March 26, 2015
The first two Indian air force Mirage 2000s to be upgraded were handled by the Dassault Flight Centre at Istres air base in France. (photo: Dassault Aviation)
In a ceremony at Istres airbase in southern France on March 25,
the Indian Ambassador to France accepted the first two Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage
2000 fighters to be upgraded by Dassault and Thales. It has been agreed that
the rest of the IAF fleet will be upgraded by HAL in
Bangalore – a fact that the leadership of Dassault and Thales were keen to
point out, in view of the long delays in sealing a licensed production deal for
the Rafale. After a two-year development phase, the first flight of the
upgraded Mirage 2000 I/TI took place at Istres on October 5, 2013.
Today’s ceremony is the result of the excellent understanding
between the Indian and French partners and of our commitment to India,” said
Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “The Rafale
aircraft has been chosen by India after a comprehensive selection process, and
exclusive negotiation is ongoing. The Rafale is the next logical step. HAL and
Indian industries will contribute to the ‘Make in India’ policy by developing
and manufacturing the aircraft locally. The Rafale will fulfill all of the
operational requirements of the Indian Air Force and the industrial requirements
of India’s economic policy, as the Mirage 2000 continues to do so,”
Trappier added.
Pierre Eric Pommellet, executive v-p, Defence Missions Systems
for Thales, made similar comments. “Thales has been operating in India since
1953 and employs 300 people all over the country. We have developed a strong
local supply chain,” he said. Thales is supplying the radar, the mission
computer, and the electronic warfare system for what the French describe as a
“technologically ambitious” upgrade of the Mirage 2000.
However, AIN has been told that the Mirage 2000
upgrade facility at Bangalore has not yet been established, possibly because of
a lack of government funding. Moreover, once established, the facility is only
scheduled to upgrade four aircraft per year. The IAF has 49 Mirage
2000s remaining in the fleet from the 52 supplied – three have crashed. It will
therefore take 12 years to complete the work, yet the Mirages are scheduled to
be phased out in 2030.
Meanwhile, there are currently a large number of Mirages
grounded because HAL has not signed a spares-supply contract. AIN has
learned that there is a backlog of 12 aircraft awaiting second-line maintenance
at HAL, and that other Mirages are being cannibalized for spares at the
operational bases.
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