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July 28, 2009

INS Arihant and SLBM Sagarika (K-15), Shourya & Nirbhay

INS Arihant



Class and type: Arihant class submarine

Name: INS Arihant

Builder: Shipbuilding Centre (SBC), Vishakapatnam

Laid down: Unknown

Launched: 26 July, 2009

Commissioned: 2012 (planned)

Status: On trials General characteristics

Type: SSBN

Displacement: 6000 tons (Est.)

Length: 110m

Beam: 11m

Draft: 9m (29.5ft) (Est.) Propulsion: PWR using 40% enriched uranium fuel (80MW); one turbine (47,000hp/70MW); one shaft; one 7-bladed, high-skew propeller. (Est.)

Range: unlimited except by food supplies

Test depth: 300 m (984.2ft). (Est.)

Complement: 100 officers and men

Sensors andprocessing systems: BEL USHUS Armament: 6 x 533mm torpedoes, 12 x K-15 Sagarika SLBM


INS Arihant is India's lead ship of the Arihant class of nuclear-powered Fleet submarines. The 6000-tonne vessel was built under the top-secret ATV (advanced technology vessel) project at the Ship Building Centre in Vishakapatnam at a cost of USD 2.9 billion. It was formally launched on 26 July 2009 by Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh at the naval dockyard of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam by Gursharan Kaur, wife of the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, who broke a coconut and later dedicated it to the nation.Arihant (Sanskrit for 'destroyer of enemies') is the first nuclear-powered submarine to be built by India. When launched, it will make India only the sixth country in the world to have the capability to build Nuclear submarines indigenously. The launch of INS Arihant constitutes a big step towards India's endeavor to build a credible Nuclear triad — the capability to fire nukes from air, land and sea. There has been lot of confusion as to whether Arihant Class of submarines are SSN or SSGN or SSBN. Arihant Class is designed to carry Sagarika, which is an SLBM, a submarine launched ballisitic missile and not a cruise missile. Hence, that designates Arihant Class as SSBN without any doubt.The project to indigenously develop a nuclear-powered submarine was first conceived during Indira Gandhi's reign as Prime Minister in 1970,but really got going only in the mid-1980s. However, until early 2009 India officially denied the existence of such a project.


Sagarika / K-15 / Shourya / Nirbhay

While published reports are generally consistent about the characteristics and chronology of this system, there is general disagreement on one fundamental point, whether the missile is a ballistic missile or a cruise missile. The reported physical dimensions of the missile seem to support the reporting that it is a cruise missile. Sagarika appears to be the designation of the sea-based version of the missile which is designated Shourya when deployed on a land-based Transporter Erector Launcher. The K-15 launch sile is well attested, and appears to be intended for the Advanced Tehnology Vessel nuclear submarine. It is, however, far too large for the Sagarika missile.

It is reasonable to believe that this launcher would initially be employed with 3 Sagarika cruise missiles in each tube, which could subsequently be back-fitted with a single Agni-III ballistic missile.
Sagarika (Oceanic)

Started in the early 1990s, DRDO was reported to have developed a 300-km submarine-launched ballistic missile, Sagarika, based on the Prithvi. The program is reported to have started in 1992 and was originally reported to involve adapting a ramjet engine to the missile to reduce the need for heavy oxidizers. In 1994 the periodical Flight International reported that India's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) had for the past two years been engaged in designing a ramjet-powered, submarine-launched missile dubbed the Sagarika. Other reports state that Sagarika was initially designed as a solid-fuelled version of the Prithvi. But the idea was shelved after the navy indicated its preference for a cruise missile. India did not have a submarine configured for launching ballistic missiles.

In October 2005 it was reported that India was developing the Sagarika, said to be a submarine-launched cruise missile with a range of about 300 km.

Something about the Sagarika inspires a cloak of secrecy. In 2005 defence minister Pranab Mukherjee confirmed the program: “This is a DRDO project but we would not like to make a premature advertisement.” Later, in Parliament, he denied the project even existed. As late as 2006 one observer suggested that the Sagarika was merely a figment of the Non-Proliferation community’s imagination

In April 2007 it was reported that the indigenously-built Sagarika cruise missile, with a range of nearly 1,000 km and a 500-kg warhead, had two variants capable of being launched from aircraft and submarines. Sagarika was said to be the primary armament for the long-delayed Advanced Technology Vessel indigenous nuclear submarine, and the IAF was said to be considering equipping the forthcoming Medium Transport Aircraft with the stand-off missile. And in June 2007 it was reported that DRDO was currently working on the Sagarika submarine launched cruise missile. The nuclear capable Sagarika was said to have the capability to carry a 500 kg warhead over a distance of 1,000 km. It is also planned to develop an air launched version of Sagarika.

In April 2007 India conducated a test of the Sagarika from a submersible pontoon launcher.
In July 2007 it was reported that India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) had started work on three new types of missiles: a superior version of the Agni III, a hypersonic BrahMos and a naval missile known as Sagarika. The Sagarika would be a submarine launched, nuclear-armed, missile with a range of 1000 kilometers.
On 27 February 2008 India proved that it had the capability to launch missiles from underwater by successfully test-firing the Sagarika missile from a pontoon off the coast of Visakhapatnam. The pontoon simulated the conditions of a submarine. Shortly after noon, the missile's booster ignited and Sagarika rose from the pontoon. It impacted the sea over 700 km away. A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) missile technologist said "It has been consistently successful. This is not the first time that we have launched the missile. We have done it earlier a few times although it went by different names."

This test, the sixth test of the 700-km range Sagarika missile, completed its goal of having air, land and sea ballistic systems, the defence ministry said. The launch from a submerged pontoon took place off India’s southeast coast near the port city of Visakhapatnam around 1:00 pm (0730 GMT), a defence ministry spokesman said. With the latest test, India joins an elite group — the United States, Russia, France and China — that has such ability. The test came two months after India’s chief military scientist M. Natarajan said New Delhi would test a ballistic missile with a range of 6,000 kilometers in 2008.

The tactical, submarine-to-surface missile was said to be a light, miniaturised system, which was about 6.5 meters long and weighed seven tons. Powered by solid propellants, it was reported to be able to carry a payload of about 500 kg and can be launched from different platforms - from the ground, from underwater and mobile launchers. Other reports said the missile was powered by a turbojet, could carry a 500-kg payload, and was 8.5 metres long and about a metre in diameter. Ultimately, it will be launched from the indigenous nuclear powered submarine under construction at Kalpalrkam in Tamil Nadu and Visakhapatnam. The missile can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.

Sagarika was developed at the DRDOs missile complex in Hyderabad. The complex consists of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and the Research Center, Imarat (RCI). The missile was designed and developed by the DRDL, the ASL provided the motors and propulsion systems. The RCI's contribution was in avionics, including control and guidance systems and inertial navigation systems.
In July 2008 DDRO was reported to be near breakthrough in test firing the country's first underwater launch ballistic missile, Sagarika. Sagarika had already been test-fired from a pontoon, but now DRDO is planning a full-fledged test of the missile from a submarine and for this purpose may use the services of a Russian Amur class submarine.

Project K-15 Launcher

The Project K-15 launcher was designed and developed for testing of missiles. The system was been delivered to the user in 2004 and mounted inside a pontoon. Design by analysis approach has been adopted for final configuration of the launcher. The material used for launcher structure is high-strength-lowalloy (HSLA) steel. Sets of guide rails are bolted to the container to hold the launcher.
Advanced fabrication technology has been used to ensure the desired perpendicularity, parallesim and concentricity. A 2.3 m static seal, which restricts water ingress to the bottom of the container, was designed and experimentally validated for extreme hydrostatic pressure.

Platform launcher has been designed for launching medium range surface-to-surface missiles. It comprises a launcher structure, a set of shock isolation systems, a set of launcher locking mechanism, a set of special seals and a connector alignment mechanisms for connector blind mating. The launcher structure is having precision dimensional features for perfect interfacing with the missile and other subsystems. The structure is made of special high strength stainless steel for a maintenance-free service life. This material does not need any corrosion protection against any aggressive marine environment.

The shock isolation systems protect the launcher against shock load. The shock isolation systems comprise disc spring stacks in longitudinal direction and elastic beams in lateral direction. This particular non-conventional combination takes care of compactness and mode decoupling. The locking mechanism locks the shock isolation suspension system and provide rigid support during launch operation. It is a fail-safe all mechanical device. The 2.4 m diameter diaphragm seal prevents water entrance and flexes when the launcher vibrates on the shock isolation mounts. The seal has been developed based on steel reinforced radial tire technology. The connector alignment mechanism has all six degrees of freedom and, therefore, capable to take care of any misalignment within the envisaged limit during blind mating of connector.

In early 2008 India announced that it had perfected the technology for launching missiles from a submerged submarine. That meant the silo design had been perfected as well.

K-15 Missile

DRDO is working on the K-15 SLBM, having tested it from submersible pontoon launchers, with the aim to integrate it on the indigenous nuclear submarines being built under the secretive ATV (advanced technology vessel) project. Though not in the range of the over 5,000-km SLBMs in the arsenal of US, Russia and China, the 750-km range K-15 will accord India with the desperately-needed third leg of the nuclear weapon triad.

The launch of the K-15 Sagarika missile on 26 February 2008 from a submerged pontoon in the Bay of Bengal simulated the conditions of a submarine launch. India, for the first time on Wednesday 12 November 2008, test-fired from a defence base in Orissa its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) K-15 from a land-based launcher. It was test-fired successfully from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in the district of Balasore, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. The test was intended to check speed, trajectory, azimuth and other parameters of the missile. The missile had earlier undergone a few tests in an underwater platform.

