Latest news with #J-20
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
East Ladakh's Nyoma airfield set to be operational by October
Nyoma airfield NEW DELHI: In a boost to India's military capabilities close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, the crucial Mudh airfield project in the high-altitude Nyoma area in eastern Ladakh is all set to be completed by Oct. The upgrade work by (BRO) at the airfield, among the world's highest at an altitude of 13,710 feet, included extending and strengthening the original airstrip into a 2.7km 'rigid pavement' runway with a dispersal area and turning pads, among other things. The Rs 230 crore upgrade will allow operations by all kinds of fixed-wing aircraft like heavy-lift transport planes and fighter jets from both directions. "The runway, with 46m width, is fully ready. The allied infrastructure, including the ATC complex, hangar, crash bay, watch towers, accommodation and the likes, is also more or less complete," an official told TOI. "Nyoma will prove crucial as a forward staging ground for troops deployed in the region and transporting supplies quickly to them. The airfield will also be available for fighter operations by early 2026, though high altitude will be a limiting factor, much like what Chinese air force faces across LAC," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo China, in fact, has systematically worked over the last five years to offset terrain constraints at its airbases facing India due to high altitude and rarefied air, which limits weapon and fuel-carrying capacity of aircraft. With new and extended runways, hardened shelters, fuel and ammunition storage facilities, China has managed to deploy additional jets, including advanced J-20 stealth fighters as well as bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and drones, at its airfields like Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa, Shigatse, Bangda, Nyingchi and Hoping. It has also built many new heliports along the 3,488km LAC, stretching from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. India is trying to play catch-up. Located about 35km from LAC, Nyoma will be another operational base for IAF in Ladakh after the Leh, Kargil and Thoise airfields and Daulat Beg Oldie ALG (advanced landing ground). Nyoma was reactivated as an ALG when a medium-lift AN-32 transport aircraft first landed there in Sept 2009. The upgrade project began during the military confrontation with China that erupted after the People's Liberation Army made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020. In addition to strengthening the capacity of existing airbases to handle more aircraft, India has progressively upgraded the infrastructure at ALGs like Fukche and DBO in Ladakh, as well as Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Along and Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh. Similarly, civil ALGs in the middle sector (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) of LAC are also now being increasingly used for military purposes.
The Star
4 days ago
- Science
- The Star
Can a superalloy method fix aircraft engine woes, even for sixth-gen fighters?
Chinese researchers working on a new superalloy processing technique say their lab results suggest it could be used to build stronger and longer-lasting aircraft engines, according to state media. Superalloy turbine discs are a core component of aircraft engines and the new technique to cool down the metal alloy faster during manufacturing could significantly improve performance, the official Science and Technology Daily reported on Friday. It said the new technology had the potential to be used in the engines powering the country's new sixth-generation fighter jets. With at least two of these next-gen fighter jets currently under development, there is an urgent need to develop advanced, high-performance aircraft engines – an area where China has lagged behind the West. To do this, the team at Dalian University of Technology in northeast China tackled a key challenge in the manufacturing process: finding a way to rapidly cool the forged turbine discs made of superalloy. These discs are among the heaviest and most technically demanding parts of an aircraft engine. Their quality and durability has long been an obstacle for the industry since this determines the engine's power, efficiency and lifespan. In an aircraft engine, the turbine discs are the base on which turbine blades are mounted. The discs convert the thermal energy generated by fuel combustion into the rotational force needed to propel the aircraft. That means the superalloy the discs are made from must be able to withstand extreme temperatures, high pressure and high rotational speeds. During manufacturing, faster cooling produces smaller and more evenly distributed grains in the metal alloy, which translates to stronger, smoother surfaces and a longer lifespan. The team in Dalian have developed a technique where multiple high-speed jets of water are used to cool the superalloy in a fine, uniform mist. A computer simulation model is used to optimise placement of the nozzles and jet settings so that the process is precisely controlled, according to the report. The team said their experiment data showed the cooling speed was 3.75 times faster using this method, and there was a more than a fourfold improvement in crystal grain size distribution. An ultra-high temperature disc at 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 Fahrenheit) cooled down by 673 degrees per minute using this approach, the report said. 