The IAF choppers were flying in a ‘dhwaj formation’.

Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The Headquarter Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), Bengaluru on November 18.

The MoA includes jointly identifying problem areas of IAF in maintenance and servicing of equipment related to radar, aircraft, IT and communication platforms and developing a strategic road map for reliability-centered maintenance through Research and Development.

This will also include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Digital Twin based technologies for lifecycle management, productive maintenance and asset planning.

The Ministry of Defence expects the MoA to enable the two organisations to access testing facilities available with each other for mutual benefit. It will also enable IAF in enhancing academic interaction with IISc towards Post Graduate Programs and support in collaborative R&D efforts. This collaboration will give a boost to self-reliance under Atmanirbhar Bharat, and encourage startups, MSME and other industrial setups to participate in defence indigenisation programs.

New Delhi:

A video showing an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet hurtling towards the ground in a flat spin has gone viral.

The fighter jet crashed in a field near Uttar Pradesh’s Agra earlier today. The IAF has said the MiG-29 encountered a “system malfunction” before it crashed. The pilot ejected safely after taking the crippled fighter jet to a direction where there would be no damage or casualties on the ground.

In the video, the MiG-29 is seen falling fast in a flat spin before it hits the ground.

A flat spin occurs when an aircraft enters an uncontrolled spinning motion. It is a dangerous and potentially a life-threatening flight condition.

The IAF said it has ordered an enquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Before today’s accident, the last crash of a MiG-29 fighter jet happened on September 2 in Rajasthan’s Barmer. A “critical technical snag” was cited for the accident then. The pilot had ejected safely.

The erstwhile USSR built the first MiG-29 in 1983. India bought them in 1987 and inducted them the same year. Since then the fighter jet has been upgraded to keep up with new technologies.

Vadodara:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

A total of 56 aircraft are there under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by the aircraft manufacturing company Airbus from Spain, and the remaining 40 will be built at the facility, which is the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.

It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft. The Ministry of Defence in 2021 signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defense and Space SA, Spain for the supply of 56 aircraft.

#WATCH | Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at TATA advanced systems limited (TASL) Campus in Vadodara

A total of 56 aircraft are there… pic.twitter.com/4jc2YTx2EC

— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2024

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, PM Modi said the aircraft manufactured at the Vadodara facility will also be exported in the future.

“The Tata-Airbus manufacturing facility will strengthen the India-Spain relations and the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ mission,” PM Modi, who laid the foundation stone of the FAL plant of C-295 aircraft in Vadodara in October 2022, said.

He also paid tribute to former Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, who is said to be the brains behind the project. Mr Tata died at the age of 86 earlier this month.

Speaking at the inauguration of the C-295 Aircraft facility in Vadodara. It reinforces India’s position as a trusted partner in global aerospace manufacturing.https://t.co/VvuC5izfPM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2024

At the event, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said the project was originally conceived by Ratan Tata in 2012.

“I will fail in my duty if I forget to mention that this project was originally conceived more than a decade ago, in 2012, by the then Tata Sons Chairman, Ratan Tata Ji, who led the whole concept to build a relationship with Airbus and created this partnership with Airbus and laid the foundation stone for this opportunity. So, I would like to remember him for his visionary leadership in this very path-breaking initiative,” he said.

Why C-295 Aircraft Is A Game-Changer

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes. The C-295 is known to be a superior aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft.

The aircraft, called “robust and reliable”, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions.

It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments.

A game changer for #IAF and #AatmanirbhartainDefence–
Tata & @AirbusDefence to manufacture C-295MW transport aircraft in India.
What makes the aircraft special? Check out here@rajnathsingh@IAF_MCC@drajaykumar_ias@DefProdnIndia@TataCompanies#IAFTransportAircraftpic.twitter.com/W30131dcVc

— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 29, 2022

The C-295 has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

All 56 aircraft under the agreement will also be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite manufactured by Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Saharanpur:

After a 56-year-long wait, the body of Sepoy Malkhan Singh, who went missing in a 1968 aircraft crash at the snow-clad mountains of Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang, will be arriving at his home here, officials said here.

Army officials said the bodies were found by a joint team comprising personnel from the Dogra Scouts of the Indian Army and Tiranga Mountain Rescue.