The K-15 missile has two stages fitted into its half-meter diameter body. It can carry a payload up to one ton and has a maximum range of 700 km. The K-15 missile has a length of around 11 meters [other reports say only 7 meters], larger than the 8.5-meters-long Prithvi short-range ballistic missile but smaller than the 15-meter-long Agni-1 ballistic missile - both of which have a diameter of 1 meter, twice that reported for the K-15.

Shourya (Valor)

On 12 November 2008 India conducted the fourth successful test of its K15 Sagarika SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile). This test was from a land-based missile silo. In the last few tests, the metal silo was being tested as well. The K-15 seven ton has a 1,000 kilometer range, and a half ton payload. India test fired the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) K-15 from a land-based launcher from Orissa. The land based version is named as ‘Shourya’.

The Shourya missile is said to be about 10 meters long. It can carry warheads weighing more than 500 kg. W. Selvamurthy, Chief Controller (R&D), DRDO, said the Shourya missile provided the country with “a second strike capability” because it was a variant of the under-water launched K-15 missile (Sagarika). “We can keep the missile in a secured position [silo] to carry either conventional or nuclear warheads,” Dr. Selvamurthy said. Reportedly, although the Shourya needed a silo with a maximum depth of 50 meters to lift off, it could be launched from 30-meter deep silos [these numbers are too big, and don't make much sense]. It had a booster which fired underground and another which fired in the air.

The DRDO termed as “successful” the flight-test of the ‘Shourya’ missile system from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Balasore in Orissa at 1125 hours 12 November 2008. The “Shourya” missile "flew at five times the speed of sound, that is Mach 5, for 300 km” of its 600-km range, according to M. Natarajan, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. Its velocity gradually tapered off during the remaining 300 km of its flight and then it plunged vertically over the targeted site in the Bay of Bengal. What was outstanding about the Shourya’s success was the performance of its indigenous navigation system with the help of a ring-laser gyroscope, Mr. Natarajan said. He called it “a sophisticated navigation and guidance system produced by the Research Centre, Imarat” (RCI) in Hyderabad.

The missile was test fired from a 30-40 feet deep pit with in-built canister specially designed for this purpose. There was no water in the pit. The missile has a range of 600 km and flight duration of 485 seconds. The test was intended to check speed, trajectory, azimuth and other parameters of the missile. What was outstanding about the Shourya’s success was the performance of its indigenous navigation system with the help of a ring-laser gyroscope, according to M. Natarajan, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.

According to one report Shourya can reach targets 700 km away, carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. It is 10 meters long and 74 cm in diameter and weighs 6.2 tonnes. It is a two-stage missile and both its stages are powered by solid propellants. Its flight time is 500 seconds to 700 seconds. It can carry warheads weighing more than 500 kg.

The missile has a unique feature of simplicity of operation and maintenance. It can be easily handled, transported and stored within the canister for longer shelf life. The missile, encased in a canister, is mounted on a single vehicle, which has only a driver’s cabin, and the vehicle itself is the launch platform. This “single vehicle solution” reduces its signature – it cannot be easily detected by satellites – and makes its deployment easy. The composite canister make the missile much easier to store for long periods without maintenance as well as to handle and transport. It also houses the gas generator to eject the missile from the canister before its solid propellant motors take over to hurl it at the intended target.

The high manoeuvrability of the missile makes it less vulnerable to available anti-missile defence systems. The missile performed a maneuver of rolling to spread the heat uniformly on its surface. Its high manoeuvrability makes it less vulnerable to present-day anti-missile defence systems.

Nirbhay

In mid-2007 it was reported that India was developing a new medium-range, multi-platform missile, called the Nirbhay [Dauntless or Fearless], that was slated to be tested by end-2009. The missile, with a range of 1,000 km, was being developed at the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the defence ministry. The latest in the series of India's missile development programme, the Nirbhay follows the Agni (I, II and III), the Prithvi (I and II), the Indo-Russian joint venture supersonic Brahmos, Akash, Trishul and Nag.

"It (Nirbhay) will be better than Babur," explained Avinash Chander, director of ASL, referring to Pakistan's first subsonic, low-level terrain-mapping missile, developed originally with a 500 km range and later upgraded to 700 km. First tested in 2005, the Babur is similar in design to the US BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missile-the two being roughly the same size and shape. Pakistan is said to be working on a more advanced version with a range of 1,000 km.
The subsonic Nirbhay weighs 1,000 kg with a 1,000 km range and a speed of 0.7 mach. A missile is subsonic when its speed is less than the speed of sound (1 mach). Nirbhay was said to be six meters in length with a 520 mm diameter. While the missile was being developed in-house, India was looking at partnerships for the engine. The requirement for Nirbhay was anticipated by India's three armed forces. Nirbhay is to have multiple platforms and can be launched from ground, sea and air.

Sidharth K Menon


July 20, 2009

HUNGRY PREDATORS

PREDATOR IN SERVICE / MQ-1 ARMED PREDATOR / US ARMY SKY WARRIOR

The Predator was introduced to operations in the summer of 1995. Three Predators were deployed over Bosnia that summer, flying out of Albania, with one command-destroyed after an engine failure and another apparently shot down. These aircraft were replaced. Initially, these Predators only had the Skyball turret payload, but they were withdrawn to the US for fitting the SAR payload, and then returned in the spring of 1996. The Predator was passed over to Air Force control after its Bosnian service. The Air Force promptly put the Predator into service in the air campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.

The Air Force handed the Predator over to the service's Big Safari office after the Kosovo campaign in order to accelerate tests of the UAV in a strike role, fitted with reinforced wings and stores pylons to carry munitions, as well as a laser target designator to designate weapons for itself and other strike platforms. The Predator's service in the Kosovo campaign left something to be desired, since it was unarmed and operators of the UAV were not properly trained or equipped to direct strike aircraft pilots onto a target. The result was a comedy of errors, with one officer involved saying that with such clumsy methods it would 45 minutes to get a strike aircraft into the same zip code. The laser target designator allowed targets to be pinpointed for strike aircraft quickly and accurately, with the Predator firing its own munitions when a target was likely to be gone before a strike aircraft arrived.

This effort led to a series of tests in February 2001, in which the Predator fired three Hellfire anti-armor missiles, scoring hits on a stationary tank with all three missiles. The effectiveness of the scheme was a relief, because nobody was quite sure if firing a Hellfire from a Predator might not rip the UAV's wing right off. The configuration was put into service, with the armed Predators given the new designation of "MQ-1A". Given that a Predator is very unobtrusive and the Hellfire is supersonic, such a combination gives little warning of attack.

A new "Hellfire P" variant of the missile has been fielded, featuring an "off boresight" seeker that can be gimballed to get a target lock, eliminating the need to point the Predator at a target. This permits faster targeting and a wider missile launch envelope. The Air Force is working on carriage of the Viper glide weapon. The service has also investigated using the Predator to drop battlefield ground sensors, and (as discussed later) to carry and deploy the "Finder" mini-UAV. Over the long run, the USAF wants to use a 113 kilogram (250 pound) GPS-guided "small diameter bomb (SDB)".

The Air Force has long been cautious about arming UAVs, since armed long-range UAVs are technically outlawed by the 1988 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which prohibits ground-launched cruise missiles. Interestingly, the INF does not ban arming ship or submarine launched UAVs, nor short-range tactical UAVs. Since the USAF is now very enthusiastic about the armed Predator, since it is proving an excellent weapon in America's current "war on terror", the legal implications will likely become a matter of diplomatic discussion.

* The Hellfire experiments were quickly put to use. After attacks on America on 11 September 2001 by terrorists believed to be associated with Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden and his Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda terrorist network, in early October of that year the US military began a campaign against Afghanistan intended to root out Osama and the al-Qaeda.

The Predator was a particularly important element in the campaign, being used by the USAF to locate high-priority targets for air strikes. The Predators were armed with Hellfires to ensure that if Osama or other al-Qaeda leadership were spotted, they could be attacked immediately. On 18 November 2001, a Predator was supporting an attack on a Taliban site when the UAV's operators spotting enemy forces fleeing the site. A Hellfire was launched, killing dozens, including some Taliban leadership.
By the time of the Afghan campaign, the Air Force had acquired 60 Predators, and lost 20 of them in action. Few if any of the losses were from enemy action. The Predator was not a very mature machine, with one significant problem being that communications from friendly forces can break the command datalink, which resulted in the loss of at least one Predator. The fact that it has a limited operational ceiling means that it can't fly above storm conditions, and foul weather, particularly icy conditions, caused the lion's share of the losses.

In response to the losses caused by cold weather flight conditions, a few of the later Predators obtained by the USAF were fitted with de-icing systems, along with an uprated turbocharged engine and improved avionics. This improved "Block 1" version is referred to as the "RQ-1L", or the "MQ-1L" if it can carry munitions.

On 3 November 2002, an MQ-1L operating over Yemen spotted a car that was identified as carrying a high al-Qaeda official and five of his people. The Predator blasted the car with a Hellfire, killing all the occupants. The UAV was operated by the CIA, but was being flown by a USAF pilot from a French military base in Djibouti, in the horn of Africa. The attack was cued by observers on the ground.
Of course, Predators were employed in the American invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003. One fired a Hellfire at an antenna on the roof of the Iraqi propaganda ministry in Baghdad to get the propaganda minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, off the air. The propaganda minister had acquired an international reputation for his colorful remarks, and was known as "Baghdad Bob" to American forces, but the decision was taken to finally shut him up. The Predator-Hellfire was used because the propaganda ministry was close to the grand mosque and nobody wanted to risk damaging it by using a larger munition.

