One more IAF plane crashed in last 10 days. It was a training aircraft.Both the trainer and the trainee died in the crash. IAF has gone down from one of the best to one below average. The training time had to be reduced because of the lack of a super sonic trainer. The one we have is a very old class. Graduating from which, the young recruit has to fly the flying coffin aka MiG 21. Air Force around the world mean the latest in technology and military hardware. They have the most cutting edge technology in the world. But IAF, na... they still fly the MiG 21 which is already in the museum of a lot of Air Forces. These are the same planes with which we fought the Indo-pak war of 1971, which means that they are at-least 38 years old. Reminds me of Fiat padmini, we laugh at people who still drive it and are amaze at the fact how they can drive a 20 year old car and here we have 38 year old aircrafts to defend us. What has the Govt Of India been doing?

The MiG crashes now and then have made people un-confident about our air force. Sadly no one among the public is asking why? MiG 21s are not the only ones, after that we have the aging fleet or MiG 27s and jaguars. MiG 29 are also getting old. Add to that, we are already short of aircraft. Instead iof sanctioned 39.5 squadrons, we have only 34. God forbids but if tomorrow we are pushed into battle, things won't be too good for us.

But this year things have been improving. And Congress seems to be taking bold steps under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh.The same man who saved India in 90's when India's economy was in shambles. Now lets check out the the good side. The Il-78 (Ilyushin -78, Russian) refuelers are here, which mean that IAF can send fighters any where in the world. That is how we got to participate in USAF's advanced training course - Red Flag. That's not the only good news, we are also getting AWACS (Advanced Warning And Control System). AWACS are special aircraft with a huge RADAR on top of them (check the pic on the left). This allows forces to see far deeper and in event of war will give India the edge. The AWACS we have is an Il-76 aircraft with Phalcon RADAR (Israeli). India already operates the Ilyushin 76 heavy lift cargo aircraft and using the same means we already have a service base in India. In addition to this IAF will also procure C-130 medium lift cargo aircraft from US (Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin, USA).

This is not it. IAF had few years back signed a deal for 140 Su-30MKI (Sukhoi 30, M:Improved, K:export version, I:India) air dominance fighters, the number of which have been increased to 230 now. Its a unique aircraft because IAF bought the best airframe which was Su-30MK, got it improved to a Su 35 level, got best avionics from Israel and Europe and got them integrated.

Another good news is that IAF has inducted the hawk super sonic aircraft too (check the pic on the right). Though, currently in process, this latest induction would mean that IAF can go back to the grueling training that IAF pilots used to get. With low risks, the new pilots would be trained better.

And now finally MMRCA(Meduim Multi Role Combat Airraft) deal for 126 aircrafts is coming into reality. And the contenders are one of the best. Here is a glance:

• F-16 IN: The most advanced F-16, if ever built would be for the IAF.
• F-18 F: The highly advanced F-18 used by US Navy.
• Rafael: IAF wanted the Mirage but French Dassault came out with the best they had, the all new Rafael.
• Euro-Fighter: This is the best the Europe has (excluding Rafael) to offer.
• JAS 39 Grippen: This one from Sweden is not the best but certainly cost effective.
• MiG 35: The son of MiG29, this new age avatar is the most agile aircraft in the world.

For more on MMRCA deal you can check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_MRCA_competition (opens in new window)

Had enough good news? No.. then here is the dessert - after the failure of Kaveri engine for LCA, the indigenous aircraft will be fitted with a foreign engine. IAF had long been unimpressed and was afraid that Govt might force it to use ingeniously built engine. The new proven engine will make sure that this delayed aircraft is combat worthy and if hopefully approved by the IAF, it would be the first indigenous combat aircraft.

While all this coming too late for India, but thankfully, its coming. Threat from China is no more being ignored by Indian government. We still are completely depended on foreign suppliers for our defense procurement and its high time that we start building good products in India. They need not be world class but they should not be a flop show. I hope the future governments do take this up-gradation of our armed forces ahead because in this new age of nuclear war, if a war erupts, we should have our men in uniform equipped with best we can give them to take the fight to the enemy and come back winning.

Born in Kleinburg, near Breslau, Germany, was this young boy whom the world would remember as the fearing Red Barron - Manfred, Freiherr von Richtofen. The pilot who was the fear in skies. Such was the courage of this pilot that he painted his plane in red - telling everyone in the air, ground or water near him - here I am, come and get me. The red colour both acted as fear and target for him. For some pilots it was the most fearing thing while for others it was the target to kill. Richtofen is credited with 80 confirmed kills, the highest ever (till now, and should remain).

