Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 31

The IAF’s fleet of Mi-25/35 attack helicopters is to be upgraded with indigenously developed digital flight data recorders and video recorders that would replace the earlier analogue systems to provide better reliability, accuracy and ease of retrieving data.The project implies that the Soviet-origin Mi-35s are expected to carry on for at least another 15 years, sources said. About a decade ago, these machines had been upgraded with advanced avionics and weapons suite to enhance combat potential.The move to upgrade the Mi-35s comes in the wake of new attack helicopters being procured, which include the US-made AH-64 Apache as well as the locally produced Rudra, the armed variant of the Dhruv advanced light helicopter and the light combat helicopter. In addition, utility helicopters like the Mi-17, Chetak and Lancer are also capable of being retrofitted with rockets and missiles.Last year, the IAF launched a similar project for indigenous flight data recorders for the Mi-17 transport helicopters. The IAF employed two squadrons of the heavily armed Mi-25/35 gunships, the No 104 and No 125 Helicopter Units, to provide close air support to Army formations. Over the years, the number of this fleet has dwindled. Four such machines were gifted to Afghanistan recently.Sources said the IAF had projected a requirement of 25 sets of solid state flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder that would also have integrated underwater locator beacons. These would replace the present systems where data is recorded on a photographic film. The present French analog video recorders, part of the Mi-35’s electro-optical night package system to display mission data in real time in the cockpit as well as records the data, will also be replaced with indigenous solid state digital systems.Mi-35s to get new lease of life 

• Project to be taken up by No 3 Base Repair Depot, Chandigarh
• At first, analog systems will be replaced by indigenous digital flight data and video recorders for better data retrieval
• Aim is to upgrade Mi-35s — inducted in IAF in mid-eighties