India’s Fighter Aircrafts

The Indian Air Force (IAF; Devanāgarī: भारतीय वायु सेना, Bhartiya Vāyu Senā) is the air arm of the armed forces of India. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict.

The Indian Air Force has a strength of over 1,915 (combat & non-combat) aircrafts.[69] Most of the IAF's aircraft are of Soviet/Russian origin. The Air Force also operates some aircraft from Britain and France. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under licence produce some of the Russian and British aircraft in India. The exact number of aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force cannot be determined with precision from open sources. Apparently reliable sources provide notably divergent estimates for a variety of high-visibility aircraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Indian_Air_Force

Mig-21

The Indian Air Force has been one of the largest users of the MiG-21 since its initial employment of the plane in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and later Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. That war witnessed the first supersonic air combat in the subcontinent when an Indian MiG-21FLs shot down a PAF F-104 Starfighter with its GSh-23 twin barrelled 23mm cannon.^[8], thereafter it shot down 3 more F-104 starfighers & one MIG-19 before the war ended. It was also used as late as 1999 in the Kargil War

http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/

Mig-27

 

Mig-29

MiG-29s are dedicated air superiority fighters of the IAF.^[72] The MiG-29 (NATO: Fulcrum) has a top speed of 2,445 km/h (Mach 2.3) and is armed with a 30 mm cannon along with R-60 & R-27 R missiles. The IAF began deploying MiG-29 in 1984 and was the second airforce to do so^[76]. Since their induction, the IAF's MiG-29s have undergone a series of upgrades including more efficient and powerful radar (Zhuk-ME), weapons system and upgraded engine

India was the first international customer of the MiG-29.^[14] The Indian Air Force (IAF) placed an order for more than 50 MiG-29s in 1980 while the aircraft was still in its initial development phase. Since its induction into the IAF in 1985, the aircraft has undergone a series of modifications with the addition of new avionics, sub-systems, turbofan engines and radars.^[15] The upgraded Indian version is known as Baaz (Hindi for Hawk) and forms a crucial component of the second-line offensive aircraft-fleet of the IAF after the Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

Indian MiG-29s saw action during the Kargil War in Kashmir in 1999. The IAF used the MiG-29s extensively for providing fighter escort forMirage 2000s which were used for firing laser-guided bombs on enemy targets. According to Indian sources during the Kargil War, MiG-29s from IAF’s 47 (Black Archers) Squadron successfully locked onto two Pakistani Air Force (PAF) F-16s which were close to the Indian airspace. Since India and Pakistan were not officially at war during the time, the MiGs were ordered by the IAF command to give up the chase. After this incident, the PAF ordered its aircraft to stay well within the Pakistani airspace.

http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~rajwar/pictures/planes/iaf_planes.html

Mirage 2000

Mirage 2000s, capable of flying at 2,500 km/h (Mach 2.35), are the IAF's premier multirole fighter jet. These aircraft can carry a wide range of weaponry including two 30 mm integral cannons, two Matra Super 530Dmedium-range missiles, two R550 Magic close combat missiles and various ground attack munitions.

India has assigned the nuclear strike role to their Mirage 2000s. In 1999 when the Kargil conflict broke out, the Mirage 2000 performed well during the whole conflict in the Himalayan peaks, even though the Mirages supplied to India had limited air interdiction capability and had to be heavily modified to drop dumb and laser-guided bombs. The two Mirage squadrons flew a total of 515 sorties, and in 240 strike missions dropped 55,000 kg of ordnance. Easy maintenance and a very high sortie rate made the Mirage 2000 one of the most efficient fighter of the Indian Air Force in the conflict.

Indian Mirage-2000s have been integrated to carry the Russian R-73AE Archer missile and the indigenous Indian built Astra missile.

Su-30

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the IAF's prime air superiority fighter. The Su-30K variant was first acquired in 1996. In 1996, the IAF signed a US$1.6 billion contract with Russia for the supply of 50 Su-30MKIs and the technology transfer and license to manufacture 140 Su-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.^[71] The twin seater, multi-role fighter has a maximum speed of 2500 km/h (Mach 2.35) and has a service ceiling of 20,000 meters. The aircraft, with one mid-air refueling, can travel as far as 8000 km, making it an effective platform to deliver strategic weapons.^[72] In 2007, US$700 million were spent to upgrade IAF's remaining 10 Su-30Ks & 8 SU -30MKs to MKI Std variant^[73] and signed a contract for the supply of 40 additional MKIs with Russia.

