HAVELSAN Artillery Forward Observer Training Simulators for Pakistan Army

Pakistan Army is inducting 10 units of artillery simulator systems made by HAVELSAN of Turkey. The simulator provides forward observers and fire management personnel with required training which makes them capable to use artillery fire power in desired place and time.

Purposes:

Offers different land images, with fixed and moving targets, constituting scenarios, target determination and making fire request. Creating real battle environment with image and sound effects. Having used every caliber mortar and compositions of bullets and fuses; their effects on target have been investigated.

--To form scenarios with static and moving targets on various land views

--To create a working environment in real battle conditions with image and sound effects

--To use artillery weapons in every diameter and various bullet /stopper combinations

--To learn Target Assesmnet, Fire Request, organization and management of firings


Facilities and Capabilities:

• Various land/terrain on an image, create scenarios with fixed and moving targets,
• Observer of the target detection training,
• Fire requests, training,
• Fire arrangement and management training,
• Forward Observer and Fire Administration to improve coordination between Center staff,
• using a combination of targets to the impact of surveillance,

Technical Specifications:

• Laser Distance Measuring device has been simulated,
• binoculars to be simulated,
• Fire Accounts and simulation of the impact of environmental conditions,
• Visual and audio effects and a realistic combat environment in the field,
• Customizable 3-D synthetic training lands,
• High resolution DTED / satellite images and 3D models,
• Target on the calculation of the effects of weapons and ammunition,
time, training costs and savings from the arsenal was developed and designed for this purpose

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USAF expected to stay in Afghanistan till at least 2016

By Walter Pincus

How long is the U.S. military going to be in Afghanistan?

At least until 2016, if the U.S. Air Force general training the Afghan National Army Air Corps is correct.

"Our goal is by 2016 to have an air corps that will be capable of doing those operations and the things that it needs to do to meet the security requirements of this country," Brig. Gen. Walter Givhan told Pentagon reporters recently in a teleconference from Kabul, the Afghan capital. Even then, the Afghans will not be able to perform functions other air forces do, he said, adding, "The long-term goal beyond that envisions a continued partnership."

Like many things in Afghanistan, U.S. military plans for the Afghan air corps mean creating something completely new. Givhan said the effort involves "not just acquiring aircraft and training pilots and the people that maintain aircraft, but it's across everything."

What's everything? He listed infrastructure, which he described as "putting modern bases in the various locations where we think it's best for them to operate from." Those projects range from the $10 million that is building new runways and other facilities at Shank Air Base, south of Kabul, to the $250 million expansion of Kandahar Air Field that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just put out for bid.

Givhan also mentioned developing a logistics system, building a command-and-control system, and even training people who work with the air corps on the ground such as firefighters.

The current goals are already ambitious. Today there are about 2,700 airmen, and the plan is to grow that number to 7,250 by 2016, Givhan said. The 2016 goal for aircraft, both helicopters and fixed wing, is 139; there are 36 today.


Just as the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, is expected shortly to propose further expansion of the Afghan ground security forces, Givhan said he is looking at "potential expansion opportunities" that could involve growing the planned two Afghan wings to three wings, "in addition to the various detachments around the country."

There were some Afghan military pilots with capability when the United States took over rebuilding efforts, Givhan said, adding, "We've brought those guys back in." And while there are about 60 younger Afghan pilot candidates currently in the United States, they must learn English before they begin training to fly. Recently, Lt. Faiz Ramaki, became the first Afghan in 50 years to graduate from U.S. pilot training school, according to the Air Force Times.

The older pilots, whose average age is 45, are those who "right now sustain this air force," Givhan said. Because they previously had flown Russian aircraft, Givhan said, "we gave them aircraft they know how to fly."

To add to the older force, the Czech Republic donated six Mi-17 cargo helicopters and six Mi-35 attack helicopters, all of which had to be refurbished at a cost of $38 million. Four An-32 transport planes were purchased from Russia in 2008. Last month, the United States sought to purchase four additional new or used Mi-17s for the air corps.

Givhan said the United States is soon to supply modern C-27s, a medium-size twin-turboprop transport that is designed to operate in rugged areas such as Afghanistan where airstrips cannot handle larger planes. About 18 are expected in November, and some of the older Afghan pilots are in the United States for instrument training to operate the C-27s, Givhan said.

Right now, with the aircraft that exist, the primary role of the air corps is transporting people. The An-32s carry passengers from Kabul to Herat, in the west, and the Mi-17s are used to pick up wounded and others from battlefields. One recent Mi-17 task, directed by the Afghan government, was to provide transportation to all the presidential candidates in last week's election.

In another recent operation, the cargo helicopters were used in the northern part of the country that was hit by floods. About 1,500 people over several weeks were carried out of the flooded areas.

American pilots are working with the Afghans to prepare them to use the Mi-35 attack helicopters in areas where there is fighting. "We'll actually be sending those into combat situations very soon," Givhan said, but their role will not be close air support to ground troops. He described it as "a little bit simpler . . . having to do with escort and reacting to being fired on." Meanwhile, with Czech instructors helping, the Afghan pilots are being taught rules of engagement, such as when to shoot and when not to shoot.

A major part of the air activity in Afghanistan involves unmanned airborne systems that collect full motion video and provide surveillance. The head of Afghanistan's air corps, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Dawran, recently visited the United States and watched operation of Predator drones over Afghanistan being directed by American pilots in Nevada at Creech Air Force Base. Though Dawran was "very impressed" with the remote operations, Givhan said, such capabilities are not envisioned for the Afghans. The Americans are looking at perhaps giving them a fixed-wing aircraft that can carry out such intelligence and surveillance activities, he added.

"This is an exciting mission because literally we're rebuilding this from the ground up, after years of war had devastated the capability that they had," he said. That could be said about almost everything the United States is trying to do in Afghanistan.

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Navy grounds Sea Harrier fleet after crash

Navy has grounded its Sea Harrier fighters, which operate from the country's solitary aircraft carrier INS Viraat, as a precautionary measure after one of the jump-jets crashed last Friday.

Sources said the Sea Harrier fleet, which is down to just eight single-seat fighters and three twin-seater trainers now, will undergo systematic checks to ascertain whether a "technical defect'' caused the crash off Goa, which killed the pilot, Lt-Commander Saurabh Chandra Saxena.

