" There are two different philosophies of modern air dominance and survivability:being totally independent by years of treasure spent, blood,sweat and tears to develop your own technology from engines,avionics and materials or be a technology beggar ; desperately Tot 'ing everybody and anybody to be a "codeveloper" of advanced 5th and even 6th gen fighters without actually doing anything except writing a meaningless check for a paltry amount of money"China is the first type and some "other country" is the second.There -fixed it for you.
Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
Isn't 20% of 75KN just 90KN (i.e. same as EJ200 which was operational since 2004 with the Typhoon)? Also architecturally the EJ200 is a lot more advanced than the M-88 so it has a much higher ceiling for future upgrade. EJ200 can be stretched to EJ270 which is the thrust the FCAS partners are aiming for while I don't think M-88 can be stretched to 27K lbs so Safran will need a clean slate design for FCAS.
Lethe
Captain
EJ230 does not exist. F414 EPE does not exist. These are development proposals and demonstrators, not projects of record with customer commitment. M88 T-REX also does not yet exist, but the language suggests that it will, i.e. that it is a funded project of record derived from customer commitment and intended to reach fruition in concert with Rafale F5. Having a "higher ceiling for future upgrade(s)" is irrelevant if nobody is actually willing to put the development money behind it to realise those upgrades, which they apparently are not.
Again, much of the additional power of EJ200 and F414 relative to M88 owes to the simple fact that the former two are larger and heavier engines.
| M88 | EJ200 | F414 | |
| Length | 353cm | 400cm | 391cm |
| Inlet Diameter | 70cm | 74cm | 79cm |
| Dry Weight | ~900kg | ~1000kg | ~1100kg |
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This is quite important to remember, the F414 EPE is still just a ppt, the WS19 is a real engine that exists and is in service
Not sure if mods will allow this but I found something an Opinion Piece from Weibo on how some military observers see India. Here is the google translated article.
Opinion | Worried that India will develop a hydrogen bomb within 6 years? India has proven in 50 years that this is "purely unnecessary worry".
1974 China: I predict that India will be able to develop a hydrogen bomb within 6 years. 2026: ?
For Chinese netizens, India is almost an object of "emotional attachment," and they have even developed a habit of "feeling uncomfortable if they don't criticize India every day." Although India itself has not made any major military moves in the past few days, a recent news item about China's nuclear weapons has made India "innocently caught in the crossfire." What exactly happened?
Most people are familiar with Yu Min, a renowned Chinese nuclear physicist. He is considered a pioneer of China's nuclear weapons program and the father of the hydrogen bomb. He proposed the "Yu Min configuration," a design distinct from the "TU configuration" of other major nuclear powers' hydrogen bomb technologies. This enabled China's hydrogen bomb to be used in combat immediately after its development and possessed miniaturization capabilities, helping China achieve a "leapfrog development" in nuclear weapons.
India followed suit and began developing nuclear weapons. However, what is little known is that China made a "false prediction" about India. This story dates back to an academic paper on the hydrogen bomb 50 years ago.
In 2015, a well-known academic journal in my country published an academic popular science article written by a friend of Yu Min's colleague about "how Chinese nuclear physicists develop hydrogen bombs". Because the article involved some hydrogen bomb technologies such as the "Yu Min configuration", it attracted the attention of the physics community at home and abroad as soon as it was published.
The author later revealed that his article was written as early as the 1970s. Because the article was purely popular science in nature and involved the core technology of China's nuclear weapons, he specifically sought the consent of relevant departments before publication. At that time, Chinese scientists discussed with him the possibility of postponing the publication.
Why would a popular science article garner such attention in China? Because India was also heavily involved in developing nuclear weapons at the time. In 1974, India successfully conducted its first nuclear test, and subsequently began research and development of atomic and hydrogen bombs. If India had seen this article, it might have gained some information and inspiration, accelerating its hydrogen bomb development.
It is said that China estimates India will only need another five or six years at most to develop hydrogen bomb technology, because the two countries are at roughly the same level in the field of nuclear weapons development. China took three years, and even if India takes half as long, it will only take six years. Once India develops its hydrogen bomb, the article can be published.
