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Bangalore: A tyre of an F-16N Super Viper fighter aircraft of the global defence and aerospace major Lockheed Martin burst on landing during the final day of the Aero India 2009 air show at Yelahanka Airbase today."No one was injured," Lockheed Martin said in a statement.
"The tyre was changed within 30 minutes, which is a perfect example of this aircraft's maintainability," the company said.
The statement said the Air Force show safety coordinators were "very impressed with the rapidity with which the tyre was changed".
15/02/09 Press Trust of India
"The tyre was changed within 30 minutes, which is a perfect example of this aircraft's maintainability," the company said.
The statement said the Air Force show safety coordinators were "very impressed with the rapidity with which the tyre was changed".
15/02/09 Press Trust of India
Labels: Defense, F16, Incidents and Accidents, Lockheed Martin, USA
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Bangalore: As the F-16 fighter roars into the skies of Bengaluru at the Aero India 09 show, all attention is on the wonderful aerobatics display it puts up, not on the tiny flag of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on its tail. But the fact is, two of the four F-16s brought here by Lockheed Martin belong to the UAE Air Force.
Two intriguing questions immediately arise: Firstly, were these aircraft flown, perhaps just days ago, by combat pilots from the Pakistani Air Force (PAF), which has long sent its officers on deputation to fly UAE fighters? Would these very aircraft, now here on a sales pitch by Lockheed Martin, have been bombing India in the event of a war with Pakistan?
Senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers have confirmed to Business Standard that, in any war with India, Pakistan could field up to two squadrons of F-16 aircraft borrowed from Arab nations, where its pilots are posted on deputation.
Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, who won a Vir Chakra in combat in 1971 and went on to head the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, points out, “This has happened regularly. In 1965, the Jordanian Air Force supplied F-104 Starfighters to Pakistan, one of which was even shot down by the IAF. In 1971, Turkey and Iran had supplied F-86 Sabres to the PAF. I wouldn’t rule out a repeat of this kind of help.”
Air Marshal Vinod Patney, the top air force field commander during the Kargil conflict, also believes the UAE Air Force F-16s could be used against India.
He reasons, “There are Pakistani pilots there in the UAE: fact. They are flying their F-16s: fact. There is a close military relationship between those countries: fact. I would not rule out Islamic solidarity coming into play in the event of a war with India.”
Clearly visible on the UAE Air Force F-16s on display in Bangalore is an extra fuel tank, just above the wing, specially built for the batch of F-16s ordered by the UAE. The IAF believes UAE asked Lockheed Martin for the extra range to allow the Pakistani pilots in the UAE to reach Indian targets, deliver their weapons, and then fly to a Pakistani base from where they could operate for the rest of the war.
Lockheed Martin told Business Standard that they had no idea whether Pakistani pilots had recently flown the F-16s, now in Bangalore. Douglas Hartwick, CEO of Lockheed Martin India Pvt Ltd explained, “We just leased these planes from the UAE Air Force.”
India’s strategic community is concerned about F-16 aircraft being evaluated by India despite their being in service in Pakistan.
15/02/09 Ajai Shukla/Business Standard
Two intriguing questions immediately arise: Firstly, were these aircraft flown, perhaps just days ago, by combat pilots from the Pakistani Air Force (PAF), which has long sent its officers on deputation to fly UAE fighters? Would these very aircraft, now here on a sales pitch by Lockheed Martin, have been bombing India in the event of a war with Pakistan?
Senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers have confirmed to Business Standard that, in any war with India, Pakistan could field up to two squadrons of F-16 aircraft borrowed from Arab nations, where its pilots are posted on deputation.
Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, who won a Vir Chakra in combat in 1971 and went on to head the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, points out, “This has happened regularly. In 1965, the Jordanian Air Force supplied F-104 Starfighters to Pakistan, one of which was even shot down by the IAF. In 1971, Turkey and Iran had supplied F-86 Sabres to the PAF. I wouldn’t rule out a repeat of this kind of help.”
Air Marshal Vinod Patney, the top air force field commander during the Kargil conflict, also believes the UAE Air Force F-16s could be used against India.
He reasons, “There are Pakistani pilots there in the UAE: fact. They are flying their F-16s: fact. There is a close military relationship between those countries: fact. I would not rule out Islamic solidarity coming into play in the event of a war with India.”
