Latest news with #AirForces
Mint
3 days ago
- General
- Mint
IAF Jet Crash: Inducted in 1970s, are Jaguar aircraft ‘too old' to fly or 'aging like a fine wine'?
IAF Jet Crash: Two fighter pilots were killed after a Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Churu in Rajasthan on Wednesday, July 9. The plane crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 pm, police said. "An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported," IAF said in a post on X. The Air Forces said it 'deeply regrets' the loss of lives and constituted a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident. Wednesday's accident is the third mishap involving a Jaguar since March this year. On March 7, an Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar ground attack fighter crashed near Panchkula during a routine sortie. On April 3, another Jaguar jet crashed in Gujarat's Jamnagar. Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, the pilot of the aircraft, died in the crash. These back-to-back accidents raise concerns about the safety of India's aging Jaguar combat fleet, which has been operational for five decades now. The Jaguars were inducted into the IAF in the 1970s. Today, the IAF is the world's only air force that continues to operate some six squadrons of the Anglo-French twin-engine Jaguar IS/IB/IM variants. Britain, Ecuador, France, Oman and Nigeria have all retired their Jaguar fighters years ago The first batch of 40 Jaguars—Shamsher—was inducted into the IAF in fly-away condition beginning in1979. Thereafter, via a transfer of technology, another 100-odd were licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) until 2008. According to media reports, Jaguars have been involved in over 50 accidents, including recent ones, over the years. Past probes into mishaps pointed to engine failure, raising questions about the longevity of these warbirds. At times, analysts linked their 'under-powered' Rolls-Royce-Turbomecca Adour Mk811 engines to the mishaps. For years, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has been planning to 're-engine' the Jaguars with the US-made Honeywell F-125IN turbofan power pack. However, the plan was scrapped in August 2109, perhaps, due to the high cost. Now, the IAF is expected to begin phasing out its older Jaguar models after 2027-28. But amid delays in acquiring the HAL Tejas Mk2, Rafale, and Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, it is left with little choice but to extend the life of these outdated planes. The complete phasing out is scheduled by 2035-2040, according to media reports. 'India is flying Jaguars because India has no other choice. We don't make any aircraft, we only have to buy. The process of buying and selecting is cumbersome. We are also short of squadrons. We are supposed to have 40 + and we are down to about 30. Jaguar like other aircrafts has crashed. I would not call it very dangerous,' Wing Commander Praful Bakshi (Retd) told a TV channel in the April crash. 'Yes, we are using them. They are too old,' he told the TV channel. Military analyst and retired Jaguar pilot squadron leader Vijainder K Thakur, however, suggests that retiring IAF Jaguars, which, according to him, are 'aging like a fine wine,' would not be a welcome move. Thakur suggests that, considering the relentless depletion of the IAF's fighter inventory, the Jaguar phaseout plan could affect the IAF's operational capability. 'One reason why the Jaguar has remained relevant is that the IAF has adopted the fighter for medium-altitude stand-off strikes. We will look at the Jaguar's medium altitude strike capability later in this narrative,' Thakur wrote in EurAsian Times last September. Thakur argued that the Russia-Ukraine conflict emphasised the continued relevance of a fighter jet like the Jaguar. The conflict has illustrated that low-level penetration of contested airspace by attack aircraft is far safer than medium-altitude penetration because of the widespread use of and increased capabilities of Air Defence systems, he said. The Jaguar is now a potent platform despite being somewhat underpowered. In India, during the Kargil War in 1999, the SEPECAT Jaguar played a significant role, particularly in reconnaissance and precision strikes. Jaguars were used for both reconnaissance and bombing missions then. According to Thakur, since its initial induction into the IAF, the IAF has continuously upgraded the Jaguar to improve its stand-off attack, strike range, and target acquisition capabilities. Thakur wrote that these upgrades, referred to as DARIN (Display Attack Ranging Inertial Navigation) upgrades, were done in three phases: DARIN-1, DARIN-2, and DARIN-3. The Inertial Nav-Attack System Integration Organisation (IIO), a multiagency unit established by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), IAF, and HAL, first built the DARIN system in the 1980s. In 2008, for example, HAL, the state-owned military plane maker, decided to upgrade 68 so-called 'deep penetration' Jaguar fighters with modern avionics in a contract valued at more than ₹ 2,400 crore, which will increase the fighter planes' life and efficacy. 'Clearly, the Jaguar is now a potent platform despite being somewhat underpowered. It could be retained in service longer than currently projected to prevent the unacceptable depletion of IAF fighter aircraft inventory. Indeed, that may well be the case,' wrote Thakur. 'However, longer service retention could only be achieved by reducing the aircraft's monthly flying hours,' he suggested.
