SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

It’s more or less confirmed now that the Indian Navy will be going for a repeat order of the IAC-I aka INS Vikrant, a 44000-tonne aircraft carrier with some modifications and upgrades to its overhaul design and system to incorporate newer technologies. The Navy is also in process of starting a study for a larger carrier as informed by Admiral R Hari Kumar to the media.

The original plan was to have a 65000-tonne aircraft carrier as IAC-II but now it has been decided to go for a sister class ship of the IAC-I with some technology upgradation and some structural changes to its lift size.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has started work on a High-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for which it has completed feasibility studies with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

HALE Class UAS will be ADE’s fourth Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) program after Archer (SR-UAV-W), MALE Unmanned Aerial Systems like Tapas and Archer-NG.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

United States Air Force flew Two F-35A fighter jets to India which has fueled speculation on the intention of the US administration that always has been picky about who gets the offer of the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet and many in India see this as an attempt by Washington to woo New Delhi away from its biggest military supplier and decades-old friend, Russia.

The question that has been going around for the last few days has been whether the US administration is keen to offer F-35 to India. idrw.org has been told that no official discussion has happened between the two governments.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

The Aeronautical Development Agency that is working on the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) will soon clear this crucial phase as the design continues to get more optimised and refined before it is cleared by the Ministry of Defence, while the scale model showcased at the Aero India 2023 was that of the familiar design that was displayed earlier but TEDBF image shown on the poster showed quite a change in the design.

The poster image of the TEDBF seen above still sport a Leading Edge Extension (LEX) along with Canards but the Diverterless Supersonic inlet (DSI) seems to be more optimized and angled Stealth optimised frontal Radome seems to have been changed and now features a blunt, rounded nose cone.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

DRDO director-general (electronics & communication system) BK Das speaking to the media has confirmed that the Uttam Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (AESAR) developed in India will soon be offered to countries that are keen to equip it on their fighter jets. DRDO is targeting Airforce which has a Russian-equipped fighter jet considering switching to more modern AESA radar as DRDO has plans to requip it also on Russian Mig-29K and Su-30MKI aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force.

idrw.org at Aero India 2023 also got confirmation from the DRDO officials that the Tejas Mk1A fighter jet will be getting upgraded Uttam Aesa Radar with 900+ T/R modules instead of one that is being tested on two older Tejas aircraft with 700+ T/R modules.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Short Range-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Weaponised (SR-UAV-W) which is also known as Archer aka Rustm-I UAV has completed flight demonstration and will undergo missile evaluation soon that includes anti-tank missiles and UAV-specific bombs.

SR-UAV-W will also be getting two more weapons integrated and tested before it is cleared for production. idrw.org was told at Aero India 2023 that the Indian Army will be the primary customer once weapons tests are completed.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Air Force (IAF) Base Repair Depot (BRD) developed the Surface Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) Air Defence system that is made up of refurbished Russian-supplied Vympel R-73E infrared?guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs) reprogrammed to be used as a Surface to Air short range Air Defence system has been cleared for Induction.

SAMAR Air Defence system that was showcased at the Aero India 2023 has completed all firing trials and has a range of 12km against low-level flying aerial targets from UAVs, Helicopters and fighter jets.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) officials speaking to idrw.org have confirmed that the first batch of upgraded Tejas Mk1A fighter jets will commence deliveries from March 2024 onwards and all contract 73 jets will be concluded by 2028.

HAL officials also confirmed that the company will offer to manufacture additional 40-50 more units of the Tejas Mk1A sometime soon when the production line of the Mk1A peaks at 2026-27 to bridge the gap due to delays in the Tejas Mk2 program and due to falling squadron levels of the IAF.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is in talks with India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure unspecified numbers of LCA-Tejas Mk1A fighter jets from India to replace its ex-Canadian Canadair CF-5A Freedom Fighter and CF-5D Tiger II jets in service.

Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in 2017 wanted to procure Swedish-built Gripen multi-role jet fighters at $1.7 billion but had to drop plans due to sharp criticisms from security analysts, foreign press and domestic political opposition within Botswana over the steep price of the jets.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Deputy Chief of Air Force told Indian media that plans to procure 114 multi-role fighter jets under MRFA will see a renewed push by the IAF to get Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the tender before the issue of the Request for Proposal (RFP) in next 3-4 months.

IAF is still framing Service Quantitative requirements and plans to issue RFP that might be done by end of this year or by mid of next year.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

MRF, India’s leading tyre manufacturing company of India at Aero India 2023 showcased a new line of nose wheel tyres and main wheel tyres for the Tejas Mk1A fighter jets replacing Dunlop Tyres that was presently supplied by the US Headquareted tyre manufacturer.

MRF creating Aeromuscle tyres for fighter aircraft jets aircraft and officials confirmed to idrw.org that trials of the tyres have begun and soon it will be cleared for the Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A fleet.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The video showcased at the HAL stall of the upcoming Next Gen Supersonic Trainer Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42 will feature a front opening canopy windshield instead of the side opening canopy windshield seen on the Tejas Mk1A program.

India’s 5th Generation AMCA fighter jet also has opted for the front opening canopy configuration since the HLFT-42 design is still undergoing changes and improvements at this point it will be difficult to predict if the front opening canopy configuration will also find its way into the production variant of the jet when it enters after 2030.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Brazilian aerospace major Embraer has confirmed to idrw.org that talks are being held on the sale of more Embraer platforms to be used for the Netra Mk1 AEW&CS Program under which the IAF plans to procure six more platforms for which the company has offered its Praetor 600, a super mid-size business jet which is a smaller jet than the ERJ145 platform that is currently being used on the Netra Mk1 AEW&CS.

Embraer told idrw.org that Praetor 600 offers nearly twice the range and has a higher Service Ceiling of 45,000 ft when compared to 37,000 ft of the ERJ145 platform, which they claim will improve radar performance. The Max Cruise Speed of the Praetor 600 is also slightly better at 0.83 over the ERJ145 platform and due to better fuel carrying capacity, it also has better on-station endurance.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

CATS Max (Mothership for Air teaming eXploitation ) based on the Tejas Mk1, a twin-seater platform modified with the CATS interface to act as the mothership and data centre for execution and controlling of the CATS Mission is under design stages and the first flight of the CATS Max will be performed by 2024-25 timeframe claimed officials at the Aero India 2023.

CATS Max will have a Weapon System Officer (WSO) who will be controlling other CATS in destroying enemy installations and facilities. The CATS family consists of CATS OMCA (Optionally Manned Combat Aircraft ) to be used as a Decoy, CATS Warrior (UCAV), CATS Hunter (ALCM), Air Launched Flexible Asset-Swarm (ALFA-S) loitering munition, CATS Infinity, a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), CATS HALE, for Wide area surveillance and strike mission.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) showcased its latest Il-76MD-90? Heavy Transport Aircraft that is based on the iconic Il-76 with major improvements at the Aero India 2023 and has offered its Aerial Tanker Variant too to the Indian Air force (IAF).

IAF that is looking to retire the oldest lot of Il-76 Candid (Gajraj) Transport aircraft that it had procured in the early 80s post-2030 due to its age and obsolescence of the engines and avionics and Rostec is offering Il-76MD-90? which uses the same airframe and fuselage of IL-76 aircraft but now comes with a host of other improvements.