But the Indian government is actually paying $6.5B for 85 planes, and that's $76M each. Come on man. Contract value is not the same as URF. URF cost before taxes is ~42M URF after (domestic) tax is ~50M Since export customers do not pay domestic taxes, the export price is the base URF. The rest of ...
Jump to postTejas economics question: Wikipedia says (and has lots of citations) ₹162 crore (equivalent to ₹208 crore or US$29 million in 2019) for IOC Mk. 1 (2014) ₹299.45 crore (equivalent to ₹541 crore or US$76 million in 2019) for FOC Mk. 1 (2010) ₹303 crore (US$42 million) for Mk. 1A and ₹309 crore (US$43...
Jump to postIf what you wrote above makes sense to you then maybe we should just stop talking. Agreed. If you're going to tell *me* what the IAF is thinking, and quote Franz-Stefan Gady, who in all likelihood has never interacted with an IAF officer outside of an embassy party, then this discussion is indeed q...
Jump to postOver the years I formed the impression that the environment in which this aircraft was being developed was not a healthy environment for decent project management. Sir, I tip my hat to you. It will be interesting to see if India can run the Mk1A project substantially better than Mk1 was run. I woul...
Jump to postIf what you wrote above makes sense to you then maybe we should just stop talking. Agreed. If you're going to tell *me* what the IAF is thinking, and quote Franz-Stefan Gady, who in all likelihood has never interacted with an IAF officer outside of an embassy party, then this discussion is indeed q...
Jump to postDevelopment was started in 1985 (36 years ago). First flight was in 2001 (20 years ago). They have delivered zero planes the military actually wants. I think that's long enough. More than long enough. Way too long. You can choose between 1987 (project definition) and 1993 (first actual development ...
Jump to postLM thought it was 'shockingly low' at the time One way to measure whether Boeing underbid is whether they can deliver the frames in time. Cost over run escalate exponentially with schedule delay. So if they can deliver on schedule, then their bid would be spot on. bt yep. flight test appears to be ...
Jump to postWhat's special about S. Asian geopolitics? Compare it to (say) the Gulf Region or ASEAN? I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not. Three nuclear powers in a constant state of friction qualifies as pretty dicey in my book. There are no treaty alliances in S.Asia, so no one coming to help if it prope...
Jump to postMost other countries of this size simply consider it foolish to invest this much money just to replicate products that they can buy off the shelf from a friend. Especially when your 'homegrown' fighter depends on parts from said friends. Correct. And most other countries aren't affected by the uniq...
Jump to postI would wonder if $1B spent the Pakistani way is worth the same development as $3B spent the Indian way. The Tejas program really seems to be inefficiently run. The JF-17 has fighters in operation and the Tejas is a development program. This is a great way to distill the essence of the question dow...
Jump to postNot sure I agree that the Tejas is a better aircraft though. The Chinese have had a long time to mature and develop the JF-17. They have had AESA radars in service on aircraft for almost 18 years, and 3 years for fighter based arrays. Missile technology is likely way ahead of any homegrown Indian m...
Jump to postOh good. Another thread that's going to destroy my productivity. You will excuse me if I don my patriotic hat for this one, although I will try and be as objective as possible. I like the Tejas and think it is technically a better aircraft than the JF-17 although it is hard to deny the time differen...
Jump to postF-35 has no HUD. So the pilot always has to wear the HMDS.
Other aircraft, particularly in peacetime, can probably do without it, unless the training for the day specifically requires it.
Well the USAF might still be taking F-15EX then, the French more Rafales on slow production and I doubt Germany will have finished Eurofighter deliveries given their slow production and order timeframe. Given what the IAF needs to replace better to have a cheap 4th gen than see the force significan...
Jump to postAgain, I think the only way the Gripen E can be seriously competitive is if it came with the F414EPE. I don't know if that would be enough to motivate GE to produce it though. They will certainly get no help from the USN on that one as they've had at least 12 years to order that engine and haven't ...
Jump to postFirst delivery is planned "by 2024". Build rate unknown, but judging by the past, I do not think they will complete the order before 2028.
Cue the chorus of "why bother with a 4G jet as late as 2028?"
If the C-2 had a good rough field landing package it would be really useful where I am right now. More range and speed than a C130 but can fit into areas a C17 can't. How many ISU 90s can C2 carry? I am sure there are some Herc people here, but for those who haven't had to experience low crawling o...
Jump to postI suspect Scotland will privilege EEZ protection first and foremost, then sovereignty, and nil attention to expeditionary. So a strong patrol fleet, light/medium MPA (god, what I wouldn't give for a Do 228 resurgence) and maybe a little later a nascent QRA capability, or they can get a BAP/IAP type ...
Jump to postObviously a single seat no external payload aircraft is very different to a fully configured strike aircraft There were multiple configs tested, including with payloads. Interesting and good to know. We had discussed previously about the viability of ski jump testing in India, do you think this is ...
Jump to postObviously a single seat no external payload aircraft is very different to a fully configured strike aircraft There were multiple configs tested, including with payloads. This article also suggests that the Indian Navy and Air Force fighter selections may be linked The Navy would love that, but the ...
Jump to postbikerthai wrote:The one study that I am aware of where generating capacity is maxed out is when they try to put both an air search and a ground search radar on the same frame.
bt
Kiwirob wrote:I went onboard in December 2018, she was a mess, I’ve been onboard a lot of ships under construction but never one as messy as her.
