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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Aero India 2015 Show Report-1

Let us begin on a lighter note, before proceeding to more serious and horrifying matters. Firstly, take a look below at the booth of Italy’s Finmeccanica Group. For reasons unknown to me, this aerospace OEM was allowed to participate in the expo, but was either not allowed to exhibit its products and services, except for its wall-posters, or its exhibits were all rendered invisible by some novel cloaking technologies that were being showcased at the expo!
Which brings us to an incredulous demonstration of creative advertising—surprisingly from a Ministry of Defence-owned defence public-sector undertaking like Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). This is a classic case of either creativity going ballistic, or acute myopia. While one would have expected such advertisements (published in all show dailies that were distributed at the expo) to portray India-designed/built platforms like the Arjun Mk1 MBT, Project 17 FFG or Project 15A DDG, and the Tejas Mk1 LCA, in reality BEL appears to be trying to claim that its products are on board the General Dynamics Land Systems-built M-1A2 Abrams, and Lockheed Martin Littoral Combat Ship and F-16 Fighting Falcon MRCA!
Now, take a look below at the pathetic exhibitor booth of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Although Aero India 2015 was meant to be an aerospace expo, this did not prevent OEMs like the Kalyani Group from publishing advertisements in the show dailies about its Bharat-52 towed 155mm/52-calibre howitzer.
Now, read below what the MoD-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has to say about future supplies of all types of 155mm howitzers to the Indian Army in the years to come. 
Now to the horrifying revelations emanating from the expo, which will be uploaded in the following threads. 

99 comments:

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Replies to queries from the previous thread:

To PRAV: You make it sound as if installing a rejigged self-protection suite is like replacing the perfume-bottle atop the dashboard of a car! Firstly, it takes up to 2 years to come up with a design configuration & another 200 hours of flight-tests for design/installation validation. On the Tejas Mk1, the airframe design is already frozen & no more changes are possible. The DARE-developed internal EW suite is being flight-tested on a Tejas Mk1 PV-series aircraft AFTER some of the avionics LRUs had been removed to cater to internal space/volume reqmts. Therefore, it is being flight-tested in a standalone mode & not in a mode where it has been integrated with all other mission avionics. Secondly, if one wants to replace the R-118 with the EMI-shielded DR-118 SPU, then one will have to cater to the increased cooling, weight & power-supply reqmts of the DR-118. Which in turn means extensive internal re-wiring & re-piping leading all the way to the heat-exchanger. All this in turn will call for a redesign of the internal bulkheads.

Bottomline: there are no quick-fix drop-in installation solutions for such integrated suites. Rule-of-the-thumb is always to first develop all the sub-systems & then undertake airframe design—a fundamental rule that was violated during the Tejas Mk1’s developmental process. The risks can be minimised if an existing, proven & certified suite is selected, because that will entail only 40 hours of flight-tests. But if a brand-new suite is selected, this calls for a minimum of 200 hours of flight-tests. One needs to be a licenced aeronautical engineer (specialising in the A & E domains) to fully grasp the enormity of R & D challenges—which most bloggers can’t comprehend & hence their oversimplified & convoluted arguments tinged with jingoism.

To PILOT & UNKNOWN: The question that needs to be asked is: why are Bidar-based Hawk Mk132 AJTs reqd to fly all the way to Kalaikunda AFS in West Bengal for air-to-ground gunnery practice? Why can’t a 2,000-acre plot of land be procured in an area near Bidar itself for such purposes? Securinhg answers to these questions will go a long way in preventing future peacetime attrition losses of Hawk Mk132s.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: Of course Pakistan & Kashmir are geographically inseparable as they are contiguous land areas. What’s new about that? Now let me tell you what’s new: not even China has raised any objections to India’s recent statements regarding counter-terror strategies & claims on Gilgit-Baltistan. In fact, the day is not far when the Pakistan Army will be required to raise an additional 6 infantry divisions just to cope with the new international boundary between India & Pakistan will touch Chitral & KPK after Gilgit-Baltistan reverts back to India. Even now the PA is struggling to remain fighting-fit due to its various internal security commitments. Do you know what is the present share of Pakistan’s annual defence budget in the country’s GDP & what is the percentage of annual defence spending from the annual budgetary expenditure? Try doing some factual research to dig up these figures & then behold the terrifying reality. The nuclear WMD R & D programme had made Pakistan bankrupt by 1995 & it was then that Pakistan began peddling its China-supplied technologies & hardware to Iran, North Korea & Libya. If you want to revisit that era, be my guest!

Next month, NaMo will be visiting Tajikistan. India’s Foreign Minister was there last September & again last month. During the Indian PM’s trip, contracts will be inked for the IAF to base some of its operational combat aircraft & helicopters at Ayni air base. Tajikistan wants to see the Farsi-speaking world to be connected by rail all the way to Chah Bahr & from there via maritime links to the rest of South Asia. Tajikistan’s foreign minister Aslov Sirojidin Muhridinovich was in delhi last week to prepare the ground work for all such agreements. So, what can Pakistan do? Only sulk & label Indians as ‘banias’, like what has been done here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZfcHxjsEGs

But the one positive statements coming from COAS Gen Raheel Sharif yesterday during his NDS lecture was that Pakistan was against waging proxy wars. Was he signalling that he was willing to negotiate with India on this issue? If yes, then it will mean that India’s counter-terror strategy against Pakistan has produced the right results. For, not many people realise that during the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit in Egypt in 2009, when Pakistan raised the issue of Indian interference in Baluchistan, India then clearly stated that if Pakistan’s ‘moral & political’ support to Kashmiri separatists also includes the supply of arms & ammunition for engaging in acts of terrorism, then India too reserves the right to do the same while supporting the Baluch separatists morally & politically. This stance of India has now evidently paid huge dividends, since Pakistan will now be forced to end its proxy war in return for India doing the same, i.e. Pakistan’s policy of using of ‘sarkari jihadis’ for waging proxy war will no longer be useful as a negotiable instrument in support of Pakistan’s efforts to secure the Kashmir Valley.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) Not true. I was being objective & factual. You on the other hand failed to recognise this & responded emotionally. 2) Never said it was a deal. It was just an MoU. The final deal/contract/agreement has yet to be drafted. 3) Offshore land reclamation along reefs & shoals does not cause any environmental degradation. One cannot COMPARE such activities with the construction of mega hydroelectric power generation projects. 4) Am all for it. Therefore, start fencing the McMahon Line & Assam as well! 5) That’s impossible. Hence the ATAGS is being developed as a brand-new design. 6) Why not? Explain further. 7) Not possible. Because such work has to be conducted in a Russian shipyard & the US will never allow its EMALS hardware to be shipped to as Russian shipyard for installation work.

To JAY BHANUSHALI: What is far more interesting is that NO OTHER COUNTRY (except Pakistan) has formally objected to the RM’s recent remarks. What does that tell us? That countries like the US, Russia, EU member-states & China share India’s sentiments? Think about it.

To VED: The design of Tejas Mk2’s airframe has not yet begun. Only a generic cockpit design has emerged. Regarding P-75I project, my veiew is that it should not call for procuring new-design SSKs, but should instead morphe into a project for acquiring SSNs.

To JAYANTA BORDOLOI: LoLz! That news-report is totally convoluted. If one wants to believe the contents of that news-report, especially concerning the AESA-MMR’s importation from Israel, then what is the DRDO doing with the ‘Uttam’ AESAR-FCR project?

