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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Manohar Parrikar Made To Bite The Bullet, Stopped From Defending The Indefensible

Following my sustained awareness campaign that no one else in India had bothered to undertake against the spectacularly outrageous public posture of India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar concerning the legally untenable blanket-blacklisting of Italy’s Leonardo Finmeccanica conglomerate (see: http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2016/06/thats-airpower-for-you-2.htm), the Indian Prime Minister’s Office has now decisively intervened and overruled the blanket-blacklisting norm and has thus cleared the decks for the commencing the long-overdue ‘deep-upgrade and service life-extension’ of the IN’s AgustaWestland Sea King Mk.42B and Kamov Ka-28PL shipborne ASW helicopters.
The Indian Navy (IN) had begun the process of undertaking the ‘deep-upgrade and service life-extension’ of its Sea King Mk.42Bs and Kamov Ka-28PLs in 2008, and responses to its RFPs were opened in October 2012. It then emerged that Russia’s Rosoboronexport State Corp, representing Russian Helicopters’ Bashkiria-based Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise (located between the Volga River and Ural Mountains) had won the bid after teaming up with Leonardo Finmeccanica subsidiaries Selex Galileo and Selex ES. Along with Rosoboronexport, Selex Galileo had submitted an industrial participation proposal for the mid-life upgrade of 10 Ka-28PLs, only four of which remain flightworthy as of now. Selex Galileo had proposed to install the ATOS-LW combat management system, along with Selex ES’ Osprey AESA-MMR, which is a low probability of intercept (LPI) radar with high gain and low sidelobes. Field evaluation trials (FET) of the Ka-28PL with ATOS-LW system were concluded successfully. Selex Galileo was also selected—following exhaustive and thorough evaluations on a global scale being conducted by the IN—to supply the Osprey for 14 Sea King Mk42Bs (only six of which are flightworthy as of now), which were to be upgraded as multi-role platforms for use as both over-the-horizon target acquisition and airborne early warning. 
Now, instead of directly procuring the hardware from Leonardo Finmeccanica’s Selex Galileo and Selex ES subsidiaries and supplying them to Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise as customer-furnished equipment (CFE), the IN has appointed Rosoboronexport State Corp as the sole prime contractor for executing the contract, meaning Rosoboronexport State Corp will directly procure all the mission sensors and mission management systems from Selex Galileo and Selex ES and also do all systems installation/work work. A similar arrangement is now being worked out between Lockheed Martin (which as the owner of Sikorsky Helicopters is also the IPR holder of all Sikrosky-designed helicopters of the Sea King family) and the Ministry of Defence, under which Lockheed Martin will procure the required hardware from Selex Galileo and Selex ES for systems integration, following which it will undertake systems installation in India in cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s UK-based Selex ES subsidiary has developed the X-band Osprey, an AESA-MMR that electronically scans 360 degrees without using a “spinning” slotted-array antenna. It is the world’s first lightweight e-scan system with no moving parts. The Osprey’s programmable signals processor (PSP) also incorporates algorithms from the Vixen air-to-air and PicoSAR air-to-ground AESA-based radars. It is easier to mount, having air-cooling and no pressurised waveguides. 
On the Norwegian AW-101, three antennae are separately located in the nose and on either side of the helicopter. Space requirements are minimal, and with no need for a belly-mounted radome, the helicopter’s ground clearance is maximised for challenging rescue landings on rough terrain. The antenna distribution is via a multi-array interface, while the radar’s other two black boxes are the receiver/exciter and the PSP. Two- and four-antenna configurations are also possible. Each antenna weighs 11.3kg and contains 256 Gallium Arsenide transmit/receive modules. Each antenna provides 120-degree coverage. The radar feeds are handled by a centralised set of processing boxes, which can manage up to four radar panels (although only three are needed to provide 360-degree coverage). Besides the functional and performance improvements offered by AESA technology, perhaps the key advantage of Osprey is that its arrays can be mounted higher on an aircraft's fuselage than traditional mechanically-scanned radars. 
This is particularly advantageous for use on helicopters where mechanical radars normally have to be mounted on the underside of the fuselage in order to be able to rotate to provide 360-degree coverage. This puts the radar in harm’s way in case of a hard landing and also puts major size limitations on the size of the array due to ground clearance restrictions. Using multiple fixed arrays sidesteps this issue, while the lack of moving parts greatly improves reliability and dramatically reduces maintenance requirements.
In another significant development, the MoD by mid-June had been convinced by Rosoboronexport State Corp that the total life-cycle costs of a fleet of 12 IL-78MKI-90 aerial refuelling tankers and 18 upgraded and refurbished IL-76MD-90 transport aircraft will be far less than those of 10 Airbus A330-220 multi-role tanker transports (MRTT), in addition to ensuring quicker deliveries.
Consequently, the MoD has now scrapped plans for procuring the 10 A330-220 MRTTs, and instead, by this October is expected to ink a contract with Rosoboronexport under which the IAF’s existing six IL-78MKI aerial refuelling tankers will be upgraded and refurbished to IL-78MKI-90 MRTT standard, another six of the IAF’s existing IL-76MD transport aircraft will be converted into IL-78MKI-90 MRTTs, while the remaining 18 IL-76MDs will be upgraded to IL-76MD-90 standard.
The upgrade component will include re-engining with PS-90A turbofans, and incorporation of glass cockpit avionics. 
The entire upgrade/refurbishment work will be undertaken by CJSC ‘Aviastar-SP (Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex), located on the left bank of Volga River in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region.
Airborne Battlefield Reconnaissance Assets Of PLA Deployed From TAR
The PLAAF earlier this month began using one of its SAR-equipped Tu-154M platform to monitor developments in the demilitarised area in Barahoti pastures in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The PLA Army on the other hand used a Z-9EC helicopter equipped with a gimballed optronic sensor for intruding into Indian airspace in the same area. 
PLA Rapid Intervention Craft At 
Pangong-Tso Lake
Since many of you have heard about them, but have never seen them, below is a collage of these RICs, whose photos were taken in 2014 during a routine tactical recon mission.

96 comments:

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

One must never shy away from taking a stand based on logical reasoning & compelling agruments. I have consistently followed this practice (as did the late Lee Kwan Yew) & it has always paid off for me. Lurking within the shadows or being a fence-sitter is only for losers. Live life king-size & live like a lion, otherwise just fade away as an insignificant entity. That's my motto!!!

Srinivasa Nanduri said...

Hi Prasun,

Great read as always.

Your comments in previous thread "Now the whip has been cracked from the PMO & led by a seasoned Director who also has operational experience as an end-user, ADA under Cmde Balaji has instituted new industrial partnership practices which have led to crucial design parameter inputs being welcomed from HAL's aeronautical engineers, all of which will result in a 'functional' MRCA design"

It left me a little intrigued though. Does this mean that we will now get a head start on tejas lift, tejas mk 1 improved and a final design and work commencement for tejas mk2? Will tejas mk2 prototype be ready in 5 yes?

Regards,
Srinivasa Nanduri

Gopu said...

1) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I'm hoping you will conclude your high-altitude segment and answer my previous questions before jumping off to other tangents...
2) If Selex-Galileo Leonardo is no longer blanket-blacklisted, then why is the Finnmecanica group a sub-contractor to the entity that will sign the contract with the MoD? It is clearly mentioned that the Selex avionics will be integrated at a HAL facility, which would suggest directly procuring the hardware and providing them to the other contractor. A more comprehensive directive from the PMO would have removed the blanket-blacklisting norm for all OEMs affected, including Rheinmetall, ST Kinetic, and IMI.
3) Have a laugh at this: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Kerala-unhappy-with-Centre-for-clearing-Colachel-port/articleshow/53083045.cms

Guess it never occurs to these chaps that Sri Lanka is bringing in big bucks with their megaports. This is proof that the British monopoly system is still going strong among this nation's great politicians...

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SRINIVASA NANDURI: The Tejas Mk.1 design as it now exists in the SP-series configuration cannot be drastically re-engineered internally, meaning the options for tweaking are minimal. Re-arrangement of internal bulkheads for relocating the avionics LRUs for easier access, installation of actuated aerial refuelling probe & its related electro-hydraulic components, & installation of AESA-MMR with its all-new environment control system (for increased cooling reqmts) i9s a physical IMPOSSIBILITY on board the Tejas Mk.1 SP-series airframe. Therefore, the ONLY OPTION now left on the table is to re-design & re-engineer the airframe for catering to all the IAF-specified parameters (like the ones mentioned above & the installation of ASPJ suite & also thrust-vectoring nozzles--all in an enlarged airframe with greater wing-area. Thus emerges the Tejas Mk.2 variant. Yes, HAL can do it within 5 years or even less, since the most time-consuming R & D work of designing any advanced MRCA, i.e. development of flight-control logic & its related digital flight-control computer, have already been mastered by ADA, DARE & HAL & therefore, minimal test-points will henceforth need to be validated during the flight certification process. Add to that the procurement of AVEN TVC nozzles from GE Aero Engines for the F414ONS6 turbofans, & the flight certification & IOC/FOC periods can be further reduced.

To GOPU: Relax (LoLz!), the concluding part will be serialised, rest assured. Blanket-blacklisting means ZERO dealings with the blacklisted OEM. Partial blacklisting means that A) no new orders for new hardware will be placed directly with the blacklisted OEM. B) Orders for new hardware with such an OEM can be placed through a prime industrial contractor so that the blacklisted OEM has no direct contact with the MoD or Indian end-user. C) Contracts for acquiring spares support can be placed directly with the blacklisted OEM. So technically, the MoD won't be ordering new hardware from Leonardo Finmeccanica's subsidiaries, but it will be free to place direct orders for spares (including those during the warranty period) once the hardware has already been inducted into service.

I never said that HAL will be integrating the mission avionics suite. In case of the Sea King Mk.42Bs, it will be Lockheed Martin that will handle systems integration. HAL will do only systems installation-related work.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To GOPU: Excellent expose aired yesterday on how Dayanidhi Maran & Co from DMK hatched the 2-G scam, how the CAG & CBI were hoodwinked, & what made the then PM Dr MMS utter those infamous & shameless words "I have to submit to the compulsions of coalition dharma."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvM6qQjvLEA

Kunal Jadhav said...

During the campaign to denuclearize Pakistan, along with PoK, Aksai Chin will be returned to India ? If not then at-least the part of land which was donated by Pakistan to China.

Raman said...

Nice !!!.........Roar away !!!!!!!

Ujjwal said...

Prasunda,
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mod-takes-u-turn-on-cancellation-of-black-shark-torpedo-contract/1/726783.html
Can we hope that Black Shard Torpedo will be ordered in near future?
Thanks, Regards

Rajesh said...

Great job done Sir regarding blacklisting the blanket blacklisting.

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,
Perhaps a result of Russian Black projects?
http://m.sputniknews.com/military/20160730/1043791769/russia-putin-secret-submarines-NATO.html?utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F&utm_medium=short_url&utm_content=bNTs&utm_campaign=URL_shortening
-Abs

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To UJJWAL: Black Shark & F-21 HWTs are one & the same. Whiled the former's final assembly is undertaken by WASS, the latter's final assembly is done by DCNS. So it does not matter from which of the two suppliers the HWTs are procured.

KUNAL JADHAV: That won't be possible since India herself between 1947 & 1953 never showed Aksai Chin to be part of India & had shown that area to be undemarcated in all Survey of India maps between 1947 & 1953. This is one area where Pandit 'Chacha Nehru' screwed up big-time.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Check out the update & slides above WRT PLA airborne ISTR assets deployed in TAR for use in the middle sector of the LAC. And here's some good news:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/suresh-prabhu-flags-off-tripura-sundari-express-link-to-bangladesh-laid-2946338/

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/IIT-M-students-underwater-robot-Duli-catches-attention-of-DRDO/2016/07/13/article3526462.ece

Varunn said...

Sir, what is the ethnic composition of Pakistan army? Is Punjabi dominance the reason they never touch Punjab while they kill Baloch, Sindhis and Pasthuns in army operations and oppress Kashmiris in PoK?

Anonymous said...

http://swarajyamag.com/defence/how-iaf-firepower-severely-dented-pakistans-psyche-during-the-kargil-war


why did vajpee failed to do reverse kargil when armed forces asked? is it due to external pressure?

Regards
Ron

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VARUNN: The great bulk of PA personnel hail from the Jhelum region & Ravi-Chenab corridors of Pakistan, followed by those from KPK & Punjabi settlers in Balochistan. The native Balochis & Sindhis have almost ZERO representation & in Pakistan's officially approved sociology textbooks the Balochis, Sindhis & 'Hinuds' are all collectively described as being quarrelsome & lacking in martial spirit. The natives of Gilgit-Baltistan & other areas of PoK all abhor fighting & back in 1996 during a visit to a LoC outpost in Ghumri I myself used to see natives serving with the NLI openly exchange with their IA counterparts news about the state of affairs within PoK & they were so friendly with the IA that they even used to give the IA advanced warnings about forthcoming artillery bombardments, which used to commence whenever a senior PA officer used to visit that PA outpost or Battalion HQ.

If you're seriously interested in such matters & Pakistan's societal faultlines, then do watch these 2 documentaries about Pakistan's dirty wars inside Baloshistan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTfuM_Xo59U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ckDQpCq2S4

And also watch this Pak ISPR Propaganda Film:

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

Ganesh said...

Hello Prasun, with due respect to your views, when China claims anything as per their whims and fancies, India needs to bide it's time and claim the whole of Turkestan and Tibet

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

1. So this means no new mid-air refuelling aircraft for IAf, only existing IL-78MKI will be refurbished?

2. Is it true that according to a prophecy in the Bible, Germany will lead the world into another World War, just like it did in the past 2 World Wars?

Thanks,

VIKRAM

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To GANESH: Actually, China has tied itself up in knots over the South China Sea issue by claiming historical rights & labelling itself as being a civilisational state. By setting this precedent, this now leaves the door open for India to make similar claims WRT PoK & even southern Xinjiang & the Ngari-Gunsa area inside TAR where Kailash Mansarover is located. So, if China can move its goalposts, India too can do so.

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) IAF will end up with 12 IL-78MKI-90 platforms that will ALL be refurbished & upgraded & re-engined. 2) Am not aware of that. There's another one like that which claims that Russia will sweep through the Arabian peninsula via Turkey.

