LCA Tejas inducted into Air Force

In its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, India has found an ideal replacement for the MiGs which have for decades been the mainstay of the country’s air defence, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said after handing over the Release to Service Certificate of the country’s own LCA to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne at a function in Bangalore.
 

The event marked the fruition of three decades of efforts to make a fighter aircraft of international standards. The Initial Operational Clearance-II of Tejas, the LCA has come barely a week after the flying of the iconic Mig 21 FL fighter into IAF’s history.
 

Speaking to the media at the grant of Initial Operational Clearance-II to the LCA MK-I, that has been designed and produced by Aeronautical Development Agency along with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said “this aircraft meets the staff requirement of the Indian Air Force and so they have accepted it.”

 

During the last three years, he said, the capabilities of the aircraft have been improved significantly and the Indian Air Force has thus decided to grant it the higher IOC for induction into service. “The improvements to the aircraft have enhanced the flight envelope of the aircraft and also its weapon delivery capability.”
 

Mr. Antony, who also witnessed a flight and operation capability display by three LCA MK I aircraft, said with the grant of the IOC-II, the aircraft has entered the production phase. “The LCA MK-I would go into immediate production and two squadrons comprising 40 aircraft would be raised by the Indian Air Force by 2015 and 2017 respectively and they would be based in Sulur in Tamil Nadu.”
 

After this the production of MK-II variant would be undertaken and IAF would raise four squadrons. In all about 200 aircraft would be inducted into the force. On why more aircraft would not be inducted, Air Chief Marshal Browne said it was so because the operational requirement for a particular type of aircraft were limited. “We require a balanced force which also has medium and heavy aircraft. The LCA seeks to replace the MiGs, whereas the medium range comprises aircraft like Mirage and the heavy like Sukhoi.”
 

About 250 MiGs still remain in the IAF which at the peak of their use had about 600 of them. The IAF had started decommissioning Mig 21 Type FL 77 category earlier this month.
 

Mr. Antony said with the IOC-2, the LCA project will become a reality now and IAF pilots will start flying the aircraft from “tomorrow”. He termed this development the “semi final” before the Final Operational Clearance due in December next year. In the coming year, mid-air refuelling capability would be added to the aircraft and beyond visual range (BVR) missiles would be installed before it goes for Final Operational Clearance in December 2014.
 

The Minister, however, urged the scientists working on the project not to get complacent as the next phase was critical.
 

As for the future, Mr. Antony said some of the projects on the anvil include the MK II variants for Navy and Air Force, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, Unmanned Air Systems, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and the Medium Transport Aircraft.
 

On the delays that plagued the project, Mr. Antony said lessons have been learnt and “we have reached a stage where we can say that we can make it”. He admitted that the production of the aircraft engine -- which is of General Electric 404 make as the indigenously developed Kaveri engine could not live up to the expectation – remains a challenge. “But we are still working on it and have not given up. The MK-II variant will have the GE 414 engine.”
 

Air Chief Marshal Browne said till now the flying was on telemetry by test pilots but now the service document has given full envelope and profile of aircraft. “With the integration of new BVR missiles, integral guns and air-to-air refuelling capability, the LCA will acquire increased potency and enhanced operational efficiency as envisaged at the FOC level.”
 

He said the final goal remained the LCA MK II which would be the “final version in its projected force structure”. This would have the critical GE 414 engine integration for enhanced thrust along with a better intake design and improved maintainability of the platform.
 

Stating that IAF has been closely monitoring this project through monthly review meetings in 2007, the Air chief said he was fully satisfied with the design changes that have been undertaken.
 

The Air Chief also spoke about how in the absence of training aircraft in the LCA series, the IAF was initially only deploying its experienced pilots. “The trainer aircraft will take some more time but will ultimately join the squadrons.”
 

Source: The Hindu

MiG-21 FL flies into Indian Air Force history

Kalaikunda, West Bengal: Two pairs of MiG-21 FLs - India's first supersonic jet - took off with a deafening roar from the runway of the Kalaikunda air base at 9.45 am for one last time on Wednesday, and flew into the history of the Indian Air Force after 50 years of long association.

 

  

The iconic jet that has been flown by nearly three out of every four fighter pilots since its inception in 1963, made its final pass in a four-aircraft box formation over the tarmac area.

  
A separate formation by three MiG-27 MLs roared over saluting the MiG-21s (Type-77) as Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne reviewed the parade on the ground commanded by Group Captain V.P. Singh, commander of the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU).

   
A MiG-21 FL bearing tail number c-1125 was towed out of the parade square to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne', as wing walkers marched alongside.

  
Flight-Lieutenant L. Nagarajan, the youngest OCU pilot, handed over the Form 700 - the document log of an aircraft - of the MiG -21 to Browne, symbolising the curtains for the fighter aircraft.

  
Browne in his address called it a watershed moment in the IAF's history.

   
"Today's event marks a watershed moment in IAF's history as we reach the end of nearly five decades of remarkable operational service rendered by this iconic fighter."
Browne also released a coffee-table book and a commemorative postal stamp to mark the occasion.

 

Courtesy: NDTV

Ex-Servicemen Protest Rally at Freedom Park on 09th December 2013

Ex-Servicemen will be on hunger strike at Freedom Park, Bangalore, to protest against their names not being included in the CID report. All Ex-Air Warriors are requested to participate in the hunger strike.

