Indian Naval Air Arm
Naval Aviation is a vital arm of the Indian Navy for undertaking tasks such as maritime reconnaissance, fleet air defence, carrier borne strikes against maritime targets, ships and shore borne air anti-submarine warfare. search and rescue (SAR) etc. To undertake these tasks, a variety of aircraft and helicopters are employed by the Navy.
In February 2001 it was reported that Russia was preparing to lease India four TU-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers armed with the KH-22 cruise missiles having a range of 500 km. There were also reports that the Tu-22M3 offered to India for the maritime attack role would be armed with the conventional anti-ship Kh-15A (export designation Kh-15S) missile. The Backfire has a combat of 2,400 km, though the bomber could be upgraded with mid-air refueling to extend the range to 5,000 km.
As of 2008 the Rs 476-crore upgrade of the remaining 10 Sea Harrier jump-jets, which operated from India's solitary carrier INS Viraat, was underway.
On 20 January 2004 India finalized the purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov after over a decade of negotiations. But Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes did not reach agreement on other weapons, such as the Tu-22 Backfire bombers or Akula-class nuclear submarines, and nothing was subsequently heard of a Tu-22M lease.
As a part of the $1.5 billion Admiral Gorshkov, India purchased 12 single-seater Mig 29K fighters and four twin-seater MiG-29KUB combat-cum-trainer aircraft to equip the carrier. The four Mig-29KUB trainers were expected to be delivered in 2007 to allow India to train its pilots prior to the delivery of the remaining 12 fighters to be completed by 2009. By mid-2008 the delivery of 16 MiG-29Ks from Russia was slated to begin from October 2008. As of February 2009 it was expected that the first four MiG-29Ks would arrive in India later in 2009, with the other 12 being delivered by 2010.
By mid-2008 plans were to go in for another 30-36 of the fighters. As per the contract, the Navy had the option to purchase another 30 MiG-29K with deliveries up to 2015 to equip the Gorshkov and the new Air Defence Ship being built at the Kochi docks. The Gorshkov was expected to be able to accomodate up to 24 MiG-29Ks as well as six Kamov-28 and KA-31 helicopters. The MiG-29Ks will be supplemented by the naval variant of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is designed to carry 12 MiG-29Ks, eight LCA and 10 helicopters.
By mid-2009 it was anticipated that the first six MiG-29K/KUBs along with eight pilots, 39 technicians and four ground engineers will have arrived at Dabolim. The supplementary contract for an additional 29 MiG-29K/KUBs was inked in December 2008 and includes four MiG-29KUBs, Thus, in all the Indian Navy will have, by 2012, eight MiG-29KUBs and 37 MiG-29Ks.
| Viraat | Vikramaditya | Vikrant | |
| TOTAL | 37 | 26 - 30 | 30 |
| LCA Tejas | - | - | 8 |
| Mig 29K | - | 16 - 24 | 12 |
| Sea Harrier | 30 | . | . |
| Ka-28 | - | 6 - 10 | 10 |
| Ka-31 Helix | - | ||
| Sea King Mk 42A/B | 7 | - | - |
The Indian Navy spent in excess of $500 million to upgrade its fleet of eight Russian Tu-142 F maritime reconnaissance strike aircraft. As of 2002 a new plan called for modernizing the aircraft to operate anti-ship missiles, advanced navigation equipment and electronic warfare systems to create a link between India's nuclear command center and its nuclear submarines. The upgraded aircraft would be dubbed the Tu-142J.
The Indian Navy's eight Tu-142M long-range maritime reconnaissance/ASW aircraft have all been fitted with ELTA-supplied EL/M-2022(V)3 multi-mode search radars. The last two of the eight aircraft were declared operational with the new belly-mounted radars in December 2008 and as a result, these eight platforms will remain in operation until at least 2016. However, by 2018 it will become cost-prohibitive for the Tu-142M to remain flightworthy. The program to upgrade its eight Tu-142Ms by Russia fell through in 2004 due to an estimated cost of US$888 million.
Russia’s Taganrogskaya Aviatsiya (TAVIA) has created an updated Tu-142M, designated the Tu-142MSD. This service life-extension package could result in a reduction of the Tu-142M's direct operating costs, along with re-lifing the airframe and a re-engining package that included new-generation propellers, and a glass cockpit, such upgraded Tu-142M could remain in service until around 2026.
