New Delhi, March 20: telegraphindia.com

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, heading a battlegroup of ships involved in strikes against the Islamic State from the Persian Gulf, will be in the Arabian Sea next month for 10 days of war games with the Indian Navy.

The exercise, the latest of a series named "Varuna", will also involve India's aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, other Indian warships and a submarine.

The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle carries on board the navalised Rafale fighter jet that also landed on and took off from the American USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier earlier this month in the Persian Gulf.

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March 23, 2015 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist
 

Intensifying since the turn of the new year, you couldn't possibly have missed the roar of AL-31s in all talk of India's turbulent final dash for a Rafale jet deal. It's unmissable. The fact that the Su-30 MKI was pushed into the M-MRCA conversation by none other than India's defence minister ensured the notion strengthened quickly, unscathed by intrigue and rumours. And then, it exploded.
 

On the evening of December 30, when Manohar Parrikar suggested to reporters that 'additional Su-30s' could save the IAF in the event that 'complications'-ridden negotiations with Dassault Aviation for 126 Rafale fighters didn't end in a purchase contract. That the seed of the idea came from the proverbial horse's mouth, and not South Block hearsay, gave it furious immediacy.

The suggestion caught the Indian Air Force completely off guard, flying as it did in the face of an unusually defiant stance the IAF leadership had decided on in 2012 about there being 'no Plan-B' in the event that the Rafale failed. But this time, the IAF resisted an immediate rebuttal. This was, after all, the Defence Minister who had weighed in. But what truly unnerved the IAF -- and several planners within the MoD -- was that Parrikar had gone out on a limb less than two months after being handpicked as Defence Minister. His specific comments on the negotiations revealed three things: One, that he'd hit the ground running and was fully abreast of the negotiations and where they were stuck. Two, that he was fully willing to question for the first time the presupposition both within the MoD (and especially the IAF) that there would was likely to be extended turbulence, but a deal would finally be signed. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it showed that Parrikar has been empowered by the PM to lead decision-making on a deal that's so large that it has everything to do with the political leadership, and little to do with the act of hardware procurement.

But there was blood in the water that couldn't be ignored. If Parrikar's pre-New Year comment sparked a fire, he pretty much flung a barrel of gasoline at it two weeks later when in an interview to Karan Thapar on Headlines Today, he said in response to a question on the possibility of the Rafale deal not working out, "Sukhoi-30 choice is always there. What I mean to say is: upgrade the Sukhoi-30, make it more capable."

The latch-on was instantaneous. Hours after Parrikar's comments were broadcast, Russian think-tank the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade declared on Jan 13 that India's potential choice of more Russian Su-30 MKIs instead of Rafales would "advantageous to the country’s air force in terms of cost, tactical and technical characteristics of the plane and a series of other reasons". For good measure, the Russians stoked France's controversial hold-back of Mistral-class amphibious intended for Russia. The example had been broached before, but Moscow really ground it in this time.

A month later, Livefist learns, a concerted effort was made by Russia's mission & trade office in New Delhi to pull India's External Affairs Ministry into the conversation. The specifics of what was on the table isn't fully known. A curious Russian media report quotes junior minister in the MEA, former Army chief, Gen (Retd.) Vijay Kumar Singh as having said that the Su-30 was cheaper than the Rafale and more reliable.

In February, with the Su-30 vs. Rafale debate stewing for nearly two months to the consternation of Dassault, IAF chief Arup Raha was fairly buttonholed into saying, "There's M-MRCA and there's Sukhoi-30. The requirements are slightly different. And they have their own capabilities. They compliment each other but do not replace each other." A statement, it was immediately clear, that practically subverted what the Defence Minister had suggested.

At Aero India 2015, where the IAF chief made that comment, the spotlight also shined on friction between Sukhoi and the IAF over the unexplained seat ejection that caused the type's fifth accident last year. The Russians weren't happy. "When we are wrong, we will say so. When the Indian pilot is wrong, the IAF should not be shy to admit that," an irritated UAC officer told me at the time.