Interestingly, some of the older Predators and Gnat-750s, as well as old Pioneer and Hunter UAVs, were stripped down to be used as decoys to provoke Iraqi defenses. After the occupation of Iraq, CIA-operated Predators and I-Gnats were launched from both Afghanistan and Iraq to probe Iran for evidence of a nuclear program, with one apparently lost in a crash in Iran in the summer of 2005.

Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding out in the mountains of Pakistan and Predators are also on patrol there, waiting for him to show himself. He is distinctive, being very tall and slender, making him a good target. In 2008, Predator attacks on Islamic militants became so commonplace that the Pakistani government protested loudly over the incidents. There was suspicion the Bush II Administration was attempting to pressure the Pakistanis into taking more decisive action against the militants.

Incidentally, USAF Predators in the Middle East are actually "piloted" from Nellis AFB and Creech AFB in Nevada. Only a relatively small service and handling team deals with the machines "in theater". One pilot flying the Predator from Nellis who had been on the battle lines says the experience is much the same: "Physically, we may be in Vegas [Nellis AFB is next door to Las Vegas], but mentally we're flying over Iraq. It feels real."

The Air Force had been hard-pressed to train personnel to fly the Predators, and the pilots have been badly overloaded, making retention troublesome. A "multiple aircraft" control system is being introduced, allowing one pilot to control up to four Predators, with three machines operating on autopiloted search patterns while one is under direct control. The USAF regards getting up the operational learning curve as a high priority, since the number of Air Force Predator squadrons is expected to expand rapidly.
One of the limitations of the Predator's EO system is that it has a narrow field of view. It works well enough to inspect a particular target, but it leaves much to be desired in keeping an eye on the "big picture". Two Predators have been flown in Iraq with a set of commercial off-the-shelf cameras mounted over the airframe to give a wide-area picture, the images from the different cameras being stitched together by software. They can only provide a frame or two per second and have no night / foul weather capability, but they have proven the concept and the Pentagon is interested in developing a more capable system.

* With the Predator proving so useful, in the summer of 2005 the US Army, having initiated an "Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP)" UAV requirement a year earlier, formally decided to jump on board the bandwagon by awarding a contract to General Atomics for the "MQ-1C Sky Warrior", sometimes known just as the "Warrior", a Predator with a heavy fuel (diesel / jet fuel) engine, a slightly increased wingspan, and increased system redundancy. The Army had already operated I-Gnats in small numbers from 2003.

The Sky Warrior carries surveillance, communications relay, and strike payloads. The heavy-fuel engine is said to provide more horsepower, better fuel efficiency, and greater reliability than the Rotax 912 gasoline engine, though apparently the major driving force for adopting the new engine was the fact that Army vehicles are diesels, and having to support a gasoline engine in the field would have been logistically troublesome. The Sky Warrior features a Tactical Common DataLink (TCDL) along with its satellite comlink, and can carry a warload of four Hellfire missiles, twice that of the original Predator. Operational endurance is up to 30 hours. First flight was in the spring of 2008, with the initial "Block 0" Sky Warrior in service in Iraq a month later for combat evaluation.

The Army is definitely serious about the Sky Warrior, planning to obtain 11 systems, with 12 UAVs and 5 control stations per system. Combat in Iraq has obviously been a major driving force in the program, with ground forces in the theater relying on fighter jets with long-range targeting pods to provide real-time observation in support of ground combat operations. The Sky Warrior would be able to provide that capability with much more persistence and at much lower cost.
Although the relationship between the Air Force and the Army over the close-support mission has been generally, if not always, good, Army brass also like to have their own air support assets. Something of a "turf battle" has emerged between the Army and the Air Force over the Predator, with the Air Force attempting to take over control of relatively capable UAV assets such as the Sky Warrior from the Army. To no surprise, the Army has strongly resisted the idea.

* After a somewhat lengthy adolescence, the Predator has matured into a very useful system that has received a good deal of public attention. Unsurprisingly, General Atomics has developed an improved "Predator B" series.

General Atomics began development of the Predator B with the "Predator B-001", a proof-of concept aircraft, which performed its initial flight on 2 February 2001. The B-001 was powered by a Honeywell / Allied-Signal TPE-331-10T turboprop engine providing 712 kW (950 SHP). The Predator B-001 had a standard Predator airframe, except that the wings were stretched from 14.6 meters (48 feet) to 19.5 meters (64 feet). The B-001 had a speed of 390 KPH (240 MPH), compared to 220 KPH (135 MPH) for the Predator A, and could carry a payload of 340 kilograms (750 pounds) to an altitude of 15.2 kilometers (50,000 feet) with an endurance of 25 hours.

Although General Atomics originally considered a Predator B variant powered by a Williams FJ-44-2A turbofan engine providing 10.2 kN (1,040 kgp / 2,300 lbf) thrust, there was more interest in the turboprop configuration at the time, and the production Predator B machines retain the TP-331-10T engine. The production machines have a maximum ceiling of 15.8 kilometers (52,000 feet), and an endurance of 36 hours. The higher ceiling allows the Predator B to fly above bad weather conditions. The turboprop engine was not only more powerful than the Rotax piston engine, it also had a much longer mean time between failures. The ground system remained much the same as that of the original RQ-1 / MQ-1 Predator.

General Atomics had originally funded Predator B development with company money in anticipation of government interest and contracts, and they weren't disappointed. In October 2001, the US Air Force signed a contract with the company to purchase an initial pair of Predator Bs for evaluation, with follow-up orders for production machines; the USAF designated the type the "MQ-9B Hunter-Killer" or "Reaper". Cost is on the order of about $5 million USD each, more than a Predator A, but still a fraction of the cost of a piloted combat aircraft. Reapers were quickly fielded, performing combat evaluations in Afghanistan in late 2007, with flight control performed from the USA over satellite comlinks.

The MQ-9B is fitted with six stores pylons, with a maximum external load of 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds). The inner stores pylons can carry a maximum of 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds) each, and are "wet" to allow carriage of external fuel tanks. The midwing stores pylons can carry a maximum of 270 kilograms (600 pounds) each, while the outer stores pylons can carry a maximum of 90 kilograms (200 pounds) each. An MQ-9B with two 450 kilogram (1,000 pound) external fuel tanks and 450 kilograms of munitions has an endurance of 42 hours. An improved targeting system, with greater range and resolution, has also been fitted.

The Reaper gives the service an enhanced "deadly persistence" capability, with the UAV hanging over a combat area night and day, waiting for a target to present itself. In this role, an armed UAV neatly complements piloted strike aircraft. A piloted strike aircraft can be used to dump larger quantities of ordnance on a known target, while a cheaper UAV can be kept in operation almost continuously, with ground controllers trading off in shifts, carrying a light warload to engage targets of opportunity.
The current Hellfire may not be the preferred munition, since it isn't qualified for operation at cold temperatures found at high altitudes, nor does it have the range to hit targets from such altitudes. An improved Hellfire would be one armament option, as are the SDB and Viper, or even the 225 kilogram (500 pound) version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) GPS-guided bomb for larger targets.

The Stinger AAM has also been evaluated as a store, but it does not appear that this configuration has been fielded since there has been no operational need for it to this time. There has been some thought of carriage of the bigger Sidewinder, or even the long-range AIM-120 AMRAAM, as stores. The AMRAAM would require that the Reaper carry an improved radar with AMRAAM targeting and control capabilities. General Atomics has published ads showing the Reaper armed with twin 225 kilogram guided bombs, eight Hellfires, and two Sidewinders, demonstrating just how much of a punch the machine can pack.
The Reaper complements and doesn't replace the smaller, cheaper, Predator A; the Reaper is primarily a loitering strike asset, while the Predator A is primarily a surveillance and reconnaissance asset. The plan is for squadrons to operate one Reaper for about three Predator As, with a total force of at least 250 UAVs spread over 15 squadrons. Britain has also obtained three Reapers, for an urgent operational requirement in Afghanistan, and would like to acquire more, with some intent to use them for surveillance. The Royal Air Force would like to use the Reaper to provide security at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Italy has ordered a small batch of Predator Bs to follow up the purchase of the original Predator.

In addition, the US Forest Service (USFS) has evaluated a Reaper in a collaborative program with NASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The USFS and NASA conducted some trials in 2006 with a leased Predator B, leading to operations in 2007 with a Reaper obtained from the USAF. This machine was renamed "Ikhana", from the Chocktaw word for "intelligent" or "aware"; the name "Reaper" seemed a bit too warlike for a civil application. The Ikhana carried a NASA-designed infrared sensor package for fire mapping: although a standard Reaper can carry an infrared imager as a normal payload, it's too sensitive to be used to observe big, hot fires. The sensor package relayed imagery back to a ground station in real-time to allow warnings to be sent to fire-fighters.

NASA not surprisingly is also considering a range of other missions for the Ikhana. The US National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is planning collaborative UAV efforts with NASA for weather and climate research. The two agencies have long collaborated on weather satellites and UAVs would only be an extension of existing practice.

General Atomics has designed a navalized version of the Reaper, named the "Mariner", for carrier operations and has flown a demonstrator. The production Mariner would be turboprop-powered, with folding wings for carrier storage; shorter and more rugged landing gear; an arresting hook; cut-down or eliminated ventral flight surfaces; and six stores pylons with a total load of 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds).

