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Friday, October 14, 2016

S-400 Triumf LR-SAMs Arriving By 2018 For Limited TMD, Plus Six SSNs & Four Batch-3 Project 1135.6 FFGs

As per the IAF’s projections, there exists a requirement for 12 Batteries of the JSC Almaz-Antey-built S-400 (each Battery using four TELs each housing four cannister-encased LR-SAMs), plus five long-range early warning/tracking radars (LRTR). In other words, as per the IAF’s appreciation, a total of FIVE strategic sectors in northern, western and southern India are urgently required to be protected against conventionally armed inbound TBMs and IRBMs like Pakistan’s solid-fuelled single-stage M-11 (Hatf-3/Ghaznavi//DF-11) 280km-range TBMs, and liquid-fuelled single-stage Hatf-5/Ghauri-1/Nodong-1.
Next on the shopping list will be the five LRTRs which, in all probability, will be the EL/M-2090U UHF-band active phased-array systems from Israel Aerospace Industries’ ELTA Systems subsidiary.
It may be recalled that when the MoD-owned DRDO began R & D work in 1996 on a home-grown TMD system, it had ordered two EL/M-2080 ‘Green Pine’ active phased-array L-band LRTRs in late 1998 from IAI/ELTA for target acquisition-cum-engagement, plus a TMD simulation testbed from Israel’s Tadiran Electronic Systems.
Following their deliveries in 2001, the DRDO began co-developing the applications software for a terrestrial TMD architecture and its distributed command-and-control network at a laboratory in Yalavara, Karnataka. 
Another inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to be inked in Goa as part of a secret annexure of the contract for building Units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) concerns the in-country construction of six 5,000-tonne, single-hulled, fifth-generation attack submarines (SSN) designed by the St Petersburg-based FSUE Central Design Bureau RUBIN for Marine Technology. SSNs of this design, powered by 60mWt (about 25mWe) high-density integral pressurised water reactors (PWR), will also enter service with the Russian Navy in the following decade.
It may be recalled the IGA that India and Russia Atomstroyexport signed on November 20, 1988 for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) officially involved the construction of two 1,000MWe Russian VVER-1000-type light water reactors (at a cost of US$3.5 billion) at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu State. However, a secret annexure of this contract also called for Moscow to offer its ‘consultancy’ and ‘vendor-development’ services, along with the supply of two KLT-40C PWR mock-ups (built by Afrikantov OKBM and designed to deliver 23.5mWe from the 82.5mWt reactor and using 45% enriched uranium-aluminium alloy, clad in zircaloy), their related heat exchangers and steam generators, plus their detailed engineering drawings off-the-shelf—all for the double-hulled S-2/Arihant, S-3 and S-4 SSBNs, and similar military-industrial assistance for building the larger double-hulled S-5, S-6 and S-7 SSBNs, also designed by FSUE Central Design Bureau RUBIN for Marine Technology.
Of the four Batch 3 Project 1135.6 FFGs for the IN, the first two will be built by Kaliningrad-based JSC Yantar Shipyard, while the remaining two will be licence-built by Gujrat-based Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (RDEL), formerly Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd (PDOECL).

207 comments:

1 – 200 of 207   Newer›   Newest»
Ram Bharadwaj said...

Is the acquisition price of 40,000 Crores reported in the news anyway realistic?

Will this contract also include any agreement to work on S-500 for full TMD OR India could well consider THAAD in future as well?

asd said...

Dear Prasun,

What the hell it is. As per your assessment, India was supposed to go for THAAD. But now for urgent requirement is choosing S400. This will again bring diversity and hence maintenance costs will shoot up. What is your view?

Siddharth said...

Prasun da,

Do you foreseen Americans offering THAAD system to India.

You'd said in past, Russian don't possess better cueing compared to American. Has this feature overlooked by India authorities.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAM BHARADWAJ: Of course it isn't accurate. The actual figure is way too lower.

To ASD: I never said India was to go for THAAD. Mu assessment was & is that the THAAD offers far superior TMD capabilities when compared to the S-400.

To ANUP: The version to be procured will suffice for tackling the TBM & IRBM mentionmed above. The hypersonic 77N6-N and the 77N6-NI missiles that the IAF wants to counter the Shaheen-1/2 & DF-21-type MRBMs are not yet available. So the S-400s meant for delivery to the IAF will make use of SAMs like the 40N6E, the 9M96E2, the 48N6E3 and the 48N6E2.

To SIDDHARTH: Yes. In fact, the offer has already been made. That's why the S-400 order is of very limited quantities as of now & is hardly sufficient for 3 SAM squadrons + 1 training squadron.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Meanwhile, the noose is tightening from across the Durand Line:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Can-Afghanistan-offer-other-Indus-option-to-India-against-Pakistan/articleshow/54843680.cms

And as I had stated 1 month earlier, the future looks bright for homegrown swatms of MILSPEC satellites in low-Earth orbits:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/isro-has-plans-to-go-small-with-lighter-satellites/article9216116.ece?homepage=true

Unknown said...

Will the BRICS meet in Goa be the place where India and Russia sign the actual Purchase Order for the S-400 or will they just sign a document which says that there is an intention to buy the S-400?

Also, what does one make of the recent news that India has privately through 3 embassies sent request for single engine fighter aircraft to replace atleast 11 IAF squadrons?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Thriving Indigenous Design, Development & Manufacturing (IDDM) activities involving Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME):

http://indianexpress.com/article/elections-2016/india/india-news-india/big-picture-west-bengal-elections-malda-maoists-naxals-trinamool-congress-bomb-shoot-win/

Wondering why folks like Rajnath Singh & Manohar Parikkar visit such areas to explore opportunities of 'desi' weapons manufacturing & undertaking surgical strikes in such target-rich areas!

financeblogger said...

Duffer generals of Pakistan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRleH65G5E

vamy said...

Dear Prasun,

What is the status of our own ABM system ,is it a failure that we are buying s400?

Thehundered said...

"four Batch 3 Project 1135.6 FFGs for the IN, the first two will be built by Kaliningrad-based JSC Yantar Shipyard"

Will Kaliningrad-based JSC Yantar Shipyard build 2 brand new Project 1135.6 FFGs for IN or will these 2 FFGs come from the 3 FFGs already built that are waiting for engines from Ukraine?

And also does it make economic sense for Gujrat-based Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd to build only 2 FFGs because I remember you mentioning 1-2 years ago that minimum order needs to be 5-6 FFGs for it to make economic sense for a yard to build these? Thanks!

DAshu said...

so S-400 is a stopgap measure ?

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

Subho Bijoya to you and your family.

1. It seems one more forecast made by you has come true. Javelin ATGM will indeed be purchased by Indian Army & Lockheed has entered into a JV agreement with TATA.

2. Will you please state when the delivery of S-400 to India will commence?

3. Also PrasunDa you mentioned that 2 frigates will be built in Russia & the remaining 2 in India. Why isn't all the 4 being built in India?

Regards,

VIKRAM

Ashish Gautam said...

To vamy: this order of 5 S-400 is to meet emergency requirements of IAF as mentioned by prasun to above. Hopefully Rest requirements will be met by indigenous systems only. Our own ABM is not failed, it's simply facing some technical issues. May get operational within 2-3 years i.e, till S400 will get started delivered it will be also in production.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VAMY: What ABM system? Anyone casting even a glance at the PAD missile will testify to its aerodynamic unsuitability. In addition, it uses Ka-band terminal seeker that is totally unsuitable for accurate interception. As for command-and-control aspects, do read the narrative above.

To THEHUNDRED: All 3 Gregorivich FFGs built to date at JSC Yantar are already salining with their own power, i.e. they already have on-board propulsion systems & all their photos are available on-line. The 4 for India will be new-build ones & will have all non-Russian systems that are already on board the 2 Batch 2 Project 1135.6 FFGs. During the construction of the first 2 Batch 3 FFGs, the workforce from Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd will be at Yantar for acquiring the skills necessary for building the two follow-on FFGs back in India. In future, this Pipabav-based shipyard will also do all mid-life refit work on the 3 Batch 1 & 3 Batch 2 Project 1135.6 FFGs already in service with the IN. In addition, the periodic refits of INS Vikramaditya will also be done at Pipavav.

To DASHU & ANUP: No, it won;t be a stopgap measure because the Ruskies will deliver the 77N6-N and the 77N6-NI missiles after their R & D cycles have been completed. In addition, don't forget that the S-400 sales campaign wasn't done just by the Ruskies, but by the Israelis as well, since there will be a sizeable Israeli industrial input as well, as I have explained above. All that the Ruskies therefore have to do is to work with the DRDO to make the S-400 LR-SAMs 'adaptab;e' to the DRDO-Israel developed command-and-control network. In addition, as far as early warning goes, it is Israel that has been collaborating with ISRO for co-devedloping new-generation mini-satellites with dedicated optronic or SAR sensors. Up to 12 such mini-satellites can be launched by ISRO during any national emergency by a PSLV launcher & these mini-satellites will be low-cost, i.e. with a lifespan of not more than 90 days in low-Earth orbits for the sake of uninterrupted/persistent ballistic missile early warning & monitoring of BM launch sites inside hostile territory.

To SARABVIR SINGH: The inter-governmental sale-and-purchase agreements will be inked in Goa. Then ROSTEC & Rosoboronexport JSC will ink procurement contracts in Russia with respective Russian OEMs like JSC Almaz-Antey & JSC Yantar Shipyard. As for single-engined MRCAs, what was issued was a restricted RFI.

blackurrant said...

ISRO Presentation on Small Satellites:
http://www.iete.org/TS2.pdf

The Seeker said...

What is the USCs MOU with andhra govt. for?

The Seeker said...

http://www.prnewswire.co.in/news-releases/india-based-aniara-selects-dauria-aerospace-to-design-and-manufacture-two-small-geostationary-ku-band-satellites-267199001.html

Is this deal also for MILSPEC sats?

The Seeker said...

"Dauria Aerospace is working on the deployment of the NextStar telecommunication satellite constellation in the geostationary Earth orbit. The two countries’ governments will assist in the implementation of these projects"

https://in.rbth.com/economics/cooperation/2016/10/13/india-is-russias-especially-privileged-strategic-partner-putin_638407

Aditya said...

Prasunda,great post as always.

So indian airdefense structure by next decade will most likely consist of



Verba manpads
Spyder qrsam
Akash srsam
Barak8 mrsam
Barak8er lrsam
S400 abm

This will probably be the most formidable air defense structure second only to the Americans.
The only catch hear is how long will it take to actually have it operational.

Also, what is the purpose of the restricted RFI for single engined MRCA?

Is it really feasible to have lca1,lca2 and gripen/f16 in the same airforce?

If all we want is numbers,why not order a further 100-150 su30mki with supersukhoi upgrades over and above the 272 till the fgfa materializes.
Its higher maintenance costs would be ofset by the cost savings we would do by not setting a new assembly line,simulators,mro facilities etc...

Gopu said...

Good info on the mini-satellites. I don't know much about satellite turnover, but hopefully ISRO can create a minimally viable stockpile of these satellites in a year or so.

Are there any SSN-related contracts that will be signed? Or news on the Ka-226T/tie-ups for other Kamov products, like the NMRH Ka-62K?

It still seem that both S-400 and Project 1135.6 are carrots for 'tsar' Putin. The S-400's R&D cycle isn't complete, and you said that THAADs could be temporarily stationed in India. A better long term solution could have been JVing with Israel for the Arrow project. I don't know if there actually is a 'pressing' need for Project 1135.6. Aren't those FFGs armed with the previous gen Shtils MRSAMs?

Also when/will IAF Rafales carry nuclear deterrents?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VIKRAM GUHA: VMT & the very same to you & all your loved ones. 1) The LM-TATA JV on Javelin ATGM concerns integration of the ATGM on the Kestrel APC & has nothing to do with Javelin’s production in India. The Kestrel with Javelin fitment was first shown at DEFEXPO 2014. 2) Year of delivery is stated in the headline itself above. 3) Because the Indian workforce will require hands-on experience in hull fabrication first before they can attempt to build such warships on their own. Although the Scorpene SSK contract was inked in 2005, MDL could roll out the first SSK only in 2015 because the MoD in its all-knowing wisdom that all 6 would be built by MDL.

To ASHISH GAUTAM: The home-grown BMD system using AAD endo-atmosphetic & PAD exo-atmospheric interceptors was a gigantic fraud perpetrated by the DRDO, just like the now-failed Tejas Mk.1 MRCA, the Trishul SHORADS & the Nagan active/passive ultra-LF towed-array sonar. When the IAF is going for S-400s with Ka-band terminal seekers, then how exactly can the AAD & PAD succeed with Ku-band seekers? There’s no ongoing R & D anywhere in India on ka-band seekers. And where’s the much touted & hyped-about L-band ‘Sword Fish’ LRTR that Dr Saraswat was so bombastic about in 2010? ISRO on the other hand has already delivered the S-band MOTR active phased-array satellite tracking radar. 20 years have passed by so far on the homegrown BMD system’s R & D & there’s ZERO indication to suggest that the AAD or PAD will perform as advertised even in the next 10 years. The same holds true for the advertised Tejas Mk.1A as well. All DRDO fanboys must therefore sober up & adopt a realistic attitude, instead of gaining illusory happiness through magnificent delusions.

To THE SEEKER: Nope, it’s for commercial DTH purposes only.

To ADITYA: The VSHORADS has not yet been selected. Restricted RFI was issued to keep the Ruskies away from bidding. Any air force operating 3 types of 4.5-generation MRCAs will go broke. Su-30MKI is of 1980s design vintage & therefore its engine-change requires a whopping 8 hours, as opposed to only 30 minutes for the Rafale, which can fly up to 3 different mission sorties per day, whereas the Su-30MKI can at best fly only 1 mission sortie per day.

To GOPU: VMT. Ka-226T will be licence-built in India only for commercial operators like Pawan Hans for purposes like NRDF disaster-relief, MEDEVAC, power-line monitoring & EMS. As I explained earlier, since no one in Russia’s armed forces operates the Ka-226T for any military mission, there’s no reason for India’s armed forces to put the Ka-226T to any military use. The SSN-related documentation will form part of the inter-governmental agreement for Units 3 & 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear power project. Just as the ATV Project contracts formed part of the KNPP-1/2 projects back in 1989. Project 1135.6 FFGs of Batch 3 will have vertically-launched Shtil-1 MR-SAMs & this very configuration will be refitted on the 3 Project 15 DDGs & the three Batch-1 Project 1135.6 FFGs that are all due for mid-life refits. There are no plans for arming Rafales with any air-delivered nuclear weapons. Back in 2012 I had already uploaded slies showing CEMILAC posters announcing the qualification of Nirbhay LACM’s air-launched version on the Su-30MKI.

