The Arjun ARRVs will support the two Arjun Mk.1 and two Arjun Mk.1A Regiments that will be permanently deployed in Rajasthan, since the Indian Army has decided that they will never be employed in the plains of Punjab and Jammu. Instead, all the upgraded T-72M and T-90S MBTs will be used in the plains of Punjab as well as elsewhere in Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East.
216 comments:
1 – 200 of 216 Newer› Newest»To AMIT BISWAS: Any radar-guided short-range PGM like SANT will not be able to acquire its target on its own. Instead, its on-board seeker will have to be VECTORED towards the target by a separate & larger target acquisition radar, like the MMW radars on the LongBow Apache & the MMRs on-board combat aircraft that have the GMTI mode of operation. Since no such radars exist on the Mi-35P attack helicopter, that information you’ve highlighted is therefore FAKE NEWS. And since the radar seeker on SANT does not have 15km-range, then consequently the LOAL mode will have to be employed, with mid-course guidance being provided by the MMRs of combat aircraft or MMW radars of the attack helicopter. Only if the SANT is meant to be used out to a distance of 7km can it be used in the LOBL mode when being launched by attack helicopters whose optronic sensors can visually acquire the targets & then cue the SANT’s on-board radar seeker towards those targets.
To ANUP & BHOUTIK: Well, it looks like the Pakis learnt this lesson only after fondling the scale-model of the T129, as shown here:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtB0dPKWsAAUCOy.jpg
Incidentally, for those with short memories, when the ALH was being developed, it was using the very same Garrett CTS-800 engines from 1993 till 1998.
To RAD: The chips were imported, but the staring gate array detectors using those chips was designed & built in India, as was the target recognition algorithm. SANT’s targets will be all types of motorised/tracked vehicles.
To KAUSTAV: The arsehole who drafted that piece of fiction was in fact chucked out of the IA for fabricating information of this type & then passing it off as intelligence inputs! The SH-15 is a 155mm/39-cal MGS that can be employed only over mountainous terrain, i.e. in PoK. The PA had wanted extra armoured protection since such MGS will be vulnerable to strikes by the IAF, meaning the PAF won’t be around to ensure friendly air-cover for such PA armoured regiments over PoK. bAnd if the PA wants to use TNW-armed shells from such MGS against their ‘fellow Muslim brethren’ in J & K, then they’re most welcome to do so, as this will totally & finally expose the so-called love that Pakistanis have for the Kashmiris!
To AJ: Not in 2001 or 2008, but in mid-1999, when the US was totally at a loss to play any mediatory role due to Clinton’s crisis periods involving Monica Lewinsky. It was only ther stupid Indian leadership at that time which forced the US to enter the fray & create the fear of nuclear war when in reality Pakistan’s national nuclear command authority was not even in existence.
Latest presentation of the IA's COAS on hybrid warfare:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTvYDPd0uLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA7aGlajnD4
To RAD: These are two 2 UAS-types that are now in service with the NSG:
https://vortex-uas.com/multi-rotor.html#
https://www.flir.com/globalassets/imported-assets/document/black-hornet-prs-spec-sheet.pdf
The first one operates as a two-ship formation, i.e. the first one carries an explosives payload for blasting windows or doors while the second UAS comes armed with hand-grenades that can be lobbed from the UAS. In addition, both UAS platforms can also be used as kamikaze drones if the situation demands it.
Prasunda,
The army has ofcourse made the right decision in terms of employment of the tank armour. Arjun is best suited for Rajasthan on many counts. The SANT, Helina mounted on the various strike helicopters/UCAVs coupled with T90s and the CIA T72, hopefully some upgraded with Arjuna Mk1A turrets, is what is needed in Punjab as well as in the mountains / Ladakh and elsewhere on the LAC.
