Latest news with #AeroIndia
The Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
The French Are Anxious to Know the Fate of Rafales in Operation Sindoor Combat
IAF fighter aircraft Rafale flies past during the 13th edition of Aero India, in Bengaluru. Photo: PTI/File New Delhi: For the first time, France's armed forces ministry has said it is in contact with the Indian government to 'better understand' the circumstances surrounding French-origin aircraft during the recent hostilities between India and Pakistan. At a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the French defence ministry said the situation remained unclear and that Paris was attempting to make sense of conflicting accounts. 'Regarding the conflict taking place between India and Pakistan, what I mainly observe is that we are in the fog of war and that there is an intense information war. In other words, what we know most of all today is that we don't know what happened. So indeed, there are a number of allegations that I will not repeat, since there is no confirmed information,' the spokesperson said. France is understood to be particularly concerned about reports suggesting that Rafale aircrafts, supplied by Dassault Aviation and widely considered the backbone of India's combat air fleet, may have been lost in action during Operation Sindoor. 'The issue of the Rafale is, of course, of primary importance to us. We are naturally keen to understand what happened, and so we are trying to stay as close as possible to our Indian partner to better understand the situation,' the spokesperson added. 'Obviously, the most significant feedback will come from this use in high-intensity combat, which apparently, according to some reports, involved several hundred aircraft. So, of course, we are following these events as closely as possible,' the spokesperson said. Noting that the Rafale had seen two decades of active service across various theatres of war, the official said any confirmation of a combat loss would mark a first in the aircraft's operational history. 'What we can especially note today is that the Rafale has seen 20 years of operational use – 20 years of combat deployment – and that if it turns out there was indeed a loss, it would be the first combat loss of this warplane.' The Indian government has not commented on international media reports suggesting that an Indian aircraft may have been shot down or crashed during the strikes carried out on the night of May 6-7, when Indian forces targeted nine suspected terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Official statements have only acknowledged that losses are an inevitable part of warfare. At a media briefing on May 8, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that official information will be shared when the time is right. On May 11, a day after fighting ended between India and Pakistan, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal A.K. Bharti responded to a question about possible losses by stating, 'We are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of it. The question is, have we achieved our objective? The answer is a thumping yes. As for details, at this time I would not like to comment on that as we are still in combat and (do not want to) give advantage to (the) adversary. All our pilots are back home'.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Private giants to help India's stealth fighter jet take wing: Why this is big
In the backdrop of the high-stakes aerial face-off between India and Pakistan—wherein comparisons between India's Rafale and Pakistan's J-10C dominated the military discourse—and amid aggressive global pitches for stealth platforms such as the American F-35 and Russian Su-57, the Indian government has announced a decisive step towards developing its own fifth-generation stealth minister Rajnath Singh, on May 27, cleared the execution model for the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), marking a crucial phase in India's aerospace ambitions. The AMCA will make India the fourth country, after the US, Russia and China, to possess super-cruise and stealth aircraft, enabling radar evasion and 'first look, first kill' to the ministry of defence, the execution model will allow the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the nodal design body for AMCA, to carry out the programme through a robust industry partnership. The model promises equal opportunity for both public and private sector players, enabling them to bid competitively—either independently, as joint ventures, or as consortia, under the umbrella of an Indian-registered company compliant with national regulations.'They can bid either independently or as joint venture or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country,' stated the defence ministry statement, adding that this was an important step towards harnessing indigenous expertise, capability and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype—a major milestone towards Atmanirbharta in the aerospace sector. In February, during the 15th edition of Aero India in Bengaluru, INDIA TODAY had reported how the AMCA plan had hit hiccups over a government decision on whether state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) or private giants should manufacture it. The AMCA made its first public appearance as a full-scale model during the Aero India ADA will shortly issue an expression of interest for the AMCA's development. The plan is to develop five AMCA prototypes, each costing around Rs 1,000 crore. While giving his nod for the model, Singh called it a significant push towards enhancing India's indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial is learnt that the decision related to AMCA's execution model was taken a fortnight ago but put on hold due to uncertainty over the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) chief's name, since incumbent chairman Samir V. Kamat, who is also secretary-research and development in the defence ministry, was scheduled to complete his tenure on May 31. However, putting an end to speculations, the Union cabinet on May 26 extended Kamat's tenure by a year till May 2026. This is his second extension in the claim the AMCA execution model simply ends state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) monopoly in military ADA, an entity under the defence ministry, had been advocating roping in the private sector for the AMCA project given HAL's poor track-record of delivery. However, HAL was not willing to relinquish its dominance and, claiming extensive expertise, had even proposed a separate manufacturing