The Rise of the Indian Navy: Internal Vulnerabilities, External Challenges by Professor Harsh V Pant

Author:Professor Harsh V Pant [Pant, Professor Harsh V]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Technology & Engineering, Political Science, Military Science, Security (National & International)
ISBN: 9781409471301
Google: PEnj-e6USZIC
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2012-12-28T13:31:36+00:00

The Naval Air Arm

The recent narrative of the naval aviation would begin with probably the last event of the major acquisition of the lot of aircraft flying currently – namely, the Seaking 42C in 1987 which were acquired because the INS Viraat was supposed to have a commando role with troop delivery capability, and often carried a battalion of the Indian Army. The only subsequent acquisitions were the Dormers which became available from HAL which made available the aircraft for the Navy, the Coast Guard and civilian use. The Dormers were justified by the Navy as a replacement for the Alize carrier-borne MR and ASW aircraft. The Dormers were fitted out in the MR and the EW role and in the latter version, distinguished themselves in the Kargil mobilization in 1999.

In the meanwhile the Gorshkov was signed for in 2004 and it was supposed to commission in 2009, for which 16 MiG aircraft were contracted for. There was constant pressure from the fact that the LCA was supposedly just around the corner. The Navy invested in the LCA as the future deck-bound aircraft (DBA) which would operate along with the MiG 29s, and land and take off similarly. The naval investment hoped that the LCA would come with an engine powerful enough for a ski jump take-off and strengthened under carriage for arrested wire recovery.

In the maritime reconnaissance field there was an attempt to update the IL 38s with the Russian ‘sea-dragon’ suite which had its own limitations. A similar update for the TU 142s was found to be prohibitively costly owing to the air frames having almost wasted out and the cost coming very close to what the US had offered for 4 P3Bs which itself was considered much too costly. In the meanwhile the two IL 38s were lost in a flying accident and were replaced with purchases from the Ukraine. Eventually it was decided to issue global RFIs for long-range MR aircraft and the competition came down to the Boeing P8s and the Airus version, which priced itself out of the competition. There was a small diversionary journey to send an RFI for the short-range MR aircraft to replace the Islanders which was later withdrawn under some controversy.

The carrier aircraft received high priority and in 2009 a further order was placed for 23 more MiG 29s, partly for a training squadron and partly as the complement of aircraft for IAC 1, which was scheduled to commission in 2014. Now the major shortage was in AEW, because no purchases had been made in that area at all. However, two Kamov 31 AEW aircraft had come with the Talwar class, connected with data-link to the mother ship and it was decided to go down that route and eventually nine Ka 31 aircraft were ordered to make up the complement for the carrier and the Talwar follow on orders.

The question of replacing all the Sea Kings had to be taken up and there was an impression in Naval Headquarters that if a bulk order large enough could be mustered, a manufacture in India could possible.

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