To PART OF THE SYSTEM: You’re absolutely spot-on. Tejas Mk2’s airframe will be a totally redesigned one to accommodate all the new-generation mission avionics specified by the IAF. Consequently, an entirely new schedule of flight-tests are required, running into more than 2,000 flight-hours. If 5 flying prototypes are available, then flight-testing can be concluded within 5 years. In any case, SP-series Tejas Mk2 can’t roll-out until 2025. Same is the case with IN’s LCA (Navy) Mk2. Having just 2 flying prototypes doesn’t achieve much.

IN hasn’t stolen a march over the IA or IAF. This is borne out by INS Vikramaditya spending more than 220 days at sea over a 12-month period, & the MiG-29K/KUBs carrying out 240 takeoffs and landings. Main reason for such heavy utilisation was re-certification of the aircraft carrier & its complement of Mi8G-29K/KUB MRCAs. And why so? Because all certification-related activity prior to commissioning was conducted in the Northern Sea over a 2-year period. But once the vessel & MiG-29K/KUBs began operating in the far warmer waters surrounding India, ALL operating parameters changed. The MiG-29K’s MTOW, max weapons load, & optimal AoA during takeoff from the ski-ramp with full weapons load ALL had to change & be validated & certified from scratch! This in turn necessitates the re-writing of the MiG-29K’s operating & flight manuals.

To RAW13: O yaar, the IAF never killed the LCA. The folks who sabotaged the R & D effort were a cabal of politicians, bureaucrats & technocrats who collectively conspired to overrule the IAF’s well-intentioned suggestions that date as far back as 1972—the year ASQR-related work on the LCA actually commenced.

Unknown said...

Prasun sir,
If India manages to liberate all of POK and Azad Kashmir from Pakistani occupation,that will be the end of Pakistan as a nation.There will be civil war in Pakistan because the Army will lose its legitimacy. India will keep Baluchistan burning till they get independence and also encourage the afghans to annex pashtoon majority areas. What will remain is Sindh and Punjab which would separate to form independent nations and would surrender their nuclear weapons to the west in return for IMF and World Bank bail outs just as Ukrain did after the fall of USSR.if this really happens,this would mark the beginning of a truely multipolar world where India is considered to be one of its major poles.
I know all this sounds farfetched and there are too many presumptions and a few assumptions in this hypothesis of mine but far more unexpected and shocking things have happened in history.
What I am sure of is that Pakistan's future looks very very bleak.Even the most optimistic Pakistani can at best hope for things to stay as they are now which is a depressing thought in itself.

RD said...

Prasunda,
If we assume Rafale-M goes onboard to IAC-2 then near about 60 would be required. The F35 is beyond our budget & naval tejas mk2 is far from reality. But it seems budget constraints has already forced numbers of rafale for IAF from 126 to 36. If we order those Rafale-M in ckd or skd form in the time frame 2019-2020 the cost may go well beyond US $15 billion. Also the cost of nuclear propulsion,Emals,Barak,radar,sonar,combat management system to be included for the proposed IAC-2. In short a single vessel will eat up the entire navy budget not to forget that navy gets less budget than IA and IAF. Will other navy projects such as mcmv,lhd,tankers, corvette,frigate,destroyer,ssn,ssbn,p8i,shinmaywa get compromised or much delayed.

The global defence budget cuts has already trimmed the navies of UK,Germany,France,Russia & even US will be down from 260 vessels to 220 vessels nearly by the end of 2020. There is report suggesting pla navy will have more than 400 combat vessels in future.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150526000161&cid=1101&MainCatID=11

So do China can maintain the numbers in times of budget cuts.

rad said...

hi prasun
Now report suggest that the elta AESA has been selected for the LCA, as you mentioned UTTAM radar is also being developed .Does it mean that it is an interim solution.Personally i dont believe that drdo can make a cutting edge AESA radar when it has not made a normal fighter radar worth its name and that too with the help of elta.
No where are there reports suggesting that selex aesa radar has been chosen. If elta or uttam radar is the choice what would be the irst then.Please throw some light
A brand new hawk has crashed what is happening?

Acid said...

Iz it happening hal tejasmk1 with elta aesa radar and other aew avionics?

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

1. Is it true that the Indian Navy has asked the US to give a demonstration of the naval version of the F-35?

2. This Russia & India report claims:

Negotiations are on to explore the possibility of jointly building multi-role fighter jets, (possibly the Su 35 MKI) needed by the Indian Air Force (IAF), in India

Is this news true, that India wants the Su 35?

Thanks,
Vikram

Sujoy Majumdar said...

Hi PrasunDa,

Just wanted to get your expert opinion on this.

Why is it that not a single Indian college has ever won prestigious programming competitions like the ACM-ICPC?

http://icpc.baylor.edu/

Even students from IITs, NITs have not won a single major programming contest. That apart there are Indians who graduate from US, UK universities, for example Akash Ambani(Brown University) etc. Even they cannot win these competitions.

Can you plz explain the reason/s. It is quite disheartening that from an IT superpower like India there are no winners.

Many thanks.

Siddharth said...

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/programme/rafale-deal-manohar-parrikar-french-aircraft-nda-government/1/442028.html

Siddharth said...

Both former Air Chiefs rejected the 36 is the only number Rafale will be procured. At-least 8-10 squadrons of similar MMRCA needed.

Ved said...

Dear Prasun,
Need your opinion on Rafale's capability against PLAAF Su 30/35.

Will it be able to hold on its own or would need cover by Su30mki?

Will IAF get meteor in future for Rafales?

Ved said...

Dear Prasun,
Suddenly all news regarding Indian Army Rifle Competition has evaporated. What happened? Which rifle will be finally selected?

rad said...

Hi Prasun
I just got an idea , crazy it may sound,

Why dont we mount small AESA radars with LPI characteristics atop cell phone like towers. This could be combined with IIR type sensors to detect intruding low flying aircraft. I am talking about the small ones mounted on the modernized zsu-23-4 .They should scalable and have a decent range of 50 km to avoid being targeted by ARM missiles which would find it difficult to home on frequency agile aesa radars.They could be networked and be a potent barrier against low flying ac and missiles. They would be relatively cheap and maintenance free and also cue vshorads that can be mounted atop camouflaged buildings nearby to have a clear view of incoming threats.Just 10 of them should be enough to have a barrier of 500 km.Another barrier can be formed behind to protect strategic places.
Even if the enemy know the location thru esm they will be wary of attacking it due to it being protected by vshords and other longer range sams cover. PLease comment.

SOUBHAGYA said...

Dear Prasun,

Once I inquire about you regarding the performance of Tejas MK I against dissimilar warfare. You told that it will defeat JF-17, J-10 etc. in the sky. Then why so much hallabol against it. Again will Tejas MK II will face the same destiny like MK I i.e. by/for/of the scientists not the IAF???

Nadal said...

For Fuck's Sake!!

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/iaf-gives-vip-touch-to-mi-17-choppers/84166.html


5 Mi-17 V6s being refurbished for VVIP use for the IAF's communication Sqdn.

So let's just list everything fucked up about this:

1) These 5 will be taken out of operational service and were originally earmarked for military purposes so now the IAF will be 5 airframes down before they even get all their V5s!!!!

2) 5 isn't enough! The original contract for AW-101s was for TWELVE helicopters- 9 for transport of VVIPs, 3 for the SPG transport

3) As you have pointed out Prasun ji, the Mi-17 IS INHERENTLY UNSAFE and unsuited for head of state transport

4) those 3 AW-101s delivered to the AIF and sat at Palam are just going to sit there and rot and we have paid for this privilege!!


5) The training of pilots and ground crew on the AW-101 type was a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.


