DEFENCE
flightglobal.com 10-16 December 2019 | Flight International | 17Global tensions set
to drive spending
Defence PT
he purchase of further Boeing
P-8I maritime patrol aircraft
for the Indian navy has received
government approval – but only
six aircraft are now planned to be
acquired, instead of the 10 origi-
nally planned.
Eight P-8Is are currently
operational with the service.
These were acquired under a
$2.14 billion Foreign Military
Sales contract signed in January- Options for four more were
taken in July 2016, in a deal
worth approximately $1 billion,
with deliveries due between July
2020 and December 2021.
In a report put before parlia-
ment in August 2018, the Indian
national audit agency criticised
the P-8I due to “capability limita-
tions of [the] radars installed”,
and noted that the 737-based
type lacked the weapons re-
quired to fully meet its anti-sub-
marine warfare task.
India’s navy also currently op-
erates five upgraded Il-38SD mari-
time surveillance aircraft, slated
for retirement from 2025.
New Delhi has also revived its
moribund Airborne Warning and
Control System India (AWACS
India) programme, which seeks to
deliver a replacement for its Ily-
ushin Il-76-based A-50Is.
The system will use indige-
nously designed and developed
mission equipment, with systems
provided and integrated by the na-
tion’s Defence Research and De-
velopment Organisation (DRDO).
The AWACS India programme
got under way in February 2013.
This was followed by a March
2014 tender for the procurement
of six aircraft, plus options for
four more.A scale model of an Airbus
A330 with a rotodome was dis-
played at the Aero India air show
in 2015 and at successive events
in 2017 and 2019 by the DRDO.
The AWACS India effort has its
roots in the DRDO-led Airborne
Early Warning and Control
(AEW&C) programme. Approval
for this was given in 2004, at a
project cost of $350 million.
A first ‘Netra’ AEW&C
platform – based on Embraer’s
EMB-145 – was delivered to the
air force in an initial operational
clearance configuration in Febru-
ary 2017, followed by a second in
September 2019. ■P
oland is returning its fleet of
RAC MiG-29 fighters to
operational use, after removing a
grounding order that had been in
place since a non-fatal accident
earlier this year.
Announcing the resumption,
Warsaw’s armed forces general
command says the decision was
taken “after analysing the imple-
mented recommendations” fol-
lowing a spate of accidents in-
volving the Russian-built type.
In the most recent incident, on
4 March 2019, a pilot ejected
safely after his aircraft suffered a
technical malfunction, most like-ly linked to its engines. This fol-
lowed a fatal crash in July 2018,
the causes of which are still
being investigated, and another
airframe loss in December 2017,
details about which are also yet
to be published.
Polish air force inspector Major
General Jacek Pszczola says five of
the service’s MiG-29s are current-
ly airworthy, with another 12
awaiting check flights. The nation
has sufficient spare parts to
support operations with the type
for a further three to four years.
The duration of the grounding
order means Poland’s MiG-29 pi-R
omania plans to acquire an-
other five surplus Lockheed
Martin F-16s from Portugal – and
will upgrade the 12 examples al-
ready in its fleet.
Under a draft law passed by
the government on 28 November,
which has still to be ratified by
the country’s parliament, four air-
craft will arrive in 2020, with the
final example to follow in 2021.
These will have the same
M.5.2R configuration as Roma-
nia’s existing 12 F-16s, but Bucha-
rest says that all 17 will be raised
to a new M.6.X standard. Its air
force also will gain the ability to
overhaul and repair their Pratt &
Whitney F100 engines and con-
duct future modernisation work.
Romania in 2013 agreed to take
its first batch of nine A-model
single-seaters and three B-variant
twin-seaters, and took delivery of
the initial six in 2016.
Cirium fleets data records its
air force as also currently
operating 17 Mikoyan MiG-21s.
Earlier this year, Bucharest
indicated that it was seeking a
total of 36 F-16s to replace its
Soviet-era fighters. ■ACQUISITION
DOMINIC PERRY LONDONRomania boosts
fighter fleet with
additional F-16s
PROCUREMENT MIKE RAJKUMAR BENGALURUFurther Poseidons approved
to watch the waves for India
Six more examples of 737-based surveillance aircraft will join existing eight-strong fleet
SAFETY BARTOSZ GLOWACKI WARSAWWarsaw removes grounding order on its MiG-29s
lots have lost authorisations to fly
the type. “Permissions to fly for
the most experienced pilots will
be restored first,” says Pszczola,
who expects the process to take at
least six months to complete.Warsaw is moving forward
with plans to acquire 32 Lock-
heed Martin F-35As to replace its
remaining MiG-29s and Sukhoi
Su-22 ground-attack aircraft. ■
See Directory PBartosz Glowaki
Operations were suspended in March following a spate of accidentsNational audit office has criticised ‘limitations’ of P-8I’s capabilities
Boeing