Spykar said...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Muslims-mushroom-in-3-Bengal-districts/articleshow/1151850.cms

Entrepreneurs of Bengal thriving in Government Incubation Centres. And that was in 2005. Now its a Large Scale Industry about to Scale up and expand. Nurtured by CPIM and and now being looked after by TMC. They have "moderately benefited" under the TMC rule as eminent scholar Amartya Sen says. Situation now :

http://www.ummid.com/news/2016/April/23.04.2016/status-of-muslims-in-west-bengal.html
http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/this-hindu-dominated-village-in-west-bengal-is-not-allowed-to-organise-durga-puja-as-muslims-dont-want-it_1933940.html
http://www.dailyo.in/politics/malda-riots-kaliachak-muslims-hindus-west-bengal-mamata-banerjee-islamisation/story/1/8517.html

Our own Start Up India Launchpads.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPYKAR: Based on my on-site recce sorties, there are warehouses in Malda stocked with homegrown carbines, SLRs, & imported SLRs originating from China, Myanmar & Pakistan. Muslim villagefolk there who are migrants from Bihar & Jharkhand have easy & unrestricted access to their relatives & Jamaat-e-Islami wellwishers from Bangladesh who routinely cross over to acquire locally made IEDs that are meant for usage inside Bangladesh. Readymade industrial explosives are readily available from coal minefields in northwest WB & Jharkhand & are used for making pipebomb-based IEDs. Locally printed FICN notes are stuffed inside schoolbags of school-going children for onward delivery & dessimination. Large buildings disguised as private bungalows are in fact Madrassas that attract schoolkids from Bihar, Jharkhand & now even from Kerala. Real estate of non-Muslims have been taken over in large chunks by the local resident Muslims. Some of those local Muslims who were spoken to openly stated that all talk of the IA's cross-LoC raids was pure baloney & all it will take to shake up, petrify & screw India is for a few IED explosions inside India. That's the ground reality in all areas of northern WB bordering Bangladesh. The law-enforcement authorities in Bangladesh are the exact opposite: they're ruthless, leave no stone unturned when rooting out such menace & they take no prisoners. Anyone caught red-handed is liquidated on the spot.

So what's next? Will the IA be instructed to root out this boiling volcano that could well explode in the near future if, for instance, some of these unsavoury elements were to declare the formation & existence of a free, liberated ISIS-type Islamic enclave in such an area? After all, illegally acquired weapons of imported origin in such large numbers cannot enter India from any portion of the IB with Bangladesh or Myanmar unless certain BSF detachments along the IB have been compromised & are making money from such activities. Also, why are some skilled employees of Ordnance Factory Ishapore are doing part-time work in the illegal arms manufacturing factories in areas like West Dinajpur? What's the OFB's resident CVC office doing about such activities? Or are such officials also on the take? Too many questions with no convincing answers.

Spykar said...

Dada,

Birbhum is my native place and situation there is really dire and can take on a cataclysmic proportion anytime. People have accepted daily Mob violence as a given. Police is utterly powerless and other officials are hand on gloves if not blind or deaf and dumb. Anyone vocal enough is immediately shutup for good. Hired goons and mercenaries are just for the outer shield. Its a Mayajaal by the full implication of the term, spreading and growing its tentacles as we speak. New Delhi must know the situation on ground too well. Only a Operation Chakravyuh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmavyuha : multi-tier defensive formation that looks like a blooming lotus or chakra when viewed from above) can save the region from the impending Catastrophy. Hope the IA top brass has a plan for it.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To GOPU: Have added to the narrative above WRT the SSN programme.

Thehundered said...

Will you be passing on your observations to the Indian authorities on your "on-site recce sorties" Prasun?
Any action against the locals involved in these activities will be seen as anti-Muslim.

DAshu said...

1) "now-failed Tejas Mk.1 MRCA" - then why IAF is doing charity by accepting these.
2) for Malda GreyHounds or similar kind of force would be suffice, why to drag IA there, or matter is far worse which needs IA ?

Pawan said...

Dear Prasun da,

Your report on North Bengal is alarming. I hope you could share this information with relevant people in North Block. Look like Mamata Banerjee would make West Bengal another Kashmir valley for India.

Regards,
Pawan

Ved said...

Dear Prasun,
So even Tejas MK1A will not be a capable fighter as per your analysis. Then will there be any MK2 at all?
Is it the end of the Tejas?
Your comments force me to think that Gripen has a very good chance now. Do you as agree?

Millard Keyes said...

"Any air force operating 3 types of 4.5-generation MRCAs will go broke." - Do you still have doubts that India would be the world's first to do so and suffer the known fate? They are doing this with everything - to remind everyone it is once again arming without aiming principle at work.

Vijay said...

Dear Sir

What is the position regarding the deals of Super Sukhoi or Sukhoi Uograde
AND Also what about THE FGFA Deals

Will they happen or not

Aditya said...

So then the question is , f16 block 70/72 vs gripen ng vs tejas mk2

If only one can be chosen then what will it be.
The very fact that this RFI even exists means the goi is not serious about tejas mk2.
Also considering the f16 is of 60's vintage with limited scope for further upgrades and will probably face maintenance issues similar to the su30, its out. (Unless its a political decision and not a military one)

Then its more or less certain that india is going for the gripen.

What are the numbers we can expect in the next 2 decades ?
It will have to replace the mig21,mirage2000,mig29 which is a huge number.
Are we looking at 20 squadrons of gripen ng along with 10 rafale squadrons in the next 20 years for the iaf ?

Also, are you confident about the fgfa being truely 5th gen or even as good as the rafale because if its going to be similar to the su30 with all its maintenance issues then we better not waste money on it and go for the f35 instead?

Austin said...

Hello Prasun Sir , Long Time , Hope you are fine.

Nice Write up on S-400 as well as the brochure , I saw your write up on Force magazine earlier. Congratulations.

Likely the SSN design will come from Malachite Design Bureau as Rubin Design Bureau specialises in SSBN.

The hypersonic 77N6-N and the 77N6-NI are part of S-500 system. I have written a short blog on S-500 system based on what officials have mentioned.

S-500 Air & Space Defense System

http://austinstalk.blogspot.in/2016/05/s-500-air-space-defense-system.html

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir,

5000 tonne for a SSN isnt something very heavy? When French already developed like Rubis class?

Pratap said...

Sir, i think you are referring to this submarine nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russia-already-developing-new-fifth-generation-submarines-13167 its called 'Husky' and its being developed by Malakhit Design Bureau, not Rubin.

The Seeker said...

Sir,

1) VT-5 : Where is it intended for?

https://twitter.com/OedoSoldier/status/786851056827273216
https://southfront.org/china-created-vt5-new-tank

2) https://twitter.com/VishnuNDTV/status/787116944855928832

Fixed or Retractable?

The Seeker said...

3) What happened to the NSTL's submadrone programme? Plus does the IN has any requirement for autonomous sea-surface vehicles? Any indigenous R&D going on?

4) An ARJ21 baces AEW&C?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CujnL7oUIAAqW7n.jpg

5) Did the IAF's in-house developed PGMs and the Lizard LGB kit reach its end user?

Pawan Kumar said...

Dear Prasun da,

http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2015_10_01_archive.html

I above blog entry you mentioned that S-400 & LRTR is part of offer which was made jointly by IAI & JSC Almaz-Antey. Is it still the same scenario or now LRTR and S-400 are different projects.

Regards,
Pawan

mohitcute said...

Dada
When can we expect signing of FGFA agreement and mini brahmos contract with Russians
Regards
Mohit

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To THEHUNDRED & PAWAN: LoLz! If I or several other news-reporters have already filed eye-witness observations for public concumption, don’t you think the Govt of India & the State Govt of WB are all aware only too well of the ground realities, given their far superior resources for information & evidence gathering? But what can be done? Law enforcement is a state subject & the Centre cannot interfere or micro-manage the agencies. The state is in denial because the simple fact-of-life is the gun-running & IED production businesses are all about demand-and-supply, which in turn is fuelled by the utter lack of gainful employment opportunities in the affected areas of WB, Jharkhand & Bihar. Subsidised food distribution can hardly compensate for the lack of cash among the local natives. If legally acceptable employment opportunities aren’t available, the affected folks will turn to making money by illegal means. On top of all this, the politician-criminal nexus has always existed in WB & Bihar ever since independence & remains firmly entrenched. Just look at all the Hoo-Haa about a piece-of-shit called Syed Shahabuddin from Sivam. In Bangladesh such creatures would have been bumped off for good a long time ago. Thus, among the regional political parties throughout India, there’s absolutely no national consensus on matters pertaining to national security or public safety. Hence NATGRID & NCTC remain unimplementable. For as long as this remains the case, occurances like folks living in such undeveloped areas will refuse to sing the national anthem & refuse to hoist the Indian tricolor on August 14 & the local law-enforcement agencies will regard as areas as ‘no-go’ areas, i.e. where the writ of law of the land does not prevail.

To DASHU: 1) Because the IAF has been forced to do so for the sake of avoiding acute embarrassment for the DRDO. Didi you see any Tejas Mk.1 being displayed in static form with all its weapons at Palam on October 8, the Air Force Day? 2) Greyhounds was created to infiltrate, chase & liquidate Maoist guerrillas who were in hiding. In Malda, it is all in the open & therefore tantamounts to a full-blown rebellion that can only be eliminated through a bloodbath using superior firepower. But what after that? What’s the guarantee that a succeeding bunch of such folks doesn’t emerge? Unlerss the socio-economic developmental indexes aren’t radically transformed in such remote areas, one cannot expect lasting peace & harmony there.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VED: Those who are touting the Tejas Mk.1 are all talking about using the existing airframe of Tejas Mk.1 & trying to tweak it, which is a physical impossibility. There has to be a Tejas Mk.2 because GE Aero Engines has already started deliveries of the F414INS6 tuirbofans since June 2015. What will happen to these turbofans if they aren’t used? Be displayed as showpieces in street roundabouts?

To ADITYA: Nope. It will be Tejas Mk.2 MRCA. It is now all about the tussles & turf wars between HAL & ADA. Will ADA be made to eat humble pie by admitting that it screwed up big-time with Tejas Mk.1—as was evident by February 2013 itself? Will HAL now be allowed to sit in the driver’s seat & radically re-engineer the airframe design? Will the civilians in MoD & DRDO be level-headed & mature enough to allow logic to take its course by nominating HAL as the Tejas Mk.2’s principal & sole design & development authority?

To ARPIT KANODIA: 5,000 tonnes displacement is characteristic of an optimum SSN design, especially fifth-generation designs that will need to incorporate a host of elements like swarms of autonomous underwater vehicles & even tactical UAVs reqd for persistent monitoring of the area of responsibility so that situational awareness remains excellent.

To PRATAP: No. I’m not referring to that at all. Why? Because unlike some blog-writers, I make it a point to attend expos & seminars & talk directly to the involved OEMs & end-users. Surely you are not suggesting that the Russians will call a design ‘Husky’?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To AUSTIN: VMT. Both Malakhit & RUBIN were present at DEFEXPO 2016 & I had extensive discussions with some of my old acquaintances working with them, & also with officials of L & T & TATA Power SED. Internet fanboys will take solace from prevailing assumptions about Malakhit being involved with SSNs. In reality, Malakhit is involved 100% with SSGNs, especially design work on replacements for Project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO: Akula), the Project 945 Sierra and the Project 949A Oscar II-class. RUBIN is responsible for SSBNs & SSNs & was nominated 5 years ago as the nodal design authority fior the fifth-generation SSN that will take the place of Project 671RTM Shchuka-class SSNs. And that’s because RUBIN had no other work to do in the arena of SSKs after the failure of the Amur 1650 SSK project & therefore it was entrusted the task of developing the new-generation SSN under the project name BELOUGA.

As for the S-500 Prometey or 55R6M Triumfator-M, Almaz-Antey JSC said both at MAKS 2015 & DEFEXPO 2016 that just as the S-400 can use 3 different types of LR-SAMs that are also used by existing S-300PMU family of LR-SAMs, the S-400 will also be able to use the 77N6-N and 77N6-NI
missiles for intercepting MIRV-equipped MRBMs. The S-400’s existing PESA-based 91N6E & 92N6E radars are only good for tracking & engaging non-manoeuvring SRBMs, TBMs & IRBMs, while the 77N6-N and 77N6-NI missiles will be aided by multifunction APARs & will not require either two separate radars as is the case with the S-300 & S-400 families, nor will any pole-mounted target illuminator be reqd (like the ones used by the S-300V & Antey V2500). Hence, if the S-400 is to be used with the 77N6-N and 77N6-NI missiles, a separate APAR will be reqd & this is where the EL/M-2090 UHF LRTR comes in & that’s where the Russians have proposed to help the DRDO achieve the necessary systems integration. The S-500 will use a Russian X-band APAR that will NEVER be exported to anyone.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

1.Fantastic insights on the in-country construction of 6 5,000-tonne, fifth-generation attack submarines (SSN) to be designed by the St Petersburg-based FSUE Central Design Bureau RUBIN for Marine Technology. So are these subs going to be similar to the YASEN class of nuclear submarines?

2. So instead of S-500 will India then go for THAAD?


Regards,

Vikram

Spykar said...

"Surely you are not suggesting that the Russians will call a design ‘Husky’?"

Why not? "As to what it comes down to as far as naming a new system, Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyev recently asked Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin about it, with Rogozin teasingly replying that it's as simple as "a colonel coming by, looking at the R&D design and saying, depending on the mood 'that's it!'"

https://sputniknews.com/military/201509111026885967-funny-names-russian-weapons/

Spykar said...

Prasun da,

Seems like NCTC & NATGRID is back from the cold storage. How do you see the govt. working around the concerns expressed by state governments of its 'anti-federal structure' earlier?

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-p-chidambaram-s-brainchild-counter-terror-body-may-still-see-the-light-of-day-2264209

Spykar said...

I think you meant Md. Shahabuddin from siwan as the 'piece-of-shit'.

"Didi you see any Tejas Mk.1 being displayed in static form with all its weapons at Palam on October 8, the Air Force Day?"