Apart from the acute shortfall in the number of fighters to operate from the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, the worry is that the Sea Harrier-IN 622 which crashed was a newly-upgraded one.

Though Navy is conducting a "board of inquiry'' into the mishap, the absence of a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recording system on the ill-fated fighter will make the probe all the more difficult.

From 1983 onwards, Navy had inducted 30 British-origin Sea Harriers, which take off from the angled ski-jump on INS Viraat and land vertically on its deck, but has lost over half of them in accidents.

The remaining underwent "a limited upgrade'' in a Rs 477-crore project, which includes fitting of Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radars and Derby beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

So, even as the 50-year-old INS Viraat is finally getting ready to become operational for at least five years more after an 18-month life-extension refit, it is fast running out of jets to operate from its deck.

This clearly spells trouble for Navy, which has been crying hoarse for several years now that it wants at least two aircraft carriers to protect India's strategic interests.

But successive governments have miserably failed to take decisions in time. The 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov, undergoing a refit at the Sevmash Shipyard in North Russia, for instance, will be available only by 2013. The 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), being built at Cochin Shipyard, will also be ready only by 2015-2016.

Navy, of course, will soon start getting the 16 MiG-29Ks contracted in the original $1.5-billion Gorshkov package deal signed with Russia in January 2004, under which the carrier refit was pegged at $974 million.

India and Russia, however, are still enmeshed in renegotiating Gorshkov's final refit cost, with Moscow demanding as much as $2.9 billion and India keen on shelling out around $2.2 billion.

The acquisition of another 29 MiG-29Ks for around Rs 5,380 crore is also on the cards, especially since both Gorshkov and IAC will require these fighters when they are ready to enter service.

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South Korea toys with four options to build indigenous attack helicopter

An attack derivative of the Surion utility helicopter is shaping up as a likely project to sustain Korea Aerospace Industries’ hard-won aeronautics development skills. As the engineering effort on the Surion winds down, other projects that could keep the company’s engineers busy include a civil aircraft, such as the regional jet revealed last year, and the KFX fighter.

The need for development work is clearly driving the push for a home-grown attack helicopter, since foreign producers already offer advanced models whose price and performance could be difficult for Korea Aerospace, a new arrival in the rotary-wing business, to improve on. The South Korean government and industry are considering four alternative schemes under the Korean Attack Helicopter program to fill the requirement for 274 aircraft to replace about 70 Bell AH-1Ss and 270 Hughes 500s from 2018:

•A simple addition of stub wings and weapons to the Surion. With 87% commonality with the Surion, development of this model would take four years and cost 200 billion won ($160 million), Korea Aerospace says. The unit price would be 21 billion won. •A new stepped cockpit grafted on to the Surion cabin, along with the wings and weapon systems, with 73% commonality. Development time and cost would rise to five years and 700 billion won, and unit cost to 23.1 billion won.

•A new body, including cockpit, but otherwise retaining as much as possible from the Surion, notably the power train, and offering 63% commonality. This aircraft would need six years and up to 1 trillion won for development and would cost 24.8 billion won per unit.

•An attack helicopter unrelated to the Surion. This could be an adaptation of a foreign design.

None of these concepts will be free from criticism.

The first two seem to be highly compromised in the quest for commonality, since the engines would have to haul around the mass of a transport helicopter body that would offer little advantage in an attack mission while offering a larger, more sluggish target.

The second option is visually similar to the 12-ton Mil Mi-24 assault and attack helicopter, but the South Korean aircraft would not act in such a role, striking from the air and landing infantry to assault from the ground. A scale model shows that the design has no large doors for infantry, and that the cabin could be obstructed by carry-through structure of the mid-mounted wings.

All three proposed derivatives may be open to the charge they are bigger than necessary, a result of the choice of the power train from the 8.7-metric-ton Surion.

The Korean Attack Helicopter program has been aimed at developing a light- to medium-size aircraft, akin to the 6-ton Eurocopter Tiger. South Korea’s AH-1s have a 4.5-ton maximum weight.

But the rating of the Surion’s two General Electric T700-GE-701K turboshafts—each at 1,383 kw. (1,854 hp.) for 10 min.—would put an attack derivative in the same class as the Boeing AH-64 Apache, which has a design mission gross weight of 8 tons and an overload ferry-mission weight of 10.4 tons.

The South Korean armed forces have sought Apaches, but only 36. That effort may be dropped in favor of the Korean Attack Helicopter.

If the proposal for an aircraft unrelated to the Surion produced an all-new design, it would face criticism as a costly reinvention of what was already available. A new helicopter would, however, offer to greatly extend the rotary-wing skills that Korea Aerospace has learned from developing Surion with help from Eurocopter.

Any of the three derivative designs would add to the considerable production run of components for the 245 Surions that the armed forces and government have said are required. A derivative attack helicopter would result in South Korea building 519 related helicopters.

Foreign support for attack helicopter development would also be likely, with Eurocopter well placed for the work.

The Surion has been developed under the Korean Utility Helicopter program, the survivor of the former Korean Multirole Helicopter program, which also encompassed an attack helicopter until that element was dropped in January 2005 to reduce development risks.

The attack derivatives of the Surion therefore revive the original proposal for two helicopter types under a single broad program.

One military official tells the Yonhap news agency that development must begin next year for entry into service by 2018. The national security council directed in 2005 that no decision on the attack helicopter be taken before an assessment of the Surion, now due by October 2010. The finance ministry is accordingly refusing to release the first 3 billion won of development funding for the attack helicopter until then.

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South Korean rocket fails to reach full orbit

Video: South Korea launches first space rocket

South Korea's space program suffered a blow Tuesday after a satellite launched from its first space rocket failed to reach proper orbit, a science official said. "All aspects of the launch were normal, but the satellite exceeded its planned orbit and reached an altitude of 360 kilometers," said Ahn Byung-man, the minister of science and technology. The satellite should have separated at about 302 kilometers, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The cause of the failure was not immediately known. Korean experts were working with Russian scientists, who provided the technology for launch, to determine the reason, Ahn said.The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 lifted off from the Naro Space Center on the southern coast about 5 p.m. (4 a.m. ET) Tuesday.