India’s need for Maritime Surveillance Aircraft intensified on 02 October 2002 when two IL-38s, which is a combination of Il-18 airliner and the IL-20 reconnaissance model, crashed during a demonstration. After their overhaul in 1996, the two IL–38s had been expected to remain in service until 2015. The crash reduced India’s Maritime surveillance fleet to three Il-38s and eight Tu-142s. By 2007 the Il-38 fleeet was expected to remain in service through the year 2020.
In November 2006 the Indian Navy expressed an interest in the Boeing P-8 Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), which is a modified Boeing 737-800ERX, as a replacement for its existing fleet of IL-38 aircraft that were nearing the end of their service life. By August 2007 India had completed evaluations of a maritime patrol derivative of the Airbus A319 and the Boeing P-8 Poseidon in support of the Navy requirement for eight anti-submarine aircraft. Other bidders for the deal were Israel Aerospace Industries and Elta Systems with a Dassault Falcon 900 business jet derivative, Lockheed Martin with a remanufactured P-3 Orion, and a Russian consortium with the Ilyushin Il-38. As neither the P-8 nor the A319 derivative actually existed at that time, the flight trials conducted in the US and Spain involved simulations, flying leased commercial Boeing 737 and A320 family aircraft on representative flight profiles, and mission system evaluations using US Navy and Spanish air force P-3s. EADS Casa is offering its FITS mission system, which had been installed in Spain's upgraded P-3Bs.
By November 2007 the Ministry of Defence had shortlisted two competitors - Boeing's P-8 and the Airbus Industrie A319. By the end of 2008 India was poised to conclude its biggest-ever defense deal with US: the around Rs 8,500-crore contract for the supply of eight Boeing P-8I Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft for the Navy. Virtually all the steps required for the contract to be signed, including tabling of it in the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval, had been completed. On 01 January 2009 the UPA government signed the biggest-ever defence deal with US: a $2.1 billion contract for eight Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft for the Navy. The deal was signed by Preeti Sudan, Indian Defence Ministry’s Joint Secretary and and Boeing integrated defence systems vice-president and country head Vivek Lall.
India is the first international customer for the P-8. The first of the LRMR aircraft will be delivered within four years of the contract being actually signed, with the rest being handed over by 2015. India will get the first P-8I towards end-2012 or early-2013, with the other seven following in a phased manner by 2015-2016. The LRMR planes will replace the eight ageing and fuel-guzzling Russian-origin Tupolev-142Ms.
Customised for India and based on the Boeing 737 commercial airliner, the radar-packed P-8I aircraft will go a long way in plugging the huge gaps in Navy's maritime monitoring capabilities with a range of over 600 nautical miles. The P-8 is a modification of the P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft currently being developed for US Navy. It is a tailored version for the Indian Navy. The aircraft will bolster Indian Navy’s maritime patrolling capabilities and extend its reach upto 600 nautical miles. It is fitted with weapons like torpedoes, depth bombs and anti-ship missiles.
By mid-2006 the Navy planned to shortly replace its Islander fleet with 11 new HAL-built Dornier aircraft. As of mid-2007 the Indian Navy (IN) had around 13 remaining Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders it acquired around 1976. At that time the IN was in the process of transferring two BN-2 'Defender' Islander maritime surveillance aircraft to Myanmar, an add-on to the pair it had supplied in August 2006. The BN-2 "Defender" Islander airplanes was stripped of all weapons and used solely for relief and humanitarian missions.
By mid-2008 eight of the 11 more Dornier-228s, ordered for Rs 726 crore to act as medium-range maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft, had already joined the Navy.
Future requirements for the Navy called for the procurement of Medium-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft that should also be capable of ASW, while the Coast Guard also requires MRMR aircraft, with no ASW capability. Aircraft proposed for the Navy's MRMR/ASW were the turboprop ATR-72MP & C-295MPA, and Dassault's Falcon 900MPA & Embraer's P-99A jet-powered platforms. For the Coast Guard the ATR-42MPA Surveyor and C-295 or CN-235MPA are being proposed.
The Indian Navy plans mid-life upgrades of 11,000 kg Kamov-28 and 9,700 kg Sea King anti-submarine helicopters for Rs 600 crore and Rs 850 crore respectively.