Dassault Aviation and the French government were always prepared for rumblings of power-play and suggestive pressure from the Indian MoD, but the speed at which the conversation heated up caught all involved by surprise. For Dassault, it would now be fighting on two fronts -- one with a confident new government that promised quick action either way. And two, with the Russians, India's largest supplier of military hardware, practically invited into the tense last lap of the M-MRCA fight by the Indian MoD. The French Defence Minister, who visited Delhi last month for the second time in less than two months, didn't bring up the Su-30 MKI. The French didn't have a direct play, political or otherwise. It was felt that things were too delicate at the negotiations table to poke at something that was, Paris understood, a direct message that India wasn't going to budge on final sticking points. Informed that it needed to work on a joint liability matrix with HAL for the license build programme, Dassault decided to bide its time.

Of course, by this time, plenty of journalism in India, Russia and France -- and the furious online military aviation subculture -- had gotten the Rafale and Su-30 to dogfight on paper. It wasn't until March that France's patience cashed out. It was a veritable neutron bomb on the Su-30's two month supercruise through arms & diplomatic circles, and even the French couldn't have expected such a break: a statement by Defence Minister Parrikar himself that the Su-30 fleet had serious problems.

For Dassault and the French government, the new conversation was 

Here's the latest state of play:

1. Russia smells real blood. Through their Trade Office and the Embassy, an existing conversation about additional numbers of the Su-30 & upgrades of earlier units has been re-energised with the additional sweetener of a markedly higher degree of local content and sourcing on any additional Su-30s India may choose to license build in Nashik.
2. Livefist can confirm that Russia has also offered India the Su-35 'Super Flanker', but kept the details open. The type is officially on the table now with Russia inviting India to help configure a Su-35 'MKI'.
3. Russia is attempting to contain the twin damage of (a) information about engine trouble and fleet availability. Rosoboronexport has begun discussions with the IAF and HAL. And (b) the issue of the mysterious seat ejections. Both sides have decided to sort out the issue cordially and in private. It doesn't want to lose the momentum it received from the initial suggestion that more Su-30s could cushion the potential collapse of the M-MRCA.
4. Dassault and HAL are currently working at a furious pace to have something to show to the MoD in the next one week, though it remains unlikely that there will be anything for Prime Minister Modi & President Hollande to announce next week in Paris.
5. On March 18, Defence Minister Parrikar said, "They have to tell us whether they can do it or not. Can’t keep waiting."

Mar 20, 2015 defense-update.com

It was the fifth air launch of the Indian BVR missile. The first live launch was carried out on May 4, 2014. A previous test earlier this week has failed, as the missile failed to launch.

India’s Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile ASTRA completed a successful test flight on thursday. Developed by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the unarmed missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI against a Lakshya target over the Integrated Test Range in Balasore, off the coast of Odisha. Telemetry and Electro-optical tracking stations confirmed the successful engagement. Operational ASTRA missiles will carry a 15kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead.

It was the fifth air launch of the Indian BVR missile. The first live launch was carried out on May 4, 2014. A previous test earlier this week has failed, as the missile failed to launch. More tests are scheduled to follow, as part of the weapon’s validation and integration program, with SU-30MKI and LCA, activities currently undertaken by Hindustan Aircraft Ltd. The recent test confirmed the missile’s high turn rate (30g). Astra is designed to intercept targets beyond visual range, head on at a range of 80km, or 20 km-range in tail-chase mode.

Prior to the live launch, rigorous Captive Flight Tests (CFTs) were carried out by IAF with the support from HAL during the 2012-2014 period. The CFT trials were carried out in three phases to assess the aero-structural and mechanical integrity for carriage, validation of Weapon Control System and its electrical and avionic interfaces with missile and performance of missile system in transmission and reception mode of missile seeker respectively.

March 19th, 2015 defencetalk.com

The Indian Air Force plans to start mounting BrahMos cruise missiles on its aircraft in 2016, BrahMos Aerospace CEO Sudhir Mishra told RIA Novosti Wednesday.

