Monday, May 27, 2013

BrahMos-1 ASCM Being Fired From INS Tarkash On May 22; Indian Navy And NDMA To Receive 12 ShinMaywa Industries-Built SS-3 Amphibians; HSL To Build Four Mini-Submarines For MARCOS; BEML-TATRA To Resume Deliveries Of T815 Heavy-Duty Trucks

The other good news is that the BEML-TATRA issue is at last close to being resolved now (i.e. the OEM’s blacklisting is no longer an option), since a new sales-and-marketing agreement and a brand-new licenced-production programme is now in the final stages of negotiations between BEML and UK-based TATRA SIPOX. Under the latter, firstly the quantum of indigenisation will be significantly increased, and secondly, BEML will establish two regional service centres within India for catering to the depot-level MRO requirements of the 9,000-odd members of the TATRA-T815 family of heavy-duty vehicles that are presently serving with the three amred services of India. This in turn will allow the three armed services to continue using the BEML-TATRA family of heavy-duty vehicles, and will also result in the long overdue orders being placed for new-build vehicles that are required as transporter-erector-launchers (TEL) for the BrahMos-1 Block-3 LACMs as well as for the 29 BEL-built Swathi weapon locating radars, which were ready for service-induction since early this year, but could not be delivered since the TEL issue had not been resolved at that time.
 
It may be recalled that BEML, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ravinder Rishi-owned UK-based company, TATRA SIPOX UK, had reportedly surrendered the licenced-manufacturing rights of these all-terrain trucks in 2003. Based on its 1986 and 1997 industrial partnership agreements with the OEMs, BEML had gained exclusive rights to manufacture the trucks in India. However, through an MoU with TATRA SIPOX UK in February 2003, it is alleged that the manufacturing rights were partially surrendered by excluding the truck’s axle. BEML had in 1986 inked a sole-source contract with TATRA AS of the erstwhile Czechoslovakia for the supply of Tatra T815 family of trucks. Simultaneously, under the contract, documents on technological know-how for licence-producing the trucks with progressive indigenous content were also bought for Rs30 million. It was agreed then that BEML would progressively indigenise the trucks and the desired target was fixed at 85% indigenisation by 1991. However, when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, TATRA AS also split into two. While the one manufacturing 70% of the product was renamed as TATRA AS, the other was called VAB SIPOX. The latter was, subsequently, gradually privatised and 80% of the company was taken over by Josef Majsky, who allegedly had prior business links with Ravinder Rishi. During the turbulent phase in the early 1990s, the supply of trucks directly from Slovakia and the Czech Republic was hit, and subsequently Ravinder Rishi’s Venus Projects PLC bagged one order of 100 trucks from BEML. Venus was awarded the contract despite the fact that it was neither an OEM nor its subsidiary, but just a marketing company. In 1994, Venus Projects PLC and TATRA SIPOX allegedly came together to set up TATRA SIPOX UK through a 50-50 partnership. Later, the company was allegedly taken over by Rishi. The Slovak-based company, which had earlier manufactured the truck axle and backbone-tube parts, allegedly started claiming that BEML was incapable of licence-manufacturing the axle as it was a patented product and thus had to be wholly imported off-the-shelf. Consequently, the agreement for the supply of truck components that was renewed in 1997 reinforced the exclusive licenced-assembly rights of BEML in India. Also, it allegedly mentioned that certain technology-transfer documents had been supplied to BEML. However, soon after V R S Natarajan took over as BEML’s CMD, BEML in 2003 entered inked an MoU with TATRA SIPOX UK allegedly excluding the rights to manufacture the truck’s axle, thus partially surrendering the manufacturing rights. BEML had by then had also indigenously developed a prototype of the truck’s axle, but it was not allowed to further develop it and was allegedly forced to import the axle, causing huge losses to the public exchequer. Interestingly, the then Secretary Defence Production had then raised objections asking cancellation of the 2003 MoU. However, the objections were ignored by the MoD.
In another noteworthy development, Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyards Ltd has bagged the contract for building four 500-tonne mini-submarines, which were designed back in the previous decade by Larsen & Toubro. The mini-submarines, to be delivered in the latter half of this decade, will be used exclusively by the Indian Navy’s MARCOS. The combat management systems have been designed and built by TATA Power SED, while Riva Calzoni will be supplying the periscopes and other masts that will host a SATCOM communications systems and LPI navigation radar. The sonar suite is likely to be supplied by ATLAS Elektronik.
 
Finally, graphic evidence has emerged once again (the previous one was three years ago during the premature commissioning of the IAF’s Phalodi AFS) on how the MoD and the IAF HQ have been adopting an utterly callous attitude when it comes to flight safety. The PIB-released photo yesterday (http://pib.nic.in/photo/2013/May/l2013052747449.jpg) and uploaded below, showing a Su-30MKI taking off from the just-commissioned Thanjavuram AFS, clearly shows the shocking and incomplete state of landscaping of the tarmac areas, which in turn gives rise to the high number of FOD-related incidents recorded thus far for the IAF’s inventory of Su-30Ks and Su-30MKis since the late 1990s. It goes without saying that given the IAF’s penchant for resorting to curved takeoff and landing patterns with its Su-30MKIs, the practice of prematurely commissioning of air bases with incomplete earthworks, landscaping and other infrastructure-related construction activities needs to be put an end to with immediate effect. For if not, then the MRO-related expenditures incurred for the IAF’s existing and project combat aircraft fleets can only be expected to register steep increases in future.

293 comments:

  1. Sir, this is gross injustice. After waiting patiently for so many days you are uploading thsi sort of thread . Just a few pics. When can we expect another of your masterpiece threads? Pls tell us something more analytical and cover those topics which the desi media seems to leave behind. Will be waiting for a good post.

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  2. To ARUNM: A picture is always worth a thousand words. Enjoy them, observe them, absorb them & then only digest them.

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  3. Yes sir,nows its a bit more interesting. When are you going to upload your promised thread on IA artillery modernisation.Do you have any updates about the various upgrades and procurements going on.

    US-2 will be used only for SAR and not for any sort of warfare?

    Any news on Arihant sea trials? Is it possible to equip Kh-35 and Brahmos with a miniaturised RF jammer instead of warhead for confusing target's air defense systems?

    Which ASW helo do the 2nd batch Talwar carry ?

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  4. Not US-2, but SS-3. Stop believing the 'desi' reportage & pay more heed to what the OEM says. SS-3 is purely for SAR & anti-piracy operations. It can also transport MARCOS pwersonnel & can be armed AFTER Japan has delivered the aircraft. After Arihant's PWR goes critical it will first be required to undergo extensive harbour acceptance trials for at least six months prior to heading out to sea for the sea-trials. That's the universal norm & global practice & no matter what Dr V K Saraswat says, such norms & practices can't be done away with. After all, there's something called 'due process'. All Project 1135.6 FFGs presently carry Ka-31 helicopters.

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  5. Sir, Thanx a lot for answering.

    1.Many threads ago you have said that out of the entire MiG-27 fleet only those 40 which was subjected to upgrade carry countermeasures dispensers.

    2.AL-31FP was developed a decade ago.After a decade still the design ahs remained the same without any improvements in performance,reliability. Even latest RD-33 has an improved TTSL.

    3.Why do you say one cant compare apples with oranges. India faces a far larger no of well defended threats than what France faces at present.

    4.pardon me if i am wrong but around 2 months ago the desi news media has reported that Arihant reactor has gone critical and it is ready for sea trials. Then I again read a desi report that Arihant has successfully completed harbour acceptance trials. Again IN chief during navy day has said that Arihant is now ready for sea trials and that was in December.Dr VK has claimed that Arihant will go for sea trials in tghe next 30-40 days and this was a month ago.

    5.Does SS-3 has any multi mode radar ?

    6.11 BRD has already undertaken a limited MiG-29 upgrade and it is engaged in MiG-29 overhaul.

    7.Are there any improvements in Fregat volume scan radar and other mission sensors in the 2nd batch Talwar class or they are exactly the same as the radars on the previous batch?

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  6. Prasunda,
    Thanks for the SS-3 information & India surely should go for it. But can we expect this deal will get signed early considering delay in other deals. Also can we get any other Japanese equipments specially the soryu class subs.

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  7. PrasunDa , no worries .

    Just want to know that did Mohammad provide a timeline when India will have to rescue Sindh ?

    Also , who does China rescue India from ?

    All the materials that I can search relating to Prophet Mohammad simply says that the army of Allah will achieve victory over Hindus .

    Thanks,
    Sujoy

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  8. How much useful and cost effective are these SS-3 amphibious aircraft. I mean in your esteemed opinion are you satisfied with their procurement and if yes then why.

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  9. Is that India map is the final one with Chinese approval ??

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  10. after seeing all these commonality between SS-3 and C-130J it seems the current 56 a/c requirement will go to Boeing again no doubt .

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  11. To SUBIR: 1) After OP Safed Sagar in mid-1999, all remaining operational MiG-27Ms were fitted with countermeasures dispensers built by BDL. 2) TTSL can only be enhanced by upgrading the engine core. In AL-31FP’s case, the new engine core is still under development. 3) Are you kidding??? France’s operational responsibilities not only lie in Europe, but also in its offshore territories in the Indian Ocean & South Pacific in addition to its erstwhile colonies in Africa. 4) The ‘desi’ media got it all wrong, as expected, just as they had claimed in July 2009 that the Arihant will become operational by 2011. The only person who’s authorised & qualified to have the final say on the Arihant’s HAT & SAT schedules is a Vice Admiral at Navy HQ who’s responsible for reactor propulsion safety & related issues, and not A K Antony, not the Chief of the Naval Staff, & certainly not Dr V K Saraswat. That’s why all these three personalities have successively made spectacular errors when publicly predicting the Arihant’s HAT & SAT schedules. Got it? 5) Only a Telephonics combined weather/search radar identical to the one on the P-8I. 6) 11 BRD NEVER undertook any previous upgrade work on MiG-29s, only MRO-related refurbishments. There’s a heaven-and-earth difference between MRO and upgrade. Unless the IAF’s licenced engineers & technicians are type-certified by the OEM for undertaking aircraft upgradation under the OEM’s supervision, not even a nut & bolt can be screwed—this being a mandatory obligation for compliance. 7) The sensors are exactly the same.

    To Anon@8.17PM: Who ever said that India will be paying for these SS-3s??? I have repeatedly stated that these SS-3 procurements will be 100% financed by Japan’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) scheme, just like the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is being done. SSKs from Japan are out of the question & are non-negotiable for the time-being.

    To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: No timelines were provided by the Holy Prophet. Nor was any context provided for answering the when, where, why and how. There are several other purported revelations hailing from different sects that are totally rubbish. That’s why I had specifically quoted the only official sourfce of revelations, this being the Al-Hadis (or Al-Hadith).

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  12. To Mr.RA 13: The SS-3 will be an extremely useful tool for regional anti-piracy operations as well as for disaster-relief & EEZ policing, no doubt about that. Likewise, they can also be used for both SAR in peacetime & CSAR in wartime. In fact, the ICGS too should go for them in a big way….perhaps 24 units & they ought to be equipped with synthetic aperture radars for maritime pollution monitoring & with specialised oil-spill containment hardware (this becoming a nett provider of security as mentioned by Dr MMS in the very recent past). Given the fact that ONGC will in future venture into deep-sea oil exploration within the IOR & also in the Andaman Sea, acquisition of such amphibians becomes imperative for obvious reasons.

    To DASHU: You will have to forgive the Japanese for being pragmatic by displaying in the map what’s the actual ground situation. For the fact remains that such maps are universally displayed by everyone else outside India, be it the print/electronic media or TV news networks. Only inside India the brainwashing & living in a state of self-denial continues. C-130J is made by Lockheed Martin, not Boeing, isn’t it?

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  13. To DASHU: Do read this:

    http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=14155395&programId=1073755753&tabId=13&BV_ID=@@@&categoryId=-201861

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  14. To DASHU: And do read & watch these as well:

    http://ibnlive.in.com/news/iafs-israeli-drones-of-not-much-use-in-naxalhit-chhattisgarh/394350-3-235.html

    http://ibnlive.in.com/news/odisha-challenges-faced-by-security-forces-in-the-naxalhit-areas/394190-3-234.html

    Spectacularly outrageous, isnt it??? At the very least, multiple kicks in the arses of the decision-makers of all involved security stakeholders are clearly the need of the hour.

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  15. Dear Prasun,
    Has the Indian UAV, Nishant, entered production phase? How many Nishants are being operated by Army or Air force? How many are being ordered? Will you please specify its salient points?

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  16. Hi Prasun da


    Is the S400 or THAAD more effective against threats form Short and Medium range ballistic missile..??VMT..

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  17. My dear SNTATA, the DRDO has once again proven its true worth by going back on its own promise (made in 2011) to deliver the all-singing & dancing Nishant-1 MALE-UAV by late 2012. Clearly a case of dialectic overreach on the DRDO's part! It will take at least another two years for the Nishant-1 to obtain its operational flight certification from CEMILAC. The same's the story with the HALBIT-developed Skylark-1 mini-UAV, which has yet to be certified for operations at 16,800 feet ASL. Without such mini-UAVs, the IA & ITBP cannot plug the existing surveillance gaps along the LAC & instead tedious & needless foot-patrols along the LAC have still to be carried out. Again, kicks in the arses of all the involved decision-makers for these two projects are called for, don't you think?

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  18. To Anon@11.48PM: Definitely the THAAD. The S-400 system still lacks the necessary networking/interfacing with ground-based X-band monopulse tracking radars & space-based early warning satellites. Consequently, overall mission effectiveness of the THAAD is much higher than that of the S-400.

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  19. Hi Prasun, Where is our indigenous bmd heading? Can DRDO design and productionise something as complex as 3000+ km range IRBM interceptors ?

    Why will US object to operational use of Green pine radars when it was offering IAF,IA PAC-3 and IN with Aegis networked fire control system and the associated SM series of interceptors.

    If GoI mandates the opeartinoal deployment of a bmd shield against select cities,major war sustenace infrastucture such as IN ports,airbases what options will MoD have ? What are the various fall back options MoD is considering if phase 2 of DRDO BMD program fails to materialise within the stipulated time as was the case with Tejas LCA.US,France,Russia are offering us respectable ABM capable products. PAC-3 and its MSE variants have been operational for quite some years now. Lockheed offered us PAC-3MSE for our LRSAM program. Russian S-300,400 sam systems are operational with many countries around the globe. It ahs become the benchmark of IADS and iads penetration capabilties of all 4++ and 5+ gen fighter acs are tested against it.

    Almaz Antey is presently developing S-500 which will be the definitive Russian BMD for years to come.the latest S-400 variants are also very capable and offer a wide range of missiles for various specific threats and is the least expensive of the trio.

    GSAT-7 with its multi-spectral payload can provide early warning cues to the IADS for the efffective neutralistion of such threats.

    What new did you learn about bmd phase 1 & 2 in Firepower 2013.

    Is THAAD available for export and are the Indian concerned authorities interested in it?

    Ans pls.

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  20. To SNTATA: Will upload some latest procurement updates later tonight in this very same thread as a consolation prize, in case that makes you happy.

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  21. To RAHUL: The DRDO-run BMD programme was always meant to be only a technology demonstrator & was never meant to be operationalised for obvious reasons: it would get India mixed up in an unwinnable strategic weapons arms race with both China & Pakistan. That’s why none of the three armed services were ever asked by the DRDO to furnish their respective ASRs, GSQRs or NSQRs. As far as the armed services are concerned, they have specified only air-defence systems capable of countering NLOS-BSMs in the short-term & TBMs in the medium-term. Only two Green Pine L-band AESA-based radars can’t cater to a meaningful & functional BMD network. What’s reqd most is the X-band precision monopulse tracking radar of the type used by THAAD. Even though the US offered India the SPY-1 PESA naval radar, AEGIS combat management system & SM-2 SAMs, they would have been totally useless against TBMs or IRBMs since the US never offered the all-crucial cooperative engagement capability (CEC) required for such sensors & weapons to function seamlessly as a BMD system. S-300PMU has been a totally compromised system since early 1992 when the UK procured it along with 2S6 Tunguska & T-80UDs from Germany & some central European countries. S-400 minus its space-based early warning sensors is ineffective against IRBMs or MRBMs. Instead of procuring it, it is far better to adopt the path of co-developing the Barak-8 LR-SAM, AD-1 & AD-2 interceptors that will be able to neutralise NLOS-BSMs & TBMs, since this is precisely what the three armed services have specified. THAAD isn’t available for export to India as of now since India hasn’t requested for it.

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  22. At long last, confirmation from France that GSAT-7 will be launched from Kourou, French Guyana, as I had predicted all along.

    http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isrocnes-taking-the-next-steps-together/article4757036.ece

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  23. Prasun,

    Why exactly, according to you, is Japan gifting the SS-3s to India? India is not some begger state like Pakistan That needs such military aid. What's going on? And this is HUGE news- why is not a single defence reporter that is paid to do one job (cover defence) not reporting on this aspect? This is the first I've heard of it.


    2) only 10? Is there a likelihood of getting more down the road?


    3) surely these birds will be major assets for the tri-service A&N command)


    4) does this deal have anything to do with the IN's plans for MPAs?


    5) when will the aerospace, cyber and special forces tri-service commands that are being talked about right now, be raised?

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  24. Dear Prasun,
    Thanks a lot. Definitely they need a hefty kick in the arses, preferably with hob-nailed boots!
    2.What is the present status of Cryogenic engine for GSLV-3?
    3. What is the present status of development of semi cryogenic engine?
    4. Is the Mars Mission on course for Oct/Nov this year?

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  25. yes it's Lockheed Martin, not Boeing, my mistake :)

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  26. Thanks prasun sir for the replies on t-90,In your opinion without relikt and 2a46m-5 gun can the t-90 of IA have parity with the chinese ztz type-99.Won't we be at a disadvantage.Chinese members saying it has armour protection over 1000 mm.

    Is the barak-8/ng good enough for our needs against chinese NLOS/cruise missile/sy-400/srbm considering shorter range to other comparable systems?

    When can we expect apaches in india?Does this have any appreciable effect on the china border?

    On the naval front,i noticed russia equipping its latest frigates with redut VLS and rpk-29 asub missile.While we still use shtil-1 and rbu-6000.Will the IN consider these options,or does barak-8 take care of the fleet defense option so no need for redut?Still rpk-29 looks to be far better option than rbu-6000,similar to american ASROC.

    Thanks sir,for ur time.

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  27. Hi Prasun, Almaz Antey S-400 is a readily avialable off the shelf for countering the whole spectrum of cruise missiles,NLOS-BSM,TBM threats. S-400 is based on latest technological breakthroughs and is generation ahead of S-300PMU. If AD-1,2 fails to materialise within the given time frame and if it is unable to meet IA,IAF GSQR will S-400 be considered for procurement?S-400 can be integrated with GSAT-7 early warning satellites for providing targetting cues.

    By BMD I also mean intercepting and neutralising NLOS-BSM,TBM.Thales MASTER MFCR is quite suitable for precision tracking of NLOS-BSM,TBM. It can be integrated into Indian BMDS network to augment MF-2258 ,EL-2084 radars.

    MBDA SAMP-T,Aster 30 is another ready made solution available for countering NLOS-BSM.

    What new have you learnt about AD-1/2,PDV from Firepower i2013.When are the armed forces expecting the deployment of phase 2.When will first launch of PDV going to take place?

    When barak-8 MR-SAM JV was formulated between Inddia,Israel it wa clailmed by IAI that Barak-8 would be a much better system than PAC-3 MSE in terms of engagement envelopes,diversity of threats to be encountered. This automatically makes Barak-8 capable of taking on TBM & NLOS-BSM.

    MBDA markets VL-MICA as a anti super sonic ashm missile. Maitri can be expected to improve upon the performance parameters of Mica. When LR-SAM is commisioned into service it can be integrated with QR-SAM components for a layered IDS and will be comparable to MEADS. What do you think?

    What is the planned deployment patterns of AD-1,2?What will AD-1,2 protect?

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  28. To JUST ASKING: India’s presently not exactly an economically thriving state either. ODAs & Grants-in-Aid along with periodic project financings from Japan, the UK & ADB are therefore very much welcomed for projects like the SS-3 procurement deal, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor; the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC); & cooperation in clean energy initiatives, particularly the Regional Energy Efficiency Centre (REEC). And contrary to popular belief, the SS-3 amphibian deal had been in the works since early 2012 & Shin Maywa had even participated at DEFEXPO 2012 in April 2012 for the very first time & also took part in Aero India 2013. And I was the first to state in April 2012 that the SS-3 would bag the deal through the ODA mechanism in my DEFEXPO 2012 show report threads last year. The SS-3 deal DOES NOT constitute a military deal; rather it is aimed at providing humanitarian relief throughout the IOR by primarily facilitating the provision of search-and-rescue services & anti-piracy protection. In addition, it also sends a very strong signal to countries like China that India can count on some reliable friends from the Far East if & when the need arises. As to why no ‘desi’ news reporter has not yet written about all this, there are two likely reasons: Firstly, some of these self-styled ‘lifafa’ experts are too busy to forsake their kebab-biryanis & are instead too busy parroting the Pakistani military establishment’s POV regarding Afghanistan’s future (see: http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2013/05/tracking-afghanistans-900-pound.html), thereby missing the woods for the trees. For it is a well-known fact-of-life that the person to replace Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan’s President will be either Karzai’s younger brother or Dr Abdullah Abdullah of the Northern Alliance. And tghese very same self-styled ‘desi lifafa’ experts totally failed to report that yesterday, India’s special envoy to Pakistan, Satyinder K Lambah, yesterday visited Mian Mohd Nawaz Sharif in Raiwind with a special message from Dr MMS, under which India is willing to provide emergency assistance to Pakistan for overcoming the latter’s circular debt & the ensuing power shortages by immediately willing to provide 1,000mWe of electricity for a 1-year period & also providing US$1 billion as collateral for a standby loan to be raised by Pakistan for the sake of converting its three existing electricity generation plants that run on furnace oil into plants that can run on imported Indonesian coal in lieu of Pakistan beginning to explore its huge coal reserves on a war-footing in the Thar/Cholistan deserts. Secondly, some other self-styled ‘desi lifafa’ experts were too busy during DEFEXPO 2012 chasing BEML & Ravinder Rishi & therefore totally overlooked the significance of ShinMaywa’s presence at DEFEXPO 2012. And these IDIOTS had the gall to pronounce DEFEXPO 2012 as being lackluster & are ri8ding high on Cloud 9 by believing that only they have first-hand access to all news developments & falsely claiming their news-reports as being EXCLUSIVE (see: http://livefist.blogspot.in/2013/05/exclusive-photos-brahmos-launched-from.html)

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  29. To SNTATA: VMT. Cryogenic engine development is now in the final stages of R & D & low-rate initial production of pre-production prototypes have commenced at HAL. Mars mission is still on track for liftoff before the year’s end.

    To ABHISHEK DHAR: The T-90S+ Bheeshma is still superior to the ZRZ-96G MBT in terms of fire-control systems & fun-control systems. The ZTZ-99A2 with heavy add-on appliqué armour has not been deployed anywhere within TAR. Barak-8 along with the projected AD-1/AD-2 endo-atmospheric interceptors will be more than enough to neitralise any kind of existing NLOS-BSMs & TBMs. AH-64Ds will be of limited utility along the LAC. The Rudra on the iother hand, after being armed with MBDA-built PARS-3LR & Mistral ATAMs, will be a formidable destroyer of armoured vehicles. Barak-8 for the IN will be the best option, not the S-400. Indian version of RBU-6000 that was designed & developed by Larsen & Toubro is superior to the original Soviet-era RBU-6000.

    To RAHUL: S-400’s fire-control systems are still not on par with what comes with the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR multi-role volume-search radar. The S-400 is therefore a full one generation behind the Barak-8/MF-STAR combination. R & D work on AD-1/AD-2 forms part of the Barak-8 LR-SAM’s joint R & D venture between India & Israel & is well on-track & will be ready for mass-deployment in the latter half of this decade.