 

http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Flanker-Imagery.html

http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Flanker.html

http://p2o2.blogspot.com/2008/09/woops-f-35-got-downed-by-suhkois.html

Top 3 IT cos see revenue growth despite slowdown

Despite the uncertainty in the global economy, the top three IT majors have seen revenue growth from all important sources of income: from the North American and European regions, in the financial services vertical and from application maintenance and development (ADM) offerings between fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

All of these are bread-and-butter targets for the industry.

(The table shows the basis point change for revenue contribution across geography, verticals and service offerings. For instance, TCS saw Europe’s contribution to revenue increase from 29 per cent to 29.5 per cent, so the increase is 50 basis points – or bps. This article considers chunks of revenue that account for at least more than 50 per cent of total revenues, across geography, verticals and service offerings.)

Interestingly, as seen in the table, Infosys has seen a slump in percentage contribution to revenues across all of the above counts except North American revenues.

TCS saw a slump in percentage contribution to revenues in financial services, while Wipro saw a slump in ADM.

All of this means that while bread and butter services continue to grow, new services, geographies and verticals are growing faster, thus contributing to revenue growth.

The table also shows that while traditional ADM offerings have kept pace with, or even lagged, overall revenue growth, newer services such as BPO and infrastructure services have galloped, especially for Infosys and TCS.

However, percentage contribution from telecom to total revenues has fallen for all three while contribution from Europe has slumped for Infosys and Wipro.

These majors attribute the fall predominantly to the dollar strengthening against the European currencies, though business volumes have also slumped. The top client for both Infosys and TCS is a telecom vendor in the UK.

Infosys has also said that a significant number of its clients have gone for an all-out cost cutting exercise, where they are nipping offshore costs as well. TCS, though, has reported an overall increase in volumes and an increase in offshoring as well.

Infosys has done well particularly in the manufacturing vertical. However, Mr S. Gopalakrishnan CEO and MD, Infosys, told Business Line last week that it is early days yet to talk of a turnaround. He felt that should a major shake-up happen in GM or Chrysler, the ripple effect would be felt across. “Manufacturing is not out of the woods, yet.”

RAM not MAR - Modi to Congress

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is undoubtedly an unbeatable master of using words. He can create something out of nothing and that too in some minutes. Modi is not only a good orator but more importantly a creative orator.

Recently he said “Whole SRP is after me” referring to Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka. Congress party today answered Modi’s SRP comment with MAR(Modi-Advani-Rajnath). But Modi immediately corrected MAR to RAM(Rajnath-Advani-Modi) and joyfully talked about it at around six public meetings across the state connecting this to Congress’ vote bank politics.

Modi said, “Couple of days back in a public meeting, I said SRP for Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka because this is SMS era and short forms are popular, easier to use and handy to remember, but Congress leaders took this very seriously and day before yesterday, they called a meeting in Delhi, where it’s top leaders were present to think, discuss and decide, how to answer back Modi on his SRP comment. Now, today they have created an announced MAR to answer my SRP. They have made this MAR by combining Modi’s M, Advani’s A and Rajnath’s R. But there is a difference between their MAR and my SRP. I said SRP, respecting seniority of Congress leaders and therefore I chronologically used Sonia’s S first, Rahul’s R then after and Priyanka’s P at third place. Congress should also respect seniority and therefore their MAR should be corrected to RAM where our party president Rajnath’s R comes first, Advani’s A second and Modi’s M third. Congress has come out with MAR and nor RAM because if they say Ram, they feel, their vote bank would be in danger.”

Thousands of People present in series of rallies on Thursday, over joyed Modi’s RAM with cheers and dhols.