Dada, I would like to disgress and post these links without comment. Many readers of this blog and you sir, are better qualified to verify and comment.
https://youtu.be/-HAGwJRQB5w
https://youtu.be/l20SGIynIPg
https://youtu.be/si3wagmz2W4
There are many more from the author Mr Damont, episodes and parts. Similar speculation has been posted with other interpretations too. I would appreciate comments specifically on Episode 2 & 3. Thanks.
1. The good thing is Army is induct go slowly, but surely as the infrastructure to handle Arjun get built up.
This ARRV was developed on time when compared to other similar products , is it not ?
Project approved in 2011, induction announced in 2018.
I hope post Vajra, MoD asks L&T to develop a tracked gun based on Arju chassis. This will increase the volume and help improve availability.
2. SH15 needs a special ammunition to achieve 50 in range ? Else ATAGS and K9 have superior range , right ?
Venky
Prasun sir,
Will you kindly upload higher resolution screenshots/slides of the T-72 and T-90 upgrades?
Were these taken at a seminar on IA armored warfare plans? Will you share the Url of this seminar.
Drdo had developed ERA Mk2 for the T-72 upgrade. They have similar performance to the Kontakt-5. Aren't there any plans to install these on the T-72CIA fleet. This Era package wasn't there under the proposed head in the T-72 upgrade slide.
Is it possible to make a TNW armed shells for howitzer????
This looks amateurish, just like a academic project or internet hobby build project
https://vortex-uas.com/multi-rotor.html#
To KAUSTAV: The decision to keep the Arjun MBTs limited to the Rajasthan sector wastaken after it was discovered that the heavier weight of the Arjuns would make them unsuitable for employment on agrarian grounds where crops are planted thrice every year on both sides of the IB, which in turn causes the soil to soften & hence most of the terrain there is now unsuitable for armoured warfare, even for the lighter T-72 & T-90S. In fact, one of the main reasons why Pakistan always opposes the construction of dams in J & K is that such dams enable India to store water that can be released in times of war in both Jammu & northern Punjab, which in turn will deny the availability of any hard ground that is reqd by the PA to wage armoured offensives.
To ARUN: PAK-FA is Russia-specific. The FGFA/PMF is altogether a different platform whose R & D cycle is now on hold & is not expected to be revived anytime soon. JF-17 Block-3 is still years away from being fielded, rest assured.
To VENKY: 1) The Arjun ARRV incorporates all enhancements that were specified & developed for the Arjun Mk.1A & hence its development began only in 2013. It will be unwise to develop an SPH version of the Arjun for reasons explained above & the much lighter K-9 Vajra is a much better option. 2) SH-15 is now only a 39-cal MGS & its 52-cal version is still under development. Hence a 39-cal barrel can achieve 50km range only with rocket-assisted projectiles. If such projectiles are used by K-9 Vajra or ATAGS, then they will be able to achieve ranges of 69km.
To ARIHANT: Those are the best shots available & they can’t get any better. Details of the seminar are here:
https://cenjows.gov.in/eventsnew-detail?id=78
https://scontent.fccu2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/46986603_2211484862507620_4771382072247844864_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ht=scontent.fccu2-1.fna&oh=844cf590f923cf07d446f0ed8f6a81fa&oe=5CA27768
ERA Mk.2 will be on the 1,000 T-72Ms that are now being upgraded with new 1,000hp powerpacks & TIFCS hunter-killer FCS. The T-72CIAs already upgraded won’t have ERA Mk.2 or new powerpacks. They will continue to use ERA Mk.1 tiles.
To AMIT BISWAS: Is it possible? It was possible in the early 1960s itself. Do read these:
https://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/10/21/little-shots-the-cold-wars-smallest-nukes/
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/11/Scientists-have-developed-a-neutron-warhead-for-the-155mm/4033376894800/
And also watch these:
Heavy Industries Taxila at IDEAS 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agPda1tRUTI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aguYZHJ3KoM
CH-3A/Burraq UAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWoXRMK1fyg
Hamzaa 6 x 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0sl4V4tYGI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtnrkPr7ssI
POF’s 12.7 HMG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qusWesODTPw
GIDS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XuM0_o018
China at IDEAS 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqe5wVT3_Ec
The map shown by China depicting Aksai Chin as part of China but PoK being part of J & K:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwamqub-T4Q
The remains of Sharda University in PoK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEQDiSOPdag
China-India SRs Meet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTc2HMHeE58
PAF-PLAAF EX Shaheen-VII Commences:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFy6Jk74-fQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4S5_qtSkrk
To MURTHY: Looks can always be deceptive.