To RON: Because Indian politicians of that time were timid, clueless about geo-strategic & geo-economic matters, lacked sagacity, & above all, had mistakenly assumed that the LoC was like the IB, when in reality the LoC & LAC are only temporary ceasefire lines that can be altered by either party at any given time. In other words, the NDA govt at that time was bereft of both 'door drishti' or 'fivya drishti'.

Spykar said...

Door drishti by the current govt.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Road-to-Vietnam-to-be-a-reality-soon/2016/07/27/article3548900.ece

And some 'divya drishti' here

http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Long-Circuit-China-Pak-Plotting-to-Hijack-Buddha-Legacy/2016/07/31/article3555333.ece

Kapil said...

Pak rangers targeted by Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army www.dawn.com/news/1274451 Looks like Sindh is in complete control of rangers. MQM workers are being killed mercilessly. Recently MQM workers clased with army supporters outside the White House. Last year Altaf Hussain even appealed to US & India for help. Pls do a blog on whats really going on in Sindh.

HARROGATE said...

Sir, you are the Oracale of truth once again!

I am just wondering:

1) What now for the AW-101s that are sat mothballed at Palam whilst the PM (and rest of NCA) are flying in 30+ year old Mi-8s? Can we not see some similar common sense applied to the VVIP helicopter saga or are we content to waste more time and tax payer money re-tendering this deal?

2) What of the S-70B deal? Upgrading these junk helos is one thing but the IN's aviation wing is far too small and they need to start getting brand spanking new assets and the S-70B deal has been pending for too long.The DAC cleared it almost a year ago now!

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAPIL: There's no need for a separate thread on what's going on inside Sindh. Instead, you need to watch video-clips of what's really transpiring there. The PPP's & MQM's target killers care all operating from the UK, South Africa & Thailand & they issue instructions on various assassination taskings, & also finance them through Hawala channels. And to misguide the law enforcement agencies pamphlets of 'Sindhudesh' are distributed so that the suspicion falls on the intelligence agencies of Afghanistan and India. Here, watch this clip:

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

In Karachi today, the city has become ungovernable due to unrestricted gun-running & arms trafficking activities. In addition, rising unemployment-levels in interior Pakistan is forcing the people to flock to Karachi in search of jobs. But the civil utilities infrastructure is unable to cope with this influx & is causing water scarcity & frequent power outages. In order to survive in such an environment, the poor are willing to do anything, even kill for the sake of making a living. In short, total mayhem prevails there & no law enforcement agency can control this. Watch these:

Water Shortage in Karachi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_RiIC9UcWY

Power Shortage in Karachi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3_WDIUEzE

In Karachi today, only 3,500 CCTV cameras are installed for surveillance. Contrast that with the UK, where, for keeping an eye on the 62 million population, there are 6 million CCTV cameras installed all over the UK, with 6 lakh CCTV cameras installed within Metropolitan London itself.

To HARROGATE: VMT. 1) Have patience, for one can try not to read the writing on the wall only up to a certain extent. Ultimately, sanity will prevail. If not, then by now those AW-101s at Palam would already have been auctioned for sale. It takes a fair bit to time to change the 'Refusing-to-Develop' mindsets. Just see how long it has taken some politicians from the ruling coalition to realise that 'Manav Raksha (security of human life) is more important than 'Gou Raksha' (security of cattle life)! 2) The Ka-28PLs & Sea King Mk.42Bs are not junk. They have a lot of airframe life left in them. And installing multi-aperture AESA MMRs on them will make them capable of both OTH targetting as well as AEW & C. DAC's clearances take at least 54 months to reach the contract signature stage, on average. One year is therefore too early to expect a final decision on release of money for contract award.

HARROGATE said...

VMT for your reply good sir, it is not often one gets such a swift and satisfiing answer to one's questions, the main stream media especially those self-styles defence jounralists could learn a thing or three from you!

1) What do you make of the news that Air India and NOT the IAF will retain control of the B777s set to become the next "air India one" and that they will be used in commercial operations also? How can we be so cavalier with the security of our PM/President?

I know you had made a post last year about the B777s and the next Air India One's security features but it seems none of that will come now.

2) If those AW-101s wil be re-activated does that mean the reamining outsatanding order (for 9 units) will be fulfilled?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To HARROGATE: 1) That news-report isn't true. The issue is still under deliberation & no final decision has been taken. In any case, a specially configured B.777 with self-protection aids cannot be pressed into commercial service. It can remain under Air India's administrative ownership, but not under AI's control. 2) Yes, a new contract will have to be signed for additional AW-101s as well as for product support for the already delivered AW-101s, since the original contract was terminated in 2014.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAJESH MISHRA: The Indian counter-assault has begun! Within a week of unrest in southern J & K, wall-chalkings have sprung up at several locations in Karachi saying "Occupied Karachi is Unacceptable". Watch this:

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

They if they want a war, then we will give them their damn war!!!

Khoon ka badla khoon se!

Magicbullet said...

Wow...Dada how do see the situation unfolding...it will be done through proxies ...right...or the border will also get heated up..or will all 3 Iran Afghanistan act in coordination and slowly keep chipping away..

Unknown said...

Prasun da,

IN current ASW Helos requirement is 45nos while reported available of 4Ka28,6Sea King 42B and 23 match chetak takes the total to 33 nos only.

In short IN is without credible ASW Helo fleet.

What about any new Ka 28 nos of which there were reports of 4nos +4nos in future. 16+8 Sea Hawk 70B asw helo order and 16 nos Naval Dhruv if ordered will be with osprey radar?

Future fleet of ASW Helo will be 10 Ka28+ 14 SeaKing42B + 24 Sea hawk+ 16 naval Dhruv=Total 64 nos which will only be possible by 2020.

It is like navy without credible ASW Helo capability.

Anonymous said...

http://indianexpress.com/article/education/parrikar-announces-drdo-iit-tie-up-costing-rs-160-crore/


It will be win win situation for designing our own aviation engines.From so many years Gov. was running metallurgical research labs but those crooked's have failed to manufacture required metals for aviation engines which can sustain at highest temp as well as lowest temp. Now this puzzle can be solved by IIT'ians to reduce wait of engines along with proper metallurgy.

Regards
Ron

Spykar said...

And the situation in Lahore.


http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/this-pakistani-journalist-interviewed-a-buffalo-and-even-got-an-answer-2943048/

http://www.siasat.com/news/lahore-pakistan-averts-major-terror-attack-7-militants-shot-dead-994749/

Sadly they are pulling more weight than we can ever put on them. They seem to forget that the shit is like war, easy to get in but harder to get out. And it will get more messy from now as the shit they were throwing up rolls back down on them.

Anonymous said...

can you in detail explain how many times IAF MIG-25 FOXBAT violated Pakistan airspace?


Regards
Ron

Spykar said...

Dada, can you be in your element and share with us the overall narrative and on how far the plot has been scripted on -

1. INSTUC
2. BBIM CORRIDOR
3. BCIM CORRIDOR
4. TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY NETWORK
5. MEKONG INDIA ECONOMIC CORRIDOR
6. PROJECT MAUSAM

Also if you can deliberate on the china factor at play here. Please do tell. Thanks.

Arpit Kanodia said...