A series of delays had kept the rocket and its satellite payload earthbound for nearly four years, including a technical glitch that halted last week's countdown less than eight minutes before blastoff. South Korea spent 502 billion won (US $402 million) on the rocket, which is part of an ambitious plan to jump-start the country's space program, Yonhap reported.


Officials plan another rocket launch in April. The long-term goal is to create an unmanned space probe that can reach the moon by 2025, the agency reported. The rocket was originally scheduled to be launched in late 2005, before being pushed back to October 2007 and then 2008 due to "administrative and diplomatic reasons," Yonhap reported.

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Saudi Arabia set to buy 30 Russian military helicopters

Russia is concluding talks with Saudi Arabia on selling 30 Mi-171B helicopters, a source close to the negotiations said. "We are in a final stage of talks on the purchase of 30 helicopters and hope to sign the deal in September," the source told RIA Novosti. The Mi-171 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip multipurpose helicopter. Currently in production at two factories in the Russian Volga city of Kazan and the East Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, it features more powerful turbo-shaft engines and can carry up to 37 passengers.

The Arab state has traditionally bought only Western, mainly U.S.-made, civilian and military equipment, but has recently expressed an interest in acquiring Russian weaponry, including S-400 air defense systems, T-90 tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and various types of helicopters. Russian analysts linked the Saudi interest in Russian weapons with a change in the kingdom's political priorities and the difficulties it has encountered in purchasing weaponry from the West since the September 11 terrorist attacks, masterminded and performed mostly by Saudi citizens.

Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported in July that Russia and Saudi Arabia discussed a number of deals worth an estimated $4 billion a year and a half ago, when the country's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal visited Moscow. Saudi Arabia's defense budget currently exceeds $33 billion, and is expected to reach $44 billion in 2010.

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India artillery upgrade stuck, Pak gets howitzers from US

Manu Pubby

India’s artillery modernisation has been stuck due to scam scares ever since the Bofors scandal but Pakistan has gone ahead, equipping its army with the latest guns that now threaten to give it an edge over the Indian Army.

While India has not received even a single new artillery gun in the last two decades, Pakistan recently received a batch of 67 self-propelled artillery guns from the US using War against Terror funds granted by Washington.

Latest United Nations data reveal that delivery of the M-109 A5 self-propelled artillery guns took place last year. The guns were transferred under the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme that was granted to Pakistan for the fight against militant groups on its border with Afghanistan.

Experts say these M-109 A5 155 mm howitzers give Pakistan a definite conventional edge over the Indian Army that is years away from induction of similar systems. The most modern guns in the Indian Army are the Bofors that were procured in the 1980s.

“While the Indian Army modernisation is getting nowhere, Pakistan is steadily modernising not only its artillery but other arms and services as well. This will lead to erosion in India’s conventional superiority if not checked immediately,” said Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal, a former artillery officer, who heads the Army’s think tank, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).

In the Nineties, the Indian Army had put forward a requirement for guns similar to the ones that Pakistan has now got. While the plan took off in 1999, it got scrapped after eight years of trials after South African firm Denel was blacklisted by the government. Israel’s Soltham and Singapore Technologies, the other artillery giants, have also been blacklisted by the government

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Scamster Maj Gen gets kidnapped; safe, says army

By: Anshuman G Dutta \
Maj Gen Anil Swaroop facing court of inquiry for Rs 100 cr scam in purchasing army equipments. The Noida police got an earth shattering call on Friday. "A Major General rank officer of the Indian army has been kidnapped," they were told. The building where Major Gen Swaroop used to stay in Sector 44, Noida A police team rushed to the Sector 44 house of the army official but the family told them that Maj Gen (retd) Anil Swaroop has gone to Hardwar for some personal work.

Maj Gen Swaroop is facing a Court of Inquiry (CoI) for his involvement in the Rs 100 cr scam in purchase of equipments for army during his tenure as Additional Director General, Technical Store in Jabalpur during 2006-2008."We checked the matter thoroughly and there was nothing wrong. We later got to know that the officer is accused in some big scam in army," a senior Noida police official said.

He also informed that the Military Police officers visited Maj Gen Swaroop's residence the previous night in connection with the same case. "Probably he was questioned by military officials in connection to the scam. His wife also confessed that the military police have visited them thrice in the week."

But as soon as the news of a senior retired military officer being 'kidnapping' from Noida leaked, the Army Headquarter in Delhi came out with a clarification. "He is safe and well within our reach. Neither he has been kidnapped nor he is absconding," said an MoD official on condition of anonymity.

Though Indian Army is tightlipped about the actual nature of the scam, sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Maj Gen Swaroop is accused of financial misappropriation in the purchase of basic military equipments and other things.

The officer also added that according to CoI report he is the only accused in the case. "Summary of Evidences would be produced in military court which will take final decision. He is among the very few high ranking officers to have undergone the process which can result into General Court Martial (GCM)," said the officer.The case was detected soon after Maj Gen Anil Swaroop retired on July 31.

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Indian produced T-90 Bhishma MBT rolls out

India's armoured might got a long-awaited boost as the first specimen of indigenously built Russian T-90 tank rolled out . Called Bhishma in India, the T-90 tank is already in operational service with the army and is currently the country's main battle tank (MBT).

The first Indian produced T-90 MBT rolled out of the Heavy Vehicles Factory, just outside Chennai. Built under licensed technology from Russia, the T-90 is a formidable main battle tank built with all the signature characteristics of Soviet tank technology.

Bhishma will be inducted into the Army's strike corps armoured regiments in Rajasthan and Punjab sectors. Overall, India plans to operate a huge fleet of 1,600 T-90 tanks.The low-slung armoured machine is built for fighting across deserts and plains at night, and built to dodge enemy fire effectively. Nimble on its tracks, the tank is also built to survive in a nuclear, chemical or biological warfare environment.

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Merlin Helicopters Train for Afghanistan

A Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter landing in dusty conditions during Exercise Merlin Vortex at the United States Naval Air Facility El Centro (NAFEC) in San Diego; the US Navy’s main training facility.

Royal Air Force C-17 aircraft transports a Merlin helicopter out to the United States Naval Air Facility El Centro (NAFEC) in San Diego; the US Navy’s main training facility.