Clearly visible on the UAE Air Force F-16s on display in Bangalore is an extra fuel tank, just above the wing, specially built for the batch of F-16s ordered by the UAE. The IAF believes UAE asked Lockheed Martin for the extra range to allow the Pakistani pilots in the UAE to reach Indian targets, deliver their weapons, and then fly to a Pakistani base from where they could operate for the rest of the war.
Lockheed Martin told Business Standard that they had no idea whether Pakistani pilots had recently flown the F-16s, now in Bangalore. Douglas Hartwick, CEO of Lockheed Martin India Pvt Ltd explained, “We just leased these planes from the UAE Air Force.”
India’s strategic community is concerned about F-16 aircraft being evaluated by India despite their being in service in Pakistan.
15/02/09 Ajai Shukla/Business Standard
Labels: Defense, F16, Lockheed Martin, UAE, USA
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Bangalore: After touching Olympic heights in Beijing just a few months ago, Abhinav Bindra soared to a new high in a fighter aircraft to join the select list of Indians, including Ratan Tata, who have flown the F-16.
Abhinav touched 20,000 feet in a F-16 IN Super Viper, a fourth-generation fighter from the workshop of American company Lockheed Martin. He was thrilled after an hour-long flight.
The ash-coloured single-engine fighter, which the company got here on lease from the UAE Air Force, rolled off the tarmac at 4.51 pm. In six minutes, it soared above with India's pride on the navigator's seat.
"I've never felt like this before. After Olympics, this was the most exhilarating experience. It was a fantastic feeling,'' said Bindra, who wore a dark-blue flying suit. Piloting Bindra's joyride was Lockheed's test-pilot Paul Randall, who has clocked 4,500 hours of flying time on various F-16 models.
"We went away from the airfield, pulled off a lot of Gs, up to 6.5 Gs. We did some manoeuvres like turns and rolls. And we flew past the clouds at 20,000 feet and almost hit the speed of sound,'' Randall said, giving 10/10 to the gold medalist.
Bindra also had the privilege of manning the flight for a few minutes.
"He made me comfortable. I got extensive briefing ahead of the flight. I attended the medicals in New Delhi on Tuesday and today I was on the simulator for 45 minutes,'' Bindra said.
The Super Viper, called the Ferrari of fighters, can reach 50,000 feet and is capable of flying at speeds just over two machs — twice the speed of sound.
13/02/09 Times of India
Abhinav touched 20,000 feet in a F-16 IN Super Viper, a fourth-generation fighter from the workshop of American company Lockheed Martin. He was thrilled after an hour-long flight.
The ash-coloured single-engine fighter, which the company got here on lease from the UAE Air Force, rolled off the tarmac at 4.51 pm. In six minutes, it soared above with India's pride on the navigator's seat.
"I've never felt like this before. After Olympics, this was the most exhilarating experience. It was a fantastic feeling,'' said Bindra, who wore a dark-blue flying suit. Piloting Bindra's joyride was Lockheed's test-pilot Paul Randall, who has clocked 4,500 hours of flying time on various F-16 models.
"We went away from the airfield, pulled off a lot of Gs, up to 6.5 Gs. We did some manoeuvres like turns and rolls. And we flew past the clouds at 20,000 feet and almost hit the speed of sound,'' Randall said, giving 10/10 to the gold medalist.
Bindra also had the privilege of manning the flight for a few minutes.
"He made me comfortable. I got extensive briefing ahead of the flight. I attended the medicals in New Delhi on Tuesday and today I was on the simulator for 45 minutes,'' Bindra said.
The Super Viper, called the Ferrari of fighters, can reach 50,000 feet and is capable of flying at speeds just over two machs — twice the speed of sound.
13/02/09 Times of India
Labels: Defense, F16, Lockheed Martin, Special Events, USA
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Olympic gold winner Abhinav Bindra is all set to fly high. Bindra will be flying in an F-16 at the Bangalore air show on Thursday and is quite excited at the prospect.
CNN-IBN: What are your preparations?
Abhinav Binmdra: I had an extensive medical examination on Tuesday, but after that nothing else.
CNN-IBN: Are you nervous? Will you be able to sleep tonight?
Abhinav Binmdra: I'm not nervous. And I generally sleep alright so I hope to have a peaceful night.
CNN-IBN: Have you done anything extreme like taking a ride in F-16?