Excellent Article on LTTE and Tamil cause

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE [Images]) is in its death rattle. It was decisively defeated by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces weeks ago, but a handful of its leadership headed by Prabhakaran has cynically and cruelly prolonged the agony of the Tamil civilians by using them as a buffer and human-shield in order to delay the re-establishment of the writ of the Sri Lankan Government in a miniscule piece of territory (about 20 sq.kms), which has been declared by the government as a no-fire zone to avoid collateral casualties among the civilians still under the control of the LTTE and to enable them to escape from the clutches of the LTTE.

Prabhakaran is a leader with a split personality. During the 26 years he has dominated the Tamil landscape in Sri Lanka [Images], he had shown a remarkable organizing capacity and an ability to motivate his followers to perform virtual miracles. His motivation of his cadres to acquire a capability for action by air and sea would go down in the history of insurgency and terrorism as indicating an organizing capability of a high order. The LTTE under his leadership managed to bring almost the entire Tamil-inhabited territory in the Northern and Eastern Provinces under its control. The determined manner in which the LTTE fought against the Indian-Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in the late 1980s and frustrated its efforts to defeat it spoke highly of its capabilities for a conventional warfare.

If Prabhakaran had the activities of the LTTE confined to conventional warfare and developed the LTTE as a purely insurgent force, which targeted only the Armed forces and not innocent civilians, he would have acquired greater support from the international community for the Tamil cause. The rational side of his personality as illustrated by his organizing capabilities had to constantly contend with a highly irrational side, which drove him to simultaneously take to terrorism of a  shockingly brutal kind.

The targeted killings by the LTTE of many Sri Lankan Tamil leaders, who were perceived by Prabhakaran as possible impediments to his rise as the unquestioned leader of the Tamil community, and its brutal assassination of Rajiv Gandhi [Images] in May 1991 were the outcome of the irrational side of his personality. No other Indian leader had done more to help the Sri Lankan Tamil cause than Indira Gandhi [Images] and Rajiv Gandhi. Only a sickly and sickening irrational mind could have ordered the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and Laxman Kadirgamar, a highly-respected Tamil leader, who was a senior adviser on foreign policy to former President Chandrika  Kumaratunge. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on Prabhakaran's orders shocked Indian public opinion----including public opinion in Tamil Nadu--- and weakened Indian support for the Tamil cause. The assassination of Kadirgamar shocked the Western public opinion and led to the declaration of the LTTE as a terrorist organization by the Western world, thereby denying the last vestiges of Western support for the Tamil cause.

As the LTTE faced one defeat after another during the last three years from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces---initially in the Eastern Province and finally in the Northern Province ---- the irrational side of Prabhakaran's personality erased his rational side. His shocking use of the Tamil civilians in order to delay the final end of the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism campaign undertaken by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces is driven by this irrational streak in him, which now  dominates his personality.

The prolonged agony of the Sri Lankan Tamils caused by the final bout of Prabhakaran's irrationality and loss of lucidity in thinking has to be ended.  The Sri Lankan Armed Forces, which have shown patience till now and deliberately slowed down their operations, cannot be faulted if they have come to the conclusion that the time has come to liberate the no-fire zone too from the clutches of the LTTE by undertaking limited operations with small arms and ammunition even at the risk of some collateral casualties to the civilians.

The desperate attempt of Prabhakaran to use civilians to protect himself from the advancing Sri Lankan Army can be attributed  to the total loss of lucidity in his thinking and his consequent inability to face the bitter truth that he and his organization have been defeated decisively by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and that there is no chance of their staging a come-back.

The requiem for the LTTE could be written without fears of going wrong, should the LTTE stage a comeback as it had done on occasions in the past. It has been defeated beyond recovery. His conventional as well as terrorist capabilities are in  shatters. Earlier conventional wisdom that small groups of the LTTE might still be able to keep indulging in sporadic acts of terrorism in different parts of Sri Lanks needs re-consideration.

His desperate delaying action at the cost of immense suffering to the Tamils, whose cause he claims to espouse, is meant to give him an opportunity to seek safe sanctuary either in Tamil Nadu or elsewhere from where he could try to re-start his fight against the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. It is in the common interest of India and Sri Lanka that Prabhakaran is finally able to make peace with his maker by either being killed by the Armed Forces or by taking his own life. A defeated Prabhakaran, if left alive in India or elsewhere, would not be a threat, but could be a nuisance for both the countries.