Additional SP Sagar Jain said the body is expected to reach here from Ladakh by October 3. Singh’s last rites will be performed by the family after the body reaches his native Fatehpur village in the Nanauta area.

Singh’s family members were informed about the recovery of the body by the Army recently and they are engaged in preparing for the last rites, the officer said.

Around 56 years after an ill-fated AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed over the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, the bodies of four victims were recovered, marking a significant success in one of India’s longest-running search operations.

The twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft, carrying 102 people, had gone missing on February 7, 1968, while flying from Chandigarh to Leh.

“In an extraordinary development, the ongoing search and rescue mission to recover the remains of personnel from the AN-12 aircraft, which crashed on Rohtang Pass in 1968, has achieved significant breakthroughs,” an official said.

For decades, the wreckage and remains of the victims remained lost in the icy terrain.

It was only in 2003 when mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering discovered the wreckage, sparking multiple expeditions over the years by the Indian Army, especially the Dogra Scouts.

Only five bodies of the victims were recovered by 2019 given the treacherous conditions and unforgiving terrain of the crash site, according to officials.

The three out of four bodies found are of Malkhan Singh, Sepoy Narayan Singh and Craftsman Thomas Charan, the officials said.

The documents recovered from the remaining body have not conclusively identified the individual. However, the details of the family members were found, the officials said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in Rajasthan’s Barmer yesterday during a routine night training sortie. The pilot ejected safely. 

The Indian Air Force said the MiG-29 fighter jet faced a “technical snag” during the night sortie, and a court of inquiry has been ordered. There was no loss of life and property. The pilot crashed the jet away from a residential area around 10 pm last night.

MiG-29, NATO name ‘Fulcrum’ and Indian name ‘Baaz’, is an air superiority fighter jet originating in Soviet Russia. It was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1987, initially with two squadrons – No. 28 and No. 47 Squadrons. The MiG-29K fighter jets deployed on the Navy’s aircraft carriers are currently the mainstay of the Navy’s fighter operations. They will be replaced by the Tejas fighter jet.

How do pilots eject from a fighter jet?

The Zvezda K-36D zero-zero ejection seat is onboard the MiG-29 fighter jet. It is considered one of the most advanced ejection seats in the world and is also deployed on Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jets. 

The pilot of the MiG-29 fighter jet ejected safely in Rajasthan’s Barmer

The seats are designed to eject pilots from zero position, i.e. stationary position to a considerable height to deploy parachutes. Zero position refers to zero altitude or zero speed. The development of Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seats by the British (the West) eventually led to the development of zero-zero seats by the Soviets. The Tejas fighter jet has the Matin-Baker zero-zero ejection seat deployed. 

The zero-zero capability was developed to help pilots escape unrecoverable situations during low-altitude or low-speed flights and ground mishaps during takeoff or landing. 

The ejection seat is part of the overall ‘Egress’ system, which means the “way to exit”. The system includes explosives under the seat, the canopy, and parachutes. 

When the pilot pulls the ejection handles (in the case of K-36D, they are located in the front of the ejection seat), the canopy of the aircraft is jettisoned. The explosive cartridge catapults the seat along the guide rails, and a leg-restrain system is activated. It protects the pilot’s legs from getting caught during the ejection. The rocket propels the pilot to a considerable height, at least 300-400 feet so that ejecting pilot avoids the tail of the plane, which is rapidly descending. When the seat and the pilot are separated, the harness and the pilot are released from the seat and the parachute deployment signal is activated which automatically opens the chute.

The angle of ejection is crucial. The fighter jet moves forward and the line of ejection is perpendicular to it to move the pilot away from the aircraft. 

The entire exit process occurs in less than 10-15 seconds – From the pulling of ejection handles to the deployment of parachutes. The pilot in yesterday’s crash would have experienced high-G forces during ejection. 

When K-36D Caught The World’s Attention

The US Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio conducted a comparative testing study to understand the components of the K-36D ejection seat with its US counterpart. The interim report published in 1993 and 1994  gave an in-depth analysis of the K-36D seat. 