6) The "VVIP modifications" are juggad and not OEM fitted as was the case with the bespoke AW-101s and will no doubt be crude and pathetic like all other juggad crap in India- how will this reflect on India when foreign leaders travel by these helos? God are we so stupid and cheap that this is the best we can come up with?




I really hate this country sometimes- it is run by fucking buffoons.



I implore the Def Min to push for a fast tracked FMS deal with the US for the S-92 for 12 of the birds for this purpose- this is a MUST.

Arup said...

Sir,

1. What is the probable cause of the last Winged Arrow Sukhoi crash? Was it due to faulty FBW system? IaF hasnt grounded the su30 fleet like it did during the last crash.

2. Why does our Mki have such a high crash rate? Vietnamese,Venezuelan,Malaysian, Algerian Su-30mkk and mkm variants havent met with a single crash uptill now? Is it because our Mki log a high no of flight hours each year? Or is it due to poor QA/QC of the mki and substandard repair quality of HAL, or a case of shoddy maintainence by IAF? In any case we have lost a high no of sukhois and as things stand now we arr loosing one every year.

3. Has the IAF taken any measures to check this attrition rate? Vietnam has sunshelters for each Mki whereas in our case we just keep them out in the open exposed to the sun and the elements which has an adverse effect on the aircraft. When will we have adequate no of shelters for all Mki.

4. Most IAFbases housing Mki squadrons dont have Hardened aircraft shelters to accomodate a big ac like Su30mki.are new modern sukhoi specific hardened aircraft shelters being built atleast in the FOB? Recently the Parliamentary standing committee on defense also voiced this concern. Why is IAF so lousy on these fronts?

5. What will be the role and ROE of the combat acs to be deployed at ayni? Will they be used for conducting recce over Pakistan or for ELINt purposes? Will they engage in aggressive patrolling of Afghan airspace above and in vicinity to Durand line? IN ANY WAY EHAT DOES AFGHANISTAN STAND TO GAIN FROM THIS DEPLOYMENT? Will our jets engage PAF if they everenter Afghan airspace? Will the gunships be used forCAS inanti insurgency missions and for hunying down Pak backed terroristsin Afg?
This raises more questions than answers it seems.

raw13 said...

Hi,

The Pak state support for the armed insurgency in IHK disappeared long ago. Infact people were seriously discouraged not to pursue their activities, even the kashmiris from there. These facts are proven by the number of incidents in IHK/LoC and the funerals in India.

Would love to see a big indian presence in Tajikistan. Its funny, one moment you are talking about so called shia/sunni nuke rivalry, next you are talking about Tajik/Iranian brotherhood :-). You need to read up on history a bit. The BBC link i gave previously and this one below will give you idea about the history & the welcome waiting for your boys. Tajiks and Uzbeks are hanifi (like most of us), that means hardcore Sunni. Just for your information we have more Tajiks in Pak than afghanistan. Just that they are not known as Tajiks but by their old tribal names. Some have held very high positions in Pak...can you guess some?

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-police-commander-islamic-state-treason/27051207.html


What do you make of this: it looks like game, set & match?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-suspects-British-backing-of-Pak-Afghan-intel-cooperation/articleshow/47522070.cms

Modi is upping the ante, no doubt about it. But remember one thing we are past master at this game and have much much higher pain threshold then you boys. We are just coming out of a painful period, more united, more focused than we have ever been. Irrespective of all this, one thing is clear to the world, india is still held to the ground by pakistan. All this talk about becoming an incredible power, is just that.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33007086

Talking about more interesting stuff, what do you make of the reports that PAF have been offered a share of development in J-31 > JF-31? It also looks like PAF will skip J-10 altogether and have ASEA on the JF-17 Blk III from 2018.


Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun,

The much awaited test firing of the Barak 2 lrsam from the Kolkata class DDG will finally take place this year. Am I right?
My query is regarding the seeker of the missile. Does it have a single active RF seeker or the guidance system is made of an unique dual guidance system comprising of an active phased array RF seeker and a miniaturised gimballed iIR seeker as you written previously in your column : Hardened air cover with mrsams lrsams on April 8, 2011. But if it contains dual seeker it looks very different from the dolphin shaped dual seeker of the Stunner missile. Why is it so?
Please answer . Thank you for all your hard work in answering our queries and giving indepth analysis of all geopolitical and defence related facts.

With regards Pallab.

anotherPak said...

@raw13
Why do you waste your time writing so eloquent replies?... What is your aim?
Because if its to educate people, then... you have something else coming your way.

Rajesh Mishra said...

Islam and not Pakistan poses existential threat to India. This is absolute truth. However in diplomatic parlance it has to be said in reverse to maintain political correctness.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RD: IAC-2 is at least a decade away fro being built. Even its design process hasn’t yet begun. But Rafale-M is the best option to go on board IAC-2. All in all, more than 200 Rafales are likely to be collectively operated by the IAF & IN. PLAN has a great number of warships that were built on the 1980s & which are being decommissioned at a rate of 1 every month. Therefore, by no means will the PLAN of the future will boast of more than 200 warships of all types, leave alone 400.

To RAD & ASHIRBAD PANDA: Which version of the LCA? Mk1 or Mk2? As I said earlier, Mk1s will all have back-end of EL/M-2032 & the front-end’s gimbaled antenna is from ECIL. For Mk2, the IAF has specified both AESA-MMR & IRST, but their suppliers have not yet been finalised because design work on the Mk2 has yet to commence. Even if an indigenous AESA-MMR is designed & fabricated, where is the airborne testbed for flight-testing it? Or will it be sent to Israel for flight-tests on board an IAI Westwind bizjet?

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) Nope, not true. 2) Totally untrue.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: It’s elementary. India-based academic institutions simply lack the kind of cutting-edge R & D infrastructure of the type existing in the US & Europe. Without such facilities, technological incubators too won’t become available.

And here’s a beautiful documentary on the ‘chitmahals’ straddling the India-Bangladesh border:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKBoWrFUr5Q

To SIDDHARTH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLftjzi7QDY&hd=1

To VED: Already covered that topic quite extensively in previous threads.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAD: OMG! The radiation from such AESAs will make cancer like an epidemic! If such an idea was possible to implement, believe me it would already have been elsewhere in the developed countries.

To SOUBHAGYA: In the defensive counter-air role inside friendly airspace while being guided by ground-controlled intercept (GCI) cues, the Tejas Mk1 can effectively function as an interceptor. But if this were to happen in hostile airspace without AEW & CS support or GCI support, the Tejas Mk1 will be a dead-duck.

To NADAL: It is a universal rule which states that “people always get the rulers they deserve”. So, if the country’s rulers are buffoons, it is because they are emerging from a population of buffoons. They’re neither parachuting from the heavens as fallen angels, nor are they being imported from developed countries. Therefore, like it or not, you will have to make do with such ‘desi’ leaders.

To RAJESH MISHRA: LoLz! Truth is, it’s the other way around. To understand this, it is first necessary to understand Pakistan. Will elaborate further later today.

To UNKNOWN: Not entirely. Look at the plight of the Rohingyas. Buddhist radicals of Myanmar are hell-bent on making the Rohingyas stateless for no logical reason. So, can blame Buddhist philosophy for such state apathy? However, it is also true that no ‘brotherly Muslim’ countries are rushing to help. Instead, the Rohingyas are fleeing to India. Watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkTlj5ZFDo0&hd=1

Pawan said...

Dear Prasinji,

"Rohingyas in India" brought tears in my eyes as respect and love for motherland India which always been refuge of oppressed and persecuted for centuries. This has make me more determined to work for prosperity and unity of my country also fight back evil forces like communist party china, Pak Army and its jihadi ideologues.