Abhinav Binmdra: No not really. I did a few things prior to the Olympics. But this is absolutely different and I've never attempted to doa thing like this. It's something new for me, it's a new experience. I'm looking forward to it.
12/02/09 Abhir VP/CNN-IBN
CNN-IBN: What are your preparations?
Abhinav Binmdra: I had an extensive medical examination on Tuesday, but after that nothing else.
CNN-IBN: Are you nervous? Will you be able to sleep tonight?
Abhinav Binmdra: I'm not nervous. And I generally sleep alright so I hope to have a peaceful night.
CNN-IBN: Have you done anything extreme like taking a ride in F-16?
Abhinav Binmdra: No not really. I did a few things prior to the Olympics. But this is absolutely different and I've never attempted to doa thing like this. It's something new for me, it's a new experience. I'm looking forward to it.
12/02/09 Abhir VP/CNN-IBN
Labels: Defense, F16, Special Events, USA
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Waging a dramatic ‘Battle of Manoeuvrability’ in the air, four foreign aircraft competing for the multi-billion dollar Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft lent a decisive business edge to the opening Aero India 2009 flight displays at the Yelahanka air base here on Wednesday.
The seventh edition of the biennial aerospace exposition had just begun.
Designed to impress Defence Minister A K Antony and other key defence officials watching the show, the twists, rolls and breathtaking loops by the F-18 Super Hornet, the F-16, the Russian MiG-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon almost overshadowed the spectacular aerobatics by the Suryakiran and Sarang teams. Clinical business sense laced with entertainment couldn’t have been more potent.
Taking off with a deafening roar, the Eurofighter did an upside-down flypast, returned for a low-speed pass before treating the gathering to a neat vertical climb.
But before the motley crowd of VVIPs and defence officials, media and invitees, could take another breath, the F-18 Super Hornet invaded the sky. In the next few fleeting minutes, the American fighter flew past for an abrupt push upwards at a 1.8 Mk speed.
And then came the MiG-35. With its astounding split-air manoeuvre and 360 degree Hi-G turns, the two-seater was definitely built for some smart moves. The barrel roll and inverted flight with a half roll that followed, and the characteristic Cobra manoeuvre only boosted the MiG-35’s image. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 had something else up its sleeve, performing a nine-G turn at high speed.
Earlier, the IL-78 re-fuelling aircraft made a mark with fuel dispensers attached to two Mirage 2000s in tandem. This flypast was followed by a five-Hawk formation, a five-Jaguar arrow-head formation, and four light combat aircraft in close formation.
12/02/09 Rasheed Kappan/Deccan Herald
The seventh edition of the biennial aerospace exposition had just begun.
Designed to impress Defence Minister A K Antony and other key defence officials watching the show, the twists, rolls and breathtaking loops by the F-18 Super Hornet, the F-16, the Russian MiG-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon almost overshadowed the spectacular aerobatics by the Suryakiran and Sarang teams. Clinical business sense laced with entertainment couldn’t have been more potent.
Taking off with a deafening roar, the Eurofighter did an upside-down flypast, returned for a low-speed pass before treating the gathering to a neat vertical climb.
But before the motley crowd of VVIPs and defence officials, media and invitees, could take another breath, the F-18 Super Hornet invaded the sky. In the next few fleeting minutes, the American fighter flew past for an abrupt push upwards at a 1.8 Mk speed.
And then came the MiG-35. With its astounding split-air manoeuvre and 360 degree Hi-G turns, the two-seater was definitely built for some smart moves. The barrel roll and inverted flight with a half roll that followed, and the characteristic Cobra manoeuvre only boosted the MiG-35’s image. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 had something else up its sleeve, performing a nine-G turn at high speed.
Earlier, the IL-78 re-fuelling aircraft made a mark with fuel dispensers attached to two Mirage 2000s in tandem. This flypast was followed by a five-Hawk formation, a five-Jaguar arrow-head formation, and four light combat aircraft in close formation.
12/02/09 Rasheed Kappan/Deccan Herald
Labels: Defense, Eurofighter Typhoon, Europe, F16, F18, MiG-35, Russia, USA
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Bangalore: As executives in grey suits of global aerospace firms hard-sell their fighters on the ground for the world’s largest fighter tender by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Aero India show here, it is their compatriots in G-suits—the pilots flying the machines—who could eventually swing a deal. G-suit is short for gravity suit that protects pilots from the effects of extreme acceleration while flying.