'Our cooling speed has met the demands of the new generation of aviation engines,' said Shi Jinhe, a leader of the research team. 'We will ... accelerate the application and transformation of the lab results.' The report did not say how much difference that could make to the performance of turbine discs in terms of temperature resistance and reliability. Aircraft engines have been a challenge for China. Its fifth-generation fighter jet, the J-20, was plagued for years with engine troubles referred to as 'heart disease'. Development of its WS-15 engine was repeatedly delayed and the fighter jet instead had an inferior engine that was said to have held it back from reaching its full potential, especially when it came to manoeuvrability and stealth capacity at supersonic speed. It was not until July 2023 that the first J-20 prototype fitted with two WS-15 engines began testing – more than 12 years after the J-20's maiden flight. Aircraft engine technology has been designated as a key priority in various state strategies as Beijing tries to push the sector to make progress and catch up with other nations. That has seen advances in powder metallurgy processing and the DD6 superalloy, which was used for the turbine discs of the WS-15 engine. Researchers are said to be developing a DD9 superalloy for China's next-generation fighter jet engine. That superalloy is reportedly able to withstand temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees, which would put it on par with the XA100 engine made by GE Aerospace for America's F-35 fighter jet. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
India.com
11-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Pakistan in panic mode as India considers to purchase Russian SU-57 fighter jet, struggles to get Chinese J-35, now puts last hope on...
Pakistan was claiming for a long time that it would soon get J-35 fighter jets from China. These jets are known as fifth-generation fighter aircraft, which are very modern and advanced. But now, Pakistan's Defence Minister has clearly said that Pakistan is not buying J-35 jets from China and there are two main reasons behind this change. First, the pressure from the United States, and second, China is not ready to deliver these jets so quickly. Earlier also, experts had said that Pakistan was just making big promises and it was not possible for China to deliver such advanced jets in a few months. Meanwhile, India's Defence Secretary said that India is seriously thinking about buying fifth-generation fighter jets from a friendly country. As Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India soon, many believe that India might buy the Su-57 fighter jet from Russia to meet its urgent needs. However, there is no official confirmation about this deal yet. Pakistan may ask China to give them J-20 'Mighty Dragon' stealth fighter A former fighter pilot of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and defence expert, Air Commodore (Retd) Khalid Chishti, has said that if China delays the delivery of the J-35A jets, then Pakistan may ask China to give them J-20 'Mighty Dragon' stealth fighter jets instead. These J-20 jets are also advanced fifth-generation aircraft. Pakistan's New Drama over Fifth-Generation Fighter Jets Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was earlier claiming that it would get 40 J-35A stealth fighter jets (the export version of China's FC-31) within a few months. However, earlier reports had suggested that Pakistan may only get these jets by 2027, not anytime soon. In an interview with TRT Global, retired Air Commodore Khalid Chishti, a Pakistani defence expert, said, 'Pakistan does not have access to any other fifth-generation jets, so if India gets the SU-57E from Russia, then Pakistan will have to depend completely on China.' The J-20 is China's most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. It has been made only for the Chinese Air Force and is not for sale to other countries. So far, China has never sold the J-20 to anyone, and it has also never tried to sell it. What if Pakistan gets the J-20? Even though the chances of Pakistan getting China's J-20 fighter jet are very low, let's imagine what could happen if it actually does. Suppose China agrees to give the J-20 to Pakistan, Pakistan will face many problems. The J-20 is a very advanced jet, and using it would not be easy for Pakistan. Because: Pakistan will need a very well-trained pilots to fly it New airbases with longer runways Modern radar and air defense systems Advanced ground equipment And new types of missiles specially made for the J-20 Pakistan would also have to spend a lot of money to build all this support infrastructure. What is India doing in this race? India, too, has been discussing the need for a fifth-generation fighter jet for a long time. But unlike Pakistan, India doesn't have a money problem. For India, the challenges are more about strategy and geopolitics. India's own jet project, called AMCA, is still under development and may not be ready before 2035. So for now, India has two options: The Russian Su-57E The American F-35
India.com
09-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
After J-20, J-35A is the fifth generation fighter aircraft…, China inducts second stealth jet in the Air Force…, is it threat to Rafale?
