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November 25, 2009

GLOBEMASTERS FOR INDIA

C 17 Globemaster 3

India wants to buy ten U.S. C-17 aircraft, to fill a need for strategic air transports. The main competition was the Russian Il-76, which mainly competed on price, at about $50 million each. The C-17, which costs at least three times as much, is also able to carry up to 86 tons. What the C-17 is best at is carrying about half that weight, half way around the world, non-stop. The C-17 is also easier to fly, and can also operate from short, primitive, air strips.

The C-17 is also easier to maintain, and more reliable. But a fuel-efficient Il-76, that can be refueled in the air, has a price that's tough to beat. The latest version, the Il-76MF, has a payload of 60 tons, and a cargo compartment that is 50 percent larger than earlier models. With a full load, the aircraft can fly 4,200 kilometers. Carrying 20 tons, it can go 8,500 kilometers.

The Indians have 41 Il-76s, and were apparently looking to step up. The C-17 has a good track record, several satisfied foreign customers, and is a follow on to the American contemporary of the Il-76, the C-141 (which is now retired.) The Indians are also getting tired of unreliable prices and maintenance policies typical of Russian equipment. As India buys more Western systems, they note that the total (lifecycle) cost of more expensive Western gear tends to be less, or nearly the same, as with comparable Russian models. Plus, the Western gear is more effective, which is very important for a weapons system.

Key Data


Permanently Installed Sidewall Seating 54 seats, 27 each side, width 18in, spacing 24in centre to centre Centerline Seats, Stored On-Board 48 seats, eight sets of six back-to-back
Palletised, Ten-Passenger Pallets 80 seats on eight pallets, plus 54 passengers on sidewall seats Litter (Medical Stretchers) Stations On-Board.
Three stations, three litters (stretchers) each Litter Stations, Additional Kit
Nine additional stations Total Capability, Contingency
36 litters, 54 ambulatory

Flight Crew Two

Full specifications


The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military airlift aircraft is a high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed military transport vehicle capable of carrying payloads up to 169,000lb. It has an international range and the ability to land on small airfields. A fully integrated electronic cockpit and advanced cargo systems allow a crew of three; the pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster, to operate all systems on any type of mission.

Since it entered service in January 1995, 187 aircraft have been delivered to the US Air Force. In February 2009, a $2.95bn contract for the 15 additional C-17s will took the tally to 205 C-17s destined for the US Air Force by August 2010.

The UK Royal Air Force has six C-17s, which have, between them, flown more than 22 million nautical miles (25 million miles or 41 million kilometres) in their eight years of operations.
"The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military airlift aircraft is capable of carrying payloads up to 169,000lb."

In August 2006, a fifth aircraft (delivered in April 2008) was ordered and the purchase of the first four aircraft in 2008 was confirmed. In December 2007, the UK purchased a sixth aircraft, aircraft which was delivered in June 2008.

In March 2006, Australia selected the C-17, with a requirement for four aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2006, the second in May 2007, the third in February 2008 and the final aircraft in March 2008.

In July 2006, Canada announced the selection of the C-17 with a requirement for four aircraft. The contract was signed in February 2007. Deliveries began in August 2007 and concluded in April 2008.


In September 2006, Nato announced its intention to buy an initial three or four C-17 aircraft. In June 2007, an international consortium, consisting of fifteen Nato countries plus two partner countries (Finland and Sweden), agreed to set up the strategic airlift capability (SAC) which will be based at Papa Air Base in Hungary.

A new Nato Airlift Management Organisation (NAMO) will purchase, own, and manage the aircraft. A multinational military unit, the heavy airlift wing (HAW), will conduct airlift operations. In May 2008, SAC requested the foreign military sale of the first two C-17 aircraft. Deliveries are planned to begin in spring 2009 and all three aircraft are to be delivered by the end of 2009. The SAC1 C-17's first flight is scheduled in June 2009,
In March 2007, Boeing announced that C-17 production would conclude in 2009, when current orders have been fulfilled. However the purchase of 15 additional aircraft for the USAF was approved in 2008.