The short-range supersonic missile was jointly developed by Russia and India and has been in use by the Indian Navy since 2005.

“The missile is scheduled to be adopted in 2016, ten more tests will be carried out by the end of the year,” Mishra said.

He added that the next test flight is due in May with the aircraft carrying the missile launcher. This will be followed by flights with the equipped missiles and, eventually, test firing them.

India is Russia’s biggest arms trade partner, with more than 70 percent of India’s military equipment coming from Russia or the former Soviet Union, according to Russia’s state arms exporter.

The two countries are taking part in the major Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’15), currently underway in Malaysia.

18/03/2015 Armée de l'air - Economie et technologie

Partie d’Abu Dhabi le 9 mars 2015 pour le premier tour du monde en avion solaire, l’équipe de Solar Impulse 2 a fait une escale à Ahmedabad en Inde. Les sous-lieutenants Charly et Axel, les deux élèves de l’École de l’air intégrés au projet, relatent cette étape.

Lors de l’escale à Ahmedabad, la population locale a pu découvrir l’avion HB-SiB de Solar Impulse 2 lors d’une porte ouverte. Ne devant initialement être ouverte au public que deux heures, la tente abritant l’avion est finalement restée ouverte toute l’après-midi, face à l’engouement de la population locale.

Au total, plus de 15 000 personnes ont fait le déplacement pour voir cet avion solaire, qui éveille la curiosité de tous, à commencer par les jeunes écoliers venus observer l'appareil. Cet intérêt est une motivation supplémentaire pour l’équipe : « tant de sourires et de remerciements nous font prendre pleine conscience de la portée exceptionnelle de ce projet » confie le sous-lieutenant Axel.

Toujours en Inde, les deux élèves ont rejoint Varanasi dans la nuit du 14 au 15 mars, avec l’Advance team. Composée de 10 personnes, l'équipe est envoyée sur le lieu de la prochaine escale quelques jours avant l'arrivée de l'avion, pour régler les préparatifs avec l'aéroport local.

Suite aux conditions météorologiques défavorables, l'arrivée du HB-SiB n'est prévue que le mercredi 18 mars. L'avion effectuera un arrêt mécanique puis redécollera pour Mandalay (Myanmar), jeudi 19 mars au petit matin.

Les deux élèves seront en piste pour l’atterrissage à Varanasi et le décollage jeudi pour Myanmar. « Nous accueillerons l'avion en début de soirée. Il faudra l’installer dans le hangar mobile, monté pour cette escale de trois jours.
 La période à venir s'annonce comme la plus dense de ce tour du monde ! »

Mar 18, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Indian Express News Service; published Mar 17, 2015)

Technical Glitches: Astra Test-Fire Fails

BALASORE, India --- A fresh trial of beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) Astra was deferred on Monday, reportedly due to a technical snag. The missile could not be launched though an unmanned aerial vehicle which was to be used as a target for the missile was flown from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast.

Defence sources said the missile was initially planned to be tested on March 12, but was rescheduled for Monday. A defence official associated with the mission said though the pilotless target aircraft was flown as per schedule, the missile could not be fired due to technical glitches in the system.

ITR Director MVKV Prasad said there was a possibility of the trial on Tuesday or Wednesday. As part of induction phase trials, the test was aimed at checking the control system and its stability which would have propelled its quick induction into the Armed Forces.

However, it is not for the first time that the missile has developed problem. In 2011, it had failed twice, but in 2012 and 2014, a series of developmental tests, captive flights and trials from fighter aircrafts was successful.

The indigenously developed Astra is designed for an 80-km range in head-on mode and 20 km-range in tail-chase mode.

18.03.2015 Romandie.com (ats)

L'avion solaire Solar Impulse 2 a décollé mercredi d'Ahmedabad pour la ville sainte Varanasi (Bénarès), poursuivant dans le ciel indien son tour du monde sans carburant. De petits problèmes d'ordre migratoire ont retardé le départ, au grand dam de Bertrand Piccard.