Seems like SRA resurrected itself suddenly. Lol, Pakistan unable to handle situation in Balochistan, now Sindh.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/08/01/national/sindhudesh-revolutionary-army-claims-larkana-blasts-targeting-rangers/

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

o MAGICBULLET, SPYKAR & ARPIT KANODIA: Statistics tell us the whole story: in Karachi today there are at least 10 lakh who are below the poverty line & there are an additional 100,000 illegal Bangladeshis doing odd-jobs to survive. This is the army that one can make use of as mercenaries. And that's exactly what anyone who wants to create instability in Pakistan's financial capital has to tap into in order to achieve the objectives. There's no question of the IB or LoC flaring up again since the PA got the lesson of its life between June & October 2014 when it incurred unsustainable attrition losses thanks to the BSF's retaliatory mortar strikes. Therefore, that front will never again flare up. But the lessons learnt there are being applied down south in Karachi so that the PA is deterred from trying to make trouble inside J & K.

To SANJEEV KUMAR: ASW helicopters are NEVER used for detecting underwater threats. They used to be used only for localising the threats & then launching lightweight, shallow-depth torpedoes. With the advent of autonomous surface vessels equipped with dunking sonars, the localisation functions no longer require helicopters or dunking sonars. In addition, warships today have HWTs that can travel longer distances & dive far deeper than lightweight torpedoes. The shipborne NMRH today is therefore far less useful as an ASW platform & far more useful for OTH targetting.ASCM mid-course vectoring/cueing purposes.

To RON: Only once, in 1996. Nor can universities in India undertake any credile R & D work in any sphere, because the professors who want to do fundamental research simply don't have the time to do so due to their heavy academic lecturing/tutoring commitments. They thus have no spare time to either do research or to mentor youngsters who aspire to do research. In the US & elsewhere, research is done by full-time professors & academicians who don't have to waste their time on lecturing/tutoring. That's why most Indian researchers prefer to go to the US to engage in unhindered R & D work. If Parrikar is thinking that India's IITs can design world-class engines 'in a few years', then it only proves that he's dwelling in cukkooland. Of course he can't be blamed for this, because he too is a product of the process involving cramming of the syllabus materials through coaching classes & making it pass the entrance exams.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARPIT KANODIA, COMMONSENSE & SPYKAR: Eye-opening student interactions on Baloch nationalism & their visceral hatred for Pakistan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hscrVUz7l7E

Total estimated foreign debts of Pakistan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHjmMOgdZ0s

How India can destroy Pakistan for good just by playing the WATER card:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hf8XcC0oa0

Anonymous said...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Resentment-mounts-against-growing-Chinese-presence-in-Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir-Gilgit-Baltistan/articleshow/53489167.cms


Chinese will eat all the local industry and local jobs and Pakistan will be dumping ground of Chinese goods.

CPEC is for macro economic help to slowing Chinese economy, after ghost cities construction they are left with nothing, they need to make the people work otherwise they will revolt against authoritarian govt.

Regards
Ron

VIKRAM GUHA said...

PrasunDa,

1. So Russia was able to win the contract with the IL 78MKI only because of the fact that off the shelf price of the IL-78MKI is less than that of Airbus, right? What happened to life cycle cost? Isn't that important as well?

2. Will IL-78MKI be able to refuel US aircraft like C-17, C-130 and P-8?

Thanks

VIKRAM

Arpit Kanodia said...

That Baloch video is amazing, how much she trying harder to defend the indefensible. And how easily these students calling her bluff.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) No, not just that. Overall life-cycle costs also played a crucial role, thanks to the concept of fleet standardisation & the existence of a MRO & ground-support eco-system already existing with the IAF. In addition, the A330-220 does not possess a rear-loading ramp & the aircraft thus is not available in a QC (quick-change) configuration, whereas the IL-78MKI-90 comes with a QC package. 2) Of course.

HARROGATE said...

Prasun ji

1) Surely A330 MRTT is still on the anvail for the IAF and IN as the DRDO has already selected this type for the AWACS (INDIA) and thus in the future it will be fare more sensible to standaridise on thsi type especially as Airbus are investing massively in India and has a HUGE presence in the Indian civil aviation sector. We can easily have the regions Airbus MRO and training facilities in India and this will have an ibvious benefit for the military Airbus operators. The Russian upgrades are to extract the life out of existing air frames but in the long term they will be phased out and the Russians have nothing to offer against a giant like Airbus that is already entrenched in the Indian market.

2) With respect to the B777 "Air India One" surely it makes far more sense for the IAF to have full administrative and operational control over the asset? What sense is there in having a specialsied plane such as this in AI hands if it can't operate in their commerical operations?


3) When can we expect those AW-101s to become air wortyh again and new deals for the outstanding units to be placed? This is not an issue we can delay considering the threat enviroment our PM faces and the age of the current Mi-8s used by the communication SQN.

VMT for your continued work sir.

Anonymous said...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat-chief-minister-anandiben-patel-offers-to-resign-agitations-in-gujarat-sealed-anandibens-fate/article8929790.ece

why is there increased state of atrocities against dalits in developed state like GJ?
why dalits communities coming together and staging protests,dharnas in GJ like never before?

please give detailed analysis? what are prospects of BJP winning 2017 elections?

Regards
Ron

Spykar said...

I'm just waiting for the day pakistan gets hit with the whole shebang. The sort of overwhelming force the LT. Gen is saying here -

http://idrw.org/interview-with-lt-gen-kj-singh-western-command-plans-for-overwhelming-force-to-achieve-decisive-victory-against-pakistan/

bhoutik said...

if you could provide a little light on the 1oo,ooo illegal bangladeshis in karachi you mentioned. how did they get there? leftovers from 1971? or post 1971 migration - but how, through what route. and why? pakistan's economic situation is not better than bangladesh's. and are they bengali speakers or migrants from bihar (that went into west bengal post breakup)?

Millard Keyes said...

What do you think of the TU aircrafts - both military and civilian versions? Seemed once to be an apt competitor to Airbus and Boeing. Can't they be modernised today?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PIERRE ZORIN: LoLz! That aircraft went out of production in the late 1980s itself. And it has worst flight safety record.

To BHOUTIK: All post-1991 migration during the time of BNP's rule. Hundreds of them had even tried to cross over across the LoC & quite a few of them were shot dead by the IA. There's an entire colony of the Bangladeshis in suburban Karachi & it is known as Banglabad.