Thanks

Sweet said...

"Irrespective of all this, one thing is clear to the world , india is still held to the ground by pakistan"..

it is? we didn't know that.

spanky's Blog said...

Hi Prasun,
have a look at this interview. I am still laughing.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/programme/rafale-deal-manohar-parrikar-french-aircraft-nda-government/1/442028.html

How much idiots are these Indian presstitutes are????? his main intention was to make them say that decision is wrong. Look at his understanding of defense matters, it would leave u in spilts

Thanks
Swarop

SOUBHAGYA said...

Dear Prasun,

Of course India has AWACS. They are made not to take rest on the ground in the hangers. So with the AWACS help and GCI, it can fight well with F-16 and others as interceptors. Again, is there any room for Tejas MK I to be upgraded to MK II???

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

MOD recently approved the procurement of OTO Melara’s 127/64 LW Vulcano gun system for the 13 indigenously designed and built Shivalik-class frigates and Delhi-class destroyers. OTO emerged as the sole bidder after BAE declined to offer its 127 mm/62 caliber Mk 45 Naval Gun System.

1.Is there any opportunity for BAE to offer its 127 mm/62 caliber Mk 45 Naval Gun System to the Indian Navy for any ship?

2. How do you think OTO Melara got into this favorable position?

Thank You

Vikram

Siddharth said...

http://idrw.org/iafs-hawk-ajt-crashed-at-indias-bermuda-triangle/

WoW... India too has its very own Bermuda Triangle.

spanky's Blog said...

Hi Prasun,
Recently I read in news that HAL and ADA will develop Tejas MK-I+ version equipped with EW suite and AESA radar for testing. I believe that it will take at least 150 hrs of flying for these system to get certified. this means at least 18 months.

Do you see Tejas MK-I order increasing after this happens? maybe IAF will order 54(3 squads) more. IMHO Tejas MK-II prototype is not going to emerge in next 18 months. Will this be a very good intermediate solution?

Thanks
Swarop

Unknown said...

Geelani declares he is Indian for passport,calls it compulsion
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Geelani-declares-he-is-Indian-for-passportcalls-it-compulsion/articleshow/47552691.cms

MODI SARKAR Is making this hypocrite piece of shit do summersaults at age 88 yrs.
This shows that when you catch a Mullah from the balls and squeeze'em tight,he merrily starts singing Vande Mataram.
Gr8 job by GOI.

raw13 said...

@another pak,

I started reading this blog because there is lots info on eastern weapon systems. Then I realised how much they didnt get us. The funny part is that they think they do :-). Anyway I thought I might share info., open some eyes and hopefully increase understanding.

raw13 said...

@Unknown,

Prasun gets excited because he is passionate about india trying to get one over pakistan.

FYI we have always been fighting with each other (i dont agree with it). Look through the hisotry, even Salahuddin spent 2 decades fighting other muslims, uniting them, re-coverting them to sunni islam and then 2 years to kick out the crusaders.

Nadal said...

VMT sir,

So does this mean the FMS deal for S-92s won't be pursued? How is the Mi-17V5 conversion for VVIP usage viable in the long term??

Do we really have to lose our PM in a helicopter crash for these clowns to wake up and smell the coffee??

What is the ultimate solution that is going to happen? What will happen to those 3 AW-101s already in India?

rad said...

hi prasun
Yep forgot about RF radiation, But then pray tell me how people on INS kolkatta are going to survive the megawatt burst from 4 faced aesa radar.Or any other radar on military institutions
Are the Israelis acting up once they knew that we are going to buy spike missiles form them? are they justified in the price hike. what will be the outcome.

Rajesh Mishra said...

Now Pakistan666 playing smart with poster at Jammu. They are going to fall flat on their faces at the rocks from great heights.

Dushyant hardaha said...

sir
as you said LCA MK1 has not enough volume to accommodate various avionics
if india buy IPR of gripen airframe and modify it
in place of LCA MK2

Pawan said...

Raw13: Born in land of Bulle Shah & Baba Fareed but considering yourself progeny of Salauddin? Bulleh shah has righrtly said about people like " Asmani ud-diyan Pharonda aye, Jehda ghar betha unu phadha na" If even 50% Pakistani think like you: nobody can save your country. Be honest to your roots, false beliefs will take you nowhere.

Take Care

Vidyut said...

Prasun Sir,

Your comments on the following articles please.
Also, isn't the criticism quite similar to what's faced by our Tejas Mk1?

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-allies-got-stuck-with-the-worlds-worst-new-warplane-5c95d45f86a5

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/f-35-still-years-away-from-being-ready-for-combat-2924e1b23fb8

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/can-the-f-35-win-a-dogfight-95462ccd6745

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

Latest Pak Budget- Development budget for 2015-16 is Rs700 Billion and Defence budget is Rs780 Billion. Even Raw13 favourite Salahuddin won't had sustained it.

Regards

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PAWAN & RAJESH MISHRA & JAY BHANUSHALI: That's precisely why I had earlier asked RAW13 to find out about Pakistan's annual budget as a %tage of Pakistan's annual GDP & annual budgetary expenditure. But he has come up with ZILCH, meaning even he's totally clueless about it. In fact, I have reasons to believe that he isn't even a Pakistani, leave alone being a Muslim. Why? Look at his post @5.10PM where he refers to 'sunni islam'. No practising Muslim will ever classify Islam as being Sunni or Shia. The Muslim sects were all born AFTER the demise of the Holy Prophet & it was only during his time that an 'Islamic' societal existence was in place thanks to guidance from his wisdom, & since, according to Muslims, no none can ever possess or match the Holy Prophet's wisdom, by consequence the following Muslim-ruled kingdoms or empires have all been merely Muslim Caliphates, & not Islamic Caliphates, because the Holy Prophet wasn't alive then to guide all of them them. Therefore, for all intents & purposes, this RAW13 fella is just another troll who's masquerading as a Pakistani or Muslim.

In any case, tectonic geo-strategic changes are afoot in the region & a possible reason has now emerged as to why the new ruling Saudi leadership has been referring since last year to India as "our good Indian friends". The reason is outlined below:

In a rare public meeting on Thursday at the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations, former officials of both Israel and Saudi Arabia talked about secret meetings between the two countries on how to deal with Iran. Retired Saudi general Anwar Majed Eshki and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold publicly announced that since the beginning of 2014, representatives from Israel and Saudi Arabia have had five secret bilateral meetings to discuss Iran in India, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-saudi-arabia-togetherish-last-165640688--politics.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is this the reason why the KSA & UAE have been openly threatening Pakistan? Has Pakistan's bluff about its nuclear WMD arsenal finally been called? Have the pragmatic Arabs finally realised that only the triad of the US, Israel & India have the necessary leverage & hard-power required to keep Iran under a tight rein & limit its nuclear ambitions, thereby maintaining a balance-of-power equilibrium in the Middle East? And is this the reason why the Obama Administration & the UK have acquiesed to India playing a far greater/bigger role in such matters in both the Middle East & Central Asia? And finally, is this the reason why the US, Russia, the UK & France are all being supportive of India's legally legitimate claims over PoK (inclusive of Gilgit-Baltistan)? It will be very interesting trying to connect all these dots, which the likes of M K Bhadrakumar are evidently incapable of since they can't look 'beyond the horizon'.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARUP: 1) It was due to an argument between the two cockpit aircrew, i.e. IAF did not implement cockpit resource management (CRM) protocols. These protocols can be implemented only if a LIFT is acquired. 2) All are due to human error. First 2 crashes took place because the cockpit ergonomics were faulty, i.e. the IAF’s experimental test-pilots from ASTE who flew the Su-30MKI prototype 15 years ago failed to specify the ergonomic changes reqd. Another crash took place because the underwing bomb blew up prematurely due to faulty fuzing. 3) Sun-Sheltersare now there in adequate quantities. 4) Because it costs a lot of money to built HAS. 5) Just combat support tasks to be performed by Mi-25s & about 6 MiG-29UPGs. They will be operating at the request of Afghanistan. PAF or PA aircraft/helicopters don’t have permission to operate inside Afghan airspace.

