But unlike the Falklands war the air strike scenario for the RAF pilots was completely diverse in Libyan territory of Benghazi. It was time for the RAF’s Typhoons and Tornados to carry out deep interdiction air strike missions against Gaddafi’s forces, along with the French Rafales. The Royal Air Force pilot who carried out the first operational Typhoon aircraft strike on a ground target has been describing the mission. The first strike was made against a Libyan regime main battle tank during a mission on Tuesday, 12 April. As described by the pilot he left Gioia Del Colle in a mixed pair with a Tornado GR4.

“We’d been tasked to Misratah in the West of Libya, which is pretty much a city under siege, with significant numbers of attacks against the civilian population from pro-regime forces.” Their mission was to look for main supply routes in Misratah and came across a compound with around 10 – 15 main battle tanks in.

After the findings been reported to the command and control asset they worked with they were cleared to engage. At that point they generated coordinates for the targets and dropped weapons. “It was a precision attack from a significant altitude.” That’s what the pilot said.

He was also quoted saying “To be honest, I was a little bit nervous but you just revert to the training you’ve done before. I’ve dropped a significant number of weapons from the Typhoon in training. It felt no different from that, only this time I was even more relieved to see the bomb go exactly where it should have done, in the Lightening III image displayed in my cockpit.”

The enormous capabilities which make these Jets enduring as said by the pilot “They can carry weapons a long distance, drop them accurately, land and get pumped full of fuel, reloaded with weapons and go and do it again, day in day out.”

The breathtaking display of these aircraft’s drew thunderous applause from the gathered crowd. According to preliminary estimates from authorities, the fourth-day of the Aero Show today attracted at least 50,000 people and the numbers could swell on the last day tomorrow.

The crowd was treated to a dazzling display from medium multi-role combat aircraft team of Lockheed Martin’s F-16, Boeings Super Hornet F/A-18, Gripen of Saab and Rafale of French Dassault and Typhoon of Eurofighter.
Among the other interests in this year’s AeroIndia were the aerobatic displays by the Indian Air Force’s nine-aircraft Surya Kirans and the four-aircraft Czech Republic-based Flying Bulls flying the Zlin 50 LX aircraft.

Aero India also has a large civilian aviation component with 54 percent aircraft on display from this sector. Russian Sukhoi, Brazilian Embraer and Ukranian Antonov are some of the passenger plane manufacturers who are here this time around.

It was an additional attraction for some visitors when Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni was sighted at the venue. Dhoni, whose aspirations to fly F-16 fighter aircraft could not be realized as he had not undergone requisite training to fly, however, watched the air display.

Eurofighter is one of the six fighter aircraft producing companies which has pitched in for the MMRCA deal, estimated to be worth a whopping USD 11 billion. The MMRCA deal is an ongoing competition to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft in order to modernize and expand the Indian Air Force. The Defence Ministry of India has allocated INR 42,000 crore (US$9.11 billion) for the purchase of these aircraft’s. The IAF has already forwarded it”s report to the Defence Ministry after conducting flight trials of the six contending fighters including the Typhoons.

The Eurofighter Typhoon has also offered India seem-less development partnership and EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) is already helping to develop India’s LCA(Light Combat Aircraft’s). If  Typhoon wins the contract , India would be invited by the Eurofighter Typhoon program to become a partner and will be given all technological and developmental aid. Eurofighter Typhoon also provides no end user restrictions and they also have an easy transfer of technology

There are six companies that have been approached for this multi billion dollar contract , which is the single largest defence deal ever for India. India aims to procure 18 aircraft’s in flyaway condition and produce 106 locally under license through technology transfer. These Six major aircraft’s are Lockheed Martin’s F-16IN Super Viper and Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from the United States, Russia’s Mikoyan MiG-35, France’s Dassault Rafale, Sweden’s Saab Gripen and the EADS Eurofighter Typhoon. Each company is expected to bring along  at least two competing aircraft’s as well as flight simulators for display.

Aero India-2011, which will be held in the southern city of  Bengaluru on February 11th to 15th, would attract a record number of leading manufacturers, vendors and suppliers from 63 countries. About 675 exhibitors are also expected to participate in the biennial show to be held at Yelahanka air base, making it the biggest edition of the event so far. Aero India show displays the civil and military air-crafts and other latest products from the Indian aviation and aerospace industry. This is the Asia’s largest exhibition, which is held once in two years. There will be two shows every day for general visitors at the Air Force station in Yelahanka from 10am to noon and from 2:30pm to 5pm.

A top Pentagon official had stated earlier that  US was open to Indian participation in its JSF project. These comments came during a function where India was pitched to select either the American F/A-18 `Super Hornet’ (Boeing) or F-16 ‘Falcon’ (Lockheed Martin) over their European rivals in the ongoing MMRCA competition. The MMRCA project involves the purchase of 126 fighter planes under which 18 jets will be bought off-the-shelf and another 108 will be manufactured in India under transfer of technology.