Prasun sir, is it not possible to buy the half completed fgfa design and complete it on our own?? I mean it wud defnitly save us a lot of money cauz the russians unfortunately treat us like cash cow..isn't it a better idea?
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/the-real-googly-more-than-imran-the-pakistan-army-wants-peace-with-india
Sir Do you agree with the assessment.
It seems that Contributors and the Editor have divergent views on the India Pak issue.
You need not comment if its uncomfortable to you.
regards
I didn't knew about neutron being fitted inside 155mm shells , does Pakistan have such technology/access to such technologies....
Kindly update us about COPE 2018 Currently undergoing at KKD and Panagarh
So they have shown LY 80 LOMADS too in Ideas so can we assume that it has achieved FOC status within any areas by PAKISTAN ARMY.
To SUJIT: If India cannot even optimize the design/performance of a 4th-gen MRCA like Tejas Mk.1, then how can a 5th-gen MRCA be developed by anyone in India?
To ANILUVG: You seem to be under the impression that folks with divergent views can’t co-exist or work together. Far more realistic assessments are contained in the following weblinks:
https://theprint.in/opinion/the-factivist/imran-khan-is-pakistans-first-volunteer-bonsai-pm-he-has-no-power-to-make-peace-or-war/156555/
https://theprint.in/opinion/global-print/imran-khan-and-sidhu-hogged-kartarpur-limelight-but-pakistan-army-was-the-real-star/156868/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/beyond-shibboleths-how-and-why-to-deal-differently-with-pakistan-in-the-future/
In addition, all fears of the Khalistani referendum are totally misplaced because all those clamouring for the referendum are not Indian citizens & neither are they based in India & they also can't call for a separate Sikh homeland that excludes Pakistani territory like Kartarpur Sahib & Umarkot. Consequently, it will be suicidal for Pakistan to even support such a referendum. And since foreigners can't take part in any referendum that they want to be held inside India, they therefore cam't play any role within the Indian-based Sikh communities in terms of influencing them or canvassing for such a referendum. So what's all the fuss about then? It is thus only the 'desi' jingoistic media that is spreading disinformation & needless confusion on such non-issues.
To AMIT BISWAS: LY-80E LOMADS was fully operational last year itself. Nuclear devices for field artillery rounds & MBRL rounds have already been developed by China, not Pakistan.
Looks like wzt3..guess they learnt something after all
Second, getting Pakistan’s key economic partners, China and Saudi Arabia – the two it can least shuffle – to use their considerable influence must be central. This means New Delhi charting a sensible course with both powers.
this shows the author has written this piece as an academic practice and at the comfort of his desk, just to fill some columns to get his wages.
But in REALITY some thing like to prove to be a suicidal path to india and in fact pakistan is a bait china uses to strangle india.
China is using pakistan as leverage for many decades and india can not say anything to the free flow of religious funds to india that accelrates the wahabism.
Hope India never ask china or saudi help to deal with pakistan.
The real help would come from US, France, Iran, Afghan and Central Asia. Not russia or china or eu or saudi.
but for US to help india must remove whatever leverage pakistan have with the help of Iran, Afghan and Central Asia. once india removes pakistani blackmailing leverage, US will listen to India.
When push comes to shove pakistan will beg saudi and in turn saudi will help pakistan even to the extent of asking US to go slow on pakistan.
