AIR_Mirage_2000Hs_India_Takeoff.jpg
IAF Mirage 2000TH takeoff
(click to view full)
DID has covered India’s accelerating round of fighter fleet upgrades before. In December 2006, India Defence reported that the Indian Air Force was “close to finalising” a EUR 1.0 – 1.5 billion (about $1.5 – 2 billion) deal to upgrade its fleet of 51 Mirage-2000 ‘Vajra’ fighter jets.
The aim is to give the aircraft, inaugurated into IAF service in 1985-1988, another 20-25 years of service life; no word on whether any additional Mirage 2000s that might be acquired from France would also come with a similar upgrade set.
Of course, “close” means something very different in Indian defense circles than it does in other countries. Almost 2 years later, the deal remains “close” – but the energy level has picked up, and a renewed maintenance agreement has smoother over a hitch in the relationship….
MICA-RF and MICA-IR
MICA: Radar or IR
(click to view full)
Word is that the upgrade will bring India’s Mirages to the full Mirage 2000v5 Mk 2 standard, including a new RDY-3 radar with greater air-air and air-ground capability, a new all-digital cockpit, and improved electronic warfare systems. These will be tied into a joint tactical information data link system (JTIDS, usually Link 16 compatible but not always), plus helmet-mounted sights for off-bore-sight heat-seeking missiles. As part of the upgrade, the aircraft will also be equipped with MBDA’s Mica family of medium range missiles.
MBDA will probably be unamused by India Defence’s December 2006 description of its wares as “an advanced medium-range missile that is the French counterpart to the more capable American AMRAAM missile.” As DID’s AMRAAM coverage noted, while the MICA’s radar-guided version has mediocre range, it also has a heat-seeking IR version that offers a potent medium range ‘no warning’ targeting option. MICA would replace India’s existing radar-guided Super 350 MRAAM and Magic-II short-range infared missiles, offering better performance and range.
Work on the upgrades would be performed by a French-Indian consortium including Dassault (aircraft manufacturer), Thales (weapons systems integrator), MBDA (missiles) and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Contracts and Key Events
IAF Mirage 2000H
IAF Mirage 2000H,
Super 530Ds and Magic-IIs
(click to view full)
Nov 7/08: IANS reports progress toward a deal. Thales has reportedly offered to deliver the first 2 aircraft from its facilities in France within 40 months of signing, while it helped HAL upgrade 2 more aircraft in India to gain familiarity. Thereafter, HAL would upgrade one aircraft every month, for 47 months. IANS:
”...the IAF is known to have been considering the upgrade for at least two years but floated a request for proposal (RFP) only in April, to which Thales replied in July. Price negotiations are set to begin later this month.”
Pierre-Yves Chaltiel, senior vice president for Thales aerospace government programs, is quoted in another report as saying that “The project is part of a broader strategic partnership between France and India to be implemented under a government-to-government agreement.” Even so, the IANS report adds that another 2-year delay is quite possible:
”...another Thales official pointed out that a decision on the upgrade would have to be taken by the end of this year so that the project could begin early 2009, ahead of the parliamentary polls that are due by May but could be advanced to February.
“Our experience, not only with India but with other countries also, has been that if an election comes in the way, a decision on a project like this can be delayed by at least two years,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.”
See: IANS, via Times of India’s Economic Times | Rediff | India Defence.
Aug 5/08: In 1982, Dassault and the IAF signed a maintenance contract for India’s Mirage 2000 aircraft. That agreement was due for renewal 25 years later, in 2007. Now, India Defence reports that a new agreement has been reached, after a 6-month negotiating stalemate that was moving toward court action:
“Ministry sources said a six-month stalemate between the two sides was finally broken when the Indian side acceded to the French company’s demands pertaining to charges on liquidated damages. Half of the Air Force’s 46 Mirage 2000-H aircraft faced grounding had the stalemate persisted, a service official said. Dassault had insisted on renewing the maintenance contract only if liquidated charges are calculated at the rate of 0.5 percent of the total contract on a monthly basis. The Defence Ministry wanted the 0.5 percent to be calculated per week.”
Dassault reportedly got its way on this issue after threatening to take the matter to the courts, which would have created very long delays to repairs and probably would have grounded the fleet.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There's More Than One of Everything"
... Além é claro dar uma voadinha naquele simulador do F-5 novamente... só que agora a versão "M".![[009]](./images/smilies/009.gif){kind=small}
![8-]](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif "Cool"){kind=icon}
