Bengaluru, Nov 3: Among the tweets that went viral on Oct 17, 2014,
the day India successfully test-fired its first subsonic cruise
missile, Nirbhay, one read, "Jaguar fighter chases Nirbhay missile!"
This tweet from this writer took many by surprise.
Fighter plane chasing
a missile was definitely a new phenomenon for many devotees following
India's military might.
And, two weeks after India's successful attempt of launching Nirbhay,
details are now available with OneIndia about the well-coordinated ‘sky
thriller' choreographed by the Defence Research Development Organisation
(DRDO) and executed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) with support from the
Indian Navy.
And, two weeks after India's successful attempt of launching
Nirbhay, details are now available with OneIndia about the
well-coordinated ‘sky thriller' choreographed by the Defence Research
Development Organisation (DRDO) and executed by the Indian Air Force
(IAF) with support from the Indian Navy.
According to sources, the IAF readied two Sukhois (one on as a
stand-by) at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station ahead of the launch. The
pilots were thoroughly briefed about the designated flight-path, timing
of the launch and duration of the flight. Hotlines at the DRDO's Interim
Test Range (ITR) in Balasore and IAF HQ in Delhi were busy with the top
brass ensuring that the missile sky chase by the fighter goes as
planned.
"We had a Sukhoi chasing Nirbhay during the terminated mission
last year. The pilots had then captured the missile's journey till it
started to veer off from the assigned trajectory. This time due to some
last-minute technical issues, we had to hold the Sukhoi back and decided
to sent a Jaguar on chase duty," an IAF official said.
The IAF had initially planned for a MiG-27, but Jaguar got the nod
finally because of its higher endurance levels. The Jaguar was flown in
from the Ambala base to Kalaikunda.
Pilots will have to keep a safe distance
The official said that Mirages, Jaguars and Sukhois were used in the
past to chase long-range missiles. "The video footage becomes a vital
data for the scientists to see the behaviour of the missile. Experienced
pilots are generally picked up for the job, which involves lots of
coordination.
First the pilots will have to pick the launch point and
later will have to keep a safe distance while chasing the missile.
Whenever the Navy fires a missile, the IAF gets involved with the chase
duties," the official said.
He said since the flight envelope is already planned and most of the
parameters of the missile are known well in advance, the pilots normally
have an easy task, capturing the missile in motion.
"The speed and the way point navigation (in case of Nirbhay) was well
known to the pilots.
The video footage looks very similar to Nirbhay's
first launch. This time we couldn't chase the missile's entire journey
as the Jaguar was short on fuel and we had to peel off after 45 minutes
into the chase," he added.
Inspiring role by IAF & Navy, says DRDO Director-General
According to Dr K Tamilmani, Director-General (Aero), DRDO, the IAF and
Navy played an ‘inspiring role' during Nribhay's launch. "One helicopter
with a diver was kept ready in case of any eventuality to the chase
aircraft. Another chopper was ready at the Kalaikunda base. With the
support of both IAF and Navy, we were able to capture Nirbhay's outing,"
Dr Tamilmani said.
A great coordinated effort, says ADE Director
For P Srikumar, Director, Aeronautical Development Establishment, the
chase by Jaguar was equally important as the launch of his pet weapon,
Nirbhay.
"It was definitely a marathon coordination effort.
Airborne resources
like helicopters are commonly used to record the lift-off and splash
down of missiles. Chase aircraft being deployed to capture various
phases of flights have become a common practice now. The fact that we
are able to synergise the efforts of various agencies and obtain
valuable information during such important missions gives us the
confidence that we are on the right track of development of indigenous
systems," Srikumar told OneIndia.
Chasing is a skilled job, says Tejas Test Pilot
Terming chasing in air as a skilled job, a seasoned Tejas Test Pilot
with the Aeronautical Development Agency says that the success often
depended upon precision planning.
"You cannot be early or late. You got to be at the spot soon after the
missile is launched. In the case of Nirbhay, it flies like an aircraft
making the job easy for the pilot. He can match up with the missile's
speed and even get closer," says the Test Pilot, you has been associated
with the Tejas project for over a decade. To a query on the dangers of
following a missile, he said that the chase aircraft has to always stay
out of the weapon's field of way.
"The weapon should not lock on to your aircraft and you should never go
ahead of the missile. There are incidents of chase aircraft being hit by
the missile in the United States.
Normally we keep a safe distance
knowing that the missile can behave strange at times, especially if it
is fired from an aircraft," he said.
"I have captured the Tejas firing R-73 (Russian-made) supersonic
missile, flying a chase aircraft. It is a tough task as the missile
disappears from your sight within no time (since it is supersonic). Here
the key is to capture the release and initial movements of the
missile," he added.
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