Richtofen initially joined the German cavalry unit which later served in the first world war. Disappointed as he was not able to do much in the war because the cavalary unit had became obsolete due to machine guns; Richtofen applied for the German flying service. Little did he knew that he would become the greatest combat pilot ever. After few years in service Richtofen joined the first fighter wing of the German air force where he met Oswald Boelcke.

Oswald Boelcke was the man who created Air Combat also known as "Dog Fighting". The same that you must have seen in movies like Top Gun, Iron Eagle, stealth or the likes. Though with time and technology the dog fighting has become rare, but even today most pilot say that if in dog fight you ignore the rules of Oswald Boelcke, then the chances are you won't come back alive unless the others do the same. Richtofen regarded Boelcke as the greatest, in his own words he says that "I am after all only a combat pilot, but Boelcke, he was a hero". Unfortunately for Germans Boelcke died in an air crash when one of his own squadron pilots hit him during an air combat.

Ricthtofen continued to server the country and his squaron called the "Flying Circus" became a pain to the allied forces. Non came close to this man who's kill grew more and more. Richtofen also succeded in shooting down a famous rival Lanoe Hawker a British ace once again proving his superiority.

With span of time, Richtofen grew emotionally weak. In a series that I watched on him few years back, one of relatives stated this - Richtofen was looking at a picture of him along other pilots, like the one we have of a batch. When his mothered asked about the pilots one by one, he kept nodding in a no about them ... at the end he said - "They are all dead". Over the years, the war had got into him. He was always under the pressure to lead and show by example. And this later paid dearly to him. Manfred von Richtofen was shot down on 21 April 1918. The death of the pilot had been a big controversy with various agencies seeking credit. Richtofen was shot down during pursuing (at very low altitude) a Sopwith Camel piloted by a novice Canadian pilot, Lieutenant Wilfrid "Wop" May of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force. In turn, the Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by a school friend (and flight Commander) of May, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown, who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground. Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May.

It was almost certainly during the last stage of this pursuit that Richthofen was hit by a single .303 bullet, that caused such severe damage to his heart and lungs that it must have produced a very speedy death. In the last seconds of his life, he managed to make a hasty but controlled landing in a field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme, in a sector controlled by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). His Fokker was not badly damaged by the landing, but it was speedily demolished by souvenir hunters. One witness, Gunner George Ridgway, stated that when he and other Australian soldiers reached the plane, Richthofen was still alive but died moments later.

I thought joining army was simply about valour, courage and duty. Many movie makers tried to showcase the dramatic tales of war and have come really close. Movies like "Saving private Ryan" were able to show that its not a simple game being an army man. NBut one movie changed the whole essense of being a soldier, that movie is "Black hawk down". I realised that pain is easy, its the knowledge that it's (pain) coming that makes you feel scared.

Black hawk down is based on actual events of 1993 in Mogadishu (Africa), where a civil war was going on. US Forces along with UN forces were trying to establish peace, along with supplying much needed food and medicine.

Here is the trailer of the movie:

The above video tells the story in short. You really have to see the movie to understand it better. The movie is mostly action based with no flying heros or super cool effects. The movie won the Oscar award for best sound category.

Here is the video from the movie.
Situation: Second black hawk has been shot down and two Delta Force commandos are asking permission to go in and secure a perimeter till the ground forces move in.
Word of note: The video is violent and not for kids. So don't watch it if you are a weak heart.

This is IMAX based movie clip of the Red Flag training exercise held by the USAF in Nevada. The video below is of a very good quality, so would take some time to load, but if you have a good connectivity with the web or you have the love for the flying, then I recommend that you check it out.

Rules Of Combat.... pretty cool...read on..

• If the enemy is in range, so are you.
• Incoming fire has the right of way.
• Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire.
• There is always a way.
• The easy way is always mined.
• Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo.
• Professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are dangerous.
• The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions, when you're ready for them, and when you're not ready for them.
• Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at.
• If you can't remember, the claymore is pointed at you.
• The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main attack.
• A "sucking chest wound" is natures way of telling you to slow down.
• If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush.
• Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you.
• Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing.
• Make it tough enough for the enemy to get in and you won't be able to get out.
• Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.
• If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in a combat zone.
• When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.
• Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder.

NOTE: High Resolution video.