In the memory of Amar Senani Jatindra Nath Das popularly known as Jatin Das.........on the occasion of his B'day on 27/10/2010.

‘Free India’ was a dream of all Indians under the British rule. Everyone during that rule fought in some way or the other with a common aim of ending British and other colonial authorities in India. After a century of revolutions, struggle, blood shedding, battles and sacrifices, India finally achieved independence on August 15,1947. India was free in 1947 from the British Empire but the country lost many men and women who were filled with undaunted courage and spirit of patriotism. Today, they are known as freedom fighters because they sacrificed their lives for their motherland. Indian freedom fighters with their true spirit and undaunted courage had faced various tortures, exploitations and hardships to earn us freedom.

The pioneers of the freedom movement were Bhagat singh, Batukeshwar Dutt, Ashfaqullah khan, Chandrasekhar Azad, Khudiram Bose, Rajguru, Sukhdev and so on.......but along with the glory and majesty of these immortal sons of India also exist the name of one of the great son of mother India who was born on 27 October 1904 in Kolkata, who made the supreme sacrifice for sake of our nation in Lahore jail after 63 days of hunger strike, Jatin Das was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary initially linked with a revolutionary group named Anusilhan Smilti in the begining of his revolutionary life.  He was a fellow comrade along with Bhagat Singh, he came in contact with revolutionaries from other parts of India and Bhagat Singh convinced him for bomb making to be used in an explosion in the Central Legislative Assembly. After this mission was successfully accomplished by his comrades Jatin Das along with other revolutionaries was arrested for revolutionary activities and was imprisoned in Lahore jail to be tried under the supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Case, In the Lahore jail, Jatin Das started a hunger strike  along with other revolutionary fighters, demanding equality for Indian prisoners and undertrials, this  hunger strike started on 13 July 1929 and ended on 13 September 1929 when Jatin Das made his supreme sacrifice......which lasted for 63 days the jail authority took many measures to forcibly feed Jatin Das and the other freedom fighters, beat them and did not even provide them with drinking water<span> </span> However, Jatindra did not eat he achieved martyrdom and the hunger strike remained unbroken till date........

 63 days of hunger strike shocked the whole of India, the whole country gave him an ovation which few men in our recent history have received. As his body was carried from Lahore to Kolkata by train, thousands and thousnads of people rushed to every station to pay their homage to the martyr. A two-mile long procession in Kolkata carried the coffin to the cremation ground. The hunger strike of Jatin Das in prison was one crucial moment in the resistance against illegal detention.

After his maryrdom it was very rightly quoted by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, “As the days rolled by, one by one the hunger-strikers dropped off, but young Jatin was invincible. He never hesitated, never faltered for one small second but marched straight on towards death and freedom”

Today is the b’day of this great son of India so by  paying our most sincere tributes to him from the deepest core of our heart and soul lets cherish this day with the full spirit of Inquilab and also it my solemn appeal to all the readers of this article that let every Indian know who was JATIN DAS........... he is our pride and he still resides in the heart of every Indian .....…JATIN DAS AMAR RAHE!

AIR FORCE DAY: IAF Warbirds Against A Foggy Sky

Pictures from IAF Day !

Indian AWACS, RAF Eurofighters at Exercise Indradhanush This Month!

Indo-UK Air Force Exercise Indradhanush will take place at Air Force Station Kalaikunda, in West Midinapur district, West Bengal from 18 Oct 2010 till 03 Nov 2010.

This would be for the first time when RAF (Royal Air Force) Typhoons would be seen in a joint operational scenario in India. The IAF would be participating in this exercise with the Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-27 and Phalcon AWACS. The RAF would also be deploying its E-3D AWACS and VC-10 mid-air refuellers.

During Ex-Indradhanush, specific emphasis will be on exposing more IAF aircrew and controllers to missions like Large Force Engagements, and protection of High Value Aerial Assets -- roles routinely undertaken by RAF as part of coalition/expeditionary force deployment around the globe. It will be for the first time that IAF AWACS will participate in a joint AF exercise.

IAF to receive modernised planes from Ukraine under 600 Mn $ deal

 The Indian Air Force will receive two modernised An-32 light transport planes built by Ukraine this month under a $600 million deal, the biggest bilateral agreement between the two countries. The planes which were modernised by Ukraine's Antonov state enterprise under the Ukrainian-Indian 
contract for repairs will be delivered to India in October, Antonov's President and Director-General Dmitry Kiva was quoted as saying by Russian newsagency Itar-Tass yesterday.

According to Kiva, the planes were modernised under the Ukranian-Indian contract for repairs, modernisation and extension of service life of 105 An-32 planes up to 40 years.

It is the biggest deal in the entire history of the Ukrainian-Indian relations as the sum of the contract signed in June 2009 stands at USD 600 million.

First five An-32 planes were delivered to Kiev in March 2010, followed by five more planes in June.

The first two planes were completely modernised in July, another one in September.

According to Kiva, the market capacity for the new An-32 is estimated at 45 planes.

The Antonov Kiev-based plant plans to manufacture seven An-32 planes till the year 2015, including three in 2010, three in 2011, and one in 2012.

One An-32 planes has already been manufactures, and the other two will be made till the year end, as provided in the production plan.

India takes first steps towards own regional aircraft

India’s very own Regional Transport Aircraft, or RTA, is taking shape. This is notwithstanding the criticism heaped on the indigenous small passenger aircraft programmes like Saras and Hansa.

An RTA is said to be more suitable for a place like India where within a radius of 300-400 km of a big city you have another one.

The Rs 3,000-4,000 crore project was set-in motion a month earlier by the Defense Research and Development Organisation. National Aeronautics Limited is the nodal agency for the design of the aircraft. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is expected to produce it.

