India and Russia hope to induct their joint fifth-generation stealth fighter by 2017, with officials from both countries hoping to iron out their differences in the coming months and sign a development contract by mid-2009.
"There have been differences between the two air forces, as both have specific requirements," says M Fakruddin, director for corporate planning and marketing at Hindustan Aeronautics. HAL will lead the Indian side of the programme. "These issues will be sorted out soon and by the middle of the year we expect to start work so that the aircraft is inducted by 2017."
The countries began talks in 2007 to develop a fifth-generation fighter based on the Sukhoi PAK-FA, which Russia hopes will have its first flight by the end of 2009 and is pegged as a challenger to the Lockheed Martin F-22 and Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Last year HAL and Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport agreed to study the joint development of a fighter. Since then, however, there have been differences over the aircraft's design and New Delhi's level of involvement in the project.
"Two major issues must be resolved. India was asked to invest a lot of money, but is unhappy with the level of access to sensitive technology that the Russians plan to give in return. In addition, the Indian air force is keen on a two-seat fighter, while Russia prefers to focus on a single-seater," says a New Delhi-based observer.
Moscow, India's main arms supplier, accounts for around 70% of the country's weapons inventory. Over recent years it has allowed HAL to licence-produce the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter, co-operated in the ongoing development of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, and plans to work on a joint multirole transport aircraft. However, defence ties have strained over the fifth-generation fighter programme and the rising cost of refurbishing the ex-Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Indian navy.
Trials of an air-launched version of the Brahmos cruise missile are expected to start this year using an Su-30MKI, with the Indian air force expecting to have its first squadron equipped with the long-range weapon by 2012. India's Defence Research and Development Organisation is investigating the failed test firing of a ground-launched version of the missile on 20 January, with initial reports suggesting that the weapon's on-board computing system failed to link with its US-sourced GPS navigation system.
India's increasingly warm ties with the USA and Europe have led to some domestic commentators calling on their government to rely less on Russia, and its RSK MiG-35 faces a tough fight against the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Saab Gripen in New Delhi's $10-12 billion medium multirole combat aircraft contest.
In-country evaluations of the bidding types are expected to begin in May. Indian air force chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major believes it is going to be a long process. "Technical evaluation of six top-of-the-line fighter aircraft is a very complex job," he says. New Delhi hopes to conclude the tender by 2010 and to induct the selected aircraft from 2012, although several industry observers expect delays.
Source: Flight International