Like Ricardo Traven, the chief test pilot for the F/A-18.
He shoots the twin-engine fighter of Boeing Co. up into the sky, swivelling and making loops and manoeuvres, in an effort that could make or break a multi-billion dollar deal.
“It is kinda like...what I say, the air show will not sell the airplane, but not going to the air show will probably not result in a sale,” says Traven, a former US Navy test pilot with a record of at least 3,500 hours of flying, looking flushed in his G-suit.
“It is nice for pilots who will fly the planes, but for those standing (on the ground)...perhaps, senior military officials, (it is an opportunity for us) to explain what they get in the plane,” he says.
In the tender for the so-called medium multi-role combat aircraft or MMRCA, which is a deal worth at least Rs42,000 crore, six firms—Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), Saab International, Dassault Aviation and Russia’s MiG Corp.—are aggressively pitching their fighters.
For the pilots, flying a fighter above Bangalore—a city at a mean sea level of nearly 900m—in the pre-summer heat can be tough.
With the higher temperature, a situation that fighter pilots call pressure altitude or an altitude the aircraft reacts and behaves as if it is at 5,000-6,000ft, not 3,000ft, making handling it a stretch for them.
So, the pilots who fly at the show prepare months in advance. First is to identify the type of aircraft that should be flown here, then comes the equipment and the logistics to fly the planes to the city.
At the show in Bangalore, the potential customer IAF’s pilots are given a test ride on the plane. The ride is just an initial exposure but a professional test pilot, especially a fighter pilot, can gather enough information from just one flight to judge the technical capabilities, says Traven.
An IAF test pilot, who has flown in American fighter planes, says that such rides help them to gain insights on systems such as electronic warfare equipment and radars, which normally is not in the brochure.
At the air show, the fighter planes on show are Russia’s MiG-35, Boeing’s F-18, EADS’ Eurofighter and Lockheed’s F-16.
Saab, the Swedish firm that makes the Gripen, and Dassault that manufactures the Rafael fighter, did not bring the planes, saying, they would be brought to India when test trials begin later this summer.
12/02/09 K. Raghu/Livemint
Like Ricardo Traven, the chief test pilot for the F/A-18.
He shoots the twin-engine fighter of Boeing Co. up into the sky, swivelling and making loops and manoeuvres, in an effort that could make or break a multi-billion dollar deal.
“It is kinda like...what I say, the air show will not sell the airplane, but not going to the air show will probably not result in a sale,” says Traven, a former US Navy test pilot with a record of at least 3,500 hours of flying, looking flushed in his G-suit.
“It is nice for pilots who will fly the planes, but for those standing (on the ground)...perhaps, senior military officials, (it is an opportunity for us) to explain what they get in the plane,” he says.
In the tender for the so-called medium multi-role combat aircraft or MMRCA, which is a deal worth at least Rs42,000 crore, six firms—Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), Saab International, Dassault Aviation and Russia’s MiG Corp.—are aggressively pitching their fighters.
For the pilots, flying a fighter above Bangalore—a city at a mean sea level of nearly 900m—in the pre-summer heat can be tough.
With the higher temperature, a situation that fighter pilots call pressure altitude or an altitude the aircraft reacts and behaves as if it is at 5,000-6,000ft, not 3,000ft, making handling it a stretch for them.
So, the pilots who fly at the show prepare months in advance. First is to identify the type of aircraft that should be flown here, then comes the equipment and the logistics to fly the planes to the city.
At the show in Bangalore, the potential customer IAF’s pilots are given a test ride on the plane. The ride is just an initial exposure but a professional test pilot, especially a fighter pilot, can gather enough information from just one flight to judge the technical capabilities, says Traven.
An IAF test pilot, who has flown in American fighter planes, says that such rides help them to gain insights on systems such as electronic warfare equipment and radars, which normally is not in the brochure.
At the air show, the fighter planes on show are Russia’s MiG-35, Boeing’s F-18, EADS’ Eurofighter and Lockheed’s F-16.
Saab, the Swedish firm that makes the Gripen, and Dassault that manufactures the Rafael fighter, did not bring the planes, saying, they would be brought to India when test trials begin later this summer.