A Royal Air Force C-17 aircraft transports a Merlin helicopter out to the United States Naval Air Facility El Centro (NAFEC) in San Diego; the US Navy’s main training facility.

The Merlin Helicopter Force has commenced a 4 month training exercise in the United States as the final stage of preparation for its end of year deployment to Afghanistan. The Merlins, from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, will provide vital support to ground operations, increasing the capacity of UK helicopter lift in Afghanistan by a further 25%. Exercise MERLIN VORTEX will train crews for the unique challenges of the Afghan environment: the ‘hot and high’ conditions and constant threats they will face on a daily basis.

With temperatures soaring to 50oC and rarely dropping below 35oC at night the ‘Hot’ part of the training requirement is met, along with the opportunity to test landing in dusty conditions. ‘High’ training comes in the form of mountain ranges of varying heights, which with the high temperatures means the environment allows the Merlin to operate to the limit of its capabilities, providing outstanding preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. RAF Sergeant Tom Pringle, Merlin Crewman said:

“The environment out here is very challenging but I believe that it will prepare us well for success in Afghanistan. Train hard, fight easy. The facilities are great and the Americans have been very welcoming and supportive.” RAF Flight Sergeant John Stone is a Merlin Crewman on the Training, Development and Standards Flight:

“To train effectively for survival aspects in Theatre we need to be operating with all the same equipment that we would have on operations. From a tactics point of view I believe that the combination of live firing ranges, to practice self-defence, and representative terrain have enabled us to put together a comprehensive and realistic package of pre-deployment training that is well paced”. RAF Squadron Leader Dave Morris is Officer Commanding B Flight, 78 Squadron:

“We came out here to undertake ‘Hot and High’ training for Afghanistan. The area provides a wide variety of terrain allowing us to achieve a high standard of instruction in new techniques. The environmental conditions are representative of Afghanistan and the effect of training in this unique location will be to increase the confidence and ability of the crews to a level where they are ready to deploy. You can never be too prepared and there is always more training to come but the lessons we learn out here will allow the Merlin force to deploy with confidence”.

“The entire Merlin Force will be able to experience the highest standards of training in a representative environment. The overall feeling is one of confidence that the training received here will allow the Merlin Force to take up its role in Afghanistan and provide the same outstanding level of support that it gave to ground forces in Iraq”.

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Afghan National Army Air Corp (ANAAC) Order of Battle

Map of the Afghan National Army Air Corps regions

By CJ Radin

Since the last Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) update in February, a significant amount of new information has become available. This update summarizes major changes to the ANAAC’s status and organizational goals.

Current ANAAC status

The ANAAC now has an estimated 2,700 personnel. The aircraft inventory includes:

• 15 Mi-17v5 transport helicopters

• 3 Mi-17DV VIP transport helicopters

• 9 Mi-35 attack helicopters

• 5 AN-32 transport aircraft

• 2 AN-26 transport aircraft

• 2 L-39 jets

The Mi-17 helicopters are currently stationed at airbases in Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. A detachment deploys for five days a time in Gardez in Paktia, then returns to Kabul for maintenance. The Mi-17s provide the ANAAC with the following capabilities:

• Battlefield mobility for the ANA’s commando battalions.

• MEDEVAC flights flown from Kabul and Kandahar.

• VIP transport flights flown from Kabul. Recently, this included transporting Presidential candidates during the campaign.

On May 27, training was completed for of the first batch of Mi-35 attack helicopters. Ground training and limited flight training for the crew members began last summer. In January, six refurbished helicopters arrived. Since then assessments have been completed for nine pilots. The ANAAC is building its own arming points and is working to complete all of the Mi-35 live-fire training at Afghan facilities. The ANAAC also is researching live-fire training locations throughout Afghanistan to better integrate the Mi-35 with the army. Initial operating capability has not been achieved yet, but is expected soon. This initial capability will not be full- fledged, close air support, but will be simpler roles having to do with escort and reacting to being fired upon. The Mi-35s will remain operational until end FY2013 when they will reach the end of their service life. They will be replaced by Mi-17s armed with rocket pods and machine guns. This will streamline maintenance and logistics operations to one combat helicopter airframe.

AN-32 and AN-26 cargo aircraft are stationed in Kabul and provide personnel and cargo transport throughout Afghanistan. By end2009, the Air Corps will receive the first four of 20 C-27 Spartan transport planes. The rest will be fielded over the following two years . By then, the AN-26s and AN-32s airframes will have reached the end of their service live and will be phased out.

The L-39 jets are used for ceremonial purposes only and will be phased out soon (if not already).

In April, 60 ANAAC pilot candidates were sent to the United States for training. The “Undergraduate Pilot Training Programs” (UPT) course of study lasts one year in the US Air Force, 17 months in the US Army, and two years in the US Navy. The US Army and Navy will train rotary-wing pilots, and the U.S. Air Force will train fixed-wing pilot candidates. In 2010 and 2011, 50 additional pilot candidates each year will start training in the United States.

ANAAC organizational goals

By end the end of 2015, the ANAAC plans to have a total of 139 aircraft and 7,250 personnel. The allotted aircraft will include:

Rotary wing aircraft:

• 58 Mi-17v5 (battlefield mobility, close air support)

• 3 Mi-17DV (VIP transport)

• 6 trainers

Fixed wing aircraft:

• 20 C-27 propeller transport (18 transport, 2 transport configurable for VIP transport)

• 4 propeller cargo aircraft based ISR

• 14 propeller light attack / ISR

• 20 light multi-role attack / air superiority jets

• 8 propeller basic trainers

• 6 propeller advanced trainers

A significant new addition to the plan is the light multi-role attack/air superiority jets. The specific aircraft has not been designated, but the Czech L-159 is a representative type. Another addition is the propeller cargo aircraft-based ISR. The specific aircraft has not been designated, but the Cessna C-208 is a representative type.

The ANAAC will be organized into 2 wings, 3 regional support squadrons and 2 detachments [See map for base locations; see OOB page 5 of specific aircraft assigned to each base].
• Kabul Air Wing – Supports National Commando Brigade, Fixed wing transport, VIP transport, attack , ISR.

• Kandahar Air Wing – Supports Regional Command (RC) - South / 205th Corps, Fixed wing transport, attack, ISR.

• Jalalabad Regional Support Squadron – Support RC – Central / 201st Corps.