In July 2008, Qatar placed an order for two C-17, to be delivered from mid-2009. The United Arab Emirates announced on 24 February 2009 that it will acquire four C-17s. There are currently 198 C-17s in service.

Flight-testing of the C-17 using a blend of synthetic fuel and JP-8 began in October 2007, as part of a USAF process to develop more-efficient fuel for its fleet, with less reliance on imported petrol. Certification for the aircraft powered by synthetic fuel was completed in February 2008.
Boeing has 687 suppliers in 43 states. Current orders will carry C-17 production till January 2011. Then it would need the support of the air force for any initial fielding of the advanced C-17 that is planned for 2015.

C-17 design


A propulsive lift system allows the C-17 to achieve safe landings on short runways. The C-17 is capable of landing a full payload in less than 3,000ft. The propulsive lift system uses engine exhaust to generate lift: the engine exhaust is directed onto large flaps, which extend into the exhaust stream, allowing the aircraft to fly a steep approach at a relatively low landing speed.
The aircraft is capable of turning in a small radius and can complete a 180° star turn in 80ft. The aircraft can also carry out routine backing. A fully loaded aircraft is capable of backing up a 2% gradient slope using the directed flow thrust reversers.


Cockpit

The C-17 cockpit accommodates pilot, co-pilot and two observer positions. The digital avionics system has four Honeywell multi-function cathode-ray tube displays, two full-capability HUDs head-up displays) plus cargo systems.

The quadruple-redundant electronic flight control system also has a mechanically-actuated backup system.There are two Lockheed Martin central processing computers, one Hamilton Sundstrand data management computer and two Honeywell air data computers.
A program to upgrade the C-17A avionics includes new mission computers and displays, new software for the warning and caution system, being provided by Northrop Grumman Navigation Systems. The automatic flight control system will be upgraded with BAE Systems Controls CsLEOS real-time operating system and will be certified for GATM (global air traffic management) system requirements.

Cargo systems

The design of the cargo compartment allows the C-17 to carry a wide range of vehicles, palleted cargo, paratroops, air-drop loads and aeromedical evacuees.The cargo compartment has a sufficiently large cross-section to transport large wheeled and tracked vehicles, tanks, helicopters (such as the AH-64 Apache), artillery, and weapons such as the Patriot missile system. Three Bradley armoured vehicles comprise one deployment load on the C-17. The US Army M1A1 main battle tank can be carried with other vehicles.


The maximum payload is 170,900lb (77,519kg) with 18 pallet positions, including four on the ramp. Airdrop capabilities include: single load of up to 60,000lb (27,216kg), sequential loads of up to 110,000lb (49,895kg), Container Delivery System (CDS) airdrop up to 40 containers, 2,350lb (1,066kg) each; up to 102 paratroops.

The aircraft is equipped for LAPES (low-altitude parachute extraction system) drops. For Medevac, the C-17 can transport up to 36 litter and 54 ambulatory patients and attendants. C-17s can take off from a 7,600ft airfield, fly 2,400nm and refuel while in flight. It can land in 3,500ft (1,064m) and 90ft-wide (27.4m) airstrip.

Countermeasures

The C-17 is equipped with BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions (formerly Tracor) AN/ALE-47 countermeasure flare dispensers and the ATK AN/AAR-47 missile warning system.
AN/AAR-47 has a suite of surface-mounted thermal sensors around the aircraft, which detect the thermal signature of the missile exhaust plume. Frequency selection and signal processing techniques are used to minimise the false alarm rate. The system provides a warning to the crew via the cockpit indicator unit of the presence and direction of the missile threat. A signal is automatically sent to the ALE-47 dispenser.