The IAF  in the coming years will have a strength of  270 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia for around $12 billion, the 126 MMRCA fighter aircraft’s  and 120 indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, apart from the  upgraded MiG-29s and Mirage-2000s. India is also looking forward to develop the FGFA along with Russia which would incorporate advanced stealth technology. A senior Russian official has stated ” Our FGFA will be cheaper than the F-35. Moreover, the intellectual property rights of the FGFA will equally and jointly vest on both India and Russia, with full access to the source code and the like”.

The Indian FGFA will be based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA,but will be built according to IAF’s specifications. IAF, for instance, is also keen on a twin-seater version of the FGFA. In fact , IAF recently finalized the technical requirements for its FGFA, which will have long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capabilities. The FGFA will be a swing-role fighter, with very advanced avionics, stealth to increase survivability, enhanced lethality, 360 degree situational awareness, smart weapons, data-links, and high-end mission computers. While fourth-generation fighters typically revolve around multi-role capabilities, FGFA takes it forward by incorporating stealth technology, composite materials, super cruise, thrust-vectoring and integrated avionics as well.

India would be hoping to induct each of the 250-300 FGFA  from 2020 onwards that will cost around $100 million each. In all, India will spend  $35 billion over the next two decades in its biggest-ever defence project till now.

This milestone was celebrated today during an event held at Eurofighter headquarters in Munich, Germany. At the event, senior representatives from the Eurofighter programme, Eurofighter management agency NETMA alongswith senior staff from all six customer nations including those from the export customers Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were present.

Enzo Casolini, CEO of Eurofighter GmbH stated “This achievement for the Eurofighter programme demonstrates the maturity reached by the platform and the reliability of it as a defence system. In addition, this key event shows in clear terms what can be achieved through international cooperation and partnership. With so much achieved to date and so much still to look forward to, I am proud to say I am part of such a successful programme”.

The first 5,000 flying hours was achieved in November 2005 . The 10,000 hours milestone came in August 2006, 20,000 flying hours was achieved in May 2007 and by August 2008 the Typhoon had surpassed over 50,000 hours. This increase in activity alco matches the steady delivery of aircraft to the customers.

The operational fleets have more than 260 aircraft in service – the largest number among the new generation fighters available in the world today. The Tranche 2 production is in full swing with all 148 Tranche 1 aircraft delivered . The Typhoon is also establishing its footprints within the partner and export Customer air forces as the backbone of the operations both in terms of air dominance and ground support roles. This new milestone for the Eurofighter programme provides another strong message about the operational availability of the Typhoon and highlights the benefits of investing in such an aircraft . Video footage of each nation participating in the 100,000th hour was shown to guests at the event.

The  file dealt with the offset plans of MMRCA contract which is a 42,000-crore (over $11-billion) deal for the acquisition of 126 (fighter aircrafts). The tendering process for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), initiated in August 2007, has entered its final phase after the IAF carried out the flight and weapons evaluation of the six fighter planes competing for the contract. The contenders include US majors Lockheed Martin’s F-16 , Boeing’s F/A-18 , Russian MiG-RAC’s MiG-35, French Dassault’s Rafale, Swedish Saab’s Gripen and European consortium EADS’ Eurofighter Typhoon.

The IAF confirms that an inquiry had been ordered after the file was recovered but did not disclose the circumstances in which the file was recovered. The IAF also refused to confirm a TV report which claimed that the file had been found on the roadside in South Delhi’s Khel Gaon Marg by a security guard.

‘The IAF inquiry is into whether correct procedures in handling confidential documents were followed or not. That inquiry is nearing completion. By and large, the procedures were followed. The file was handed over to the ministry nice and proper,’ IAF chief P.V. Naik quoted. A top IAF officer stated that a “secret” file had gone missing after it was sent to the ministry of defence (MoD), but there was no official comment or confirmation from the MoD in this regard. The top IAF source said the inquiry would be conducted jointly by the IAF and the MoD since the file belonged to the IAF and had gone missing after it was sent to the MoD. The file was marked “secret” but was not in the most sensitive “top secret” category, IAF sources said.

Incidentally, India’s offset policy makes it mandatory for foreign companies to invest at least 30 per cent of the amount in India for any armament procurement valued at 300 crore or more. However the government had earlier finalised a 50 per cent offset clause in some of the big-ticket defence deals which run into billions of dollars. Also the issue of offsets had reportedly become a major point of contention between the MoD and some of the global vendors amid concerns that this may affect the pace of military modernisation.

The ‘Helmet Mounted Symbology System’ designed by BAE Systems, is a highly sophisticated helmet and support system that lets the pilot ‘see’ through the body of the aircraft, giving him a vital advantage when it comes to split-second decision-making.