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  30. Prasunda,

    At the beginning of this month, Dr. VK Saraswat mentioned two Agni-V tests scheduled this year. It was hinted that one of them, in the April 2012 configuration, was set for this month or the next.

    Today, we read an article in the Hindu stating that one A-5 test in the present configuration is to take place later this year (hinting that it is neither this month or the next)

    Has any slowdown on testing A-5 been ordered by the political authority as a result of talks with China and the upcoming visit of John Kerry ?

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  31. No slowdown whatsoever, just adopting a cautious & prudent approach. Earlier, Dr Avinash Chander had officially hinted at a May 2013 test-firing, probably as a parting gift for Dr V K Saraswat, who will be retiring on May 31.

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  32. Sir, I have a few queries.

    1.You have previously said that AL-31FP uprated variant with improved TTSL will be available from 2014.Then from 2014 they will be supplied to HAL for installing them on Sukhoi.

    2.When will the series production contract of MIRES aesa get signed?Has MoD placed leads for such a massive production order.

    3.Navalised versions of S-300 PMU has been available from mid 1990s for frigates,destroyers. Shivalik class was built recently. Then why was the same 32 km range Shtil sam system fitted instead of S-300 family 48N6,48N6E2,9M96E2 missiles as PLAN has done with Type 051C DDG. What was the mindset within IN HQ senior staff when they specified Shtil-1 system for Talwar batch 1,2?What were they thinking?

    5.Fitting all IAF combat jets with countermeasure dispensers is all right but how will the aircrew get to know of an incoming passive missile approaching from behind the jet.

    6.If Arihant PWR hasnt gone critical and it hasnt even completed its sea trials what has it been doing for 3 long years since it was launched in 2009?

    7.Has the Jaguar DARIN3 upgrade and fitment of multi mode radars commenced?

    8.Does IAF has any plans of constructing hardened underground hangars at select airbases?You dont have to disclose any names but are there any such plans and when it will becarried ou.

    9.I consider myself lucky to be born as an Indian. A country with such a rich cultural heritage,largest democracy,good military industrial infrastructure and more importantly having 3rd largets Army and 4th largest airforce in terms of fighter aircrafts. But I feel jealous of Venenzuela,Algeria who have ordered significant nos of S-300VM and S-300PMU to equip their regiments whereas we were offered such capable products but we turned it down.

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  33. Hi Prasun,Atlast my prayers have been answered.DRDO new interceptor with imaging IR seeker will be launched in July.I have been waiting patiently for this launch since Dec 2012.

    I hope that this time DRDO uses Agni1 as a target missile for this brand new interceptor instead of legacy Prthvi.

    Besides desi news media IDRW is reporting PDV to be based on PAD.Am very much sure that PDV uses a new missile body and is part of phase 2 of BMD .Idrw says it is part of phase 1. It also claims that by the end of this year phase 1 will be deployed in NCR and Mumbai. Is this authentic?

    The editors of idrw needs to spend some time on building up their defense and allied knowledge base and ivestigating the authenticity of a reprt before publishing. They have given a pic of Shishsumar class while reporting a Sindhugosh class incident.

    S-400 fire control systems and radars may be a full generation behind MF-2248 but it represents the latest in Russian phased array technology.S-400 offers a variety of missiles much better and flexible than Barak-8.S-400 is laready in service while Barak-8 and AD-1,2 are still some time away.

    Wont it be possible to integrate interceptors of S-400 family and the corresponding engagement radar with MF-2248 and other Barak-8 components?

    MF-2248 has a detection range of only 250 km while Big Bird survellience radar of S-400 has 450 km range.

    Pls ans them all.

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  34. To SUBIR: 1) It should be available on time for flying on the first Super Su-30MKI prototype, which will also be used for test-firing the air-launched BrahMos-1. 2) Contract should be inked by the year’s end. ‘Large’ is a relative term. Only about 350 will be produced. Only the front-end needs to be produced, since the back-end will be the same as that of the existing NO-11M Bars. 3) Again you’re comparing apples with oranges. How can a LR-SAM meant for DDGs be made to fit on a FFG? Which FFG in the world is fitted with S-300/RIF-N? 5) For that there are RWRs as well as rear-looking mirrors. 6) That’s how long it takes to check all on-board systems, pipings, fittings, vibration isolators, valves, etc & rectify all shortcomings for a first-of-type vessel. Most of these checkings were done for the past 3 years with the help of a massive shore-based steam generator at Vizag. By asking such a question, you are terribly underestimating the sheer complexity of building & testing such vessels. 7) Only prototype development has commenced. 8) Such plans always exist. 9) And exactly how many of suc h weapons are operational in these countries? Have you bothered to check out the numbers? Buying such hardware only for window-dressing & showing off during annual military parades doesn’t translate into any meaningful military capability.

    ReplyDelete
  35. To RAHUL: PDV will use Ku-Band ARSEEK for terminal homing. IIR seeker will be for AD-1 & AD-2. Have already explained several times why any operational deployment of a BMD network for cities is totally ruled out. Barak-8 will be equally flexible as S-400, if not more. No OEM of such air-defence systems will allow such cross-mixing of each other’s hardware. EL/M-2248’s max instrumented range is a closely guarded secret at the customer’s request.

    ReplyDelete
  36. @Prasunda
    To fight the Naxal's, intelligence gathering is of prime importance. For that rather than going for Heron's mini UAVs could be procured off the shelf and fielded in large numbers. And this alongwith winning over support from the local populace will provide the intelligence grid that is required. As far as the security forces conducting the Anti Naxal operations are concerned one cannot hope them to counter the Naxal's unless a military mindset is inculcated. For which retired or existing senior military officers should be brought along with advanced jungle warfare related training.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Prasun sir,
    I am rather confused by the quick reaction point defence sam situation.
    Air force has apparently acquired some spyders and army has ordered some regiments of this missile.Simultaneously we keep hearing of maitri in development and fielded 2015.Considering both are same missiles,why is armed forces doing both at the same time?

    I am wandering will maitri have anything to do with replacing barak-1 point defence sam on IN ships which is getting old and u have previously expressed skepticism on its ability against sea skimming missiles.

    Also has the proposed shtil-1 upgrade on the ins delhi been completed.Are there plans to equip this ship and other destroyers/frigates currently armed with klub/switchblade with brahmos?

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  38. ^
    Regarding the construction of 7 roads by the PLA's construction corps in 2010. It seems the Indian reaction was that of going in a hole.Please tell us more about it and if these constructed roads bear any resemblance to what happened with the road constructed in China in Aksai Chin during the 1950s i.e. India's greatest statesman ever went on to say "no blade of grass grows in Aksai Chin". And the rest as they say was history.
    Perhaps even like in the 1950s we have given away the land to China on a platter,without any objection or pressure to china to abandon the road.

    And lastly

    what would be your views on this?
    http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2013/05/tracking-afghanistans-900-pound.html

    ReplyDelete
  39. Sir, very very thanx for uploading such a lovely narrative.

    1.When can orders for new build TATRA T815 be placed at the earliest? Availabilty of Tatra trucks would mean that many DRDO projects which was running behind schedule for lack of TEL will now proceed smoothly.

    2.I dont have much knowledge about submarines. pardon me for my ignorance. How long will it take for Arihant to proceed for sea trials?

    3.pardon me if i am wrong.Many bloogers have asked you previously including me about the seeker of pdv.You said it was iir.Then after sometime on asking again you said it is a combo seeker of rf and iir.It is being jointly developed by Israel.Which missile is going to be tested this July?Dr Saraswat is busy saying PDV to have an IIR seeker and it being a hit to kill missile.

    4.Does PDV has any space kill vehicle like Arrow-3 or Standard 3?

    5.What is the use of PDV when all that IA,IAF wAnts are AD-1,2.

    6.Has DRDO WLR cleared user trials of Army and is IA satified with it? How does this WLR comapre to Lockheed martin TPQ-53 wlr?

    7.Are the mini submarines be constructed from non-magnetic steel like Type 212 or Type 206. Type 206 had a submerged displacement of 515 t. is it possible that production tech of this class was bought over by LT?

    8.Will this subs have torpedo tubes and ESM for covert intel gathering.

    9.Does IAF has any firm and detailed plans of constructing such underground hangars?Were they approved by CCS?Do you know of any such plans?

    10.What do you mean by curved take-off and landing patterns for Su-30?When will the earthworks and landscaping get completed?Doesnt Su-30 has FOD grilles for operations in such conditions.

    11.Venezuela has bought 11 regiments of S-300V .This is according to wikipedia. I dont know of any sites from where i will be able to get the operationally deployed nos.

    12.Mr Antony has afterall come to his senses.Do you reckon he will unblacklist IMI,Rheinmetall? There is another good news. Nirbhay INS has been redesigned?

    13.Do you think P-15 will get S-300,RIF as part of slep.

    14.India Today reprted that around 24 sukhoi were delivered last year.But HAL Nasik has a per annum production rate of 14 Sukhoi.

    VMT for giving the good news.We would have been in the dark regarding these news if you ahdnt been there.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi Prasun, Elta brochures give MF-2248's max instrumented range as 250 km.

    How can Barak-8 be more flexible than S-400 family of sams. All S-400 sams-40N6,9M86,5V55 outrange Barak-8 and LR-SAM.

    PAC-3 MSE uses Ku-band seekers.I hope PDV will be as cpable as THAAD.Will PDV employ a new missile design?

    Which diesel engines will the HSL sub employ?Will they have small AIP systems for high underwater endurance?Will have the range so as to enable them to raech enemy coasts or they will need a mother ship?

    Pakis doesnt face the prospect of strategic or heavy bombers. Still they want HQ-9 which has been reverse enginneered from S-300PMU-2.But IAF doesnt seem to have such requirements.

    What is the cxrdinal difference between AD-1/2? Will AD-1 be small enough to pack 16 missiles per TEL?

    From the pic of Thanjapuram airbase it seems to be only an airstrip. What more are to come up besides maintainence hangars,control towers,fuel dumps. Here in this base will each ac be housed in HAS or sunshelters.

    As tatra trucks are available on which tels will Barak-8 be based? Bad news for Tata.

    When is the scheduled entry date of Maitri?

    ReplyDelete
  41. http://forceindia.net/PlayofthePowers.aspx

    Request you for assessment of the above article.
    Request for such assessment because you have just recently made mention of the fact that India is going to finance the Iranian port and hence the Gwadar port would be more from the trade perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sir, I was viewing Google earth imagery of Tezpur and Chabua airbases. Many new hangars have been constructed in the white parking area.About 24 of them. Are these for Su-30mk? These hangars were similar to the ones in Gwalior airbase.

    In Chabua their were around 7 storm shelters in one place and another three are being pitched in another place.These were the same model you have posted pics of in defexpo 2012 thread.It seems IAF is now paying attention to its jets.

    Eventually will 18 such shelters be pitched for an entire squadron?

    During monsoon seasons are the IAF acs covered fully with tarpaulin sheets.?



    I have zoomed in on the pic released photo.There are brown coverings in some portions of the rudders.Is this rust?Arent these acs well maintained?



    Is Brahmos bl3 production ready?How many units were ordered.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Prasun Ji ,

    Will the IAF use Western and Israeli avionics , EW suite in the FGFA as Russian avionics / EW suite are known to be sub standard ?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Sir, Between APG-81 and RBE2 which has a greater aperture area?Is RBE2 capable of producing sub 1 m resolution images of ground targets from a standoff range of 100 km?

    Do you have any idea where is the Rafale deal heading?Have MoD and Dassault Aviation sorted out their differences?

    Hw many Storm Shadows will be eventually procured as part of Rafale and Mirage 2000 deals?Again just 150.

    Has any Kh series of standoff pgms purchased for IN MiG-29K?

    Are new BDL facilities coming up to handle Prahaar and Barak-2 production run?

    Are there any improvements in succesive batches of T-90M produced by HVF Avadi or do they have the exact same base armour as Russian T-90S? Why isnt IA upgrading the entire fleet to AM standards. It possess better armour and firepower.

    Are there any heavy applique compsite armour in developement for T-90M similar to PLA ZTZ-99A?

    Has IAF conducted any field trials of Kolchuga and Vera passive ESM sensors?How many of them are to be bought.?

    What sam cover does HAL ,OFB production units, central ammo depots has?Are they enough to ward off a ALCM or LACM attack?Does major IAF base repair depots have adequate sam coverage.

    If Russia can lease us a state of art hunter killer like Akula 2 why cant it export to us early warning infrared ballistic missile warning satellites that its space command has in service.

    Those Mi-17v1 deployed in Kargil war,are they still in service? Is it possible to perform TTSL expansion on helicopters?

    ReplyDelete
  45. To ABS: Conventional technologies like MALE-UAVs is not the answer, since their sensors cannot penetrate foliage. What is reqd most is an R & D incubation centre that will develop sensor & SATCOM technologies based on in-depth debriefs of those hapless CRPF personnel that have repeatedly been exposed to ambushes. HHTIs & man-portable SATCOM systems are the most important tools in the hands of long-range recce personnel & that’s exactly how the Sri Lanka Army had zeroed in on the concentrations of the LTTE deep within the jungles of northeastern Sri Lanka. Presently, only the Greyhounds detachment has specialised long-range recce patrol expertise along with a concurrent civilian intelligence-gathering machinery that is so efficient that it can within 30 minutes get actionable information inputs on a gathering of no more than 10 persons in any naxal-infested area within Andhra Pradesh. That’s how the Andhra Pradesh State Police won the war against the Maoists & consequently today all the top-level Maoist leaders (almost all of whom are Telugu-speaking Maoist ideologues) are today operating in Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal & Assam, i.e. all outside Andhra Pradesh.
    India has been well aware of China’s border road construction projects since the 1980s in the western, central & eastern sectors. The main problem is that that are no boundary pillars erected by either side because the LAC is a perceptional line for a depth of 20km on either side. Consequently, until the LAC is demarcated, there’s no way of knowing which side has constructed roadways & up to what depth. But it goes without saying that successive Govts of India have since the late 1980s totally neglected almost all of India’s border areas & have never explored ways of achieving permanent border domination. You will be shocked to know that even after 26/11, only 33% of India’s State-level marine Police agencies are operational as of today, since there’s an acute shortage of seagoing/seaworthy Police personnel, despite the existence of sizeable fleets of interceptor craft & inshore patrol vessels!
    AS for your last query, I had already explained the real situation above yesterday afternoon. All I can say is that his reading of the actual ground situation is totally flawed, i.e. discredited rants of a kebab-biryani freak.

    ReplyDelete
  46. To ABHISHEK DHAR: That’s because SHORADS are reqd in very large numbers & therefore it makes economic sense to develop & produce them indigenously. Maitri won’t replace Barak-1. The Barak-2 MR-SAM will be a dual-role system capable of intercepting both airborne combat aircraft as well as sea-skimming ASCMs. SLEP for the three Project 15 DDGs has not yet begun.

    To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) HQ-9 being a LR-SAM cannot intercept IRBMs, MRBMs or even BLOS-BSMs. 3) PAD was just a technology demonstrator that has now been ditched in favour of the PDV.

    SUBIR: 1) Within the next 90 days. 2) After another eight months. 3) PDV will have a dual-mode seeker comprising both an active RF seeker & an IIR sensor. That’s what I had stated in 2011 itself. 4) The space-kill vehicle will have the IIR sensor. 5) PDV will be equally effective against TBMs. 6) Swathi WLR’s user-trials were cleared in early 2012 itself. 7) L & T’s mini-submarine design is a derivative of the original design from Russia’s Rubin Central Marine Design Bureau. 8) No torpedo tubes. 10) Just watch an video of a Su-30MKI taking off or landing to know more. Su-30 never had FOD grills. 13) No S-300 for Project 15 DDG SLEP. VL-Shtil is a possibility.

    To RAHUL: As I had stated several times before, Barak-8 can intercept both airborne platforms & sea-skimming supersonic ASCMs. A single missile round is enough & there’s no need to procure multiple types of missile rounds. That’s what makes the Barak-8 much more cost-effective. PDV is an all-new missile. Mini-submarines don’t require AIPs or long-endurance. They’re for special warfare operations only. Pakistan is interested in the LY-80E, not HQ-9. AD-1 is for intercepting NLOS-BSMs while AD-2 is meant for use against TBMs & MIRVs. Eight SAMs per TEL. Most IAF air bases don’t have HAS. IAF’s Barak-8s will use TATRA T815 trucks.

    ReplyDelete
  47. TO FINANCEBLOGGER: A most laughable analysis, especially the one dealing with the so-called ‘string of pearls’ strategy that includes foothold in Pakistani ports of Gwadar and Pasni, Sri Lankan Hambantota port, Bangladeshi Chittagong port, Burmese Kyaukphyu port, and surveillance facilities on the Coco Islands deep in the Bay of Bengal. Firstly, as is now conclusively proven, there was never any SIGINT facility in Myanmar’s Great Coco island. Secondly, Gwadar Port is only one part of an integrated SEZ construction effort & China only has secured a management contract for Gwadar Port, identical to what Port of Singapore Authority had enjoyed before China’s entry. How this translates into any kind of meaningful military threat to India is beyond my imagination! Hambantota is a turnkey project for which China is only providing construction expertise. In neither Gwadar & Hambantota has there been any kind of surrender of national sovereignty over these two commercial ports & I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. China’s PLAN had originally wanted shore-based logistics facilities at Kyaukphyu, but Myanmar’s democratic regime last year rejected this request. Therefore, in conclusion, this so-called ‘string of pearls’ strategy does not exist & it never existed & is only a phraseology parroted nowadays by retired Indian civil servants & military officers at the regular seminars that are nowadays organised by several lobbying firms in Delhi that are in the payroll of US- & Europe-based think-tanks that in turn are acting at the behest of Western arms export lobbies. The only verifiable string of pearls with a strong military underpinning is that of the US & spread across its PACOM, CENTCOM & AFRICOM area of operations.

    To Anon@7.10PM: The ones in Tezpur are sun-shelters. Only two new maintenance hangars have come up there. Chabua is a forward operating base & does not permanently host a Su-30MKI squadron. During the monsoons the aircraft will be parked inside maintenance hangars. BrahMos-1 Block-3 was ready for deployment by 2011 itself & was awaiting the BEML-TATRA TELs.

    To SURESH: Of couse.

    To ARUP: Aperture is the same. Specified performance paramaters of all AESA-MMRs have not yet been made public. No Storm Shadows will be procured by the IAF. Kh-31Ps will come later for MiG-29Ks. Prahaar will not be procured in the immediate future. IA’s T-90S+ Bheeshma MBTs are far better than their Russian counterparts. AM standard upgrade has not even been user-evaluated by the Russian Army. ZTZ-99A2 is much heavier, being a main battle tank. T-90S+ Bheeshma is a medium battle tank. Passive surveillance systems will be field-evaluated only after the release of RFPs but not in India. Only OSA-AK & Strella-10M is now available for air-defence of VAs & VPs. The IIR sensor of Japanese origin on GSAT-7 is far better that on any Russian BMEWS satellite. Mi-171s were procured in 2000. What existed prior to that were only Mi-17s.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Dear Prasun,
    Thank you very much for debunking 'string of pearls' theory in your usual masterly fashion! To say that I am much relieved is an understatement. I don't know how many lakhs of Indians have been duped into believing that China is ruthlessly encircling India.

    ReplyDelete
  49. To SNTATA: VMT. I wish all others were as discerning as you are. In this day & age of long-range ballistic & cruise missiles, physical encirclement & envelopment doesn't make any sense at all.

    Here's some more good news as well:

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Naval-war-room-leak-case-UK-authorities-orders-extradition-of-Ravi-Shankaran/articleshow/20315289.cms

    It was because of traitors/scumbags like these that the IN has since 2008 been unable to place the long-overdue orders for two ocean-going SIGINT vessels & two strategic missile-tracking vessels.

    ReplyDelete
  50. SIR,
    1.HOW ABOUT THE TATA TRUCK WHICH IS FAR MORE SUPERIOR THAN TATRA IN TERMS OF RELIABILITY AND SERVICEABILITY?
    2.HOW MANY BRAHMOS MISSILES ARE MADE EVERY YEAR?
    3.WHAT ABOUT THE STATUS OF EXTENDED RANGE HELINA MISSILE?
    4.WHAT IS THE STATUS OF HAL IMRH WHICH IS PLANNED TO BE DEVELOPED WITH EITHER MIL OR SIRKOSKY?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Prasunda,
    1. From the discussion about Tatra trucks- r we heading back towards the old beml vendor for trucks. Does it mean that our desi companies will not get a breakthrough in defence truck market. Also what about the issues such as high altitude movement, left hand drive, NBC protection that were in question for tatra trucks.

    2. Very frequently we are hearing about chinese hacking conspiracies, the latest being-

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Chinese-hackers-access-major-weapons-systems-Report/articleshow/20313261.cms?

    Now what is the actual scenario. These secrets r maintained in high secured zone and hacking it is almost impossible without insider hand. So what is the capabilities of chinese hackers & how much is India vulnerable to these threats.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Sir, VMT for answering.

    1.Is the PDV meant for countering IRBM,ICBM besides TBM.Drdo press reports say that phase 2 interceptors will be able to intercept 5000 km range missiles.

    2.Which agency is designing kill vehicle of PDV?DRDO deoesnt yet posses the required expertise to do so.

    3.With help from whom is DRDO developing the 1500 km longe range tracking radar of phase 2?What are the other radars of phase 2.

    4.Does the HSL mini subs made out of non magnetic steel.Its a requisite for special ops subs not to get detected.

    5.Besides a 550 km rane what are the other improvements in Brahmos block 3?If TEL are ordered after 90 days,when will the first Brahmos unit get operational in AP?

    6.Are the Mi-17 still operational?

    7.What is the status of the tender to buy some regiments of QR-SAM for addressing immediate operational gaps?

    8.Where are the Su acs based after they are shifted from Chabua. Does any base possess the requisite amount of infrastucture , aircraft hangars for accomodating extra acs after basing its own acs.

    9.When can IN place orders for SIGINT and strategic missile tracking vessels?

    10.How does DRDO uses IN OPV as missile tracking vessels for its various missile tests These ships doesnt have the required radars and their radars possess a limited range.

    ReplyDelete
  53. @Prasun da

    a few things just like you debunk other journalist you are sometimes wrong also.

    I had said sometime back India will buy 3 more frigates which you said is not correct, but later you said 3 more frigates will be ordered (this FY or next is different matter)

    I had said sometime back India is developing the Pradumna / PDV you said none exist now you say PDV exists.

    You may or may not right about China's String of Pearls policy but the fact remains the Chinese are present their and who knows what are they doing.

    As a matter of fact that India is vary of Chinese and that is why telecom projects are vetted by security agencies and also Chinese people/companies are not being given clearance for Delhi Metro tunnel work.

    That the Chinese cant be trusted is evident from the fact that in Bengaluru its reported that a certain Chinese telecom company doesnt allow non chinese people access to certain floors of its office.

    A few days ago a Tibetan was arrested for spying for China. You have said that China has virtually blocked the Tibetan flow into India. How could this happen then.

    On a different issue I believe India will operate close to 100 C130J SH if the 56 plane also goes to LM with option for 28 more that may be exersized later as well as 15 more C17s.

    Just inquisitively asking if Brahmos is so accurate why cant that be used for endo atmospheric missile defense.

    Thanks

    Joydeep Ghosh

    ReplyDelete
  54. @prasunda
    Very Many Thanks.
    1)What are the measures required for permanent border domination? would it include actions like building roads like the one China has built?
    2)Could you recall any incident where the IA troops have gone beyond their perception of the LAC and set up temporary structures? or perhaps where India built roads right across India's perception of the LAC?