AN/ALE-47 is capable of carrying a mix of expendable countermeasures, including jammers. The system interfaces to the C-17 aircraft's sensors. The aircrew can select the mode of operation of the dispenser for fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual operation.
The cockpit control unit can be used to input mission data, together with the numbers and types of expendable countermeasures systems loaded into the ALE-47. The cockpit controller updates and displays the status of the dispenser and the numbers and types of countermeasures remaining.

The ALE-47 is capable of dispensing the new-generation active expendable decoys, POET and GEN-X, in addition to the conventional chaff and flare decoys that are compatible with the previous-generation ALE-40 and ALE-39 dispensers."The C-17 has an international range and the ability to land on small airfields."56 USAF C-17 aircraft are being equipped with the Northrop Grumman large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) system.LAIRCM is based on the AN/AAQ-24(V) NEMESIS. It entered low-rate initial production in August 2002 and completed initial operational test and evaluation in July 2004. 25 upgraded aircraft have been delivered. The system is scheduled to enter service in 2007. The four aircraft leased by the UK RAF are fitted with LAIRCM.

Turbofan engines

The four Pratt & Whitney PW2040 (military designation-F117-PW-100) turbofan engines with 40,440lb thrust each are integrated in the wings. Engine thrust reversers, which are operable in flight, and speedbrakes enable the aircraft to carry out rapid deceleration and descent manoeuvres.The cruise speed is between Mach 0.74 and 0.77. The range without in-flight refuelling, and with a payload of 160,000lb, is 2,400nm. Aerial refuelling provides an intercontinental non-stop range.

Sidharth K Menon.[Defence and Intelligence Analyst]

November 17, 2009

SPYDER FOR INDIA [SAM]

Indian Army chooses Spyder surface-to-air missile system

Armys long-pending case for new air defence weapons to protect its tanks and troops as well as vital areas and installations from aerial threats has finally got a boost, with the the defence ministry giving the green signal for the various projects.With the indigenous Akash and Trishul air defence projects not meeting its user-requirements, the Army for instance is now on course to procure three regiments of quick-reaction surface-to-air missile (QR-SAM) systems from Israel for around Rs 4,000 crore.

The Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony, discussed the entire matter on Monday. Though there was no official word, sources said the Israeli SpyDer QR-SAM systems had been selected for the project. IAF, incidentally, is already well on its way to induct 18 SpyDer systems, at a cost over Rs 1,800 crore, to plug gaps in its own air defence capabilities.The projects were in a limbo for quite some time now, with one of the main reasons being the naming of Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael in the Rs 1,160-crore Barak-I deal kickbacks case by the CBI.The government, however, was reluctant to blacklist these Israeli armament firms because it held that it would prove counter-productive since there were several crucial defence projects underway with them.

India has signed a contract with Rafael, Israel for the supply of the SPYDER MR. Under this agreement Rafael would supply of 18 SPYDER systems to Indian airforce, with deliveries running through early 2011 to August 2012. SPYDER is a low-level, quick-reaction, surface-to-air missile (LLQRM) system capable of engaging aircraft, helicopters, unmanned air vehicles, drones and precision-guided munitions. The system provides air defence for fixed assets and for point and area defence for mobile forces in combat areas.

The SPYDER-MR system has 360° engagement capability and the missiles can be launched from the full-readiness state in less than five seconds post target confirmation and within 2 seconds of the target being declared hostile by the system. . LLQRM will be used as part of the india's attempt to upgrade its outdated anti-aircraft and missile defences, which still rely on antiquated Soviet era OSA-AKM [SA-8 Gecko] and ZRK-BD Strela-10M [SA-13 Gopher] SAM systems.The SPYDER-MR system is a Medium Range Air Defense Missile System (MRADMS) designed to engage and destroy a wide spectrum of threats, such as attack aircraft bombers, curise missiles, UAVs, UCAVs and stand-off weapons.The SPYDER-MR Air Defense System (ADS) ensures protection of high value assets as well as maneuvering combat forces. The system is an all-weather, network-centric, self-propelled, multi-launch, quick-reaction ADS.