Here you must have meant Hindon. Though the absence of a static display with all its weapons doesnt necessarily mean anything.

Ved said...

Dear Prasun,
But Tejas MK1A it self will start getting inducted by 2020 onwards. To complete that order HAL will require a minimum of 8-10 years for 100 fighters. Hence I think Mk2 with GE414 INS6 will only be Navy specific and will not be in IAF.
Your views please.

Anonymous said...

""""GE Aero Engines has already started deliveries of the F414INS6 turbofans since June 2015. What will happen to these turbofans if they aren’t used? Be displayed as showpieces in street roundabouts?""""" -Gripen NG ?

CSC said...

Prasunda
I very clearly remember you vehemently saying time and again that dcns was to help us with the ssn project and it was a part of the understanding for the rafale and scorpeone deals. What went wrong there?

Ludwig said...

Sir, is there a method to email you or talk to you separately?

Sumit sen said...

Dada what will happen to p75i submarine tender now? Well IN order follow on scorpene? And so tell us something more about the design and work share of the new ssn and in what time frame we expected to get them.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) The SSNs will be a generation ahead of the Yasen-class SSGN. And no, the six will be SSNs, whereas the Yasen-class is a SSGN & therefore of greater displacement. 2) Not necessarily. As I have explained above, S-500's LRTR will be Russia-specific & it won't be exportable. Hence the S-400 system will be modified to accept the missiles meant for the S-500, while the LRTR will be of Israeli origin.

To SPYKAR: In a lighter vein, yes. but in reality that's not how things work in Russia. As for NCTC or NATGRID, the term 'may' does not mean it 'will'. How many state police forces have to date digitised all their records? Can investigation files be seamlessly exchanged between police forces of different states on-line? As for static displays during commemorative events, to undiscerning folks like you it won't mean anything, but for those who are invited to see them it sends a clear signal about the status of a weapons platform. For instance, this year the Su-30MKI was shown with Astra Mk.1 BVRAAMs. So, a Tejas Mk.1 not been shown with its complete weapons fitments means that weapons qualification/integration is a long way off, despite all the publicity given to the previous IAF firepower demos at Pokhran.

To VED & Anon@10.42PM: Before that, let's ask the basic questions: Is GE Aero Engines producing any member of the F404 family of turbofans as of now? If not, then which engine will power the Tejas Mk.1A? Obviously the existing airframe cannot accommodate the heavier F414INS6 or any other member of the F414 family. So which airframe will be able to host this turbofan? F414INS6 is specific to the IN's & IAF's reqmts & therefore this engine cannot go on board the Gripen-NG since the internal engine compartment's bulkhead designs of the Tejas Mk.2/LCA (Navy) Mk.2 & Gripen-NG are totally different. And will the IN order more than 90 LCA (Navy) Mk.2s just because 99 F414INS6 engines have been ordered to date from GE? So, in the end after all these questions have been answered, it will emerge that the Tejas Mk.1A will eventually become the Tejas Mk.2.

To CSC: Nothing went wrong. Help from DCNS does not mean the importing of a 100% SSN design from DCNS. There are so many other ways of DCNS' industrial participation in the SSN project, just as several French OEMs have been participants in the S-2/Arihant, S-3, S-4 SSBN programme. Check out all the previous threads dealing with the SSBN programme to see what sub-systems from France have gone on board.

To LUDWIG: Regretably there isn't. This is the only avazilable forum for communicating with me.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To UNANONYMOUS: Not just the Left Front, every political party in India latches on to such opportunistic tendencies that serve to perpetuate the divide-and-rule governance models first introduced during the British Raj. The Sipreme Court can do ZILCH because it had way back 15 years ago delivered its verdict on State Police Reforms & yet EVERY state of India brazenly continues to perpetuate contempt of court by not implementing the reforms as mandated by the Supreme Court. So, which political party or parties ought to be hald accountable for this state of affairs? As for Uniform Civil Code, I'm all for it & in fact this should have been brought into force way back in the 1950s. Instead, blithering idiots like Pandit 'Chacha' Nehru decided to make the whole issue communal by enacting legislation on the so-called Hindu Code Bill!!! In all other Muslim-majority countries the regulations are far more harsh on matters like triple Talaaq & alimony refulations. Only in India one finds all kinds of bleeding heart pangs that tend to perpetuate women in society as inferior human beings in almost all respects. Sceularism means delivery of goods & services without fear or favour in a level playing field. It does not mean doling out funds for the sake of vote-bank politics. Instead, the Secular State empowers respective communities to be on par with one another & does not micro-manage the affairs of any particular community. A truly secular state will public press-releases in English with the date of the Gregorian calendar, while a Hindi press-release will put the date according to 'Hindu' calendar, while an Urdu press-release will mention the date as per the Muslim calendar. But is this principle being adhered to?

Spykar said...

"How many state police forces have to date digitised all their records? Can investigation files be seamlessly exchanged between police forces of different states on-line?"

---Actually to date, a lot of State PD have gone the e-way. Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and the Common Integrated Police Records Updating System (CIPRUS) projects is underway throughout India. Further, The SC about a month earlier also ordered States and UTs to upload, FIRs within 24hrs of their registration in police stations. Most of the states are complying.

"As for static displays during commemorative events, to undiscerning folks like you it won't mean anything, but for those who are invited to see them it sends a clear signal about the status of a weapons platform."

---Clear Singnal? I think you are reading too much into things.

As for NCTC or NATGRID, the term 'may' does not mean it 'will'

---True. Its between 'will' and 'wont'. Somewhere near 'can' I would say. So if i can ask you again, How do you see the govt. working around the concerns expressed by state governments of its 'anti-federal structure' earlier?

sbm said...

How many actual TEL launchers are in the Indian order ? 5 units can mean anything. It isn't 5 fire units I know so is it 15 launchers in total ?

Vijay said...

Dear Sir

Please write something about FGFA and SU 30 UPGRADE deals
which were also supposed to be finalised soon

What happened to these deals

Unanonymous said...

So, wherein lies the solution? Issuing public press releases in one native language and calendar cant be the solution nor can it be a benchmark for secularism! The only solution I see are in the 'rules of law' and the effective implementation of the 'word' and 'spirit' of those rules without any surfeit without any sparseness. The mechanism for the effective implementation must also lie in those 'rules' itself and the means to gauge its effectiveness, if you get what I mean. Call it Rights, the nature, law of life, science, dharma, ved, zen, tao, constitution, freedom or rule based order as one may base it on whichever name or concept or book. There shoudnt be a conflict. Not much as to teach a theory but as to enforce practice. I am up for anything other than 'law'lessness.

Unanonymous said...

I forgot to mention 'humanity' somewhere in there.

Ludwig said...

Sir what is the status of the DRDO AWACS program, Is this going to bring fruits anytime soon? Also there is a rumour circulating that IA and IAF will soon order Hal LCH, any basis in that?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPYKAR: When was the last time you stopped by a police station anywhere inside India? Instead of rattling off delusional mumbo-jumbo, do yourself a favour & visit one police station & ask the SHO there what's the status of all these schemes, especially the seamless access to case files either from one district bto another or from one state to another. I don't read too much into anything. I go by facts & personal experiences, rest assured. As to what gets displayed, when & why, do make the effort to seek the opinions from professionals, both local & foreign about the details. What you may think or assume doesn't matter at all. There's no going around by anyone on issues like NCTC or NATGRID. All political parties concerned have to arrive at a national consensus. If not, then the existing federal Constitution needs a drastic change & makeover.

To SBM: Five units means 5 squadrons I had already mentioned before how many TELs are there in each Battery & how many Batteries (Troops) per Squadron.

To VIJAY: What's there to write about? The FGFA won't go anywhere until the definitive turbofan is fully developed by Russia. As for the Super Su-30MKI upgrade, the delay from DARE's side.

To UNANONYMOUS: The solution is simple: 1) implement the Supreme Court-mandated Police Reforms & 2) enact a law that requires unquestioned support from all political parties on matters of national security, as is the case in the US & UK. Today even if a military infrastructure project is deemed essential & critical, nothing moves ahead until the State Govt agrees to sanction the land. Just look at how long it took for Karnataka to part with land meant for INS Kadamba in Karwar & how the IA is being denied the land it needs along the Siliguri Corridor.

To LUDWIG: If you're referring to the EMB-145I project, it is already running several years behind schedule & the R & D project closure date is nowhere in sight as of now. How can the LCH be ordered when its weapons fitment trials haven't even begun? Nor has the MAWS suite been installed.

Ludwig said...

Sir, is there any DRDO project that is actually going fine? And why doesn't the government do something about it? Sir have you looked at Tonbo Imaging, it's a private firm and has done more in-house R&D then DRDO on many occasions.

Gopu said...

The S-5 SSBN graphic that you added stores 12 (6 on each side) 12m long SLBMs. You have stated that the definitive SLBM for the ATV project will resemble the R-39 Rif. However, the newer RSM-56 is 12m long, while the older R-39 Rif is 16+m.

And will ISRO be tasked with developing and delivering 3 SBIRS-type satellites to GTO in the next 10 years (since the S-400 complex can be safely assumed to be incompatible with any American hardware)?

Spykar said...

Also, implementation of CCTNS is itself a big step towards a comprehensive NATGRID.

Spykar said...

" When was the last time you stopped by a police station anywhere inside India"

Believe me, I know the security apparatus. All I can say is that I work With AAI, ATC and have to carry out BCAS functions with ASO/CISF/Police such as issuing AEPs and PhotoIDs and oth coordination tasks. Earlier the apparatus took weeks if not months to issue an NOC for a non-resident but now it a matter of a couple of days for verification and clearance.

sbm said...

Thanks. By your figures, if I read them right - 5 sqn, 2 batteries per sqn - 8 TEL per sqn ?

vishakh said...

Hello,

Second Batch of 3 Frigates of 1135.6 were of 1.1 Billion dollars as per your blog 2011 http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2011/04/batch-2-of-three-project-11356-frigates_06.html. But new order for 4 Billion for 4 frigates is 3 times higher why such HUGE cost increase??

1) What new sensors will differ from previous batch that has increased the cost like missile and stealth??

2) Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate elements like stealth incorporated in new 4 Frigates for India

3) Are Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate and 1135.6 different and what parameters and why India went with 1135.6 rather that new version which Russian are also going ??

4) Are we looking at more batches once Reliance starts building them here??

Spykar said...

Are you suggesting the Tejas Mark IA under development, will use the F414INS6 powerplant meant for the Tejas Mk2 ? So is DRDO confident on Kaveri going onboard the Tejas Mk2 and AMCA ?

Unanonymous said...

Can the Centre take the charge and bring the Police in the Central/Concurrent list by Constitutional amendment like in 1976 by Indira Gandhi's regime? Wht doesn't the SC issue a Contempt of Court notice to the state for not implementing the mandated Police Reforms? Should the archaic Indian Police Act 1861 be ditched and the Model Police Bill 2015 be adopted?

The Seeker said...

I was going through your archives and found something very interesting, you said in 2013 that : "Talking of communicable diseases, conjunctivitis is actually a man-made virus & was reportedly a biological weapon created by China. In the late 1970s, there was an accident in a bio-weapon lab in southern China as a result of which this virus got released & it apparently lurks within certain layers of the atmosphere & therefore during only a particular timeframe every year it affects human beings in certain portions of the globe."

Can one read about that episode anywhere? What kind of bio-weapons does China have?

The Seeker said...

Sir,

"S-400 Triumf LR-SAMs Arriving By 2018 For Limited TMD"

But Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov told reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS summit that "delivery will begin somewhere in 2020". Please clarify your position.

The Seeker said...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-russian-fighter-jets-for-pakistan-sergey-chemezov/article9225218.ece

Munnabhai said...

why go for F-16/gripen. cant India go for the Boeing F-32 for the single engine fighter ? Boeing should be too happy to offer the tech and design and can also have future sales potential. Also why develop the AMCA and not partner Japan for the X-2 Shinshin or with the korean-indonesian KF-X for the twin engine platform?

rad said...

hi prasun
you mentioned that a 63 mwt reactor was being developed for the 5000 ton ssn . Ive heard that the 83 mw realtor was not enough for the arihant , now why are they developing a 63 mw reactor? for the future ssbn.
again i dont understand the concept of generating 23 mw fom a 83 mw reactor, please explain.
will the future ssn be a collaboration between india and russia like the pakfa fighter?.

mohitcute said...

Dada any idea on when will Barak 8 will see usage in IAF. And how are Barak 8 and s-400 different

Pratap said...

Where are they getting their funds from for these submarines? www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/10/16/national/china-to-export-eight-submarines-to-pakistan/

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir,

Do you think these 6 SSNs also will be equipped with dry deck shelter module like of Astute Class for Special Operations?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/USS_Dallas_DDS.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/USS_Archerfish_%28SSN-678%29_with_DDS.jpg

Also how much construction time it take to roll out first SSN? Can we expect the first SSN roll out by 2025-27?

vishakh said...

Hello,

Will India purchase of S400 will make Pakistan purchase Chinese S300 copy F200 ?? How will that effect Indian Strike Capability ??

CSC said...

The swordfish radar was successfully tested in 2009 with a range of 600to 800 km and supposed capability to track a cricket ball sized object at those ranges. Work was on to increase the range to 1500km. What happened to it? Where is it, deployed if at all or one more drdo dropped catch

ArmedStatesman said...

Hello Prasun Sir,

I have been reading your blog for a long time but since lot of things are happening and about to happen down the line I can't resist the temptation of asking you a question.

If you check the link that I pasted below you will find that Pakistani's are saying that ingress is possible but egress is not possible after engagement during the recent surgical strike.However I dont have even an iota of doubt that we did egress and caused considerable damage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMsXz-bGXSw.

Please engligthen me how this can be possible.But if the details are very sensitive a general idea would suffice.

Thanks


Ludwig said...

Sir so have we finally decided to use shtil VL as our SRSAM ? Will we see it on Kamorta as you are saying it will put on P-15?

SUJOY MAJUMDAR said...

Can you believe this nonsense Prasun Da. A renowned LIAR getting Y category security from the government ?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/arnab-goswami-to-get-security-cover-over-threat-from-pak-based-terror-groups/story-bagPf2jl6fxBa2rHhP3IrO.html

A person who earns in Crores cannot pay for his own security but would rather have the taxpayer foot the bill.

Satya said...