Yu Min's friend readily agreed and began waiting for news of India's successful development of a hydrogen bomb. However, this wait lasted over forty years… the young man grew old, and India still hadn't successfully developed a hydrogen bomb. Even when the article was published in 2015, India's hydrogen bomb program was still nowhere near completion. India's procrastination, a testament to its capabilities, rendered all the predictions of numerous leading Chinese scientists wrong.
It has to be said that it is no secret that Indians have a severe procrastination problem in both engineering and weapons development. From the sky to the ground, from the sea to the land, from light weapons to aircraft carriers, there is nothing they do that they don't delay, and these delays can last for decades.
The famous Arjun main battle tank and Tejas fighter jet are well-known and need no further explanation. Other less common weapons in India have also faced the predicament of being "N generations behind" upon entering service, such as the Indian-developed Akash air defense missile.
The development program for the Akash air defense missile began in 1983. Initially, it was designed based on the Soviet 2K12 short-range air defense missile (NATO designation SAM-6), with the goal of providing the Indian army with highly mobile accompanying air defense in the field. At the same time, its specifications on paper were to exceed those of the prototype SAM-6 missile. However, India's old problem of being ambitious but lacking in capability could not be avoided.
The development of the Akash missile embarked on a path of no return, with project funding skyrocketing from 1.4 billion rupees in 1983 to 11.12 billion rupees in 2006. After numerous changes to design specifications, equipment replacements, and wrangling over technical issues, it was finally announced as a successful test launch on December 6, 2017. 34 years had passed since the project began.
Unfortunately, the missile, painstakingly built, was rejected by the Indian military. The reason is simple: it was too poor and outdated. This missile uses ramjet engine technology from the 1960s, resulting in an excessively large missile body that is difficult to transport, requiring large trucks for transport. This makes it difficult to achieve "field mobile air defense" capabilities, and the missile's maintenance and lifespan become problematic.
Secondly, although the missile's range is claimed to be 27 kilometers (compared to 25 kilometers for the SAM-6), its actual range is less than 20 kilometers, making the improved version inferior to the original. Furthermore, India's domestically developed radar system is unreliable. After careful consideration, the Indian military decided to purchase air defense missiles from other countries.
India's skill in handling ammunition is somewhat lacking, but its expertise in artillery is unparalleled. While India's domestic artillery technology is relatively backward, seeing Pakistan and China equipping themselves with large numbers of various types of artillery, India doesn't want to fall behind. However, India can only purchase artillery from international sources, including British, Soviet, Swedish, and American pieces—a diverse mix.
However, India's artillery is almost entirely towed, with a near-complete absence in the field of self-propelled artillery. They can only rely on about 80 British-developed 105mm FV433 self-propelled guns from the 1960s to maintain appearances. After two or three decades of development, they've produced a monster like the "Stone Arrow," a tank chassis with a gun mounted directly on it, and then covered with a makeshift canopy.
Ultimately, India purchased the South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzer and planned to produce it domestically. The domestically produced K-9 was named the "King Kong-T" self-propelled howitzer, finally fulfilling India's wish to acquire advanced self-propelled artillery.
However, while South Korea's K-9 boasts impressive specifications on paper, its actual combat performance has been lackluster, and given that it was produced domestically by India, its combat effectiveness is questionable.
In reality, many Indian projects are delayed due to lack of funding and bureaucratic wrangling, a chronic problem that India struggles to eradicate.
India's weaponry has brought us much amusement. However, despite repeated setbacks, India continues its ambitious military development, consistently viewing China as a competitor. There's a Chinese saying: "Strategically despise, tactically take seriously ." While we rejoice, we must maintain a clear head and rational thinking to remain invincible.
Tejas single seater seems to have crashed earlier this month in February with the news only being reported now from ET.
Not sure if the whole fleet is grounded or not but the article does say "the fleet [is] now undergoing extensive checks" because of that crash landing during a training sortie making this incident a third lost airframe.
Not sure if the whole fleet is grounded or not but the article does say "the fleet [is] now undergoing extensive checks" because of that crash landing during a training sortie making this incident a third lost airframe.
According this India Today podcast, HAL has no assembly line for Tejas and 40 deliverd aircraft are handbuilt units, resultantly all of the these planes are unique 40 prototypes. So what's the point of grounding the fleet?