SPYDER-MR ADS incorporates RAFAEL's most advanced missiles – the Derby, an active radar Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile and the Python 5, a sophisticated dual band Imaging Infra Red (IIR) missile. Both missiles are equipped with a booster. Engages and destroys a wide spectrum of hostile targets

The Fatures include

Maximum intercept range is over 35 km and an altitude of 16 km
Protects a large area
Quick response and High lethality
Flexible deployment and operation
Survivability, High reliability and Mobility
Simple and continuous operation
Interoperability with SPYDER-SR or other ADS

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Sidharth K Menon
[Defence and Intelligence Analyst]

November 7, 2009

Fennic.. The Winner?? Here we go again for another tender.

Indias 197 Helicopters for Army Aviation Corps and Indian Air Force.
India will soon sign a deal with Europe's aerospace and defence major EADS for purchase of 197 'Fennec' helicopters for use of Army, particularly in high altitude regions like Siachen.

An agreement for supply of the AS 550 Fennec helicopters for Indian Navy may follow as the latter has expressed interest in acquiring these, officials of the company said here.

"We are in final phase of having a deal to supply 197 (Fennec) light helicopters for the Indian Army. The contract is expected to be signed by the end of the year," EADS Senior Vice President for South Asia, Allain Letanoux, told a group of Indian journalists here. The deal will involve transfer of technology, he said.
Though Letanoux did not specify the monetary volume of the contract, the deal is believed to be worth 600 million dollars.

Under the understanding between the two sides, 67 helicopters manufactured in France will be purchased outright while the rest will be built jointly with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Fennec helicopter holds a record in flying in mountainous regions and was the only of its kind to successfully land on top of Mount Everest recently, EADS officials say.

AS 550 Fennec - Single-Engined Light Military Helicopter

Key Data

Crew - 1 pilot
Passenger Capacity - 5 equipped troops
Rotor Diameter- -10.69m
Tail Rotor Diameter - 1.86m
Overall Length With Rotors Turning 12.94m
Fuselage Length - 12.94m
Width With Blades Folded - 2.53m

The Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec single-engine helicopter is operational with the Singapore armed forces, the Royal Australian Army, the Brazilian Army and Air Force, the Danish Army, the French Army and the United Arab Emirates Army.

The Fennec belongs to the Ecureuil / Fennec family of helicopters which includes: the single-engine military AS 550 Fennec and civil AS 350 Ecureuil; twin-engine naval AS 555 Fennec and civil AS 355 Ecureuil; and the civil EC 130 single-engine helicopter. Over 3,150 helicopters of the family have been ordered, of which 2,500 have been delivered and are operational in over 70 countries.

The army of Pakistan has ordered a number of AS 550 helicopters, to be delivered from the end of 2008.
The AS550 Fennec can be fitted for anti-tank, air-to-air combat, ground support and training missions and it is also used in the utility transportation role. The combat version is called the AS 550C3.

The helicopters are in production at Eurocopter's engineering and production facilities at Marignane in France, and they are also built under licensed production agreements in Brazil and in China.
The maximum speed is 287km/h and the service ceiling is 5,280m. With maximum fuel the helicopter achieves a range of 666km. A proposed order of 197 Fennec helicopters by India was cancelled in December 2007.
AS 550 Fennec design

The AS 550 is of light construction based on a reinforced high-strength glass fibre and aramid airframe. The Starflex main rotor head and blades are also of composite materials for added strength and weight reduction. The engine cowlings are armoured for protection.