• Shindand Regional Support Squadron – Supports RC – West / 207th Corps. Center for pilot training.

• Mazar-e-Sharif Regional Support Squadron –Supports RC-North / 209th Corps.

• Gardez Detachment – Supports RC- East / 203rd Corps.

• Herat Detachment – Supports RC-West / 207th Corps.

The center for pilot training will be in Shindand in Herat province. All training aircraft will be stationed in Shindand.

Fixed wing transport, attack, and ISR aircraft will be based in the Kabul and Kandahar air wings.

Mi-17 helicopters will be stationed at each of the 7 ANAAC bases. The Mi-17s support air mobility operations for the ANA commando battalions within their region. MEDEVAC helicopters are based in Kabul and Kandahar. VIP transport helicopters are based in Kabul.

The total cost of building the ANAAC, from its start in May 2007 to the completed organization of 7 bases, 139 aircraft, and 7,250 personnel by the end of FY2015, is approximately $5 billion.

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Australia evaluating new training plan for military pilots

The federal government is looking up to seven years ahead for the way it wants pilots trained to operate next-generation defence aircraft. During the next decade, nearly all existing aircraft and helicopters will be replaced. The replacement program will include new fixed-wing combat aircraft to be flown by RAAF pilots and new naval aviation and trooplift helicopters to be flown by navy and army pilots, Defence Minister John Faulkner says.

Presently, defence aircrew training comprises a mixture of initial training provided by private contractors and more advanced training provided within the services. The Defence Capability Plan 2009, released in July, allows for replacement of the existing ADF pilot training regime with a more efficient and modern system.

That will be procured using a performance-based contract for construction and delivery of pilot training. "The new pilot training system will prepare airforce pilots for operational conversion and army and navy pilots for transfer to advanced helicopter training," Senator Faulkner said in a statement. The government would make a final decision about the training system model between 2012 and 2015. It will enter service in the 2015 to 2017 timeframe, Senator Faulkner said. "Importantly, Australian industry will have the opportunity to support the delivery of this new capability."

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United Arab Emirates air force participates in first Red Flag

A United Arab Emirates F-16E Desert Falcon, block 60, flies over Southern Arizona Aug. 11 before heading to the country's first Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport maintains and operates a squadron of block 60s for the purpose of training the UAE air force in the advanced multi-role fighter.

by Capt. Gabe Johnson

United Arab Emirates air force pilots and maintainers are participating in the Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for the first time Aug. 22 through Sept. 5. The UAE airmen spent the previous two weeks at the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport preparing for the advanced training exercise that exposes U.S. and partner nation air force units to challenging and realistic aerial combat scenarios.

For the Emirati pilots, the preparation in Tucson was a chance to get familiar with U.S. airspace and reunite with their former instructors. Arizona Guardsmen have trained UAE fighter pilots for the last eight years, five years in UAE aircraft. Currently, the wing's 148th Fighter Squadron is the only squadron of UAE-owned F-16E Desert Falcons, or block 60s, in the United States.

"It's been great to welcome back our friends from the UAE, some of whom we haven't seen for a while," said Col. Greg Stroud, the 162nd wing commander. "It's really rewarding for us to see how they've developed as pilots and we're proud to see them participate in their first Red Flag. It's historic for the Emiratis to go to Red Flag for the first time, and our wing gets to share the importance of this milestone since we've been training them from the beginning. They're ready."

The Emiratis will take on Red Flag flying their Tucson-based fighters. "The block 60 is similar to earlier versions of the F-16 in that it flies the same, but in terms of capabilities it's more advanced," said Lt. Col. Mick McGuire, the 148th Fighter Squadron commander.The F-16E's most notable characteristics include conformal fuel tanks mounted on the top of its fuselage, digital color screens in the cockpit and a powerful engine to compensate for the jet's increase in weight.

"It's typically called a generation 4.5 fighter, not quite at the level of the 5th generation F-22 (Raptor) or F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter), but its avionics, thrust and fuel capacity make it a very formidable fighter," Colonel McGuire said. "They should do very well at Red Flag and return to the UAE having learned many good lessons from the experience." Red Flag, designed to push the limits of a pilot's skill regardless of aircraft capability, will further build upon the military-to-military relationship originally fostered in Arizona.

According to Colonel Stroud, Red Flag and the basic F-16 course taught at the 162nd play important roles in making the United Arab Emirates air force as capable as it can be. The Tucson wing currently has nine Emirati student pilots in its basic course. They will graduate after nine months as mission qualified F-16 pilots and could be among future cadres of UAE pilots to visit Red Flag in years to come. "They're getting world-class training and, for us, it gives us the opportunity to fly a generation 4.5 F-16 and see what the future may hold for the next U.S. fighter," Colonel Stroud said.

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Viraat refit done, but where are the jets?

As it is, India solitary aircraft carrier, the 50-year-old INS Viraat, is being flogged to ensure it can operate for another five years. To make matters worse, Navy is fast running out of fighter jets to operate from its deck. This is just another example of how the utter lack of long-term strategic planning and execution continues to be a bane for India, which harbours notions of being a major player on the global stage.

The crash of another Sea Harrier jump-jet off Goa on Friday, which killed its pilot, means Navy is left with barely eight single-seater fighters and three twin-seater trainers. Beginning 1983, Navy had inducted around 30 Sea Harriers, which take off from the angled ski-jump on INS Viraat and land vertically on its deck. But it has lost over half of them in accidents. The remaining have undergone a "limited upgrade'' under a Rs 477-crore project, which includes Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radar and Derby beyond visual range air-to-air missiles.

The latest crash comes at a time when the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat is finally getting ready to become operational again after an 18-month extensive refit to boost its longevity as well as weapon and sensor packages, as reported earlier. "A carrier without fighters is like a tiger without teeth,'' said a senior officer. Incidentally, as per earlier plans, both INS Viraat and its Sea Harriers were to be junked by this time. But the plans were revised since the Navy wanted two fully-operational "carrier battle groups'' (CBGs), with their own complements of fighters, by 2009 to project force as well as act as a "stabilising influence'' in the entire Indian Ocean and beyond.

