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Under the agreement finalized by the Ministry
of Defence (MoD) and IAF, most of the combat systems
like radars and Electronic Warfare (EW) suites
would be upgraded to Mirage 2005-plus standards.
There would also be 30 per cent offset, which
would boost expertise and production at companies
like the state-run HAL and the private sector
Samtel, which makes electronic displays and also
controls manufacture of a critical component in
the helmet mounted cueing system used by pilots
of aircraft like the US Boeing F/A 18 Super Hornet.
The parameters for the upgrades have been specified
by the IAF’s Air Staff Qualitative Requirements
(ASQRs), and the upgrade would extend the operational
life of the aircraft by an estimated 25 years.
The upgraded Mirages would have all-weather 24
x 7 precision fire power capability, a new glass
cockpit, terrain mapping navigation, advanced
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) electronics,
and Within and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capability
to destroy hostile targets.
A press statement issued by Dassault and Thales
from Paris described the contract, signed July
29, as commercial, saying: “Based on the
integration of latest generation equipment and
systems, the upgrade will further enhance the
technical-operational capabilities of the Indian
Air Force’s Mirage 2000. The extensive involvement
of the Indian industry within the programme will
consolidate existing ties with the French aerospace
industry and will reinforce long-term cooperation
based on cutting edge technologies and the sharing
of technical know-how and expertise.”
The Mirages were acquired beginning mid-1985,
and this writer was at hand to meet the pilots
of the first lot of six aircraft during a stopover
in the Qatari capital of Doha. Their flight was
then commanded by Wg Cdr (later Air Marshal) P
S Ahluwalia.
The aircraft have been maintained in India under
French assistance and in their 25-year life, only
a couple of accidents have been reported. By all
standards, the aircraft has had a tremendous safety
record compared to others in the IAF inventory.
It may be noted that the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS) had cleared the deal just a few
days ago, but without the weapons package which
is being negotiated separately. The cost of the
new precision fire power weapons, to be sourced
mostly from Thales and the European MBDA, is reported
to be around $ 600 million.
Weapons in any case are separate, and accordingly,
the cost of upgrading an aircraft would be around
$ 50 million, inclusive of the tools and expertise
and 30 per cent offset. As the airframe has substantial
life left, the cost of the upgrade would be cheaper
by about about 20 to 25 per cent compared to the
new Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)
that the IAF is set to acquire in large numbers
(126 to 189).
But of course, the MRCA would be much more advanced,
and is supposed to be equipped with some weapons
exclusively in production and control of the US
companies and government. Either of the MRCA winner
would have to source these systems from them.
Under the Mirage deal, Thales, which manufactures
onboard combat and EW systems, would get nearly
$ 1.8 billion and the rest would be shared by
aircraft manufacturer Dassault, which built and
sold the Mirages, and HAL. The latter’s component
is around Rs 1008 crores ($ 230 million, or Euro
160 million). The remaining would go to Dassault.
Dassault also has a controlling stake in Thales,
acquired a couple of years ago. Its Rafale is
one of the two finalists in the MMRCA competition,
the other being the European Eurofighter Typhoon.
Notably, HAL would use the amount to import equipment
and technical expertise from Thales to build potentially
useful capability in upgrading the remaining 47
aircraft in India. It is also likely to spend
some more on setting up the facilities.
The process to upgrade the aircraft is rather
long, as according to Thales sources, it is like
building a new aircraft from scratch except the
airframe. New systems would mean literally every
thing new except the body; new wiring, a new centre
of gravity and everything to be fixed around that.
According to authoritative sources, it would
take some four years to build the first lot of
the first four aircraft, and the upgrade facilities
in India. After that, HAL would upgrade 10 or
11 aircraft per year, ending the programme by
about 2020.
But assures Thales: Each aircraft would be like
a new fighter, with contemporary combat suites
and missiles, including possibly the “most
advanced Meteor missile if India wants it.”
An active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air
missile (BVRAAM), it is still under development
but is on offer on both the Rafale and Eurofighter.
Under the contract, initially two aircraft would
be sent to France to be checked and upgraded there
by Dassault and Thales under Indian supervision.
Then, two more aircraft would be similarly upgraded
at HAL by French engineers and technicians in
India as part of the learning curve for Indian
engineers.
After that, the equipment supplied by Thales
would be fitted on the aircraft in India at HAL’s
factory in Bangalore.
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