To RON: Because the day of reckoning of outfits like VHP & Bajrang Dal are soon coming. In reality, present-day idol worshipers from the Vaishnavite & Shaivite sects & the various cults like Bhakti, Mahavir Jains, Ramakrishna etc etc make up only 15% of India;'s population. The Dalits, who make up majority of India's population, are hanging in the middle & are not conservative followers of any sect or cult, although many of them claim to be Buddhists. So, there's an undeclared war between all 'religions' to get as many Dalits converted into various religious faiths, i.e. become Hindus, Muslims or Christians. The harsh reality thus is that India is not a 'Hindu majority' state (i.e. Hindu idol worshipers) as many would like to believe. Therefore, they choose to lve in a state of denial & consequently they most lovingly embrace colonial British constructs like Hindustan, Hindus, Hinduism etc etc. They thus forget that the philosophical essence & cultural glue that bind almost all Indians is the Dharma code of conduct as enshrined in the Bhagwat Gita. Consequently, entities like VHP, Bajrang Dal, RSS etc etc have all got totally confused & delusional & in order to lessen their headaches, they have oversimplified matters by replacing the term Dharma with the term Hindu. The origin of the word Hindu is from the Arabic term Al Hind, meaning the landmass east of the Hindukush mountain range. The Brits in turn anglicised this & called it Hindustan. That's why there's no mention of terms like Hindu, Hinduism, Hindutva or Hindustan in any ancient Indian literature. Only the term Bharat was used.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To HARROGATE: 1) How can it be on the anvil when the MoD has already told Airbus Military Aircraft that the 3rd RFP exercise too has been scrapped? There was always something very fishy about the A330-220 MRTT offer & its selection as it never had a rear-loading ramp, which is crucial for any multi-role tanker/transport aircraft. DRDO has not yet signed any contract for procuring any A330 aircraft. Airframes can always be Zero-lifed. 2 7 3) Mindsets take time to change in India, since common-sense is extremely hard to be found among Indian politicians. It is a great rarity nowadays. That's why we have had defence ministers since the 195-s who were never responsible for the defence of India, but were only answerable.

To SPYKAR: Lo:z! Overwhelming response in this day & age & that too against a nuclear overhang? And this coming from a Strike Corps GOC whose own Corps had earlier this year rehearsed dispersed combined-arms mechanised infantry operations in the desert? Maybe he is lamenting about those days of yesteryears when all this was possible, but is not today. That's why all 3 GOCs of the IA's three Strike Corps are all from the infantry branch, not from the armour branch. The days of several hundred MBTs pitted against one another are long gone for good from the subcontinent.

Kaustav said...

Prasunda,

It does seem that this government, though dependent on the bureaucracy, is also willing to lend a ear to saner advise from those outside the establishment and is more responsive though still reactive and low on initiative and innovativeness in governance and policy making.

Millard Keyes said...

C'MON overwhelming battle and victory is still possible - as well as MBTs pitting against each other. Otherwise what are the computer games for ...ha ha ha

Shame about the Tupolevs. Collaboration with Western companies perhaps would have produced a nice, stable aircraft :(

Arh93 said...

Prasun'da I always wanted to know how PLAN submarines both SSK/SSN's going to track and target our ships in Bay of Bengal without any overhead long range maritime recon aircraft help. (Sonar have a limited range compared to radar ). Especially SSKs without SSNs range and speed. If they solely depends on intel satellites for tracking can IN pick up those electronic emissions and target those subs?

Rajesh said...

China is running on the same path on which Japan was walking before WW-2.

Anonymous said...

can u in detail describe some of the defense intelligence agency(DIA) or para commandos operations along LOC during 1990's in Kashmir which were in now in public domain?

Regards
Ron

Anonymous said...

Dear Prasun,What is the status of Astra BVRAAM? is it comparable to R-77,AIM-120 AMRAAM,Derby? VINOD KUMAR

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RON: LoLz! If they were in the public domain, you would not bothered to ask me about them in the first place. They still are not in the public domain & remain classified.

To ARH93: No airborne platform can ever track any submerged target. Airborne platform with surface search radars can only detect & track those submarines that are surfaced or that have exposed their snorkels when their batteries are being re-charged. Once the submarine dives underwater there's no chance of detection by any airborne platform. Had already explained this a few times before.

To ANUP: The photos clearly show the twin elevators missing from the hull superstructure. AFTER the hull was floated & launched, it was discovered that the IAC-1 had some design flaws & therefore the twin elevators from the UK's McTaggart & Scott had to be disassembled & taken away for storekeeping & only after the design flaws have been corrected will it be possible for the elevators be re-installed.

To KAUSTAV: Why do we always ASSUME that the Indian bureaucracy is the root of all problems? The bureaucracy after all takes orders from its political masters & is only a policy implementing authority. So, if something's wrong, it is the policy formulation process, not the implementation part. Therefore, it is the SOLE job of Parliament & the executive branch of the govt to formulate & specify the policies & their implementation guidelines. If these bodies don't do their jobs, how can the bureaucracy be blamed for the shortcomings & negligence of the politicians? Elsewhere in the world where bureaucracies exist as well, one does not hear about such near-constant bitching about the bureaucracy. Why? Because there the political masters do what is expected of them. But not in India to a great extent.

Spykar said...

Prasun da,

On your previous reply to Ron, you are very much right on the underlying message, but regarding the etymology of the word 'Hindu', I think you are a bit mistaken. The origin is from the foreign innovation of the Sanskrit word 'sindhu'. (During the Vedic period Bharat Varsha was called the region of 'Sapta Sindhu'. 'Hapta Hindu' in Avesta) The Greeks called it 'Indu' or 'Indus'. Later the Persian referred to people living east of the river sindhu as hindu and the region as Hindustan. Arabs who borrowed from all of that and called it al-hind came much later. Then the Brits anglicised it to call India.

Also for all those who are big on nomenclature, Looks like 'Bengal' will soon c9me out of its colonial hangover -

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/west-bengal-may-be-renamed-as-bengal-2949968/

Some other good news -

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-planning-to-set-up-sez-in-myanmars-sittwe/articleshow/53496839.cms

https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/32219134/sri-lanka-withdraws-freehold-land-offer-to-china/

Also I think you will agree on most of the point the author outlines regarding urgent course corrections required in our policy on PoK -

http://www.idsa.in/policybrief/beyond-cartographic-assertion-pakistan-occupied-kashmir_psingh_290716

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Here is another prime example of how the 'desi' TV anchors deliberately obfuscate the issues & lead their audiences astray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN-CMGRxFe4

This programme anchor has not even bothered to do any basic research on the process of negotiations with terrorists or separatists. Worse, she is even unaware of the differences between dialogues & negotiations. Hence comparing the J & K terrorists with the Nagas. For instance, during the period of negotiating a peace deal, all the armed Northeastern separatists were placed in quarantine camps & their weapons were kept under lock n key. Once a deal was reached, total de-weaponisation of the separatist groups followed. In every negotiating table, only 2 parties sit: the victor & the vanquished. In the history of the world, negotiations till to date have never been conducted between equals. In J & K, the HUM, HUJI & UJC etc etc have never even expressed any desire for either dialogue or negotiations (like Hamas in the Gaza Strip), leave alone surrender the option of armed insurrection. In other words, they are the IRRECONCILABLES, just like what the Afghan Taliban are to the elected govt of Afghanistan & the Hamas is to the rest of the world. Consequently, the world's overwhelming opinion is that these IRRECONCILABLES must always be treated & engaged as active field combatants who do not enjoy the same rights & privileges as civilian violators of the law.

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir

Do we have any surveillance aircraft equipped with SAR pods like El/M-2060P or DRDO developed SAR pods,

Or India only dependent on SAR based satellites?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPYKAR: That explanation is again a colonial British construct which claims that the Aryans were the first to introduce civilised settled agrarian lifestyles in India & that the Aryans too were the original writers of the four Vedas in Sanskrit. This British construct has since been disputed & dis-proven as well. Archaeological records from Central Asia, northern Iran & Mesopotamia have collectively proven that the term 'Hindu' originates from the term Hindukush' mountain range, not from Sindhu. The effort therefore should be to trace the etymology of the term 'Hindukush'. The Brits also were the originators of the term 'Hindustan', & not just 'India'. That's why no ancient text--epic or Puranas or Vedas or Upanishads--ever uses the term 'Hindu' to denote a territorially-defined landmass. Instead, the term 'BHAARATH' has been used. The term 'Sapta Sindhu' refers only to the Indo-Gangetic Plain & not to subcontinental India.