    ReplyDelete
  55. Well anon, what you have said is justified about Prasun.Whenever any Chinese incursion is reported he says its a routine affair and nothing to be afraid of.He publishes different facts each time.He turns back on his own answers.He is the only guy who says kolkata class is on sea trials and the desi journos hasnt reportedabout it.but the fact is when saryu class opv went on trials desi med extenisvely covered it.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Sir,

    How far has the infantry rifle tender gone?Who is the frontrunner and which AR in ur opinion IA should choose.

    Why IA stooped smerch acquisition at 62,when pakistan china increasing MBRL and SP arty like crazy.Especially pakistan license producing 100-300 a-100 mbrl.

    What will be the new squad LMG for india?

    Also we seeing that IA responding to china threat byu first raising 2 mountain divisions,and now another mountain strike corps.While china acc to white paper has reduced its troops and instead made them more technologically superior.
    Can we afford to play this game of ever increasing troop numbers,won't this bankrupt our budget since we already have enormous army?Shouldn't we have instead redeployed troops from west and instead massed more firepower than men.Meaning increasing the integral firepower of our existing assets.

    Will the bmp-2 upgrade have kornet atgm or old konkurs?And with javelin shelved and now spike cancelled what will happen to our jawans ATGM capability.
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  57. ^^^
    Artillary is far more important in PA case then for IA...it is defensive. Pak did a huge investment in getting the licence to not only make the missiles/rockets and the launchers. Infact all of Paks rockets, missiles share the same common base and thus they can do it much much cheaper. Not only that they have the agreement to further develop the systems to their requirements (eg Nasr). wrt to this they have been getting tech from china, turkey, france and south korea. Infact all new artillary systems will be made under licence at home too (at least 80% content). Some good decisions where forced on them by lack of funds and constant sanctions.

    ReplyDelete
  58. To anons @ May 29, 2013 at 12:38 PM and May 29, 2013 at 12:51 PM and Joydeep Ghosh, thanks !!!
    A welcome break from 'How many..'; 'When....'; 'What.....' ';Why.....' and other mundane stuffs:

    Here is my take.

    Prasun writes about Chinese military-strategic in his personal blog. The subject matters of his posts are facts (often he discloses the source) and his opinions and speculations.

    About Chinese incursions:

    Since there are no mutually agreed upon, internationally recognized boundary demarcations between China and India, the terms 'intrusion', 'encroachment' are very fuzzy in this context. It seems Indian bloggers/readers due to lack of any international intervention/dialogue about these issues tend to think India has bend backwards and /or Chinese are getting their ways in their intention of taking away Indian territories. Lack of any meaningful/coherent/uptodate report on such issues in main stream media leads to speculation where Chinese guys are hell bent to harm India (almost its the reason for their existence).

    About 'string of pearls':

    Any growing economy (with the touted ambition of becoming a superpower) will try to create a sphere of influence in and around its neighborhood and China is no exception and neither is India. Only difference is China is better in that game because of greater economic might and more importantly due to a planned future Geo-political ambition. India doesn't seems to have the later, and even if there are few intellectual minds who has such aspirations in India, they are hardly translated in reality due to overall political ineptitude.
    If you look around such a game is being played between India and China in the continent of Africa. I'll request Prasun to write a thread on that.

    And about Prasun changing his statement/mind - nothing is constant in the sphere of politics and military affairs. Things changes dramatically over a short period of time.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hi Prasun, Is PDV part of phase 1 or 2 of BMD shield?Will it replace PAV in phase 1?How many can be carried per TEL?

    Is the kill vehicle indigenously developed with foreign assitance or is it gonna be imported off shelf from Israel?

    Can phase 2 be operational by 2016?

    What happened to Pechora squadrons?Arent they available for protection of VA and VP?OSA-AK and strela is super duper obsolete by today's standards.What decision has been taken by IAF regarding its stocks of OSA-AKM rounds?

    For adequate protection of VA and VP and major airbases will not this approach be adequate?
    For area defense against all sorts of air threats be they cruise missiles,nlos bsm,tbm or manned acs Barak-8 batteries need to be deployed.They will be form the outer layer of defense.In the middle layer Akash mk1 or Spyder or Maitri qr-sam can be deployed. Maitri point defense sam can also provide protection to the area defense sam units.In the inner layer Sky-ranger or Mantis ir Panstir can be deployed.They can act as C-RAM systems and neutralise PGM,glide bombs and leachers if they pass through.

    US Army has conducted extensive field trials of various C-RAM systems including Mantis and land based Phalanx and they have been found to be effective against massed PGM attacks. A battery of four to six Skyranger cannons or Panstir can intercept a volley of mortar rounds or AASM type PGM provided early warning is available to them .The whole system can be networked.

    By intecrpting attacking acs at 100+ km range , the acs are being prevented from deploying their payloads of standoff PGM either by destroying them or forcing them to fly at low alltitudes where the range of their PGMs are considerably reduced and they will be vulnerable to AAA and manpads. If the same ac is allowed to approach within 70 km of its intended target,it can release a payload of say 6 or 8 standoff PGM further complimenting things for the defenders.

    Systems like Panstir or Tor M1 have been conceived keeping in mind thraets like US AGM-86 ALCM,JSOW,HARM.When a no of standalone Panstirs are networked together with a survellience radar one will get a good level of protection.

    As for Rheinmetal Mantis,it has been designed as a thorough bred force protection C-RAM system. Such a C-RAM system along with Maitri or Spyder SR-SAM (if C-RAM system doesnt has its integral missiles) coupled to Barak-8,AD-1,2 will produce very excellant results.

    I am not saying such systems are fool proof or you get 100% protection.But with such interconnected systems you will get atleast 70% chances of threat neutralistion.This alongwith a little base hardening in the form of HAS willensure the survival of major war assets, war sustenance infrastucture during hostilities if hostile bombers and strike acs manages to sleek past out interceptors.

    What do you think?

    Besides 4th gen fighters can be tasked with cruise missile defense.They can fly anti cruise missile CAPs.Although 4 and 4++ gen acs cant be kept serviceble for more than 8 days due to their vast no of LRUs which requires lots of man hours of maintenence atleast they can be kept flying for first four days of the conflict which will give enough time to seek out and destroy the oppnents offensive capabilties.

    If this proves costly,the acs can be maintained at high alert states with the pilots strapped on to their seats.As soon as LACM or ALCM are detected the acs can take off and intercept them.Vympel states that R-77 is able to intercept SAM and cruise missiles with high probabilties of success. Terrain hugging LACM can be easily detected all across the Western front as the terrain there is relatively flat and moreover because IAF will deploy aerostat mounted radars for sir space survellience in the immediate future.

    ReplyDelete
  60. To ICEMAN: 1) Can it be proven that TATA-built trucks are superior to the BEML-TATRA T815? 2) About 20. 3) Still undergoing development. 4) It stays on paper as just a plan.

    To Anon@10AM: 1) When there are already 9,000+ trucks of a particular model, it doesn’t make any logistical sense to suddenly get rid of all of them & starting replacing them with indigenous alternatives. Only when a complete system needs to be changed, then it makes sense to procure new-model trucks, like all the existing BM-21 Grad MBRLs getting rid of their Soviet-era TELs & going for TATA-made trucks. 2) Detailed technical design packages can never be obtained through long-distance on-line hacking. They have to be physically obtained by on-site industrial espionage conducted by moles or mercenaries.

    To SUBIR: 1) PDV will be optimised for intercepting TBMs first & later IRBMs. 2) ASL. 3) With no one. One one from abroad will part with such expertise. 4) Steel can always be demagnetized by degaussing. 10) The two naval AOPVs used for missile-tracking have on-board C-band radars made by L & T.

    To Anon@3.34PM: VMT.

    To ABHISHEK DHAR: 1) No tender for assault rifles or LMGs or GPMGs meant for IA has gone out. 2) How many more Smerch-Ms you reckon are needed? And how many A100E MBRLs do you think Pakistan has? What’s being raised now is the Corps HQ for command & control over the two already raised new mountain infantry divisions & a new artillery division. Kliver turret for upgraded BMP-2KMs will have Kornet-E ATGMs.

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  61. To JOYDEEP GHOSH: You need to get your facts right before reaching conclusions, and I had mentioned this to you several times before & yet you’ve chosen not to do so. For instance, I was the first one to state that a third batch of Project 1135.6 FFGs is in the offing. Here’s the proof:

    http://trishulgroup.blogspot.in/2009/03/batch-3-of-project-11356-ffgs-to-be.html

    Regarding the PDV, this is what I had stated: http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2011/08/home-grown-anti-missile-shield-for-new.html

    And contrary to your compulsive & repulsive habit of resorting to selective amnesia, what I had stated later was that PDV has NEVER been named as Pradyumna, nor has PAD been named as Ashwin.

    You may not be in the know of what the Chinese are up to within IOR or around India, but it doesn’t mean that others are as ignorant & gullible as you are. And talking of Chinese telecom activities in India, show me one India-registered cellular telephony services provider that’s not using or selling China-made hardware. Hell, they’ve even got full-fledged R & D centres within India! Access-control for human resources is on a need-to-know basis in EVERY office EVERYWHERE. If you want proof, try to enter the MoD by claiming that you’re an Indian citizen & your country’s constitution guarantees you the freedom of movement!

    Are you so naïve to think that only Tibetans coming from China or TAR can be spies? What about those that are already inside India & residing as refugees? Grow up!!!!!! And as for BrahMos not being used for endo-atmospheric defence, all I can say is that you were not paying attention to your physics classes during your school-going days & hence you appear to be so ignorant about the fundamental laws of physics. And for that you truly deserve a prolonged bout of spanking!

    ReplyDelete
  62. To ABS: 1) Just 3 words: infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. With infrastructure, one has access to areas, one has freedom of movement sans any geographical restrictions & one can better manage the border areas & keep them under constant monitoring & surveillance. 2) The Sumdorong Chu incident of 1986, when the Special Services Bureau (SSB) detachment set up a temporary camp below the Thagla Ridge in Sumdorong Chu & once this detachment had left this camp one day to collect their rations & pay, a PLA BDR detachment moved in to occupy the camp. In 2009, China objected to India constructing a road on the west bank of the Pangong Tso lake. PLA BDR troops on boats would come closer to the west bank and demand stopping of construction. India, on the other hand, decided to press on with the work, leading to some tension. The Indian side contended that China had built a road on the eastern bank, which is under Chinese control, and by that logic should let India do the same on the Indian-controlled western bank. It again took a few weeks before the Chinese side allowed the road construction to resume with the Indian side even saying Chinese troops were allowed to use the road during their routine patrols.

    To Anon@12.51PM: Presentation of different facts is what enables one to seek out the truth & see the big picture. ‘Desi’ journalists only report about the conclusion of sea-trials & imminent commissioning of IN warships ONLY AFTER the MoD’s DPR publishes a press-release & releases photos & this too just two weeks prior to the commissioning ceremony. INS Kolkata’s on-going sea-trials were extensively written about in the Show Dailies of Aero India 2013. But if morally & financially bankrupt & arse-fucked creatures like you are unable to lay your hands on such publications, then the fault is hardly mine, is it? Still don’t get it? In that case, just state your contact details & address & I’ll make suitable arrangements ASAP to have you bitch-slapped!!!

    ReplyDelete
  63. looks like you got angry

    may be i am not as learned as you are but the fact is a opinion is a opinion and no 2 opinions are the same, and yes i may not have that kind of sharp memory as yours but certainly its not bad.

    thanks

    joydeep ghosh

    ReplyDelete
  64. Sir, A contract was signed between Mod and IAI for procuring 9 Barak systems and 200 missiles. More than 10 years has passed and many barak test firings has taken place.Doesnt there is a shortfall of Barak-1 as no new missiles have been procuredf after that.There were plans of procuring a 2nd batch of 264 Baraks but they were suspened due to a scam.What happened to this deal later?

    IN was scouting for a new generation CIWS for its INS Vikramaditya.Which system has been shortlisted?

    Is it very much true that INS Kolkata doesnt have any Barak-1 or kashtan.Only AK630 as ciws.What is its complement of LRSAM 64 or 48?

    What airpace survellience radar does it has?

    How can Brahmos be used as an endo atmospheric interceptor?It is a air braething missile.It uses ramjet .At high altitudes the air gets rarefied and the ranjet will have trouble breathing in sufficient air.It is not very agile.It doesnt have reaction control.

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  65. To JOYDEEP GHOSH: I wasn't angry nor was I pissed off. Rather, I was greatly irritated. You can't even imagine what could have possibly happened to you & folks like you had I been angry or pissed off. I never contest anyone's opinions, but I do have a right to correct inaccuracies by stating verifiable facts, especially if someone makes a wrong move & attributes it to someone else, like you did due to your opportunistic memory lapses. It's not about being learned, but yes, you do need to have a sharp memory before accusing others of inaccuracies that were in the first place committed by only you in all probability due to a bout of selective amnesia that you seem to have been suffering from.

    ReplyDelete
  66. "Manmohan wants India, Japan to chart a new course for Asia"

    " Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked of the responsibility of the two countries to address multiple challenges in the India-Pacific region to chart a new course for Asia this century."

    http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/manmohan-wants-india-japan-to-chart-a-new-course-for-asia/article4761270.ece

    Hey Prasun,
    Our PM is playing his cards cool! Look at the Chinese reaction, they are pissed off!

    ReplyDelete
  67. at ^^

    have a read of this: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-01-280513.html

    India is being smart, for the last 60+ yrs indians have been dreaming that pak will disappear. It hasn't and if anyone watched the elections, its not going to either. Until there is peace it will continue to hold india to south asia PERIOD...and India cannot compete with china.

    These are preceived peace offerings MMS...not sure they have been made and unlikely to be accepted...because:
    until india makes peace with IOK kashmiris, no leader in pak can survive for long and sell the idea to the public (NS knows what happened to the governor of punjab). Now what do you think will happen when india withdraws 400k+ security guys from IOK? the new generation of Kashmiris hate being occupied by india even morethan their parents did.

    Nothing will happen with pak...this is just drama.

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  68. To anon at 8:20. Its not IOK but the other way around. Its PoK.

    We Indians have never wanted Pakistan to disappear.We want Pakistan to co-exist peacefully with us.

    As long as you guys and ISI continue to send in terrorists to Kashmir for disrupting peace us our Army units and security forces will never leave Kashmir.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Nice article Prasun sir.
    Sir, in some of your old articles you have said that Indian Army uses the 50 ton T-90AM tanks along with T-90S from Older batches.
    Also you have said that all the T-90 tanks of IA have LEDS-150 APS.
    Sir, I can't find any reference for these above 2 claims. No mention of our army as a customer in saabgroup website for LEDS-150. Could you please shed some more light into it and provide some references?

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  70. ^^

    Prasun said India may acquire T-90AM in future.
    Prasun said LEADS-150 as a frontrunner which India wants to install in its T-90s

    ReplyDelete
  71. Sir,VMT for answering.

    1.Are there any improvements in guidance system of Brahmos block 3?

    2.PDV falls under which phase of BMD?Is PDV the exo-atmospheric interceptor of phase 2?

    3.I have come across some pics of An-32.In the mentioned an 32 just where the vayu word on the ac side ends there is a tear drop structure housing a square brownish aperture.Is it an IR jammer?

    4.Why do you say Prahaar will not be ordered in the immediate future?It will greatly enhance IA's offensive firepower vis a vis PLA's.

    5.Is there any need of Shaurya TBM in IA,IAF?

    6.Where is IA deploying its four regiments of Spyder shorads.They can be used for base protection of army supply depots and IBG garrisons in NW and Ambala strike corps armoured units in North.

    7.I am learning something new everyday new from your blog.Didnt knew LT had a radar division.

    8.How can GSAT-7 multi spectral sensor be superior to Russian IR satellites.The Russian satellite hosts a no of different IR sensors.It is fully dedicated to missile warning whereas GSAT-7 is multi tasking with SATCOM being its primary use.

    9.Is the fbw on Su redundant and digital? If an aircraft wants to carry a different weapons payload,does its control logic and fly by wire system needs to be retuned?

    10.Lastly are you irritated with my so many how,when,what mundane questions?

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  72. Hi Prasun, Wont you answer my question.Have I said anything amiss?

    How can Iran reverse engineer RQ-170 steath drone in such a short span of time that the country's legislators can proudly announce about its first flight in the immediate future?

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  73. Prasun Da,
    You mentioned that the Corps HQ in Panagagrh is for controlling the two already raised mountain divisions. But, I thought, the two mountain divisions (56 and 71) have been allocated to III and IV Corps. So, shouldnt the new Panagarh Corps HQ be controlling more new divisions, rather than ones that have been already allocated like the 71 and 56 Divs?

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  74. Prasun sir,From your thread on Indian ballistic missile shield I came to know that airforce was offered PAC-3 as well as S-2500.Why wsnt any effort made to purchase them?

    If a solid fuelled interceptor was required from the very beginning,then why did waste its precious limited resources in developing PAV instead of PDV.

    http://idrw.org/?p=22699#more-22699
    http://idrw.org/?p=22701#more-22701
    Again there is huge talks of Tejas attaining IOC-2 by November and FOC by end of next year.How cn one talk about IOC and FOC when Tejas is yet to get its CoA from CEMILAC? Is this pure hogwash & bullshit?

    Is India wanting to procure civil nuclear reactors from Japan for electricity generation purposes?

    How are you able to make such a statement as ASL is developing kill vehicle of PDV when DRDO is taking years to opeartionalise Nag atgm,come up with an iir seeker of Nag and has yet to demonstrate the performance of its bmd interceptors against solid fuelled tbm.

    http://idrw.org/?p=22705#more-22705
    After nuclear reactor gets commisoned in June,will Arihant be able to proceed to its sea trials by this year itself.

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  75. @Anon 9:40 PM

    Prusun has said that IA uses T-90AM and LEDS-150 in all IA t-90 tanks.

    http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2011/09/t-90am-latest-avatar-of-t-90-mbt.html

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  76. which is more advanced US-2 or SS-3?
    what is the term lifafa journalist means.
    desi yellow was good , lifafa may be better one but explain it so that we can enjoy more of this new term .

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  77. To anon at 7:40 AM. Prasun has never said anything like that.What Prasun has said is a delegation had gone to Nizhny tagil for contract negotiations for upgradrtion of first batch of T-90S to AM standards.

    Obviously the descision has been changed.Now,IA Directorate of mechanised warfare wants to order 500 Arjun mk2 heavy battle tanks,mind it mk2 is yet to emerge.What everyone is referring to as mk2 is actually mk1a.

    Leds-150 won the contract for supplying APS to 1st batch of T-90S.But Leds-150 wasnt fully developed by then.If leds-150 is still desired by IA then all that is required is renewal of the contract.Meanwhile RFPs has been issued for APS for equipping the rest of the T-90M.

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  78. Dear Prasunda,

    Please give some Technical characteristics of this 500 ton Mini Submarine.

    What is the armament & range of this sub?

    It will be more better than Ghadir or Nahang class of Iran & Sang-O class submarine of North Korea?

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  79. Hi Prasun, A belly mounted version of EL/M-2060P SAR pod can be installed underneath EMB-145I AEW&C .It will then be a truely multi role platform and can act as a mini J-STARS.This awacs is now in the developement stage and the sar radar can be easily integrated without presenting many difficulties.

    Tejas mk1 has an inadequate internal fuel capacity.For adequate endurance it needs to carry external drop tanks.Instead of carrying two drop tanks , a supersonic larger capacity drop tank can be carried in the centreline station.It can be properly shaped to reduce aerodynamic drag.As Tejas doesnt posses any IRST an IRST sensor can be incorporated into the nose of this drop tank.It will be a plug and play solution with no airframe changes required which if needed will further delay the already much dlayed induction process.

    Cassidian pylon mounted maws can be installed.Some miniature escort jammers are available which are isntalled inside missile pylons and dont take up a hardpoint.These can also be installed.

    Instead of the semi-circular air intakes,wedge shaped rectangular air intakes needto go on board mk2 to improve its transonic and supersonic flight performance.When ADA is redesigning mk1 into mk2 why not produce the best solution out of available resources.

    Regarding Astra BVRAAM how many versions of it s=are being field tested?
    http://livefist.blogspot.in/2012/12/indias-astra-bvraam-test-fired-from.html

    http://livefist.blogspot.in/2013/02/astra-missile-steps-forward.html

    There are distint differences in the low span wings.The version which was subject to test flight was identical to R-77 while the one displayed at aero india 2013 is not.

    How is the rangeless EW facilty at Gwalior advancing IAF's EW warfare proficiencies and tactics?

    New hangars are coming up at HAL ozhar complex.What are they for?For increasing production rate,Rafale license assembly,Tejas component and sub-assemblies manufacture,Super upgrade?

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  80. To Anon@7.18PM: Of course it is a strategic decision. Because the alternative is that there will be a repeat of the 1971 East Pakistan refugee influx crisis. Just try to imagine the depth of the crisis in Pakistan today:

    1) 18-hour nationwide power-cuts that will last for at least another two years, followed by 12-hour nationwide power-cuts for the following two years. No wonder veteran Pakistan-based observers are now predicting that the next general elections in Pakistan will be held in another three years from now!

    2) People of Azad Kashmir/POK & Gilgit-Baltistan/POK on an auspicious day such as Youm-e-Taqbeer on May 28 took part in violent mass protests 48 hours ago because they’re claiming that while the rest of Pakistan draws electricity generated by hydel power from these two areas at subsidised rates, the folks of these two areas have to pay twice the amount for their own electricity consumption! As it is these people are extremely pissed off because they were excluded from taking part in the May 11 general elections & now their only chance of survival & leading a life of dignity lies in either crossing over to Jammu & Kashmir State across the LoC, or migrating en mass to foreign countries.

    3) Should you choose to disbelieve me, then kindly see this current affairs TV programme aired in Pakistan yesterday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTcFQJyDgag) in which it emerged that Pakistan last year imported 6.62 million tonnes of contaminated furnace-oil from the Middle East & out of this quantity, 8% was salt water, i.e. Pakistani taxpayers ended up paying PakRs42 billion for just importing salt water!!! In contrast, 9 years ago, when the UPA Govt came to power, the installed power generation capacity of India was 84,000mW. As of today, the capacity is 221,000mW.

    4) This gets even more hilarious! In this Pakistani TV programmetwo days ago (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Nd_MZROClCI) that focussed on the 15th anniversary of the Chagai nuclear tests of May 28, 1998, it seems no one in Pakistan can name even a single PhD-holder in nuclear physics other than the respected Prof Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy!

    You could well have gotten your loan application approved IF the Govt of India enacted some far-reaching structural reforms two decades ago, like merging all state-owned & private Indian banks into three Govt-owned mega-banks & four private-sector Indian mega-banks. Still, after considering what I’ve stated & explained above, you should still count yourself as being part of the most prosperous country of South Asia, because things are far more worse elsewhere in the sub-continent.

    ReplyDelete
  81. To SNTATA: Of course he is, & damn well he should! In fact, such cards should have been played vigorously more than a decade ago & by now India would have had two thriving industrial corridors rivaling southern China’s SEZs. However, better late than never.

    To Anon@9.05PM: Most untrue assertions by you. Check out my previous thread of this year on IA’s armoured forces where everything is clearly explained.

    To SUBIR: 10) Of course, I am, because all of them have already been answered repeatedly over the past 12 months.

    To RAHUL: Nothing amiss & nothing personal, since all of them have already been answered repeatedly over the past 12 months.
    To Anon@1.16AM: Those attachments were of a temporary nature for training purposes. Once fully formed-up, the newly-raised Divisions will revert to the yet-to-be-raised Corps HQ in Panagarh.

    To SAYAN: All such IDRW-origin stuff is utter baloney, period. I had already explained several times before the logic & due process that dictates the IOC & FOC schedules of any new aircraft-type. Arihant’s PWR won’t be commissioned in June. It will go critical. Commissioning is a formal ceremony, not an operational event.

    To Anon@7.40AM & 9.24AM: VMT for the clarifications. Guess there are many that are not as discerning & observant as you are. VMT once again.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Sir u said no infantry tender has been issued,but what about the widely reported tender involving arx-160 berretta,colt,sig sauer,bren etc of 66000 off the shelf and 110000 licence produced assaulr rifles.Thanks sir.