Although General Atomics did backtrack on development of a turbofan-powered Predator B variant, the idea didn't die out. The company has acknowledged work on a "Predator C" with turbofan propulsion and improved stealth, but has not released details. Initial flight is expected in 2009.
Sidharth K Menon

July 8, 2009

THE RAW DEAL

The Research and Analysis Wing

India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has long faced allegations of meddling in its neighbors' affairs. Founded in 1968, primarily to counter China's influence, over time it has shifted its focus to India's other traditional rival, Pakistan. RAW and Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have been engaged in covert operations against one other for over three decades. The ongoing dispute in Kashmir continues to fuel these clashes, but experts say Afghanistan may be emerging as the new battleground.
Islamabad sees India's growing diplomatic initiatives in Afghanistan as a cover for RAW agents working to destabilize Pakistan. It accuses RAW of training and arming separatists in Pakistan's Balochistan Province along the Afghan border. RAW denies these charges, and in turn, accuses the ISI of the July 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.

The History of RAW

Until 1968, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which is responsible for India's internal intelligence, also handled external intelligence. But after India's miserable performance in a 1962 border war with China, the need for a separate external intelligence agency was clear. During that conflict, "our intelligence failed to detect Chinese build up for the attack," writes Maj. Gen. VK Singh, a retired army officer who did a stint in RAW, in his 2007 book, India's External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing.
As a result, India established a dedicated external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Founded mainly to focus on China and Pakistan, over the last forty years the organization has expanded its mandate and is credited with greatly increasing India's influence abroad. Experts say RAW's powers and its role in India's foreign policy have varied under different prime ministers. Successes that RAW claims it contributed to include:

the creation of Bangladesh in 1971;
India's growing influence in Afghanistan;
Sikkim's accession to India in the northeast in 1975;
the security of India's nuclear program;
the success of African liberation movements during the Cold War.

The first head of RAW, Rameshwar Nath Kao, who headed the IB's external intelligence division, led the agency until he retired in 1977. Many experts, including officers who worked with him, credit him with RAW's initial successes: India's triumph in the 1971 war with Pakistan, and India's covert assistance to the African National Congress's anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. "To a large extent, it was Kao who raised RAW to the level of India's premier intelligence agency, with agents in virtually every major embassy and high commission," writes Singh. But the organization has been criticized for its lack of coordination with domestic intelligence and security agencies, weak analytical capabilities, and complete lack of transparency.

The Structure and Function of RAW

Not much is known regarding the structure of RAW, say experts. The organization started with 250 people and about $400,000. It has since expanded to several thousand personnel, but there is no clear estimate of its staffing or budget, as both remain secret. However, an estimate by the U.S.-based Federation of American Scientists suggests that in 2000, RAW had about eight to ten thousand agents and a budget that experts place at $145 million. Unlike the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or Britain's MI6, RAW reports directly to the prime minister instead of the Ministry of Defense. The chief of RAW is designated secretary (research) in the Cabinet Secretariat, which is part of the prime minister's office. Some officers of RAW are members of a specialized service, the Research and Analysis Service, but several officers also serve on deputation from other services such as the Indian Police Service.

RAW had two priorities after its formation, writes B. Raman, a former RAW official, in the 2007 book ,The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane. The organization worked to strengthen its capability for intelligence gathering on Pakistan and China and for covert action in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Some experts say that RAW's efforts in East Pakistan, which was created from the partition of the Indian state of Bengal and completely separated from the rest of Pakistan, was aimed at fomenting independence sentiment. Over time, RAW's objectives have broadened to include:
Monitoring the political and military developments in adjoining countries, which have direct bearing on India's national security and in the formulation of its foreign policy.

Seeking the control and limitation of the supply of military hardware to Pakistan, mostly from European countries, the United States, and China.
Experts disagree on the amount of influence RAW asserts on India's foreign policy. Sumit Ganguly, a professor of political science at Indiana University, says the agency has no influence on foreign policy. However, Dipankar Banerjee, a retired army official and current director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, a New Delhi-based think tank, says the head of RAW has direct access to the head of state, to whom he provides input and analysis.

From the early days, RAW had a secret liaison relationship with the Mossad, Israel's external intelligence agency. The main purpose was to benefit from Israel's knowledge of West Asia and North Africa, and to learn from its counterterrorism techniques, say experts.

RAW's Role in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka
RAW played a significant role in the formation of Bangladesh along with the Indian army and other Indian security and intelligence agencies. Besides providing intelligence to policymakers and the army, RAW trained and armed Mukti Bahini, a group of East Pakistanis fighting for the separate state of Bangladesh. Analysts say that RAW also facilitated the northeastern state of Sikkim's accession to India in 1975, and provided military assistance to groups hostile to the pro-China regime in Myanmar, such as the Kachin Independence Army.

But it was the support for the Tamil separatist group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, that brought RAW much criticism from human rights organizations. RAW helped to train and arm the LTTE in the 1970s, but after the group's terrorist activities grew in the 1980s-including its alliances with separatist groups in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu-RAW withdrew this support. In 1987, New Delhi made a pact with the Sri Lankan government to send peacekeeping troops to the island and Indian forces ended up fighting the group RAW had armed. In 1991, Rajiv Gandhi, prime minister of India at the time of the peacekeeping force deployment, was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber.

Covert Action in Afghanistan, Pakistan

Since its inception in 1968, RAW has had a close liaison relationship with KHAD, the Afghan intelligence agency, due to the intelligence it has provided RAW on Pakistan. This relationship was further strengthened in the early 1980s when the foundation was laid for a trilateral cooperation involving the RAW, KHAD, and the Soviet KGB. Raman says RAW valued KHAD's cooperation for monitoring the activities of Sikh militants in Pakistan's tribal areas. Sikhs in the Indian state of Punjab were demanding an independent state of Khalistan. According to Raman, Pakistan's ISI set up clandestine camps for training and arming Khalistani recruits in Pakistan's Punjab Province and North West Frontier Province. During this time, the ISI received large sums from Saudi Arabia and the CIA for arming the Afghan mujahadeen against Soviet troops in Afghanistan. "The ISI diverted part of these funds and arms and ammunition to the Khalistani terrorists," alleges Raman.

In retaliation, in the mid-1980s, RAW set up two covert groups of its own, Counter Intelligence Team-X (CIT-X) and Counter Intelligence Team-J (CIT-J), the first targeting Pakistan in general and the second directed at Khalistani groups. The two groups were responsible for carrying out terrorist operations inside Pakistan, writes Pakistani military expert Ayesha Siddiqa. Indian journalist and associate editor of Frontline magazine, Praveen Swami, writes that a "low-grade but steady campaign of bombings in major Pakistani cities, notably Karachi and Lahore" was carried out. This forced the head of ISI to meet his counterpart in RAW and agree on the rules of engagement as far as Punjab was concerned, writes Siddiqa. The negotiation was brokered by then-Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan bin-Talal, whose wife, Princess Sarvath, is of Pakistani origin. "It was agreed that Pakistan would not carry out activities in the Punjab as long as RAW refrained from creating mayhem and violence inside Pakistan," Siddiqa writes.

In the past, Pakistan also accused RAW of supporting Sindhi nationalists demanding a separate state, as well as Seraikis calling for a partition of Pakistan's Punjab to create a separate Seraiki state. India denies these charges. However, experts point out that India has supported insurgents in Pakistan's Balochistan, as well as anti-Pakistan forces in Afghanistan. But some experts say India no longer does this. As this Backgrounder explains, Pakistan is suspicious of India's influence in Afghanistan, which it views as a threat to its own interests in the region. Experts say although it is very likely that India has active intelligence gathering in Afghanistan, it is difficult to say whether it is also involved in covert operations.

Relations with the CIA

The CIA assisted in the creation of RAW, says South Asia expert Stephen P. Cohen of the Brookings Institution. However, India's intelligence relations with the CIA started even before the existence of RAW, note experts. After India's war with China in 1962, CIA instructors trained Establishment 22, a "covert organisation raised from among Tibetan refugees in India, to execute deep-penetration terror operations in China," writes Swami.
But the CIA's operations with the ISI to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s made RAW very wary. However, it did not stop RAW from seeking the CIA's assistance in counterterrorism training. Raman writes: "One had one more bizarre example of how international intelligence cooperation works." The CIA trained the officers of the ISI in the use of terrorism against an adversary, and at the same time, he writes, it trained RAW and IB officers "in some of the techniques of countering that terrorism." India's intelligence agencies also feel the lack of an equal relationship with the CIA, say experts. Swami says RAW's grievance is that there is little information they get on Pakistan from the United States; however, Washington expects New Delhi to provide it with intelligence on Afghanistan.

In 1997, Prime Minister I.K. Gujral shut down both the CITs aimed at Pakistan on moral grounds. Before Gujral, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had ended RAW's eastern operations in the early 1990s, as part of his efforts to build bridges with China and Myanmar, say analysts.
Successive RAW leaders attempted to gain fresh authorization for deterrent covert operations, but without success, says Swami. Siddiqa writes: "The Indian government probably realized that encouraging covert warfare would not only destabilize bilateral relations but was also dangerous for the peace and stability of the entire region."

Weaknesses in RAW

The intrusion of Pakistan-backed armed forces into the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1999 prompted questions about RAW's efficacy. Some analysts saw the conflict as an intelligence failure. However, RAW officials argued they had provided the intelligence but political leadership had failed to act upon it. The Indian government constituted a committee to look into the reasons for the failure and recommend remedial measures. The report of the Kargil review committee was then examined by a group of ministers, established in 2000. The group recommended a formal written charter and pointed out lack of coordination and communication within various intelligence agencies.

Following the review, a new organization was set up-the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO)-modeled on the U.S. National Security Agency-which would be the repository of the nation's technical intelligence-spy satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and spy planes. The government also decided to create a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), whose head would be the adviser to the Chief of Staffs Committee and the defense minister. The DIA was empowered to conduct transborder operations.