Euronews
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Three killed in Kharkiv in latest Russian drone attacks on Ukraine
At least two people were killed and 60 wounded in Kharkiv after Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack across Ukraine overnight Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said. 'Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out within just 10 minutes in two districts of the city this night,' Kharkiv's Mayor Igor Terekhov said. More than 15 apartments were on fire in a five-storey building and several houses were hit. 'There may be people trapped under the rubble," Terekhov added. The strikes caused widespread destruction in the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts of Kharkiv, hitting apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transport. 'Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life — those that should never be targeted,' Terekhov wrote on Telegram, as Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said that nine children aged between 2 and 15 were among the injured. Emergency crews, municipal workers and volunteers worked through the night to extinguish fires, rescue residents from burning homes, and restore gas, electricity and water services to the area. Images from the scene published by Ukraine's Emergency Service on Telegram showed burning apartments, shattered windows and firefighters battling the blaze. Ukraine's Air Forces said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight on Wednesday with 85 Shahed-type drones and decoy UAVs, which targeted the northeastern city and other areas. Air defence systems managed to neutralise 49 drones, intercepting 40 and jamming nine more with electronic warfare. Separately, the death toll from a wave of Russian strikes Tuesday morning on Kyiv and Odesa rose to at least three and another 13 wounded after Moscow attacked the areas with drones and missiles. A maternity ward and residential buildings were among civilian targets hit, according to Odesa's regional head Oleh Kiper. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced frustration about the lack of response from the US and other countries over the recent escalation of Russian attacks, including a record 419 Russian drones which were launched at Ukraine on Monday night. "Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace," the Ukrainian leader posted on X on Tuesday morning. For yet another night, instead of a ceasefire, there were massive strikes with Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles." Zelenskyy said 250 of the drones were Shaheds, and two of the seven missiles were of 'North Korean production'. After receiving historic support for the High Seas Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that its entry into force is "within sight". The treaty, which provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas and regulating activities on the high seas, gained momentum on Monday. However, its implementation is not yet guaranteed. Guterres urged all remaining nations to ratify the pact quickly to make it legally binding. During his address, he highlighted significant opposition to the treaty's goals. "There is a tipping point approaching, beyond which recovery may become impossible. And let us be clear. Powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink," Guterres stated. "We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truths, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit." If it comes into force, the treaty would be the first legally binding international agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. It is considered vital to counter overfishing, end plastic pollution, regulate seabed mining, and meet the global '30 by 30' conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 per cent of the planet's oceans by 2030. Stressing the urgency, Guterres also reminded delegates that climate change goals cannot be ignored. "Last year, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. Scientists are clear that that does not mean that the long-term global temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees is out of reach," he said. "It means we need to fight harder. And the ocean depends on it, and so do we." Eighteen countries ratified the treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49, just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean.