CBGs or "carrier strike groups'', with a complement of guided-missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, attack submarines and tankers, after all project power like nothing else. The US, for instance, has 12 CBGs deployed around the globe as a crucial ingredient of its power projection policy. But repeated failures of successive Indian governments to take timely decisions has put paid to all such plans. For one, the refurbished 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov, undergoing a refit at the Sevmash Shipyard in North Russia, will be available to the Navy only by 2013 at the earliest now.

For another, the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) being built at Cochin Shipyard, will be ready only by 2015-2016 after meandering through political and bureaucratic apathy for several years. Navy, of course, will soon start getting the 16 MiG-29Ks contracted in the original $1.5-billion Gorshkov package deal signed with Russia in January 2004, under which the carrier refit cost was pegged at $974 million.

India and Russia, however, are still enmeshed in renegotiating Gorshkov's final refit cost, with Moscow demanding as much as $2.9 billion and India keen on shelling out around $2.2 billion. The acquisition of another 29 MiG-29Ks for around Rs 5,380 crore is also on the cards, especially since both Gorshkov and IAC will require these fighters when they are ready to enter service.

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Light of the day : LCA

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Indo-Canadian nuclear agreement in trouble

India and Canada may not be able to sign a civilian nuclear agreement anytime soon as the two countries are yet to 'clear hurdles that would lead to the start of formal negotiations', according to reports in leading Canadian dailies like The Globe and Mail.

The Canadian daily's report contradicts the views expressed by International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, who had stated in May that Canada was 'very close' to a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India.

After his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] in India in January, Day told rediff.com that he was elated that his meetings with Indian leaders, including Dr Singh and National Security Adviser M K Narayan, have been very productive.
"Canadian companies are well positioned to capitalise on opportunities and to work cooperatively with their Indian counterparts to meet the needs of India's civilian nuclear market," he had said.

The story in the Canadian daily has quoted Day's Press Secretary Melisa Leclerc.

When contacted by rediff.com on August 22, she responded in an e-mail message, "The (Canadian) reporter got the information from the Department (of Foreign Affairs and International Trade), not (from) me."

Dr Ashok Kapur, professor of political science at the University of Waterloo (Ontario), an expert on nuclear issues, told rediff.com that, "The story shows there are big differences between the three Canadian Ministers - International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon."

Cannon hasn't spoken on the subject and obviously "he's not providing the leadership or else well-entrenched pro-Non Nuclear Proliferation Treaty bureaucrats in DFAIT won't continue talking against the India-Canadian civilian nuclear agreement," he said.

"The old view since 1974, when India conducted its first nuclear test, has been that relations with India shouldn't be very close, shouldn't be very friendly, and it should be commensurate with India's position in South Asia and within the framework of South Asia," pointed out Kapur.

Leaders who are opposing the India-Canadian nuclear agreement are ignoring the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement as well as the terms of India's understanding with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, argues Kapur.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon's silence on the issue is not helping either, says Kapur. "The longer he remains silent on this issue and doesn't provide leadership, the more free hand the Canadian bureaucrats will have. They now have a greater role to play because it is a minority Conservative government."

Canada's first draft on the civilian nuclear agreement had not been acceptable to India, according to Indian High Commissioner S M Gavai. "After India submitted a counter-draft, Canadian authorities have submitted another counter draft that has stressed on the NPT and gone beyond America's 123 agreement," claims Kapur.

When pointed out that the delay in signing the deal with India is costing Canada enormously as the US, Russian and French companies are singing several kinds of deals in the civilian nuclear field, Kapur said, "These Canadian bureaucrats don't care."

"If DFAIT wanted to give positive signals, cooperative signals, all they had to do was to take all the features of 123 and the India-US civilian nuclear agreement and the IAEA's approval of that agreement and incorporate all those features in the Canada-India draft agreement, but they are going beyond that. They are inserting new conditions that are impossible for India to accept," Kapur concludes.

Indian High Commissioner Gavai, Canadian Minister Stockwell Day and Parliamentary Secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Deepak Obhrai were not available for comments.

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Shoot and Scoot : Rs 20k cr deals may end Army's artillery drought

India is now going to float a mega global tender for acquiring 814 motorised howitzers in a fresh attempt to kickstart the Army's long-delayed over Rs 20,000 crore artillery modernisation programme, bedevilled by the Bofors ghost and other scandals for almost 25 years now.

The project will include an off-the-shelf purchase of 200 155mm/52-calibre mounted gun systems from abroad, which will be followed by indigenous manufacture of another 614 such howitzers under transfer of technology. "These 17-tonne motorised howitzers will arm 40 regiments. The project was recently cleared by Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony. The RFP is being issued," said a defence ministry source.

Yet another big project on the anvil is the outright purchase of 100 155mm/52-calibre self-propelled tracked guns for five artillery regiments, the field trials for which will be held around May-June 2010. The 1.13-million Army is keeping its fingers firmly crossed this time about its artillery modernisation programme, which envisages induction of a whopping 2,814 guns of different types.

Not a single new artillery gun, after all, has been inducted ever since the infamous Rs 1,437 crore Bofors contract for 410 field howitzers became a political bogey in 1986. If first it was Bofors, then it was Denel in 2005. And now, Singapore Technologies (ST) is in the dock after the defence ministry put all dealings with it on hold due to the alleged corruption scandal involving former Ordnance Factory Board chairman Sudipto Ghosh.

A worried Army top brass, in fact, has even asked Antony to allow the trials in different categories to go ahead while the CBI conducts its probe into Ghosh's case. The Pegasus gun of ST Kinetics, for instance, was to be field-tested from mid-June onwards in the project to acquire 140 air-mobile ultra-light howitzers (ULHs) for Rs 2,900 crore. Army needs ULHs to ensure artillery can be swiftly deployed in forward, inaccessible areas with the help of helicopters.

ST Kinetics was also a contender in the meandering Rs 8,000 crore project to buy 400 155mm/52-calibre towed artillery guns, which is to be followed by indigenous manufacture of another 1,180 howitzers. The other two contenders are BAE Systems and Israeli Soltam.

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Russia sends another strategic nuclear submarine for scrapping

An official farewell ceremony for a strategic nuclear submarine from the Russian Northern Fleet was held at the Zvezdochka shipyard in northern Russia. The K-496 Borisoglebsk, a Delta III class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, was decommissioned in December 2008 after over 30 years service. The operational lifetime of these submarines is estimated to be 20-25 years.