To RAW13: Are you kidding? As far back as last year, armed residents of West Punjab were apprehended inside J & K & POF-made ordnance was recovered from them & shown on all Indian TV channels. Kashmiris stopped being insurgents as far back as 1996 & from then on all foot-soldiers have been Pakistani ‘sarkari Jihadis’ & this has been admitted to by both the late Benazir Bhutto & former DG-ISI Javed Ashraf Qazi. Sunni-Shia rivalry affects only Muslim communities & countries, & not secular countries like India & therefore unlike in Pakistan, there’s no such rivalry & sectarian killings inside India. Consequently, no matter how hard-core the Sunnis of Uzbekistan or Tajikistan may be, this will have ZERO effect on India or on any Indian. And that’s why the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan has since 1989 been very close to India. Game-set & match is definitely in favour of India now, given the fact that the MoU between NDS & ISI will never be implemented. What could instead emerge is only an uneasy truce between the NDS & ISI. Read this:

http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/in-bid-to-buy-peace-with-taliban-afghan-president-orders-spies-to-end-war-on-isi/99/

JF-31 is still powered by ancient RD-93 engines (same as those on bJF-17s). Furthermore, China is nowhere close to developing PESA-MMRs, let alone AESA-MMRs.

To PALLAB: The photos of the Barak-2 LR-SAM round I’ve uploaded in previous threads clearly show the dual-seeker configuration.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPANKY’s BLOG: LoLz! All it takes is 1 TV anchor to become a sucker & treat a PTI news-report as sacrosanct & then all the subsequent disinformation goes viral! As for the Tejas Mk1, its design was frozen the day metal-cutting began for the first SP-series aircraft. Therefore, none of the 40 Tejas Mk1s can accommodate any internal modifications or enhancements. What is therefore happening is that ADA & HAL are using only one PV-series prototype to flight-test various integrated avionics suites that are destined for installation on the Tejas Mk2. These include the navigation-and-attack system suite & the integrated EW/self-protection suite. AESA-MMR is meant for Tejas Mk2, not for Tejas Mk1. Since the EL/M-2052 is already a developed product, all that needs to be done is to fly it on board a Tejas Mk1 PV so that ADA & HAL can acquire all reqd data for modifying the existing environment control system (ECS) & for developing a new cooling unit & new power-supply unit, all of which will have to be developed prior to beginning design work on the Tejas Mk2’s airframe.

To SOUBHAGYA: How many AEW & CS platforms are required to maintain 24/7 airspace surveillance & provide airborne battle management cues along only 1 frontage? How many frontages will need to be taken care of in case of hostilities with just 1 of India’s neighbours? Or do you want all of the IAF’s AEW & CS platforms to be dedicated to babysitting the Tejas Mk1s?

To VIKRAM GUHA: OTOBreda has been cooperating with BHEL since the late 1990s for supplying 76/62 SRGMs. Therefore, OTOBreda enjoys some industrial advantages against its competitors in the Indian market.

To SIDDHARTH: Bermuda Triangle is not over land, but over water. Guess the ‘desi’ journalist failed to take this into account!

To RAW13: I’ve never been passionate about India trying to get either over or under or across Pakistan, kindly rest assured. I tend to give lengthy counter-narratives to your PoV for the sake of educating Indian citizens, not Pakistanis. There are several Pakistanis who are discerning & well-intentioned enough to figure out what ails Pakistan. Here’s proof of it:

http://www.outlookindia.com/article/the-axact-reaction/294429

To NADAL: What FMS deal for S-92s? It wasn’t even on the table, for starters. The mere fact that the IAF’s delivered AW-101s have been mothballed & they’ve not yet been offered for sale means the Govt of India has some ideas up its sleeve WRT their future usage. Everyone’s now waiting for the CBI to file a closure report & once that happens, the remaining AW-101s will be delivered to the IAF.

To RAD: When a warship’s high-power radars are in operation, one doesn’t find the on-board personnel walking outdoors. All are confined indoors or to their workstations.

To DUSHYANT HARDAHA: Why import a new airframe design at high cost when the in-house expertise already exists to come up with a new design for the Tejas Mk2?

But it does seem that in future, Vietnam will end up operating a sizeable fleet of JAS-39 Gripens. Read this:

http://nypost.com/2015/06/05/vietnam-in-talks-to-buy-fighter-jets-to-counter-china/

Ved said...

Hi Prasun,
Do you mean ELTA 2052 will be onboard Tejas MK2 or Uttam?

Can you please share the link depicting Tejas MK2 Cockpit configuration.

What roles will Tejas MK2 be able to do which will make it stay worthy beyond 2035?


Anonymous said...

PrasunDa,

The Economist has come up with a story regarding immigration to the US and it states that Indians & Chinese are the largest immigrant groups coming into the US.

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21653646-futures-asian

Several other newspapers, TV Channels like FOX, USA Today etc are running similar stories in the US, thereby giving the impression to the average American that their country will be taken over by Indians & Chinese.

In your opinion will this adversely affect Indians living in the US? I understand some Indians enter the US illegally or overstay their Visas.

Anonymous said...

Prasun da,

i have a question on basics. I have seen that the ships diesel exhaust and soot on the mast of many ships. My question is why these soot/stains not interfere with APARs and other communication masts. Similarly the exhaust stocks would be really hot, dont they affect the electronics in the radars and other communication instruments. I guess it wont be possible to clean the entire surface every now and then. Why there have been no experiments with altering the exhaust configuration (as in tanks, where there are various experimental exhaust styles, including sideways, topways and towards base to escape heatseaking missiles) in ships, say towards sides or away from the main mast. Sorry for the ignorance, if it sounds too silly.

Sreenivas R.

Sukhbir said...

To Prasun:

THANKS For the Aero India Thread:-

1. What are your views w.r.t to separation of SA and Chief of DRDO post, is this just NDA propaganda to wipe out the legacy of UPA or it has a national interest.

2. Why we are pushing for Dhanush gun (155 x 45 cal) when we have 155 x 52 cal gun from kalyani group is it not indigenous?

3. Few years back you did a thread Titled "LEgacy of french weapons in Asia" do you think such scenario happened in India ?

4. As per official isro news we have tested an indigenous cryo engine with 4 tonne capacity so according to you in how many decades will India be finally free from Ariane dependence.

Technology, Photograpy and Travel said...

@ Ved

Utam, as put across by Prasun , has not been tested really on any test aircrafts yet also,

just imagine we still do not have any decent Fab facility in india yet to manufacture the TR modules, also we can not really do have any edge till we have solid Chip foundry in india, since the TR frequency gets defined by the doping and manufacturing of the TR Modules, if you check out a small fab with DRDO at present does not have the required capability yet,

In my clear thought after lot of debating about our capabilities we should squarely concentrate on creating advanced SOC (multi core ) based computing platforms for all the avionics, Mission computing,Sensor fusing, This could be tweaked for all our aircrafts like su 30 mki, lca, jaguars, training jets( Tejas LIFT) we can have a solid ground on which we can have teams to work with the actual silicon ,( like the AESA Antena's TR Modules)

We also should focus on and information interleaving and advanced networking and battle information fusing across the board i.e Air force, army and navy and provide constant and damage redundant networking capability with highest possible security for communication.

