| Monday, February 05, 2007 |
| Ratan Tata's F-16 flight on February 8 at Aero India 2007 show Bangalore |
BY A CORRESPONDENT
Ratan Tata will be flying a F-16 fighter jet at the Aero India 2007 show in Bangalore on February 8. At 69, Ratan Tata, a keen aviator, is chairman of one of India's leading business conglomerates - the Tata Group.
Years before, Ratan Tata had said that he would like to fly a fighter plane like F-16 or F-18 one day. Ratan Tata's Tata group floated the first airline in India, named Tata Airlines. Later, it was nationalised by the socialist government of India and renamed as Air India. Till date, Air India is the flagship international airline of India. Ratan Tata's dream comes true with the February 8 Bangalore F-16 flight.
In the 1990s, the Tata group headed by Ratan Tata made an attempt to enter the country's aviation sector along with Singapore Airlines. However the venture the did not take off.
Yet, Tata's passion for flying shows up whenever he flies abroad. Mr Tata pilots his own business aircraft whenever he has time. He usually flies the Falcon 2000 business jet owned by Tata group company Indian Hotels.
US' Lockheed Martin, which is bringing the F-16 to India, is pushing for the sale of its leading multi-role combat aircraft to India. India's Air Force is expected to float tenders for the purchase of 126 multi-role aircraft by the end of this year.
Mr Tata was quoted as saying that the opportunity to pilot an F-16 fighter excites him very much.
Ratan Tata has already undergone medical checkup, training and briefing for the flight, said agencies. During Ratan Tata's F-16 flight, he will be accompanied in the cockpit by a Lockheed test pilot.
With the latest F-16 flight, Ratan Tata will become the oldest Indian to fly the fighter aircraft.
Though Tata group recently picked up a minority stake in low-cost airline SpiceJet, Mr Tata was recently on record saying that his group is not interested in entering the aviation business now, though he himself is a keen pilot.
Apart from Ratan Tata, defence brass and IAF officials will be checking out the F-16 at the Aero Show India. The F-18 is now in commission with about 25 air forces across the world. Apart from F-16, Boeing, MiG, Rafale, Saab and Eurofighter are expected to show off their fighter planes at the Bangalore air show.
The compact multi-role fighter plane F-16 is a very manoeuvrable aircraft which can be used for air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. The first F-16 model flew in 1976. It was a single seater aircraft.
F-16 Tech Specs
Primary Function: Multirole fighter
Maker: Lockheed Martin Corp.
Power Plant: F-16C/D: one Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-200/220/229 or General Electric F110-GE-100/129
Thrust: F-16C/D, 27,000 pounds
Length: 49 feet, 5 inches (14.8 meters)
Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters)
Wingspan: 32 feet, 8 inches (9.8 meters)
Speed: 1,500 mph (Mach 2 at altitude)
Ceiling: Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 37,500 pounds (16,875 kilograms)
Range: More than 2,000 miles ferry range (1,740 nautical miles)
Armament: One M-61A1 20mm multibarrel cannon with 500 rounds; external stations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronic countermeasure pods
Unit cost: F-16A/B , $14.6 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars) ; F-16C/D, $18.8 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)
Crew: F-16C, one; F-16D, one or two
Date Deployed: January 1979
Inventory: Active force, F-16C, 590 and F-16D, 130; Reserve, F-16C, 60 and F-16D; 10 and Air National Guard, F-15C, 438 and F-16D, 40. |
| posted by a correspondent @ 5:28 AM |
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