However, the shakeup of the intelligence apparatus has not removed the problems that persisted, especially relating to the overlap of agency activities, say experts. Earlier, RAW was the only organization permitted to conduct espionage operations abroad. Now both the IB and DIA have also been given the authority to conduct such operations, writes Singh.
There have also been occasional media reports of penetration inside RAW by other agencies, in particular the CIA. Swami writes that RAW is exceptional amongst major spy agencies in maintaining no permanent distinction between covert operatives who execute secret tasks, and personnel who must liaise with services such as the CIA or public bodies, such as analysts and area specialists. "As a result, personnel with sensitive operational information are exposed to potentially compromising contacts," he writes.

Sidharth K Menon

July 5, 2009

INDIAS NEW SSNs (Everything going well)

Indias Planned new Akuls (Project 971 Shuka- B, SSN)

On 5 December 2000 India announced new negotiations with Russia to lease a nuclear-powered attack submarine. The goal was to retain the familiarization with nuclear propulsion gained during the three-year lease of the Chakra. India’s interest in leasing a pair of Type 971 SSNs was based in part on the slow progress in the Advanced Technology Vessel. Reports are in conflict as to whether the submarines in question are the improved Akula or the Akula-II. As of 2000 there were a pair of both types in a state of partial completion. By 2007 the discussion of the state of completion of the vessels contemplated for lease strongly suggested that they would be the improved Akula Nerpa, laid down in 1986, and Kaban, laid down in 1992.

As of November 2001 it was reported that the the terms of lease for a single Akula II/Schuka-B class nuclear-powered submarine had been finalized in September 2001. The submarine, to be leased for three years at a price of $25 million for it, was expected to arrive in Vishakapatnam in early 2002. However, as of February 2002 the Russian submarines were slated to begin service in the Indian Navy in 2004 under a five-year lease. India was to help finance the construction of the two new Akula class boats with the proceeds allowing Russia to complete the first Type 855 SSN. At that time no agreement had been reached on the transfer of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, the proposed lease of two Akulas, or the purchase of four Tu-22M Backfire bombers.

As of mid-2002 the Indian Ministry of Defence was saying little about a move to lease-purchase two Project 971 class nuclear submarines from Russia. But negotiations were reported to be at an advanced stage and India's commitment could include providing money to enable Russia to complete construction work on the subs. The subs in question were believed at that time to be of the Project 971 improved Akula-II class.

On 20 January 2004 India finalized the purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov after over a decade of negotiations. But Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes did not reach agreement on other weapons, such as the Tu-22 Backfire bombers or Akula-class nuclear submarines.

By mid-2005 India appeared set to get at least two Akula class subs on lease — with the option to buy them— from Russia by end of 2005. The construction of a training center for the Indian defence officers in Sosnovy Bor, west of St Petersburg, confirmed Russia’s intentions to lease nuclear submarines to India. The international center started training 300 Indian Naval officers by mid-September 2005. This number suggested 4 Akula crews (2 on, 2 off duty rotations.) The leasing/buying of Akulas would train crews and augment force levels as the ATV goes into serial production.

As of 2005, the two Akulas, one said to be 70-85% complete and the other said to be 40-60% complete, were estimated to cost India some $400m. The leasing costs would amount to some $25m a year. The construction of both submarines and training of the crews could run up to around $2 billion.

These submarines are to be manned entirely by Indian crew. In August 2005 Bellona Web reported evidence of construction of a nuclear submarine training center for the Indian Navy in Sosnovy Bor, 70 kilometers west of St. Petersburg in Russia. The training center, large enough to train 300 submariners, was built following the visit of Russian President Vladamir Putin to India in December 2004. By 2007 there were reports that nearly 300 Indian naval personnel, or three sets of crews, had trained to operate the submarine the training facility in Sosnovy Bor. These personnel were reported to have returned to India in early 2007, after completion of training.

By late 2007 the two sides were said to be set to seal an agreement for the lease of two Akula class nuclear submarines to India. This agreement was to be the high point of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow on 10 November 2007, a reminder of the heyday of the Indo-Russian relationship. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Moscow on a two-day visit, and nothing was publicly agreed. The visit was expected to envisage upgrading the predominant buyer-seller relationship between India and Russia in the defense sector to a new level of joint partnership for co-developing state-of-the-art future weaponries.

The Akulas were to be delivered to the Indian Navy in 2008 on a lease of at least seven years, and up to ten years. This acquisition was to help the Indian Navy prepare for the induction of the ATV, India's long-delayed indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, set for for sea trials in 2009. The cost to India of acquiring two Akula submarines and their support infrastructure along with training of the crews had been estimated at $2 billion. Other estimates suggested that the deal, which could be worth over Rs 2,000 crore, about $500 million to $650 million dollars.

Russia reportedly intended to use the money from the Indian lease to complete two Akula class submarines, long under construction at the Amur Shipbuilding yard. One of them [the Nerpa] was 70 to 85 percent complete, while the other one [Kaban] is 40 to 60 percent complete [other earlier reports had suggested that Kaban was only 25% complete].

The first of these two submarines was reportedly planned to be named INS Chakra. In January 1988 India had arranged a three-year transfer of a Charlie-I class nuclear attack submarine from the Soviet Union, also named Chakra. The word comes from the Sanskrit "cakra" meaning "wheel, circle", and sometimes also referring to the "wheel of life". The Indian flag is a familiar horizontal tricolor of orange, white, and green, with a blue Ashoka Chakra with 24 spokes at the center. In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga a chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The flag code of India from the official Home Ministry website of the Indian government states that "The Ashoka Wheel in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principles of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change."

The submarine was to join the Indian Navy in August 2007, then the induction was rescheduled to August 2009. Repeated deiays may be due to a large number of new systems and technologies installed onboard the Nerpa, the latest in a series of Schucka-B or Akula-I1 (NATO designation) class attack submarines built in Russia. The construction of the Akula II class Nerpa nuclear attack submarine started in 1991, but was suspended for over a decade due to a lack of funding. Indian media have reported on various occasions that the construction of the submarine was partially financed by the Indian government. India has reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton submarine.

On 08 November 2008, while the submarine was undergoing trials in the Sea of Japan, a crew member is believed to have entered the wrong data into the temperature sensor, which caused the fire safety system to release Freon gas into the living quarters killing 20 sailors. The Russian Navy said the sea trials of the submarine would continue after the investigation into the recent tragedy and certain technical adjustments are made in the fire safety system. The submarine's reactor was not affected by the accident, which took place in the nose of the submarine, and radiation levels on board remained normal.

The Russian Navy will commission the Nerpa nuclear submarine, which was involved in a fire accident killing 20 people on board, rather than sell or lease it to India. The Chief of the General Staff of Russia, General Nikolai Makarov, said "The sum of $650-780 million, which Rosoboronexport and the Amur Shipbuilding Plant had negotiated over a long period of time with the Indian defence ministry, will now be found in Russia, either within the state weapons procurement programme or somewhere else." Nerpa will reportedly join other seven Akula class submarines in Russia's Pacific Fleet.

On 11 February 2009 an Indian team has visited a dock in Russia's Far East where the Nerpa nuclear submarine has been kept since last year's fatal accident. During their two-day visit to the Vostok dockyard, the Indian delegates inspected the submarine and met with experts employed at the dock.

Russian officials had consistently denied any plans to sell India a nuclear submarine. Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis and Technologies, Russia's leading arms export think tank, ruled out the possibility of Russia pulling out of the leasing deal. In the light of the current problems with the Gorshkov aircraft carrier refit for India, cancellation of the submarine deal would deal a crushing blow to defence cooperation, Mr. Pukhov said.
Specifications of Bars Class project 971
Crew - 73
Surfaced Displacement - 8,140t
Displacement, Submerged - 12,770t
Overall Height - 11.3m
Hull Cross Section - 13.6m x 9.68m
Diving Depth - 600m
Run Speed Surfaced - 10kt

The Russian Navy has 14 Bars Class project 971 submarines known in the West as the Akula Class nuclear-powered submarines (SSN). A number of Russian Akula class submarines are deployed in the Pacific region.
The submarines were built by the Amur Shipbuilding Plant Joint Stock Company at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and at the Severodvinsk shipbuilding yard. Seven Akula I submarines were commissioned between 1986 and 1992, and three Improved Akula between 1992 and 1995.

Three Akula II submarines, with hull length extended by 4m and advanced machinery-quietening technology, have been built.

"Three Akula II submarines, with advanced machinery-quietening technology, have been built."
The first, Viper, was commissioned in 1995, the second, Nerpa, in December 2000 and the third, Gepard, in August 2001. The Akula II submarines are 110m long and displace up to 12,770t. They have a maximum speed of 35kt submerged and a maximum diving depth of 600m.
The Indian Navy has signed an agreement with Russia to lease a new Akula II submarine, SSN Nerpa, for ten years. The vessel is being completed at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in August 2009.

Akula submarine design
The submarine has a double-hulled configuration with a distinctive high aft fin. The hull has seven compartments and the stand-off distance between the outer and inner hulls is considerable, reducing the possible inner hull damage. The very low acoustic signature has been achieved by incremental design improvements to minimise noise generation and transmission – for example, the installation of active noise cancellation techniques.
The retractable masts viewed from bow to stern are the periscopes, radar antennae, radio and satellite communications and navigation masts.

Missiles

The Akula Class carry up to 12 Granit submarine-launched cruise missiles. The missiles are fired from the 533mm torpedo launch tubes. Granit (Nato designation: SS-N-21 Sampson) has a range of about 3,000km and delivers a 200kt warhead.

The CEP (the circle of equal probability) is 150m. The CEP value is a measure of the accuracy of strike on the target and is the radius of the circle within which half the strikes will impact. The land attack Granit missile uses inertial and terrain following guidance.