Just for example if we can create a unified Sensor Manager(Kernel and User Space Abstractions for ) the one's found in the Phones (Android, IOS), since was into the team which have developed this ,

Unknown said...

Prasund Da....on a side note want to know Is Pakistan's budget made & prepared by their politicians or by their Military?...
Just of curiosity u know.... ;-)

rad said...

@ Tech photo and travel

Very nice to hear that you are a techie involved in cutting edge software , of course lay men like me cannot fathom the ideas you may have. I was talking to a rep in aero india who showed me TR modules in various bands and he told me that it would be expensive to have a fab foundry to cater to small orders that come . I dont remember if it was alpha or some other company. I believe we have so much talent and cannot put it together for want of a qualified politicians to head the country .If we have arse holes like AKA running the defense dep, i really wonder where we were headed to. It pisses me of that no one in india has the fore sight to create an military hacking university like they have in china. Where billions have been invested and hordes of techies sitting on screens waiting to screw and infiltrate computers in countries like India and US. What would be your suggestion on creating such a capacity?.
IN My thinking all the gov has to do is to encourage hacking and bring the private players in . There was a college girl who i know off in Chennai who was paid 25,000 a day to hack into some systems , she was that good , she would work only if she wanted money and then blow it up on shopping the next day.Ultimately NOKIA finland took her for a some fantastic salary!

rad said...

Hi Prasun
Please give us some info on the upgraded zsu-23-4 especially the radar and optronics fire control system.Can you give us details of the small aesa radar on the system. Actually that was what started the idea, crazy it may be to mount small aesa radars around!.

Unknown said...

Prasun Da have a look at this article....

www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsindia-plans-to-buy-istar-aircraft-from-raytheon-4594387

About which aircraft they are talking about?

Unknown said...

Prasun Da,looks like what u had said earlier is coming true....

www.timesofindia.com/business/india-business/Berger-Paints-to-open-plant-in-Russia/articleshow/47566644.cms

Anonymous said...

Prasun
Can I suggest something..If possible have a brief chat with the RM WRT "Aero India" and waht ails it make it straight to the point (like you always do). From what I have heard and observed might just work !!

Jai Hind

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

Afghan Taliban launched offensive in Badakshan and even managed to capture district. Why Badakshan? Is it Pak directed offensive to control Wakhan Corridor and provide Taliban coverage to Gilgit Balistan and CPEC in future.

Things ripening!!!

Kind Regards,
Pawan

Jon said...

Regarding the attack on Indian troops in the North east why does the the Indian Govt not allow the Indian Army to use artillery to neutralize the terrorist safe havens in Myanmar?

Technology, Photograpy and Travel said...

@Ved

for hacking to work we need to have our foot in network infrastructure once we get into it we would have the basic understanding of how Base Stations function, How Network Switch, and cross country Networks works and NAT , STUN server work , most of hacking starts with understanding of the intended Networks NAT and Stun servers , I believe we have 2 such installations with NTRO guys

But not sure of how good a team they have

SOUBHAGYA said...

Is there any room for Tejas MK I to be upgraded to MK II???

Chetan Sinha said...

Prasun Sir,

1. What are the various Guns and other weapons that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard intends to purchase in the near future?

2. Do you recon that in the near future India will jointly construct Destroyers, Frigates with the US? If yes, will you please shed some light on this.

VMT

Rituraj said...

Prasun,

What is the update on India's SSN program? Which country or company are going to be part of it? Will these SSNs be inspired from Akula class or Barracuda class? Will it be again L&T + SBC + BARC combo who will build it? What happened to Anil Ambani's Pipavav officials roaming in Moscow?

BTW what kind of reactor is going to be used by these SSNs? YOU mentioned in last post that 190MW reactor may be propelling IAC-2 Vishal. Who is going to give the technology for it?

Please explain.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

PrasunDa,

In your opinion why has the US government been far more successful in direct Govt 2 Govt sales to India compared to European states like Germany? Russia is probably an exception but other European states have not been as successful as the US.

Is it because the US lobbies more effectively than European countries like Germany?

Thank You

Anonymous said...

Cannot afford to antagonize the neighbor

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

I was not ignoring your request for the defence budget. It is Rs781 (+40) billion. This is out of a total of: Rs4.313 trillion budge presented: Off course this does not count the roughly billion or so that USA gives for services rendered ;-).

Some of you really have a problem reading, or is it comprehension or is it the pre-set indian gene, which sees shadows and hidden meaning in everything related to us?

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-187058-Finance-Minister-Ishaq-Dar-presents-budget-in-NA

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/internationbusiness/2015/June/internationbusiness_June20.xml&section=internationbusiness


The development figure of Rs700 Billion is only for the PSDP for the FEDERAL government. Most of this is for the CPEC. Here is a good explanation in detail of the budget, in a pre-budget report: It gives you total development budget too:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-37795-Rs15137-bn-budget-2015-2016-approved



raw13 said...

It should be clear to all that Pakistan does not control the taliban. It can influence it but that has limits. At the end of the day no honorable afghani will ever accept any outsiders control, ever. These are early days, co-operation has actually been taking place, including joint-ops in the border areas for a little while. A little while back an afghan post under attack actually asked for protection of our FC and lived to tell their comrades. These little things are what will make a difference.

Pak cannot guarantee that no one will cross the LoC. If you have ever been to the LoC, you will know it is impossible to stop a determined person crossing it. Just as we regularly hear of children accidentally crossing into Pak or IHK, inadvertently. Fact is we have far fewer troops than you at LoC and if you cannot stop everyone, we definitely can't. If we had been helping the Kashmiri freedom seekers, your rate of causalities would have been in the same ball park as it was in the 90's. It is good to speak the truth sometimes.

raw13 said...

You talk of all things cha bahar port and the link into CA. And now you are talking of containing Iran, along with israel and USA. umm, interesting, is that why you guys have given up on Hajigak mine and maybe the port and talk of a new route from our Northern areas?

Reality is, trust is built not over a year or two BUT decades. You guys had a great relationship with Iran, but you stabbed them in the back for what, empty promises from uncle SAM (too much greed and not enough principles!!!). This is why when your people went to Iran to sell stuff recently, Iranians told them, stand in the line and wait your turn. They know your value now.

India could indeed by something in the region, if we (pak) allow it. But looks like we wont:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1185311

Prav said...

Oh raw13
What is clear is that if Pakistan wanted to they could decapitate the Afghan Taliban without firing a shot . It is matter of showing up to their door and arresting them ... they survive at the pleasure of the Pak government . The Afghans know this very well and asked you ... nicely to give them up . But when there is such hilariously blatant attacks by Pak proxies Ghanis frustration is understandable.

Oh spare me on your "freedom seekers" who are essentially Punjabi mercenaries . In the past these scum would hide out in populated areas but this stopped as they stood out like a sore thumb and would get surrounded in no time. Our army and crpf is able to know where the terrorists gather to rest before an attack on the Pak side it is why most of them are found near the border . And then there is the firing that start like clockwork everytime there is an infiltration attempt ... after which your politicians come out and blame India.There is a reason no one takes the lies of your leaders seriously . It is good to tell the truth sometimes ... when will you start ?

swett said...

Reality is, trust is built not over a year or two BUT decades.

trust is built on shared interests between countries. And if the two countries have similar interests, the two countries can bond in no time, anything is possible. India and Iran want strong and stable afghan, while pakistan doesn't. India and iran are to remain friends for a long time, stop using " stabbed" or "betrayed" iran over and over. What India did to iran is not some irreparable damage at all. Both countries have moved on from that period.