The K-36D ejection seat gained wide attention at the 1989 Paris Air Show when the pilot successfully ejected from a MiG-29 from an extremely low-altitude engine failure. It has been a standard of Russian high-performance aircraft, and the seats have an impeccable rejection record of survivable ejection from speeds of 0 to 755 Knots of Equivalent Air Speed (KEAS). 

In 1989, the pilot ejected from the jet after an engine failure at an altitude of 300 feet, with an 80-degree pitch-down altitude, the speed of the aircraft was 100 knots (185 km/hr). The pilot ejected, and the parachutes were deployed just 15 ft above the ground. He survived and suffered minor injuries. The incident caught the US’ attention and it later analysed the K-36D ejection system in detail. 

Understanding The Ejection Seat System 

The K-36D ejection seat is designed by the Zvezda Design Bureau in Russia. It is said to be strong with the integration of ejection seat subsystems such as windblast protection, leg and arm restraints, leg lifters, and a vented helmet, which is designed to interface with the seat headrest. 

The K-36D and the flight equipment, such as the pressure suit and helmet, were designed together as a single system, the report said.

The seat is incorporated with telescoping stabilization booms, which ensure aerodynamic stability. The other subsystems that have been integrated into the total design seat include the windblast deflector, rocket propulsion system, crew recovery parachutes, restraint devices and sequencing systems. 

The K-36D ejection system is advertised by the Russians as an advanced ejection seat, providing survival of the pilot up to Mach 3 speed and 80,000 feet altitude. 

The stabilization booms in K-36D play an essential role in providing safety for the pilot. In yesterday’s ejection, the telescoping stabilization booms, installed at an angle of 15 degrees from the seat flight, extended pressure to assist in keeping the seat stable from the time it separated from the aircraft until parachute deployment.

Credit: K-36D EJECTION SEAT FOREIGN COMPARATIVE TESTING (FCT) PROGRAM

The other key components are leg lifters, leg restraints, and windblast deflectors – Additional protection against the aerodynamic forces experienced during ejection, restraint systems, helmet and headrest and arm paddles.

The K-36D receives its parachute deployment signal from the aircraft airspeed and two onboard altitude pressure/timing devices. The parachute inflates automatically after seat and crewmember separation. The survival kit remains attached to the crewmember during descent.

The test results conducted by the US concurred that the K-36 ejection system provides superior-high-quality stability, adding that the team that has developed the K-36D has a solid understanding of the scientific principles behind the system’s operation.

Corporal Vicky Pahade, who was killed in a terror attack in Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, was supposed to return home to celebrate his son’s birthday on Tuesday.

The soldier was from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district and was a resident of Nonia-Karbal village.

Vicky Pahade had visited his family last month to attend his sister’s wedding and had joined the unit on April 18, local residents told IANS.

Corporal Pahde (33) had joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2011. He is survived by his five-year-old son, wife, mother and three sisters.

The Indian Air Force’s official X handle stated: “The CAS Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari and all personnel of the Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief.”

The CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari & all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation.
Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in… pic.twitter.com/xlFmbqZyix

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) May 5, 2024

Pahade was killed while five other IAF personnel were injured when terrorist attacked a convoy of IAF in Poonch yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a historic first, four units of the Indian Air Force will receive the prestigious ‘President’s Standard and Colours’ from President Droupadi Murmu at the Hindon airbase on March 8.

President Murmu will be awarding the President’s Standard to 45 Squadron and 221 Squadron and the President’s Colours to 11 Base Repair Depot and 509 Signal Unit, the defence ministry said.

This will be the first time in the history of the IAF that four units will be awarded President’s Standard and Colours together, it said.

The award of the President’s Standard and Colours is the highest military honour for any armed forces unit. The four units selected for the coveted awards have made stellar contributions to IAF’s history.

The 221 squadron is known as the ‘Valiants’. The history of the squadron dates back to 14 Feb 1963 when it was raised at Barrackpore, equipped with Vampire aircraft.

Barely two years after its formation, the Squadron was pressed into action in the Eastern theatre during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, where it made commendable contributions to the overall war effort.

In August 1968, the squadron was one of the first to be re-equipped with the Su-7 supersonic attack fighter.

During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, operating in the Eastern theatre, the squadron undertook extensive counter air, close air support and photo reconnaissance missions.