    Provided that mig-21 and mig-27 will be retired in 2019,how many tejas can we get within that tme to replace these.How many can HAL produce a yr approx.

    Also it was reported our t-90 is using kanchan armour,does this mean its being used in place of kontakt-5 ERA blocks or being added to the turret's composite armour itself.

    Thanks sir,i learned more about indian military's current status by reading your blog and comments than spending 2 yrs on military forum.

    ReplyDelete
  83. @Anon 9:24 AM

    study the link given @7:40 AM
    the link doesn't explicitly states that T-90AM is in use in IA but Prasun talks abt India spending money for R&D of 50 ton T-90AM. Why spend money if we are not going buy it? So if not now that is definitely in IA's future procurement.
    But in that article Prasun conclusively talks abt the use of LEDS-150 APS in all T-90 tanks of IA. But no such reference anywhere else on the net and also no such picture of IA t-90 with LEDS-150.
    I'm quoting Prasun from what he wrote in that article.

    for LEDS-150
    "Consequently, in February 2001, India bought its first batch of 310 47.5-tonne 47.5-tonne T-90S MBTs worth US$795 million, of which 124 were delivered off-the-shelf, 86 in semi-knocked down kits (for licenced-assembly by the MoD-owned HVF in Avadi), and 100 in completely-knocked down kits (all these MBTs were retrofitted with Saab’s IDAS radar/laser warning system and LEDS-150 active protection system, or APS, worth Rs25 billion between 2009 and 2011). This was followed by a follow-on contract, worth $800 million (or Rs175 million per unit), being inked on October 26, 2006, for another 330 T-90M MBTs that were to be built with locally-sourced raw materials and also come fitted with LEDS-150 APS. "

    for T-90AM
    "By today calculations, 670 T-99AMs could well be delivered to the Indian Army between 2013 and 2019."

    ReplyDelete
  84. To Anon@8.20PM: Of course the Indians are smarter & that’s why the Qaud-e-Azam originally wanted Pakistan to be named as Muslim India, but this idea was thankfully shot down by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel & Jawaharlal Nehru 36 days before the Radcliffe Line was drawn! India never wanted Pakistan to disapper because Indian stalwarts & men of wisdom like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had presciently predicted that a country adopting as its founding ideology a religion based on universal brotherhood would self-destruct within a span of 15 years. And how right he indeed was!!! Today, the Quad-e-Azam is described as being a Pork-eating Shia, Alama Iqbal stands forgotten (for correctly saying once that those who cannot change themselves are the ones crying for changing Islam) while Maulana Maudoodi reigns supreme today & has been responsible for more than 50,000 Pakistani citizens dying horrenfous deaths due to internal terrorism, while the Pakistan Army has suffered more than 30,000 casualties—all this within a span of 10 years. No wonder the Pakistan Army no longer has the stomach for waging Jihad in the name of Allah & has instead passed over this responsibility to the PAF’s F-16s & their LGBs & JDAMs! And to make matters worse, what I had stated two years ago (in http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2011/09/finally-truth-about-pakistans-wmd.html) was confirmed by Dr A Q Bhopali Khan 48 hours ago (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlK_ZBW6lTA&feature=player_embedded). I also have with me the interrogation report by the Royal Malaysia Police of B S A Tahir, the principal sidekick of this international paraiah (Dr A Q Bhopali Khan), which I will soon upload en verbatim in a new thread, in which it clearly emerges how the Islamic Republic of Pakistan never even blinked before internationally embarrassing fellow brotherly states like Iran, Libya & Malaysia back in 2004. And to make matters worse for the ‘Land of the Pure’, Gen Pervez Musharraf totally discredited Pakistan’s imported China-supplied nuclear deterrent by launching OP Badr in late 1988, thereby providing India all the justification she needed for asserting & proving beyond any shred of doubt that India’s case for waging high-intensity conventional wars across multiple theatres inside enemy territory was not only possible under a nuclear overhang, but was also justified, legally tenable & operationally winnable. Today, Pakistan’s alleged nuclear deterrent stands totally discredited due to its overplaying of its nuclear deterrent card by resorting to frequent blackmails post-1998, its tactical nuclear weapons have no deterrent value whatsoever due to the Indian Army’s pro-active warfighting strategy (which I will explain with maps & charts in a new thread in the very near future), its all-weather friend China is no longer willing to extend any kind of support to Islamabad in the event of another round of India-Pakistan military hostilities (a warning that was officially given last January according to former Pakistani diplomat Zafar Hillaly), Predator & Reaper UCAV strikes in FATA continue unimpeded despite Pakistan’s alleged nuclear arsenals, & even a tiny country like Afghanistan is today threatening Pakistan with cross-border field artillery fire-assaults.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Cont’d from above…

    Want to know more about all of the above? Then do watch this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJydvkMz1U&feature=player_embedded), spelled out by Brig (Ret’d) Feroz H Khan, author of Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb, who is also a faculty member at the US Naval Postgraduate School’s Department of National Security Affairs and former member of the Pakistani Army’s Strategic Plans Division. No wonder the ruling elite of Pakistan comprising the men in both white & Khaki (Jahgirdars, Makhdooms, Waderas, Patwaris & both serving & retired Army Generals) have all stashed away their ill-gotten gains since 1952 in the Middle East, UK, Canada & the US), leaving the 18 crore donkeys that are known as the ‘awaam’ (not my term, but that by a Pakistani Jaghirdar) to eat & live on only grass.
    And what makes anyone say Pakistan is holding India down in South Asia or elsewhere? Are you not aware of the FTAs between India & Sri Lanka, India & ASEAN & India & GCC? Are you also aware that Saudi Arabia last week warned Pakistan that this year KSA may most likely bar Pakistanis from undertaking the Haj due to the rising incidences of dangerous communicable diseases being found among Pakistan’s ‘awaam’?
    I therefore do hope that India’s friendly overtures are turned down yet again as ‘nautanki’ & ‘dhakosla’ this time by the followers of Maulana Maudoodi inside Pakistan, as this will then give India the perfect excuse (unlike in mid-1999) to indulge in decisive humanitarian intervention in Azad Kashmir/Gilgit-Baltistan/POK, just as was the case in late 1971. Now, who can say that history never repeats itself!

    DASHU: Only those who have written about the US-2 what it is all about in their discredited all-knowing wisdom. As far as I’m concerned, I’m sticking to SS-3 since that’s what the OEM calls the amphibian, as evidenced by the posters I’ve uploaded above & which were shown during both DEFEXPO 2012 & Aero India 2013. ‘Lifafa’ means ‘envelope’ & the term lifafa journalist means someone who gets paid to write & publish stories. In all the Indian current-affairs TV programmes that you see, everytime a journalist or expert appears in the programme & is shown seated inside the studio, the ‘business norm’ is that after the conclusion of the programme, these lifafa journalists & ‘expert’ participants are presented with a sealed envelope that contains a demand-draft worth Rs.3,000 or Rs.5,000.

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  86. Hi Prasun,Did you h=just delete my comment?

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  87. Sorry,Its there.My mistake.Pardon me pls.

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  88. To ABHISHEK DHAR: No tenders were issued for this reqmt. Instead, interested parties were invited to give in-country product demos on a no-cost no-commitment basis. By 2019, 40 Tejas Mk1s ought to be made available to the IAF. Kanchan is composite laminate armour. It is not add-on like ERA blocks.

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  89. Hi Prasun da


    Now its certain that IAC-2 will habe CATOBAR or may be EMALS. So which aircraft is best suited(US origin)...or Rfalae...Naval Pakfa is unlikely to have Catobar config...VMT

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  90. Prasun Da ,

    Regarding the LEDS 150 on the IA's T 90 , does it not make sense to upgrade them to LEDS 350 ?

    LEDS 150 will fail to stop an RPG 29/32 round . I was speaking with an Israeli Army guy and he said that Merkava's fitted with Trophy APS were hit by RPG 32 causing un acceptable damage . Therefore, they are going in for an upgrade of Trophy APS called Trench Coat to deal with threats like RPG 32 .

    Don't you think that the IA should also go in for an APS that can intercept RPG 32 , given that Pakistan has a hige arsenal of RPG 29 and RPG 32 are being smuggled in from the Middle East ?

    Regards,
    Vikram

    ReplyDelete
  91. But question is why don't we have advanced rpg like rpg-29?
    Also what will happen to our Platoon level ATGm,now that both javelin and spike are kaput.

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  92. Maulana Maudoodi - the key part of that name is the dood OR DUDE!! lol. It is bizarre to think there are millions in Pakistan like the Anonymous Paki here suffering from some form of bigoted schizophrenia and religious hallucination. Not an ounce of sense let alone common sense, no idea about the rest of the world, just dreaming of a world where Pakistani flag will rise above a mountain of foreskins!Were it not for some great looking chics in Pakistan they would have nothing to be proud of!

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  93. Dear Prasun,
    1. Delighted to learn that you are going to explain in a new thread Indian Army’s pro-active war-fighting strategy - there was such a a lot of confusion about it in India and Pakistan as well.
    2. Since you are dead sure that Pakistan has only 10 N-bombs borrowed from its all-weather friend, China, what do you think of the repeated leaks from American (Official) sources that Pakistan is much ahead of India in N-Bomb & missile technologies?, to goad India into more efforts in these two strategic fields? If so what are their intentions, just being friendly and helpful to a fellow democracy? or is it that America wants a strong Nuclear and Missile capable India to be its firm ally against emerging Chinese power?

    ReplyDelete
  94. @Prasunda
    A very interesting and highly enriching point you have made to our Pakistani Anonymous fellow blogger.

    Its good that India has chosen to engage Pakistan economically as the state is in a grave economic situation. And unless it rectifies its economic problems,especially in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and POK and Balochistan it would be a grave national security threat to India. And as you rightfully remarked a 1971 re-enactment might just be around the corner.
    However as has been the case always, mere external grants or aids cannot be a substitute for national economic reforms, and external assistance from India or others by means of trade or power swap or monetary aid is not likely to help either.
    Thereby Pakistan is faced with a dilemma between choosing for economic betterment and anti-India rhetoric, because both can't go hand in hand. This is what the civilian politicians understand well and hence have come up with manifestos that speak of engaging with India. However, as with Pakistan, everything would depend upon what Rawalpindi decides.

    I believe China would never like India going in for active humanitarian involvement in Gilgit-Baltistan and would have a few moves up its sleeve to stop that from happening.Perhaps Gilgit Baltistan could be leased to China if push comes to shove.

    If indeed a massive influx of refugees from PoK and G&B indeed happens. What do you think will be India's options? and say beyond a point of time India decides to get involved, then what do you think would be the end result of such actions and the future of G&B and J&K?

    As far as the usage of TNWs is concerned,If the Indian Pro-Active doctrine is analysed in the future the IA would only embark upon shallow thrusts not going deeper than 30KM into Pakistani territory along various theaters. Pakistan had several times threatened to use TNWs the moment IA steps inside into Pakistani territory. If indeed the Pro-Active strategy has check mated Pakistan's TNW threat, then it could mean
    a)IA has restructured its offensives only along the areas that are populated so that a TNW cannot be used even in Pak's own territory.
    b)Pakistan had always been bluffing about usage of TNW in Pak territory. And the Pro-active strategy called Pak's bluff.

    Having said that, if indeed TNWs are used by Pakistan, then I believe you had mentioned how the battle would come to a stand still.

    Lastly, there has been decreasing numbers of Terrorist activities in India. How much of it would you attribute to 1)Pro-Active doctrine.
    2)Pakistan's internal chaos.
    3)India's intelligence accumulation and effective response.

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  95. I think Pakistan's internal chaos is responsible for the decreasing numbers of Terrorist activities in India. So it shall continue till Pakistan gets dissolved within India.

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  96. IA pro-active strategy was in evident recently in Aksi Chin...i can happily upload maps :-)

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  97. To CHADA SINGH: By all means please do so.

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  98. Sir, Very very sorry that i have irritated you.I am new to this blog.I have been following you for the last few months.Gradually I am trying to dig up the ans myself from your earlier threads and comments.

    1.When can we expect a thread on aArmy field artillery modernisation?

    2.The recently acquired four spyder regiments are they part of IBG?

    3.In an earlier thread you commented there is great need of Prahaar NLOS-BSM for IA and you have written about it to the concerned authorities and now you are saying Prahaar wont be ordered in the near future as if they arent important.

    4.Why does Drdo chief refer to mk1a Arjun as mk2?

    5.What is the basis of him stating that Drdo developed bmd system can simultaneously engage 24 hostile ballistic missiles when the phase 1 interceptors have been subjected to separate tests and with slower liquid fuelled missiles?

    6.Do the armed forces source rocket engines for its various missiles from Godrej industries?

    7.Do the indigenously manufactured T-90M has Kanchan compsite armour. Is any leopard AMAP type add on composite armour package is in the works for T-90.

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  99. ^^
    Thats funny Subir.
    "Sir, Very very sorry that i have irritated you...."

    So here is more for your further irritation...

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  100. Sir, IAF has 20 El/M-20600 RTP,12 EL/M-2060P SAR pods,reccelite and elbit elop condor 2 pod.

    What is the approx no of Condor 2 IMINT systems bought? Whats the need for reccelite when there is condor.Do these systems have their own unique advantages?

    With the construction of mini subs for Marcos delivery ,it seems IN is preparing itself for long range covert strikes in IOR.After a pretty long time,special forces will get a huge boost in their operational capabilties. How will Marcos and these mini subs be deployed during any conflict?

    As these mini subs will be unarmed wont they be sitting ducks once they are detected.Providing escort to them with SSK will easily give away their position.Deploying special ops capable forces from C-130J or other transport acs is a better option.

    Are there plans of developing SDV or seal submersibles which are attached to the deck of a sub and transports up to 6 combatants.

    Why does the IN have a taste for legacy systems?When everywhere round the globe most Russian origin corvettes,missile boats,frigates are getting Kashtan,Kinzhal,Palash CIWS why does Navy stick to the 60s era AK-630M.Any particular logic behind this. The newly ordered frigates of vietnam Navy has Palash ciws.If AK630 was a better option they would have gone for it.

    I went through the Manorama article whose link you provided few days ago?
    The article says China's extensive rail transportation infrastructure can be crippled with Brahmos strikes whereas BRO roads on Indian side of LAC can withstand bomb attacks and still remain operational. How can Brahmos be used to cripple the rail transportation network?

    What are the principle targets of Brahmos batteries deployed along LAC in TAR?PLA infrastuctre are hardened and its assets are located outside Brahmos's max range envelope of 290 km.The assets are dispersed among various bases and the missile stocks will get exhausted in targetting 1/3 of these assets.

    Why is China pissed with Tibetan Govt in exile?What can Dalai Lama and his govt possibly do ?

    Are more RISAT-2/Tech satellites planned to be bought?With a single satellite,it will be very hard to keep track of troop movements and persistent monitoring of hstile build up.The satellite can be avoided by noting its time of arrival in the particular region.

    Northrup Grumman in their APG-81 promo are openly claiming APG-81 to have well more than 1000 T/R modules.Thales has yet to make such a extravagant claim.

    If US is prohibiting IAI from participating in R&D of LRTR of phase 2 how can it allow Rafael and IAI to export the IIR seeker for the kill vehicle and Ku band active seeker.

    If Pakistan Gov is unable to provide electricity to its citizens for 18 hours each day,Pakistani people will have no other option sto overthrow the gov and demolish Rawalpindi GHQ.Our suuply of free electricity will help in bringing stabililty within the country.

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  101. Hi Prasun! Posting here after a long gap!

    Just found this link on some forums: -

    http://pakmr.blogspot.com/2013/05/pakistan-air-force-shelves-air-force.html

    PAF shelves Pak Air Force Development Plan 2025 due to lack of availability of funds.

    Any comments? Will any procurement actually be affected by this decision?

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  102. Prasun,

    The news about the TATRAs is certainly welcome as without such measures being taken the IA would have been royally fucked in a few years when these very expensive vehicles became unservacible.


    Do you still see a bright market for Indian indigenous heavy trucks for the Indian military? The likes of TATA and Mahindra? There is no doubt TATRA make excELLANT trucks but Indian companies will get the that level soon enough but they need to see a market worth investing in.


    Will TATA and Mahindra be securing more vehicle orders from the military in the near future?


    2) I've just seen that Shiv Aroor is saying the IN are only interested in 2, not ten, SS-3s- is this true, if not where is this guy getting his info from??


    3) when will the SPB marine force be presented to the world as what it is- an Expedtionary marine fighting force? Right now the existence of this force and is function is not known to pretty much anyone and certainly recieves little- NO- attention.


    4) when will the IA be getting their new Sniper rifles, side arms (pistols), MMGs and assault rifles? IIRC the IA has launched tenders for all of the above and they are all desperately needed.

    I am aware the DRDO is devloping their own assault rifle but the IA has supposedly floated tenders for 50-60,000 assault rifles from a foreign player and trails took place last year. IIRC you ad said this was for certain select units lik the 50 para brigade.

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  103. hi Prasun
    The s-300 missile system seems to have been delivered to syria. What is the scenario under which it could take out the system? a flock of anti radiation missiles,Air launched decoys,delilah,popeye,etc? with jamming?. The radar seems to be invulnerable to jamming , is the radar good in detecting low level attacks as it is only a ground level radar. Please explain as they are definitely going to take it out.we should be intersted as china has the system too.
    Please explain the sofnet system, is it a software defined radio system capable of transmitting data as well?.how good is the data link-2 designed by us did we get some help from israel, i did hear some time ago that they were willing to give us a data link system free of cost which we rejected . Please explain

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  104. Sir, A contract was signed between Mod and IAI for procuring 9 Barak systems and 200 missiles. More than 10 years has passed and many barak test firings has taken place.Doesnt there is a shortfall of Barak-1 as no new missiles have been procuredf after that.There were plans of procuring a 2nd batch of 264 Baraks but they were suspened due to a scam.What happened to this deal later?

    IN was scouting for a new generation CIWS for its INS Vikramaditya.Which system has been shortlisted?

    Is it very much true that INS Kolkata doesnt have any Barak-1 or kashtan.Only AK630 as ciws.What is its complement of LRSAM 64 or 48?

    What airpace survellience radar does it has?AD-STAR , RAWL ?

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  105. Why china and sri-lanka have just signed a strategic pact and india is doing what it does best.

    Great article on regional strategy:

    http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/

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  106. @Prasunda
    Pending your views on my above post. I would also like to hear about what Anon at 2.35pm has raised. Is it true that India's influence on its neighbours like SL,Bangladesh,Bhutan and Nepal are decreasing vis-a-vis China? It would be nice if you could elaborate on the present as well as the future.

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  107. To AK: EMB-145 was a wrong choice as a platform as it is a narrow-body aircraft & has internal volume limitations. A far better platform would have been the Bombardier Global 5000 widebodied platform, whose flight/mission endurance would have been far more. Adding belly-mounted SAR sensor on to an existing AEW & CS platform is an impossibility since this will double the number of on-board operator stations, for which there’s no space within the EMB-145. However, in future, AESA radars capable of scanning both the airspace & ground below will become available & only when this happens will it be possible to mount a single sensor on the platform, while hosting several on-board operator stations & only when this happens will it be possible to consider larger airframes like B.777 or A330-200.
    Instead of drop-tanks, why not go for conformal fuel-tanks? However, it’s too late for Tejas Mk1 to host CFTs or IRST sensors. Pylon-mounted MAWS is a possibility. Only the Astra Mk1 BVRAAM shown during Aero India 2013 is being evaluated. New hangars at HAL’s Ozhar Facility are for depot-level maintenance of Su-30MKIs.

    To Anon@12.14PM: What is certain is that IAC-2 will have CATOBAR & a nuclear propulsion system, since EMALS requires huge amounts of power supply within an extremely short timeframe. Naval FGFA is very much in the running.

    To VIKRAM GUHA: Incremental block upgrades are always a distinct possibility. However, the battlefields to be faced by armoured vehicles of the IDF-Army & IA are totally different. The former is for the most part concerned with operations over urbanised areas or built-up terrain, while the latter operates mostly over agricultural farmland & unpopulated desert terrain. Consequently, the threat perceptions & hit survivability imperatives are totally different, as are the respective combined arms tactics designed to counter infantry-launched anti-armour munitions—both guided & unguided.

    To ABHISHEK DHAR: Who says IA doesn’t possess such munitions? Haven’t you heard of the C-90 LAW from Spain’s Instalaza? They were procured back in 1999 itself. And who says the Javelin procurement effort has gone kaput?

    To SNTATA: 1) VMT. 2) Claims of Pakistan being ahead of India in the field of WMDs are always made by a select group of non-proliferation ayatollahs who are dead-set against the US-India civil nuclear agreement & who want South Asia to be de-nuclearised. Hence their steadfast opposition to the IAEA’s approval for the US-India civil nuclear agreement & consequently, they always, mischievously, blame this agreement as being the cause for Pakistan’s increasing reliance on TNWs for self-defence.

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  108. When will India conduct the second test launch of the Agni V LRBM? The last schedule being bandied about was May 2013 while the first launch was more than one year ago i.e. in April 2012.

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  109. To ABS: Nawaz Sharif has no choice but to make friends with India because even Beijing has been repeatedly pressurising Islamabad to do so since 2000 & as far back as 2009 China had formally asked Pakistan to clarify the legal status of the Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan)--this being a pressure-tactic by China to force Pakistan to unilaterally abrogate the UN resolutions of 1948 & 1949 & consequently concede that Pakistan can no longer afford to have the cake & eat it as well, i.e. Pakistan will have to remain satisfied with retaining Gilgit-Baltistan & Azad Kashmir, while India gets to keep J & K, i.e. the LoC with some alterations becomes the permanent boundary--something that had been informally agreed upon during the 1972 Shimla Summit between India & Pakistan. The key to permanent peace between India & Pakistan therefore lies in Beijing & even the Pakistan Army knows this & has very little choice now but to comply with Beijing's wishes. For, as it is, 140,000 Pakistan Army soldiers have been diverted since 2008 to the western front for the sake of seizing & holding ground from the TTP Talibans in South Waziristan & another 70,000 soldiers are now expected to be redeployed to North Waziristan for the upcoming offensive against the TTP. If you do the math, therefore, the Pakistan Army's eastern front will for the next five years at the very minimum, will be numerically inferior to the Indian Army. Given this kind of force-levels, Pakistan now has no choice but to make at least a temporary peace with India, while the Pakistan Army increases its reliance on sub-kiloton-yield tactical nuclear weapons to ensure conventional deterrence against India's increasing military might. And herein lies the mismatch: India considers nuclear deterrence as a political weapon, while Pakistan defines nuclear deterrence from a purely military perspective--something the rest of the world--especially the US, Russia, UK & France--does not endorse in the post-Cold War era, simply because sub-kiloton-yield tactical nuclear weapons tend to reduce the nuclear threshold. But the most interesting part is that despite this, the Indian Army & the IAF remain ever-confident that a high-intensity limited conventional war fought in side enemy territory remains very much viable under a nuclear overhang & can indeed be won, especially in the war theatres under the IA's Western & Northern Commands in the area between Sialkot & Akhnoor with the help of superior Pivot Corps formations (that have post-2002 been reinforced with the IA's six independent armoured brigades (the so-called IBGs which, when combined with the Pivot Corps, can become two additional operational armoured divisions over & above the 3 already possessed by the IA) that can be mobilised & co9ld-started within 48 hours, while the IA's South-Western & Southern Commands controlling the three huge Armoured Corps can be mobilised within 14 days for deployment in the Thar/Cholistan deserts in the area between Rahimyar Khan & Bahawalpur for the sake of forcing the Pakistan Army to commit its strategic reserves (ARN & ARS) in this area where the IA’s projected Strategic Command will make use of massed fire-assaults with NLOS-BSMs (hence the Prithvi-3 being preferred over the Prahaar) & Smerch-M MBRLs—this being the so-called pro-active strategy. This is what the so-called Cold Start warfighting doctrine is all about in a nutshell in which the actual centre-of-gravity will be the areas west of northern Punjab & Jammu stretching out north all the way to the Lipa & Neelam Valleys--areas where the Pakistan Army will be unable to usesub-kiloton-yield tactical nuclear weapons. This is what has been giving the Pakistan Army & its GHQ sleepless nights.