This is why when your people went to Iran to sell stuff recently, Iranians told them, stand in the line and wait your turn. They know your value now.

This is plain business, any good businessman would do the same. Sanctions are about to be lifted, Iranians will explore the options to get the best value for their money. If indians give them the best at very reasonable price compared to others, they will award the contract to india. Even if pakistanis go to Iran, they will ask pakistanis to "stand in line". Business as usual....

"Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear power smashed India's dreams: Sartaj Aziz"

you should stop quoting the statements of this old clown. Seriously, he is becoming quite a laughing stock within pakistan itself for his hilarious and off the mark statements. Any reasonable pakistani would think of retiring and giving him a farewell he deserves. Send him to a nice peaceful retreat where he can spend his remaining days with his family. He obviously doesn't fit into "Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security " job....

raw13 said...

In a secular India mayhem doesn't happen? Well how is it then Sikhs have vowed to avenge on the Indian army for the Golden Temple operations?

piyush said...

@raw13. Bhai tu maaf kar....tu either nasamaj hai ya nasamajh hone ka dikawa kar raha hai.we indians know indians better than you.you worry about your nation, we will take of ours.

Jon said...

Is this report accurate?

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/manipur-ambush-did-nscn-k-scrap-truce-following-directive-from-chinas-pla/articleshow/47588622.cms

bhoutik said...

* http://defense-update.com/20150607_ultra_radar.html#.VXYQokAue94
in the link above, an advanced israeli UHF AESA radar is claimed to be operational with an unnamed country. is it India?

* what do you make of the british trident whistleblower's claims? true or false? if true, does it come as a surprise? where would you rate the vanguard class compared to others?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VED: Uttam AESA-MMR is still a decade away from being available. Logically, therefore, the EL/M-2052 AESA-MMR will be the most obvious choice.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: It won’t have any such effect on Indians already in the US on a legal basis.

To SREENIVAS R: There are blowers installed on the funnels to deflect the hot exhausts from the main & secondary masts.

To SUKHBIR: 1) It is a welcome move since there will no longer any conflict of interest. 2) Because it is OFB-developed & OFB is wholly owned by the MoD. India still has a long way to go before hosting a level playing field between state-owned & private-sector companies. 3) Of course it did. It is now a matter of historical record. 4) Of course not. ARIANESPACE is developing launchers to haul heavier payloads into space. ISRO is only trying to play catch-up.

To BISWAJIT PATTANAIK: It is drafted by the civilians based on inputs from the PA’s Rawalpindi-based GHQ. There are no plans to procure Raytheon’s airborne ISTR solutions, since the IAF has already acquired better solutions from IAI/ELTAQ & ELBIT Systems .

To RAD: Upgraded ZSU-23-4’s information posters were uploaded way back in 2012 after DEFEXPO 2012. IAI/ELTA is one of the pioneers when it comes to developing AESA-based fire-control radars, especially compact ones.

To PRAV: To accurately predict the likely course of events in the future, one needs to get inside the head of one’s adversary so that the adversary’s hostile mindset can be mapped. That’s all it takes. If Pakistan is seriously interested in laying its hands off Afghanistan, then all it has to do is round up the Quetta Shura & round up Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from Peshawar, & deport them to Afghanistan. End of story. Such an action does not need the military to be implemented. The Police forces can do this. Sincde all this isn’t happening, naturally the whole world is blaming Pakistan for the sad state of affairs inside Afghanistan. Regarding airborne ASPJ, MiG-29 airframe from the very outset had internal volume for accommodating an internal jammer. That is not the case with Tejas Mk1. Tejas Mk1P is the PV-1 prototype that is being used as an airborne testbed to check out the compatibility test-points of various proven suites & the obtained test-points will be used for designing the Tejas Mk2’s airframe. Tejas Mk1P is still underpowered & therefore no one is interested in series-producing it beyond the 40 already contracted for.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PAWAN: That’s because Badakskan is always easily reachable from Peshawar via Chitral & Gilgit. By the way, just watch how messy yesterday’s local elections in Gilgit-Baltistan were:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGRaLtKriAg&hd=1

And an interesting op-ed on Gilgit-Baltistan:

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ChanakyaCode/pay-attention-to-the-sufferings-of-people-of-gilgit-and-baltistan/

To JON: One doesn’t need a sledgehammer to swat a fly. Targetted surgical strikes by heliborne special operations forces is all that it takes to eliminate/annihilate the terrorist camps that are in Myanmar’s ‘Eastern Nagaland’.

To SOUBHAGYA: None at all. It is a physical impossibility. Far better, easier & cheaper therefore to design a totally new airframe.

To CFHETAN SINHA: 1) The very same typers that are presently being imported & licence-built, like 76/62 & 127 SRGMs, plus 30mm 6-barrelled CIWS. 2) Nope. But Indian shipyards are already building warships design by private US-based designers, like the Pipavav-built 2,500-tonne NOPVs.

To RITURAJ: All future SSNs of the IN will be single-hulled, & will be built with DCNS’ assistance. BARC did not build anything at all. SBC was only the final assembly line that has been leased to L & T. Single-hulled SSNs are best powered by PWRs producing up to 70mWT, or close to 30mWe, when using more than 90% HEU.

To VIKRAM GUHA: That’s because the G-to-G weapons sales immediately after WW-2 always had to be accompanied by lines of credit & other innovative ways of financing, which only the US & USSR could afford to do due to the huge surplus stocks of weapons avail;able after WW-2. The Brits & French too enjoyed such a status, but only till the late 1960s.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: You still haven’t specified what percentage of the annual budget & what percentage of Pakistan’s GDP is accounted for by the annual spending on defence. Until you provide that, I’m more inclined to believe that you are incapable of making sense of the question I had posed above.

Whether or not Pakistan controls/influences the Taliban is borne out by the fact that the Quetta Shura is inside Pakistani soil, as is the Peshawar-based Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Why not just deport all these elements to Afghanistan to prove Pakistan’s good intentions? For as long as this does not happen, no one will believe any of the bullshit emanating from you & Pakistan, & the world will have no other choice but to encircle, contain & denuclearize Pakistan. Just see & hear what the general feeling inside Pakistan is now after India’s whirlwind & highly successful geo-economic diplomacy within SAARC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q_kmSnqHuY

As for containment, big countries play big games, something beyond the comprehension of far smaller countries like Pakistan. And when it comes to freedom of expression, India is still 100 years ahead of Pakistan in terms of thresholds of tolerance.

To KAKU SH: Nope. India’s centrifuge designs are indigenous. Iranian centrifuges were of URENCO design & all their manufactured components were imported by Iran from US-based & Germany-based manufacturers catering to the oil-and-gas industry, since several components used by the centrifuges are dual-use items.

JON: I very much doubt its veracity. Weapons used by the ULFA, NSCN, NDFB etc etc are all of US-origin, suggesting that they have been imported off-the-shelf from either Thailand, or from The Philippines via Thailand.

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun da,

First of all thanks for answering all the queries.