assembly line dedicated to the AMCA, if needed. After multiple rounds of discussions, the defence ministry decided to give equal opportunity to private players as officials claim HAL is already stretched thin by multiple projects, such as the 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A jets in production and an additional order of 97 jets cleared by the defence ministry. HAL is also tasked with developing four prototypes of the LCA Mk-2, slated for its first flight by early full-scale engineering development phase of the AMCA began in April last year after approval from the central government's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The CCS also made it clear to AMCA designers that any cost overruns and delays should be directly addressed to it instead of the defence ministry.A 10-year development roadmap has been laid out for the rollout of five prototypes for rigorous flight tests. If all goes as planned, the first prototype will be ready by 2028, followed by its maiden flight soon the modernisation roadmap of the Indian Air Force (IAF) envisions inducting around seven squadrons of the AMCA beginning 2035, positioning the indigenous jet as a key element of future air combat government initially planned to develop the AMCA via a special purpose vehicle, but is now shifting to an industry partnership model, leveraging private defence giants such as L&T and Tata to reduce reliance on AMCA will have two variants, with the Mark-2 featuring a more powerful engine and advanced technologies. In 2009, Rs 90 crore and Rs 447 crore were allocated for a feasibility study, with Union cabinet approval granted in March 2024 after delays. Indecision on the part of the United States on licenced jet engine production caused setbacks, leading to plans to involve private players in development, production and to India Today MagazineMust Watch
AFP
26-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video shows pilot injured in 2019 crash, not 'shot down' by Pakistan
"A video circulating in social media claims that Pakistani security forces shot down an Indian fighter jet after it entered Pakistan airspace and dropped bombs," reads part of a Tamil-language Facebook post shared May 7, 2025. The video attached to the post shows a pilot with wounds to his face lying on his back, as people around him try to comfort him. The video circulated on the day India launched deadly missile attacks on Pakistan, which sparked days of intense fighting that killed at least 70 people on both sides before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10 (archived here and here). Pakistan's military claimed it had shot down five Indian jets during the fighting, but India has not officially confirmed the loss of any of its aircraft (archived here and here). Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured May 19, 2025 The video also spread in similar posts elsewhere on Facebook. But AFP previously debunked posts that misrepresented the clip in 2019. A reverse image search using keyframes from the falsely shared video and subsequent keyword searches led to the same footage published on the verified Facebook account of Indian media organisation Bangalore Mirror on February 20, 2019 (archived link). Bangalore Mirror reported a student named Chethan Kumar comforted the pilot, who was injured after two aircraft collided mid-air during a rehearsal for the 12th edition of the Aero India show on February 19, 2019 (archived here and here ). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (L) and the Bangalore Mirror video Karavali TV published the same footage on YouTube on February 19, 2019 (archived link). Kumar also spoke to Indian outlet The Quint about the incident (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation about the India-Pakistan conflict here, here and here.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Operation Sindoor: Loitering munitions used against terror bases developed in Bengaluru
The loitering munitions used by the Indian armed forces to strike at terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday (May 7, 2025) were manufactured in Bengaluru. These loitering munitions are said to have had a huge impact in destroying the targets. Follow Operation Sindoor LIVE Updates: May 7, 2025 These loitering munitions, which are also known as suicide or Kamikaze drones, are developed by a Bengaluru-based private company which has a joint venture with an Israel-based military technology company. The loitering munition is a fully autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (UAS) that can locate, acquire, and strike operator-designated targets with a warhead installed inside the fuselage, enabling high-precision performance. A few years ago at Aero India, the two companies signed an agreement to establish a working relationship and to cooperate phased production of the UAS in India. The Israeli company provided transfer of technology through a follow-up agreement. Later that year, the Indian Army signed a contract with the Bengaluru-based company for procuring more than 100 of these drones. This was the first time the Indian armed forces used this technology in large numbers in a military operation to target terrorist camps across the border.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Operation Sindoor: Loitering munition used against terror bases developed in Bengaluru
The loitering munitions used by the Indian armed forces to strike at terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday were manufactured in Bengaluru. These loitering munitions are said to have had a huge impact in destroying the targets. These loitering munitions, which are also known as suicide or Kamikaze drones, are developed by a Bengaluru-based private company which has a joint venture with an Israel-based military technology company. The loitering munition is a fully autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (UAS) that can locate, acquire, and strike operator-designated targets with a warhead installed inside the fuselage, enabling high-precision performance. A few years ago at Aero India, the two companies signed an agreement to establish a working relationship and to cooperate phased production of the UAS in India. The Israeli company provided transfer of technology through a follow-up agreement. Later that year, the Indian Army signed a contract with the Bengaluru-based company for procuring more than 100 of these drones. This was the first time the Indian armed forces used this technology in large numbers in a military operation to target terrorist camps across the border.