12/02/09 K. Raghu/Livemint
Labels: Aero India 2009 Seminar, Defense, Eurofighter, F16, F18, MiG-21, MiG-35, Russia, USA
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Bangalore: With the government stressing on transparency in defence deals, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said there would be "no favouritism" while awarding the USD 10 billion 126 fighter aircraft contract.
"I can assure you that we will not show favouritism to anybody. We will not neglect anybody. The procedure will be transparent and decision will ultimately be based on merits and quality and other conditions," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India show here.
"No negative approach and no favouritism. All competitors will get a level playing field," he said.
Six global aerospace companies -- American Boeing's F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin's F-16, French D'assault's Rafale, Swede Saab's Gripen, European consortium EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon, and Russian MiG-35 -- are competing for the IAF's contracts for which the tenders were floated in 2007.
The Defence Ministry plans to conduct the flight trials of the competing aircraft in about a year's time.
On the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Antony said the most "exciting" moment for him at the show was the LCA performing different aerobatics.
12/02/09 PTI/Sify
"I can assure you that we will not show favouritism to anybody. We will not neglect anybody. The procedure will be transparent and decision will ultimately be based on merits and quality and other conditions," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India show here.
"No negative approach and no favouritism. All competitors will get a level playing field," he said.
Six global aerospace companies -- American Boeing's F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin's F-16, French D'assault's Rafale, Swede Saab's Gripen, European consortium EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon, and Russian MiG-35 -- are competing for the IAF's contracts for which the tenders were floated in 2007.
The Defence Ministry plans to conduct the flight trials of the competing aircraft in about a year's time.
On the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Antony said the most "exciting" moment for him at the show was the LCA performing different aerobatics.
12/02/09 PTI/Sify
Labels: Defense, Eurofighter, Europe, F16, F18, MiG-25, Russia, Typhoon, USA
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Bangalore : Thirty-year-old Suman Sharma, the first Indian woman who flew as co-pilot on the F-16IN Super Viper, is now ready to get into IAF's deadly SU-30 if she passes tests and the IAF permits it. She has even filed her application.
Suman says her experience on the F-16IN would stand her in good stead for future flights. Interestingly, Suman's F-16 simulator stint at Fortworth Texas and at the Centrifugal chamber for pilots in Bangalore seems to have helped her for the F-16 flight. Suman told TOI: "I did not pass out even once in the centrifugal chamber in Bangalore. Withstanding that gave me confidence to fly on the F-16IN."
Suman, who is writing a personal account of her experience on the F-16, shared some of it: "As I embarked the all-digital glass cockpit of the F-16IN Super Viper on a journey of self-discovery, my thoughts went out to the more than 800 women officers in the Indian Air Force (IAF). These bold women have come a long way from being short service non-combatants since 1992 and can hope for combat flying much like their Pakistani counterparts, four of whom were commissioned into fighter flying in 2006."
The air show, she said, gave her "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to get close with `combat'. "As I stepped in, I was impressed by the newly introduced automated recovery system of the Viper, an edge over the legacy F-16, as it warns, automatically takes off and saves the machine and lives from crashing. But none of this was my concern as I was in the safe hands of Paul `Bear' Randall, my pilot, what with his 4,200 hours of fighter experience!
11/02/09 Times of India
Suman says her experience on the F-16IN would stand her in good stead for future flights. Interestingly, Suman's F-16 simulator stint at Fortworth Texas and at the Centrifugal chamber for pilots in Bangalore seems to have helped her for the F-16 flight. Suman told TOI: "I did not pass out even once in the centrifugal chamber in Bangalore. Withstanding that gave me confidence to fly on the F-16IN."
Suman, who is writing a personal account of her experience on the F-16, shared some of it: "As I embarked the all-digital glass cockpit of the F-16IN Super Viper on a journey of self-discovery, my thoughts went out to the more than 800 women officers in the Indian Air Force (IAF). These bold women have come a long way from being short service non-combatants since 1992 and can hope for combat flying much like their Pakistani counterparts, four of whom were commissioned into fighter flying in 2006."
The air show, she said, gave her "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to get close with `combat'. "As I stepped in, I was impressed by the newly introduced automated recovery system of the Viper, an edge over the legacy F-16, as it warns, automatically takes off and saves the machine and lives from crashing. But none of this was my concern as I was in the safe hands of Paul `Bear' Randall, my pilot, what with his 4,200 hours of fighter experience!
11/02/09 Times of India
Labels: Defense, F16, India, USA
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