"The submarine's crew, Zvezdochka and Sevmash workers, Northern Fleet's active-duty personnel and veterans attended the farewell ceremony on August 14," the shipyard said in a statement. The Borisoglebsk is known for its March 1993 collision with the Graling U.S. nuclear submarine, which had been tracking the Russian sub at the distance of 11-13 kilometers. The K-496 was subsequently sent for repairs to the Zvezdochka shipyard.

The Delta class submarines have formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since their introduction in 1973. They carry nuclear ballistic missiles of the R-29 Vysota family. Russia has signed cooperation agreements on the disposal of decommissioned nuclear submarines with the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway.

Russian Rosatom state nuclear corporation, the U.S. and Canada will finance the dismantling of the Borisoglebsk submarine at the Zvezdochka shipyard. Zvezdochka is Russia's biggest shipyard for repairing and dismantling of nuclear-powered submarines. The shipyard has the capacity to dismantle up to four nuclear submarines per year.

During the dismantlement, spent nuclear fuel is removed from the submarine's reactors and sent into storage, the hull is cut into three sections, and the bow and stern sections are removed and destroyed. The reactor section is sealed and transferred into storage. Russia has scrapped more than 200 out of 250 nuclear submarines built in the Soviet Union and pledged to dismantle the remaining outdated vessels by 2012.

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Russia shortlisted for submarine contract with Indonesia

Russia has been shortlisted for a $700 million contract to deliver two submarines to Indonesia, the Indonesian Navy commander said. "Of the four bidders for the submarines, Russia and South Korea have reached the final round, passing France and Germany," Admiral Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said. Russia's bid is the Project 636 diesel-electric submarine (export agent Rosoboronexport) while South Korea's is the U-209 sub manufactured by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering under German license.

"One of the principal conditions [of the contract] is, among other things, the transfer of technology," Purdijatno said. The successful bidder is expected to be named by the end of August. The Indonesian defense minister has said the submarines are to be delivered in 2011.

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Indonesian Navy to get two new submarines soon

Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno has expressed hope that two new submarines would arrive soon in the next two years. Asked for confirmation, the Navy chief of staff said the procurement process of the two submarines has been discussed by the Defense Ministry.

"Technical specification and the operation requirement have been submitted to the Defense Ministry for discussion," Tejo Edhy said, expressing hope that the ministry this month would decide where the submarines would be procured from.

Indonesia has earlier opened a tender for the procurement of two submarines in 2010-2014 from several countries such as Germany, South Korea, Russia, and France.

"If the Defense Ministry decides the country the Navy will get the submarine from, then the contract will be signed immediately to procure the two submarine soon," Tedjo said.

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Ukraine military hovercraft to equip Chinese navy

China's navy is to purchase four Ukrainian military hovercraft in a 315-million-dollar deal potentially shifting the South China Sea naval balance, the Interfax news agency reported. A shipbuilding firm in Ukraine's Black Sea port Feodosia will construct two Zubr (translation - Bison) class craft, and a second pair of vessels will be built in China under the supervision of Ukrainian technicians.

A Ukrainian government publication listing state contracts confirmed the order without giving its value. Officials at the Morye shipyard in Feodosia declined comment. The Zubr hovercraft is designed to carry three tanks, 10 armoured personnel carriers, or as many as 500 troops at speeds exceeding 63 knots. The vessel can due to its larger size operate in rougher seas than smaller hovercraft.

The Russian, Ukrainian, and Greek navies currently operate the Zubr, with a total ten hovercraft produced since 1988. China's navy currently lacks heavy capacity hovercraft of the Zubr type. The most modern Chinese naval hovercraft in operation, the Jingsah II, has a maximum capacity of 70 troops.

The Zubr hovercraft's capacity to deliver substantial combat forces by water at speeds doubling conventional landing ships would, once in Chinese inventory, complicate defence planning for South China Sea nations particularly Taiwan, according to the report.

Feodosia's Morye shipyard as co-developer of the Zubr hovercraft with St. Peterburg's Almaz naval design bureau technically is banned from selling Zubr's military technologies to a third party, without Almaz management agreement. China in 2006 was in talks with Almaz on the purchase of six Zubr hovercraft without result. Management at Ukraine's Morye shipyard, actual production of site of all Zubr-class hovercraft, began talks with Chinese naval representatives in 2008, a naval source told Interfax.

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Russian navy plans to acquire new classes of surface ships

The Russian navy plans to boost rearmament efforts by acquiring new classes of surface ships. The service is due to receive more than 40% of the defense budget this year, according to government officials, though most of the money will be spent on nuclear submarines.

At the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS) here, June 24-28, navy commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said the service is increasing the construction of new classes of warships. The first results of these efforts will be seen at the next IMDS in 2011.

Some signs of rearmament were on display at the show. In St. Petersburg harbor, the navy exhibited its first Stereguschiy-class corvette, which entered service in February 2008. Another ship on display was the new Project 11540 Yaroslav Mudry frigate that entered service on June 19. The 125-meter-long (410-ft.) ship has a full-load displacement of 4,000 tons, top speed of 30 kt., a 3,000-mi. range and endurance of 30 days.



The navy already operates one ship of the class, the Neustrashymy, that was acquired in 1993. Last winter it participated in an antipiracy mission in the Gulf of Aden. The keel of the Yaroslav Mudry was laid down in Kaliningrad in 1991, but three years later, when the ship was 75% finished, construction was suspended due to a lack of funds. Work resumed in 2002 on an upgraded version of the ship. Yakov Kushnir, chief designer of surface ships at the Zelenodolsk design bureau, told DTI that the frigate has more advanced electronic systems than the older Neustrashymy frigate, including satellite TV communication. The Yaroslav Mudry also was equipped with additional armament—two four-tube launchers for the Uran antiship missile system that uses Kh-35 missiles with a maximum range of 130 km. (80 mi.).

The Yaroslav Mudry is likely to be the last ship of the series. “We will not continue construction of this class,” says Vysotsky. Building ships based on older designs is not worth the money, since the Yaroslav Mudry will stay in service for only 10-15 years. The navy will instead rely on new types such as the Project 22350 frigates. The first such ship—Admiral Gorshkov—has been under construction at the northern shipyard in St. Petersburg since 2006. The service life of the new ships will be 25-45 years, says Vysotsky, who adds that the keel of another frigate will be laid this year.