PrasunDa,
(1) So what we learn from the G-20 Summit is that a new "alliance" named JAI comprising Japan, America & India has been formed which frankly is designed to contain China. But then again Modi attended the RIC meeting. RIC was dead for more than a decade. So why attain RIC, when JAI is designed as an anti China grouping ?
(2) Will you please shed some light on what the Indian Navy's procurement will look like for the next 5 years - P8, MH-60, more subs ?? We only see DAC approvals. But what about the actual procurement ? Please do share some insights.
Thank You
VIKRAM
To AMIT BISWAS: That is not the LY-70E from ALIT, but NORINCO’s Sky Dragon-50 MR-SAM.
To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) What we witnessed at the G-20 Summit was nothing else but the practical application of the ‘balance of power’ stratagem which calls for building new bridges while maintaining existing ones, & not burning any bridges. Looks like the practitioners of this stratagem have read some of the books on this subject that I had advised them to absorb. As a result, right now the IAF is plasying host to 2 different air forces, the USAF & Japan’s ASDF. The Cope India 2018 exercise is hosting more than 40 aircraft including F-15s & C-130H aircraft of the USAF. The IAF contingent comprises Su-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s, Jaguar IS, IL-78MKIs, C-130J-30s, E-3A AWACS & A-50I PHALCON AEW & C aircraft. Both USAF & IAF aircraft will use the IAF’s IAI-supplied EHUD rangeless ACMI pods for mission recording & post-mission debriefs. This bilateral joint exercise is being planned at two air bases, Kalaikunda (which was originally designed by the US during WW-2) and Panagarh from December 3 till 14. Japan’s ASDF is in India for EX SHINYUU Maitri-18 from December 3 till 7 at AFS Agra. As for EX Shaheen-VII, the PLAAF’s J-10Cs are from the Yunnan-based 131st Brigade & they are rioght now at PAF Masroor in Sindh. This exercise will last for 27 days, i.e. half the time will be spent on the ground & will involve language specialists of the PLAAF who will then translate from English to Mandarin the exercise protocols & instructions to the PLAAF pilots, thus hardly promising to be an exercise aimed at enhancing inter-operability. Both the PAF & PLAAF lack ACMI pods.
2) The CNS of the IN gave away the essential details of IAC-2, i.e. that it will displace 65,000 tonnes & hence by implication it will be powered by a 190mWe PWR. Since it will be a CATOBAR design, it will by implication host MMRCAs like the Rafale & the EMALS system will also be used for launching AEW & CS platforms like the E-2D Hawkeye. The 190mWe PWR will be the very same that will power the projected S-5, S-6 & S-7 SSBNs. As for the six submarines, they will be SSNs most probably under Project 76 & therefore the Project 75I now ought to RIP at last. The 24 ten-tonne MH-60Rs will be joined by 20 twelve-tonne shipborne NMRHs. After procuring the additional four P-8Is, the IN will procure another 12 of them so that the total P-8I fleet will number 24. Also, do watch this:
BSF Sensors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8FTaYWn-a0
To PIERRE ZORIN: Very interesting expose on the ineptness of the Pappu's late father when he was the PM:
https://www.firstpost.com/india/bhopal-gas-tragedy-wrong-medication-killed-more-people-reveal-pmo-files-20-25-dying-per-month-even-after-34-years-5653331.html
https://www.firstpost.com/india/bhopal-gas-tragedy-34-years-later-1985-govt-memo-reveals-operation-faith-was-riddled-with-coverups-5659861.html
https://www.firstpost.com/india/bhopal-gas-tragedy-rajiv-gandhi-govt-ignored-help-from-italy-reveals-note-34-years-later-relief-still-a-distant-dream-5657221.html
Also this:
https://theprint.in/security/indias-military-retains-4th-spot-in-global-ranking-pakistan-drops-to-17/157782/
Prasun sir, it looks like indian navy is indeed now going for p75i..nd i think we should..if russia with its poor economy is able to afford a large fleet of ssk nd ssn then we can also..they are good for littoral areas and chokepoints while ssn can be used like underwater deep strik aircraft..
