India Navy Naval Aviation

[Gessler]

Use this thread to post news, updates & discussions about all Aviation assets (manned & unmanned) of the Indian Navy.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449986187947610113

 

[Gessler]

 

[Gessler]

Aircraft of the Indian Navy past & present - in the background are diagrams of the 4 aircraft carriers operated by the Navy since the 60s - INS Vikrant (R11), INS Viraat (R22), INS Vikramaditya (R33) and the new INS Vikrant (purportedly R44). The lengths & sizes are obviously not to scale. The current 2 are significantly larger than the first 2.

How many of the aircraft can you identify?

 

[Nilgiri]

Later I will bring some of the older naval aviation replies in larger navy thread to here...and maybe pin this one...

 

[Gessler]

Indian Navy Tupolev Tu-142MK-E (NATO name: Bear-F), the Tu-142 is a maritime patrol version of the Tu-95 strategic bomber. India was the only non-Soviet country to have operated any variant of the Bear. The Indian Tu-142s (8 of them) were acquired in the 80s and retired a few years ago, replaced with 12 Boeing P-8 MPA (6 more coming).

For a while between 2013-2017, the INS Rajali naval air station on India's west coast was the only place in the world where you could see P-8s and Tu-142s operating out of the same base.

 

[Gessler]

Heron inducted into INAS 344 - I believe the 3rd Naval Air Squadron to operate the type?

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1478336213337587714

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1478334117942988801

 

[Zapper]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1480581202016755714

 

[Gessler]

Indian Navy has commissioned its second P-8I squadron, INAS 316 "Condors" at INS Hansa in Goa (West Coast). Currently the squadron has been equipped with the latest 4 P-8s received as part of the second batch.

 

[Nilgiri]

Super Hornet's Indian Ski-Jump Demo Next Month

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets will arrive in Goa late May for operational demonstration off a ski-jump

www.livefistdefence.com

@crixus et al.

 

[Lordimperator]

Which one is the suitable for Indian Air Wing based on the spec sheet? F18 or Rafale M?

 

[Nilgiri]

Which one is the suitable for Indian Air Wing based on the spec sheet? F18 or Rafale M?

Going by spec sheet alone, both have their merits. Really tough call there.

 

[crixus]

Super Hornet's Indian Ski-Jump Demo Next Month

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets will arrive in Goa late May for operational demonstration off a ski-jump

www.livefistdefence.com

@crixus et al.

To be honest , now India's position with regard to Ukrain and Russia will make F-18 to be a dicy choice , but lets see ,

 

[Gessler]

Which one is the suitable for Indian Air Wing based on the spec sheet? F18 or Rafale M?

I think that for a STOBAR application where the burden of takeoff is going to be completely on the plane's own engines, I'd rather put my money on the 2 x F414s than the 2 x M88s...414s are just more powerful is all, which should translate into a higher overall payload capacity for F/A-18 flying from Indian carriers compared to Rafale M, even though in any other circumstance (land operations or using Catapult) Rafale would have come out on top.

Electronics-wise both F3R and SH Block-III are superb platforms. Plus both have potential to provide a degree of commonality with IAF fleets (in case of Rafale the whole plane & in case of F/A-18, same engine as Tejas Mk-2 & AMCA Mk-1. If the plan to license produce F414s in India goes through they all could benefit from commonality).

But due to folding wings I'd imagine F/A-18 would manage to operate from both carriers without need for any modification or creative solutions which would PROBABLY be necessary for accommodating Rafale-M (no folding wings).

 

[Lordimperator]

But due to folding wings I'd imagine F/A-18 would manage to operate from both carriers without need for any modification or creative solutions which would PROBABLY be necessary for accommodating Rafale-M (no folding wings).

Yeah, the Rafale delta wing couldnt be fold, and the m88 has less power than US counter part. F414 engine commonality with Tejas would be a plus in a long term. Nevertheless, about the weaponry in F18, could it be armed with India missile like the ones carried by tejas?