Benefit of becoming member of MTCR - Putin says Russia and India have agreed to work on extension of the range of BrahMos tass.com/defense/906777 Will India extend the range of all variants of Brahmos beyond 500 km? Will Brahmos 2 also see increase in range?

vishakh said...

Hello,

UAE has Mirage 2009 Fighters. buying these fighters from UAE will be cheap option for Upto 60 Fighters. Money saved can be used to buy another 36 Rafale.

1) Buying 2009 UAE Mirage will won't require new structure as similar to Mirage with IAF
2) Will not endanger Tejas
3) Rafale could be brought more at same deal concluded recently.
4) Good for relations with UAE
5) Mirage 2009 can easily replace Mig 27 and Mig 21 for Next 5 years till Tejas Arrives...

Is this possible and why not . Is IAF looking at this option.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To LUDWIG: How xcan anyone expect the DRDO to perform when uts directional mandate from the Govt of India itself has been faulty since its inception? From the beginning till the mid-1980s its mandate was to indigenize imported sub-systems. From the mid-1980s onwards its mandate was to include the development of weapons platforms. Every mandate or strategy is a function of capacity. If capacity addition doesn’t take place, then the mandate/strategy cannot be fulfilled or achieved. In India’s case, the military-industrial capacity has always been lacking & so most of the time & resources are wasted on state-owned industrial capacity-building first & then initiation of R & D. In weapons-exporting countries, the military-industrial capacities already exist for accepting new R & D challenges. And since when has the VL Shtil-1 morphed from MR-SAM into SR-SAM???

To GOPU: The R-39 Rif has been re-engineered to achieve smaller range envelopes as per India’s reqmts & therefore the dimensions of internal fuel storage tanks will be smaller. As for space-based optronic sensors for BM early-warning, the first such sensor is already on-board the GSAT-7 comms satellite & such sensors can easily be mounted on mini-satellites in low-Earth orbits & can be launched in times of national emergencies & stay operational for up to 90 days. India ndoes not require satellites like SBIRS since India does not have to contend with adversaries who have targetted India with ready-to-launch arsenals of ICBMs or SLBMs 24/7 or all 365 days of the year.

To SPYKAR: Again you are basing your case on assumptions. AAI or BCAS or CISF—none of which bdo anything about 24/7 policing or surveillance of the hinterland. All these agencies are only located at CIQ facilities & rely on ECLs issued from the Union MHA. There have been several cases when the entire network was off-line beause of ICT-illiterate human resources being made in-charge of network operations. And as I hjad explained a few months ago, these illitrerate folks at CISF are unable to even draw up the locational architectuire of surveillance sensors of any airport & thus folks can easily approach & climb the perimeter walls of airports & other security installations even when the best sensors from MAGAL of Israel are in use. So, as I had suggeszted earlier, do walk into any police station in any city or district & take the trouble to find out for yourself what tools are in use now for daily policing. If not, then you will only continue to expose yourself as a blithering idiot who can’t distinguish between apples & oranges.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SBM. Yes.

To VISHAKH: Why? Do you think the Russians will train the workforce from Pipavav FOC? Onloy new weapon will be the VL-Shtil-1. No principal surface combatant can be 100% stealthy. The term stealth is used mostly for marketing purposes. A B-2 or F-117 can be low-observable to a radar, but will be fully observable to an IRST sensor or thermal imager. Pakistan had inked the agreement to procure LY-80E MR-SAMs way back in November 2014.

To UNANONYMOUS: Any self-respecting independent country after its decolonization will enact all-new laws & legislation that does away with all traces of the colonial era. The mere fact that India has yet to do so tells us all about the lack of vision among India’s successive political decision-makers since 1947. It’s that simple.

To THE SEEKER: Yes, it can be read in papers presented during seminars organized by the US Centre for Disease Control. Such papers are not available on-line. S-400 deliveries to IAF will be completed by 2020. That shows how much the ‘desi’ press-reporters know about the differences between delivery initiation & delivery completion!

To MUNNABHAI: Kindly produce any evidence of any kind showing an aircraft like the F-32 in existence.

To RAD: You’re falling into the trap of comparing apples with oranges, just like what SPYKAR often does. You cannot compare the power consumption reqmts of an SSBN with those of an SSN. Secondly, the S-2/Arihant’s PWR is a third-generation design whereas that of the SSN will be a fifth-generation offering greater reactor density & far less thermal wastage.

To MOHITCUTE: Barak-8 is meant for engaging manoeuvrable targets like combat aircraft & therefore has far higher agility & higher G sustenance. It will enter IAF service from 2018 onwards. S-400’s LR-SAMs are primarily meant for engaging high-flying, non-manoeuvrable manned platforms as well as solid-fuelled SRBMs & liquid-fuelled IRBMs.

To PRATAP: The funds will come from internal borrowings. That’s why all the national expressways & motorways along with all Pakistan Radio & PTV buildings have been mortgaged so as to raise the collateral reqd for issuing Sukuk bonds.

To ARPIT KANODIA: Nope. The Astute-class boats are SSGNs as they can launch Tomahawk LACMs as well. The SSN on the other hand will be purely for seeking out & tracking hostile SSBNs & SSGBs & SSNs, i.e. a true hunter-killer armed with wire-guided long-range heavyweight torpedoes.

To CSC: The so-called ‘Swordfish LRTR’ was a MYTH created by the DRDO & its fanboys in cyberspace. That’s why till this date, no photo exists of such a radar in any DRDO publication & all the India-based OEMs I’ve spoken to have confirmed that there never was any project to develop MIL-SPEC LRTRs. The only LRTR to be built in India is the MOTR for ISRO.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARMEDSTATESMAN: There’s nothing sensitive abiout it all, & one just needs to apply logic. Firstly, these Pakistani commentators are tying themselves up in knots & that too in vain because if they admit that the cross-LoC surgical strikes took place, then they would also have to admit that there indeed were targets inside PoK that were struck. If this admittance comes, then these commentators would also have to admit that such targets excisting throughout PoK can only serve to weaken any moral claim by Pakistan on the territory of PoK. Talking about inbgress & egress, I had already explained how they were conducted in the previous thread. Whjen launching such missions, attacks are never conducted frontally or from the flanks, but from the rear. Therefore, those PA bunkers that are facing their IA counterparts along the LoC won’t even know from which direction the attacks are coming since they’re all facing frontwards, & not rearwards & all their protective anti-personnel minefields are laid in the front & flanks, but never in the rear since that would tend to obstruct the PA’s own friendly movements & supply logistics networks.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: Well, someone should then file a PIL with the courts & demand that the TOI Group should foot all such bills & not the average Indian taxpayer.

To SATYA: This is a 2-year old story. Nothing new about it at all.

ArmedStatesman said...

Thanks a lot Sir.
For answering my question I really appreciate that.Your insights and explanation have been the bedrock for me in understanding how diplomacy,economy and military power go hand in hand to achieve a strategic objective.

Also I didn't appreciated Bhagavad Gita until I read in your blog that Bhagavad Gita is the real dharma and code of conduct both in peace and war.This changed my outlook and I started thinking Gita as philosophy that can be practiced in Statecraft.


Ludwig said...

Sorry Sir, but sometimes DRDO becomes very frustrating.
Also sir, you said P-15 DDGs will get VL Shtil Installed, I got confused between Delhi class and Kolkata class (P-15A), that's why I thought they will use it as SRSAM.

Anyways Prasun da what missile will IN finally take as SRSAM Maitri seems to be moving nowhere why don't they just by VL-MICA of the shelf. Or are there any other plans?

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir,
About bio weapons whats your opinion about Pentagon's Zombie plans

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/16/politics/pentagon-zombie-apocalypse/

US Army going crazy? Or their were serious threat from USSR where USSR was pouring billions of dollar in mind control projects?

bhoutik said...

could you elaborate a bit on the 'conjunctivitis-china' topic. how did the US find out? what monitoring capacities does India have? stuff like these that degrade quality of life have lasting effects on a population. this is worrying stuff. how have they not received any blowback?

Spykar said...

http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/AllStates7thJan2016.pdf

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To ARMEDSTATESMAN: VMT.

To LUDWIG: If the SR-SAM reqmt is urgent then the only option is to go for readily available options like VL-MICA IR. A better option will be a VL-Python-5.

To ARPIT KANODIA: All options & alternatives are always explored by the superpowers in defence of their supreme national interests. Russia too is pursuing R & D in such esoteric areas, just as the former USSR used to do.

To BHOUTIK: The US did not, Japan did. Japan had a far more comprehensive biological weapons R & D capability even before WW-2 (the infamous Unit 731) & whatever the US achieved in the biological weapons R & D arena was all thanks to Japanese R & D inputs after the conclusion of WW-2.

Munnabhai said...

F-32 dont exist but can if the X-32 design is taken up for manufacture in India ?

Ludwig said...

Sir MICA has longer range also it can field both RF and IR seeker, wouldn't that make MICA a better option?

The Seeker said...

Sir, I do sicerely hope that the S-400 deal is completed by 2020 but each and every news article on the S-400 deal I read quotes Chemezov as saying that it will only start coming about in 2020. I mean desi press reporter's statements or views may be unfounded but he is the CEO of Rostec. Misinformation Campaign?

On the Conjuctivitis issue, I dont understant how the virus serves as a bio-weapon. I mean its just swelling and inflammation of eyes. Besides conjuctivitis can also be caused due to bacteria, chemicals and allergens such as pollen grains, dustmites etc. Why create a special virus ?

The Seeker said...

Sir,

I tripped on a site geo-locating a few of china's military early warning radar sites.

http://worldplacebox.com/find.php?q=early+warning

A lot of them in xinjiang. Are they India specific? What kind of radars are hosted there if you can you check them and list them out for us ?

Munnabhai said...

I had conjuctivitis a couple of times and I know how deadly it is. I never knew its a bio-weapon! Then can we institute legal proceedings against china for bringing such a misery on the earth for all the people to suffer like this?

Spykar said...

You said : "And as I hjad explained a few months ago, these illitrerate folks at CISF are unable to even draw up the locational architectuire of surveillance sensors of any airport & thus folks can easily approach & climb the perimeter walls of airports & other security installations even when the best sensors from MAGAL of Israel are in use."

CISF has nothing to do with drawing up the 'locational architectures' of such sensors. Everything from delivery to installation is done by the company itself and the 'locational architecture' during site acceptance testing. And all that is mentioned on the tender document itself. On folks approaching or climbing the perimeter boundry, what can I say. Just one should never try that. Ever.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPYKAR: LoLz! You just proved that you’re indeed a BLITHERING IDIOT, just like those ICT-illiterate CISF decision-makers. This was explained in glaring detail by me at a seminar 3 months ago when a retired CISF DG revealed the problems of perimeter intrusion & laid the blame squarely on the hardware deliverer. In full view of everyone present I tore this ex-DG’s argument to shreds by explaining in great detail how poor drafting of the tender specifications is the prime cause for inadequate perimeter intrusion detection systems. And the poor drafting is because of the tenders drafters are totally illiterate (exactly like you, it now seems) when it comnes to information/comms technology (ICT). These blithering idiots in CISF did not even know—until I revealed it to them--that the IA, IN & IAF all make use of an IN-developed software algorithm that specifies the locational architecture in 3-D of every perimeter intrusion detection sensor in such a manner that even shadows of any entity approaching a perimeter prior to climbing it are detectable. And this is mentioned in all tenders issued by the armed forces for such systems. Now just Google your way through & find out exactly how many times unidentified folks have been seen climbing down (and not up) the walls around the airport in Delhi or Hyderabad or Mumbai over the past 2 years!

So do us all a favour here & stop engaging in needless cockfights & instead do spend time doing your homework on such subjects before making any further spectacularly IDIOTIC observations in this blog.

To THE SEEKER: When everyone quotes the same source of information, i.e. PTI, then all the published reports will be the same. Won’t it? Xinjiang hosts several military R & D sites as does the Lop Nor nuclear weapons testing site close by. Hence the multitude of sensors in that area.

Thomas said...

I was going through some old expo pics and found these (I think the order from left to right is Barak 8, Derby-ER, Derby, Iron Dome Interceptor, Python 5, and Barak 1).

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_OOEHEZsk1Oc/TVKMl4CnoDI/AAAAAAAABpY/8Dq4SZXPU8Y/IMG_0514.JPG

I'm not saying that it is ineffective, but the Barak 1 looks outdated. Are there any plans to equip new IN ships with quad loaded point defense SAMs? Or maybe just VL-Python 5.

Sir, don't you think its silly that we build 8000 tonne destroyers, but only arm them with 32 SAMS and 16 AShMs (48 total). Meanwhile, 8000 tonne Arleigh burkes have 96 VLS cells, plus the quad pack ESSM option.

This means we arming our ships to only 50% capacity; the rest of the ship is just empty space!?! What's wrong with IN HQ letting this state of affairs happen?

Anonymous said...

1) Is the definitive SLBM the K-4 or something else ? Wo'nt it take at least 10 years to be operational if it is not the K-4 ?

2) In general, Agni series testing has slowed down this year. Any reason for this ?

-Satyaki

Munnabhai said...

the IA, IN & IAF all make use of an IN-developed software algorithm that specifies the locational architecture in 3-D of every perimeter intrusion detection sensor in such a manner that even shadows of any entity approaching a perimeter prior to climbing it are detectable. And this is mentioned in all tenders issued by the armed forces for such systems.

>>> It can detect even a shadow!!!! Sounds a Super-se-bhi-upar ka tech!!!!! Tab to Parinda bhi par nahi maar sakega sir! Any link you have where that is mentioned on the tenders?

rad said...

hi prasun
You mentioned the MOTR was designed and in use by the isro!. Idont understand what the f.... the DRDO arse holes are doing with all this hype of the swordfish radar!.

Can you give us more info on the MOTR radar ,its freq, power etc . If it can detect 30 cm x 30 cm 800 km away then it will be equal to the green pine that was developed long ago.
Astra microwave seems to be involved as well. Why cant we fund and develop a uhf version by the ISRO if they are so good. You mentioned the ULTRA radar would be integrated with the s-400 system , why not our local desi isro radar? Is it viable?

I believe it is easier working with UHF freq hardware as all the high power transmit transistors and very sensitive discreet components for receiving are available.

Bio weapons in India why the hell we do we need them?? ...... They are deadlier than all other bio weapons developed so far!and there are no side effects after deployment they ...... Lalu .. Maya, mam... mulla singh ....mani iyer...etc it is in our countries strategic interest to deploy them in Pakistan!!