After J-20, J-35A is the fifth generation fighter aircraft..., China inducts second stealth jet in the Air Force..., is it threat to Rafale? China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) may have inducted its second fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft J-35A into service. In the recently released pictures, J-35A has been seen flying with J-20 stealth fighter and J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. Although there is no official confirmation yet, but if this is so, then it will be a huge increase in the strength of China's Air Force. Especially J-35A can give China a strong strategic edge amid the current tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. If the report of deployment of J-35A fighter aircraft in the Chinese Air Force proves to be true, then China will become the second country in the world after US, whose Air Force will have two different fifth generation stealth fighters. US already has two stealth fighter jets like F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. Like J-20, J-35A is also a stealth fighter aircraft, but both have been designed with different purposes. The J-20 is a heavyweight, air-superiority fighter, while the J-35A is seen as a mid-size multirole fighter with the capability to carry out surgical surface strikes. How many fifth-generation fighter jets does China have? The J-35A has many design elements that match the US F-35 fighter jet, such as the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), forward-hinged canopy and the absence of a pitot tube near the nose. However, it has two engines while the F-35 runs on a single engine. This is why the J-35A can be called a copy of the F-35, but its performance cannot be directly compared. The range and energy of the aircraft depends on its engine, radar, avionics, weapons capability and stealth technology. The capability of the J-35A fighter jet has always been questionable. But the deployment of the J-35A fighter jet is very important not only for the Chinese Air Force but also for its Navy. The naval variant of this fighter jet, the J-35, will soon be deployed on China's modern aircraft carrier 'Fujian.' It has a folding wing design, making it operable from older aircraft carriers such as the Liaoning and Shandong. What is India's stance? The Indian Air Force currently has 4.5th generation jets like Rafale, Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000 and Tejas, which are equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and avionics, but these are not stealth. India has started rapid work on the indigenous 5th generation fighter program 'AMCA' (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft), but its first prototype is expected to arrive only by 2028. The Indian Air Force is relying on Israeli avionics, American weapon systems and indigenous radar technology to enhance its capabilities.
The Print
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
India's AMCA is a chance to break HAL's monopoly and finally build an aerospace ecosystem
Meanwhile, China has rapidly scaled its indigenous aerospace capabilities by nurturing multiple parallel programmes, from the J-10 and J-16 to the fifth-generation J-20 and the carrier-based J-35/FC-31, through a mix of centralised vision and decentralised execution. Even Pakistan, with far fewer resources, has co-developed the JF-17 with China, and is now inducting more advanced variants with indigenous inputs. These examples reflect the strategic dividends of diversified industrial capacity and risk-sharing. At stake is not just another fighter jet, but India's pathway to building a globally competitive, innovation-driven defence aerospace ecosystem. And that journey cannot proceed if HAL remains both gatekeeper and default beneficiary, while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play the role of a passive monopsonist. India is preparing to launch its most ambitious aerospace programme yet, the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The challenge is no longer just designing the AMCA; it is choosing who should build it. In this context, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Chairman and Managing Director DK Sunil's recent interview with Business Standard offers more than a routine corporate update. It reveals the institutional mindset of India's largest defence Public Sector Undertaking and its resistance to competitive integration. Sunil's central claim that India does not need another fighter jet integrator should not be mistaken for strategic realism. It is, instead, a warning bell. Pakistan is also exploring collaboration with Turkey, whose TF-X (Kaan) fifth-generation fighter is progressing under Turkish Aerospace Industries. While Pakistan's Project Azm remains aspirational, Ankara has emerged as a co-development partner across multiple domains, including UAVs and simulators. Pakistan's outreach signals its intent to pursue a multi-faceted industrial strategy, integrating Chinese platforms with emerging Turkish partnerships. India, by contrast, continues to rely on a single PSU integrator, raising questions about the adaptability and resilience of its aerospace