The submarine's anti-ship missiles are the Novator SS-N-15 Starfish and the Novator SS-N-16 Stallion. The Starfish, fired from the 533mm tubes, has a target range of 45km. The Stallion, fired from the 650mm tubes, has a longer range of up to 100km. The Stallion and the Starfish can be armed with a 200kt warhead or a type 40 torpedo.

An air defence capability is provided by a Strela SA-N-5/8 portable missile launcher with 18 missiles.

Torpedoes

The submarine has eight torpedo launch tubes, four 650mm and four 533mm tubes. The Improved Akula and Akula II have ten, with six 533mm tubes. The four 650mm tubes can be fitted with liners to provide additional 533mm weapon launch capacity. The torpedo tubes can be used to launch mines instead of torpedoes. The Akula can launch a range of anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel torpedoes.

Sensors

The Akula's surface search radar is the Snoop Pair or the Snoop Half. The surface search radar antennae are installed on the same mast as the Rim Hat radar intercept receiver.
"The Akula Class submarines carry up to 12 Granit submarine-launched cruise missiles."

The submarine is fitted with the MGK 540 sonar system which provides automatic target detection in broad and narrow-band modes by active sonar. It gives the range, relative bearing and range rate.

The sonar system can also be used in a passive, listening mode for detection of hostile sonars. The sonar signal processor can detect and automatically classify targets as well as reject spurious acoustic noise sources and compensate for variable acoustic conditions.

Propulsion

The main machinery consists of a VM-5 pressure water reactor rated at 190MW with a GT3A turbine developing 35MW. Two auxiliary diesels rated at 750hp provide emergency power. The propulsion system drives a seven-bladed fixed-pitch propeller.

The propulsion system provides a maximum submerged speed of 33kt and a surface speed of 10kt. A reserve propeller system, powered by two motors rated at 370kW, provides a speed of 3kt to 4kt. The submarine is rated for a diving depth to 600m.
Sidharth K Menon

July 3, 2009

PAKISTANI EYES IN THE SKY.

PAKISTANI SPY BIRD - SAAB 2000 ERIEYE SYSTEMS

The ERIEYE AEW&C is the world’s only operational airborne Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar in service today. The Saab 2000 ERIEYE AEW&C utilises the latest generation ERIEYE radar, now capable of detecting small air targets, hovering helicopters, cruise missiles and small sea targets such as inflatable rubber boats, for a more complete surveillance picture.


ERIEYE is the first high-performance, long-range Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) system based on active phased-array pulse-Doppler radar. This new-generation system can be installed in a variety of commercial and military aircraft, including regional jet or turboprop airliners. It meets full AEW&C requirements for detecting and tracking targets at ranges of up to 450 km over land or water. ERIEYE is part of a complete AEW&C system, including radar with integrated Secondary Surveillance Radar / Identification Friend or Foe (SSR/IFF), electronic support measures, communications and data links, comprehensive command-and-control facilities and self-protection system. The ERIEYE radar, with its fixed electronically scanned antenna and use of adaptive radar control techniques, has superior resolution accuracy. When compared to traditional rotodome-based solutions, it provides enhanced detection and tracking performance, including the active simultaneous tracking of multiple targets. In addition, the radar offers significantly improved resistance to Electronic Counter Measures (ECM). The state-of-the-art command-and-control system gives the on-board mission-system crew full capability for AEW&C roles as well as maximum flexibility for other peacetime and war missions. ERIEYE is fully interoperable with and easily integrated into NATO Air Defence Command Systems

Features:•

ERIEYE latest generation radar and systems

• Enhanced maritime modes

• ERIEYE Mission System

• Electronic Support Measures (ESM)

• Self Protection System (SPS)

• SATCOM and data link solutions

• Automatic Identification System (AIS)

  • Platform commonality with other members of the Saab airborne surveillance familyApplications

AEW&C

• National security missions

• Border control

• Airborne C2 platform

• Disaster management co-ordination

• Major event security

• Emergency Air Traffic Control (ATC)

Radar System performance:

• Active Phased Array Pulse Doppler multi-mode radar

• 450 km range and above 20 km (65,000 ft) altitude coverage

• Effective surveillance area of 500,000 sq km

• Capable of combined air and sea surveillance

• Automatic tracking of priority air targetstion Friend or Foe (IFF) system

Pakistan has taken a big leap to strengthen its fast depleting air power by securing a nod from Sweden to sell Islamabad an Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS). This state-of-the-art system will also augment Pakistan Navy’s existing potential for maritime and tactical surveillance, the sources added. Close to final approval is Pakistan’s decision to acquire 5 SAAB 2000 aircraft from Sweden.

The SAAB aircraft for the PAF will be equipped with ERIEYE AEW&C system which can manage airborne early warning; intercept communication; airspace management; surveillance and control borders; detect illegal shipment of weapons and drugs; and coordinate search and rescue operations. It will be two years before the PAF receives its first AEW&C system.

The sources said the AEW&CS would not only help Pakistan to counter-balance the Indian acquisition of the Israeli Phalcon airborne surveillance system, it will boast the Pakistan Air Force’s and the Navy’s reaction capabilities by providing early and specific warnings. "The AEW&CS from Sweden, F-7 from China, upgraded Mirages from France and fresh supplies of Mirage spare parts from Libya would help the PAF meet the air challenge from our arch rival," commented a retired PAF air marshal.

Pakistan had first shown interest in the purchase of AWE&CS from Sweden in 1995 when the then Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, had visited Stockholm and had requested the then Swedish premier, Olf Palme, to approve the sale. "For nine years we have tried to secure these aircraft from SAAB/Erricson," said an official source. While the PAF made a determined effort to induct the SAAB AEW&CS into its fleet, but in its process to replace the Fokkers, the PIA tested the SAAB 2000, fitted with engine from Allison/Rolls Royce ATR and Dash-8 fitted with engines from Pratt and Whitney. With the PAF’s deal for SAAB-based AEW&C almost complete, it is now almost certain that the PIA would approve a strong internal recommendation for the SAAB 2000. "It makes more sense because the SAAB will be setting facility for the maintenance of the PAF’s SAAB 2000 in the country," said an official. "It’s much feasible, both financially as well as technically, to have a combined maintenance facility for the PAF’s and the PIA’s SAAB fleet."

In my opinion, Pakistani fleet of 5 Eyerie AEW&C are expected to join the forces starting from 2009. This aqusation, would be a major force multiplier for the Pakistani Air Force. Pakistan does not have any problems with any of her neighbours (other than India). Pakistan would love to peep into the Indian side as the bird would enable them to follow military movements along with the ability to keep a tab on the Indian military assets.

Sidharth K Menon

ANALYSIS - TEJAS v/s THUNDER

Tejas / Light Combat Aircraft (IAF)

The Tejas (formerly known as LCA; Light Combat Aircraft) is India's second indigenous jet fighter design, after the HF-24 Marut of the 1950s. It's the world's smallest, light weight, multi-role combat aircraft designed to meet the requirements of the Indian Air Force as its frontline multi-mission single seater tactical aircraft during the period 2000 - 2020.

Development began in 1983; the basic design was finalised in 1990; the first prototype rolled out on 17 November 1995. On 04 January 2001 at 10.18 a.m. the first LCA Prototype TD-1 (Technology Demonstrator-1), finally took off on its first flight from Yelahanka AFS. The configuration is a delta wing, with no tailplanes or foreplanes, and a single vertical fin. The LCA is constructed of aluminium-lithium alloys, carbon-fibre composites, and titanium. The design incorporates "control-configured vehicle" concepts to enhance manoeuvrability, and quadruplex fly-by-wire controls. Both prototypes are powered by General Electric F404-GE-F2J3 engines, but an indigenous engine, the GTX-35VS Kaveri, is being developed for the production Tejas.

The Tejas (LCA) is a small, lightweight, supersonic, multi-role, single-seat fighter designed primarily to replace the MiG-21 series of aircraft of Indian Air Force as its front-line multi-mission single-seat tactical aircraft. The LCA integrates modern design concepts like static instability, digital fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated avionics, glass cockpit, primary composite structure, multi-mode radar, microprocessor based utility and brake management systems. Short takeoff and landing, high maneuverability with excellent maintainability and a wide range of weapon fit are some of Tejas' features.

Two aircraft technology demonstrators are powered by single GE F404/F2J3 augmented turbofan engines. For maintenance the aircraft has more than five hundred Line Replaceable Units (LRSs), each tested for performance and capability to meet the severe operational conditions to be encountered. Major subsystems like fly-by-wire digital flight control system, integrated avionics, hydraulic and electricalsystems, environmental control system, fuel system etc., are being tested to ensure performance and safety. Following satisfactory subsystem test results the flight test program of the Tejan began in 2001. Production will start in 2007 The Tejas has been designed and developed by a consortium of five aircraft research, design, production and product support organizations pooled by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), under Department of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the Principal Partner in the design and fabrication of the LCA and its integration leading to flight testing. Several academic institutions from over the country have participated in the development of design and manufacturing software for LCA. National teams formed by pooling the talents and expertise in the country are entrusted with the responsibility of the development of major tasks such as development of carbon composite wing, design, design of control law and flight testing. Several private and public sector organizations have also supported design and manufacture of various subsystems.


Various international aircraft and system manufacturers are also participating in the program with supply of specific equipment, design consultancy and support. For example, GE Aircraft Engines provides the propulsion and Lockheed Martin the flight control system.
Tejas or Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)The Indian Tejas is the world's smallest, light weight, multi-role combat aircraft designed to meet the requirements of Indian Air Force as its frontline multi-mission single-seat tactical aircraft to replace the MiG-21 series of aircraft.