Russian defense contractors showed a range of surface ships and submarine concepts at the show that they are offering to the navy and for export.

One model displayed by the Malakhit design bureau of St. Petersburg calls for a submarine with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system—a first for the Russian defense industry. The 870-ton P-650E, the largest member of the Piranha family of small diesel-electric submarines, has a section with a fuel cell module (see diagram). It mixes oxygen from an inner tank and hydrogen from a tank outside the sub’s inner hull to generate electricity for propulsion. Malakhit designed and tested an AIP system in the 1990s, but work was suspended due to a lack of funding. The AIP system can reportedly provide half the vessel’s submerged endurance of 20 days at 4 kt.

The P-650, like other submarines in the family, is for littoral operations. Due to a high degree of automation, it needs only nine crewmen. The sub is armed with torpedoes and mines, and can launch Club antiship missiles through its torpedo tubes. It is also able to insert combat swimming teams.

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Camp Humphreys battalion swaps Apaches for upgraded models

The Army’s only Apache attack helicopter unit in South Korea will soon trade in its entire fleet for a new and more lethal model. The 4th Battalion (Attack), 2nd Aviation Regiment at Camp Humphreys will make the swap a few aircraft at a time, starting in September.The battalion’s 24 AH-64D Apache Longbows are the Block 1, Version 6 variant. They’ll be exchanged for the newest model — the Block 2, Version 11.

“It’s a one-for-one exchange,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Craig D. Yerdon, the battalion’s standardization instructor pilot. “By the end of the year, all of our aircraft will be traded in.” Boeing produces the Apache, a two-seater attack helicopter, at a factory in Mesa, Ariz., Yerdon said. The new Apaches will be airlifted from Fort Hood, Texas, to Osan Air Base aboard Air Force C-17 Globemaster transports, he said. A C-17 can carry three Apaches.

Six will be transported to Osan each month; once they’re unloaded, six older Apaches will be loaded and carried to the U.S. The new helos will be reassembled, inspected and then flown to Humphreys. Yerdon said battalion pilots welcome the newest Apache model, which has several key improvements. One is the improved cockpit map display that will allow pilots to use digital map images to see terrain and other topographical features.

The Block 1s provide only “a stick map depiction” of their planned route, on a blank background. To see what the surrounding terrain looks like at a given spot, pilots have to leaf through a thick book of hard-copy maps.“So it drastically increases pilot situational awareness, reduces our workload … so he’s not scrambling … through that map book” in the cockpit, Yerdon said.

Another improvement is the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight, or M-TADS, a canister-like device mounted at the Apache’s front. It contains a forward looking infrared — or FLIR — with improved resolution and acuity to allow pilots to pick up targets more clearly at longer distances on their display screens. The new FLIR in the M-TADS can also help pilots see terrain features and other objects better and thus fly more safely at night, Yerdon said.“We will increase both safety — flying, because we can identify hazards and obstacles better — but will also increase lethality because we can look further and see the enemy further away than we can currently,” Yerdon said.

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"Daksh" Bomb disposal robot will roll out soon for the Indian Army

The first lot of DRDO’s bomb detection and disposal robot, Daksh, for the use of the Indian Army will roll out soon. City-based Dynalog India Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Theta Control are in the process of manufacturing Daksh, a two-foot-high, remote-operated, battery-run vehicle that weighs 350 kg and is designed to detect and defuse Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

After the Army had placed orders for 20 robots in March, DRDO has been trying to sell the concept to security agencies like the National Security Guard and the police, as a tool to fight terror. “In the last two months the Mumbai Police and the CRPF have been showing interest,” said Alok Mukherjee, DRDO scientist at the Research and Development Establishment (Enggrs) and a key member of the Daksh team. Daksh can be used in urban areas and country terrain. It can be used against militants in J&K and the North East as well as against Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states, said Mukherjee. DRDO believes Daksh will be of use to paramilitary forces, the Airports Authority of India and Indian Railways to secure their areas.


“With this technology, we would be able to do what the US is doing with the drones in Afghanistan,” said Ajit Kavishwar, Director, Dynalog. “Daksh can handle IEDs, take it out of a crowded place and scan the device with its X-ray component to confirm if the device is an IED. If it is a bomb, the on-board water-jet disrupter can defuse it,” Mukherjee said.


Daksh can lift a weight of 20 kg from a distance of around 3 metre. When operated on wireless mode, the robot can be controlled from a distance of 500 metre. “As compared to an imported model, an indigenously developed robot would be easy to maintain and can cater to Indian terrain,” said a BEL representative. “All the three companies together would be able to supply two robots a month; the first will take four months to make,” he added. For many security agencies that may find the cost, Rs 1.75 crore, somewhat high, DRDO says they are in the process of devising a smaller version.

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India and Russia to ink a deal for the joint development and production of MTA in September

In line with the BrahMos cruise missile project, India and Russia are expected to ink a deal during Defence Minister A K Antony`s Moscow visit next month on setting up of a joint venture for production of state-of-art multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) for their air forces.

The `formal agreement` for floating the MTA JV is expected to be signed in September during Antony`s Moscow visit for the session of Joint Commission on military- technical cooperation, said V Balakrishnan, general manager of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) aircraft manufacturing division.

The Russian government has cleared the formalities for the creation of 50-50 JV and prime minister Vladimir Putin has allocated funds for financing Russia`s share, he said.

From the Indian side HAL will hold 50% equity in the JV.The inter-government agreement for the joint development and production of MTA was inked in 2006 during the then President Putin`s India visit, as the air forces of both the countries are seeking to replace their ageing Soviet-era Antonov series transport aircraft.

Balakrishnan said IAF has evinced interest in acquiring 40 MTA aircraft for transporting troops, military hardware and military cargo with option of buying more aircraft, while the Russian air force has confirmed readiness to acquire 100 planes.

According to earlier reports under the USD 600 million JV, a highly advanced transport aircraft with the capacity of 20 tons and capable of landing on any type of runway, including in the high Himalayan altitudes, would be developed on the basis of Ilyushin Il-214 aircraft.HAL and Ilyushin are to co-design and develop the aircraft.

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