 

[Gessler]

Yeah, the Rafale delta wing couldnt be fold, and the m88 has less power than US counter part. F414 engine commonality with Tejas would be a plus in a long term. Nevertheless, about the weaponry in F18, could it be armed with India missile like the ones carried by tejas?

I'm pretty confident all Indian-origin missiles & PGMs can be integrated without any issue...the only exception would be BrahMos NG because of Russian components.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1515081592238006273

 

[Gary]

I think that for a STOBAR application where the burden of takeoff is going to be completely on the plane's own engines, I'd rather put my money on the 2 x F414s than the 2 x M88s...414s are just more powerful is all, which should translate into a higher overall payload capacity for F/A-18 flying from Indian carriers compared to Rafale M, even though in any other circumstance (land operations or using Catapult) Rafale would have come out on top.

The difference between 2xM88= 150kN compared to 2x F414=196kN is at 46kN or equal to 4.6 tons. Not much consider the F/A-18 Super Hornets are 4.3 tons heavier than the Rafale M.

 

[Gessler]

The difference between 2xM88= 150kN compared to 2x F414=196kN is at 46kN or equal to 4.6 tons. Not much consider the F/A-18 Super Hornets are 4.3 tons heavier than the Rafale M.

On paper its not much, but it will be significant in the real world - especially due to the effects being compounded by every ton of useful payload/fuel you add.

 

[Nilgiri]

Indian Navy to test US F-18 fighters for INS Vikrant next week

The F-18 super hornet trial begins a day before QUAD leaders deliberate on the Indo-Pacific in Tokyo on May 24.

www.hindustantimes.com

Indian Navy to test US F-18 fighters for INS Vikrant next week​

• The F-18 super hornet trial begins a day before QUAD leaders deliberate on the Indo-Pacific in Tokyo on May 24.

The Indian Navy will start the flight trials of Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet carrier based multi-role fighters at the shore-based test facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Goa from May 23 as the US craft is one of the contenders for 26 fighters onboard soon to be commissioned INS Vikrant indigenous aircraft carrier.

It is understood that two fighters of the US Navy will land in INS Hansa towards the end of this week for take-offs from the 283-meter mock-up deck of India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The aircraft carrier is expected to come out of a major overhaul and become operational next month.

The Indian Navy is expected to buy 26 carrier based multi-role fighter for INS Vikrant with eight of these aircraft two-seaters to be used both for flight training and operations. The Super Hornet is a proven weapon platform with an internal rotary cannon with 11 hardpoints to carry air to air missiles and air to surface missiles as well as laser-guided bunker busting bombs.

The other contender fighter aircraft for INS Vikrant, which is expected to be commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2022, is the Rafale Maritime strike fighter. The Rafale fighter has already been tested by the Indian Navy in January 2022 with the French offering four aircraft on lease for initial training and operational purposes. India has already bought 36 Rafale multi-role fighters for the Indian Air Force with two major maintenance bases in Ambala in the north and Hashimara in West Bengal.

In case Indian Navy goes for Super Hornet, this aircraft will deepen cooperation with the US, by far the largest operator of carrier-based fighters in the world as well as a QUAD partner and close Indo-Pacific ally. The US has the largest original equipment manufacturing in India and the Super Hornet has inter-operability with Boeing P8I and Lockheed Martin MH-60 R anti-submarine warfare helicopters purchased by India for the Navy. India’s other partners in QUAD also operate MH-60R helicopters and P8I aircraft with the Australian Navy also using the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Both the Super Hornet and Rafale-M can be used in either INS Vikrant or INS Vikramaditya, which use short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) technology for launch and landing of aircraft from an aircraft carrier. This technology is also used by Russian and Chinese aircraft carriers.

With the commissioning of INS Vikrant this year, the Indian Navy will be a formidable force with two aircraft carriers and two ballistic missile strategic submarines. Unlike the Chinese, the Indian Navy has five decades of experience in operating aircraft carriers all-round the year. Even though the era of the anti-ship ballistic missile has dawned on Indo-Pacific, a carrier based strike force is still a potent weapon to decimate the enemy.