The famed attack over the Kurmitola and Tezgaon airbases resulted in the destruction of several Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Sabres on the ground and proved to be pivotal in rendering the PAF ineffective in the Eastern theatre.

The 45 squadron is also called the ‘Flying Daggers’. Raised in 1959 with Vampire aircraft, the squadron took part in ‘Operation Vijay’ for the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule in 1960.

On August 1, 1965, Pakistan launched an attack in the Chhamb sector with overwhelming superiority in troops and armour. The 45 squadron was the first IAF unit to launch offensive missions on the first day of the conflict.

Despite flying the vintage Vampires, the raw courage and professionalism of the pilots was enough to stall the enemy armour and the unit destroyed ten enemy tanks.

Subsequently, ‘Flying Daggers’ flew 178 sorties in support of the Indian Army. After the war, the unit was re-equipped with MiG-21 FL fighters.

In the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the unit was responsible for air defence in Punjab and Rajasthan sectors, flying 258 missions, which were instrumental in safeguarding the forward air bases against enemy air attacks.

In 1982, the unit was equipped with the MiG-21 Bis aircraft.

11 Base Repair Depot is a premier and only fighter aircraft base repair depot of the IAF that was established under Maintenance Command in April 1974 at Ojhar, Nashik.

Su-7 was the first aircraft to be overhauled by the Depot and, in the subsequent years, variants of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft have been overhauled.

The 509 signal unit was established on March 1, 1965, and is presently functioning as an Air Defence Direction Centre in Meghalaya.

The unit has been functioning with the THD 1955 radar since 1995.

The watershed moments in the unit’s history date back to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, wherein 509 SU emerged as the epicentre of all air defence activities over East Pakistan.

A defining moment came with the precision strike on the Governor’s House in Dhaka, orchestrated from the operations room of the unit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer Defense & Security and Mahindra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly bid for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Medium Transport (MTA) Aircraft tender. Embraer is pitching its C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft for the deal. The MoU was signed at the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi on Friday.

“We are honored to announce this MoU with Mahindra. India has a diverse and strong defense and aerospace industry and we have chosen Mahindra as our partner to jointly pursue the MTA program” said Mr Bosco da Costa Junior, President & CEO, Embraer Defense & Security in a statement. “India is a key market for Embraer and we fully support India’s ambitions for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. We see this partnership as a symbol of strengthening relations between Brazil and India and a way to foster Global South cooperation.”

Embraer and Mahindra will engage with the IAF to identify the next steps of the MTA program, as well as contact the local aerospace industry in India to start developing the industrialisation plan for the project, the company said in a statement.

The C-390 Millennium multi-mission tactical transport aircraft offers unmatched mobility, combining high productivity, and operating flexibility with low operating costs, which is an unbeatable combination, the company said. “The current fleet of aircraft in operation has accumulated more than 11,500 flight hours, with operational availability of around 80% and mission completion rates above 99%, demonstrating exceptional productivity in the category.”

The C-390 Millennium attained its Full Operational Capability status with the Brazilian Air Force in 2023 and there is also a configuration with air-to-air refuelling equipment, with the designation KC-390 which functions both as a tanker and as a receiver, the statement added. “Both Embraer and Mahindra will explore the potential to turn India into a future hub of the C-390 aircraft for the region,” the statement read.

The IAF issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a MTA in December 2022 and the deadline to respond expired on March 31, 2023. There are three responses to the RFI which include the Airbus A-400M, the Lockheed Martin C-130, and the Embraer C-390. Among them, the A-400M has a maximum carrying capacity of 37 tonnes, the C-130 close to 20 tonnes and the C-390 can carry up to 26 tonnes.

The RFI states that the MTA should have a load carrying capacity between 18 to 30 tonnes and has carried comprehensive study to identify the current and future payload carrying requirements of the force.

The MTA could become a potential replacement for a part of the much smaller AN-32s in service and could also replace the larger IL-76, which is also being looked into. There is a huge gap in carrying capacities at the moment with the current aircraft which needs to adjusted, as reported earlier.

