India's rejection of Russian aircraft. The US and Russia are fighting over the supply of fighter jets for India. Russian weapons are scrapped

The scandalous story with the sale of a defective batch of carrier-based MiG-29K fighters, which Russia supplied to the Indian Navy in the period from 2004 to 2010, was continued. In August 2016, Newsader, referring to the state report of the Indian controllers, spoke about the grandiose failure that befell the Indian Navy: almost all aircraft purchased from Moscow, intended for use on aircraft carriers, turned out to be unsuitable not only for combat, but also for ordinary sorties. According to the author of the Defense-Aerospace publication, the systems of military aircraft purchased from Russia turned out to be literally "riddled with problems." This conclusion sounds especially depressing in connection with the fact that the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB are accepted into service as the only strike air force for the aircraft carrier fleet of India.

As it turns out from the Defense News material published the day before, the Indian Navy has lost hope for a fundamental correction of the problem and therefore actually decided to abandon the use of the MiG-29K. The problem is not only that each of their landing on the deck literally looks like a "plane crash" (this is the wording used by the author of DN), after which they have to remove the engine and send the plane to the workshop. Indian officials are also outraged by the fact that Russia refused to provide free maintenance and repair of its low-quality goods, a move that Moscow's Indian partners regarded as a violation of business ethics. Now New Delhi has announced a global tender for the purchase of carrier-based aircraft. Leading Western powers became interested in the proposal.

According to DN, the Indian Navy continues to face an acute problem of repair and maintenance of 45 Russian-made MiG-29K aircraft. These machines, supplied by Russia under the contract, remain the only carrier-based fighters on the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. This was stated by a senior official of the Indian Navy, whose statement leads the publication.

“It is required that the MiG-29K be reliable during operations. Now its landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier looks almost like a hard landing. The fighter needs frequent repairs. Due to such landings, structural defects constantly appear,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the service package under the $2.2 billion contract did not include maintenance of the aircraft, the newspaper notes.

“Today they are completely dependent on Russia for everything related to maintenance,” said the Indian Ministry of Defense official in the Navy. “The Indian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly worked out these issues with the Russians. Although the Russians sent teams of specialists, we did not see any solutions.”

Arun Prakash, a retired Indian Navy admiral and former chief of service, is even more critical.

“The truth is that the Indian navy actually funded the development of this aircraft (which is now also used by the Russian navy - DN). If the Russians had any conscience, they would guarantee that every flaw would be eliminated without additional payment," he was quoted as saying.

India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) cannot remedy the situation, a Defense Ministry spokesman said, explaining that without technical assistance from the manufacturer, "it is hardly possible to make changes" to the machines.

Now HAL is seeking funds from the Indian Navy to overhaul 113 engines on MiGs, including searching for spare parts for them.

According to a DoD spokesman, the government would prefer to enter into an agreement with the Navy, Russia and HAL to carry out structural improvements to the MiG-29K fighters.

DN explains that the root of all problems is still the same hard landing on the deck, due to which the entire aircraft is gradually destroyed: every time after landing on an aircraft carrier, the entire power plant of the MiG-29K fighter has to be removed.

As DN emphasizes, in fact, we are talking about the fact that each such landing for the MiG is "practically a plane crash."

“After each landing of the operator, the components of the aircraft break down or stop working. After this, we are forced to send the fighter to the workshop to repair or replace the part, which often has to be imported from Russia,” Prakash said.

Last year, a report by an independent audit agency, Comptroller and Auditor General of India showed that the MiG-29K was accepted into the fleet despite numerous inconsistencies and anomalies.

"Since entering service in February 2010, 40 engines (62 percent) of the MiG-29K twin-engine fighters have been withdrawn from service due to design defects," the report (detailed below) says.

Early last year, the Indian Navy entered the global market to purchase 57 multirole fighters to be used on future aircraft carriers. As DN points out, in fact, India is abandoning the MiG-29K fighters. A number of leading Western manufacturers have already shown interest - the American Boeing with its Super-Hornet, the French Dassault with its Rafale M, the Swedish Saab with its Gripen Maritime. However, the Russians have not refused to participate in the tender: they are still ready to offer their MiG-29Ks to India, despite the history of a gigantic failure.

Officials from the Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defense did not comment on the fate of the procurement program.

Last November, two Russian carrier-based aircraft crashed during a military operation in Syria, where Russia has been intervening since September 2015 on the side of Bashar al-Assad's regime. One aircraft fell into the water before reaching the deck. Another fell into the sea directly from the deck during landing: the brake cable could not stand it.