model. Also read: Critics aren't HAL's enemy—hubris is. And it's hurting India's defence readiness Is HAL a prime contractor or an industrial department? Despite its scale, HAL functions more like an industrial arm of the Indian government than a true 'prime-contractor'. Global primes, such as Lockheed Martin, Dassault, or Korea Aerospace Industries, lead from the front: they own design IP, assume technical and financial risk, manage global supply chains, and remain accountable to both domestic and export customers. HAL, by contrast, operates under government protection, executes pre-funded programmes, and relies on design authorities like the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) or foreign OEMs for critical IP. It faces no real competition, has limited export exposure, and avoids performance-linked risk due to its structural insulation. In effect, HAL remains a delivery node within a protected procurement pipeline, not a market-facing, innovation-driven aerospace prime. The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme exposed HAL's limitations. Dassault, selected to supply 126 Rafales, refused to accept HAL as a license producer without control over production quality and timelines. India wanted Dassault to be accountable (akin to a prime) without granting authority, a contradiction that made the deal untenable. The programme collapsed, and India eventually bought 36 flyaway Rafales from France. Even trusted partners hesitate to rely on HAL for complex fighter integration, not due to malice, but due to structural inefficiencies. Also read: IAF Chief's anger at HAL is justified. The cost of inefficiency is borne by pilots The monopoly-monopsony trap: Scale, distortion, strategic risk The HAL chief's claim that India's Tejas Mk1A, Mk2, and AMCA orders over 30 years don't justify a second integrator rests on flawed arithmetic. It reduces the strategic rationale for diversification to a question of volume, ignoring the more profound truth: competition builds resilience, not redundancy. Industrial scale in aerospace isn't just about numbers. It's about throughput, maturity, and cost-efficiency through repeated, distributed production. Global primes succeed when they can amortise costs across hundreds of platforms, whether single-type (like the F-35) or via diversified workshare (as in Airbus or Boeing). India's current model concentrates HAL at the centre while spreading volumes too thin to drive down cost or attract serious private investment in Tier-1 capacity. India's inability to scale successful platforms like the LCA and ALH is a red flag. This failure has led to another distortion: supply-side-driven inductions. Successive governments have nudged the Indian Navy to accept HAL-developed platforms, not because they meet operational benchmarks, but to keep production lines running. Such approaches undercut user-driven capability development and operational imperatives, reinforcing the need for structural reform, not just patriotic procurement. Without committed production scales, indigenous design efforts remain boutique experiments. For foreign OEMs, this lack of scale undermines India's credibility as a license producer or collaborative builder. No serious partner will risk IP or joint development without shared control and credible volume. Also read: India needs foreign parts for Tejas. Defence atmanirbharta can't become a weakness Global benchmarks: How others built aerospace power Even countries with smaller defence budgets than India, like Israel, support multiple aerospace firms (Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, Elbit) that thrive on innovation, strategic partnerships, and export orientation. France backs both Dassault and Airbus through modular co-development and shared ecosystems. The United States maintains Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman in deliberate competition, treating capability redundancy as a strategic asset. Europe's Eurofighter Typhoon programme strikes a balance between sovereign control and shared industrial innovation. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) further reflect a global trend towards co-development and layered industrial workshare. Even Sweden's Gripen E/F-series fighter aircraft, in collaboration with Brazil, shows that modest domestic demand can still yield world-class platforms when design and cooperation are aligned. On a similar scale to India's, South Korea's KF-21, Turkey's TF-X, and Japan's F-X fighters demonstrate that aerospace ecosystems thrive when private or hybrid integrators are empowered. In each case, capability-building is a priority over monopoly. India's repeated failure to build an aerospace ecosystem India had a chance to break this monopoly model in the 1980s. Then DRDO chief VS Arunachalam proposed a public-private partnership for the LCA, involving Tata Sons and Commodore Arogyaswami Paulraj, as co-lead (now at Stanford and famous for MIMO antenna systems that power our wireless world). However, the system defaulted to state dominance, with ADA as the designer and HAL as the builder. That PPP vision, and a shot at a plural, innovation-driven ecosystem, was quietly laid to