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Indian Air Force An-32s Upgrade Programme to Begin Early 20092008-10-16 In an effort to infuse fresh life into its trusted workhorse -- the AN-32 -- the Indian Air Force (IAF) will begin an upgradation programme for over 80 aircraft it has, in its inventory, early next year.With this upgradation, the An-32s, which are nearing at the end of their service life, would be able to fly for another 15 to 20 years. The upgradation programme is currently in negotiation stage and several vendors, including the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Ukraine-based Antonov, have been approached for modernising the fleet. "The avionics of the aircraft were up-to-date when it was inducted during the 1980s, but is quite crude compared with today's requirements. The programme will involve major improvement of its avionics systems to give the aircraft a new lease of life," an IAF official told PTI here. "With the upgrades on-board, we will have better flight management system, glass cockpit display, landing system and other equipment to improve accuracy and lend a multi-role operational edge to the aircraft," he said. The aircraft's airframe will also undergo some changes to improve its landing capabilities. The pre-upgrade surveys of the aircraft fleet have been initiated in all eight functional units having the An-32s. Sponsored Links
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