Anonymous said...

@Sujoy,

The reason this LIAR is getting the protection is basically he has become a mouth piece and this will help his rating even more. He does not know the meaning of journalism. This phenomenon is prevalent in india today. It is one of THE reasons why our media is not taken seriously outside india. Prasun is one of the few exceptions, where you will get some truth.


Anthony

financeblogger said...

Following video pertains to Bangladeshi independence in the context of Jamat-e-Islami trials

The entire video is a must listen, wrt Bangladeshi independence but also fraud named Pakistan whose seeds were sown in late 1930's and early 1940's and the fraud was committed by Mr. Jinnah.

As stated by Mr. Prasun, in the following video, Bangladeshi gentleman states wrt to Jamat-e-Islami (32:00)

Also in the last three-four minutes of the video, mention has been made of a mullah who committed rape and what was done to the brother of the raped woman.

https://vimeo.com/82471636

Ved said...

Dear Prasun,
Some news channels claiming that INS Arihant has been commissioned in August. Is it true?
How many K4 Missiles can it carry?

Varunn said...

According to this report India has secretly commissioned INS Arihant. Is it true? Why is govt maintaining so much secrecy around Arihant? www.newsx.com/national/43962-newsx-exclusive-india-completes-nuclear-triad-with-ins-arihant

DAshu said...

sir, how do you see the outcome of recent BRICS meeting wrt below two reports.
and why to give pak any importance by discussing about a country which is not part of the group .

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-defends-Pakistan-after-PM-Modis-mothership-of-terror-remark/articleshow/54895901.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/At-Brics-Russian-silence-on-Pak-terror-stuns-India/articleshow/54907602.cms

Millard Keyes said...

Isn't AH-6i a good choice to use along the Indo-Pak border as well as the North eastern India? Seeing AH-64D is being purchased these helos should share the MRO facilities and especially is manufactured under Make in India?
Also, in what way is the Bell Super Cobra different to the Apache? I mean usage wise, seeing both are attack helicopters and the US uses them both.

Kunal Jadhav said...

Sir,

1)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/At-Brics-Russian-silence-on-Pak-terror-stuns-India/articleshow/54907602.cms

According to this report Russia didn't support India's cause.Does this mean that it is beginning of new China-Russia-Pakistan axis as a result of increasing U.S support to India ? Why is Russia shying away from addressing India's concern while we supported them even during Ukraine crisis when whole world was against them?

2)
How long will China continue to shield Pakistan ? How is China's benefiting by hurting India ? Why are we not strong enough to take on China diplomatically ? While china is always able to work its way out and we like idiots are left stranded.

3)
When will India be able to take strong actions against terror groups inside and outside our country ?

4)
http://idrw.org/pakistans-new-strategy-exploit-indias-fault-lines-on-caste-and-religion-encourage-modi-baiters/

How big is this new threat to India and its security ? will it start unrest and attacks in India or it will backfire at Pakistan by uniting India against Pakistan ?

Siddharth said...

Prasun da,

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/At-Brics-Russian-silence-on-Pak-terror-stuns-India/articleshow/54907602.cms

Indian looses on its HOME TURF. A big blow to Modi policy of isolating Pakistan.

The Seeker said...

http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2016/10/now-is-time-to-hit-pakistan-with.html

What sort of sanctions?

rad said...


many dont like Arnab because he is brash, cuts you off,has fun making 4 people speak simultaneously out shouting each other.He also successfully raises the BP of viewers!.

But how many anchors have the guts to take on anti nationals and calling them a spade.How many anchors can tell musharaf that he is a dictator on his face ?, how many can take on Pakistani madcap generals and belittle them with facts?.

he is the only one to riddle politicians with uncomfortable questions.

he has my vote

Arpit Kanodia said...

@Anthony

PKS is not a jurno, but Analyst. Lot of difference exist between Analyst and Jurno.

Only in India various analyst act like Jurno, when they don't need to. Like Ajai Shukla. With his experience I don't know why he become a jurno, and even a pathetic one.

But actually in US, an analyst is totally different thing than a jurno, even CIA recruit analysts.

The Seeker said...

Sir,

1) "When everyone quotes the same source of information, i.e. PTI, then all the published reports will be the same." But sir, no one is quoting PTI. Everyone is quoting Chemezov from a recorded interview he gave directly to journalists in a select interaction on BRICS sidelines!

2) Will the Thales TALIOS pod come for the IAF Rafales?

and I also hope my earlier questions interests you enough to warrant an little explanation. VMT

spanky's Blog said...

Hi Prasun,
Thanks for you previous answer. It was really detailed!!!
Time and again you have said that LCA MK1 is by the scientists, of the scientists and for the scientists not for IAF. This has been proven by IAF accepting only 20 of LCA MK1s. Now why are we spending so much money and man hours in testing and outfitting MK1. Wouldn't it be prudent to use the money and resources for Mk2 which will be the proper version. Can you please explain to me what is HAL trying to achieve here? What will be the advantage in of this in case of Mk2?

Thanks
Swarop

spanky's Blog said...

Hi Prasun,
On a different topic, what is the standard issue helmet for IA soldiers. in Kashmir the RR uses patkas, but normal IA soldiers use a different type of helmet. For International exercises the helmets are of different type. Can you tell me what is standard issue helmet for IA combat soldiers.

Thanks
Swarop

CSC said...

Can ships at port or close to the coast of India work their mf star barak 8 combo in a similar manner as this, albeit with reduced range of interception

https://googleweblight.com/?lite_url=https://mostlymissiledefense.com/2016/06/30/strategic-capabilities-of-sm-3-block-iia-interceptors-june-30-2016/&ei=PVJc4fuj&lc=en-IN&s=1&m=835&host=www.google.co.in&ts=1476782300&sig=AF9Nedmv-MmV136YPBD2VUWsU9zO6cBQiQ

CSC said...

It makes sense to commission the Arihant secretly

Who wants the world to track ur only second strike option from the moment of its launch

Let the media know later when it's safe and deep somewhere in the bay or Arabian sea or maybe ior and finding it is like finding a needle in a stack of needles

The Seeker said...

Sir, Last year on Oct 21, you said "all forecasts by the non-proliferation ayatollahs were based on calculations made by a US govt-owned lab in Princeton which claims that India has 3.2 metric tonnes of fissile materials, while Pakistan has 3.1 metric tonnes. No one can state with certainty now many cores have been fabricated by Pakistan to date or whether they have been fabricated in-country or abroad. Only one speculative claims that it is ‘possible’ for Pakistan to fabricate 20 cores per annum. But then, where are the TEL vehicles required for carrying their delivery systems, i.e. ballistic or cruise missiles? And how many such TELs are there inside Pakistan? Has anyone given any thought to this angle? At least I have & the figures indicate that no more than 16 TELs are there, including those used for training purposes."

How many are there today?

financeblogger said...

A nineteen year old boy whose ingenuity changed the face of 1947 war, at the cost of his life

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Who-changed-the-face-of-47-war/articleshow/1200682.cms?from=mdr

madforexbii said...

At Sujoy:
Ever thought about who's funding the Security covers of Rahul Gandhi & Mayavati !!??
And By the way Arnab Goswami is not the first anchor to get security cover. He's show is the #1 show in India and he has so far ticked every damn check boxes to be hated by Pakistani terrorists. So why all this fuss ??

AVI D said...

Hi Prasun,

IA has announced its GSQR for a new rifle.
http://www.security-risks.com/security-issues-south-asia/military-contracts/technical-requirements-of-indian-army-assault-rifle-6790.html
It changed its own requirements of 2011 of multi-caliber requirement and seeks single calibre of 7.62x 51mm to rule out DRDO developed ‘Excalibur’ assault rifle 7.62x 45mm. What are the reasons DRDO can't develop a satisfactory assault rifle for the IA. Or is it that IA has no commitment towards an Indian developed product? What would it take to develop a satisfactory assault rifle at home?

Optional said...

Prasunjee, Media saying that none of the 6 Scorpenes will have the AIP and would be only be added later during retrofit. Is that true?

http://idrw.org/scorpene-class-submarines-miss-drdo-developed-air-independent-propulsion-system/#more-112551

Optional said...

What do you think of Pakistan Retalliating on the Surgical strikes? What will happen then?

http://www.defencenews.in/article/Pakistan%E2%80%99s-deep-state-readies-plan-to-target-6-Indian-cities-8805

SUJOY MAJUMDAR said...

@ madforexbii

Ever thought about who's funding the Security covers of Rahul Gandhi & Mayavati !!??

So why doesn’t the Govt. remove their security cover. Modi has described Rahul Gandhi & family to be crooks at least a few 100 times. So why are crooks on the loose instead of being behind bars?

And By the way Arnab Goswami is not the first anchor to get security cover.

When did I ever say this??

He's show is the #1 show in India

Only according to ratings released by Times Of India. Every channel claims to be No.1

and he has so far ticked every damn check boxes to be hated by Pakistani terrorists. So why all this fuss ??

So why not provide security to all the IA soldiers who fight Pakistan daily.
Why not provide security to all those individuals in India who are calling for boycotting Pakistan for years. Or in your assessment have they not ticked every damn check box that only Arnab has.

FWIW Arnab Goswami is a mercenary (like most other journalist). As long as UPA was in power, he was pro UPA & anti NDA. Now, the opposite is true.


CSC said...

Sujoy have u lost it, it's the number one show on the number one English news channel and that's figures by Intam and Tam and every media rating agency.

Provide security cover to soldiers, do u even know the definition of the word soldier? They provide the security cover not vice versa and the least we can say is thank you to them and not trivialize them by asking for security cover for those brave jawans

And why not for every individual,.. For the very same reason, they r individuals and while their voices matter it is not broadcast on a platform to draw national and international attention on a daily basis and thus the threat to them is mostly negligible. In cases where someone has a genuine threat in him or her, cover is provided. Also individuals don't interview and ticket off terrorist masters like musher affecting and other Pakistan brigadiers and politicians like Arnab does in full public view

Stop whining and get in with it

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To THOMAS: Barak-1 was early 1980s vintage technology & today newer options like S-Dome are available with APAR-based fire-control systems. While subsonic sea-skimming ASCMs can be tackled with IIR-guided VL-SAMs, supersonic ASCMs cruising at far higher altitudes can be tackled with SAMs like Barak-8. As for VL-LACM fitments on IN warships, it all depends on the overall defence posture of a country. Fo instance, despite Pakistan being 1/8th the size of India, India’s successive decision-makers always opted for defensive parity against Pakistan when, logic dictates that India possess overwhelming conventional superiority against Pakistan.

To SATYAKI: How can the K-4 be a definitive SLBM when the reqmt is for a 7,500km-range SLBM? Afni’s testing has slowed down due to the entire R & D programme being re-jigged. Now, R & D on SLBM is being top priority instead of land-based ICBMs.

To MUNNABHAI: All such tenders & RFIs are of ‘restricted’ classification. Only RFIs are open-source. But feel free to contact the CISF, which is responsible for guarding ALL govt-owned industrial installations in India, for more details.

To RAD: MOTR is an S-band LRTR. I had repeatedly stated that hardware bproduction isn’t the principal challenge. It’s the development of target recognition & tracking algorithmns.

To ANTHONY: The AG fella isn’t a liar, but just a 2-D anarchist who shrieks & provides entertainment for all those who are overwhelmed by a very low sense of self-esteem.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VED. CSC & VARUNN: LoLz! The question that you all should be asking is this: If India had in the past made public the commissioning dates of all its previous Russia-leased SSGNs & had also officially announced the launching of S-2/Arihant, then why should tghere be any need for keeping the commissioning date a state secret?

Strategic deterrence with nuclear WMDs is a mind-game that involves sending verifiable signals, & not acting coy. Only then can any declared nuclear WMD owner achieve ‘credible minimum deterrence’. As long as this doesn’t happern, the world opinion will be only that of ‘minimum credible deterrence’. That’s why every other nuclear WMD owner has to date never been coy or shy about publicly showing & declaring their respective nuclear WMD capabilities. For instance, the only reason why China did not publicly display its JL-2A SLBM during the November 2015 VJ Day parade was because the JL-2A’s R & D effort is still ongoing & it hasn’t yet entered service. Therefore, kindly rest assured that the commissioning ceremony of S-2/Arihant has NOT YET taken place & when it will the whole world will be informed about it.

Now watch this ‘desi’ video-clip which proclaims the S-2/Arihant to be a 600-tonne vessel!:

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

To DASHU & SIDDHARTH: BRICS is a multilateral grouping with a ge-economic developmental agenda & therefore it isn’t the right forum for discussing global security matters. One already has the UN for that. It is only the ‘desi’ media that’s c rying foul without understanding what BRICS is all about. Instead, these headless chicken-like entities should first press the Govt of India to declare Pakistan a terrorist state through a unanimous act of Parfliament & only then lobby other countries for following suit.

To PIERRE ZORIN: AH-6? Ask the ANA which finds it too damn difficult to use the AH-6 over high-altitude terrain! The LUH being developed b y HAL will be far more capable that the AH-6 since it will also be developed as an armed RSH aeroscout. AH-64 is a heavy attack helicopter, while the AH-1Z is lighter & more suited for expeditionary warfare of the type waged by the USMC.

And yes, you got it right WRT SPYKAR, who claims to be an employee of AAI & is yet unaware of the processes leading to the drafting of tender specs for perimeter security systems. Folks like him are essentially overwhelmed by an extremely low sense of self-esteem & this in turn turns them into pathological liars who are always in denial. For them, their excuse is that even if they can access 30% of the facts, those are enough to derive inferences & therefore to hell with the remaining 70% oif factoids. Consequently, such buffoons can very conveniently claim that an impoverished country like DPRK can test-fire a solid-fuelled SLBM after conducting only 2 prior test-firings of liquid-fuelled SLBMs00a feat unequalled so far by any of the superpowers. Sadly, such buffoons utterly wasted the hard-earned money of their parents by not paying attention to their physics classes during their school-going days & they now are an unproductive lot & a total socio-economic liability for India.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KUNAL JADHAV: 1) Any new power-axis is only possible if backed up by economic might, i.e. an alternative to the US$ or Euro. Do any of these 3 countries possess currencies that can replace the US$ or Euro? 2) It will continue for as long as India continues to possess a mjindset that calls for defensive parity with Pakistan & China. 3) What’s your definition of ‘strong’? Like the ones shown on silly Bollywood flicks like D-DAY & BABY? 4) Those are not the main faultlines. The main one is that dealing with identity politiking which prevents the emergence of national consensus on core issues of survival.