The delta wing configuration , with no tailplanes or foreplanes, features a single vertical fin. The Tejas is constructed of aluminium-lithium alloys, carbon-fibre composites, and titanium. Tejas integrates modern design concepts and the state-of-art technologies such as relaxed static stability, flyby-wire Flight Control System, Advanced Digital Cockpit, Multi-Mode Radar, Integrated Digital Avionics System, Advanced Composite Material Structures and a Flat Rated Engine.The Tejas design has been configured to match the demands of modern combat scenario such as speed, acceleration, maneuverability and agility. Short takeoff and landing, excellent flight performance, safety, reliability and maintainability, are salient features of Tejas design. The Tejas integrates modern design concepts like static instability, digital fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated avionics, glass cockpit, primary composite structure, multi-mode radar, microprocessor based utility and brake management systems. The avionics system enhances the role of Light Combat Aircraft as an effective weapon platform. The glass cockpit and hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls reduce pilot workload. Accurate navigation and weapon aiming information on the head up display helps the pilot achieve his mission effectively. The multifunction displays provide information on engine, hydraulics, electrical, flight control and environmental control system on a need-to-know basis along with basic flight and tactical information. Dual redundant display processors (DP) generate computer-generated imagery on these displays. The pilot interacts with the complex avionics systems through a simple multifunction keyboard, and function and sensor selection panels. A state-of-the-art multi-mode radar (MMR), laser designator pod (LDP), forward looking infra-red (FLIR) and other opto-electronic sensors provide accurate target information to enhance kill probabilities. A ring laser gyro (RLG)-based inertial navigation system (INS), provides accurate navigation guidance to the pilot. An advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite enhances the aircraft survivability during deep penetration and combat. Secure and jam-resistant communication systems, such as IFF, VHF/UHF and air-to-air/air-to-ground data link are provided as a part of the avionics suite. All these systems are integrated on three 1553B buses by a centralised 32-bit mission computer (MC) with high throughput which performs weapon computations and flight management, and reconfiguration/redundancy management.


Reversionary mission functions are provided by a control and coding unit (CCU). Most of these subsystems have been developed indigenously. The digital FBW system of the Tejas is built around a quadruplex redundant architecture to give it a fail op-fail op-fail safe capability. It employs a powerful digital flight control computer (DFCC) comprising four computing channels, each powered by an independent power supply and all housed in a single line replaceable unit (LRU). The system is designed to meet a probability of loss of control of better than 1x10-7 per flight hour. The DFCC channels are built around 32-bit microprocessors and use a safe subset of Ada language for the implementation of software. The DFCC receives signals from quad rate, acceleration sensors, pilot control stick, rudder pedal, triplex air data system, dual air flow angle sensors, etc. The DFCC channels excite and control the elevon, rudder and leading edge slat hydraulic actuators. The computer interfaces with pilot display elements like multifunction displays through MIL-STD-1553B avionics bus and RS 422 serial link.


The digital FBW system of the Tejas is built around a quadruplex redundant architecture to give it a fail op-fail op-fail safe capability. It employs a powerful digital flight control computer (DFCC) comprising four computing channels, each powered by an independent power supply and all housed in a single line replaceable unit (LRU). The system is designed to meet a probability of loss of control of better than 1x107 per flight hour. The DFCC channels are built around 32-bit microprocessors and use a safe subset of Ada language for the implementation of software. The DFCC receives signals from quad rate, acceleration sensors, pilot control stick, rudder pedal, triplex air data system, dual air flow angle sensors, etc. The DFCC channels excite and control the elevon, rudder and leading edge slat hydraulic actuators. The computer interfaces with pilot display elements like multifunction displays through MIL-STD-1553B avionics bus and RS 422 serial link.Multi-mode radar (MMR), the primary mission sensor of the Tejas in its air defence role, will be a key determinant of the operational effectiveness of the fighter. This is an X-band, pulse Doppler radar with air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea modes. Its track-while-scan capability caters to radar functions under multiple target environment.


The special feature of signal processor is its real-time configurability to adapt to requirements depending on selected mode of operation. Seven weapon stations provided on Tejas offer flexibility in the choice of weapons Tejas can carry in various mission roles. Provision of drop tanks and inflight refueling probe ensure extended range and flight endurance of demanding missions. Provisions for the growth of hardware and software in the avionics and flight control system, available in Tejas, ensure to maintain its effectiveness and advantages as a frontline fighter throughout its service life.


For maintenance the aircraft has more than five hundred Line Replaceable Units (LRSs), each tested for performance and capability to meet the severe operational conditions to be encountered.Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the Principal Partner in the design and fabrication of Tejas and its integration leading to flight testing. The Tejas has been designed and developed by a consortium of five aircraft research, design, production and product support organizations pooled by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), under Department of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Various international aircraft and system manufacturers are also participating in the program with supply of specific equipment, design consultancy and support. For example, GE Aircraft Engines provides the propulsion. The first prototype of Tejas rolled out on 17 November 1995. Two aircraft technology demonstrators are powered by single GE F404/F2J3 augmented turbofan engines. Regular flights with the state-of-the-art "Kaveri" engine, being developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bangalore, are planned by 2002, although by mid-1999 the Kaveri engine had yet to achieve the required thrust-to-weight ratio. The Tejas is India's second attempt at an indigenous jet fighter design, following the somewhat unsatisfactory HF-24 Marut Ground Attack Fighter built in limited numbers by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the 1950s. Conceived in 1983, the Tejas will serve as the Indian air force's frontline tactical plane through the year 2020. The Tejas will go into service around 2007. Following India's nuclear weapons tests in early 1998, the United States placed an embargo on the sale of General Electric 404 jet engines which are to power the Tejas. The US also denied the fly-by-wire system for the aircraft sold by the US firm Lockheed-Martin. As of June 1998 the first flight of the Tejas had been delayed due to systems integration tests. The first flight awaits completion of the Digital Flight Control Systems, being developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).


Senior HAL officials had said in March 2005 that the IAF would place a Rs. 2,000 crores (over US$450 million) order for 20 Tejas aircraft, with a similar purchase of another 20 aircraft to follow. All 40 will be equipped with the F404-GE-IN20 engine So far, Rs. 4806.312 cr have been spent on development of various versions of Light Combat Aircraft.

The first squadron of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) named Tejas will be deployed down south in Tamil Nadu, when the first batch of the 20 fighter aircraft are expected to be inducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2009-2010.

Light combat aircraft hot weather trial was successful conducted on 30 May 2008. Production version of LCA 'Tejas' took to skies on 16 June 2008.As of December 2008,HAL Tejas high-altitude trials at Leh were successful.LCA Tejas completed 1000 Test Flights on January 22, 2009. Tejas have completed 530 hours of in-flight testing. By February 2009 Aeronautical Development Agency officials said that the Tejas has started flying with weapons and integration of radars would be completed by March 2009. Almost all system development activity would be completed by that time

Mark 2 version

Due to the inability of the Tejas to meet the Indian Air Staff requirements the India Air Force will not order any more Mark 1 aircraft other than the original 40 aircraft it had ordered in 2005. It is still considering an order of up to 125 aircraft when a re-designed Mark 2 is developed. The Mark 2 will have a more powerful engine, refined aerodynamics and replacing other parts to reduce obsolescence according to an IAF spokesman. The Indian Navy Mark 2 version of the Tejas will be capable of much shorter take off and landing distance from an aircraft carrier.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 13.20 m (43 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in)

Height: 4.40 m (14 ft 9 in)

Wing area: 38.4 m² (413 ft²)

Empty weight: 6,500 kg (14,100 lb)

Loaded weight: 9,500 kg (20,700 lb (in fighter configuration)

Max Take Of weight: 14,500 kg (27,000 lb)

Dry thrust: 53.9 kN (11,250 lbf)

Thrust with afterburner: 85 kN (18,000 lbf)

Internal fuel capacity: 3000 liters

External fuel capacity: 5×800 liter tanks or 3×1,200 liter tanks, totaling 4,000/3,600 liters

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2.0 (2,376+ km/h at high altitude) at 15,000 m

Range: 3000 km (1,840 mi (without refueling)

Service ceiling: 15,950+ m (54,000 ft (engine re-igniter safely capable)

Wing loading: 221.4 kg/m² (45.35 lb/ft²)

g limits : +8.5 g / 9g

Armament

Guns: 1× mounted 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon with 220 rounds of ammunition.

Hardpoints: 8 total: 1× beneath the port-side intake trunk, 6× under-wing, and 1× under-fuselage with a capacity of >4000 kg external fuel and ordnance,

Missiles

air-to-air missiles:
Astra BVRAAM
Vympel R-77 (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder)
Vympel R-73 (NATO reporting name: AA-11 Archer)
Air-to-surface missiles:
Kh-59ME TV guided standoff Missile
Kh-59MK Laser guided standoff Missile
Anti-ship missile
Kh-35
Kh-31
Bombs:
KAB-1500L laser guided bombs
FAB-500T dumb bombs
OFAB-250-270 dumb bombs
OFAB-100-120 dumb bombs
RBK-500 cluster bombs
AvionicsEL/M-2052 AESA radar


JF-17 Thunder, FC-1 Fierce Dragon (PAF, PLAF)


The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder, also known as the Fighter China-1 (FC-1) Fierce Dragon (Xiaolong) in China (initially known as Super-7), is a single-seat multirole fighter aircraft co-developed by China and Pakistan.