Using the new helmet system, the pilot can now look at multiple targets, lock-on to them, and then, by voice-command, prioritise them. It’s a lightning-fast system to let the pilot look, lock-on, and fire.

The pilot can even do this when looking at targets over the shoulder – or at targets picked up by the radar which is directly underneath the floor of the aircraft.

This ‘look and shoot’ capability, along with a super-wide field of view gives the Typhoon pilot a 24hour all-weather field of vision.

The helmet works by having a number of fixed sensors around the cockpit area. As the pilot moves his head, the sensors on his helmet move in relation to the sensors on the aircraft ensuring the aircraft knows exactly where and what he is looking at.

The imagery projected onto the pilot’s vison gives him information, speed, heading and height and crucially,the precise position of any enemy aircraft or missiles. The imagery remains stable and accurate at all viewing angles, thereby enabling the pilot to take rapid decisions without ever having to take his eyes off the target.

Mark Bowman, Chief Test Pilot for BAE Systems, said: “This is a major advance in terms of combat capability and is something that gives Typhoon pilots a significant advantage when it comes to air combat.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Eurofighter Typhoon leads the world in terms of this kind of capability – and this is something that all who have worked on the system can feel extremely proud of. It is a major advance in aviation capability.”
“What’s more,” he said “is that the best is still yet to come.”

The new helmet system is expected to go into service with the UK’s Royal Air Force this year.

It also would be incorporating an AESA radar. In 2008, EADS submitted a range of procurement options to the aircraft’s launch customers  like Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain with the intention of offering them flexibility by dividing promised Tranche 3 orders over time.

The production version of the CAPTOR-E radar was being proposed as part of Tranche 3 of the Typhoon from 2012. Tranche 2 aircraft use the non AESA, mechanically scanned Captor-M which incorporates weight and space provisions for possible upgrade to CAESAR (AESA) standard in the future.

The Italian Air Force doubted that the AESA radar would be ready in time for Tranche 3 production.In July 2010, Eurofighter announced that the AESA radar would enter service in 2015.

Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Cassidian Air Systems, said: ” We are grateful for the visit of the UK Secretary of State for Defence in our Delhi Office and his encouraging messages to further intensify our campaign activities. Our Governments in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy are strongly supporting the Eurofighter Typhoon campaign in India. Europe’s leading aerospace and defence companies are ready to enhance their industrial cooperation with India’s advanced defence industry for the benefit of all parties. Our goal is to integrate India into the global supply chain of the Eurofighter Typhoon by developing a strong and diverse supplier base in India which will also cater to this global programme.” The consortium members will also provide India access to key technologies in a unique industrial partnership designed to further catalyze India’s indigenous defence sector.

During a recent meeting of the Eurofighter Supervisory Board in New Delhi, senior representatives of EADS (Germany and Spain), BAE Systems (United Kingdom) and Finmeccanica (Italy) highlighted their combined commitment to develop a long-term strategic relationship with India and establish a new benchmark for Europe’s defence and industrial cooperation with Indian defence and aerospace companies.

There are six companies that have been approached for this multi billion dollar contract , which is the single largest defence deal ever for India. India aims to procure 18 aircraft in flyaway condition and produce  106 locally under license through technology transfer. The delivery will start within 36 months of contract signing and will be completed 48 months later.

The following  Six Aircrafts are the latest combat aircrafts that are being developed or fielded today , which India is looking to procure through the MMRCA Competition:

1 . Eurofighter Typhoon

According to India’s Ambassador Arif Shahid Khan, quoted by the Reuters news agency, “Eurofighter Typhoon is leading the race to win the new fighter deal for the Indian Air Force “. The Ambassador stressed the top position held by Eurofighter Typhoon during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome. The Eurofighter Typhoon offers a broad spectrum of operational advantages, such as excellent adaptability to severe weather conditions, high mission effectiveness and survivability in threat situations as well as considerable in country economic benefits. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a fore-plane delta wing beyond-visual-range and close air fighter aircraft with surface attack capability. Eurofighter has high agility at supersonic speed and also has a ’supercruise’ capability , that can fly at sustained speeds offering high reliability. The Eurofighter Typhoon has also offered India seem-less development partnership and EADS(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) is already helping to develop India’s LCA(Light Combat Aircraft’s). If the Typhoon wins the contract , India would be invited by the Eurofighter Typhoon program to become a partner and will be given all technological and developmental aid. Eurofighter Typhoon also provides no end user restrictions and they also have an easy transfer of technology. Eurofighter Typhoon is a heavy ,25 ton expensive aircraft ,its AESA radar is still under development and it has no combat experience.

