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India Defence Online, New Delhi –The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally equipped 55 of the Jaguar fighter aircraft with autopilots after the Indian Defence Ministry was criticised for delays in the upgradation. Defence Minister AK Anthony has assured that it will soon be issuing a tender for procuring additional sets of autopilots for the remaining Jaguars in the IAF fleet.
The Comptroller and Auditor General had raised the issue of delay in the induction of autopilot in its report of 2008-09 and the Indian Defence Ministry was blamed for this delay. The Indian Defence Ministry agreed with the audit conclusions and will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for new sets of autopilots for the Jaguar fighters.
The Jaguar fighters have always been a trusted war horse since they first came to the IAF almost three decades ago. At the time of induction, the Jaguar was considered to be the fastest aircraft and added a new dimension to air operations in the Indian sub-continent. Under an agreement with the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been entrusted with the upgradation of Jaguars that would extend their life by another 15 years, through the year 2020. HAL has also been manufacturing the Jaguars under license from the French firm.
In 2004, the Indian Air Force signed a contract with French firm Sextant to completely upgrade the Jaguar autopilot system. Sextant supplied state-of-the-art modular, digital autopilot for the Jaguars, derived from autopilots already developed for the Mirage 2000-9 and the Nimrod 2000. The new autopilot increased the aircraft’s ground attack capabilities and enhanced flight safety. French and Israeli companies were part of the upgradation programme for the deep-penetration Jaguars, which also include integration of “autopilot systems” into the aircraft.
As of now, autopilots have been inducted on 55 Jaguar fighters. After confirming full operationalisation of the already installed autopilots, the RFP will be issued for the procurement of additional sets of autopilots for the remaining Jaguar aircraft. The IAF has over 100 of this Anglo-French fighter aircraft in its fleet. However, the track record of the Jaguar has been dismal and till mid-2005, a total of 28 Jaguars had been lost in accidents. The IAF has lost an average of one of these deep penetration strike aircraft each year in accidents since they were inducted in service in 1979. However, with the upgradation including autopilot sets, advanced radars, navigation, weapon and electronic warfare systems, and precision-guided munitions these jets should be viable till almost 2020.
Indian defence news and strategic intelligence
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