Hi Prasun,
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/the-construction-of-india-s-third-aircraft-carrier-will-begin-in-three-years-navy-to-get-56-warships-and-submarines-357844.html
Is it true the construction of IAC-2 will begin in 3 years? I thought priority would be given to LPDs and SSNs.
Best Regards
Raj
https://theprint.in/security/near-kartarpur-pakistan-is-conducting-war-games-shoring-up-defences-to-stop-india/158130/
Kindly explain us what this bajwa is up to....is war imminent???
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-oil-hassan-rouhani-iran-if-us-stops-our-oil-then-no-oil-will-be-exported-from-the-gulf-1957612?pfrom=home-topscroll
1) what are Iran options if oil imports gets to zero....can they able to completely block strait of Hormuz?
2) what is present status on getting back PoK I see no winds were blowing towards India n netas all were busy on elections ....I think no neta is interested in PoK... we should forget PoK forever
Ron
Prasun da some news channel reporting that Christian Mitchel to be extradited from UAE to India.
Earlier you mentioned that all the accused were acquitted by italian courts and there was no foulplay in this deal.Now what are the implications of this event.
Regards Pk
To SUJIT: Russia maintains its SSK fleet only for supporting its marketing of SSKs for export. Slow-moving SSKs can never compete with SSNs or SSGNs that can dive deeper & move much faster & quicker. Hence, any move to accord greater priority to SSKs by India at a time when SSNs are reqd will be a suicidal move.
To RAJ: Three years into the future is a long time. I’m sure the present CNS won’t be around in 2021 as CNS & will therefore not be held accountable for his remarks on IAC-2. Remember the time in 2011 when the then CNS had stated that the cArihant SSBN will undertake operational patrols within a year?
To AMIT BISWAS: Such conclusions can only be made by those who are totally clueless about the conduct of the 1971 war in the Shakargarh Bulge. Both then & now the PA is geared up for only defence-in-depth operations by using a mixture of riverine obstructions & minefields. And the PA regularly conducts wargames in summertime in the south & in wintertime in the north. Nor is India stupid to cross the IB anywhere south of Sialkot since such a scenario has become totally useless after Mau 1998. Instead, the battleground of the future will be across the WB & LoC, i.e. north of Sialkot in the Chhamb-Sialkot sector. Only folks who don’t have a clue about conventional warfighting (limited war) under a nuclear overhang can therefore make ridiculous assumptions about war breaking out anywhere along the IB.
To RON: 1) The Straits can never be militarily closed by anyone nor will anyone feel it necessary to do so. Today, economic sanctions & boycotting of oil imports from Iran can do a lot more damage to Iran. 2) Only time will tell that the final fate of PoK will be.
To PK & ANUP: What now or what next? Elementary: He will say the very same things that he has been saying from Dubai & it is now up to the CBI to produce irrefutable evidence to prove that Michel has been lying. If the CBI cannot do so, then we will all come to know who's right & who's wrong. It is that easy. All the conspiracy theories about corruption will then finally be proven wrong, with the CBI once more being made to admit defeat & once again making a global mockery about the law-enforcement mechanisms of India (after the HDW & Bofors case fuck-ups). So let the 'Tamaashaa' commence for some limited entertainment of the as-usual gullible Indian audience. In fact, it has already begun, starting with this FAKE NEWS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PMSEG3OuD8
And this broadcast TV channel is claiming that Christian Michel was sent on a special bizjet of the Govt of Dubai & in India he will not be in lock-up, but will be confined a safehouse for a very limited period--these being the pre-conditions set by the Emirate of Dubai:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKC7NADNLcY&t=40s
In 2018, Michel was detained by the agencies again and was kept in safe custody for over 20 days. In his statement to Dubai authorities, a copy of which is available with India Today TV, Michel had said, “The reason for my acquisition is that I was working in the deal with the previous government which was headed by Dr Manmohan Singh. As I had mentioned that the government was changed into 2014 and now is headed by Narendra Modi, a government that is against the previous government. Putting me in this case is just to pressurise me to testify against the politicians of previous government.”
