Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

stannislas

Junior Member
Registered Member
Due to MIG 21's anyway twin jet fighters can be reliable if one engine fails. But are costly to maintain.
What? how can one additional pilot is going to help the reliability issue of the MiG21?

But let me rephrase, I understand there are many benefits to have additional weapon operator in older jets like a mig or even su-30mki, But no other country is will to take this "benefit" like India?

In addition, the avionics are much advanced nowadays, why India still demand most of their rafale to be two-seated? Even FGFA, before it got cancelled, was two seated, which also became the first fifth-gen two-seat fighter.

So is there any special reason that India loves two-seat fighter this much that other countries don't have?
 

HaldilalSDF

Junior Member
Registered Member
What? how can one additional pilot is going to help the reliability issue of the MiG21?

But let me rephrase, I understand there are many benefits to have additional weapon operator in older jets like a mig or even su-30mki, But no other country is will to take this "benefit" like India?

In addition, the avionics are much advanced nowadays, why India still demand most of their rafale to be two-seated? Even FGFA, before it got cancelled, was two seated, which also became the first fifth-gen two-seat fighter.

So is there any special reason that India loves two-seat fighter this much that other countries don't have?
That is due the role. Other aircraft like LCA, Mirage 2000s and Jaguras are mostly single seater. The Su 30 plays a different role than others. Well about FGFA is pretty much in Cold storage.
 

crash8pilot

Junior Member
Registered Member
What? how can one additional pilot is going to help the reliability issue of the MiG21?

But let me rephrase, I understand there are many benefits to have additional weapon operator in older jets like a mig or even su-30mki, But no other country is will to take this "benefit" like India?

In addition, the avionics are much advanced nowadays, why India still demand most of their rafale to be two-seated? Even FGFA, before it got cancelled, was two seated, which also became the first fifth-gen two-seat fighter.

So is there any special reason that India loves two-seat fighter this much that other countries don't have?
I'd say twin-seaters are more ideal in a strike mission, as it increases the general situational awareness and helps with workload management. The weapons systems operator gets to focus on communicating (amongst ground controllers and other airborne assets), navigation (especially at night or when operating in low level), as well as the designation of surface targets (especially under high stress in the thick of battle) with targeting pods while the pilot in front focuses on doing "some of that pilot shit" dodging SAMs/AAA/enemy fighters and rolling in to drop bombs on targets designated by the back-seater. Not going to comment on the capabilities of Indian pilots... *wink wink*... But could you imagine a single-seater doing all of that by him/herself?

Now I don't know the inventory of the IAF as well as I do say the PLA or the USAF/USN, but the Su-30 definitely falls under the strike category rather than an airborne interceptor, which the MIG29 fulfils. As for the Rafales, I could picture them serving as an aerial reconnaissance and close air support platform in addition to performing interception and air superiority missions, and thus could benefit from having an additional operator (pretty sure the IAF also ordered single-seater Rafales?). Anyways all I'm trying to say is that the twin-seaters brings more benefit than most people give it credit for, that's why strike fighters such as the J-16 as well as American F-15Es and F/A-18Fs are twin-seaters.
 
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siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
I'd say twin-seaters are more ideal in a strike mission, as it increases the general situational awareness and helps with workload management. The weapons systems operator gets to focus on communicating (amongst ground controllers and other airborne assets), navigation (especially at night or when operating in low level), as well as the designation of surface targets (especially under high stress in the thick of battle) with targeting pods while the pilot in front focuses on doing "some of that pilot shit" dodging SAMs/AAA/enemy fighters and rolling in to drop bombs on targets designated by the back-seater. Not going to comment on the capabilities of Indian pilots... *wink wink*... But could you imagine a single-seater doing all of that by him/herself?

Now I don't know the inventory of the IAF as well as I do say the PLA or the USAF/USN, but the Su-30 definitely falls under the strike category rather than an airborne interceptor, which the MIG29 fulfils. As for the Rafales, I could picture them serving as an aerial reconnaissance and close air support platform in addition to performing interception and air superiority missions, and thus could benefit from having an additional operator (pretty sure the IAF also ordered single-seater Rafales?). Anyways all I'm trying to say is that the twin-seaters brings more benefit than most people give it credit for, that's why strike fighters such as the J-16 as well as American F-15Es and F/A-18Fs are twin-seaters.

F-14s are twin-seaters and they were primarily used for interception/air superiority.
 

crash8pilot

Junior Member
Registered Member
F-14s are twin-seaters and they were primarily used for interception/air superiority.
As did the F-4, another interceptor. Given the state of automation/technology that was available as well as the way those planes were designed back in the day, the Phantom and Tomcat required a backseater to deliver the interception and air superiority mission. But as technology and automation comes along to aid/increase situational awareness (especially helmeted mounted display and data link... now you've got sensor fusion and all sorts of FLIR/IRST gadgets and gizmos), the same mission can be delivered by a single-seater today. That's why it's a running joke amongst modern day USAF/USN single seater pilots about rather having the extra gas instead of someone in the back breathing down their necks if they ever got into a dogfight.
 
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kahi

New Member
Registered Member

Above video from a Taiwan news channel claims Armenia is blaming India for their humiliating loss to Azerbaijan in the just concluded war for Nargona-Karabakh. It claims that the ‘Swathi’ weapon Locating radar Armenia bought from India recently underperformed so badly that Armenia is now seeking compensation from India.
 

siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator

Above video from a Taiwan news channel claims Armenia is blaming India for their humiliating loss to Azerbaijan in the just concluded war for Nargona-Karabakh. It claims that the ‘Swathi’ weapon Locating radar Armenia bought from India recently underperformed so badly that Armenia is now seeking compensation from India.

三立is a DPP media and runs pretty sensationalistic stories. I’d wait for additional corroborations before jumping to conclusions.
 
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