To BROWN DESI: This is a strong signal for India to shed all her past inhibitions about ‘Panchsheel’ & non-alignment just for the sake of not upsetting China. The time has now come to forge an ever-closer economic & politico-military relationship with the likes of Japan, Taiwn, the US, EU etc etc. BRICS being a multilateral ge-economic grouping cannot be expected to lay any emphasis on the ‘War on Terror’. But it’s high time India’s civilian decision-makers acquired some sagacity & called the Chinese bluff all along the LAC. For the PLA doesn’t possess the acclimatised manpower-levels that will be reqd to be deployed if the PLA wants a limited war with India. Both China & Pakistan today are not welfare vstates, but national security states that, by definition, are destined to implode since neither can sustain internal security budgets that are far higher than their annual defence spending-levels.

To THE SEEKER: India can make it extremely difficult for Pakistan to obtain loans from IMF, WB & ADB. In addition, India can help Afghanistan with run-of-the-river dam projects that will restrict the flow of water into KPK. Already, Afghanistan’s greater usage of Chah Bahar has resulted in drastic reduction of Afghan imports from Pakistan. Today, at a rate of almost 3 per week, there are exchanges of mortar fire for 6 hours every time along the Iran-Pakistan border, about which the ‘desi’ media folks just don’t bother to report. Sergey Chemezov is an old friend of mine since 1993 since his days as a marketing executive with Rosoboronexport State Corp & that should tell everyone enough about who has access to credible information on matters pertaining to military-industrial cooperation between India & Russia. Why should such pods be imported from France? And the AAR probe on Tejas Mk.1 is a fixed probe just like those on the Rafale & upgraded Mirage 2000s. TELs for all of Pakistan’s existing SRBMs, TBMs & IRBMs are the same was what they were in 2004.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SPANKY’s BLOG/SWAROP: VMT. It’s a simple equation: any end-user of military hardware wants the best affordable solution, be it indigenous or impirted. In the IAF’s case, all it takes is for the IAF’s CAS to bluntly state to the civilian decision-makers that if the desired tools aren’t available, then the IAF won’t be able to perform as expected. That’s enough to make the civilians buckle & rightly so. Now, since the mid-1980s enough time & resources have been wasted by the DRDO to do something that HAL could have achieved within a decade. So now unless the turf war between HAL & ADA is settled in HAL’s favour, the Tejas Mk.2 won’t surface as a MRCA platform that the IAF will find attractive. And the longer this turf-war rages on, the more time is being lost on the indigenous option, much to the advantage & liking of Saab Aircraft. If the core issue for the MoD & DRDO was R & D propject cost amortisation, then this could have easily been achieved by acquiring 80 Tejas Mk.1 tandem-seaters as LIFTs with secondary ground attack capability (thereby creating a financially viable domestic military aviation industrial eco-system) & instead of being stubborn about procuring the 20 single-seat Tejas Mk.1s, jump straight to the Tejas Mk.2 single-seater. This would have been the far less riskier & financially more attractive option. But alas, now we are in a situation in which to cover-up 1 lie, 1,000 more lies are being uttered , i.e. trying in vain to defend the undefensible.

As for standard-issue helmets, they are the same as those that existed way back in 1999.

To AVI D: The Exalibur can easily be re-engineered to meet the 7.62 x 51 reqmt, rest assured.

To OPTIONAL: Yes, it’s true & I had been stating this since 2013. Nothing new about it. How can Pakistan retaliate if it denying that such strikes ever took place? It’s like saying I want to destroy something that doesn’t even exist.

To ARPIT KANODIA: Remember all those NDTV & CNN-News 18 programmes in which the ‘Bandalbaaz’ was persistently claiming prior to September 29 that the IA had no retaliatory option while in 1 programme the former GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen (Ret’d) Patankar had virtually confirmed that the IA’s forthcoming retaliation would be ‘extraordinary’? And as later events showed, the Lt Gen was 100% right while for the ‘Bandalbaaz’ it was the exact opposite. The same was the case earlier with the Rafale’s procurement.

Shikkoh said...

Respected Sir,


In the latest episode of the Ancient Aliens titled SHIVA THE DESTROYER it is claimed that the Shiva Lingas actually represents Nuclear Reactors from past. Is there anything true apart from the resemblance in shape, the platform and the conditions, like Shiva lingas requiring water or being placed near water? I though it is a phallic symbol.


Shikkoh said...

Also what is there any link between Shiva and the Kaaba?

Optional said...

Sir you asked, How can Pakistan retaliate if it denying that such strikes ever took place? Dont start firing at me but Packistan is fated to be in a perpetual state of denial. No doubt about that there. Packistan will always deny any involvement of terrorists of planning and funding in their soil like it always has and will cry as victims. But if the terrorists mount a revenge attack covertly and cowardly like a lone wolf attack or with the help of ISIS or Nepal/Bangladesh extremist group or India sympathisers on India then what will be the India's reply in such a scenario? Will the govt. still retaliate by surgical strikes at the time and place of their choosing ? Or will we make a toast out of them and how?

CSC said...

http://m.dwnews.com/military/news/2016-10-12/59774790.html

Chief designer of the j20 platform sacked, is this true

Also Prasun pls answer my questions asked previously with links regarding the an spy and sm 3 usage and the tactical bm counters

Also prasunda, I respectfully disagree about ur pov on the commissioning of arihant. The ssgns were not meant for second strike capability, there exist no comparable enemy subs in the region capable of tracking them in speed, stealth or depth... Keeping the Arihant secret is a harder job and a quite commissioning makes sense.

Maybe once it's capabilities are tested to the limits in the next few months and the k4 is integrated, maybe then it will be officially be given a second commissioning at a fleet review or something

The Seeker said...

Sir, Anything in the way of economic or trade sanctions?

On the HAL-ADA-Tejas-Mk2 turf war issue, wont it be far better option to merge them and other relevant departments and pool their resources to create a unified Aerospace Company like china did?

Unknown said...

Hi Prasun,

Request for clarifications.

1) Why r&d for 600 kms brahmos? I think the 290 kms range was understated. Now it's in open. How much time would it take to reach 600 kms missile production and induction?
2) Nirbhay launch is in limbo. Any major setbacks?



Atul

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

OPTIONAL: No one should expect Pakistan to become ‘toast’ at the hands of India because, as I had already explained earlier, India does not possess overwhelming conventional superiority against Pakistan. And toy are more than welcome to get as depressed as you may want to & gurl all the curses you may want to at all those civilian decision-makers since 1971 who had made it an article of faith to maintain only defensive parity against Pakistam.

To CSC: Only time will reveal who’s right & who’s wrong. When I make statements, they are always based on FACTOIDS. My opinions on the other hand are my own individual assessments. All SSBNs (& not SSGNs) are made for SURVIVABLE SECOND-STRIKE capability. PLAN’s SSNs have for the past 3 years already been maintaining regular patrols along the Chagos trench trying to map out the seabed there. So it will be better if you don’t underestimate the adversary’s capabilities & intent. Once any nuclear-powered SSN or SSGN or SSBN designed by the US, UK, Russia or France goes on operational patrols, they become undetectable for the duration of those patrols UNLESS the adversary has the ways & means of maintaining persistant underwater surveillance & tracking. And no commissioning ceremony anywhere in this world by anyone operating such a vessel can keep it a secret for morte than a fortnight & for obvious reasons, as proven by past events. Nor is there anything known as ‘second commissioning’, unless you’ve invented it & your invention has been accepted by any of the world’s navies & you’ve been awarded & appreciayed for that invention. Lastly, do you really believe that there are any politicians in India who will let go of such a golden opportunity for photo-ops & foresaking temporary moments of self-glorification through such ‘quiet’ & secretive commissioning ceremonies? Haven’t you seen enough of these politicians with pathetic low self-esteem levels who crave for seeking credit even for simplistic, commion-sensical cross-LoC siurgical strikes & engage in needless chest-thumping?

The SEEKER: Nothing from India’s side as yet. As for corporate mergers & acquisitions, that will be the logical way ahead, but in such matters where logic has been trashed into dustbins, mindsets cannot be changed overnight. These are all gigantic challenges to be overcome. First, let govts prove their effectiveness by curbing all these ‘all India bandhs’ that are routinely organised by gopvt-supported trade unions. After that we all can debate about more profound mindset transformations. And do weatch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWsM42PUoAM

65 Rudras for IAF & 97 for IA.

To ATUL: Who says more R & D is reqd for longer-range BrahMos? It was designed from the outset for 550km-range. No setbacks for Nirbhay’s R & D project. Everything is proceeding just as it should.

Optional said...

Sir you said that India does not possess overwhelming conventional superiority against Pakistan. Isnt it the other way round for the IA, IAF and IN or even the SFC both quantitatively and qualitatively? Will we be overwhelmed or will we still be able to mount an offensive if thrust upon us? What about various operational war plans made from 1971 and the capability enhancement and modernisation and war gaming with various military all over the world? Then what will happen in a two-front scenario?

The Seeker said...

Sir,

Except the mindset transformation you talked about which doesn't happen overnight, what other Implementables (Or Deliverables as Modiji likes to call it) are there for making that happen in an fixed time frame to overcome those challenges of corporate mergers & acquisitions? Curbing Bandhs and Hartals may need a different solution on their own right.

The Seeker said...

Sir, You stated -

And the longer this turf-war rages on, the more time is being lost on the indigenous option, much to the advantage & liking of Saab Aircraft.

So you believe Gripen has a better chance over the F-16 for the Make-in-India LMRCA?

The Seeker said...

Sir, you said that "TELs for all of Pakistan’s existing SRBMs, TBMs & IRBMs are the same was what they were in 2004." But the following report says Pak added 2 16x16 WS-21200s for use as TELs for Shaheen-III missiles at the end of February or in early March 2016.

http://www.janes.com/article/61862/pakistan-s-new-shaheen-iii-mrbm-uses-chinese-transporter-says-source

Raman said...


Prasun..........

It sometimes amazes me that how the 'intelligent' media plays up expectations on what the BRICS would do/say on Pakistan.......China has and will continue supporting Pakistan (and more so in public)and to expect the Chinese to change their policy by just a couple of meetings with Modi is childish/immature......it'll take patience, perseverance and years.......(and Tibet/Taiwan !!!)

I think what was achieved was a clear and major 'start'........at least now there is no shying away and the issue of the Mothership of Terror is now finally and firmly on the table....and publically telling the world or whoever is watching both internationally and domestically.

Keep beating the drums.........and soon everyone will follow the drum beat !!

Unknown said...

Dear Prasun,
Can you please update the status of Project-75I. Why the Navy is so lethargic in taking a decision? While the status of our submarine arm has already reached SOS. In this regard, can we expect any good news in the near future?

Magicbullet said...

Sir..post the surgical strike can you share how the role of the current NSA is evolving and it's future implications.

Gessler said...

Prasun ji, are you interested at all in participating in forum discussions?

http://indiandefence.com/forums/

We are on a drive to rebuild the forum with quality contributors from across the internet, and taking out much of the trash that has existed till now. And as you happen to be one of the best-known & most-referenced analysts in Indian defence matters, your presence & opinions on the forum will be much appreciated.

I know that you have your own thing going in this blog, which has been extremely successful & popular so far. But let me know or join the forum directly if you wish to throw in your hat on this as well.

Have a nice day!

DAshu said...

Till now I had a belief that India possesses overwhelming conventional power over Pak and defensive parity with China. As now that got crushed, after hearing the facts about defensive parity with pak I can imagine the situation regarding China now, I accepted your invitation to hurl curses at both civilian as well as Military leaderships for attaining this feat.

Any remedial plan on table to act upon by both the leaderships to change the situation ?

Gopu said...

Hi Prasun,

Are the S-2,S-3, and S-4 SSGNS based on the Charlie class? Also does the RN and USN regularly patrol the trenches around Diego Garcia, Mauritius, and the Maldives? If so, how do we keep the noisy 667BDRM type subs safe from the far more sophisticated subs of those navies?

I agree with your above statements on rejecting pseudo-nonalignment, but I think procurement of the Rafale and S-400 illustrates that Indian decision maker's will not procure strategically important systems from the US unless there is no other available alternative. This mindset lends itself to a general hesitation on a strategic 'alliance' with the US. Interoperability and integration with US/NATO forces will most likely be on an "as needed" basis rather than a long term one.

So how exactly does India stand resolute with the US, Japan, Taiwan, RoK, and Australia when India is clearly not going to commit its share of resources to the combined defense of these countries? At best, all we're seeing are fanciful words emanating from the MEA; there's nothing concrete to back up India's statements.

CSC said...

Prasunda
Not underestimated anyone... Just facts, Pls tell me which plan ssn has the stealth, speed or diving depth to track an akula, aka the Chakra...

Further bcos by terms of agreement the Chakra can't carry nuclear weapons, thus its second strike usage capability is moot and so is the need to hide it as much as a second strike option like the Arihant, even if it's currently limited in ability

Further u answered the rest ur self. I did not invent a 2nd commissioning. Just that the commissioning if it has happened has been low key and like u said politicians can't miss such a chance, maybe when the crew has tested the boat to its limits... And they how best to vanish from prying eyes in different ocean conditions, then maybe a ceremonial commissioning will happen, not a second commissioning but the only ceremonial commissioning.

Anyways whether or not all this has or has not happened is less important to us knowing ur thoughts on the other 3 questions that I had earlier asked.

They all have links with themm

There is a detailed account of a system made to counter tactical battle field nukes, do we have an equivalent or should we/ can we buy the one in the link

Can we use the mf star and barak 8 combo like explained in the link about the an spy plus sm3 combo. How many ships would be needed and located where around the coastline of India to provide comprehensive cover to all of coastal India... In addition to land based s 400 plus barak 8 plus Akash plus Sr Sam combos

Has the chief designer of the J series planes really been sacked and if u could elaborate on why

When do we see the aridhaman head out for sea trials and the k4 being tested from a boomer

Unknown said...

Hello Prasun!

1.) What is the current status of Arjun MK2? Is Army planning to induct a few before placing a large order?

2.) Is it true that India has agreed for lease another Akula class 2 submarine?

Rushil

asd said...