In addition, the uncalled-for obsession with the effort to establish Sanskrit as the foundation of any ancient Indian civilisation is flawed, arrogant & confusing & is therefore seen as a deliberate effort by many to impose the intellectual hegemony of those residing in the Indo-Gangetic Plain over those residing in peninsular India.

Anonymous said...

http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/pakistans-jamaat-ud-dawa-challenge/


Nawaz Sharif's Kashmir statement was a desperate attempt to regain his falling popularity in Pakistan. A collapsing Pakistan will see emergence of such radical forces who have made big inroads into that country's military apparatus the Pak army who are the real rulers of Pakistan. Pakistan military used to be secular till Zia came to power and it got embroiled in the war in Afghanistan. The Punjabis are more or less moderate in nature but the Pathans are hardliners whose loyalties lie with their tribe and not towards any nation. Social and economic failure of Pakistan will only mean weakening of weak democratic structure and strengthening of radical forces with tacit support from the Pak military.


Regards
Ron

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARPIT KANODIA: The IAF has had strategic recce aircraft since the early 1980s, first with the MiG-25Rs equipped with LOROP cameras, followed by Learjet 29s & Learjet 35As of ARC with ITEK-supplied LOROP cameras, followed by the EL/M-2060P SAR pods for Su-30MKIs acquired in the previous decade, & 3 years ago the 2 Bombardier Aerospace 5000s with belly-mounted SAR (the same mission sensors that are within the EL/M-2060P pods). The IAF requires a total of 9 such Bombardier 5000 platforms. I had earlier posted photos of all such hardware in previous threads. Now, thanks to AESA technology, SAR sensors are available for MALE-UAVs as well, which can be used by Army formation commanders from the Brigade upwards to see the terrain ahead of & around them to detect, localise & monitor hostile armoured/mechanised infantry movements as well as those of field artillery assets. What is now reqd are FUSION CENTRES (the Command Information Decision Support System or CIDSS) at the Battalion-level, Brigade-level, Division-level, Corps-level & Theatre Command-level so that pro-active manoeuvres can be undertaken to shape the battlefield to the IA's advantage. This is the Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS). Decisions reached at the Theatre-level HQ will then percolate down to the subordinate-levels via the Battlefield Management System (BMS). But for the CIDSS, BMS & BSS to come on-line, an information exchange node must become available. That node cannot be operationalised unless the 4-G Tactical Comms System (TCS) itself becomes available, since it is the 4-G TCS that will allocate spectrum bandwidth to the BSS & BMS.

Meanwhile, on another note, the biggest purge of the Russian Navy since Stalinist USSR is now underway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq1ylFXR3k8

Also, do watch these 2 excellent ground reports on the mechanics & dynamics of stone-pelting in downtown Srinagar before & after every Friday prayers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1rd6jaIRY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K7e2GLjmHI

After watching this, everyone can only conclude that these stone-pelters are one hell of a deluded, convoluted & brainwashed lot.

Anonymous said...

http://www.dawn.com/news/1098562

what is your take on this? How a Beautiful and Intelligent Hindu Princess took Revenge...

Umayyad interest in the region occurred because of attacks from Sindh Raja Dahir on ships of Muslims and their imprisonment of Muslims. They had earlier unsuccessfully sought to gain control of the route, via the Khyber Pass, from the Kabul Shahi of Gandhara.But by taking Sindh, Gandhara's southern neighbour, they were able to open a second front against Gandhara; a feat they had, on one occasion, attempted before.

Regards
Ron

Ganesh said...

Hello Prasun, thanks for the links, sitting at a safe place and watching the ground reality, it is clear that a small set of people do not see the truth and their days and their moral supporters aka Pakistan's days are numbered. India is moving forward towards growth and prosperity, it is up to all of us to utilize and chart self development and benefit from it for better future. I remember the days when other communities shunned IT and computers, now they realize of missing the bus, now conscious efforts are made to make amends. Time is ripe to take the lost parts of India post 1947 and work towards building strong economic linkages to federate others that were part of India in 25 to 30 years from now and make China the size it originally was with Canton and Manchuria alone

Ganesh said...

And adding to it, for this to happen, the eastern part of present India must economically progress. For some reason, I still do not understand why Bihar and Bengal for example chose to elect the same set of people who are pulling them down economically.
Thanks, Ganesh

Arpit Kanodia said...

Seems like your this prediction also coming to be true

http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/will-vietnam-file-a-south-china-sea-case-against-china/

Thehundered said...

Some positive news, took only 16 years..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Finally-GST-Constitutional-Amendment-Bill-passed-in-Rajya-Sabha/articleshow/53529041.cms

The main objective of the GST is to eliminate excessive taxation. GST is a uniform indirect tax levied on goods and services across a country. Many developed nations tax the manufacture, sale and consumption of goods using a single, comprehensive tax+ .
"The GST bill will empower the states, will increase revenue of states as well as Centre. It'll ensure that there is 'no tax on tax'," finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha.

Spykar said...

Dada,

What happened to the IAI-HAL NRUAV? And to the solar powered HALE UAV?

Chinaman said...

Hi Prasun,

1) What was the strategic rationale for initiating the annual Amarnath yatra process since the 1990s?

2) What's the core economic reason for alienation of the natives residing in the southern part of the Valley of Kashmir?

3) Which districts are under the jurisdiction of AFSPA?

4) To whom do the terms 'militants' & 'terrorists' apply?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To CHINAMAN: LoLz! You should be asking that to SBM, who in turn is supposed to get answers from the resident 'experts' of IDSA.

To SPYKAR: What NRUAV from HAL? The NRUAV was developed by IAI's Malat Division. HAL had nothing to do with it. By 2009 the IN refused to consider the NRUAV & everything ended there.

Meanwhile, in case anyone's interested in underwater locator beacons, here's some literature:

http://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/deep-water-black-box-retrieval?output=pdf

http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/na68-7.pdf

http://www.glendale-int.co.uk/documents/ELP362DDatasheet.pdf

http://ocean-innovations.net/OceanInnovationsNEW/RJE/ELP-362D_Datasheet_-_2014-8.19.pdf

http://www.l-3ar.com/pdf/MKT074_90-Day-Beacon_11-11rev-.pdf

To RON: You will find such spectacularly outrageous revisionist narratives emanating from Pakistan, since it is state policy there to use every means to justify the 2-nation theory, especially by portraying non-Muslims as duplicitous, cunning & untrustworthy. The narrative you've quoted is a shining example of this, & also a sick way of glorifying a terrorist like Mohd bin Qasim, whose invading hordes were after the life of the wife (Ayesha) of the Holy Prophet, since she & her dependents & relatives had been granted asylum by the Maharaja of Sindh after the Holy Prophet had passed away.