Last year, Russian experts predicted such a development of events. In particular, the VZGLYAD newspaper already then wrote that "similar aircraft will also be based on the Russian aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov", therefore "it can be assumed that the Russian version of the MiG-29KR will also face similar design flaws." As it turned out later, these fears were correct, given that two aircraft were lost.

"Permeated with problems": details of the devastating report

According to the report mentioned above, the main flaws of the machines turned out to be problems with the airframe of the aircraft, the RD-33MK engine and the fly-by-wire control system. In general, the performance of the MiG-29K (the main performance indicator) was estimated at the level from 15.93 percent to 37.63 percent, and the MiG-29KUB - in the range from 21.30 percent to 47.14 percent. This fact means a significant reduction in the service life, which was originally declared by the manufacturer within 6 thousand hours.

At the same time, 40 out of 65 (that is, 62 percent) of the delivered RD-33MK engines were found to be unusable, since defects in the mechanisms seriously reduced flight safety. Ultimately, by August 2015, the total number of aircraft engines out of service and decommissioned from the Russian Federation amounted to 46 units. It was concluded that the reliability of the RD-33MK was in question.

No less complaints were caused by the gliders of the aircraft, which failed right during deck operations. The shortcomings did not disappear even after numerous repair and modification changes that were made by Russian manufacturers at the request of the Indian side. The speakers came to the conclusion that this problem negatively affects the possibility of long-term deployment of aircraft.

The electric remote control system also left much to be desired: its reliability in the period from 2012 to 2014 was estimated by Indian specialists to be extremely low - ranging from 3.5 to 7.5 percent.

Claims were also made to the training simulator designed to teach Indian pilots to fly Russian aircraft: experts came to the conclusion that it was completely unsuitable for performing the assigned tasks.

The total number of aircraft of the above type, which the Indian armed forces have decided to acquire, is 45 units. These aircraft have been operated in India since September 2014. The prospects for their operation are not yet quite clear in the light of the identified deviations.

It should be noted that at present, within the framework of Western sanctions, the United States and its allies have imposed a ban on the supply of military and dual-use goods to the Russian Federation.

Material prepared

Senior Indian Air Force officials argue that the joint FGFA program with Russia to create a 5th generation fighter does not meet the desired requirements. One senior Indian Air Force officer added that "the Indian Air Force is not keen to continue the FGFA program." About it writes the publication Defense News.

The proposed FGFA program does not meet the requirements for low radar visibility of the Russian-Indian aircraft compared to the American F-35 fighter, a senior Indian military explained. In his opinion, this program requires significant structural changes that cannot be provided with the help of existing Russian prototypes.

The FGFA program also lacks the concept of modular engine maintenance, which makes maintenance of the future FGFA fighter fleet "expensive and unpleasant," according to Indian experts cited by the American publication. Another senior Indian Air Force official explained that modular engine maintenance is required for fast and convenient maintenance of FGFA aircraft without prior notice to the manufacturer.

However, the Russians, according to the Indians, have proposed non-modular mechanisms for the FGFA and its maintenance, and a significant part of the work can only be done at the manufacturing plant.

Rosoboronexport reacted extremely categorically to the information disseminated by the American media. “Currently, the Russian-Indian intergovernmental agreement is in force, and there are obligations in accordance with which the joint project to create an aircraft is being implemented by the parties according to the agreed stages and deadlines,” the company told Kommersant.

Indian expert Wajider Thakur, a former Indian Air Force squadron commander and defense specialist, claims that the FGFA analogue, known in Russia as the Su-57, is powered by the AL-41F engine.

But the FGFA fighter must be equipped with an engine called "product 30". It is 30% lighter than the AL-41F, has much greater thrust, better fuel efficiency. "Product 30" is a much more reliable engine and is characterized by a lower life cycle cost, by about a third," Thakur said in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru. However, today "product 30" is not yet on the equipment of even Russian fighters.

With no American fighters in service, the Indian Air Force is unlikely to have an opinion on the comparative long-term operating costs of Russian and American aircraft, Thakur added.

As you know, in 2007, Russia and India signed an agreement on the joint development of the fifth generation fighter FGFA (Fifth-Generation Fighting Aircraft). The key parameter of the agreement was the production of aircraft in India, which implies the transfer of technologies of a unique Russian design. It was assumed that the launch customer of this aircraft would be the Indian Air Force, and in the future it would be supplied to third countries. Until recently, India planned to build 144 FGFA fighters. Previously, the number of required aircraft of this type was estimated at more than 210 units.