Dear Prasun,

Is the recent RFI issued by IAF a death knell for Tejas Mk ii? Will it be killed?

aniz said...

hi prasun,
with regards to tejas hal chief said that integration is going for aesa radar, spj as external system . what about maws is it being installed externally . what critical systems are pending to achieve full foc.

had the groundwork for tejas mark 2 started ?

CSC said...

Prasunda, apologies, seems it been inducted, not commissioned as the pennant number is yet to be issued.

On an aside seems my reading on the secrecy was right (learning from you)

Asked about the induction, officials refused to comment on or off record.

However, they indicated that the boat is now part of the Indian Naval fleet.

Asked about the possible reasons for the secrecy, former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) said the secrecy around the induction of the vessel, being a nuclear submarine, was “customary”.

“Arihant is an achievement technology wise, but otherwise it is a top secret,” Admiral Prakash told IANS.

“Its mission is to be a nuclear deterrent. Everything to do with the submarine will be a secret,” he said. INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009.

Unknown said...

Hi prasun ! Anything on Su 30mki upgrade ? Any structural changes on the cards ?

Vikram said...

Hello Sir

Is the Soar Dragon HALE UAV in series production as satellite photos indicate? When will we see it along our frontiers?

Any news fro, Euronaval? Will you be going to Zhuhai later this month?

The Seeker said...

Sir, When Sergey Chemozov says FGFA would be similar to T-50, but will still be an independent, new and advanced aircraft. What does he means by those lines?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SENTHIL KUMAR: Everything pales in front of the AK-630M2 from Russia. Check it out by Googling for it.

To VIKRAM: Soar Dragon is still undergoing flight-tests & is neabt for naval use over the seas nowhere near India. Am covering Euronaval sinceday-before- yesterday. Will be in Zhuhai as well.

To SIDDHARTH DHAPOLIA: Notyhing new about it as yet.

To CSC: S-2/Arihant's induction into IN took place on the very day when the SSBN was handed over to the IN for user-assisted & overseered sea-trials. Ther 'secrecy' aspect the former CNS of IN is reffering to is NOT about the commissioning or induction, but about the process of sea-trials & what goes into such trials & what are the various sequential steps taken during the trials & what the results of such trials are. Then there's the reqmt for shore-based infrastructure for loading & storage & i8ntegration of SLBMs00all of which have not yet been undertaken. Only way of countering hostile TNWs is to raise the cost for the adversary through demonstrable retaliation-in-kind capability. I had already explained several times before that Indian TMD reqmts DO NOT specify sea-based interceptors because the threats are all originating from contiguous landmasses. Only those countries that face BM threats from countries located in another corner of the world require seaborne TMD capabilities so that forward power projection at short notice can be undertaken.

To ANIZ: So far no one from ADA or HAL has officially said a word about MAWS installation on any flying platform except for the Rudra. Only DARE has shown scale-models of Super Su-30MKI with MAWS fitments. No ADA brochure has to date spelled out the reqnmt for MAWS suite. It was only Wg Cdr Unni Pillai who told me during Aero India 2015 that MAWS would be fitted on the tips of the stub-wings of the LCH.

To ASD: RFI is just an information-gathering exercise. Which means ADA or HAL will be equally entitled to respond to the RFI with the Tejas Mk.2 proposal.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RUSHIL ANAND: 1) Arjun Mk.2 is still awaiting the full set of 93 improvements to be incorporated as mandated by IA HQ’s MGO Branch. 2) When India leased the K-152 Nerpa—a brand-new Project 971A Shchuka-A SSGN—the lease price was US$950 million for 10 years. So how can an older SSGN, the K-322 971 Kashalot that entered service on December 30, 1988, be leased for a higher figure of US$2 billion is is being claimed by certain Russian ‘Bandalbaazes’? Obviously therefore, the figure of US$2 billion is not for any leasing programme, but rather the seed money for beginning work on building the six projected SSNs that will be built by L & T at Kattupali & Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corp has already rejected HSL & everyone else (including Reliance Infra) & has instead teamed up with L & T for industrial partnerships.

To GOPU: The Charlie-1 was a Project 670 Skat SSGN designed by Malakhite Design Bureau. S-2/Arihant is an SSBN designed by RUBIN. Two totally different designs fior totally different applications. Only the navies of US, France & UK regularly take turns to patrol the IOR & especially the Chagos Trench. Both Russia & China are decades behind their Western counterparts when it comes to platform sophistication. There already is an informal ‘alliance’ between India & the West. Check out any RFI issued by any of the 3 armed services or the DRDO & they all call for compliance with Western/NATO MILSPECs & MIL-STDs. Not a single Russian standard is found in such documentation. What does that indicate? Behind the scenes, there’s plenty of pressure from the West, Japan & ASEAN & Australasia to join the multinational coalition of the willing. From a geo-economic standpoint, both Russia & China are traditionally isolationalist in terms of not wanting to open up their economies as they fear the domination of ‘market forces’. So it all boild down to geo-economics & which party is better positioned to assist India in economic development.

To GESSLER: VMT for the compliments, but regretfully, the paucity of time prevents me from contributing or participating anywhere else. However, you’re more than welcome to use the contents of my blog for your various chat-forums.

To MAGICBULLET: It’s all about teamwork & not just the NSA. One must desist from the temptation of creating larger-than-life figureheads out of mortal human beings, though in India that is easier said than done.

To PRAKASH N: What P-75I? Didn’t I explain back in 2013 itself that this project will never take off? Even the earlier plans for 4 LPHs have been put on hold indefinitely so that money becomes available for the SSN programme. One cannot protect one’s SSBNs with SSKs.

To RAMAN: You’re absolutely right.

The Seeker said...

@Senthil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfqqsv7oinU

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To DASHU: LoLz! Any country possessing strategic clarity on the need to possess overwhelming superiority over its adversaries would never have indulged in utter wastage of assets & financial resources, would have resorted to periodic economic belt-tightening exercises for the sake of achieving greater productivity & economies of scale while increasing the military-industrial might, & lastly, would always have made use of ‘common-sense’ which successive generations of Indian civilian decision-makers have avoided. Let me excplain further with just 1 ELEMENTARY example: why does Israel continue to upgrade & use hardware procured in the 1960s & 1970s & 1980s? Why didn’t India upgrade the hulls of its several hundres of AMX-13 light tanks & T-55/Vijayanta medium tanks by retrofitting them with ‘desi’ powerpacks (co-developed by CVRDE & private-sector entities) & ‘desi’ mine-ploughs or ‘videshi’ turrets containing radar/optronic fire-control systems (like the one procured from IAI/ELTA for the ZSU-23-4 Schilka upgrade) & gatling guns like the AK-630Ms that in any case are being licence0built by OFB for the IN’s warships? Why was the AMX-13 not re-engined & refitted with a turret containing twin 30mm cannons & Konkurs-M ATGMs of the type seen on BMP-2 ICVs? Instead, almost everyone is cribbing, sobbing & whining about the lacl of adequate AAA assets with the IA & IAF!

And what dfoes the world think of India when much chest-thumping is resorted to for achieving ‘indigenisation’ in design & production of wraships & submarines when on the other hand the decision-makers proceed with unmatched alacrity for procuring readymade coastal interceptor craft from Dubai, France & Greece? As for China, India does possess overwhelming superiority against the PLA since all that the PLA has within TAR are 3 mechanised infantry brigades. Facing them are more than 10 IA infantry divisions. The last time the PLA tried nto bring in reinforcements back in 1986 during OP FALCON, they lost thousands of their personnel to Malaria, Diarrhoea, Typhoid & Cholera. That’s why perhaps China’s schoolgoing kids are hardly taught anything about the 1962 border war till this day.

You want ‘remedial’ plans? Again, an elementary answer: the decision-makers must learn to make optimum use of ‘common-sense’. If not, then they mjust accept that thery all have been born with certain congenital defects/defeciencies.

To THE SEEKER: That’s why I had said that the TELs of SRBMs, TBMs & IRBMs haven’t changed. Shaheen-3 is MRBM. Devils always lurk within the detail. As for Tejas Mk.2, if HAL is given a free hand to to re-engineer what ADA has already done & if HAL has the final say by being appointed as the principal designer/production authority, then the Tejas Mk.2 has very high chances of emerging as a far better option than the Gripen-NG, rest assured.

To OPTIONAL: Rest assured that no one will invade India & resort to conventional warfare because the adversaries too do not possess overwhelming superiority. The ONLY theatre where high-pitched, limited conventional wars will be fought for a limited duration will be within J & K & PoK & there neither the PLA nor the PA can muster conventional superiority even if there’s a collusive threat-oriented strategy of the enemy.

The Seeker said...

Is it still feasible to upgrade, retrofit & re-engine the vintage AMX-13 & T-55/Vijayanta tanks as you said?

On the TejasMk2, Which issue is hampering ADA? What can HAL bring to the table that ADA can't? And wouldnt that delay the process further?

bhoutik said...

*why do us, uk and france regularly patrol the chagos trench?

*why is china mapping the chagos trench? are they aware of indian plans for SSBN patrols there? if so, how?

*any indian manpower involvement in desiging S-2 arihant, the larger follow-on SSBNs or the upcoming SSN?

*would you please elaborate a little on the differences in platform sophistication between russian nuclear subs on one hand and nato on the other?

*what are the aspects of yasen class that impresses usn?

Pratap said...

Sir, After Ka-226 deal can HAL and Kamov join hands for future Indian tenders like can they offer Ka-60 Kasatka for navy's utility or naval multi-role helicopter? Its a new design powered by Shakti engine. What do you think?

The Seeker said...

Sir, If Shaheen-III is MRBM then I guess Pakistan doesn't have any IRBMs. Just saying.

Srinivasa Nanduri said...

Hi Prasun,

Don't you think modi's outreach on Pakistani isolation backfired? China is guarding Pakistan first in UN, then in NSG and now in BRICS. How can India address this diplomatic obstacle called China. Obviously more business with them is not the right approach.

Also in Kashmir valley there is a backlash against people who want hurriyat calendar on hartals be stopped and want to return to normal life. I mean Pakistani and Chinese flags in the valley, what the hell! How to address this madness?

And will HAL present a bid for Tejas Mk2? Will our babu's in MOD allow it?

Regards,
Srinivasa Nanduri

The Seeker said...

Sir, Adding to Pratap's query, Does HAL have any inhouse plans or looking for any design partner for High Speed Rotary Platforms? Which of them would you advise from the contemporary ones in development? Thats should be the logical next step for HAL.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SRINAVASA NANDURI: I don't think it backfired because it was never up to only India to isolate Pakistan. Regionally, Pakistan does stand isolated in both Central Asia & South Asia, while Pakistan's own religiosity-based politiking has led to its isolation in the Middle East. In other words, a garrison state/national security state has isolated itself from all other neighbouring welfare states.

Pakistani & Chinese flags are just meant to tease & annoy ther local law-enforcement forces there, just like the ISIS banners. One need not worry about them at all. The APHC today stands discredited in every Kashmir's eyes, just like Pakistan is now. Nobody was impressed by Nawaz Sharif's UNGA speech as it was clearly visible from his body language that he was not at all passionate when delivering his speech under the mindful gaze of his Khaki-clad Military Assistant. Plus, all opposition parties in pakistan are now gunning for the overthrow of the PML-N govt & have simply no stomach for any cause related to Kashmir of CPEC.

To THE SEEKER: Again you're missing the devil in the detail. How has ever stated that Shaheen-2 has been decommissioned in favour of Shaheen-3? Yes it is still very much possible to upgrade the several gundreds of T-55s & Vijayanta hulls. AMX-13s were sold to Singapore in the early 1980s, while the Centurions went to Israel & South Africa. HAL possesses what no one in ADA does: vast hands-on experience in handling different types of airframes & possessing a rich in-house data-base on upgrading existing platforms. HAL knows the value of reducing DOCs & LCCs while ADA doesn't--a fact publicly admitted by the former Director of ADA way back in 2013 at a seminar just before Aero India 2013. His utterances are available on YouTube so you can go check it out yourself & then conclude whether or not such retards turn their organisations & country into the world's laughing stock through such utterances.

To PRATAP: Has Russia developed any variant of the Ka-60 as a NMRH? So far, only an umbrella IGA has been inked on the ka-226T. What shape & form the agreement between HAL & UAC will take has not yet been spelled out by anyone. So let's not start counting the chickens before they're hatched.

To BHOUTIK: They have been doing so since the 1970s. Nothing new. France owns Reunion Island while the US has Diego Garcia. Need I say anything more? About nuclear submarine design/performance differences, Russia is still engaged in trying to play catch-up. The Project 885 Yasen-class SSGN possesses superior seagoing & endurance capabilities than the earlier Project 971 SSGN. That's about it. Unlike Western SSNs or SSGNs, Russian SSGNs cannot launch role-specific autonomous underwater vehicles of any type so far.

kanna said...

what is happening in saudi-yemen border?? why the hell saudi soldiers fleeing from their posts. looking at the videos relesed by houthis,is saudi soldiers really lacks in morale?

The Seeker said...

Sir, Please dont mind my asking but shouldn't the ADA have the requisite developmental facilities, work centres and the resources gained during the R&D of the multiple versions of LCA platform and also on the AMCA? Arent they best suited for the purpose, and wasn't that the principal reason for establishing such an nodal agency in the first place? Why cant they be trusted for the job? HAL is already the principal partner and and should be focusing on the assembl & production dont you think?

The Seeker said...

Sir, Is Shaheen 2 an IRBM? But its range is supposed to be 2000kms only?

The Seeker said...

Sir, you said, "Unlike Western SSNs or SSGNs, Russian SSGNs cannot launch role-specific autonomous underwater vehicles of any type so far."

https://www.rt.com/news/359648-underwater-drone-nuclear-subs/

Will it come with our Akula 2?

sandy said...

Hi Prasun,

Saw a report recently claiming that INS Arihant's reactor is not producing the required power levels as expected to run all the required systems. The report also says the submarine reactor went critical on 2013 , not sure how a reactor can go critical if it does not produce the required power.

Is the reporter trying to say that the thermal efficiency is much lesser than expected ?

Vishnu said...

Why doesn't Russia build their nuclear ICBM subs in the Caspian Sea? It's 1km deep and no competition from anyone else?

SUVO said...

Prasun da,
Indian navy commissioned another improved variant Car Nicobar class of high-speed offshore patrol vessels INS Tihayu.Why there are no other varients of the vessels that are armed heavily like armed with a 57-mm gun ,antiship missile,ak-630m,1 rail for depth charges or sea mines.
It is possible to modernize navy's Veer & Kora class ships?