rest. Today, continuing to concentrate on integration within HAL is not only inefficient but also undermines our strategic ambitions. Also read: What Operation Parakram taught us—deterrence requires more than just mobilisation or rhetoric A promising opening, but will it survive HAL's resistance? To its credit, the Indian government has shifted gears. In 2023–24, the MoD and ADA invited private firms to compete as AMCA integrators. Tata Advanced Systems, L&T, Adani Defence, and Bharat Forge expressed interest. ADA would retain design authority, while HAL and private firms compete for production, a structure mirroring global best practices. But HAL's reaction, including public complaints about scoring 'zero out of 100' on a critical parameter, suggests it is resisting this opening. It wants to reassert its gatekeeping role, which is not a sign of confidence, but of institutionalised privilege. Subcontracting is not ecosystem building HAL often cites its vendor base of 6,500+ suppliers and growing private involvement in the Tejas Mk1A. Yet, integration, IP control, and testing remain with HAL. That's subcontracting, not ecosystem development. Globally, aerospace systems are modularised, with specialist firms integrating and certifying subsystems like avionics or flight software. These firms are trusted not just to build, but to deliver. India has the talent. It needs to trust it. India must empower private firms with full integration mandates, testing, certification, and programme management, if it wants them to rise beyond Tier-2 status. Without this leap, India cannot build the kind of agile, scalable defence ecosystem needed for future conflicts. That model cannot deliver the pace or adaptability India needs for future battlespaces. The goal must be not to displace HAL, but to prevent AMCA from being locked into a single-node production model. Building an aerospace ecosystem: What needs to change To achieve success with AMCA and join global aerospace leaders, India must enact the following strategic shifts: End HAL's integration monopoly: Select the AMCA integrator on merit, not entitlement. HAL should compete on equal terms. Select the AMCA integrator on merit, not entitlement. HAL should compete on equal terms. Empower ADA/NFTC as an autonomous design /flight testing authority: Grant ADA and the National Flight Testing Centre (NFTC) full institutional autonomy to function as sovereign design and flight test authorities, free from operational subordination to HAL or any other PSU Grant ADA and the National Flight Testing Centre (NFTC) full institutional autonomy to function as sovereign design and flight test authorities, free from operational subordination to HAL or any other PSU Create a joint venture/SPV : ADA, General Electric Aerospace (as potential engine supplier for initial AMCA Mk 1 units), and the selected integrator should co-anchor AMCA development to streamline workshare, secure funding, and protect intellectual property. : ADA, General Electric Aerospace (as potential engine supplier for initial AMCA Mk 1 units), and the selected integrator should co-anchor AMCA development to streamline workshare, secure funding, and protect intellectual property. ADA's monopoly as a design agency also warrants scrutiny: Countries like the U.S. and South Korea encourage competing design ecosystems, ranging from defence labs to private bureaus, which foster innovation and agility. India needs similar mechanisms to push ADA toward open, iterative design practices. India must choose ecosystem over entitlement India has paid a steep price for HAL's unchecked dominance, evident in the MiG-era overhauls, the decades-long Tejas saga, and the troubled ALH programme. These are not isolated episodes; they reflect deeper systemic risks tied to monopoly control. The AMCA programme offers a rare opportunity to course-correct, not just technically, but institutionally as well. HAL's assertion that a second integrator is unnecessary is not a strategic judgement; it is institutional self-preservation. Nations build aerospace power by fostering competition, accelerating timelines, and scaling industrial ecosystems, not by sheltering incumbents. Notably, the MOD has signalled its intent to shift this paradigm. In a public statement (Business Standard, July 8, 2025), Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed that a level playing field is being created for private firms to compete for AMCA integration. This policy shift mirrors earlier reforms in shipbuilding and land systems, and must now be followed by precise structural execution. What's needed is not just a level playing field, but a full runway, one that allows India to build, scale, and sustain a resilient aerospace base. Let the best builders lead. Let the strongest ecosystems grow. Private sector entry into AMCA must be viewed as a strategic necessity, central to national capability, rather than just an expansion of the vendor list. The author is a former Flag Officer Naval Aviation, Chief of Staff at the integrated HQ Andaman and Nicobar Command, and Chief Instructor (Navy) at DSSC Wellington. He tweets @sudhirpillai__ Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
