Category: Aircraft And Helicopters

EXCLUSIVE: The View From Super-Carrier Roosevelt

Among those who got a chance to visit ‘Rough Rider’ USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) in the Bay of Bengal over the weekend for Exercise Malabar 2015 was MoD spokesperson Sitanshu Kar, a man who, as you’ve seen here before, is more than handy with a camera. He’s made available a fabulous set of photographs he took…

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The LCA Tejas Needs To See Squadron Service NOW

The LCA Tejas needs to see squadron service now. Goalposts, mission objectives, time-lines, costs and specifications have, over 32 years, melded into an amorphous, self-defeating paradox. One that has served no national interest, certainly not that of the Indian Air Force. Let’s be clear. This cannot be about forcing the Indian Air Force to accept…

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REVEALED: The AH-64E Apache For India

ARTWORK FOR LIVEFIST / SAURAV CHORDIA Of all the (now several) bits of U.S.-built kit that have entered Indian inventory in the last decade, the Apache stands out. In the catalogue of equipment the Pentagon opened up to the Indian government after the Kargil conflict, contracting for Apaches seemed a lot less likely than any…

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Chinook In IAF Colours: 5 Big Reasons The IAF Is Smiling

ARTWORK FOR LIVEFIST / SAURAV CHORDIA It’s a phrase thrown about often in this business, but in the compulsively bumpy world of Indian aviation procurement, there are few occasions when an item chosen for the armed forces is a certain, unequivocal game-changer. The Indian government’s decision to clear a deal for 15 Boeing Ch-47F Chinook heavy…

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Finally, India Clears $2.5-billion Apache & Chinook Deals

PHOTO / AUSTRALIAN DEPT OF DEFENSE Years after the two major rotorcraft competitions ended with U.S. firm Boeing victories in both, the Indian government has finally cleared both deals. Livefist can confirm that the Cabinet Committee on Security, the apex government gateway just ahead of contract signature has provided its official go-ahead. The deals for 22…

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India’s Light Combat Helicopter Gets Hot & High

These great photos and statement out of HAL today on the LCH’s progress, including hot & high tests in Ladakh. Here’s what they sent out: HAL successfully carried out the hot and the high-altitude trials of indigenously designed, developed attack chopper Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) at Leh recently. “These seasonal trials – including cold weather…

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And Now, Indian MoD Flags Sharp ‘Shortcomings’ In LCA Tejas

The continuing saga over India’s LCA Tejas Mk.1 fighter continues, with the government today putting out in new detail the “shortcomings” in the platform expected to enter service over the next one year. Here’s what it told Parliament today: The following shortcomings have been reported in Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas-Mk-I: 1. Absence of Internal…

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Airbus-Mahindra Announce JV For Indian Helo Goldmine

Big development in the goldmine that is India’s military helicopter requirement landscape. Airbus Helicopters and India’s Mahindra Defence have announced a joint venture that will fight for the many big Indian helicopter competitions. As with most such things these days, it looks to align itself with PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. “Both companies…

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It’s Final: #MMRCA Dead, Rafales Coming

After a decade of speculation, intrigue, a generous measure of behind-the-scenes drama, finally some ironic clarity on the ‘mother of all deals’, India’s massive combat jet acquisition effort, the M-MRCA. After committing to purchase 36 flyaway Rafales from Dassault last week, the Indian government today made it supremely clear that the M-MRCA process is effectively…

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