11 Indian Navy Sea Harriers, the last of a full fleet of the iconic British-built jumpjets stretched their wings for the last time today. It’s been a deeply emotional day down at INS Hansa, the Indian Navy’s premier aviation base in Goa. India’s Harrier ride began in 1983 with the purchase of 26 Mk51 and…
Category: Aircraft And Helicopters
IAF Jets Arrive In Alaska To Red Flag ‘Aggressors’
Lots of planespotter buzz around Eielson AFB, Alaska in the run up to Red Flag ALASKA 16-1 that begins April 28. The Indian Air Force’s contingent (4 x Su-30MKI, 4 x Jaguar Darin II, 2 x Il-78M & 2 C-17 Globemaster III) that arrived on April 16 have been on routine practice runs at the…
Has India Finalised Rafale Deal At $8.8 Billion?
Has India finalised its deal for 36 Rafale fighters at a contract value of $8.8 billion? The MoD was quick to advise a couple of recent media reports not to ‘jump the gun’ that a deal had finally been reached — and no official comment is out yet on the deal. But the ruling party…
1st India-built Apache Fuselage Rolls Out In 2018
The first Indian-built AH-64E Apache fuselage, built in Hyderabad by the Boeing-Tata Advanced Systems Ltd joint venture, will be rolled out in 2018, with the first chopper to be delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2019. Livefist can confirm that work has begun towards the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility that will take…
EXCLUSIVE: Old Horse Antonov Unveils 3 New Indian Hopes
They spent a large part of a year fighting speculation about the safety of Indian An-32s that were in Ukraine for an upgrade at the peak of the conflict. Emerging mostly unscathed from that unnerving experience, old horse Antonov — whose An-32 light lifter remains the IAF’s tactical backbone — is at DefExpo this year…
FIRST LOOK: LCA Tejas Fires Derby BVR Missile
Here’s the little video clip of LCA Tejas Limited Series 7 (LSP-7) firing a Rafael Defense Systems DERBY BVR air to air missile off the coast of Jamnagar, Gujarat. The missile was fired in ballistic unguided mode, though it’s clear that a full-ops guided test is in the offing — likely in the next two…
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Team LCA Tejas At Bahrain’s Sakhir Base
These images just in of Team Tejas at the Sakhir Air Base for the Bahrain Air Show that kicks off in a couple of days. Both jets have been flying plenty in prep for the show. We hear local the team has also been inundated with requests from journalists and enthusiasts for a closer look…
India’s Tejas Debuts Abroad, Right Next To Pak JF-17s
This is cool. Two Indian LCA Tejas light fighters landed at the Sakhir Air base in Bahrain earlier today for what is the indigenous fighter type’s first foray abroad (the jets flew Bengaluru-Jamnagar-Muscat-Sakhir). What’s cooler: the LCA’s share flightline space right next two Pakistan Air Force JF-17s, a type long seen as a rival to…
Next Tejas Milestone: Derby BVR Missile Firing By March
As the laboured final stretch of India’s LCA Tejas trudges on, there’s a final milestone on the, well, horizon. A Tejas fighter with a fully integrated multi-mode radar and new quartz radome is all set to fire its first BVR missile off the coast of Goa — Livefist can confirm it will be a Rafael Systems…
All Clear: India To Sign Deal For 36 Rafales This Month
The all-clear is here, and there’s no way to tell it but straight. Livefist can confirm that India and France are all set to sign a government-to-government deal this month for the supply of 36 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force. A crucial final meeting on Monday, Jan 18 of the Defence…
Video Of Precarious IAF Chopper Rescue Of Pregnant Woman Goes Viral
This terrific video, filmed by a stranded citizen on the roof of a building in flooded Chennai, shows an Indian Air Force Cheetah/Alouette-II chopper swooping in, hovering and rescuing a pregnant woman, identified as S. Rajeshwari, on December 3. The pilots Wing Commanders Simon and Venkat piloted the chopper in after an emergency call that the…
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