Yet they just bought more? No they didn't? It will probably be another 10 years before Cochin has finished Vikrant :bigthumbsup: well deserved, but thankfully it looks like we're on the final stretch, at last! Almost certainly missing the (re-re-)re-scheduled service entry date, but not by much thi...
Jump to postThe refueling pods go outboard of the engines to increase receiver separation (among other things) while the range extending tanks go between the engines.
Jump to postGalaxyFlyer wrote:It’s an MC-130J provision, I believe, not on the “slicks”.
Reddevil556 wrote:A little off topic, but do C-130J models have the capability to have the underwing tanks attached? I am talking a standard C-130J, not specific mission oriented bird.
Not all funds will be obligated. 1130 or whatever number it works out to is theoretical. What it does do is help secure the F-16 supply chain and give the programme some visibility.
Jump to postDoesn't look like India is satisfied with just a one for one replacement. Aren't they looking to order more than the current 8+4? To expand on existing MDA. The existing 8 provide more coverage than the earlier 13. 12 will take that further, and with more P-8Is planned, we will finally have the sor...
Jump to postInteresting that NZ replaced 5x P-3 with 4x P-8. Germany could probably drop 1 frame also if desired and still have more capability than it does now (although I think NZ will add another one later and this was to make it appear like a smaller purchase to the public). Ours weren't P-3s, but we are r...
Jump to postI think a combat-capable version would seriously erode any prospects of HAL capturing Tejas orders from budget-constrained air forces. I suppose it would also make inroads into FA-50 order prospects based on FA-50 being low cost. I can imagine that SAAB will be thankibg their lucky stars to have a ...
Jump to postAmongst the other reasonably standard suite of weapons that South Korea is looking to integrate onto the KF-X is this new air to surface missile. Interesting that they are going for supersonic speed which is in contrast to current western offerings on the international market and perhaps may give t...
Jump to postover-corrected vignetting can lead to reverse vignetting. as far as the photographers being driven away, I think that ship has mostly sailed.
Jump to postEveryone seems to forget my favourite underdog, the P-1. Loaded with all the disadvantages that have been discussed threadbare here and in other threads, but it's just so damn cool.
Jump to postbikerthai wrote:The large dome near the main landing gear. The P-8I config looks taller and different shape form.
How many iterations of price haggling did this contract go through? Our experience with out India subcontractors is that initially, they low ball the estimate. After one contract they found that it was more difficult then they realized, then they highball the next. After a couple of iterations of n...
Jump to postOrder placed for 83 tejas mk1 at a total cost of 37000 cr , approximately 5 b usd. So each plane coming in at 60 m usd. Pretty expensive for a home designed and home assembled plane. Major Imported components are, engine ge 404 at 6 m usd each , 7 missiles at total of 5 m , radar at 3 m usd , eject...
Jump to postOrder placed for 83 tejas mk1 at a total cost of 37000 cr , approximately 5 b usd. So each plane coming in at 60 m usd. Pretty expensive for a home designed and home assembled plane. Major Imported components are, engine ge 404 at 6 m usd each , 7 missiles at total of 5 m , radar at 3 m usd , eject...
Jump to postThere's definitely banding, and possibly borderline "inverse vignetting" (lens correction?) but no more offensive that many, many other shots, as Karl has pointed out. Not just the Phuket ones, but many others have snuck through, I can't imagine nitpicking this. Honestly never noticed the ...
Jump to postIndia, who also have both P-8A and C-17 will also want a larger tanker as well. India will be happy with really any additional tanking capability at this point! Unlikely to go boom for a number of reasons: 1. New manpower pipeline for a tiny fleet costs $$$ 2. No Navy patrol aircraft have ever tank...
Jump to postRe: the T-7A, it looks like the MLG would foul with the doors if it slammed down too hard (i.e. FCLP, trap)
Jump to postI hope this belongs here - today was a rather unusual day here in Surrey in that we had a Bangladeshi Air Force Hercules C130J en route from Cambridge to ?, and a Kuwait Air Force C17 en route from Newcastle to ? overflying. Perhaps these are not so rare but stood out owing to the dearth of other f...
Jump to postSikorsky. The Wessex, being turbine engined from the start, came a bit later, early 60's with the RN and RAN in the ASW role. thanks! Once she entered she spotted a kind of funnel with a pipe connected to it, just in front of the entrance door behind the captain’a seat. Without asking, she took thi...
Jump to postGDB wrote:Here's one new to me, S-2 Trackers, Dutch Navy, 1960's;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-49773399
proof of concept or certifiable?
assuming the former, just about any rail system will work. clip the ends off kitchen drawer slides so they can pull free at the end of the stroke? just a thought.
I can't imagine the Swedes want a jet-BTA. My money is on Embraer or Pilatus.
There's a preference for side-by-side seating, but only the Grob 120TP comes close to offering enough performance with this configuration (and even then doesn't meet the reqs outright).
AMCA moving towards design freeze I wonder how much this will be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. http://idrw.org/amca-final-design-freeze-soon-dsi-intakes-rcs-reduction-measures-to-make-it-first-5-5-gen-fighter/ NB The source is highly chauvinistic so may not be objective in reporting Indian avia...
Jump to postmmo wrote:The RR is almost 1000 lbs heavier than the TF33.
The only problem with the RR is they are 1,000 lbs heavier than the others and that will have a fairly large effect on the CG. Surely the closer an engine is to the weight of the original TF33, the better from an integration/CG perspective? More thrust/efficiency at similar weights will probably be...
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