|
Bangalore: After offering to co-produce the F-18 Super Hornet in this country if it wins an Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 combat jets, US aerospace major Boeing yesterday upped the ante by committing itself to equipping the aircraft with the latest-generation radar that greatly enhances its capabilities.
And, in keeping with current "Network-centric warfare" doctrine of the Indian Armed Forces, Boeing says the F-18 is more than equipped to put this concept into practice by coordinating operations in the air and on the ground.
"Yes, the aircraft will come with the AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array). The radar is in operation and represents the latest generation of radar technology," Rear Admiral Jeffrey A. Wieringa said at the media briefing during the ongoing Aero India air show.
Wieringa wears the twin hats of deputy assistant secretary of the US Navy and director of the navy's international programmes office.
The AESA radar, according to the official, engages targets at very long ranges, continues to search while tracking many targets and can produce high-resolution maps from long stand-off ranges.
One catch
"The AESA radar, along with the F-18's advanced sensor technology, gives it true capability to operate in a network-centric warfare environment," Wieringa added.
There is, however, just one catch: while the aerospace major is more than ready to co-produce the aircraft, it is not willing for technology transfer of the radar "due to its sensitive nature", said Chris Chadwick, Vice-President and General Manager for Global Strike Systems of Boeing Integrated Defence Systems that manufactures the aircraft.
"We are looking to building a lasting relationship with India and to work closely with the Indian industry in capacity building. Thus, I don't foresee AESA becoming an issue [due to the absence of technology transfer]," Chadwick added.
New acquisition
Meanwhile, India is set to sign a contract to buy 40 more Sukhoi Su-30 fighters from Russia by the end of March, the country's air force chief said yesterday.
Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi said he expected the planes, costing slightly less than $40 million (Dh147 million) each, to be delivered within three years.
"We think that in this financial year, we will sign the contract," Tyagi told reporters in the southern city of Bangalore. The air force already has an unspecified number of Su-30s in its fleet.
Separately, the government is expected to soon invite bids for 126 combat aircraft to replace the air force's ageing MiG 21s, MiG-23s and Mig-27s. There was momentary panic at the ongoing Aero India show here yesterday when news of an air crash spread like wildfire, which was followed by constant announcements asking the public to remain calm.
It eventually turned out that an intermediate jet trainer of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd had overshot the runway.
|