Anonymous said...

http://www.asianage.com/international/turkey-pledges-back-pakistan-kashmir-225

have u seen this? Who the F**K do these Turks think they are? Great friendship between a failed state and one that will eventually fail. Free Trade Agreement ?? What has Pakistan got to trade?? Export TERRORISM as Free Trade Agreement to turkey? Turkey and democracy should not be mentioned in the same sentence.Gulen followers tend to be tolerant , educated, professional, - which hard line Muslim's hate.Such a shame that the coup failed.

is it beginnings of a sunni alliance between trukey pak and saudi..... this alliance will be the biggest political threat to world peace.This alliance will be propped by the Chinese in the coming years.

Regards
Ron

Anonymous said...

Sir, please take a look at the post no. 17 in this link
http://defence.pk/threads/army-to-get-steep-dive-brahmos-missile-regiment-for-china-front.442464/page-2#ixzz4GKd06PN4

1. Is it really the case as this Omega guy's been saying - that the fuel tanks in the Brahmos had been kept half empty to decrease the original range??

2. And his claim, 'that since now India has become a signatory of the MTCR, it will allow us to increase its range to the original level of the Oniks missiles of 600 km by filling up the fuel tanks', is there any truth to it or just his assumptions??

3. Does being a member of the MTCR really allow us to import missiles of any range, does that mean the 300 km range cap and 500 km payload cap no longer apply to us as this Omega dude is saying??

Regards,
Bikram

Anurag said...

Sir, please take a look at the post no. 17 in this link
http://defence.pk/threads/army-to-get-steep-dive-brahmos-missile-regiment-for-china-front.442464/page-2#ixzz4GKd06PN4

1. Is it really the case as this Omega guy's been saying - that the fuel tanks in the Brahmos had been kept half empty to decrease the original range??

2. And his claim, 'that since now India has become a signatory of the MTCR, it will allow us to increase its range to the original level of the Oniks missiles of 600 km by filling up the fuel tanks', is there any truth to it or just his assumptions??

3. Does being a member of the MTCR really allow us to import missiles of any range, does that mean the 300 km range cap and 500 km payload cap no longer apply to us as this Omega dude is saying??

Regards

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ANURAG/BIKRAM: 1 & 2) LoLz! You will be surprised to know that he picked up this info from this very blog in a thread I had created way back in 2013! 3) Yes, but only those that are conventionally armed. No nuclear WMD warhead-carrying missiles.

To RON: LoLz! Why is your BP going up? Just read the statement carefully & you will realise that the support is conditional, i.e. the matter cannot be discussed until a fact-finding team from OIC is allowed inside India to ascertain details, & since India will never allow such a fact-finding team to visit J & K, the question of the issue being raised within the OIC doesn't even arise. That's why the Turks are very clever with words & you must therefore read the statement in its entirety to understand its true meaning. Don't jump to hasty conclusions like many other Indians do when conveniently forgetting to go into the detail & ending up in an emotionally disturbed state.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IAF-trainer-jet-crashes-in-West-Bengal-both-pilots-eject-safely/articleshow/53539035.cms

WTF! Two splashes in a row from the same airbase??? Looks like Kalaikunda AFS needs to be exorcised. Time to organise a 'maha yagna' or 'maha havan'm break coconuts 7 what not. That's the only way to break this jinx, what do you all say? Or should the application of mind take precedence to examine the true causes of such crashes, like FOD-related equipment malfunction or deviation from SOPs by the ground-support crew?

Dushyant hardaha said...

sir any news about this?
https://twitter.com/ArmyAFG/status/761172185151135744

Ved said...

Hi Prasun,

Its definitely not following the SOP in letter and spirit. As they say "nazar hati durghatna ghati". The reasons are yet to be identified though.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To DUSHYANT HARDAHA: Here it is:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1275380/punjab-govts-helicopter-crash-lands-in-afghanistan-taliban-set-it-on-fire-take-crew-hostage

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARPIT KANODIA: Listening to the Pakistani Federal Interior Minister at the SAARC meeting yesterday, one cannot but be struck by the fact that his utterances (as part of his speech) about differentiating between terrorists & freedom fighters was graphically describing the prevalent situation in Balochistan & Karachi! Watch & listen to what he had said & everything will become clear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8YmFDid7VY

We need more of such numbskulls within Pakistan who are avid exponents of 'Harakiri'.

Magicbullet said...

Sir..why such hard sell by LM for F16...there can't be smoke without fire..

DAshu said...

The moment he used the term "UN resolution" everything else got ticked out and only Indian Occupied Kashmir (as they say) was the focus of his utterances I guess.

Thehundered said...

any truth to these news reports?

https://news.usni.org/2016/08/04/report-india-buy-3-russian-admiral-grigorovich-frigates

With the frigates sold to India, New Delhi maybe able to strike a new deal to purchase the Ukrainian gas turbines, Jane’s source said.

http://www.janes.com/article/62776/india-to-acquire-three-admiral-grigorovich-class-frigates-from-russia

"The relevant concealed agreement has been achieved, and India will receive the second three of Project 11356 frigates being built for the Russian Navy. The Indian side has obtained 12 spare tool and accessory kits for the ships," the source said.

Anonymous said...

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/americas-f-22-raptor-the-fighter-jet-japan-desperately-wants-16913

why this fighter so lethal?why every US ally were denied of its technologies?does any of its tech was passing into F35? where is PAK-FA when compared to F22?

Regards
Ron

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To MAGICBULLET: LoooooooooooLLLLLLLLLLLLLLzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

What you have been reading in all the news-reports are is 30% of what was mentioned in the press conference yesterday, in which only 15 Indian journalists participated. Here's what the 'desi' reporters/journalists have NOT reported:

1) There are 2 preconditions, not 1. The first is a confirmed order of F-16 Block 70s for the IAF. Second is the sequential approval by the Govt of India of a strategic industrial partner that's selected by Lockheed Martin. So far, neither of these 2 preconditions has been met, nor are to be met.

2) What Lockheed Martin is proposing is ONLY transfer of A PART of the 1 mile-long final-assembly line from Fort Worth. Lockheed Martin will maintain a sizeable final-assembly line at Fort Worth for undertaking upgrade works for F-16s already exported abroad. Taiwan is the first upgrade customer.

3) Lockheed Martin is also in talks with Turkey & South Korea for transferring this part of its final-assembly line that is being offered to India. Since both TAI & KAI both already have existing F-16 final-assembly lines that were built in the 1980s, the latter two are being looked at far more seriously than India.

4) Lockheed Martin owns the IPRs of only the airframe design & of the F-16's FBW-FCS. It therefore isn't empowered to talk about licenced-production in India of everything else that's on-board the F-16.

5) The only matter confirmed so far is that if an F-16 final-assembly line comes up in India, then it will be sited at Hyderabad.

Therefore, based on the above, we can conclude that: 1) the 'desi' journalists as usual have once again failed to share the whole story with their audiences. 2) it was a very low-key press-conference & no one from the IAF was present, meaning that the IAF will not entertain such offers from either Lockheed Martin or Saab for that matter. 3) Turkey & South Korea are far more serious contenders for this proposed final-assembly line, & not India. So, now that you have the TRUTH, you will see that there's neither any smoke nor any fire.