The helicopter is fitted with armoured seats and can carry the pilot and up to five troops. The cabin can also be configured for medical evacuation with capacity for one stretcher patient and two doctors. For cargo carrying, the cabin can take a 3m³ load.
The combat version of theAS 550 Fennec is called the AS 550C3. The military AS 550 is fitted with sliding doors on each side rather than the hinged door fitted on the civil AS 350 variant. The 1m³ baggage compartment is installed behind the main cabin and is accessed via a door on the starboard side.
A cargo sling, rated at 1,160kg, and a 204kg hoist can be used.
AS 550 cockpit systems

The cockpit is equipped with single controls and is night-vision compatible. The navigation suite includes a global positioning system, a VHF Omnidirectional Radio Ranger and Instrument Landing System (VOR/ILS), an automatic direction finder, distance measuring equipment and a marker beacon transponder. The secure communications systems are fitted according to the customer country's specification. The pilot has a vehicle and engine multifunction display which allows shows the main vehicle and engine parameters on a dual LCD screen.

Fennec weapons systems

The helicopter is fitted with a wide range of weapon systems to suit the operational requirements of the country's forces. Weapon fits include anti-tank missiles, rockets or guns. The Danish Army AS 550C2 helicopters are armed with the Systems & Electronics (formerly ESCO) HeliTOW sighting system and TOW anti-tank missiles. The HeliTOW sight is roof-mounted and contains direct view optics, day and/or night sight and laser rangefinder.

The AS 550 can be fitted with two Forges de Zeebrugge rocket launchers which carry seven 2.75in rockets each, or two Thales Brandt 68mm launchers with 12 rockets each. The helicopter has been fitted with the Giat 20mm gun type M621, and the FN Hershal twin 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine gun pod.

The surveillance and observation systems include a forward-looking infrared, optical cameras and Spectrolab SX 16 searchlights. Thales Detexis EWR-99 radar warning receiver and Alkan ELIPS countermeasures dispenser can be fitted.

Engines

The single Turbomeca Arril 2B engine provides 632kW take-off power. The engine is fitted with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The main gearbox has a 45-minute dry run capability.
The self-sealing plastic fuel tank has a capacity of 540l. An auxiliary fuel tank can be installed in the cabin to provide an additional 475l of fuel for extended-range operations. Landing gear. The helicopter has steel tube skid-type landing gear. Emergency flotation gear is fitted for operation over water.
Sidharth K Menon
Defence and Intelligence Analyst.

November 2, 2009

Indo Israeli Relations

RAW and Mossad


Thirty-five years ago, in September 1968, when the Research and Analysis Wing was founded with Rameshwar Nath Kao at its helm, then prime minister Indira Gandhi asked him to cultivate Israel's Mossad. She believed relations between the two intelligence agencies was necessary to monitor developments that could threaten India and Israel.

The efficient spymaster he was, Kao established a clandestine relationship with Mossad. In the 1950s, New Delhi had permitted Tel Aviv to establish a consulate in Mumbai . But full-fledged diplomatic relations with Israel were discouraged because India supported the Palestinian cause; having an Israeli embassy in New Delhi, various governments believed, would rupture its relations with the Arab world.

This was where the RAW-Mossad liaison came in. Among the threats the two external intelligence agencies identified were the military relationship between Pakistan and China and North Korea, especially after then Pakistan foreign minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto visited Pyongyang in 1971 to establish a military relationship with North Korea.

Again, Israel was worried by reports that Pakistani army officers were training Libyans and Iranians to handle Chinese and North Korean military equipment.

RAW-Mossad relations were a secret till Morarji Desai became prime minister in 1977. RAW officials had alerted him about the Zia-ul Haq regime's plans to acquire nuclear capability. While French assistance to Pakistan for a plutonium reprocessing plant was well known, the uranium enrichment plant at Kahuta was a secret. After the French stopped helping Islamabad under pressure from the Carter administration, Pakistan was determined to keep the Kahuta plant a secret. Islamabad did not want Washington to prevent its commissioning.

RAW agents were shocked when Desai called Zia and told the Pakistani military dictator: 'General, I know what you are up to in Kahuta. RAW has got me all the details.' The prime minister's indiscretion threatened to expose RAW sources.
The unfortunate revelation came about the same time that General Moshe Dayan, hero of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, was secretly visiting Kathmandu for a meeting with Indian representatives. Islamabad believed Dayan's visit was connected with a joint operation by Indian and Israeli intelligence agencies to end Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Apprehensive about an Indo-Israeli air strike on Kahuta, surface-to-air missiles were mounted around the uranium enrichment plant. These fears grew after the Israeli bombardment of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.