Une fois réglées ces formalités de dernière minute avec les autorités indiennes, l'avion a décollé à 07h18 locales (02h48 heure suisse), indique l'organisation de Solar Impulse dans un communiqué. Le pilote André Borschberg était aux commandes.

Bertrand Piccard s'est plaint mercredi des lenteurs de la bureaucratie indienne. Le pilote a expliqué à la presse que le décollage de l'appareil d'Ahmedabad, dans l'Etat occidental de Gujarat, avait été retardé à cause de formalités administratives.

"Le retard est dû à l'administration, aux papiers, aux tampons", a-t-il déclaré. "Je ne suis pas là pour accuser qui que ce soit. Je dit juste qu'au cours des cinq derniers jours, on a essayé de réunir les tampons nécessaires et que tous les jours, on nous disait 'demain'". "Cela fait cinq jours qu'on essaye d'avoir les tampons et il nous en manque encore", a encore ajouté Bertrand Piccard.

Quinze heures de vol

La troisième étape du voyage de l'avion solaire, un vol de plus de 1000 kilomètres au-dessus de l'Inde, devrait durer une quinzaine d'heures. Après un arrêt de neuf heures à Varanasi, où l'atterrissage de Bertrand Piccard est attendu pour 22h38 (18h08 heure suisse), l'appareil devrait repartir jeudi pour Mandalay, en Birmanie, avant de continuer sa course vers la Chine.

Le brouillard avait empêché Solar Impulse de décoller d'Ahmedabad mardi comme prévu. L'appareil révolutionnaire devait même initialement repartir dimanche, mais en avait déjà été empêché par le mauvais temps.

En réalisant un tour du monde en douze étapes, les deux Suisses Bertrand Piccard et André Borschberg veulent démontrer que les technologies propres et les énergies renouvelables permettent d'accomplir des exploits considérés jusqu'ici comme "impossibles".

March 16, 2015 Dave Majumdar - nationalinterest.org

America has an opportunity to export its expertise.

Last month, the U.S. State Department unveiled new export guidelines for commercial and military unmanned aircraft—colloquially known as drones. While ostensibly holding firm to the U.S. government’s adherence to the voluntary Missile Control Technology Regime, the new policy would allow the export of drones with ranges greater than 300 kilometers and a payload of more than 500 kilograms on “rare occasions.”

The new policy formalizes the de facto arrangement that already existed, which allows the U.S. government to currently export machines like the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. But perhaps more significantly, it sets up a standard for the export of commercial drones—imposing restrictions on the sale of those machines.

With the door more or less open to a wide range of sales to foreign operators—here are five countries that might benefit from U.S. drone technology.

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09/03/2015 Par Jean Guisnel - Défense ouverte / Le Point.fr

Le député socialiste du Finistère Gwenegan Bui est le coauteur d'un rapport sur les tensions, notamment maritimes, en mer de Chine méridionale. Interview.

Le Point : Avec votre collègue Jean-Jacques Guillet (UMP, Hauts de Seine), vous publiez un rapport parlementaire d'information titré L'Asie du Sud-Est à la confluence des océans. Pourquoi vous intéresser maintenant à cette partie du monde ?

Gwenegan Bui : En fort développement économique et démographique, l'Asie du Sud-Est voit aussi passer un quart du commerce maritime mondial. Si un incident un peu sérieux s'y produisait, ses conséquences seraient proches de celles de la crise financière de 2008. Dois-je vous rappeler que le tsunami au Japon, en 2011, a provoqué une crise durable de notre industrie automobile ? La France doit impérativement regarder de près ce qui s'y passe.

Vous écrivez que les principaux partenaires de la France dans cette région sont Singapour et la Malaisie. Pourquoi seulement ces deux pays ?