After the death of the LTTE, which is expected any day, what is the future of the Sri Lankan Tamil cause? Would a requiem for the LTTE also mean a requiem for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause? Hopefully not. It is in India's interest that the LTTE as a terrorist organization is destroyed once and for all, but it is not in India's interest that the Sri Lankan Government and Armed Forces proceed from the destruction of the LTTE to the destruction of the Tamil aspirations for greater political and economic rights in their traditional homeland and for greater human dignity.

Let us not forget that ever since our independence in 1947, the Bengalis of the then East Pakistan, the Balochs and Sindhis of Pakistan and the Tamils of Sri Lanka have been India's natural allies. It was this reality which persuaded Indira Gandhi to assist the Bengalis of the then East Pakistan to achieve their independence. Even though successive governments in New Delhi [Images] refrained from supporting the causes of the Sindhis and the Balochs, Indian public opinion sympathized and continues to sympathise with their cause. It was sympathy for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause at New Delhi when Indira Gandhi  was the Prime Minister and in Tamil Nadu, which induced India to take up their cause in the 1980s.

There is no reason why India should not pride itself and seek to be the paramount power of the region. To emerge and remain as the paramount power, we need natural allies in the region around us. We should not let the legitimate aspirations of our natural allies---whether they be  the Sindhis and Balochs of Pakistan or the Sri Lankan Tamils--- be crushed by  a brutal regime--- whether in Islamabad [Images] or in  Colombo.

Since 1947, the Balochs rose twice in revolt in favour of independence for their homeland. On both occasions, they were defeated by the Pakistani Armed Forces as decisively as the LTTE by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. The Pakistani leadership brutally used the Air Force against the Balochs to crush their freedom struggle. Undaunted by this, the Baloch people, under a new leadership, rose in revolt for a third time two years ago and their third war of independence is still going on.

The remarkable victory of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces against the LTTE was partly due to their improved counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities made possible by Indian assistance in the form of training and sharing of intelligence and partly due to their emulating the Pakistani Armed forces in the brutal use of the Air Force against people whom they portray as their own. Just as the Balochs were defenceless against the brutal Pakistani air strikes, the Sri Lankan Tamils were defenceless against the Sri Lankan air strikes.

The US has used air strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan----but in foreign territory and against foreign nationals. Only three countries in the world have used air strikes in their own territory against their own people---- the Pakistanis against the Balochs, the Russians against the Chechens and the Sri Lankans against the Tamils.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has repeatedly promised that once the LTTE is defeated, he would be generous in meeting the political aspirations of Tamils. He gives the impression of being a sincere man, but will the Sinhalese Army with its head bloated by its success against the LTTE allow him to do so? The indications till now are not encouraging. Many Sri Lankan officers might have been trained in India, but their mindset and their attitude towards the minorities have more in common with those of their Pakistani counterparts than with those of their Indian counterparts. Therein lies the danger that after winning the war against the LTTE, the Government, strongly influenced by a victorious army, might trey to impose a  dictated peace on the Tamils.

If the angry Tamils once again look up to India, there is no reason why we should not reciprocate provided a new leadership emerges in the Tamil community and it has drawn the right lessons from the brutalities of the LTTE.

The LTTE is deservedly dying, but long live the Tamil cause.

B. Raman

http://news.rediff.com/column/2009/apr/23/guest-b-raman-on-situation-in-sri-lanka.htm

Words of wisdom from former CEC, N Gopalaswami

Words of wisdom from our former CEC, N.Gopalaswami based on his interview published in the Rediff

"You see, you do your job and leave the others to do their job. I don't think there should be any conflict in that. If you want to keep your sanity, then you follow one rule. Do your duty and never think that other's duty is your right. You do your job. Attitude lies in work,"

"If you do something, you say you are overdoing it and if you do not do anything you say you are not doing anything."

