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Old 26th Mar 2012, 18:44
  #20 (permalink)  
Not_a_boffin
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Portsmouth
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Glojo

The Indians retain a handful of Sea Harriers. Unfortunately, these are completely different to the GR7/GR9 which is the Harrier II (or AV8B) design.

One of the reasons the SHAR was disposed of was that it was a different airframe to the GR5 (as was), latterly GR7/GR9 Harrier and that there was only enough bunce to do one airframe upgrade to Pegasus (107?).

The Indians would need a fleet air defender, which GR7/GR9 ain't. Upgrading the aircraft with the APG65 radar (which is what the USMC, Spanish and Italian aircraft have) for about another 6 years of Hermes would be a very expensive way of doing things.

And that's if the latest Pegasus and some of the avionics got clearance to India. We wouldn't give them Blue Vixen when they enquired about our SHARs.
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