Euronews
03-06-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Russian attack on Ukraine's Sumy kills at least three and injures 20
Russia attacked the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring 20, according to Ukraine's emergency service. According to the preliminary investigation results, Russia struck the city with long-range multiple-launch rocket systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least one of the missiles failed to detonate, piercing the wall of a nine-story residential apartment building. 'The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy – directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians', Zelenskyy said in a statement. Sumy region military administration reported that a medical facility, cars and residential buildings were damaged by the strikes. "That alone says everything one needs to know about Russia's so-called 'desire' to end this war," Ukraine's president added, calling on the US and Europe to increase pressure on Moscow as "not a single day goes by without Russia striking Ukrainian cities and villages." The Sumy region in north-eastern Ukraine borders Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions. Its proximity to the border made it a constant target of Russian shelling and repeated assaults. Moscow troops have recently intensified their military activity along the border of the Sumy region. Zelenskyy earlier warned that Russia has accumulated some 50,000 troops at that part of the border, seeking to invade it and create a 10km buffer zone. Russia launched 112 drones at Ukraine overnight, including the Shahed-type UAVs. Air Forces managed to down 60 drones, 15 UAVs were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the official statement. Five people were injured in the southern Odesa region in the attack. The drone strike also set a food warehouse on fire and damaged residential buildings and cars. Russian drone and missile attacks on the Sumy region injured four people, according to local authorities. In the neighbouring Kharkiv region, at least three people were killed in an overnight attack. In southern Ukraine, Russian drones struck a State Emergency Service building and service vehicles in the Zaporizhzhia region. Belgium has found itself in the midst of a scandal after it was revealed that a Danish sperm donor with a pathogenic gene mutation conceived 52 children with 37 different Belgian women between 2007 and 2018. The gene mutation, known as TP53, confers a significantly increased risk of cancer. Belgium has the so-called 'six-women rule', setting the legal limit of six families per donor. However, this was rarely implemented in practice because donations are made anonymously. As a result, fertility centres were unaware if they had each used the same donor multiple times. The Belgian government has decided to change the existing law and get rid of the provision of anonymity — including the intention of doing so in its coalition agreement. "It is all hands on deck now to work on the texts for this purpose, and with this latest news, it has become all the more important to realise this ," Billy Buyse, a spokesperson for Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, told Euronews. "So this will definitely be pushed through under this government," Buyse emphasised. MP for the right-wing N-VA party Frieda Gijbels tabled a bill on removing anonymity a few months ago. However, local media reported that there is opposition from the industry. This has a lot to do with the six-women rule and how well this has been implemented. In the last three years alone, 22 violations of the rule have been identified. N-VA president Valerie Van Peel, who led the dossier in the previous two legislatures, cited pressure from some fertility doctors not to take steps. "There are of course doctors who have committed violations themselves," Gijbels said. "They don't like the lids going off the jars." The proposal to lift anonymity has also sparked concerns that donors may be deterred. However, Gijbels said examples from abroad prove otherwise. She pointed to France, which in 2022 decided that donors of sperm, eggs and embryos will have their identities put on the record. "In France, they have lifted anonymity and the number of donors has even increased,' Gijbels said. Vandenbroucke's cabinet was only informed about the extent of the scandal involving the Danish donor at the end of May. However, the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAGG), responsible for quality controls and donation irregularities, was made aware much earlier. In November 2023, the agency received a European rapid alert about the Danish sperm donor and the fact he had a pathogenic gene mutation linked to an increased risk of cancer. Some affected mothers were notified by the fertility centres in the months that followed. This was then confirmed to the FAGG. "We were baffled that the FAGG did not notify us immediately. First, they did not let us know that a medical risk had arisen, but we were also unaware of the large number of victims," Vandenbroucke told domestic media. Earlier this week, it came to light that 67 children across Europe were allegedly conceived with this sperm, in 46 families, and that 52 children in Belgium were affected. So far, at least 10 children have been diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, 23 were diagnosed with the gene mutation, making them more vulnerable to developing a wide range of cancers. An audit of the FAGG will be carried out with a specific focus on internal quality processes, enforcement and inspection, as well as communication with externals. The first results are expected after the summer. Vandenbroucke also asked the FAGG to check with the families concerned whether their child had undergone genetic screening in the meantime, as it had not followed up with families since first informing them of the issue with the donor. Finally, Vandenbroucke has also called for an improved system at the European level, "because different quotas apply in all countries and nobody knows how often foreign donor sperm is really used."