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  110. To SUBIR: 2) No. 3) read my above response to ABS. 6) No. 7) No.

    To ARUP: Mini-submarines are not for long-range operations. SDVs are being imported from the US. Barak-2 MR-SAM will be a state-of-the-art CIWS as well.

    To GESSLER: Of course procurements will be affected, because increasing resources will have to be allocated for the upcoming offensive operations to be undertaken against TTP in North Waziristan.

    To TRUTH SEEKER: 1) Of course, why not? Both Ashok Leyland & TATA have several more requirements to fulfil. 2) I can’t speak for others. Suffice to say that SS-3 amphibians are presently required for three domestic clients: IN, IAF & NDMA. Do you reckon only two SS-3s will be able to meet the operational reqmts of all these three clients? Please, an elementary application of common-sense ought to prevail here among the ‘desi’ journalists, don’t you think? 3) SPB definitely does get the attention it deserves in this blog. As an expeditionary marine fighting force, the SPB will emerge only after a decade, since it isn’t easy to train & equip a 15,000-strong force overnight. 60,000 Tavor-21s have already been procured.

    To RAD: It will be extremely interesting to watch the S-300s being decimated by man-in-the-loop PGMs like Delilah. Following this, air-launched PGMs like Spice 2000 can do the mopping-up operations. No ARMs or jammers will be reqd for such taskings. Engagement radars of S-300 family are useless against terrain-hugging targets like attack helicopters & therefore require protection from SHORADS & MANPADS. SOFTNET is an SDR, i.e. software-defined radio. LINK-2 was developed totally indigenously. Only the small-diameter airborne data-links for combat aircraft like Su-30MKI were imported from Israel’s Tadiran Electronics.

    To Anon@10.44AM: How many test-firings of the Barak-1 have taken place over the past decade? Less than 6. Therefore, at least 190 missiles are still intact. So where’s the shortfall? For Vikramaditya, the Barak-2 MR-SAM will be employed.

    To Anon@2.35PM: Because India believes in practicing practical geo-economics & not the kind of mercantile relations that China tends to engage in. Just ask the Myanmarese & Pakistanis exactly how their SMEs have been decimated through Chinese imports. India’s FTA with Sri Lanka, has extended to Colombo the much-needed financial lifeline to the Sri Lankan economy, without which Sri Lanka would never survive.

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  111. What is the full scale operational objective of the proposed strike corps at the LAC? What will be theater of operations? Is the Indian Army going into an offensive mode along the LAC? And given our ambiguous Tibet policy is this way to go? Thank you!

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  112. Prasun Da, after a long time, I am posting on your blog, thanks for update on LCA Mk-3,

    I have found this link:

    http://bengalunderattack.blogspot.in/2013/04/kali-kilo-ampere-linear-injector-tested.html

    Please share your views, is it fact or baloney or a bad joke by the blogger ?

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  113. hi prasun da


    Ref. one of ur commnents...
    "IA procured 60000 tavors"..Can u provide any proof or confirmation..PLs i am not questioning u..but have never come across any such news..
    And reg. IAC 2 aircraft..can the russian s make a catobar N PAKFA....Russian have always STOBAR aircrafts.. Vmt

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  114. I wonder who first deployed TNW, oh it was NATO!!!! If you read the strategic papers published at the time you will know the reason....they are not political...but military doctorine!!! you know the difference i am sure.

    Guess why NATO did it? oh they faced a very large foe....oh they worked too!!! It forced the USSR to think to total war at all times§

    operation parakaram comes to mind :-)

    If you do a little re-search...especially if you read the 'Eating grass book', you will know why they are here to stay. I have the book, there is a whole chapter on it.

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  115. To SANGOS: Theatre of Operations will be the Dolam Plateau between southeastern Sikkim & southwestern Bhutan, plus the plateau immediately north of Sikkim. The IA’s offensive objectives there will be to gain further tactical depth in these two plateaux. While in the former mechanised infantry & armoured warfare operations are possible, in the latter vertical envelopment operations involving heliborne infantry forces can be undertaken. That’s why in both these plateaux there are at least six Chinese ELINT/SIGINT stations deployed in an arc above & around Sikkim from its left all the way to opposite Bum La, plus at least a dozen helicopter drop zones for rapid deployment of PLA Highland Warfare formations. Ambiguous Tibet policy can be articulated & sanctified into a stance that’s agreeable to both China & India ONLY WHEN both countries sit at the negotiating table to draw up a final & comprehensive solution to the LAC issue.

    To PINTU: It isn’t baloney for sure. DRDO & DAE have both been working on directed-energy weapons concepts since the early 1980s, since such weapons will in future replace most of today’s kinetic-energy weapon systems, just as things were in ancient times, as recorded by India’s ancient scriptures. I therefore do hope that in the near future the Govt of India’s MoD establishes a full-fledged University whose only job will be to study all such scriptures in a scientific manner & derive the necessary solutions.

    To Anon@12.49AM: There are plenty of photos showing personnel of Rashtriya Rifles & SF (Para) all armed with Tavor-21s. Then you have the MARCOS & SPB also similarly armed, followed by the CRPF & Assam Rifles & ITBP. Altogether, more than 100,000 Tavor-21s have been imported so far, along with Galils & Negevs. Russian Navy of the future will have up to three nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in CATOBAR configuration & when one has nuclear propulsion, then it always makes sense to go with EMALS as well. Therefore, carrier-based PAK-FA is almost a given today & as far back as MAKS 2007, Sukhoi OKB had told me that carrier-based PAK-GA & FGFA were a certainty, & not just a probability.

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  116. To Anon@2.35AM: As usual you’re missing the woods for the trees. TNWs in the post-Cold War era are frowned upon universally. I had made that very clear in my earlier comment, but predictably you are one of those who always falls prey to the devil that always lurks within the detail. Not only have I read the pulp-fiction called EATING GRASS, but I have also heard all that the book’s author has had to say (see: http://vimeo.com/61307228). The book is nothing but an attempt to cover up the activities of Dr A Q Bhopali Khan & legitimise the PAEC’s role. And for a former military official attached to SPD to state that he relied on declassified US documentation to write his book speaks volumes about his nefarious intent. Lastly, he himself stated 3 days ago that none of the Western governments are willing to buy Pakistan’s arguments in favour of TNWs (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJydvkMz1U&feature=player_embedded). And even if TNWs are used by the Pakistan Army, where exactly will they be used? The only place they could be used (against invading Indian forces deep inside northeast Pakistan) will be in the area that’s too close to the Marala Headworks, which provides the water supplies for Islamabad & Rawalpindi. You want TNWs to be used there? By all means do so, since that would also make these two Pakistani cities unlivable. You’ve obviously failed to realise that the Indian Army has moved on far ahead after OP Parakram (a fact that Brig Feroz H Khan also acknowledges in his TV interview) & consequently, therefore, you’ve yet again forgotten that the devil always lurks within the detail. And if you continue hallucinating in this manner, then the day is not far when the devil will drag your arse all the way up to hell where there won’t be the 72 virgins to greet you, but only me—your worst nightmare. So, kindly stop trolling here as a bastardised anon with immediate effect.

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  117. To PIERRE ZORIN: VMT for such always-welcome endorsements.

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  118. Prasun,

    1) will the FICV be in service by 2020-22?

    2) ^^ in the above, you missed out Garuds as Tavor users as well as the BSF, Greyhonds and Punjab SWAT team ( I'm sure there are many others in inia but these are the users who come to mind and I know for a fact use them). That's another 1-2000 Tavors.

    3) will the SPB count as one of the best marine Expedtionary forces on the global up their with the US and French marines? In terms of training, equipment and capabilities? Not the shitty, second rate marines of the Pakistanis and BD.

    4) why is it that not a SINGLE Indian defence journo has yet to even devote a single A4 article to the SPB. If what you say about them is true then this is a landmark measure by the IN and yet no one seems to care/know!!!!

    5) what exactly is going to happen with this AW-101 business? I've just read that AW are after payment for the next 3 birds that are still in the UK pending delivery. Will India just send back the 3 it has and cancel the deal all together? Or will the IAF end up flying all 12?

    6) when will the N-MRH deal be signed? The winner as not been announc yet meaning the bids haven't been opened meaning commercial negtioans haven't begun meaning we are probably 1 year away from contract signing. What is the hold up with this deal??


    7) when will the deal for 145 M777 be signed?


    8) when will the 3 new tri-service commands (aerospace, cyber and special forces) be raised?



    VMT in advance sir!!

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  119. + correction- that is atleast another 6-7000 X-95s/Tavors in service. The Garuds account for 1-2,000 alone.

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  120. Sir,but there were media reports that javelin plan was shelved due to lack of TOT,then they replaced it with spike.But IA also cancelled that due to single vendor situation.So what's going on now?

    Thanks for clarifying the real situation on the LOC and the real nature of IBG.,till now i thought IA had done nothing on IBG due to lack of SP arty and IBG actually meant dividing the army into 8 IBG formations replacing current corps structure.

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  121. Very many thanks Prasun Da ,I have been following your blog, and learned many things about the scientific advancement in warfare technologies by the ancient India, from your views and also Mr. Ra, To be frank, when there were jingoes went against you regarding BMD,INS Arihant etc. even sometimes I got confused and getting on their shoes, but thankfully decided against that and chose avidly to follow your blog, trying to understand what you try to convey, and learned from you the difference between what is ignorant jingoistic kite flying and essence of embracing the fact, making the solutions and enhancement of knowledge, and I am now fan of the latter,Very many thanks Prasun Da, please keep up the great work, your blog introduces the reader to the Fact and Truth.

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  122. Google this - [PDF] Kissinger,Sachs Ready To Lead India to the Slaughter.Sir, what's your opinion ?

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  123. Can these MiG-29 M/M2 planes if they arrive timely, effectively counter the proposed "No fly zone" over Syria.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10091975/Russia-to-sell-10-MiG-fighter-jets-to-Syria.html

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  124. Prasun,

    I do not trust a lot of desi media for being selective on what they focus and for not giving a broader pictures of security scenarios. Instead, I find your blog more sensible and logical. (Example : The "String of pearls" theory that you explained made me laugh. I mean in a good way)
    I have a few questions here, please excuse me if I sound funny.

    1) Is LCA Tejas really comparable to 4+ generation aircraft? Why cant we increase the LCA rate of production to 20 per year so meet the required numbers soon?
    2) Would not it be better if we buy little used fighter jets and submarines for immediate need so we don't fall short of numbers?
    3) Is ARDE really making an indigenous 120 km range MBRL as mentioned in Pinaka Wikipedia? If so, what are the timelines and will it be comparable to smerch or better?
    3) I wonder if our major indigenous projects like Arihanth, AWACS, LCA, LAH, Aircraft Carriers etc. are being progressed simultaneously and independently or are they subjected to super slow process and need a pause to meet the deadline of another project (Ex: AMCA paused for LCA deadline)
    4) How can one feel safe reading - Enemy incursions, ill Indian military preparation, a truck load of corruption scandles that has no accountability and nobody seems to care in India.

    Thank you

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  125. Is the map showing summer/winter operating areas for ShinMeiwa and 'other amphibians' mean the comparison is with Be-200? What is the black dotted line that appears on all maps?

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  126. Prasun da
    Is the china thread over, I thought that your concluding part of the series (regarding learnings and what needs to be done) was pending
    Dr Saraswat says that drdo is actively working on space based signit or some other intelligence alongwith kill vehicles and also to protect our space assets, can u pl elaborate, exactly what r v talking abt here
    In the last 2-3 threads u have talked about russia/china/india strategic partnership wherein we sort out border issues with china (give them aksai chin and bury the tibet card forever in return for China surrendering claims on arunachal) and take china help for converting loc into border (give all claims on pok) and then bring kazakh oil into our homes passing through Chinese land and then even cooperate with china in afghanistan mgmt, my question is do you really think all this is possible and is all this actually in India's interest ? And where does india/japan/US relationship fit into all this ?

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  127. Hi Prasun, Just like pylon mounted maws can be installed without any modifications ,irst can be installed in the nose section of the centreline drop tank.It wouldnt require any flight testing to validate it.Conformal fuel tanks are always preferable over drop tanks but it would require some airframe modifications and additional flight testing which would further delay opeartional induction.

    Why isnt rectangular wedge shaped intakes being adopted for mk2?Is the decision to continue with circular intakes at the expense of performance aimed at cutting down achieving coa ?

    Regarding IBG,are they composed from elements of various strike and holding corps?Will they have organic air-defense capabilties in the form of MR-SAM,QRSAM ,AAA?SA-6 Kvadrat and OSA-AKM wont be suitable for such vanguard quick reaction strike elements?

    Which artillery platform do these IBGs have?IA is yet to acquire any SP howitzers.

    The various IBG formations are garrisioned very close to Pakistani border for qiuck response times.But doesnt this close deployment make them highly vulnerable of being decimated with pre-emptive strikes,massed fire assults with Ghauri,nasr,Raad,babur and PAF F-16,Mirage 3 ROSE?How does IA take care of this problem? Are IBG elements based in hardened and well camoflagued bunkers.

    Is IA interested in acquiring Barak-8,LR-SAM sam systems based on highly mobile Tatra or tracked chasis for accompanying the IBGs and as air-defense units of the three strike corps.Barak-8 will be able to neutralise most NLOS-BSM,TBM targetting the IBG elements.Im this way TNW armed nlos-bsm threat can be mitigated.Antey S-300V was conceived keeping in mind the threats emanating from tnw armed mbrl,nlos-bsm and Pershing TBM of NATO targetting USSR's massed armoured colums advancing towards NATO territories in the event of an all-out war without crossing of the nuclear threshold.

    IA can procure some battalions of S-300V.It cabn augment Barak-8,LR-SAM.

    Offense is the best defense.The threats of TNW can also be neutralised by the massed destruction of each and every TEL of NLOS-BSM,TBM,lacm something which the coalition practised during the First Gulf war with LANTIRN equipped F-16 and F-15E.

    Attack helicopters like Apache,Mi-35,Rudras can be tasked with scouting the desert,terrain before the advancing IBG and sewarch and destroy missions. Jaguar IS Darin 3 ,Su-30 will be able perform interdiction missions in the rear areas of the battlefield searching for such TELs.

    Man in the loop AGM - Deliah, needs to be acquired in bulk.Deliah will be very much effective in the NW as opposed to in the heights of TAR.
    A Su-30 armed with 6 Deliah alongwith AASM, MBDA Spear,Litening LDP3 will make up for a huge strike platform.

    PHALCON has good internal space.Ground mapping EL/M-2060P cna be easily integrated into this platform.It will convert it into a formidable multi role ISAR platform.

    Who and where will the upgradation of Su-30 be carried out?

    http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-developing-guided-bombs-for-fighter-jets/1123980/

    Exactly which sort of glide PGM is DRDO specifically ARDE dveloping, JSOW or AASM type?Glide bombs tech is very basic stuff not very hifi.Why wasnt such a system developed 4-5 years ago. IS IAF taking a keen interest in this project?

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  128. @Prasunda
    Could you throw some light upon the IA-IAF's plans for launching pre-emptive strikes against the enemy's "Key Points" in a future 1 front or 2 front war scenario?

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  129. To THE LURKER: 1) Unlikely. 2) Absolutely right. 3) Hopefully. 4) SPB evolution & growth prospects were covered in detail in mid-2011 in FORCE magazine. 5) If anything of that sort happens then the MoD can be legally sued in either India or internationally for contract violation. 6) Not this year. 7) Hopefully this year along with that for the CH-47F. 8) Not this year.

    To ABHISHEK DHAR: Nothing of that sort has happened. The Javelin still is the principal contender.

    To PINTU: VMT indeed.

    To Mr.RA 13: The Syrians will require at least 2.5 years to fully master the full capabilities of the MiG-29Ms & MiG-29M2s. On top of that, any no-fly zone will be enforced by AEW & C platforms that will deny the Syrian Air Force the element of tactical surprise & therefore those MiG-29Ms & MiG-29M2s will be sitting ducks while airborne.

    To VAMSHI AL: 1) Yes it is. Production cannot be increased overnight despite all the reqd hardware & raw materials being in place. Raising a pool of skilled & proficient human resource-based workforce is always the most important challenge. 2) No. It would have been far better had the Rafales been imported fully off-the-shelf & their depot-level MRO facilities were indigenously established. That would have saved a lot of money. 3) That project exists only on paper at the moment. 4) They’re all proceeding at super-slow speeds due to only 1 reason: unavailability of sufficient financial resources. What I find astonishing is that so many continue to remain ignorant about this financial crunch & what the Govt of India’s priorities really are. The topmost priority of this UPA govt is to operationalise & streamline the NREGA programme so that it gets recognised worldwide & someone from India’s corridors of power is showered by some sort of prize from either the UN or Nobel Committee by next year before the next general elections. For this to happen, the UPA govt is now on an overdrive & has, for instance, ordered the State Bank of India to create 400 branches in this fiscal year alone in India’s rural areas. Do you know how much this venture is going to cost the taxpayer? Creation of these branches will not only involve the cost of land acquisition, but also construction of building & road infrastructure & the laying of fibre-optic cables by BSNL for network connectivity, since all banking transactions today are conducted electronically. When such mammoth projects are undertaken on a war-footing, where do you think is the spare cash reqd for inking the deals for Rafales, AH-64Ds, A330-200MRTTs, NMRHs, etc etc???

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  130. To VIVEK: Yes, that thread is over & the final part will be uploaded in a new thread. Dr Saraswat was referring to the prospect of using the PDV as a satellite-killer. Yes, I do think Sino-India rapproachment is indeed possible, provided visionary leadership is demonstrated from India’s side. But alas, it is India that has been found to be wanting & is not yet politically prepared to acknowledge its past mistakes & is therefore unable to move on. This is also what most rationale & discerning Indian strategic thinkers believe as well. Do watch this: http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-big-fight/can-india-and-china-ever-be-friends/277853?pfrom=home-lateststories

    Visionary Indian leadership is also very much lacking in other areas as well. In the 1980s, when India got very cozy with the USSR, the latter tried to take undue advantage of India as well. For instance, after the Vizag naval base was built & upgraded in the 1980s with Soviet assistance, Moscow started demanding that its Navy be granted the same kind of access as Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam was at that time. Both Mrs Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi were under enormous pressure to grant such facilities & in the end a compromise was reached under which the Soviet Navy would be granted access to Vizag only in the event of an emergency & obtaining of all diplomatic clearances were waived for such incidents. This obviously enormously pissed off the West. Later, in the early 1990s & mid-1990s in the post-Cold War era, the US unilaterally offered to make use of Indian naval bases in Kochi, Goa & Mumbai on purely a commercial basis (just like the US Navy has been using Singapore’s Changi Naval Base) & also offered to upgrade the shore-based infrastructure of CSL, GSL & MDL so that warships of the US Navy could make port calls for emergency or periodic ship-repairs & also pick up the much-needed perishables & fuel supplies—all at commercial rates. The US at that time too never asked for any status-of-forces agreement since usage of facilities did not tantamount to any permanent stationing of US military personnel on Indian soil. Obviously all this would have greatly benefitted the Indian economy & all those state-owned ports too would have financially benefitted & become profit-generating centres. However, thanks to India’s penchant for some fuzzy & discredited notion of non-alignment, all such well-conceived & well-intentioned business offers were rejected & still continue to be rejected. Similarly, the PLA Navy’s request for using Kochi for replenishment (picking up fuel & perishable supplies) of its anti-piracy task forces deployed off the Horn of Africa has been rejected. I fail to understand why. After all, in which rule-book is it written that one cannot make money out from one’s perceived ‘enemy’?

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  131. To AK: Any piece of electronic kit or structural enhancements like CFTs installed in any corner of an aircraft requires extensive flight-tests. Wedge-shaped air intakes for Tejas Mk2 will delay the aircraft’s service-induction by at least another six years, i.e. to 2025. All data connected with IBGs will be uploaded in a separate thread. S-300V’s technologies are of 1980s vintage compared to what Barak-8 offers. Massive destruction of hostile TELs of NLOS-BSMs is never possible. Even the US could not do so during OP Desert Storm in 1991. Only MALE-UAVs & LUHs are best suited for terrain recce, not attgack helicopters or helicopter gunships. The existing Mi-25s & Mi-35Ps will be better utilised for CSAR missions. Searching for TELs using manned combat aircraft is totally unproductive. Experience has shown that TEL-hunting is done best by SOF personnel. Delilah-type PGMs can be successfully used only when there’s 100% confirmation of a target’s location. A-50I PHALCON is today cramped with mission management hardware & has no spare space whatsoever for other types of mission management systems/sensors. DRDO-developed glide bombs of 100kg, 250kg & 500kg will all make use of the very same Sudarshan LGB kit.

    To ABS: Will do so in a new thread.

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  132. Sir,

    India to deploy 40,000-strong force along China border.
    Every desi newspaper is clamouring nowadays about raising of a dedicated mountain strike corps plus two independent infantry brigades and two independent armour brigades over and above the newly raised mountain divisions.Pls tell what is actually happening and will happen.

    http://idrw.org/?p=22795#more-22795
    Will these glide bombs be as good as Western ones?Where will the terminal IIR or mmW seekers of these glide bombs come from ?

    Dr VK has also said that LRSAM was delayed by 2 years due to some technological problems. What problems were he referring to?Did Barak fail achieve GSQR.

    barak-8 is going to be shipped for INS Kolkata by December of this year.Was Barak tested against sea skimming subsonic and supersonic ashm,ballistic missiles.

    There is a story doing its rounds in various social networking sites that CIA has sinister plans of splitting India into various small independent states by 2015.

    "'CIA plans to split India by 2015'

    Reveals a serving army officer, who is one of the 452 witnesses in the September 29 Malegaon blast case.

    In a shocking revelation, an army officer, one of the 452 witnesses in the September 29 Malegaon blast case, has revealed in his statement that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had a grand design to split India into smaller independent countries by 2015.
    According the statement, the officer had attended one of the meetings held by the Malegaon blast accused on April 12, 2008 at the Ram temple in Bhopal. The officer from the Army Education Corps said that he was shocked by the proceedings.
    He added that an ex-Raw personnel, who was present in the meeting, divulged these sinister plans of splitting the nation, based on a similar operation in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).
    The witness added that the ex-Raw official also revealed that the CIA had managed to penetrate several departments in India. The officer cautioned the witness that the meeting was being observed by the Intelligence Bureau.

    Sinister plans
    The officer met Lt Col Shrikant Purohit in an official dinner at the Officers' Mess of AEC training college and centre in the second week of December 2007 at Deolali. He told Purohit about a plan to take premature retirement to develop his village, and establish an old age home.
    On January 26, 2008, Purohit asked him to come to Faridabad and meet a few people for his project. There he was introduced to Sameer Kulkarni and the other accused in the Malegaon blast case. Then on April 12, 2008, Purohit called him for a meeting at Ram Mandir. He met all the Malegaon accused and another 20 people, along with the ex-Raw officer and the IB source.
    The former RAW officer spoke about the USSR and Purohit spoke about his plans to bring Abhinav Bharat to the fore. Purohit also spoke about Hindu fundamentals and his contacts in Israel and Thailand."
    Is this hoax or true? In 2006 CIA helped an Army Major by the name of Rabinder Singh to escape from India.He was a company mole.

    Oto Melera has developed a 76 mm guided rocket projectile for destroying ashm.Its name is strales dart.Is this round in active service with Shivalik class and other ffg sporting Oto breda 76mm cannon.