To DASHU: It is all aptly & objectively summed up here:

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rajnath-singh-saarc-summit-pakistan-india-2954183/

To THE HUNDRED: Those are the proposed Batch 3 Project 1135.6 FFGs that were offered to India way back in late 2008 itself! They will have the VL-Shtil MR-SAMs & BrahMos-1 ASCMs, which will also be installed on the 3 Batch-1 Project 1135.6 FFGs of the IN when their mid-life upgrade begins in the near future at Pipavav. Until now the rumour being spread by Western & 'desi' journalists was that the first 3 Gregorivich-class FFGs of the Rusky Navy would be sold to India. Now, that rumour at least has been squashed.

blackurrant said...

Prasun Da,

Srilanka seems to be in deep shit.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/07/31/china-to-sri-lanka-we-want-our-money-not-your-empty-airport/#a77e06e11696

Also with their Power Plant at Lakvijaya.

Thanks

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To BALCKURRANT: Not just Sri Lanka, but also China. Both were banking on the hope that India will never get her act together WRT industrial infrastructure development & related ports connectivity. But all such hopes have now been dashed & the massive investments in ports & SEZs inside Sri Lanka are now fast becoming white elephants. This is only the beginning & more bad news for China will follow on these fronts.

blackurrant said...

Prasun Da,

I firmly believe there is no GOD in the world. Pakistan will and must pay for it's sins.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/06/tharparkar-pakistans-ongoing-catastrophe-160629111410198.html

SUJOY MAJUMDAR said...

PrasunDa look, Ruskies selling obsolete weapons and Govt of India happily purchasing them

https://in.rbth.com/economics/defence/2016/08/05/russia-india-agree-to-jointly-produce-bmp-3_618341

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To BLACKURRANT: Of course the Gods & Angels don't exist in this world/Earth. Their abode has always been, is & will be the Heavens. They never ever intended to seek permanent residency on Earth.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: LoLz! It is just a company-to-company MoU. No one is purchasing anything of this type. Instead, this JV is all about undertaking the local upgrade & refurbishing of existing BMP-2 ICVs of the IA. Presently, only OFB's Medak facility produces the BMP-2 under licence, while BEML services/repairs the BMP-2's engine & gearbox. As for BMP-3s, no one in India is interested in them.

Anonymous said...

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/genghis-khan-keeps-a-watch-over-mongolia-again/1/722617.html

Why did Mongol empire fail to take over India?I have heard stories about Himalayas preventing them from coming in. But that didn't prevent Ghazni aur Ghouri to attack the country - Was there any other reason which prevented them from looking at an alternative route? or Mongols horse archers succeeded in steppe , but India has a hot climate and have a lots of jungle . Also Mongol soldiers were vulnerable to hot climate disease?

Regards
Ron .

radha said...

hi prasun
does it make sense to buy frigates from russia with old generation still missile that are not capable of hitting mach 2 sea skimming missiles?. What was the urge to buy old ships that are lying incomplete with old weapon systems. I believe all future ships should be at least installed with the barak -8 system. Further the ak630 ciws seems to be inaccurate and ineffective.
what do you thing is the cause of the latest hawk crash ?. the first two were deemed to be of pilot error.

Magicbullet said...

Sir VMT

Kaustav said...

It seems the hopelessness of the situation in Kashmir and the stagnation the Kashmir valley faces has finally been realised by the separatists and their sympathisers. With no outside support or sympathy for their demands, they are now venting their frustration and hoping to create some response from the international community but the fatigue of Islamic terror as well as unstable scene in countries from Ukraine through Turkey to Syria has ensured that India is sitting pretty with support from most power blocks.

Prasunda, is such a reading correct or is it likely India would be subject to any pressure to give way on Kashmir?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/08/operational-assessment-of-the-f-35a-argues-for-full-program-procurement-and-concurrent-development-process

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAUSTAV: LoLz! Let's break down the trouble-spots first, shall we? Curfew remains in force in six police station areas of Srinagar—Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Maharajgunj and Batamaloo. Outside Srinagar, curfew remains enforced in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir, & 4 rowns each in Budgam district and Baramulla district. That hardly qualifies as a state-wide unrest or the whole of Srinagar going out of control.

Everyone else has similar skeletons in their closets. China in Xinjiang & Pakistan in all its 4 provinces, plus within PoK. So which country can claim to be holier-than-thou? In my view, no one.

madforexbii said...

I would like to get enlightened about the source from which you're getting this conclusion of AK-630 CIWS being INACCURATE & INEFFECTIVE !!!

madforexbii said...

BTW have you read this Afghan army tweet
pic.twitter.com/MgSebd4Ljz

asd said...

Dear Prasun,

In your last Post about a link in F35, what you wanted to convey. Should Indiago for it? I am asking as I am not able to do any homework on this unlike you? Please explain. Thanks in advance.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RADHA: LoLz! Whatever has made you reach such ill-informed conclusions??? The Russian FFGs are lying uncompleted at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad because their propulsion systems can't be supplied anymore by Ukraine. What has that got to do with weapon systems functionality? The VL version of Shtil-1 can indeed engage & neutralise inbound supersonic ASCMs. And that's precisely why the VL Shtil-1 will be retrofitted on the three Project 15 DDGs & the 3 Batch-1 Project 1135.6 FFGs of the IN during their respective mid-life upgrades, along with VL-BrahMos-1 ASCMs. If the Russian Navy's follow-on (Batch-3) Project 1135.6 FFGs are acquired by India, they will feature a very high degree of commonality with the IN's 6 existing Project 1135.6 FFGs. Thus, it is a win-win deal for the IN from both financial & technological standpoints. Therefore, I'm totally at a loss to understand the source & motives of your doubts. Secondly, who has ever stated that the AK-630Ms are inferior? These rapid-fire guns have been proven in service since the early 1980s with the IN & now these guns are almost 95% indigenopusly built by OFB under a ToT agreement inked in the early 1990s with Tulamashzavod JSC. In fact, apart from being radar-guided, efforts are now on by OFB to add an optronic fire-control system as well for 100% remotely-controlled operations. As for Hawk Mk.132 AJT crashes, the first was due to pilot error, while the latter two are due to probable MRO-related errors.

To ASD: I never wanted to convey anything other than the contents of that study. As for my view, it is that neither the IAF nor IN requires such platforms as of now.

To VARUNN: That commentator has been certified as a moron by several of his own compatriots for more than 3 years running. Such morons take solace in living in a state of denial & refusing to acknowledge historical facts, which have consistently shown that the history of Muslim rule in the undivided Indian sub-continent has always been one of mutually inflicted bloodshed & constant infighting. They have never been able to stand united & hence the Turkik rulers like Ibrahim Lodhi were attacked & defeated by the Chugtai Turks (starting from Babur), then these were defeated by invading Afghans like Ahmed Shah Abdali & they in turn were defeated & plundered by Persians like Nadir Shah. So, technically, if one talks about slavery, it boils down to one Muslim being enslaved by another in succession since the days of Mohd bin Qasim, & has nothing to do about non-Muslims being enslaved by Muslims. Truth-of-the-matter is, after 1971 Pakistan has found it impossible to come up with a justifiable national narrative in support of its foundational 2-nation theory & that's why one often comes across such morons trying in vain to clutch at straws.

Makesh.T. said...

Daer Mr. Prasun K. Sengupta,

Have you noted the Ilyushin presentation slide on the IL-78MKI-90 Specifications. It mentions that it is compatible with all current Indian fighter airframes and also mentions F18 aircraft.

Does this have any further bearing on Russia's knowledge of India selecting F18 apart from Rafale..