Is navy opt for AK-630M2 in future? Which is the best suited CIWS for our naval ships?
......please reply.

Pawan said...

Dear Prasun da,

In following news its mentioned that IAF refused to disclose details of 10000 crore secret project. Could it be Raytheon Sentinel aircrafts?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-likely-to-reconsider-acquiring-m777-ultra-light-howitzers-with-us/1/791090.html

rad said...

hi prasun
will it be a good idea to mount a ak-630 gatling gun on a heavy truck like the chinese did ,with an suitable Israeli FCS like the one on the zsu 23-4. It would be a good desi solution. who in ur opinion would be the likely winner of the air defense gun contract?
The best gun in the business oerlikon , rheinmetal , being ruled out.
You rate HAL better than ADA for the development of LCA mk2 .HOw can that be when all the design knowledge is with the ADA ?
Do post lot of pics from Zuhai as well.



Rahul said...

Dear Sir

Could you Please write about the Weapons that Indian Army MUST PROCURE
for gaining a DECISIVE EDGE on the LINE of Control

Can TOS 1 A MBRL make a difference

sbm said...

Prasun, what the heck is behind this? https://sputniknews.com/asia/201610171046419397-india-war-bunker/

I thought that there was a secure and hardened C4I system for the GOI for strategic purposes or is this to secure civilian communications in the event of something happening ?

Anonymous said...

Non of the nations in the neighbourhood are geared for war at the moment. Apart from China, the rest have limited capability to manufacture even the ammo needed or critical parts of the machinary eg aircraft. The qualty of the armies is also not that different. IA is much larger than say PA but its tail is also much longer, so on paper it looks like a much larger army, when you count the soldiers on the front, the difference is that big. IAF had a MASSIVE edge few years back, but its gone now with PAF adding bander squadren every year or so. By my reckoning they have 8-9 squadrens with BVR capabilities. IN still has a MASSIVE advantage. PN can NEVER match it. They have hence gone to area deniel approach with shore, sub and air based anti-ship systems, that will keep In out to 400km from their coast. For IA to be ready for war, we need to invest big time in it. Would love to see 20Billion or so being spent on its equipment, all made at home. Will it happen?

Ajit

The Seeker said...

Sir, Is the Textron Scorpion in contention? Can be a good low-cost IJT, ISR and CAS Make-in-India platform.

http://www.scorpionjet.com/scorpion-jet-successfully-completes-first-weapons-capability-exercise/

SUJOY MAJUMDAR said...

PrasunDa,

1. You said Both Russia & China are decades behind their Western counterparts when it comes to platform sophistication. So why is IN developing the 6 SSNs with Russia instead of going in for a Western country?

2. Also as you said that even the earlier plans for 4 LPHs have been put on hold indefinitely so that money becomes available for the SSN programme. So why is the IN releasing RFI's for NGMVs, Corvettes etc. Naturally there is no money for those programmes either.

3. Why did Russia opt for L&T over HSL for building the 6 SSNs?

Thank You

buddha said...

Sir hope you are fine and sound
My first question why Indian airforce or Defence ministry is not considering tejas mk1 as Lift and close air support... can u send them in mail how utilitarian this could be even with home built engine
What is really going on in syria
Why the hell UK US is so antagonistic against Russia
The days of cold war gone
So europe still fears Russian invasion possibility which is nearly zero
Why state like kuwait baharin qatar are buying so much arms from US

The Seeker said...

Sir, You said, the earlier plans for 4 LPHs have been put on hold indefinitely but these recent reports suggests otherwise :

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/indian-naval-lpd-program-making-headway-with-2-domestic-vendors
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/reliance-lt-in-last-leg-to-bag-2-billion-defence-deal/article9115850.ece

Pls clarify your stand.

Puranic Knowledge said...

Just a suggestion, but can we call future SLBM Brahmastra? Petition the MoD to name it so.
Why are we buying Talwar frigates at for $4billion? I thought Shivalik was <1/2 that price?
And everyone keeps saying there's money shortfall wrt MoD budget...smh

Anonymous said...

Prasun Da,

The definitive SLBM will take over a decade to materialize. The K-4 is only of IRBM range. In the meantime, what could deter China if it chose to precipitate matters before we get too strong? The Agni-V would have serived that role, at least in limited numbers. This is where dropping the current Agni-V altogether may have been a wrong decision....

Satyaki

sbm said...

A question: Did India every take delivery of Kornet-E missiles and is the tripod launched CLGM DRDO has displayed based on the same ?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAD: ADA may well possess the design knowledge of just one platform (Tejas LCA) , but HAL has all the expertise to have ther final say on HOW the design should be optimized as a weapons platform. Have you noticed that in all the recent TV interviews, how all those associated with the Tejas R & D effort swear by its flying characteristics but none of them say a word about the platform’s effectiveness as a weaponised platform?

To PAWAN: That report clearly states at the bottom that Project Cheetah is all about weaponsied UAVs.

To SUVO: All the NOPVs of the IN have the 76/62 SRGM & AK-630Ms. Veer-class & Kora-class vessels are nearing the end of their shelf-lives & their hulls can’t be rebuilt since they all operate in extremely corrosive environment. Same applies to the double-hulled Type 877EKM SSKs. Whenever they go for refurbishment, the ENTIRE outer hull is completely replaced & only the inner hull is re-lifed.

To SBM: Those EMP-hardened underground shelters being mentioned are meant for the civilian cloud-computing server bases used by bthe Govt of India’s various Ministries. The corresponding MIL-SPEC command-and-control infrastructure has been in existence since mid-2002. Korbet-Es were bought in small numbers in the previous decade for the SF (Para). The CLGM was developed for the Arjun Mk.2 MBT but it bwasn’t a success & therefore its SAMHO version was developed using the launcher of the Konkurs-M as only a technology demonstrator.

To SATYAKI: You’re assuming that for China Beijing & Shanghai will be far more important than Chengdu or Kunming. Strategic deterrence doesn’t work that way.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SANDY: Whenever any nuclear reactor goes critical, it means that the controlled chain reaction is enough to produce heat for generating steam. Thus, attaining criticality does not mean generating maximum heat. Yes, thermal efficiency is a very big factor for proving the PWR’s success, since the original design of the PWR on board S-2/Arihant was never originally designed & developed for submarines, but was instead the KLT-40C PWR originally developed for usage on ice-breakers. Hence, the maturing & synchronizing of the entire powerplant, inclusive of the PWR & its corresponding heat exchangers & steam generators is a long drawn-out process, especially for the lead boat. That’s why I find it laughable whenever anyone claims that the S-2/Arihant has already been commissioned.

To PURANIC KNOWLEDGE: LoLz! Brahmastra is a weapon that is never meant to be used, only its threat of usage is supposed to be made. The US$4 billion is inclusive of all the weapons hardware that will be procured in 1 go on not only the 4 to-be-built Batch-3 Project 1135.6 FFGs, but also for the three Project 15 DDGs & three Batch-1 Project 1135.6 FFGs that are due to undergo mid-life refits in the near future.

To THE SEEKER: LoLz! You’ve quoted 2 separate reports, 1 from last month & 1 of this month. And as yet, none of the 2 contenders have revealed to their shareholders who has won & who has lost. The LPH project was doomed from the very beginning because of ‘sheer uncommercial’ practices that are no longer affordable for India. Why so? Just show me any country that selects a foreign OEM’s warship design & then spends double the money to teach 2 different shipyards how to build this foreign design & that too for only 4 warships. Had the reqmt been for more than 20 such vessels & that too within a short timespan, then nomination of 2 separate local Indian shipyards would have been justified. But for only 4 LPHs? Why should the Indian taxpayer pay extra for teaching 2 separate shipyards how to build only 4 warships of the one & the same design? Can’t 1 shipyard make all 4 of them, or at least learn from the foreign OEM by observing how the 1st LPH is built by the foreign OEM & then build the remaining 3 under licence? The way the LPH project is structured, it is a NO GO from the financial standpoint. I wonder why such essential questions are NEVER asked by India’s MPs in Parliament!!!

Why should the Scorpion even be considered when the Tejas Mk.2 is already abailable? ‘Make in India’ of foreign hardware isn’t that easy, as is now well-known with India’s experience with the USSR & Russia since the 1960s.

For the IN, IAF & IA, the 12-tonne IMRH will be a totally all-Indian design & development affair, rest assured. Only the 10-tonne NMRHs will be imported.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) Because it all boils down to affordability. And since the IN is never expected to lock horns with either the USN or the Royal Navy or the French Navy, it is not reqd to benchmark its technological sophistication with those of its Western counterparts. As long as the IN gets something that’s better than what the PLAN has, it will suffice. 2) Issuance of RFIs does not mean the related RFPs wsill follow anytime soon. The RFI for MMRCASs was first issued way back in 2001 & the RFP emerged only slightly less than a decade later. 3) Because L & T has the money-power being a public-listed company & can take swifter decisions & Russia knows this too well since it was worked with L & T for the ATV Project.

The Seeker said...

Sir,

1. Will this be a military spec sat?
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/114296-Pakistan-China-sign-contract-to-launch-PRSS-1-System

2. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/submarines/2015/10/11/pakistan-china-finalize-8-sub-construction-plan/73634218/
Will it be armed with N-capable Babur LACM ?

3. Something is definitely wrong here. They call terrorists as 'freedom fighters' and Yogi Baba as 'EXTREMISTS'!!
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/158629-Indian-extremists-call-for-boycott-of-all-Chinese-goods

Maybe they should take his advise and re-surge their domestic economy :
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/10/20/ramdev-open-to-launching-patanjali-in-pakistan-but-slams-pak-ar/

What do you think sir?

The Seeker said...

And on the Tejas Mk2, you said, "HAL has all the expertise to have ther final say on HOW the design should be optimized as a weapons platform. Have you noticed that in all the recent TV interviews, how all those associated with the Tejas R & D effort swear by its flying characteristics but none of them say a word about the platform’s effectiveness as a weaponised platform?

But the Integration of weapons and systems is already undertaken by ARDC-HAL? Isnt It? What difference will that make?

The Seeker said...

On the Scorpion Jet, Just offering my views on why it should be considered : It is low-cost, fits the job, fills the gap till the Tejas starts coming in numbers; is made from commercially available off-the-shelf components making it easy to 'Make-in-india' and is already on offer I believe. Further it has lot of space for avionics, is ideal for maritime patrol and can be rapidly reconfigured with different mission payloads and also because HAL HJT-36 is nowhere near sight. It also eliminates the need for an expensive foreign LMRCA. Morover, it recently got a "sting" or two in its tail.

Gessler said...

Thanks for the reply, Prasun ji. Yes, I understand and thank you.

I have a question though - on the occasion of commissioning INS Tihayu, Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht made the following statement -

"But what will make ENC a dominant force in the eastern seaboard is the induction of another Shivalik class multi-role stealth frigate to its existing fleet of three. We already have INS Shivalik , Satpura and Sahyadri , and the new one which is being built by GRSE will have enhanced state-of-the-art features and will be inducted shortly,” he said.

I have never heard of or seen a 4th Shivalik-class frigate under construction - that too at GRSE! Is he actually talking about the P-17A frigates? But even they are not under construction yet.

What could he mean? Has a 4th Shivalik actually be sanctioned or is this a Media mix-up?

SUVO said...

THANKS PRASUN DA .

Anonymous said...

:- You’re assuming that for China Beijing & Shanghai will be far more important than Chengdu or Kunming. Strategic deterrence doesn’t work that way.

OK. So Mumbai & Delhi is not far more important than Patna or Patiala or Ranchi or Raipur? How does then strategic deterrence works? Kindly enlighten us if u can.


-Chinaman

Shikkoh said...

No answers coming for my question from anyone? I was hoping!!

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir

http://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/now-or-never-4/

Seems like Pak Fauj again want to do a show of power for current NS govt.

The Seeker said...

Is India & Russia jointly working on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) powered missile like the Meteor as Vijainder Thakur Sir says?

Sethz said...

If rumors regarding the Indian (restricted) RFI for single engine fighters is indeed true, it makes absolutely no sense. The only two OEMs who can come to the table with an acceptable platforms are LM & Saab and neither platform have what it takes to satisfy what the MoD is looking to do - get a cheaper single-engine fighter that provides the IAF interim respite to deal with the obsolescence of Mig-21s and here's why -

(i) Saab's offer- Gripen-E, costs $85M w/o weapons. Contrast that to the price of a twin-engine Rafale @ ~ 91M ! Granted that the life-cycle cost of the Gripen is likely to be somewhat cheaper but why add another fighter to the ever expanding inventory of jets when the off-the-shelf price is not that much lower.
Saab purportedly has offered to help with the Tejas Mk-1+ but will certainly try to delay and dissuade the Indian military industrial establishments from developing and producing the Mk-2 version.

(ii) The LM F-16 Block 70 is virtually identical to the block 60 and at ~ $75M a piece w/o weapons and an outdated air-frame, avionics package and a old factory that will otherwise need to be scrapped at great expense to LM, India has little to nothing to gain from it.

Better options for India would be as follows:

(a) Drive an even more aggressive deal with the French Government/Dassault on starting a "Make in India" version for the Rafale.

(b) A slightly less desirable option can involve partnering up with Boeing on building a brand new factory for manufacturing the F-18 Growlers/Super Hornets in India. This outfit can not only build the additional fighters the IAF needs but also build the marine version that can operate from the deck of the 2nd indigenous carrier. India can also continue to receive upgrades as the USN plans to keep its own Hornets running for another 20 years.

Shikkoh said...

Please look sir

http://www.inquisitr.com/3618395/so-there-are-234-stars-emitting-signals-that-have-exactly-the-shape-of-an-extra-terrestrial-alien-signal/

WoW Signal!

Koi mil gaya?

Please answr my questions as you are the best alien domain expert.

Optional said...

Former ACM Fali Major said " If indeed there is letter issued by IAF asking for information on single engine aircraft, then it is to asses the possibility of the Make in India project to supplement the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft which is being manufactured in India."

"Single engine does make sense, both in terms of category and role played by the MiG- 21s. It make sense to have fourth generation single-engine aircraft to supplement the Tejas production line. These are proven aircraft and it will be easy to establish a production line in India," Major added.


IAF going ahead with a single engine mrca to supplement the Tejas?

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