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Embraer to showcase multi-mission medium transport KC-390 Millennium at LIMA 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Embraer, a global leader in the aerospace industry, will display its KC-390 Millennium, the most advanced multi-mission tactical airlift in its class, at the 17th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) from May 20 to 24. Embraer Defence and Security president and CEO Bosco da Costa Junior said the KC-390 is a new generation military airlift with multi-mission capability, interoperability, reliability, low life-cycle cost, and high performance at its core. 'Embraer is proud to bring the KC-390 to LIMA 2025. The aircraft is gaining traction around the world, and we look forward to expanding our footprint in the Asia Pacific region,' he said in a statement today. According to the statement, the KC-390 is a new generation multi-mission aircraft designed and built to take on the demands of the 21st-century operating environment. 'The aircraft is the most advanced in its class and flies faster (470kts) and further on a standard crew duty day. It also carries more cargo (26 tonnes) compared to other medium-sized military cargo aircraft and is powered by IAE V2500 engines,' it said. Capable of performing reliably in Southeast Asia's diverse terrains and climate, the KC-390 can operate on temporary or unpaved runways, including packed earth, soil and gravel and in conditions ranging from humid to hot and high or cold and dry. 'It can perform a wide range of missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, humanitarian missions, firefighting and air-to-air refuelling both as a tanker and a receiver,' it said. Embraer's KC-390 is also equipped with a modern and comprehensive suite of sensors and communication equipment that support vital connectivity between aircraft, operational commands, and troops on the ground. 'Additionally, KC-390's robust integrated electronic warfare and self-protection system drive survivability. 'The aircraft has achieved an outstanding mission accomplishment rate of 99 per cent with low operational costs. Its multi-mission capability and interoperability are built-in by design, enabling the aircraft to be ready for all mission profiles by Air Forces,' it added.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Embraer to showcase KC-390 Millennium at LIMA 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Embraer, a global leader in the aerospace industry, will display its KC-390 Millennium, the most advanced multi-mission tactical airlift in its class, at the 17th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) from May 20 to 24. Embraer Defence and Security president and CEO Bosco da Costa Junior said the KC-390 is a new generation military airlift with multi-mission capability, interoperability, reliability, low life-cycle cost, and high performance at its core. 'Embraer is proud to bring the KC-390 to LIMA 2025. The aircraft is gaining traction around the world, and we look forward to expanding our footprint in the Asia Pacific region,' he said in a statement today. According to the statement, the KC-390 is a new generation multi-mission aircraft designed and built to take on the demands of the 21st-century operating environment. 'The aircraft is the most advanced in its class and flies faster (470kts) and further on a standard crew duty day. It also carries more cargo (26 tonnes) compared to other medium-sized military cargo aircraft and is powered by IAE V2500 engines,' it said. Capable of performing reliably in Southeast Asia's diverse terrains and climate, the KC-390 can operate on temporary or unpaved runways, including packed earth, soil and gravel and in conditions ranging from humid to hot and high or cold and dry. 'It can perform a wide range of missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, humanitarian missions, firefighting and air-to-air refuelling both as a tanker and a receiver,' it said. Embraer's KC-390 is also equipped with a modern and comprehensive suite of sensors and communication equipment that support vital connectivity between aircraft, operational commands, and troops on the ground. 'Additionally, KC-390's robust integrated electronic warfare and self-protection system drive survivability. 'The aircraft has achieved an outstanding mission accomplishment rate of 99 per cent with low operational costs. Its multi-mission capability and interoperability are built-in by design, enabling the aircraft to be ready for all mission profiles by Air Forces,' it added.