The transport fleet of the IAF currently consists of over 100 AN-32s, 56 AVROs in the process of being replaced with the Airbus C-295, the IL-76 heavy transports, and the IL-78 mi-air refuelling tankers from Russia, the 12 C-130J Super Hercules and the 11 C-17 Globemaster strategic airlift aircraft from the US. Of these, the IL-76 has a capacity to list 45-50 tonnes and the C-17 up to 70 tonnes.

An earlier project to jointly co-develop and produce a MTA of 20 tonnes with Russia to replace the An-32s was scrapped few years back after initial design discussions, as reported by The Hindu earlier.

To mark its 91st Anniversary, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has planned an aerial display over Bhojtal Lake in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, today. The event will be held at the Boat Club, taking place at the Upper Lake. Residents and visitors in the city will be treated to thrilling aerobatic performances, showcasing the nation’s air prowess. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Central Air Command (CAC) shared a glimpse of SU 30s in a Trishul manoeuvre in an air display practice, and also the Suryakirans over Bhojtal Lake. 

“#91st_Air_Force_Anniversary #Bhopal #Bhojtal_Lake #Air_Display_Practice #SU_30s in a Trishul Manoeuvre. The Majestic #Suryakirans over Bhojtal Lake, Bhopal. Aerial refuelling prowess of #IAF #HarKaamDeshKeNaam,” the CAC wrote on X. 

Take a look below: 

#91st_Air_Force_Anniversary#Bhopal#Bhojtal_Lake#Air_Display_Practice#SU_30s in a Trishul Manoeuvre

The Majestic #Suryakirans over Bhojtal Lake, Bhopal

Aerial refuelling prowess of #IAF#HarKaamDeshKeNaampic.twitter.com/3OMgX5AYXN

— CAC, IAF (@CAC_CPRO) September 28, 2023

Separately, IAF tweeted, “On the occasion of its #91stAnniversary, the Indian Air Force will be carrying out an aerial display at the Bhojtal Lake in Bhopal. Do watch it LIVE on all IAF Social Media Handles.”

#AirPowerBeyondBoundaries

On the occasion of its #91stAnniversary, the Indian Air Force will be carrying out an aerial display at the Bhojtal Lake in Bhopal.

Do watch it LIVE on all IAF Social Media Handles.#AFDP23pic.twitter.com/9PdH0GOhpm

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 29, 2023

In view of the event, the traffic police have also released specific traffic and parking guidelines for Saturday. According to a post by Bhopal Traffic Police, arrangements have been put in place along VIP road from Retghat to Khanugaon for the general public to witness the programme. 

दिनांक 30.09.2023 को #बोट_क्लब पर #भारतीय_वायूसेना का वायु प्रदर्शन कार्यक्रम के दौरान-
प्रातः 08 बजे से कार्यक्रम समाप्ति तक पार्किंग एवं यातायात व्यवस्था तथा आवश्यकतानुसार #यातायात_डायवर्सन व्यवस्था जन सुविधा के लिये उपलब्ध है ।@CP_Bhopal@ianuragIPS@MPPoliceDeptt@IAF_MCCpic.twitter.com/2yeK0wzDGG

— DCP Traffic, Bhopal (@dcpbpl_Traffic) September 28, 2023

Access to the event at the Boat Club will be restricted to pass holders. Blue and green pass holders will be directed to the area in front of the Wind and Wave Restaurant of Madhya Pradesh Tourism (MPT). Media members with yellow passes will be allowed to park their vehicles at the Hotel Ranjit Lake View.

The buses carrying the 500 invited students to the Boat Club event will be parked at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya after dropping off the students. Visitors arriving from Smart City Road, Banganga, Machhli Ghar, and Polytechnic will be guided to park their vehicles within the Ravindra Bhawan complex.

Also Read | Air Force ‘Falcons’ Congratulate Pilot Cleared To Fly Rafale Solo

Notably, vehicle entry will be restricted from Polytechnic Square and Kilol Park in the direction of the Boat Club. As per the press note, specific arrangements have been made along VIP Road for the convenience of the general public interested in viewing the show. 

Moreover, during the event, traffic restrictions will be in effect on several routes, including Lalghati to VIP Road, Collectorate Trisection to Koh-e-Fiza, GAD Square to Karbala, and Kilol Park to VIP Road, the Bhopal Traffic Police said.