"We send thousand of files during our tenure (for recommendations) to several people. Some get accepted and some don't get accepted. If you want the officials to simply resign just because their recommendations have not been accepted you will have not one secretary left in the office. They all will have to go,"

India’s SLV’s

Geopolitical and economic considerations during the 1960s and 1970s compelled India to initiate its ownlaunch vehicle program.[11] During the first phase (1960s-1970s) the country successfully developed a sounding rockets program, and by the 1980s, research had yielded the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 and the more advanced Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), complete with operational supporting infrastructure.[11] ISRO further applied its energies to the advancement of launch vehicle technology resulting in the creation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) technologies

SLV project was started in early seventies and was designed to put 40 Kg payload into a 400Km circular orbit. SLV3 rocket had four solid-propellant rocket motors, inter-stages connecting the forward skirt of one stage with the rear skirt of the next stage, inertial guidance and control systems to steer the vehicle along a predetermined trajectory and a heat shield to protect the fourth stage and the satellite payload[11].

The SLV project was lead by APJ Abdul Kalam[12] who also had the additional responsibility for designing the fourth stage of the SLV. He had Dr VR Gowariker who was the expert in the field of composite propellant.

The milestones consisted of :

• Development & qualification of all subsystems through sounding rockets by 1975
• Sub-orbital flight by 1976
• Final orbital flight in 1978

Wernher von Braun [13] during his visit to ISRO mentioned the American physiological complex of NIH (Not Invented Here) and said, "If you have to do anything in rocketry do it yourself", he commented, "SLV-3 is a genuine Indian design and you may be having your own troubles. But you should always remember that we do not just build on success, we also build on failure"[14].

 

ASLV - Augumented Satellite Launch Vehicle

ASLV was configured as a five-stage solid propellant vehicle, weighing about 40 tonne and having a length of about 23.8 m. The strap-on stage consisted of two identical 1 m diameter solid propellant motors similar to SLV-3 first stage, other stages being the same as in SLV-3.

 

The payload capability was thus raised to 150 Kg as compared to SLV-3's 42 Kg capability. Closed loop guidance, active from the ignition of the second stage motor to the separation of the third stage, was employed in ASLV while SLV-3 had used an open loop system.

First Launch Date: 24 March 1987. Last Launch Date: 04 May 1994. LEO Payload: 150 kg. to: 400 km Orbit. Liftoff Thrust: 92,780 kgf. Total Mass: 41,000 kg. Core Diameter: 1.0 m. Total Length: 23.5 m. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 9.00 million. in 1985 unit dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

PSLV - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The Polar Space Launch Vehicle is a versatile heavy launcher developed to permit India to launch its own IRS-class 1600Kg satellites in sun-synchronous orbits, though it could also be used for GTO mission. It also served as the stepping-stone for GSLV heavy lift configuration for mainstream GTO orbit.

The basic PSLV configuration is 44.4 meter tall weighing 295 tonne and four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately.

Of the six strap-on motors (PSOM), depending on mission requirement first two or four of PSOM are ignited on the ground, to augment the first stage thrust. Each of these solid propellant strap-on motors carries nine tonne of HTPB based propellant, burn for 45 seconds and produces 662 kN thrust. The remaining strap-on motors are ignited 25 seconds (at ~3 Km altitude) after lift off.

GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle)

The GSLV (Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle) Mk-I is a heavy communication satellite launcher developed to enable India to launch its own INSAT-class 2,000 to 2,500Kg satellites into Geo-Transfer-Orbit (GTO) for Indian and foreign communication satellite market.

The GSLV has four liquid propellant strap-on indigenous Vikas motors (L40) based on Ariane Viking-2 engine of SEP, which are ignited on the ground, to augment the first stage thrust.

GSLV will be declared operational after one more successful developmental flights (D3). GSLV-D1 successfully launched 1540Kg GSAT-1 satellite into GTO on 18-April-2001 and GSLV-D2 launched 1825Kg GSAT-2 to GTO on 8-May-2003 . Commercial flights C1, C2 & C3 is already budgeted, including long lead-time items for C4, C5 & C6 [43] .

Efforts are already on to improve the payload in GTO in progressive steps of 2,200Kg, 2,300 Kg and 2450Kg by 2006 [44]. Other than GTO missions, GSLV can also perform mission to LEO and polar missions.