Zia decided Islamabad needed to reassure Israel that it had nothing to fear from Pakistan's nuclear plans. Intermediaries -- Americans close to Israel -- established the initial contacts between Islamabad and Tel Aviv. Israel was confidant the US would not allow Pakistan's nuclear capability to threaten Israel. That is why Israeli experts do not mention the threat from Pakistan when they refer to the need for pre-emptive strikes against Iraq, Iran and Libya's nuclear schemes.

By the early 1980s, the US had discovered Pakistan's Kahuta project. By then northwest Pakistan was the staging ground for mujahideen attacks against Soviet troops in Afghanistan and Zia no longer feared US objections to his nuclear agenda. But Pakistani concerns over Israel persisted, hence Zia decided to establish a clandestine relationship between Inter-Services Intelligence and Mossad via officers of the two services posted at their embassies in Washington, DC.

The ISI knew Mossad would be interested in information about the Libyan, Syrian, Jordanian and Saudi Arabian military. Pakistani army officers were often posted on deputation in the Arab world -- in these very countries -- and had access to valuable information, which the ISI offered Mossad.

When young Israeli tourists began visiting the Kashmir valley in the early nineties Pakistan suspected they were Israeli army officers in disguise to help Indian security forces with counter-terrorism operations. The ISI propaganda inspired a series of terrorist attacks on the unsuspecting Israeli tourists. One was slain, another kidnapped.

The Kashmiri Muslim Diaspora in the US feared the attacks would alienate the influential Jewish community who, they felt, could lobby the US government and turn it against Kashmiri organisations clamouring for independence. Soon after, presumably caving into pressure, the terrorists released the kidnapped Israeli. During negotiations for his release, Israeli government officials, including senior intelligence operatives, arrived in Delhi.

The ensuing interaction with Indian officials led to India establishing embassy-level relations with Israel in 1992. The decision was taken by a Congress prime minister -- P V Narasimha Rao -- whose government also began pressing the American Jewish lobby for support in getting the US to declare Pakistan a sponsor of terrorism. The lobbying bore some results.

The US State Department put Pakistan on a 'watch-list' for six months in 1993. The Clinton administration 'persuaded' then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif to dismiss Lieutenant General Javed Nasir, then director general of the ISI. The Americans were livid that the ISI refused to play ball with the CIA who wanted to buy unused Stinger missiles from the Afghan mujahideen, then in power in Kabul.
After she returned to power towards the end of 1993, Benazir Bhutto intensified the ISI's liaison with Mossad. She too began to cultivate the American Jewish lobby. Benazir is said to have a secret meeting in New York with a senior Israeli emissary, who flew to the US during her visit to Washington, DC in 1995 for talks with Clinton.

From his days as Bhutto's , Pervez Musharraf has been a keen advocate of Pakistan establishing diplomatic relations with the state of Israel. The new defence relationship between India and Israel -- where the Jewish State has become the second-biggest seller of weapons to India, after Russia -- bother Musharraf no end. Like another military dictator before him, the Pakistan president is also wary that the fear of terrorists gaining control over Islamabad's nuclear arsenal could lead to an Israel-led pre-emptive strike against his country.
Musharraf is the first Pakistani leader to speak publicly about diplomatic relations with Israel. His pragmatic corps commanders share his view that India's defence relationship with Israel need to be countered and are unlikely to oppose such a move. But the generals are wary of the backlash from the streets. Recognising Israel and establishing an Israeli embassy in Islamabad would be unacceptable to the increasingly powerful mullahs who see the United States, Israel and India as enemies of Pakistan and Islam.



Sidharth K Menon
Defence and Intelligence Analyst.