OverviewThe JF-17 is designed to meet the tactical and strategic needs of the Pakistani Air Force with a minimal reliance on imports from other countries. In addition, the requirement was for the aircraft to have sufficient space for future upgrades and/or equipment specified by export buyers. The JF-17 is considered to be in the "mid-high-tech class" of fighter aircraft.

ProjectThe JF-17 is being built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC), and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAIC) is expected to license produce it at a later stage. Initial reports claimed that the aircraft was based on the design of the MiG-33, a proposed single-engined version of the MiG-29, which was rejected by the Soviet Air Force. However, the FC-1/JF-17 is instead derived from the "Super Seven" project, not the Project 33 (not to be confused with the MiG-33) or the failed Chengdu J-9. Indications are that MiG assisted the program by contributing their light fighter design as well as providing additional design & development assistance. The project is expected to cost about $500 million (USD), divided equally between China and Pakistan, while each individual aircraft is expected to have a fly-away cost of $15-20 million. Pakistan has announced that it will procure 150 planes by 2015, which will replace the MiG-21 derived Chengdu F-7. Other countries which have expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 are Egypt, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Burma, Zimbabwe, Morocco and Algeria.


History

In 1986, China signed an agreement with Grumman to develop an upgrade/replacement for the J-7 known as the "Super 7". The program was cancelled in 1990, primarily due to worsening relations with the US following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. However, CAC kept the program alive by providing low-level funding from its own resources. After US sanctions were imposed on Pakistan in 1990, Pakistan also became interested in the project. In June 1999, Pakistan and China made an agreement to restart the program with Pakistan paying about 50% of the development costs. The project became known as JF-17 in Pakistan and FC-1 in China. The first prototype was rolled out on 31 May 2003, conducted its first taxi trials on 1 July, and made its first flight on 24 August of the same year. The prototype 03 made its first flight in April 2004. On April 28 2006, the prototype 04 made its first flight with fully operational avionics. Serial production was expected to begin in June 2006 and the first 16 aircraft would be rolled out in early 2007. Serial production from 2007-2008 will be at an annual 10-15 planes per year while in 2008+ it will be at 25-30 planes per year. President Of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf has declared in the Independence day speech on 14th August 2006 that the aircraft will be flying in the Pakistani sky on the 23rd March 2007.

SPECIFICATIONS JF-17 / FC-1


Role
Multi-role fighter

Crew: 1


Length: 14.0 m (45.9 ft)


Wingspan: 9.45 m (including 2 wingtip missiles) (31 ft)


Height: 4.77 m (15 ft 8 in)


Wing area: 24.4 m² (263 ft²)


Empty weight: 6,411 kg (14,134 lb)


Loaded weight: 9,100 kg including 2× wing-tip mounted air-to-air missiles [(20,062 lb)


Max takeoff weight: 12,700 kg (28,000 lb)


Powerplant: 1× Klimov RD-93 turbofan

Dry thrust: 49.4 kN (11,106 lbf)

Thrust with afterburner: 84.4 kN (18,973 lbf)

G-limit: +8.5 g

Internal Fuel Capacity: 2300 kg (5,130 lb)

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.8

Combat radius: 1,352 km (840 mi)

Ferry range: 3,000 km (2,175 mi)

Service ceiling: 16,700 m (54,790 ft)

Thrust/weight: 0.99

Armament

Guns: 1× 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon (can be replaced with 30 mm GSh-30-2 twin-barrel cannon)
Hardpoints: 7 in total (4× under-wing, 2× wing-tip, 1× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 3,629 kg (8,000 lb) external fuel and ordnance,
Rockets: 57 mm, 90 mm unguided rocket pods Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles:

Short range: AIM-9L/M, PL-5E, PL-9C
Beyond visual range: PL-12 / SD-10
Air-to-surface missiles:
Anti-radiation missiles
Anti-ship missiles: AM-39 Exocet
Cruise missiles: Ra'ad ALCM

Bombs:

Unguided bombs:
Mk-82, Mk-84 general purpose bombs
Matra Durandal anti-runway bomb
CBU-100/Mk-20 Rockeye anti-armour cluster bomb
Precision guided munitions (PGM):
GBU-10, GBU-12, LT-2 laser-guided bombs
H-2 MUPSOW, H-4 MUPSOW electro-optically guided glide bombs Satellite-guided bombs

Others:

Up to 3 external fuel drop-tanks (1× under-fuselage 800 litres, 2× under-wing 800/1100 litres each) for extended range/loitering time

Avionics

NRIET KLJ-7 multi-mode fire-control radar NVG compatible glass cockpit
Helmet mounted sights/display (HMS/HMD)
IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track)
Externally mounted pods:
Self-protection radar jammer pod
Day/night laser designator targeting pod
FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) pod

The JF-17 / FC-1 in detail


In 1986 China signed a US$550 million agreement with Grumman to modernise its J-7 (Chinese copy of the MiG-21 Fishbed) fighter aircraft under the "Super-7" upgrade project. Western companies from the US and Britain were competing to provide the engine and avionics. The project was cancelled in early 1990, in the wake of the cooling of political relations with the West, as well as in response to a 40% increase in the cost of the project. However, Chengdu managed to continue the programme with its own resources and the project was re-branded as FC-1 (Fighter China-1).

Following the 1993 US sanction against China and Pakistan on the transfer of ballistic missile components and technology, problems of acquiring Western technology has driven Pakistan to seek helps from its Chinese ally. Beijing and Islamabad concluded a joint development and production agreement in June 1999 to co-develop the FC-1 fighter aircraft. According to the agreement, China Aviation Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) and Pakistan each contribute 50% of the development costs, which was estimated as about US$150 million. Chengdu was chosen to be the primary contractor, with Russian Mikoyan Aero-Science Production Group (MASPG) providing assistance in some design work as well as its RD-93 turbofan engine to power the aircraft. The first FC-1 rolled out from the assembly line on 31 May 2003, and its 15-minute maiden flight took place on 24 August 2003. So far four prototypes have been built, with the second for static tests and the rest in flying tests. The initial production of 16 aircraft is expected to start in mid-2006, and the PAF has a requirement for 150 aircraft under the designation of the JF-17 to replace its Chengdu F-7P fighters in current service. Pakistani aviation industry will also be involved in the production of some avionics for the aircraft. The FC-1 is mainly targeting the international market as a potential replacement for the second-generation fighters such as the Northrop F-5 Tiger, Dassault Mirage III/5, Shenyang J-6, MiG-21/F-7 Fishbed, and Nanchang Q-5 aircraft. CATIC and CAC are trying to persuade the PLAAF to acquire additional FC-1s to reduce the unit price, but a firm contract has yet been reached. In addition, CATIC/CAC is also trying to promote the aircraft to other potential customers including Bangladesh, Egypt and Nigeria.

Design

The FC-1/Super-7 was originally defined as a low-cost third-generation air-superiority fighter aircraft to replace the MiG-21/F-7 Fishbed and Northrop F-5 series in service with many developing countries. With the participation of MASPG, the aircraft was re-branded as a lightweight, high-performance, multirole attack fighter aircraft featuring fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-control, beyond-vision-range (BVR) combat capability and much improved aerodynamic performance. These has also steered the unit price of the aircraft up by 50%, from the original US$10 million to US$15 million. The aircraft has delta wings and a conventional tail, and might be capable of aerial refuelling without significant modifications. The aircraft can be tailored to meet the different customers with various operational and budgetary requirements from low-cost options fitted with Chinese indigenously designed avionics to higher-performance options incorporated with Western developed weapons and avionics.

Weapons

The aircraft has 7 stores stations, including one under the fuselage, 4 under the wings, and 2 wingtip mounted, with up to 3,800kg weapon payload. The aircraft can carry a special pod allowing day/night delivery of laser-guided weapons. In addition, it can also carry unguided weapons such as iron bomb and unguided rocket launchers. The JF-17 / FC-1 has beyond-vision-range (BVR) attack capability with the SD-10 medium-range air-to-air missile (MRAAM) developed by China Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (LETRI, also known as 607 Institute). The aircraft also carries two short-range AAMs on its wingtip-mounted launch rails. The options include U.S. AIM-9P and Chinese PL-6, PL-8, and PL-9.
Avionics The avionics suite onboard the FC-1/JF-17 is said to be Chinese design, comprising a head-up display (HUD), infra-red search-and-track system, night-vision goggle capability and ring-laser gyro inertial navigation system with GPS input. To achieve better aerodynamic performance, the FC-1/Super-7 is also equipped with a digital dual fly-by-wire (FBW). * Fire-control radar Italian FIAR Grifo S-7 on Pakistani built export versions. The Radar for Pakistan Airforce's JF-17 is not yet decided. However, early PAF JF-17s will most probably be equipped with Chinese radar which PLAAF will also be using. The JF-17 Thunder fighters in service with the PAF will be fitted with the Italian Grifo S-7 fire-control radar, which has 25 working modes and a non-break-down time of 200 hours. The radar is capable of look-down, shoot-down, as well as for ground strike, but lacks multi-targets tracing and attacking capability. SD-10 medium-range air-to-air missile* Navigation system : Global Positioning System* Head up display (HUD), infra-red search-and-track system, night-vision goggle capability and a digital dual Fly by wire (FBW).

Powerplant

One Russian-made RD-93 turbofans, rated 49.4kN dry or 81.4kN with afterburning. China has reportedly imported five RD-93s from Russia to power the prototypes, but agreement of further purchase and re-export of the engine in together with the fighter aircraft has yet been reached. China may seek to power the aircraft with an indigenously-developed powerplant.

At least 8 small batch production (SBP) aircraft delivered and a total of 275 aircraft expected. The first JF-17 squadron was to be officially inducted into the PAF fleet in the first quarter of 2009, however this has been delayed to September 2009.



Sidharth K Menon