The project is expected to give a shot in the arm to the aviation sector in the country. RTA is more suitable to reach places within a 500-km radius. The aircraft would have a range of 600 km to 800 km. HAL and the NAL have not decided on many aspects of the aircraft such as work share, funding and even whether the aircraft will have a turbo-prop or turbo jet engine. NAL had held discussions with Pratt & Whitney (Canada) and General Electric (US) for an engine.

Quest Global, the outsourced manufacturing company, is now in the design team for RTA. It hopes to be involved in the manufacturing too.

“It is the point-to-point connecting ability of RTAs that could make it popular today, and could hold sway in future too,” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder of Quest Global. The hub-and-spoke model is not favoured by many who do not want to get on or off aircrafts to reach their destination.

About 400 of these regional jets are expected to be manufactured. Of these, 200 will go to the armed forces

Russians and Chinese too are right in front in developing the aircraft. Sukhoi Superjet-100 of Russia and the ARJ21 regional jet is being developed in China, by the AVIC-I Commercial Aircraft Company (ACAC), based in Shanghai, which is a consortium of six companies and aerospace research institutes carrying out the development and manufacture of the aircraft. But, warn experts, unlike the LCA programme, it should stick to the timeline set.

Technologies required would include a laminar flow wing, hydrophobic coatings, use of low cost composites, fly-by-wire controls, advanced avionics that will enable the use of ill-equipped airfields, integrated vehicle health monitoring among others, said an NAL source.

In August 2008 former President A P J Abdul Kalam said India can produce small passenger jets by 2020. For this, India needs to make optimum use of its technology in the aerospace sector.

India's Joint Nuclear Command Wants 40 Nuclear Strike Jets

A befuddling report on the wires. The Press Trust of India,reports that India's joint nuclear command -- the Strategic Forces Command -- is looking to procure 40 fighters for two dedicated strategic strike squadrons. The report indicates that while the Indian Air Force's Mirage-2000s, Jaguars and Su-30MKIs have so far been earmarked for the nuclear strike profile, the SFC wants two squadrons of its own. The report says nothing more. The Ministry of Defence has not commented on the report.

If this report is accurate -- and there are no official indications so far that it is -- the obvious questions would be: (a) Why does the SFC need its own fighters -- why can't it continue to depend on available IAF assets? (b) Why the need to ramp up the air-delivered leg of the nuclear triad when Indian doctrine points to more substantive deterrence from strategic land-based missiles and an SSBN fleet, and far less on air-delivered deterrence? (c) Why does a nuclear strike fleet need as many as 40 aircraft? (d) Does India have the kind of stand-off nuclear weapon capability to justify such a fresh induction of assets? (e) If the SFC were to get its own "mini air force", would these still be operated by the IAF? (f) In which case, what difference would it make?

A totally separate but tantalizing coincidence -- in June, Dassault offered the IAF a fast-track sale of 40 Rafales to shore up squadron strength ahead of the MMRCA induction. The Rafale is also the only aircraft explicitly described in its bid document as a nuclear capable strike fighter. Answers to those questions above and more details later this evening.

About Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force (IAF) today, having completed the Platinum Jubilee of dedicated service to the nation, is a modern, technology-intensive force distinguished by its commitment to excellence and professionalism. Keeping pace with the demands of contemporary advancements, the IAF continues to modernise in a phased manner and today it stands as a credible air power counted amongst the fore-most professional services in the world.

The primacy of Air Power will be a decisive factor in shaping the outcome of future conflicts. In line with this dictum, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has developed into a major 'Component of National Power', which can be applied quickly and decisively. The IAF has reoriented itself to a multi-role capability of platforms and equipment, along with multi-skill capability of personnel. The rapid economic growth of the country dictates the need to protect our security interests extending from the Persian Gulf to the Straits of Malacca.

Over the years the IAF has grown from a tactical force to one with transoceanic reach. The strategic reach emerges from induction of Force Multipliers like Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and credible strategic lift capabilities. There is emphasis on acquiring best of technology through acquisitions or upgradation, be it aircraft, systems, precision missiles or net centricity. The main inductions and acquisitions by Indian Air Force are given in the following paras.

IAF has started upgrading its combat aircraft fleet since the last few years in order to enhance its operational capability and maintain its aircraft as modern weapon platforms, capable of meeting the present challenges posed by the security scenario in our region. Of the available fleet, MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar aircraft have already been upgraded and Mirage-2000 and MiG-29 aircraft are planned for upgradation. The Indian Air Force is considering upgrade of its medium lift helicopters comprising Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-17-IVs, as also the AN - 32 transport aircraft, with the aim of improving their overall capability.

The IAF today is in the process of a most comprehensive modernisation plan. Over the next few years, the force would induct more Su-30 aircraft, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). There are plans to augment the helicopter and transport fleets too. The IAF has initiated the process for acquisition of additional Mi-17 IV helicopters, heavy lift helicopters, Advanced Light Helicopter and Light Combat Helicopters. For the transport fleet, induction of Boeing Business Jets (BBJ), Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) and Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), Heavy Transport Aircraft (HETAC), C-130J Hercules and Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) is also planned. Among trainer aircraft, the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer has been inducted and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) would be acquired in the near future. The IAF is also in the process of acquiring radars in various categories to meet the Air Defence requirements, accurate and advanced weapons, Network Centric Warfare systems, etc, to meet its assigned tasks.
The Indian Air Force has seven commands, of which five are operational and two functional, namely :

• HQ Central Air Command, Allahabad
• HQ Eastern Air Command, Shillong
• HQ Western Air Command, New Delhi
• HQ Southern Air Command, Thiruvananthapuram
• HQ South-Western Air Command, Gandhi Nagar
• HQ Maintenance Command, Nagpur and
• HQ Training Command, Bangalore