    You have worked with Dr Avinash Chander for quite some time in the past and he is a good friend of yours.What he has to say about the ambitious BMD phase 1 and 2? What approach is being taken by ASL scientists with respect to R&D of kill vehicle of PDV. Is it being designed to be a cheap mass produced kill vehicle employing TVC like IAI Arrow 3 offering good performance or the very high tech Raytheon EKV which has been designed from the very outset to offer top notch 99.9% kill probability at the premium of huge per unit costs.

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  133. Prasun,

    That is crazy, I get what you are saying. I wish I could be of any help. The change should be from people of India in electing and demanding accountability from the right people.
    I believe, as long as people choose not to get educated, these problems continue to haunt our nation. When I say education I mean, to figure out what is the right thing to do for ourselves and the society.
    Thank you for your response, I appreciate it. I look forward to stay connected via this blog.

    Al

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  134. Prasun,

    Although India has a $40B defense budget, we are not able to meet immediate military needs, I wonder what would Pakis possibility do with $5B budget and similar or higher corruption levels than India.
    1) Would US stop military aid to pakistan after coalition forces leave Afghanistan?
    2) Will Afganistan be able to defend itself from anti social elements on its soil after US and Nato leaves afganistan? I read somewhere that US is talking to Russia to help Afgan national army.
    3) Will US ever punish Pakistan for the amount of betrayal it did on the name of partnership or is it too late?
    4) Is there a possibility of Baluchistan becoming an independent nation?

    Thank you.



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  135. Sir, Doesnt IA has similar ELINT/SIGINT stations along LAC and in areas where PLA can attack?
    Does Army have any ground based mobile COMINT,SIGINT,ELINT ESM systems and mobile wide band jammers which can jam multi mode X-band radars of strike acs and radars of air ground missiles?Are any such systems deployed?
    Is there any improved variant of the original Barak-1 anti missile missile?
    What type of MMRCA does airforce want-an air-superiotity optimised mutli role ac like Typhoon ,MiG-35 or jack of all trades like Rafale,F-18 Super Hornet.
    Does Rafale posses any better ground strike capabilities than Typhoon.Typhoon is a notch ahead of Rafale in air combat.Its bigger radar allows it to see first,shoot fast.Its 50 sqm wing gives it a good sustained and instantaneous turn rate,it has a higher internal fuel capacity than Rafale which gives it better range,it has better ew systems and has reusable towed decoy,its engines has lower SFC,it has more hardpoints and is able to carry a lot of ordance as its hardpoints are widely spaced unlike Rafale's which are closely packed.

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  136. To SAYAN: No independent infantry or armoured brigades---today they’re known as mechanised infantry brigades equipped with both MBTs & ICVs. MSC will make use of the two already-raised mountain infantry divisions, plus a new artillery division. Do read my earlier comment above regarding glide-bombs. When developing new-generation weapon systems, there are always technological hurdels to be overcome. LR-SAM is no exception. Obviously when it is cleared for service-induction, it means that its effectiveness has already been extensively tested. Regarding sinister plans, there’s no dearth of conspiracy theories & while it is the US today, someone will come up with a Sri Lanka or Nepal tomorrow as being the sponsors of such conspiracies. Such PGMs have not been acquired for the IN’s OTOBreda 76/62 SRGMs. I don’t know from where you got all this, but never have I claimed that I knew Dr Avinash Chander or that I had worked with/for him or that he is a friend of mine. In fact, our paths have never crossed to date.

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  137. To VAMSHI AL: Why should it be crazy? After all, a political coalition that is determined to come back to power at all costs will spare no effort to ensure that it caters to its vital vote-banks or even creates new vote-banks. That’s how the system works in the present-day set-up in which patriotism has only a five-year shelf-life. Had there been a long-term alternative (that India’s Constitution does not provide at the moment), then perhaps it would have been possible to rise above partisan politicking & draw up bipartisan solutions in favour of universal literacy & education, economic consolidation, fiscal prudence, infrastructure development, etc etc. The figure you’ve quoted as being Pakistan’s annual defence spending-level refers to only its declared budget that comes out of the country’s annual budgetary expenditure. What never comes out is the secret funding figure, i.e. the money the Pakistan Army makes every year through its diversified business activities in areas like road transportation charter companies, cement production, foodgrains production, mining, security outsourcing, etc all under the auspices of its Fauji Foundation & all being manned by ex-servicemen only. Try reading the book called MILITARY INC by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa in which the Pakistan Army’s sprawling business activities are all detailed. This is the so-called ‘Deep State’ which no civilian govt in Pakistan has ever tried to integrate with Pakistan’s mainstream economy, nor is this likely to ever happen in the foreseeable future. It is for this reason that there exists in Pakistan two distinct states: the ordinary civilians who are looked down upon by the country’s three armed forces as being unproductive assets; & the other the coterie of ex-servicemen, active servicemen, senior bureaucrats/civil servants & non-state mercenaries belonging to the LeT, JeM & LeJ, all of whom are perceived as being the only productive human resource assets of Pakistan.
    1) US forces will NEVER leave Afghanistan en masse. They will leave behind a force-level of 15,000 personnel located within nine bases spread throughout Afghanistan. Military aid will be provided by the US to both Afghanistan & Pakistan.
    2) Of course. Just because NATO military forces are due to leave Afghanistan doesn’t mean that country will be defenceless. Security provision can always be outsourced to private contractors, just as there are 80,000 such contractors active within Pakistan now.
    3) Such punishments will continue in the form of drone strikes.
    4) It is possible only if the various Baloch tribes/clans unite.

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  138. To LITTLEMASTER: There’s no need for such stations within India along the LAC, since the Indian positions are all on higher ground facing the Tibetan plateaux below. What is reqd & what India has is a network of LORROS-equipped observation stations. The Samyukta battlefield EW system exists. Typhoon still has the older ECR-90 MMR that can’t even come close to the Rafale’s RBE-2 AESA-MMR. Rafale’s Spectra EW suite is still a notch above the EF-2000’s DASS. Today, with the availability of HMDS & agile AAMs, an aircraft's instantaneous & sustained turn rates are irrelevant.

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  139. To Mr.Ra 13: Here's an interesting one for you:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_6HhAXS37M

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  140. Prasun,

    1)So in your opinion the Rafale deal is unlikely to be signed until AFTER the 2014 general elections so we are in for another 12-18+ month wait for this then?

    2) This new banking network in the rurual areas is, though, quite good for the country as a whole it has to be said-in the long run. As growth happens, as these people get wealthier and more economically active having such a network is going to pay dividends and whilst their is pain in the short term- in the long run it is a massiv eplus for the nation- fuck the politics of it all!

    + what you have described is what democracy is- getting that 51% vote. Whilst so many of India's people (voters) remain uneducated and ignorant then it is going to be policies like this that win votes and not the big-scale stuff theat these people can't not see right in front of them.


    In the future as Indians mature, more get educated and Indian polticans mature then we will see more sensible and grown-up election straegies like we see in the West.



    Sucks about the Rafale though- I was really hoping this deal would be signed this year.


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  141. Sir,VMT
    Mobile ELINT,ESM,COMINT,SIGINT systems if placed along the LAC will help the armed forces to monitor opponent's communications.They can jam x band mmr and degrade the ipponent's IMINT cpabilkities.They will provide a 3d picture of the 3d battlefield passively and complement the other active sensors like radars.They will also be able to protect vital assets by jamming rf seekers of pgms.
    Its just a matter of time before EF Typhon gets E Captor aesa radar.The date is probably 2015.Then how will Rafale be able to maiaintain its qualitative edge over Typhoon.Typhoon has a longer endurance,its engines are able to supercruise,it has a bigger radar which will help it to look and shoot first.The Rafale has a shitty small radar.its a well known fact.
    Typhoon can operate seamlessly at 60000ft wheras Rafale is limited to 50000 ft.Typhoon can have a lesser weapons payload at 7.5 t but owing to greater no of well spaced hardfpoints can carry far greater amount of ordnace than Rafale.
    Both SPECTRA and DASS use aesa emitters.How can spectra be a notch ahead of dass.Typhoon has all important end game rf towed decoy which rafale is yet to possess.Rafale's maws apertures fitted onto the tail fin doesnt provide 360 degree coverage whereas typhoon maws has no such limiattions.
    Rafale was unable to takeoff with full weapons payload from Ladakh without using afterburners due to its lower thrust M88.
    Why cant the much needed military equipments be acquired on a war footing?How much revenue does the commercial launch of foreign stellites generate?GoI can invest heavily on renewable sources of electricity.they will nogt only provide employment,is beneficial for the environment and there is no costs of raw materials.Invest once,reap the benefits then .

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  142. Thank you for your response, I hope I’m not asking too many questions. I agree with what you have said, it is very unfortunate that political parties worry about their personal gain at the cost of nation's security. The culprits are none other than voters who never demand accountability and bring these jackasses into power again in India. Maybe, change of central government would promise some light.
    Holycow, I never knew there is something called Fauji Foundation that funds additional money into Pak defense (I wonder if it’s a huge boost in billions of USD, I hope not)
    Doesn't the dumb a** paki army understand that economy is more important than spending every possible penny on defense that in turn pumps up more poverty and less social economic development in their country? Doesn't India have something like Fauji Foundation? I really hope we increase our defense budget in the coming year so we progress on important procurement.
    I managed to get a pdf version of Military Inc. by Ayesha Siddiqa, I will surely read it in my spare time. I'm glad to know US would have a minimal force level in Afgan after 2014 whatsoever. An independent and stable democratic Afghanistan would be a visual treat.
    When Paki civil government has no say or ctrl, who do US deal with when it comes to WOT? I guess US does not have a choice but continue to aid Pakistan. At this pace of self-destruction, isn’t there is a high probability that Pakistan will turn into a complete lawless country and may ends up initiating a nuclear war against India someday.
    I wonder if NREGA program (costs USD $73 billion – has too many corruption allegations) would have a good return on investment to Indian economy, I am not sure if country needs more SBI branches than better road transport system that in turn attract foreign direct investment into India and increase domestic purchasing power.

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  143. Prasun Da ,

    Why can't TATRA trucks be purchased directly from the Czech Republic ? I have noticed whenever the UK is involved there is some sort of wrong doing that always takes place .

    The UK has historically hated INDIA . Take a look at IPL . BBC , Daily Mail etc never reported about the IPL as if there is no such event . BUT once the fixing scandal broke out IPL is all over the British news .

    Thanks,
    Vikram

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  144. @Prasunda
    I read an interesting point being raised by one of the fellow bloggers, regarding the IA's defensive measures against possible launch of TNWs.
    In all probability these TNWs, if at all, would be launched against the Strike Corps. As strike corps are very large and unwieldy, the option of using brigade sized elements from these corps having adequate field and rocket artillery and air support would be the way to go. TNWs using NLOS-BSMs for mobile and maneuvering formations on the ground would find it very difficult to strike with pin point accuracy.And the job is made even more difficult if small brigade sized elements are used. What are your views?

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  145. @VIKRAM GUHA

    // The UK has historically hated INDIA .//

    historically, UK has supported Pakistan on Kashmir issue,but this support is not reported in "FREE" Indian media,but anything Russia does with Pakistan is reported,guess why? Hint: the word "FREE" media.And this support is not officially claimed by UK.If they come out into open with this, they are pretty sure to loose a big business opportunity, and might loose influence in Asia.China doesn't give a fuck to these britards, but you can see our fucks lining up to kiss the boots of the bitch what they call as "QUEEN".

    They are still with their colonial mentality,but it is clouded by a skillful diplomatic talk by their ever skilled politicians, the Russians and Chinese lack this.The fact is that even after so many years after independence, these colonials hold awful lot of influence in the region, most of the Pakistani politicians are heavily influenced by UK. Lately there was report published by a think tank from UK,it was mentioned that as India continues to grow, the interest of UK and India will be at opposite ends, that is,when India starts to expand its ambitions, it will be not something which the British would like to see it happen.This was bound to happen.This is exactly why the British are ever more welcoming of Indian students into their universities, not only will it earn them much need cash flow into economy,but will help keep indirect influence in India when the men/women graduated from British universities occupy influential positions in big corporations or in govt institutions.These men and women will have soft corner to the nations where they were educated, and this is how the British are investing into future.Of course, the talent of Indian students is also another dimension.

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  146. @Prasunda
    As a reminder,lest you forget in your busy schedule, you have the following lists of new threads that you have promised so far
    1)Pro-Active strategy
    2)Lessons learnt and what more needs to be done
    3)F-INSAS
    4)IAF's future network centric warfare plans involving the Rafale
    and how its interfaced with the ASTROIDS.
    5)The neutralising effects that having a Mini AEW&CS strike package has on hostile AEW&CS
    6)Swathi WLR
    Please post the first 2 as soon as possible while keeping in mind that the last few have been promised by you several times since the past 1 year :).

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  147. Prasun,

    I have just an article in Janes where the British author reckons the whole AW-101 fiasco WILL affect the IN's plans to purchase N-MRH and N-LUH and delay both indefeintily as the Def Min rethinks the purchases and holds back on committing itself. Is there any trith to this?

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  148. Cautious ,

    Are you referring this:

    http://thediplomat.com/2013/06/02/indias-quiet-big-naval-splash/

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  149. Hi Prasun, Barak-8 and S-300VM are different classes of missiles.The analogues of S-300VM 9M82M sam would be PAD,PDV whereas barak-8 is in the class of PAC-3MSE,Aster 30. They occupy different niches.

    AH-64 Apaches and Rudras can be enaged in offensive sweeps of the forward terrain in advance of the IBGs and strike corp elements.They can be employed in hunt and destroy missions against TELs whereas ISTAR will be provided with UAVs.

    It is not possible to destroy 100% Nlos-bsm,tbm, tels but carrying out a well coordinated air strike against them can wipe out 70% of their strength. Standoff PGM like AASM,IAI MSOW,Spice 1000,2000 alongwith Deliah,Harpy and Harop drones will be very useful in neutralising these HVTs. Upto date imagery of the contact and rear battlefield can be provided by IAI Techsar,EEL/M-2060P pod equipped high flying Su-30mki.

    Continuos fighter sweeps must be carried out over the advancing IBG elements.Su-30 equipped with R-77 will prove to be useful in detecting and intercepting Raad and Babur LACM. Raytheon ALHTK can be integrated with Su-30,Mirage 2000.A payload of 2 ALHTK PAC-3 can be used to intercept incoming NLOS-BSM,TBM in their terminal phase.Targetting cues about such launches cxan be provided by GSAT-7 staellite .This info can be used to cue Phalcon EL/M-2075 AWACS in that paerticlarsector.Targetting info will be passed over to ALHTK Su-30 interceptors via datalink which can then effect the shot.

    IBG must consist of mobile COMINT,ELINT systems. They can be used to detect hostile NLOS-BSM,LACM TEL and their fire control centres as the TELs will be communcating with the command and control centre via radio and satcom.

    ARDE Sudarsan LGB kit consits of only a gimballed laser seeker and tail mounted guidance fins.It doesnt have any swept back wings for range extension. Isnt any IIR,MMW seekers being developed for Sudarsan series?

    As per present plans if rafale deal gets signed by Oct-Nov,when will the first rafale start arriving?When will local production at HAL commence?is MoD still sticking to its previous plans of importing only 18 rafales off the shelf and license assembling rest of them when IAF is facing a dare shortage of acs,delay in Tejas induction process.This problem will further get complcated once the Mig-27M starts getting decommisioned.

    MiG-27M squadrons based at Hasimara and Kalaikunda are to convert to Su-30 from this July as per previous plans. Is this plan still being adhered to?

    From now on there will be 40 Tejas flights per month so that the present induction time table is adhered to. it seems DRDO is definitely on an overdrive.What is the best compromise soln available between the current intakes and wedge shaped ones keeping in mind timely delivery as well as respectable high altitude performance.

    Vendor selections of mission sensors and avionics of Tejas mk2 were to be completed by October as per the latest plans.Is it on track.What compnents hve been finalised so far?

    Will the follow on Phalcons be ordered this year?

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  150. Prasun da
    Just to add on to the list published by abs, you have promised a thread on SPB also :-)

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  151. AOther promised threads-
    Army field artillery modernisation.recent developements that has taken place

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  152. Hi Prasun ,

    Am posting after a hiatus ;)

    A bit off topic but nonetheless related to security .

    I have noticed that the fertility rate in West Bengal is very low ( at par with SOuth India). In other words the local people reproduce very little . However, West Bengal is one of the most densely populated state in India . As you are aware of the Bengali middle class long left the state ( coz of economic reasons) . So is this huge rise in population due to the illegal entry of lakhs of Muslims from Bangladesh ?

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  153. Sir, A few queries.

    1.What will the newly raised independent artillery divison consist of?

    2.Will C-17 globemaster have dircm or ir jammer and flir turet like C-130J?

    3.Once you are saying T-90M has Kanchan composite armour.Again you are saying no.Which to believe?

    4.Dr VK has repeatedly said that BMD phase 2 will be completed by 2016.But AD-1,2 are nowhere in sight.Why did he amke such outrageous and far fetched claims?

    5.He said BMD phase 1 will be opeartionally deployed by 2014 in NCR and Mumbai. Did MoD issue any directives to such effect?What did he meant by this?

    6.Dr Chander in an interview to The hindu disclosed there will be land,air and sea launched variants of cruise missile.By cruise missile he must have meant Nirbhay.So, indeed there will be a tel launched version for Army.

    7.In your indigenous BMD thread youb said that so far most AAD and PAD intercepts were unsuccessful and the target Prithvi was blowed out of the sky with onboard explosives. Is this is really true?Doesnt MoD review the results of these tests.? Were all previous DRDO claims regarding successful intercepts blatant lies aimed at pleasing ignorant public like us.

    8.Whats the minimum reaction time of airforce interceptors placed on scramble duty?Is there any such ultra high alert scramble duties wherein the pilot sits in the ac cockpit and just waits for the intercept order to cut down response times.

    9.Has Shri AK Antony allowed 49 percent diinvestment in defense sector?

    10.There are reports that DRDO has invented a Januman radar absorbent coating.On which acs will theyu be applied.Previously there were reports of a RAM coating for Jaguar DARINN2 which reduced RCS by 80 percent.

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  154. To THE LURKER: I’m afraid you still haven’t grasped what I was trying to explain about the banking sector of India. The bank branches in rural areas are meant only for those who have been issued UID cards & need to withdraw their money from the bank accounts & these amounts are only just enough for subsistence living standards & do not contain any disposable income-levels. There’s therefore no question of any of these UID card-holders becoming wealthier. Consequently, these 400 SBI branches in rural areas will serve to only perpetuate a state of subsistence living that is dependent on other forms of subsidies. And NREGA is just one such project. There are several others, all of which are draining the economy every day. And talking of banks, ever wonder why all the govt-owned bank branches are always chaotic, disrespectful & crowded? That’s because they’re all suffering from chronic workforce shortages, since any apprentice or trainee who joins such a bank leaves the bank after a year to join a private-sector bank where again they’re taught only to fulfil their sales/marketing targets at any cost, even if it means donkeys out of the usually gullible public. For instance, HDFC Life’s young-punk promoters always try to sell insurance policies offering 12% annual interest rate, when in reality they can offer no more than 3.5%, same as what LIC offers. I myself have so far saved at least three elderly citizens of India from being hoodwinked by these young punks by going straight to the regional HQ of HDFC Life & confronting the Regional Manager with an EXCEL spreadsheet of the insurance plan & asking him to prove to me how he can derive a 12% figure. Needless to say, he was totally lost & admitted defeat. This is what’s going on a daily basis within India. The only way out of this malaise is banking sector consolidation under which mergers & acquisitions will have to be forced on a war-footing so that mega-banks can emerge & these institutions will then have enough money for expanding their branch networks & paying decent salaries to their staff so that staff poaching does not take place. The other lingering problem is BSNL’s acute liquidity crunch & its consequent inability to lay fibre-optic cable networks—something which will cripple the armed forces’ secure telecommunications networks that were launched with much fanfare in the previous decade, but are yet to be completed. The lapses are indeed most shocking.

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  155. To LITTLEMASTER: Mobile ELINT/SIGINT/COMINT systems are always deployed whenever forces on the opposite side are conducting exercises. For such purposes, static stations are not reqd since jamming never takes place in peacetime nor are most such exercises conducted close to the LAC. EF-2000 with weapons load CANNOT supercruise. All talk of such aircraft supercruising is total NONSENSE & baseless. Bigger or smaller radar antennae doesn’t make any difference in an era when airborne battle management will be done by AEW & CS platforms. Rafale scores above the EF-2000 in low-level interdiction & for high-level escort-and-sweep missions, the Su-30MKI always scores over the EF-2000. Spectra EW suite coupled with RBE-2 AESA-MMR offers several interesting NCTR options. Rafale will also have underwing hardpoint-mounted MAWS. None of the M-MRCA contenders were able to takeoff from Ladakh with full weapons-load. Read up all what I’ve explained above to THE LURKER regarding spending priorities.

    To VAMSHI AI: VMT.

    To VIKRAM GUHA: The corporate HQ of both Czech & Slovak components of TATRA are located in the UK. That was never a problem nor was Ravi Rishi to be blamed. The only bastards who need to be crucified are the management of BEML & the successive Secretaries for Defence Production & Supplies, who failed to take corrective measures against BEML. UK never hated India, but has always been envious of the erstwhile Jewel in the Crown. IPL to me was always an India Pathetic League & a circus, period. There’s a saying which goes like this: for as long as people want to be & are willing to be taken for a ride, they will be taken for a ride. This applies especially to India in a generic manner. Consider this: had the MoD & IAF in the early 1980s taken up BAE Systems’ offer to co-develop a fly-by-wire version of the Jaguar IS interdictor/strike aircraft with HAL, then the country today would have possessed enough expertise & knowledge-base reqd for perfecting the FBW-FCS of the Tejas Mk1 at least a decade ago. Yet, no one today questions this or asks why was the MoD & IAF so myopic then. Which country should then be blamed? The UK or India?

    To ABS: But where exactly will such TNWs be launched? Inside India or inside Pakistan? If launched inside Indian territory then there will be a massive counter-strike & if launched inside Pakistani soil then there will be a proportionate Indian response. Either way Pakistani becomes the bigger nett loser. And from where did Nos4 & 5 spring up? I’m extremely busy at the moment as I’m gearing up to commence flight-tests & route-proving flights of an An-38-100 (belonging to my company) equipped with a CMC Easterline-built enhanced night-vision system throughout the North East in the coming weeks.

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  156. To CAUTIOUS: There will be no after-effects nor any delays in either the NMRH or N-LUH projects due to the on-going AW-101 fiasco. They are totally unrelated.

    To AK: PDV in its final form will be generations ahead of S-300VM or V-2500. Harpy is an anti-radar drone & cannot be used against TELs for TBMs or BLOS-BSMs. Same goes for Harop, since its warhead-section is meant for use against only personnel-based targets, not hardware-based targets. None of the sensors you’ve mentioned can pinpoint the locations of land-mobile TELs. Only boots-on-the-ground can provide such precise target coordinates. Ra’ad & Babur can’t be intercepted by BVRAAMs launched from Su-30MKI or MiG-29UPG.

    To AKHIL SURI: No, not the Bangladeshis, but the workers from Nepal, Jharkhand & to some extent Bihar. Just roam the streets of Kolkata & other cities & you’ll realise this. Most of the hospitality & housekeeping staff in hotels in Andhra Pradesh & further down south today hail from WB & Odisha.