“Of course, the implementation of the FGFA program faces certain technical difficulties. It's not a secret for anyone. But this is not a technical issue at all. Not so long ago, India signed a €7.98 billion contract with France for the supply of 36 Rafale fighters. Each aircraft cost New Delhi 94 million euros. And the budget of the Indian Air Force provides for an annual allocation of only 2.5 billion euros for the purchase of aircraft, ”the deputy director explained to Gazeta.ru.

That is, according to the expert, "Rafale", and this is no exaggeration, gobbled up the entire budget of the Indian Air Force, including the funds allocated for the creation of 5th generation fighters.

In this case, such a situation may arise, the expert believes that the Indian Air Force will be completely left without 5th generation machines. And they may appear much earlier in service with the Chinese Air Force and even, to the considerable surprise of the Indian side, the Pakistani Air Force.

Finally, if the Indian side curtails military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation, Konstantin Makienko believes, then Moscow has every right to treat New Delhi not as a priority strategic partner in the region, but as an ordinary, ordinary partner in the field of military-technical cooperation. And this can mean only one thing - the intensification of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, India's main geopolitical rival.

And Islamabad is quite interested in intensifying such cooperation. The Pakistanis got acquainted with the high tactical and technical characteristics of the Soviet / Russian weapons during the Afghan war.

That is, Delhi should not be very surprised at the possible appearance of the Pakistani Air Force, for example, Russian Su-35 fighters. Also at one time, the Indian Air Force abandoned the MiG-35 in favor of the Rafal. If Pakistan buys these light front-line fighters, but now in a much more modernized version, then this fact should be perceived in New Delhi also without much amazement and shock.

India has the full sovereign right to refuse all joint projects with Moscow, Konstantin Makienko believes. The Kremlin has the same sovereign right to reorient its military-technical cooperation to Pakistan, the expert is convinced.

“In my opinion, it is not worth dramatizing the situation in the Russian-Indian FGFA program,” a high-ranking source in the Russian aircraft industry told Gazeta.Ru. - So far, there is not even exact information about who said what in India, where he said it, under what circumstances. Even the military rank and position of the author of the voiced information are unknown.”

According to the expert, India is currently trying to implement a lot of programs in the field of military aviation: this is the purchase of Rafaley, and the competition for a single-engine fighter, and the start of work on a 5th generation light fighter, and the upcoming modernization of Su-30MKI machines with the aim of loading enterprises, as well as the modernization of "Jaguars" and MiG-29.

And this, the expert emphasizes, is a program only in the field of military aviation. And besides, there is also the naval aviation - New Delhi will have to make a choice of a carrier-based aircraft for its third aircraft carrier. And there, the struggle between the Rafal and the American F / A-18 is already in full swing. In return, the United States is offering India assistance in building a 5th generation light fighter.

This number of Indian air force and naval aviation programs is too big even for the United States. It is unlikely that all this can be implemented by New Delhi. There may not be enough money for everything at once.

So the sharp statements of the Indian Air Force on the FGFA program can be considered as a kind of conflict of interests, a Gazeta.Ru source in the aviation industry believes. Behind every detail of a military aircraft in India is its own group of lobbyists. So in this regard, the next information stuffing is, in a sense, a normal phenomenon.

Media: India decided to abandon Russian aircraft in favor of the Ukrainian An-178

© antonov.com

India is no longer interested in the Russian Il-214 aircraft, which took 17 years to develop. But the country will focus on the Ukrainian An-178, the 24.ua TV channel reports.

It was planned that the Il-214 was supposed to replace the obsolete An-12 aircraft, which are used by the Indian Armed Forces and Russian troops. Work on it began back in 2000, and in 2007 India joined its development.

It is reported that the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, NPK Irkut and the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics worked on the development of the aircraft. But during this time the plane was not created, and it exists only in the layout. Therefore, India decided to suspend its participation in this project.

The aircraft that India needed was to have a payload capacity of about 20 tons, and also be suitable for use on high-altitude unpaved airfields. As a result, last year India signed an agreement on the joint development of such an aircraft with the Ukrainian corporation Antonov, which already has a flying prototype of the An-178 transport aircraft.

We add that earlier the Ukrainian state concern "Ukroboronoprom" said that in the manufacture of the An-178 it was possible to completely abandon Russian components.

Recall that in 2016, the CEO of the Il company, Sergei Velmozhkin, announced that the joint project of Russia and India to create the Il-214 military transport aircraft was frozen. On Friday, March 17, the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov announced the final stop of the project.