En réalité, la France a noué des partenariats stratégiques d'ensemble avec le Japon, l'Inde et l'Australie. En Asie du Sud-Est plus particulièrement, des accords ont également été signés avec le Vietnam, et l'Indonésie, mais c'est avec la Malaisie et Singapour que les relations sont les plus abouties, en raison, notamment, d'une longue histoire commune en matière de vente d'armes et de partenariats économiques et technologiques intenses. Je vous rappelle que Singapour est, avec l'Allemagne, le seul pays disposant de forces stationnées en permanence en France. Depuis une quinzaine d'années, un escadron d'entraînement de l'armée de l'air singapourienne est installé sur la base aérienne de Cazaux (Gironde).

Suite de l’entretien

9 mars 2015. Portail des Sous-Marins

Le gouvernement indien a retenu 2 chantiers navals — Larsen & Toubro (L&T) et Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company — pour l’attribution d’un contrat de construction de 6 sous-marins classiques dans le cadre de son projet 75i.

Selon des sources haut-placées, un comité de haut-niveau présidé par le vice-amiral Subhedar, a inspecté à la fois des chantiers navals privés et publics en vue de sélectionner les chantiers pouvant postuler à l’attribution du contrat. Dans sa présentation au ministère de la défense la semaine dernière, le comité a retenu les 2 chantiers navals du secteur privé : le chantier Katupalli de L&T et Pipavav.

Le contrat sera du type “achat et construction en Inde”. Cela implique que le ou les chantiers devront conclure des accords avec des sociétés étrangères.

Le chantier Pipavav a déjà conclu de tels accords, avec DCNS par exemple. L’objectif du chantier est de se diversifier sur le marché des sous-marins. Il a aussi la capacité de construire plusieurs sous-marins en même temps.

Le Projet 75i prévoit la construction de 6 sous-marins classiques à propulsion anaérobie. La livraison doit intervenir en 2022.

Référence : Financial Express (Inde)

March 9, 2015: Strategy Page

Egypt, looking to strengthen its military muscle, has placed an order for 24 Dassault Rafale Fighter Jets. Egypt has a long history of buying from the French and currently have some 100, Mirage V’s and Mirage 2000’s, in service. These two predecessors to the Rafale have served the Egyptian air force well, seeing action most recently in the 2014 bombing of Libya. But these Mirages are getting old and will have to be retired within the next ten years. Egypt has a large force of American F-16s, but the U.S. has lots of rules that prevent some countries from buying more and the rules change all the time. France is less judgmental when it comes to selling warplanes.

The Rafale costs between $100 and $130 million. Its design was based heavily off the Mirage 2000 and like most other Dassault fighters it has the Delta Wing configuration. The Rafale has a maximum speed of 2,130 kilometers an hour and a range of over 3,700 kilometers. It is equipped with a 30mm cannon and can carry nine tons worth of weapons. It is a battle tested aircraft that has already seen service with French Forces in Afghanistan, Mali, Libya and Iraq.

Over the past few years’ export buyers for the Rafale have been scarce. The Rafale is up against stiff competition for sales from aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen NG, F-18 and Su-30. Thus in 2013 Brazil passed on buying the Rafale and instead went with the cheaper Swedish Gripen NG. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is still considering a purchase as is India. This latest sale to Egypt is a much needed to boost for Dassault and an aircraft that has not been selling well. What helped make this sale happen was Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE providing half the financing and the French government guaranteeing most of the other half. Egypt is not a good credit risk and has been kept afloat since 2011 by massive charity from Gulf Arab oil states (like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE).

France has had nothing but hard times trying to find export customers for its Rafale. In 2009 the production rate was reduced from 14 a year to 11 aircraft a year and that was further reduced later. This was to slow down the delivery of Rafales, mainly because the Defense Ministry has decided that other things were more important. The new emphasis (and spending) is on peacekeeping and anti-missile defenses. Another reason for slowing down Rafale production was the lack of export orders.