    To SUBIR: 1) Answered long time ago. 2) No. 3) NO applies to AMAP. You ought to frame your questions properly. Data on T-90S+ was posted a long time ago & if you’ve already read my previous answers then why are you asking the same question again & again? 4) Phases of BMD refer to demonstration project phases, & not deployment phases. I made that clear several times. 5) He never said that. What he said that Phase-1 will be ready for deployment IF the Govt of India desires it. There’s a huge difference. Only ‘desi’ journalists have put words into poor Dr V K Saraswat’s mouth & have misquoted him. 6) Let’s wait & see. Nirbhay isn’t the only cruise missile to be or being developed by DRDO. Plus, the BrahMos is there & so is the Prithvi-3. 7. Again you’re misquoting me. Never have I stated that Prithvis were blown with on-board explosives. Previously you had made similar allegations about me claiming that the MiG-29K had Virgilius & ELT-568, when I had cleared the situation a long time ago (see: http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2011/04/aspjs-developed-for-tejas-mk1-mig-29upg.html). You need to read matters carefully before making allegations. If not, this will get you into serious trouble one day. 9) Of course not. He still hasn’t read the writing on the wall, poor sod! 10) I had uploaded data on this RAM way back last February in my Aero India 2013 show reports.

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  157. Hi Prasun Da,
    Have any info regarding the sudden demise of H.J.Baba in France in Air Accident, especially from GOI point of view? Cause of the accident? Any other Indians who had lost life due to US agency even if the above said case may/ may not be due to them?

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  158. Prasun,

    Am I right to think then that the Rafale/MMRCA will NOT be signed until after the general elections in 2014 reading what you have written above?


    If so I am utterly utterly devastated.

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  159. Everything one ever wanted to know about Area 51, including detailed floor-plans, various highly classified R & D programmes of extra-terrestrial origin, stargates, time-travel, is all available here & I highly recommend it for viewing:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poOUxR_HW0U

    Below is the weblink showing extra-terrestrial symbologies that were obtained from a crashed UFO In Arizona in 1953:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnSGE_plJVM

    To LOST SOUL: Not completely right. Innovative payment schemes for renegotiated delivery tranches are now being worked out. I would definitely not be as pessimistic as you seem to be.

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  160. Prasun sir,

    SO what does this mean? WIll the deal be signed this calender year and either way when can we expect the very first IAF Rafale to touch down in India? 2015?2016?2017? later?

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  161. Sir, Sorry for the allegations.VMT for the answers.

    1.Dr Avinash Chander has recently disclosed that Delhi will get BMD defense by year end.As DG of DRDO nadnchief national security advisor there must be some substance in his words.

    2.Has GOi issued the directive for deploying any such BMD?

    3.Previously you have reported that a 3rd of the Mi-17v5 fleet will get DIRCM.Then again you quoted there are no such plans.Fotunately you have cleared this a long time ago.

    4.What are the presnt delivery schemes of Rafale MMRCA?Will only 18 acs imported off the shelf.

    5.I clearly remember you saying that the interceptors has missed its mark again and again.Thats why the decision was taken to switch to IIR seekers.Then how did the target missiles were blown out of the sky? And ww=hen you asked this question to the then R&D controller,Dr Chander he gave you a big affirmative smile.I am not by any way trying to undermine you or misquoting you.Dont take it personally.

    6.Dr Saraswat had himself claimed about deployment of BMD phase 1 and completion of phase 2 by 2016.View this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=002n1VvNaI4

    7.I asked you about Virgilus on MiG-29K coz you have said many a times previously that Mig-29upg has the same Virgilus jammer as on the Mig-29k.

    8.Is the Kanchan composite armour an integral part of the T-90M base armour or are they applied as add-on blocks,panels?If you have come across any photo of manufactured T-90 being shipped out of HVF Avadi by rail,you will find the tanks under-equipped,under protected.

    9.What type of aeropace company you have?Previously I had thought yourcompany is enagged in MRO and ac selling.Why do you need to take those flights yourself.Afterall you are the company CEO.

    10.I wonder if defense ministry and airforce hq staff could think like you.It would be a great thing if like you,airforce equipps its upgraded AN-32 nad especially those opearting in the north east with EVS and flir sensors.

    11.I have massive respect for you.At least you try to educate ignorant public klike us on defense matters while the rest of the desi media is gung ho with their own agendas and cover only select topics.

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  162. Sir,
    EF Typhoon also has the advantage of AEW&C.But when operated in a standalone manner,Typhoon is superior in air combat due to a much better radar with higher output power.
    What exactly is non-cooperative target tracking?How does Rafale score over Typhoon in high level escorts and air sweep missions with a shorter ranged radar.In BVR combat the aircraft which is able to look first can shoot first and escape first.Typhoon's bigger Captor radar provides with huge standoff ground mapping,sar ranges.RBE2 lags in this respect.How come Rafale is superior in interdictor missions?Rafale M88 provides less thrust albeit having same SFC as Eurojet.News was there that IAF will go for 20000 lb uprated M-88 for each and every of its Rafale.

    Do you agree that Rafale is unable to judiciuosly explot its large weapons payload due to porr hardpoint distribution. Though Rafale has not been designed for high altitude flying,if any such need arose it will be unable to do so due to its fixed air intakes.
    Typhoon maws and other defensive suite comes a s a complete package whereas for Rafale extra pylon mounted maws are needed as well as towed decoy launchers which will consume up a hardpoint.
    Does IAF wants jamming towed decoy for its Rafales.
    The combined might of the four partner nations of EADS will have provided enough offsets contracts than Dassault,Scenma,thales could have.
    Have been hearing about sukhoi upgrade since 2011.Is this program on track?When can the first batch of 50 upgraded acs be expected for delivery?
    The mobile ELINT,COMINT,SIGINT systems inventory of army only consists of indigenous drdo developed Samuykta or are there also systems from Elta.
    Besides boost and post boost phase tracking of ballistic missiles,is Gsat-7 IR,UV sensors technologically advanced to track the missile during its midphase like the US Sibris group of early warning satellites.

    Thanx in advance.

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  163. Lots of thanx for providing the amazing link.Whereas we are sturggling with LCA , The Americans have reverse-engineered extra terrestrial space crafts,mastered electro gravitic propulsion tech,gathered tissue samples from ETs, employed greys,discovered naturally occuring stargates.Just unbelievable.

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  164. Sir now there are reports that now instead of 2014 tejas will only be battle ready bu end 2015.How long can this be acceptable.

    Also when will winner for the arty tenders be chosen,its unthinkable our artillery is naked and MOD doing nothing to speed things up?Not even 145 light howitzer deal cleared.

    Thanks.

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  165. PrasunDa ,

    Yes you are correct , the correct word is Envy and not Hate as I said.However, the line that separates envy from hate is pretty slim. You are also correct that the Brits considered India as the Jewel In the Crown , and this is precisely why they hate India , because they hold India responsible for the complete breakdown of the British Empire .

    Take the '98 Pokhran tests . The US may be justified in saying that we imposed sanctions on India because that's what US laws says . But why did the UK impose sanctions on India, they had no such laws ? Russia & France didn't .

    Just to clarify PrasunDa that I completely agree with your entire assessment just throwing in my 2 cents .

    Thanks & Regards,
    Vikram

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  166. @ Anon - 3:27 PM

    I agree with your observations. You probably have noticed that most of our high flying journalists from the "Free Media" have a British education.

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  167. @Prasunda
    I think everyone knows Pakistan's TNW sabre rattling is a pure baloney and therefore I doubt the application of such in the battlefield. However the IA should look for creating enough deterrents by means of deployment patterns or pre-emptive strikes to make the Pakistanis go bankrupt by pushing the benchmark for them higher and higher. For starters break the Strike corps into brigade sized elements having enough air and artillery support and integral armoured and mechanised elements.
    1)In light of the above, what do you reckon is the mobility of the IA's strike corps? it has to be lightning quick if its to finish its objectives within 14 days.
    2)I was pondering over the air superiority that the IAF would enjoy over the PLAAF, and came to understand that due to the advent of new air bases with longer runways and introduction of A2A refuellers along with CFTs, the Air-superiority matrix would change. In light of the above how is the IAF planning to maintain its air superiority vis-a-vis PLAAF? Given the importance of tactical and deep interdiction, the IAF has to achieve and enjoy air superiority throughout the tactical battlespace, that could well extend to 250-300km within the TAR.
    3)How vulnerable do you think IA/IAF's network would be to Chinese cyber attacks?
    India has also started acquiring nascent space assets, there could be a risk to India's sats from Chinese ASATs and laser weapons. what are your views/
    4) the nos. 4 & 5 sprung up none other than from your fingers :P. The evidence of which could be found if one visits the comments section of the thread on Rafale and Super Sukhois :)
    5)I wish you all the very luck in your noble and ambitious endeavour :)

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  168. hI prasun
    Reports in the idrw say that the brakes have to be cooled by compressed air before taxing back, i feel this is crazy as we all have seen that when they come back after a sortie nobody goes to the brakes to cool them with compressed air!
    fuel gauge problems! as though the reporter was a test pilot! and the radar dome EM probs? again a case of yellow journalism?.
    A respected retired diplomat officer parthasarathy says we had to dismantle our bunkers and structures before the chinese pulled back , so in fact it was a
    climb down by us? please explain

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  169. Sir,
    Delhi to get missile defence ring next year. DC. When successive DRDO Directors are repeatedly saying BMD phase 1 consisting of PAV,AAD will be deployed in Delhi by year end,then something is really happening.Perhaps CCS ahs cleared such a deployment and procurement of associated hardware might be taking place.

    Will the indigenous airborne early warning and control aircraft be ready by next year that it can be inducted into IAF?

    IAF to get BrahMos by year-end. By year end will the flight trials of Brahmos air launched version get completed?“Two Su-30MKI aircraft will be equipped with the missiles, which will enable them to hit targets on the ground accurately,” Pillai said. But the original plan called for equipping 50 Sukhoi as Brahmos carriers.

    Brahmos was initially designed as an ashm. It has a semi penetrating warhead optimised against ship hulls and super stuctures and not land targets.Is the warhead of Brahmos LACM redesigned for land attack purpose?

    Is ADA , HAL conducting 40 test flights of Tejas mk1 per month for quickening the CoA and subequent IOC and FOC processes? Tejas's brakes doesnt have to be cooled by compressed air each time it lands.This is certainly desi media stuff. But ADA was having problems with Tejas radome.This radome didnt allow Elta 2032 radar to be utilised to its full potential. Consequqently ADA asked for a new radome design of the same dimensions to replace the older one. Whats the progress on this front. ?Will the radar and radome problem be solved by year end. The radar iss the primary mission sensor of an aircraft.


    What are the various cluster bombs and PGM in service with IAF currently besides the recently acquired CBU-105 SFW ?Belouga cluster bombs were acquired as part of jaguar and Mirage 2000 deals. Are these still in service? What is its succesor in IAF service?Does IAF possess any Russian origin cluster bombs for su30,MiG-27?Is Russian origin sensor fuzed muntion in IAF service?

    Sorry,I was mistaken.Pardon me.

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  170. Hi Prasun ,

    (1) Is it true that the Indian AF tested the Star Streak MANPAD and found it to be not good enough ?

    (2) Did India ever purchase any batter of the S 300 . According to RIA Novosti , India is one of the operators and they have highlighted it in this picture

    http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20130514/181146715/5-Questions-on-Russian-S-300-Missile-Complex-Sales-to-Syria.html

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  171. To understand where and how TNW will be used and why Pak wants then, just read:

    This is NATO report 2012 wrt europe.

    http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB1103.pdf

    There are still hundreds of TNW still deployed by NATO in central europe.

    Here is a part of the foreward to the paper:

    The West abandoned any hope of matching Warsaw Pact conventional forces man for man or tank for tank, and instead placed nuclear weapons in Europe, many of them directly in front of the assumed
    axes of Soviet advance where they would assuredly be overrun or employed. This warned the Soviets, in effect, that if Europe were invaded, the choice to use
    nuclear arms would be forced upon NATO by the successes of the Red Army. Western commanders, faced
    with imminent defeat, would fire their tactical arms in desperation at advancing Soviet units, commit the whole matter to God, and retreat with as much order
    and bravery as they could muster while hoping either that the Soviet offensive would collapse or that the United States and its allies could force a cease-fire be
    fore things spiraled completely out of control.

    This was a terrifying but ffective strategy. As we now know, the Soviet High Command wrestled with
    this dilemma, since taking a Europe in ashes defeated the whole point of invasion in the first place. They worked out their own plans for first-use of tactical
    nuclear arms, for massive use of tactical arms, and for nuclear retaliation. All of the options led to the same dead end of escalation, strategic retaliation, and catastrophe. Combat along the Central Front probably
    would have decayed into a nuclear war sooner rather than later, with unimaginable consequences.

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  172. Prasun da
    Avinash chander has 2 days back outlined a big list of systems that he wants to complete n deliver, list includes long range SAMs and cruise missiles for every platform, multiple and manoeuvrable re-entry warheads, induction of agni 4 & 5, tejas, BMD, MRSAM, Astra, AMCA, UCAV, solar powered Hale UAV, precision warheads, quick reaction SAMs etc
    Do you think he is thinking and speaking too much too soon, how much of this is practical and what timelines, if any.

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  173. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  174. To KSINGH: Have already replied to that above. One doesn’t need to worry about contracts not yet inked, but worry more about those that have already been inked & are getting nowhere. For instance, the Scorpene SSK. BACANTIA’s consultancy contract with MDL, which had called for assistance in fabricating the rear-section of all six Scorpenes, expired in mid-March this year & has yet to be renewed. Until that happens, the backside of Scorpenes will not be complete. Gurther complicating matters is the Union MoF’s reluctance to withdraw all kinds of import & service taxes on ALL hardware that MDL has had to import from DCNS & THALES & consequently, all these hardware are still rotting away at Nhava Sheva Port since Customs duties haven’t yet been paid by MDL. The MoD continues to ask the Union MoF for such tax waivers but all this will ultimately result in delayed delivery schedules & rising project costs. So, you see now how bad the MoD is being mis-managed? Therefore, there’s no other option now but to undertake yet another service-life extension of the Type 877EKM Kilo-class SSKs. Originally, these SSKs were certified for usage in tropical waters for only 20 years but the Ruskies have since come up with a two-phase life extension plan under which those Kilos that have already completed 20 years of service will be upgraded for 10 years under phase-1 & for another 10 years in phase-2. It is these Kilos (that have already been upgraded in phase-1 & are next slated for the phase-2 upgrade) that are most likely to be armed with vertically-launched BrahMos-1 supersonic ASCMs.

    To SUBIR: 1) If you think that’s the gospel truth then just wait for another 6 months & if it does not materialise, then feel free to sue Dr Avinash Chander in a court of law for lying to you. 2) Never. 3) All Mi-17V-5s have hardpoints behind the engine compartment for accommodating DIRCMs built in either Russia or Ukraine. Inly a third of the fleet that’s exposed to frontline flying will be fitted with such self-protection systems. 4) Still under negotiations. 5) How the target missiles were destructed after the intercedption misses remains az big mystery. It is also possible that they fell harmlessly into the sea. NEVER havi I ever stated anywhere that I had ever spoken to Dr Chander. Do not fabricate such statements out of thin air. 6) If you think that’s the gospel truth then just wait for another 6 months & if it does not materialise, then feel free to sue Dr V K Saraswat in a court of law for lying to you. 7) Where exactly did I say that MiG-29 had Virgilius??? Show me the link, date & time of any such posting. 8) Can any composite laminate armour ever be applied as add-on blocks? Please so some homewsork on this subjectfor a change. 9) My company undertakes both MRO & airframe upgrade activities. Company CEOs need to be hands-on. If they were to be confined behind desks, then their companies will all end up like the BRO.

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  175. To LITTLEDMASTER: NCTR mode of operations is the ultimate in stealthy flight missions. And who exactly has confirmed that the RBE-2 has lesser range than ECR-90 or Captor-E? The Rafale’s fully-loaded configuration was shown at Aero India 2013 it it has far more hardpoints underwing than the EF-2000. Large standoff ground-mapping or GMTI capabilities will be the easiest way for the enemy to be alerted through passive surveillance systems. One could argue in equal measure that the placement of EF-2000’s DASS on the wingtips contributes to uncecessary drag. Obtaining industrial offsets from a single consortium located in a single country is far better than trying to obtain the same from a consortiuk spread among four nations.

    To Anon@11.04AM: VMT. I’m glad you’ve spotted the obvious & reached the correct conclusions.

    To ABHISHEK DHAR: Have already explained it all before several times. Tejas Mk1 WILL NOT become fully operational till 2016 at the very best. TACDE requires time to fully come to grips with the aircraft before writing its operational manuals & until this process is complete, no Tejas Mk1 squadron can ever be declared operational.

    To VIKRAM GUHA: Only the US declared & enforced an embargo against India after May 1998. The UK never imposed any sanctions against India.

    To ABS: They’ve already gone bankrupt & are begging for survival all around. Strike Corps formations cannot be broken into piecemeal detachments like Brigade-sized IBGs. Were that to happen, they would all be totally ineffective. The only way forward is the forward stockpiling of hardware in secure underground warehouses within 200km of the bordersin a bid to further bring down the mobilisation periods. In TAR, the PLAAF will always remain constrained & none of its combat aircraft would be able to take off from any airport or air base close to the LAC with any kind of appreciable weapons-load. The networks of India’s armed forces are of the closed-loop type & this extends to even tactical internets on the battlefield. Therefore, they’re invulnerable to cyber-attacks unless & until someone physically INSIDE the network uploads malicious software. ASAT weapons do pose a serious threat to India’s future & existing space-based assets.

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  176. To RAD: Carbon-carbon brakes of the type founf on the Tejas don’t require any such cooling. Obviously the report was malicious in nature. There never was any bunker at Chumur. Just a structure made of wood & tin temporarily housing a LORROS system. So, there never was any climbdown.

    To SAYAN: ) If you think that’s the gospel truth then just wait for another 6 months & if it does not materialise, then feel free to sue the DRDO in a court of law for lying to you. EMB-145I AEW & CS won’t be ready until 2016 at the earliest. Flight qualification of any PGM takes at least two years to reach completion. The laws of physics cannot be bent for any mortal human being. Any HE-F warhead can be equally effective against maritime and land targets. Adfter all, the spans of a bridge can hardly be reinforced with armour. Radomes can easily be imported within a year.

    To DEFENSE& AEROSPACE: 1) Not true. 2) NEVER.

    To Anon@5.37PM: The implementation of START & CFE treaties have effectively put an end to all those Cold War-era OP-PLANs. In South Asia, the scenario is totally different & that’s why it is Pakistan that is finding it incredibly difficult to explain its rationale for possessing TNWs—this being admitted by Brig (ret’d) Feroz H Khan himself.

    To VIVEK: Intentions may indeed be honourable, but it is the achieved capabilities & milestones that will always remain the final determing factor of one’s success or failure. So, let’s wait & see what happens over the next 6 months & wish him all the very best.

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  177. Sir, As part of 145 BAE M777 howitzer ,will Army procure BAE Standard guided projectile shells which have a range of 82 km & can hit moving targets?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA_CQLAtCrs

    What are the various special shells included in M777 deal?

    A mobile truck mounted M777.Limaws is avialable.It is C-130 transportable.It is ideal for rapid power projection.Is the army interested in it

    OFB jabalpur has developed 45 cal FH77B.Were they succesful in developing APU,gun carriage assembly,automatic shell loading system which permits burst fire capability.3 rounds in under 3 secs.

    After the initial 117 FH7745 how many more are to be contracted?The initial FH77 will they come with apu,loading crane as the initial Bofors?

    How many Bofors from the initial 480 FH77B are currently opeartional?isnt BAE systems providing spares support of these 480 howitzers?

    Which foreign company provides 155 mm cargo shells for Bofors cannon?is OFB Bolinger having the required machinery abse to produce cargo rounds?

    During the late 1990s has the IA imported around 900 2nd hand M146 130mm howitzers from Eastern bloc nations.Bofors induction wasnt the last artillery induction till now.

    Is BAE systems FH77BOL52 in the race for towed artillery competition of the field artillery rationalisation programme?

    Is IAF and IA AAC considering BAE systems APKWS ,similar laser guided 70 mm rockets for Rudra

    Drdo developed composite armour for helicopter armouring purposes. is this armour accepted by AAC and IAF and is it in service with Dhruv and Mi-17

    I ahave asked a lot of questions.Pls try to ans them.
    VMT in advance.

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  178. Sir,

    1.Interesting comparisions thread posted on dec 7,2012.
    Anon asked at December 8, 2012 at 2:18 PM
    Sir,
    1. MAWS will be fitted in-country on .......
    7. Won't there be any maws in MiG-29K ? What internal jammer it uses ?

    Your reply was:To Anon@2.18PM: 1) No. The RMAF Su-30MKM was a first-generation fit whereas the MAWS capitalizes on newer technological solutions, starting with the Super Su-30MKI. 2) MAWS has been specified by IAF for Tejas Mk2 & Rafale. 3) MAWS installation is in the pylon’s aft section & it does not mean that the sensors will look only at the rear. Sensor positioning will ensure full hemispheric coverage. 4) Yes. 5) More than 48. 6) Had already explained this way before. 7) No. MiG-29K uses ELT-68.

    2.in this thread you have said IAF has specified MILDS-F MAWS for Rafale instead of DDM-NG.

    3.Pardon me sir.You have stated much more no of times about Virgilius in MiG-29UPG and a few times in K. Ofcourse it was some typing mistake.To err is human.

    4.I told that you have previously cleared all confusions regarding IR jammer on Mi-17v5.

    5.Doesnt MoF have the accumen or foresight that if the imported hardware from DCNS rots and fails to meet QC then a new set will have to be ordered which only trhe finance ministry has to bear.

    6.Is IN seriously considering phase 2 life extension of all Kilo class SSKs? Is this a confirmed plan?Are you sure it will not end up like Sea King,,Ka-28,Tu-142 Sea Dragon deep upgrades?

    7.Add on composite armour blocks are presnt on Leopard 2 as AMAP and is offered by IMI .

    8.Is Army constructing underground bunkers for its forward strike elements and IBG assets?

    9.DRDO has released official footage of the 2nd PAD intercept.It wasnt a miss.

    10.Whats the use in developing PDV type missiles which are for 2000-5000 km class ballistic missiles if GoI hasnt issued any such directives and if there isnt any opeartional need of it?

    11.Has the level 4 depot level MRO for Su-30 come up at HAL Nashik?

    12.What is your company's name. I have searched for your company's website.i discovered a Trishul aerospace company based in America.It also dealt with MRO.But all its managers and CEO were Americans.I couldnt find any mention of you.Then i thought it must be the wrong site.

    13.Is your company based in India?Why are you closely associated with the aerospace companies of singapore,Malaysia?

    14.Your company has many Mi-17v5 and An-38.Do you rent them for transportation purposes?

    15.Regarding rafale deal what delivery schedule IAF wants?is it still going for 18 ac off the shelf delivery and 14 acs produced per annum?

    16.I am grateful to you for answering.without your ans i would have been in dark on thos matters.

    17.Does major IAF bases have IR sensors for perimeter survellience?Are IAF bases well protected against PNS Mehran type attacks?

    18.IAF airbase at Panagarh is nothing more than an air-strip.How can the C-130J be based there?

    19.Has IAF taken heed to your advice on stopping all fighter ac flights from airbases without incomplete earthworks for preventing FOD damage.

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  179. Prasun,
    Whats the name of your company. Is it registered in India because there are no Civilan regd AN-38 in India.

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  180. To ARUNM: 1) Nope. Only OFB-produced rounds will be used. 2) No truck-mounted version of LW-155 is being considered by IA. 3) Obviously. That was done way back in 2008. 4) 114, not 117. 5) 410, not 480. 6) OFB supplies the 155mm cargo rounds. For all other queries, answers were provided a long time ago.