2 . Dassault-Rafale

The other strong contender for the MMRCA competition is the Dassault-Rafale which is capable of carrying out a wide range of short and long-range missions,that include ground and sea attack, air defence and high – accuracy strike or nuclear strike deterrence. The Rafale is similar to Mirage 2000 in operations and logistics and has a distinct advantage as it was used with great success during the Kargil War. The Rafale is a twin-engined, delta-wing, multirole fighter designed and built by France’s Dassault Aviation. Rafale’s  supportability and mission readiness capitalise on the undisputed track record of the current generation of French fighters such as the combat-proven Mirage 2000. The IAF’s Mirage -2000 fleet already has a comfort level with the Dassault Rafale.The transfer of technology is again smooth with no end user restrictions. It is the only non-US fighter aircraft with deployed AESA radar. The Dassauft Rafale is a 25 tonne,  expensive aircraft with limited combat experience.

3 . Saab Gripen NG

Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab which is a fourth-generation fighter swing-role aircraft which is capable of performing multiple missions. The company has said that it is on schedule for delivery ahead of the other aircrafts in contention for the MMRCA program. Gripen has indicated that a “wide range of state-of-the-art weapons can be sourced from manufacturers worldwide, giving the Indian Air Force freedom of choice by avoiding sole source supply constraints.” Gripen International is offering the Gripen IN, a version of the Gripen NG (Next Generation) for India’s competition. The Gripen NG has increased fuel capacity, more powerful power plant, higher payload, upgraded avionics and other improvements. The Gripen IN is a medium-weight multi-role fighter aircraft with a maximum takeoff  weight of 16.5 ton. The Gripen NG demo aircraft  passed its high altitude tests in Leh, and also other hot weather tests.

4 . Mikoyan MiG-35

The Mikoyan MIG-35 is the production version of the latest MiG-29 and incorporates mature development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB technology. The IAF already operates 65 MiG-29s, and the Navy has ordered 16 MiG-29Ks for its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (formerly know as Admiral Gorshkov). Since the IAF already has maintenance and upgrade facilities for the MiG-29, this would mean that the plane could be brought into service with minimum expenditure on infrastructure. Also Russia is willing  to give full ToT(Transfer of Technology which is an added advantage. Russia has provided  support for equipments in the past during international sanctions. Russia unveiled the MiG-35 at Aero India 2007 in Bangalore, amid Moscow’s keen interest to sell these planes to India. This was the first time that the final version of the MiG-35 was publicly displayed at an international air show, and thus, generated a great deal of interest. A major advantage of MiG-35 is that Russia is committed to transfer the plane’s technology, including the new advanced Zhuk-AE Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, to India.The Zhuk AE AESA radar is considered the most powerful amidst the MMRCA contenders. Russia, on top of a full technology transfer, is offering India help in building its own advanced radar. However, Russian product support, especially for the MiG-29 fleet has been inadequate. Additionally, buying the MiG-35 would mean an almost total dependence on a single supplier for India’s entire fighter fleet. Thers is also a 100 per cent technology transfer for the MiG-35, including the radar and all its systems however the airframe barely improved from MiG-29 and the life cycle cost of Russian fighters is traditionally high.

5 . Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper

The Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper, the fifth Aircraft in this competition is touted as the most advanced and mordernized version of the F-16 ever. India initially sent the RFI for a F-16C/D Block 52+ configuration aircraft. On January 17, 2008, Lockheed Martin offered a customized version of the F-16, the F-16IN Super Viper for the Indian MMRCA contract.The F-16N includes conformal fuel tanks that will give the F-16N a combat range of 1700km with 1500 kg weapon load.It includes a AN/APG-80 AESA (Active electronically scanned array) radar.

The F-16IN, which is similar to the F-16 Block 60, will be a 4.5 generation aircraft. Lockheed Martin has stated that it will be the most advanced F-16 variant developed. Lockheed Martin has also offered India the sale of the F-35 lightning aircraft in future as replacements if F-16 IN wins the bid.

6 . Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The last aircraft participating in the MMRCA competition is the Super Hornet which is about  25% larger than its predecessor, the F/A-18C/D but contains 42% fewer structural parts. The MMRCA competition represents a prime opportunity for US defence companies to gain a strong foothold in the Indian defence industry which is estimated  about US $100bn in the next 10 years. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the aircraft being offered to India that has an AESA radar. However there will be a limited ToT (Transfer of Technology) on the radar, up to the level approved by the US Government. The single seat F/A-18/E and the two seat F/A-18/F flies greater ranges, with heavier payloads using a more powerful engine which provides greater survivability. Boeing has proposed joint manufacture of the jets with Indian partners. It also plans to offset the cost by setting up a US$100 million maintenance and training hub in Nagpur. There is a long-term partnership agreement being signed between  Boeing and  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with Tata Industries, and Larsen and Torbo, who will play a significant role in production and assembly of these aircrafts.