PM Modi visiting Israel later this year will usher in a new era in Indo-Israel strategic and defence co-operation. What do you say?
Israel is probably second to none in cutting edge military technology. So can we expect indo-Israel defence cooperation in the field of new generation critical defence technologies like futuristic IRST , futuristic MAWS , DIRCM for fighter aircrafts based on the C-MUSIC system, next gen WVR air-to-air missile based either the dual sensor, dual motor Barak 2 mrsam missile or the Stunner missile all for the Tejas mk2, the FGFA and the Super Sukhoi. Can a EOTS like system housing next gen FLIR be developed for the FGFA with Israeli assistance. I think any such cooperation will be game changer in future scenarios and highly cost effective and will be in line with PM Modi Make in India campaign.
Can the EL/M-2052 AESA MMR be selected for the FGFA and the Super Sukhois in place of the MIRES X-band AESA. Don't you think the EL/M-2052 AESA is better in terms of technology and upgrade potential than the MIRES X-band AESA?

Thank you, waiting for your views.

With regards,
Pallab.

Technology, Photograpy and Travel said...

Prasun Da,

Do you think my comments are valid on Utam !!

saurav jha said...

Hi Prasun,

Suddenly Sweden seems to be taking serious interest in "Make in India". Gripen lobby at work..? An article today compares Nuke powered Carrier group and Nuclear submarines. Whats your take on this..?

Chetan Sinha said...

Thank You Prasun Sir,

1. So why is Indian Navy giving orders to OTO Melara for 76mm and 127mm Naval guns despite the fact that they will not transfer tech to India? I heard that OTO will not transfer tech for the VULCANO guided projectile as well.Should the IN not look for another vendor who will transfer tech?

2. You said that Pipavav is already building warships design by private US-based designers. Can you please elaborate which designers are these?

Rituraj said...

Prasun,

1. What is this? Is it a larger version of Green Pine/Rajendra/LRTR radar?

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2015/06/07/iai-unveils-unique-highly-advanced-family-of-modular-ultra-high-frequency/

2. What is the equivalent of SAAB Giraffe radar in India? Does India have any radar to identify stealth aircraft?

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Interesting Read


http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/pakistan-ups-its-defense-spending/

Ved said...

Hi Prasun,

what possible defence deal will take place between Sweden and India? Will we purchase Gripen also?

Also request you to let know the most probable design of SSNs that IN will operate.
Will they be equipped with Nirbhay?

Also need to know the K4 Missile status.

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS sir,
I was watching some old videos

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1536669746545768

Why the Captain of the INS Godavari not fired the warning shots on PNS Babur, even when Pak ship forcing the Godavari to change the course forcefully.

This isnt violation of UNCLOS? And act of war against the warship, this can cause huge loss in mid sea, if actual collision took place.

Or the Captain of the Godavari got a cold feet, that he ultimately he decided not to fire even warning shots.

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

% are elementary my dear Watson.

Excellent article, will answer some of your questions on why we cannot take sides:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/899962/addressing-unresolved-issues-in-afghanistan/

I agree that you guys are lot more tolerant or rather used to be. But the question is why are you so unhappy as a people?

Jon said...

"One doesn’t need a sledgehammer to swat a fly. Targetted surgical strikes by heliborne special operations forces is all that it takes to eliminate/annihilate the terrorist camps that are in Myanmar’s ‘Eastern Nagaland’."

You hit the nail on the head! Looks like this is exactly what Indian Army seems to have done today in two separate ops.

piyush said...

@Jon this is exactly how Israel reciprocates to any form to terror actions agnst them. If indian army starts "ghar me ghus ghus ke maarna" then the terror groups will think many times before thinking of engaging indian army

Mayur M Manapure said...

Sir, what is the status of second Akula. Is it going to be leased or we have to do with just one sub.
And what about the "buy" clause. Is there any plan to permanently keep the subs for IN?

Jon said...

Good insight by Najam Sethi about the Fiscal mess that Pakistan faces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5VOS-Ki20I

Anonymous said...

another good insight with detailed breakdown of budget, in simple terms:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1187140/why-this-years-budget-is-not-as-bad-as-you-think

Pawan said...

Prasunji,

1. http://tribune.com.pk/story/900611/afghan-president-wants-talks-with-pakistan-first-on-brokering-peace-with-taliban/
This article clearly show the frustration of Ghani with Pakistani establishment. Mr Ghani put his reputation at risk by visiting GHQ & talking to PA but he is being deceived.

2. SOF operation in Myanmar was clearly approved by Yangon so India media should thanks theinsein also instead of showing operation as if it was some covert mission like Osama raid.

Rgds

Piyush said...

@Pawan, IMO this excitement is because never before we have heard of such strikes being carried out to avenge attacks on the armed forces. India was always seen as a soft state. Maybe first time a step has been taken to send a strong message and dispel this perception of India being a soft state.
The Indian armed Forces always had the ability but there was no government will.
We have perhaps for the first time seen the Govt along with the armed forces retaliate immediately after an attack.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PIYUSH: Such strikes were indeed carried out in the past, starting from 1984. They were Brigade-level search-and-destroy operations conducted during summertime in coordination with Myanmar's land forces. People generally don't have an appreciation of the hostile terrain prevailing in that region & hence they think in terms of unleashing field artillery fire-assaults etc etc. I will upload maps & photos of a few of the insurgent camps to help you all understand what exactly constitutes the terrain of operations.

Also to be noted that in the early hours of December 16, 1971 when advancing Indian Army units were entering Dhaka during the Liberation War, special operations detachments of R & AW's Special Frontier Force (SFF or Establishment 22), with the help of a select band of Mukti Bahini warriors providing actionable intelligence, stealthily intruded into those areas of Dhaka that had contained safe-houses of several Mizo & Naga insurgents & eliminated all of them surgical firefights. Unknown to many, this was the FIRST successful surgical strike operation mounted by India in foreign territory against India-born insurgents. Am putting all this in writing since many of you may have then been on the waiting-list to be born at that time, & also because a lot of such data still remains classified as state secrets.

Rajesh Mishra said...

Indian action in Myanmar is highly commendable.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAJESH MISHRA & PAWAN: More good news:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Steep-rise-in-citizenship-to-Hindus-and-Sikhs-from-Pakistan-and-Afghanistan-under-PM-Modi-led-government/articleshow/47367827.cms?intenttarget=no&utm_source=TOI_AShow_OBWidget&utm_medium=Int_Ref&utm_campaign=TOI_AShow

Rajesh Mishra said...

Thanx for the real good news.

Unknown said...

A gr8 analysis of the recently held elections in GB,Pok
1) http://www.dawn.com/news/1187237/analysis-unable-to-vote-in-gb-polls

2)@raw13 It looks like u guys can't even roam freely(& feel safe) within your own country....
http://www.dawn.com/news/1187002/footprints-safety-for-rent

Prasun Da,
Whats' ur view on Operation Zarb-i-Azb?Has it been successful or not?
A related article to Operation Zarb-i-Azb
http://www.dawn.com/news/1186974/military-operation

Unknown said...

Some interesting developments...
1)TV signals used to track aircraft as alternative to radar...
www.bbc.com/news/technology-33063353

2)Army Statement on Mil Ops this morning along Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland and Manipur.
https://www.twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD/status/608259397442150400/photo/1?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C6165767308

Unknown said...

Sorry the above link is not working try this one...
https://mobile.twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD/status/608259397442150400/photo/1

Unknown said...

India's OP in Myanmar have surely rattled some nervous people on our western border for sure,havevlook at this...
1) http://www.dawn.com/news/1187363/pakistan-is-not-myanmar-will-respond-to-foreign-aggression-nisar-tells-india

2) http://www.dawn.com/news/1187357/regrettable-that-indian-politicians-take-pride-in-interference

Unknown said...

The Bharat-52 towed 155mm/52-calibre howitzer was originally designed by legendary weapon designer Gerald Bull, all modern artillery gun like G6 of South Africa, of the new Boforce Archer are design evolution of the original Gerald Bull design.