    To SUBIR: 1 & 3) For the record, there is no such system in existence as ELT-68. Only ELT-568 exists & therefore I don’t know from where you got the ELT-68 from. 2) Yup, that’s right. 5) Your expectations from the Union MoF are far too high. 6) There’s no other choice, is there? 7) Add-on composite armour block is totally different from composite laminate armour. 9) No official data was released on any of the intercepts conducted so far. Such data is definitely not available on the DRDO’s websites containing its official press-releases. 10) There are always technology demonstrators meant for development. The Abhay FICV too was developed. But has it been accepted for service-induction? Several hundfreds of such technology demonstration systems have been developed since the mid-1980s, but less than 1/10th of them have been accepted for use by the armed forces. 11) Already answered that far too many times. 12) Already answered that several times before. 13) Of course not. 14) Of course. 15) All that’s still being worked out. 17) Already answered that several times before. 18) C-130J-30s don’t need anything more than that. 19) We will know the next time the IAF releases photos of its next air base commissioning ceremony. But going by past experience, neither the MoD nor the IAF will learn such lessons that fast.

    To Anon@3.49AM: Why should a company be India-registered in order to fly within Indian airspace or operate on a sustained basis within Indian airspace? Even an India-registered aviation company can fly foreign-registered aircraft within India for six months non-stop. Most of the business jets owned by Indian businessmen are all US-registered.

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  181. Sanity has dawned at last (read:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cabinet-okays-nonbinding-conciliation-with-vodafone/article4782153.ece?homepage=true). Hopefully this will undo all the damage that was done by the present-day Union Minister for Finance's predecessor--one of the worst Union Finance Ministers India has ever had since the 1980s.

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  182. Sir, Can be a little more elaborative on NCTR?I googled it but came up with only radar MASINT.
    Bigger ranges doesnt automatically convert to detection with passive sensors.RBE2AA uses LPI technolgies in air to air modes.After 1 or 2 years this feature will also be included in air to ground and active jamming modes.Passive survellience sensors will then be rendered useless.
    If a good standoff sar range was not that important APG-81 wouldnt have a 100 km plus sub metric imaging capabilty.
    With similar transmit receive packing efficiency and almost same power output the radar with an bigger aperture will ahve a longer range and it will dominate over the smaller ina BVR confrontation.Although E-CAPTOR has lesser area than ECR-90 still it is 15-16 percent larger than RBE2 which results in a considerable difference in range.
    If you look at other contemporary acs you will find Rafale has the least volumnious and least radome cross-sectional area of the lot.It is only 550 mm.Typhoon has a 700 mm dia like MiG-29 & 35. JAS-39 Gripen has a spacious radome,nose .As a result it is able to house a 1000+ element aesa. Rafale has a 800+ aesa.
    Rafale blogspot itself admits the very small radar of Rafale which is a serious shortcoming and limits growth path.If Rafale had a larger nose it could have a WFoV mechanical repositioner.
    Rafale has a 4 underwing hardpoints inclusive of the wingtip rail launcher.Typhoonn also has the same.Rafale has only 3 fuselage hardpoints.Another hardpoint is there which is for Damocles LDP. Typhoon has 5 fuselage hardpoints.Typhoon can carry a heavier load of AAM with a single drop tank compared to Rafale.Rafale's 9.5t payload is a marketing gimick and not of much practical use.Rafale can carry a max of 4 storm shadows.Typhoon 5.

    Typhoon's wingtip mounted DASS creates drag but still it can achieve Mach 2.0 .Rafale unlike Mirage 2000 is limited to 1.8.Isnt our Rafales be having uptrated M88 specified by IAF,French ones will not be having these M88.
    Typhoon has the all-important towed radar decoy.the present Ariel is a rf one but after an infrared towed decoy is already under developement.
    EADS can churn out 30 Typhoon eac year.Dassault can produce only 11.It will be a hindurance to faster delivery.
    Is the mro facilties under construction in HAL Ozar for depot level maintainance .Is the sukhoi upgrade program on track?

    A Vela class sub was able to remain in service for 40 years with just one refit and life extension.The 1st Sindhugosh class sub underwent refit in 1999.10 years has already passed.It is up for its 2nd life-extension. Are any negotiations currently taking place btween Navy officials and Sevmash?

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  183. @Prasunda
    1)Please throw some light on how the IA would take on PLA EW assets and the significance of the terrain in fielding of such assets? In this light, could you tell us of the present and future acquisitions?
    The Chinese having built Elint/comint/sigint stations are in a very comfortable position I reckon.
    2)http://idrw.org/?p=22939
    Kindly do a brief comparison of India's Pro-Active Strategy and Pakistan's new warfighting strategy.

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  184. I find the state of the scorpene project intriguing.

    You mentioned that the MOF has not waived duties, which has led to delays, which now requires an upgrade for the Kilo class subs.

    Could this be just some sort of wink wink between certain lobbies to push through another foreign defence deal and please some middlemen and the russians?.

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  185. Sir,What are the various cluster bombs and PGM in service with IAF currently besides the recently acquired CBU-105 SFW ?Belouga cluster bombs were acquired as part of jaguar and Mirage 2000 deals. Are these still in service? What is its succesor in IAF service?Does IAF possess any Russian origin cluster bombs for su30,MiG-27?Is Russian origin sensor fuzed muntion in IAF service?

    Countering cold start: Pak Military to adopt new war concept. What is this new PA army doctrine.What are its implications for us? Pakistan already has internal lines of communication and can mobilise troops with 48 hrs. How quick will the mobilisation take place under this new plans?

    Why isnt GoI sanctioning a bmd shield for NCR and Mumbai?It will serve as an effective deterrent to Pakistan's first use policy and will raise the stakes even higher.

    What is the approach taken by ADA to solve the radome problem?As IAI Elta is supplying the radar,it can be asked for the radome assembly.After the radome arrives how long is it going to take to validate radar performance?

    Is there differences in the active radar seeker of Brahmos ashm and lacm?

    Do you have any idea as to what will be the target missile for the upcoming PDV launch. Will it be again launched from Wheeler island just 20 km away from the interceptor.

    If OFB Bolinger manufactures cargo rounds,why doesnt OFB official site lists cargo rounds as one of the products? These cargo rounds are license produced versions of which foreign rounds?

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  186. You Said " damage that was done by the present-day Union Minister for Finance's predecessor--one of the worst Union Finance Ministers India has ever had since the 1980s"

    P Chidambaram is the present day Minister of Finance. His predecessor is PM MM Singh, whose predecessor is Pranab Mukherjee, our president. So are you referring to MM Singh or Pranab Mukherjee? MM Singh is considered to be a good finance minister, who "saved" India from economic collapse. Pranab Mukherjee has been a finance minister a couple of times. So whom do you refer to as the worst finance minister of India since 1980s? and Why?

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  187. ir, VMT.

    1.You have made a typing mistake there.It should have been ELT-568.Its a closed matter now.

    2.Why will IAF specify MILDS-F instead of DDM-NG? It can be that besides DDM-NG apertures on the tail fin milds-f mwas will be pylon mounted for 360 degree protection.

    3.If the contract with BACANTIA hasnt been renewed how will the rear sections be fabricated?French ambasador has claimed that the first Scorpene will be launched in 2014.The first must have been completed.With launch he obviously referred to launch in wet dock for fitting out purposes.

    4.There isnt a single hangar in Panagarh airbase.The brand new C-130J will be exposed to the elements.There were hangars for all C-130J in Hindon.

    5. A third of Mi-17v5 will get DIRCM or IR jammers?Which one?

    6.Isnt the Mi-17v1 assigned to frontline duties equipped with KT-03UE jammer?Isnt KT-03UE a brand new jammer?

    7.In have a very basic question.If IR jammers were indeed able to decoy 3rd and 4th gen FPA IIR sseker, why did DIRCM come to the market?Maybe IR jammer like KT-03 is only effective against 1st and 2nd gen and not against modern Mistral or similar MANPADs.

    8.many fellow bloggers have asked your Company's name.You havent answered them.

    9.Is your company based in India?

    10.As your company deals with MRO can you pls tell how are corroded aircraft particularly fighter ac parts repaired?How are perforated aircraft skins repaired?Foe cars the perfoarted area is filled with puddinga nd polished.And for expensive ones,that whole body part is changed?

    11.Does your company provide any MRO related services to IA AAC, IAF ,IN?

    12.Why isnt IA interested in such long range guided projectiles?They are force multipliers.A single round can do the work of many more rounds.

    13.What special 76 mm Oto melera rounds does Navy use?

    14.Have heard that Dassault had plans for an improved Rafale variant for the export market which will have higher thrust engines,bigger radome for housing a big aesa,improved spectra with additional features,improved OSF,new Damocles LDP,etc.Is this some rumour or a fact?The most radical changes are a bigger nose and use og GaN TR modules instead of GaA ones.

    15.Ruaf will induct PAK-FA from 2016 onwards.PAK-FA hasnt completed its AAM and AGM trials yet.it wont be completed by 2016.How will this be achieved?

    16.IAF can induct some PAK-FA with the initial Item-117 engines for drafting operatn manuals and getting familiar with 5th gen crafts so that when it is inducted in 2020, no more time has to be spent on these tasks.

    17.After nearly a decade in service why isnt there any block upgrades in tme mission sensors of batch 2 Talwar class frigate.Why does batch 2 have the exact spec fregat radar,sonars,etc.

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  188. A small thing.This you havnt answered any time. PLAAF J-10B indeed has an AESA radar.

    http://globalmilitaryreview.blogspot.in/2011/05/chinese-j-10b-fighter-jet-with-aesa.html

    http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/asian-skies/assets_c/2012/01/China's%20AESA%20Radar-thumb-560x345-149951.jpg

    Although this radar is still in developement it is a pretty big radar.Bigger than RBE2. Chinese state media has been claiming it has a 1200 TR count.Although various Thales officials have claimed that RBE2 has around 1000 TR elements but visual counting reveals just 840 elements.

    And as you have previously stated countless times that no radar OEM ever discloses the no of TR elements but i am talking about the various infos about these radars in defense sites and from various forum discussions.

    RBE2 although technologically superior than this J-10B aesa lags behind in ranges considerably.I am talking about absolute radar ranges for making comparison beteen these two radars and in BVR effectiveness of these two acs.In a standalone combat withou awacs coverage J-10B will be able to detect and track first.
    Although standalone air combats are rare but still it can happen. Remeber during Vietnam war all USAF planners though that the age of the dogfighter and cannons was over but they were ultimately proved wrong.

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  189. To LITTLEMASTER: Except for the OEMs, no one can say for sure how many T/R modules any AESA-MMR has. It’s all too speculative, as is the case for larger radar apertures & proportionally larger detection/tracking ranges. NCTR modes of operation put an end to such debates at least a decade ago. You’re also wrong about the number of wing-mounted hardpoints for Rafale. Check the various photos of the Rafale shown at Aero India 2013 with different payloads for conclusive proof. Towed-decoy options for Rafale very much exist as well. Series-production levels depend very much on the order backlog. Therefore one cannot compare the Rafale’s annual production rate with that of EF-2000. Once Dassault receives similar quantitative orders, production can always be ramped up.

    To ABS: 1) PLA’s ground-deployed EW assets include RF jammers as well as aerosol-based dispensers that are now being used in the on-going Divisional-level exercises now underway in the Chengdu MR opposite AP. Therefore, in terms of challenges posed to battlefield surveillance sensors for ISTAR, the challenges are growing & the only way to counter them is to procure real-time battlespace surveillance platforms like Bombardier 5000s fitted with SAR sensors & ELINT suites. Existing Chinese ELINT/SIGINT stations are typically positioned along hilltops & these stations also have enough space to house long-range airspace surveillance radars.
    2) The Azm-e-Nau series of AirLand exercises conclusively proves my earlier points about the false sense of security that anyone in Pakistan can dream of after the possession of WMDs of any type. For, the fact remains the WMDs cannot be a panacea for all shortcomings. Each and every type of power has its own strengths, weaknesses & shortcomings. Therefore, possession of WMDs cannot fill the voids created by shortcomings in conventional warfighting capabilities, shortcomings in economic security, shortcomings in food security, or shortcomings in energy security. That’s the main reason why the Pakistan Army has no choice but to try keeping up with the IA’s conventional warfighting postures & try to match India’s conventional force-levels.

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  190. To Anon@5.15PM: Nothing of that sort. On the contrary, it’s all about options & the only option on the table right now (for the sake of retaining existing force-levels) is to commence the phase-2 upgrades for the Type 877EKM Kilo-class SSKs.

    To SAYAN: First cluster-bombs to be bought by the IAF were the ones built by Cardoen Industries of Chile. These munitions were subsequently reverse-engineered by OFB & series-produced. Belouga came much much later. No Russia-origin cluster munitions have been procured. Troop mobilization in Pakistan can take 48 hours, but force deployment will take at least 96 hours, despite Pakistan’s elongated geography. No BMD shield in India can be labeled as being Pakistan-specific & therefore deployment of such a shield will only lead to a cost-prohibitive WMD-related arms race between China & India in which India will surely become the nett loser. ADA has no choice but to import the radomes for the first 40 Tejas Mk1 MRCA & IAI/ELTA ought to be the logical supplier, since the EL/M-2032 MMR too is from IAI/ELTA. The Granit JSC-built SGH SAR seeker is the same for all BrahNos-1 versions. Only the target recognition algorithms are different.

    To Anon@11.15PM: Undoubtedly I was referring to Pranab Mukherjee.

    To SUBIR: 5) Unitary KT-03UE IR jammers. DIRCMs are not reqd for Mi-17V-5. 7) DIRCMs are reqd only for those platforms that require a distributed jammer architecture, like commercial/transport aircraft & heavylift helicopters like the CH-47. 8) Answers were given in 2009 & again in 2011. 9) Answers were given in 2009 & again in 2011. 10) Read up some magazines on aircraft MRO for answers. 11. Answers were given in 2009 & again in 2011. 12) The time is not yet ripe for acquiring such PGMs. 13) Which navy? 14) Such plans always exist on paper & can be implemented if a customer so wishes. 15) There will be different block upgrades for T-50 PAK-FA, just like the Su-30MKI programme. 16) That will be cost-prohibitive exercise from a logistics support standpoint. 17) Block upgrades mostly concern the mission software, even though the hardware stays the same. Lastly, no AESA-MMR has IFF dipoles mounted on the antenna-array. That photo you’ve referred to is an experimental PESA-MMR. Laws of physics just can’t be changed according to any blogger’s whims & fancies.

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  191. This is getting even more interesting: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ue_pfUJWoo4/Ua7mi5XISvI/AAAAAAAANPU/PtOqCfWn5yA/s1600/0206_Page_03.jpg

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  192. Sir,Thanx a lot for the detailed answers.

    1.Has IAF asked for any such upgrades like better uprated engines,bigger nose for larger radar,etc

    2.Navy meant our navy,IN.Does it use special oto ammo like Vulcan rounds?

    3.I havd searched a lot for KT-03UE jammer.I havent found nothing.What is am only finding is Adros KT-01AV from Ukraine.

    4.Are some An-32 havinh IR jammers.

    5.Regarading the IN ammunition,it is for which weapon system?

    6.Are negotiations going on regarding phase 2 upgrade of Kilo class SSK?I would have been in the dark regarding this hadnt you provided such data.

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  193. Hi Prasun Da! Why HAL and not ADA was allowed to work on FGFA with Russians? It would have gained tremendous experience for AMCA. HAL playing tug of war is waste of taxpayer money. HAL is like a dhobi ka kutta..... Thanks.

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  194. Hi Prasun da


    Rehinmettal air defence is just a subsidy of Rehinmettal..RAD has been blacklisted, then why MOD is blocking Rehinmettal...If these continues, then No foriegn vendor will be left at the end and net loser will be india..

    Horrible to see how the present defence minister and also indian s longest..is developing cold feet even in small issues..The entire decision making process in UPA is paralyzed today..see the economy .so bad

    And also defence minister s plan to indeginize...http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130605/DEFREG03/306050030/India-s-Move-Expand-Local-Firms-Role-Defense-Falters..


    If this article is true, then why is the MOD opposing FDI..knowing that without it nothing will happen.Also seems the QRSAM tender is is fray even india and France have moved on with maitri....

    Prasun da your thoughts reg. this and slso the QRSAM tender.what are best systems available tpday..VMt

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  195. @Prasunda
    1)Very many thanks, however I was hoping you could throw some light on the IA's ground based EW elements. The IAF already has got good assets as far as EW is concerned.
    2)Also during Azm-e-Nau 3, I had read a CLAWS article that without going into much details had predicted that the PA has no answer to IA's pro active strategy and has seized to be a conventional threat. Whats your assessment of PA's new warfighting strategy? Some reports claimed it to be a joint combined arms kind of military campaign.
    3) Could you throw some light on how the IN's CBGs differ from that of the US CBGs as far as offensive power projection is concerned?

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  196. To SUBIR: 1) It is logical to assume that if the IAF wants the Rafale to be subjected to two successive mid-life upgrades throughout its 40-year service life, then such enhancements are very much possible in future. 2) No. 3) Can’t help you there. 4) No. Only countermeasures dispensers. 5) Google it out. 6) Yes.

    To AJ: To set the record straight, it should have been HAL that ought to have designed & developed the Tejas MRCA from the very outset, with ADA only becoming the project director. Failure to ensure such an arrangement was the most cardinal mistake to be made by the MoD in the 1980s. The second biggest mistake was the failure to take up BAE Systems’ offer of co-developing with HAL the fly-by-wire version of the Jaguar IS interdictor/strike aircraft. Has these two mistakes been avoided, then the Tejas Mk1 would easily have entered service by 2008 itself.

    To Anon@11.55AM: This is the same as blacklisting the entire DENEL Group for a mistake committed by only one division of the group in 2005. History is thus repeating itself. When it comes to structural reforms, there are many other issues that the MoD is resisting or does not have the gumption to introduce. For the QR-SAM tender, only two companies—RAFAEL and DIEHL—can technically qualify, since only these two companies have developed E-SHORADS systems capable of engaging targets at & beyond 30km.

    To ABS: 1) As for IA’s ground-based EW elements, do read up my earlier explanation at:

    http://trishulgroup.blogspot.in/2009/02/project-samyukta-detailed.html

    2) That’s true, since Pakistan’s elongated geography offers virtually no alternative. In addition, the PA suffers from an acute lack of tactical & strategic ISTAR capabilities, while its attack helicopter assets are too small in number & are engaged full-time in counter-insurgency operations. Lastly, the combination of India’s real-time ISTAR assets (airborne & space-based) & IRNSS satellite constellation will at last enable the IA to introduce in large numbers PGMs capable of influencing both the contact & deep battles single-handedly without relying on the IAF, such as the Prithvi-3 & BrahMos-1. The Prithvi-3 will be an extremely potent NLOS-BSM capable of engaging targets between 40km & 600km & will be an extremely versatile NLOS-BSM with an appreciable warhead. That’s why the IA is nor in favour of the Prahaar as of now.
    3) IN’s CBG is like a task-force when compared to the CBGs of the USN.

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  197. this is interesting:

    http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2013/06/03/taliban-seen-waltzing-in-tehran/

    Pak seem to have convinced iran!

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  198. Azm-e-Nau, exercises varied in their objectives. They have been evolving. They highlighted the limitation of some of pak forces concepts.

    Pak forces as a whole have made a decision not to compete with india wrt conventional equipment (they cannot PERIOD).



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  199. Sir,Thanx for answering.
    How much of flight testing will be required to validate a larger nose and radome for a larger radar for Rafale?
    Besides the lenghty mandatory vetting procedure of all security personnel invloved with MMRCA project is the incorporation of a larger nose with greater cross sectional area for the latter batches creating this delay?
    Can it expected of RBE2AA to produce ultra high resolution SAR images at 100+ km distance like APG-81?
    What is the NCTR capabilties of E-Captor and BARS radar?

    Can you pls provide the link of Aeroindia rafale pics.I have googled it but can find aeroindia seminar videos and aero india Rafale flying displays.I am nowhere getting Rafale models with various payload configurations.What is the max no of AAM that can be carried by Rafale with a single drop tank?What is the max no of meteors?
    Typhoon can carry a max of 12 aam with 8 Meteors.
    Will the Indian Rafales be having uprated M88 from the very beginning?I have read in a Fox e-magazine that Rafale has the lowest IR signature of contemporary fighter acs including Raptor.M88 has dual cooling channels.
    In many interviews Rafale pilots have disclosed that they can supercruise with a single drop tank and 4 Micas.
    Is the IAF interested in active towed decoy for Rafales?Rafale and Typhoon both has a similar internal fuel payload of 4.5 ton.But inspite of this why is Typhoon having a greter combat radius?
    HAL is gearing up for a production rate of just 14 acs per annum.Isnt this inadequate considering the retirement of Mig-27M and MiG-21M by 2017 and the various problems plaguing LCA project.

    For QR-SAM requirment IAF wants a 25 km range missile.Rafael Python has 16 km range and Derby 20 km.Only diehl and Russian Vityaz will be able to qualify.

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  200. Sir,
    1.Prithvi-3 is more of TBM than NLOS-BSM.Although it has a solid fuelled first stage ,the 2nd stage is liquid fuelled.The 2nd stage needs to refuelled prior to launch as with other liquid fuelled missiles. This possess some logistical challenges.

    2.A Prthvi battery will have a propellant vehicles and fuel loading vehicles.Prthvi-3 has a larger opeartional footprint and can be easily detected due to the huge convoy of vehicles associated witha Prithvi battery.On the other hand Prahaar is a solide fuelled wooden round requiring no maintainence for 10 years.It has a very low opeartional ffotprint.

    3.6 Praharrs can be packed per TEL comapared to just one for Prthvi-3.

    4.Prahaar will be able to carry sensor fuzed munitions warhead,cluster munitions,IAI Extra projectile.Prthvi-3 was designed for the Navy with a HE warhead.

    5.How exactly will IA benefit with the launch of IRNSS satellites.GPS coordinates can be obtained from Russian GLONASS network.

    6.When will the phase 2 life extension contract be signed with Sevmash shipyard?Has IN already decided upon the upgrade package of Kilo class?

    7.In a 2011 thread on PLA new warfighting strategy with massed fire assults being its major element you highlighted the importance of Prahaar NLOS-BSM.

    8.At last i was able to find KT-03UT jammer.Its not a Russian product as you said long ago.Its from Ukraine's Adron.It is the successor of KT-01AVE and was displayed from the very 1st time at MAKS 2011.

    9.http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/search?updated-max=2013-02-11T02:44:00%2B05:30&max-results=7
    The 14th picture from the top of your aero india part-1 thread shows a cmd dispenser system that DARE has integrated with An-32. pls note that this system also has a n IR jammer similar to KT-01AVE.
    If IAF AN-32B are fitted with the DARE MSWS nad CMD dispenser thenvIR jammer will automatically be there.

    10.When DARE has done R&D work on this,it is at the direction of IAF for fulfilling such a requirement.So,IAF must have plans for fitting out thses systems along witrh MSWS on upgraded AN-32RE which are tasked with air maintainence duties and has to fly to frontline.

    11.Besides Samyutka isnt there Israeli elta ESM,Elint and sigint systems in service with IA.

    12.How are things going on the Tejas front.DRDO is trying hard to bring the program to schedule.

    13.Isnt Prahaar better than Prthvi in the context that it has a data patterns developed active radar seeker for terminal guidance whereas Prthvi-3 continues to have INS.BNo terminal honig.Prthvi-3 is old school.Prahaar is new school.

    14.Mk54 air launched torpedos have been bought for IN P-8I Poseidons.Are Raytheon Fish Hawk kits which enables torpedo release from a relatively high altitude and standoff range part of this deal?

    15.I was watching a clip on GE turboshafts for Blak Hawk and Apache block 3.US high altitude helicoper flying refers to flying above just 6000ft ASL.Whereas IAF Mi-17 and AAC Dhruv and Cheetah are routinely operating above 15000 ft ASL.

    16.After IRNSS becomes opeartional cant US orogin standoff weapons like JSOW be procured which also relies on satellite updates.Cant JSOW be tweaked to receive updates from IRNSS?For accessing US military grade GPS nav info CISMOA has to be inked which is unacceptable.

    17.If NDA comes to power will things change for a better for the defense establishment?

    18.How many Fh-77b are currently operational now?

    19.Lastly were you brought up outside India in an island off the coast of France in Atlantic ocean?

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