India is currently taking a closer look at the Rafale. The country has been seeking to modernize its military and has most recently turned to the United States for assistance. France wants to build up its relationship with India, as well, and would like it to purchase the Rafale. The Indian air force is already using the Mirage 2000 and has historically liked Dassualt aircraft. The two main sticking points, standing in the way of a deal, are the Rafale’s rising price tag and whether India will be able to produce the fighter domestically. India insists on coproduction (some Rafale manufacturing done in India) and the French believe India overestimates its capabilities in handling some of the advanced technologies that go into Rafale. Of course India wants local manufacturers to handle that advanced tech and this is how you learn. But India also wants the French held responsible for the quality of items produced in India and this is still being negotiated. The French are confident and hope to close out a $20 billion deal for the Indian Rafale by the end of 2015

March 06, 2015 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

A 150-km range stand-off glide weapon and 288-km range light-weight cruise missile. These two mysterious items surfaced at Aero India last month. I'd been meaning to post about them, but decided to first get more information. They're both internal concepts by a group of IAF officers (serving and retired) for stand-off weapons that the service has been looking for for years. What stands out is just how specific the 'performance' parameters of the cruise missile and glide bomb really are. The IAF confirmed to Livefist that neither of the two items on display was part of active development activity, but that the concepts had been showcased as an indication of the kinds of design activities its internal teams are engaged in. The two models were fabricated at an IAF depot. The information on the boards suggest these are concepts with reasonably serious tactical capabilities, especially in terms of their stand-off range. More on these soon.

05 mars 2015 Par Hassan Meddah - Usinenouvelle.com

Pour Eric Trappier, PDG de Dassault Aviation, la vente de 24 appareils à l'Egypte permet de stabiliser les emplois sur la chaîne de fabrication du Rafale. En cas de nouveau contrat, l'avionneur pourrait doubler ses cadences de production.

En marge de la visite du président de la République le 4 mars dernier à l'usine d'assemblage des Rafale de Mérignac (Gironde), Eric Trappier, PDG de Dassault Aviation, a confié un certain optimisme pour la signature d'un nouveau contrat dans le courant de cette année. S'il ne veut pas parler d'une signature imminente, il évoque "des chances certaines d'en faire un deuxième en 2015". 

Le récent contrat de vente de 24 appareils à l'Egypte a changé la donne et pourrait accélérer les négociations avec l'Inde, le Qatar, les Emirats Arabes Unis, la Malaisie. "Un certain nombre de pays qui sont très intéressés. Ils étaient déjà très intéressés par le seul fait que le Rafale est opérationnel sur un certain nombre de théâtres d'opération. A cette réussite opérationnelle s'ajoute maintenant une réussite commerciale", se réjouit Eric Trappier.

Finaliser le contrat

Le dirigeant est revenu sur le contrat indien. Les négociations pour la vente de 126 Rafale durent depuis plus de trois ans.

"L'armée de l'air indienne est extrêmement satisfaite avec les définitions techniques. Nous avons finalisé nos accords industriels avec le grand partenaire industriel HAL qui doit fabriquer une grande partie des avions localement, assure le dirigeant. Nous avons un partage contractuel des tâches sur lequel nous nous sommes mis d'accord. Maintenant il nous faut finaliser le contrat avec le ministère indien de la défense."

Doubler le rythme de production ? 

Le PDG a également fait le point sur la charge industrielle du site de Mérignac où 1200 personnes travaillent à la production des jets d'affaires Falcon et des Rafale. Environ 80 ingénieurs, techniciens et compagnons sont mobilisés directement sur la ligne d'assemblage de l'avion de combat. L'usine doit encore produire une cinquantaine d'avions pour l'armée française, auxquels s'ajoutent les 24 appareils égyptiens. 

"Ce type de contrat à l'exportation a une incidence immédiate sur la stabilisation de l'emploi. Du fait d'une certaine substitution des livraisons entre les deux pays, cela donne un plan de charge en flux qui reste le même mais qui dure plus longtemps", explique le dirigeant. En cas de signature d'un second contrat à l'exportation, l'avionneur pourrait doubler son rythme de production en sortant deux appareils par mois.