Agra, Oct 14: In an effort to infuse fresh life into
its trusted workhorse -- the AN-32 -- the Indian Air Force
(IAF) will begin an upgradation programme for over 80 aircraft
it has, in its inventory, early next year.
With this upgradation, the An-32s, which are nearing at
the end of their service life, would be able to fly for
another 15 to 20 years.
The upgradation programme is currently in negotiation
stage and several vendors, including the Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM), Ukraine-based Antonov, have been
approached for modernising the fleet.
"The avionics of the aircraft were up-to-date when it was
inducted during the 1980s, but is quite crude compared with
today's requirements. The programme will involve major
improvement of its avionics systems to give the aircraft a new
lease of life," an IAF official said.
"With the upgrades on-board, we will have better flight
management system, glass cockpit display, landing system and
other equipment to improve accuracy and lend a multi-role
operational edge to the aircraft," he said.
The aircraft's airframe will also undergo some changes to
improve its landing capabilities.
The pre-upgrade surveys of the aircraft fleet have been
initiated in all eight functional units having the An-32s.
"With special operations being the focus of the Air Force
in the days to come, the upgraded aircraft will be used
increasingly for operations involving tactical transport.
"The improved on-board avionics will facilitate night
operations and even search and rescue," Agra Air Station's Air
Officer Commanding Air Commodore Shouvik Roy said.
Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major had in
his annual media interaction before the Air Force Day
announced that the An-32s were in for a major upgradation.
A Parliamentary Committee in 2000-01 had first proposed
upgrading the An-32 fleet of the IAF. Thereafter, the
government had held several rounds of discussions with
Antonov.
Israeli company, Elbit systems, is expected to assist
Antonov on the project. Thereafter, further modernisation will
be conducted by India's blue chip Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited's transport aircraft division in Kanpur in a phased
manner.
IAF's Parachute Training School (PTS) at Agra has An-32s,
which are used by paratroopers to carry out their jumps. The
aircraft are used for dropping troops over enemy territory and
also for airdropping relief material over flood affected
areas.
The aircraft is a major platform for air maintenance of
army troops guarding the 72-km-long Siachen Glacier. It is
used to transport men and material there.
IAF would also be using US-made C-130J Hercules aircraft
for special operations after their delivery by the United
States to India starts in 2010.
Bureau Report