The anti-submarine and anti-surface Sea King helicopters were built by Westland under licence from Sikorksy. The Indian Navy had about 40 Sea King copters initially but by 2008 had only about half of them, and most of them were over 30-years old. In 2003 a $150 million modernisation plan has been approved for the Westland Sea King helicopters. The Sea Kings were received from Westland Helicopters of the U.K but fell into disrepair when the USA imposed military sanctions, preventing India from sourcing Sikorsky- manufactured original equipment parts. The Indian Navy then attempted to obtain some Sea King spares from local industry sources, including components for gearboxes, rotor systems, sonar systems and defence electronics items for avionics. However, these fell short of reliability requirements and led to some limitations in the ASW operations. The mid-life upgrade now involves replacing the engine, avionics systems, mission computer, radar system and missiles.
The Indian Navy had been interested in procuring a Sea King replacement from overseas for some years, with the Naval Helicopter program being re-tendered in 2007 because none of the respondents were said to have met the technical specifications (itself not an unheard of phenomenon in India).
During 2005-2006 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) set the ball rolling for the design, development and manufacture of a 10-ton class multi-role helicopter for the services. The project would be undertaken in collaboration with a reputed foreign company. In March 2007 HAL invited proposals from international partners including Russian helicopter manufacturer for co-development of a Multi-role Helicopter (10 tonnes).
By mid-2008 the Navy planned to induct new 10-ton-class multi-role helicopters, an order estimated to be worth $1 billion. In September 2008 the Indian Ministry of Defence issued a tender for at least 16 advanced multi-role naval helicopters. AgustaWestland's AW101, EADS's EC 725 Cougar and Sikorsky's Seahawk were expected to compete for the contract, which could expand by an additional 44 units. The multi-role helicopters will be equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine armaments, including cruise missiles and torpedoes. The helicopters, capable of mid-air refueling, will operate from naval vessels and land bases.
In November 2008 the Indian Navy decided not to use the 'Dhruv' advanced light helicopter, manufactured by HAL, Bangalore, for anti-submarine warfare and sent a 'request for proposal' (RFP) for another multi-role helicopter. The Navy had acquired ten 'Dhruv' helicopters from HAL with the understanding that the first six would be used in a utility role, for search and rescue and transportation, while the remaining four would be converted for ASW operations. However, because of their size and weight, these helicopters were found unsuitable to discharge their function at sea for ASW and the Navy had now decided to use all ten in the utility role.
In January 2009 the US-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation offered S-70B Seahawk multi-role helicopters to replace the Indian Navy’s ageing Sea King helicopter fleet. The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation responded to the RFP (request for proposal) from the Indian Navy for replacement of 16 Sea King helicopters, though it expected the Indian Navy to place orders for more than 16. The US Navy has also offered the Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin-built MH-60R for the same order. The Sikorsky-built MH-60R multi-role helicopter is the US Navy’s recently deployed anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter with Lockheed Martin equipment. Sikorsky offered both the S-70B Seahawk as a commercial direct sale and the MH-60R as an FMS under the DSCA.
Sikorsky also offered its helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard, which wants to replace 16 of its helicopters, having responded to the Coast Guard’s RFI (Request for Information). Sikorsky planned to offer either the S-70 or the S76 or even the bigger S-92 for the Indian Coast Guard.
On 14 February 2009 Russian helicopter officials at the AeroIndia 2009 show said that the Russian aerospace complex was gearing up to bid for a total order of 320 military helicopters from the three wings of the Indian defence services. Rosoboronexport was participating in a number of tender involving the Ka-226T multi-role helicopter and the Mi-28H Night Hunter helicopter gunship. The company was in talks with the ministry of defence for the modernization of radar systems installed on Ka-31 helicopters used by the Indian Navy.
Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said in August 2008 that "By 2022, we plan to have 160-plus ship navy, including three aircraft carriers, 60 major combatants, including submarines and close to 400 aircraft of different types. This will be a formidable three dimensional force with satellite surveillance and networking to provide force multiplication." By one estimate by 2020 the Indian Navy aircraft inventory could be about 400 aircraft, including:
- 30 ASW aircraft (Including long range, medium range, short range)
- 50 ASW helicopters - (Sea King and Kamov)
- 35 Transport aircraft
- 120 Carrier-Based Aircraft - 3 Aircraft Carriers @ 40 A/C each [includes 1/2 of ASW helos]
- 85 other aircraft [35 fixed wing trainers, 35 utility helicopters, and 15 other helicopters], and
- 120 other aircraft not otherwise accounted for, possibly coastal defense fighters