Message from:

Ex-Sgt Vijaykumar V
President
Ex-Servicemen Association (IAF)

IAF Victimises Air Commodore Who Exposed Corruption In Sukhoi-30 Base. Guwahati High Court Comes to Rescue

In a scathing indictment of military system of justice in general and senior serving and retired Indian Air Force officers in particular, the Gauhati High Court has quashed all disciplinary proceedings against a decorated Air Commodore who was framed on false charges of having an affair with junior officer's wife for having pointed out corruption in the construction of an airbase for Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft in Assam.

 

The Gauhati High Court has severely criticised the role of a former Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal S Varthman, as well as the present Commandant of National Defence Academy, Air Marshal KS Gill, for the “abuse and misuse” of the “power and machinery” of the air force in the framing of the officer who tried to stem the corruption in the airbase which was to house the frontline fighter aircraft of the IAF.

 

While Air Marshal Varthman has now retired from service, Air Marshal Gill was earlier posted as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of Eastern Air Command in the rank of Air Vice Marshal and was accused by Air Commodore Mrigendra Singh of not acting on his complaints of poor quality of work in the air base.

 

Air Commodore Mrigendra Singh had been posted as Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station Chabua in Assam which was to station Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters and major works of construction for this project were on. He found that the quality of work was sub-standard and complained to his superiors numerous times to no avail.

 

In the meantime engines of four Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft were damaged because of the substandard quality of work and this caused a loss of crores of rupees to the exchequer.

 

Air Commodore Singh alleged in his petition that even though there was a nexus between the contractor and the then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, he was finally able to get the contractor blacklisted. All his efforts were allegedly not appreciated by the top brass and he was falsely accused of sexually exploiting his junior officers’ wives.

 

A Court of Inquiry was later instituted against the officer for and phone call records of one lady who was falsely accused of having an improper relationship were also illegally procured by air force officers.

 

The Gauhati high court found that various irregularities were committed by the air force before and during the course of the inquiry and that the officer was deliberately targeted.

 

The high court has said in its judgement that, ”The mala fide origin of the whole Court of Inquiry and the disciplinary proceedings is apparent from a cursory look at the time-line inasmuch as it was after the petitioner’s complaints that the so-called anonymous letters started materializing out of nowhere and in March-April, 2012, discreet inquiries were initiated and after the petitioner’s final complaint, in May, 2012, seeking enquiry into sub-standard construction work at the Airbase, at Chabua, the petitioner was posted to Jaipur in July and, within a week thereafter, the Court of Inquiry was convened”.

 

The role of the Armed Forces Tribunal’s Gauhati Bench has also come in for criticism by the Gauhati High court which observed that the AFT bench had passed orders which were “illegal” and “not sustainable in law” while granting no relief to Air Commodore Singh in a petition filed by him. 

 

The entire sordid affair shows how military authorities do not bat an eyelid in falsely implicating anyone who do not toe their line. It also goes to show that there is complete and utter disregard of rank or decoration or professional competence when anyone is framed with full backing of the "system". 

 

More sadly, the Air Force authorities did not even care for the reputation of an officer's wife and her husband, a Wing Commander, before falsely implicating her with the Air Commodore. No senior officer through the chain of command cared to interfere in this blatant misuse of power, not even the AFT, and it was only the civilian justice system which ultimately came to the aid of the beleaguered officer. In fact, the less said about the conduct of the AFT bench of Gauhati the better. Serious questions should be raised about the impartiality of certain AFT members and the manner in which they go about dispensing justice, or rather, denying justice.

 

Air Commodore Mrigendra Singh's case is a stark reminder to all and sundry that there has to be close check kept on the actions of senior officers who try to muzzle the voice of honest and upright officers. This officer played by the book, did not leak his story to the media and expected justice from his brother officers in uniform, but he got nothing. It is a sad day for any service when honest men are castigated while the dishonest reap the benefits of greed.

Courtesy: Man Aman Singh Chhina

Pension from 01 January 2006 rather than 24 September 2012 : Supreme Court dismisses the Review Petition filed by Govt of India

As most would know, the Government had challenged before the Supreme Court the decision of the Delhi High Court wherein the judgement by the Central Administrative Tribunal granting benefit of rectification of pensionary anomalies from 01 January 2006 rather than 24 September 2012 was questioned. The order in effect and essence affected all central govt pensioners, including defence pensioners.
 

The controversy had emanated from the fact whether the benefits of the correct pension were to flow from 01 Jan 2006 which is the date from which the 6^th Central Pay Commission recommendations were implemented or from 24 Sept 2012 when the Government had decided to remove the anomalies in the pension structure after the said Pay Commission. Of course, it was held by Courts that the removal of the anomalies shall date back to the date of the inception of the said anomalies and not any later artificial date.

The Supreme Court was however pleased to dismiss the SLP filed by the Govt in July this year as was placed on Major Navdeep Singh’s blog.

Incorrigible as it is, the Govt had gone ahead and filed a Review Petition in the matter urging the Supreme Court to review its order of dismissal of the SLP filed by the Central Govt.

The Supreme Court has yesterday dismissed the Review Petition filed by the Govt in the matter.

What other tricks are in the offing?  

Courtesy: Major Navdeep Singh