AFAIK, Indian Law prohibits any middle man and then how can this man say he was working in the deal in previous govt?
And what should I comment on Mr.Prasun who gives weightage to the accused rather countrys agencies.
Prasunda,
Please note the two articles below for providing land attack capabilities to LPD using what are essentially Land based artillery and weapons. Excellent examples of joint operations and sensor fusion to extend capabilities of the LPD.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2017/10/25/marines-launch-rocket-from-amphibious-ship-to-destroy-target-on-land/
https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-corps-using-armored-vehicles-to-defend-navy-ships-from-threats-2018-12?IR=T
This shows innovative common sense of the Marine Corps variety of course.
Prasunda,
1) Would the SSNs also be powered by the same 190 MWe reactor? Or is it that the specifications of the reactor for the SSN (rapid start ups, etc.) are more stringent than for the SSBNS S-5/S-6/S-7 ?
2) The soviet delta iv SSBN used 2 90MWe reactors instead of a single 190 MWe reactor. Whaat prevented a similar design decision, with 2 INS arihant type reactors, being used for the larger SSBNs? Would'nt that have enabled faster development of these boats ?
Kritavarma
hi prasun
you said tha t the starring gate array was made in India and the processor chips were imported . So is it we have developed the All important actual IIR detector?made in our own FAB?. Then ar we not closer to make a similar detector for IIR AAMs? or any other stuff for air to ground missiles like the popeye uses?
Is ACMI pods so sophisticated that china does not have them after all when they have copied a f-35 ACMI tech should not be a [problem?
https://youtu.be/zamRNjwycYQ
It seems HAL has taken some cues from trishul blog...what's your say on this
To NiMEEna: LoLz! It all boils down to being objective, which in turn depends on whether or not one possesses the reqd degree of mental equilibrium & inner conviction. In my reckoning, you don’t seem to possess both, as illustrated by the Handle you’ve used for registering your comment. Your comment clearly illustrates the stereotype mindset of the average Indian, i.e. the accused is automatically guilt as well & thus nothing short of an Agni Pariksha will prove his/her innocence. For, it is on record in all the documents produced in the Italian Courts that Christian Michel was officially hired as a Consultant by AgustaWestland. But what you’ve BLINDLY ASSUMED is that a consultant & a middleman are one & the same. In reality, they’re not, because no middleman leaves any incriminating paper-trial of his/her involvement in any business deal. And as for the country’s agencies, why the hell should anyone trust an agency whose top leadership (No.1 & No.2) is embroiled in a power tussle & hence are now the subjects of Supreme Court-monitored investigations? Will you trust such an agency to protect you? And now the PM of India is claiming that Michel will spill the beans on all previous (not the AW-101 deal. mind you) involving the INC. So, from such a statement, one can easily conclude that there’s absolutely no substance whatsoever about wrongdoing by Michel in the AW-101 deal, & this Govt is clearly aware of this & is there trying to search for any other available ‘alternate shit’ to hurl. But this too won’t work & instead we all look forward to some interesting forthcoming revelations about the well-meaning deal orchestrated by Michel with HAL under which HAL was to provide life-long flying training & simulation services to the IAF for the AW-101 fleet’s aircrew.
To KRITAVARMA: 1). Both platforms will have to be powered by the same PWR design. Procuring different PWRs for different platforms is cost-prohibitive & even developed countries have standardized on PWR designs. 2) The USSR used twin PWRs on SSBNs at a time when it did not have to expertise to design & develop unitary 190mWe PWRs. It was only in the late 1980s that the USSR was able to do so & hence SSGNs like the Project 970 submarines have such unitary high-power PWRs.
To RAD: Any IIR detector is not about just the processor chip, but it also includes several other elements, like cryogenic cooling elements & high-precision mirrors & crystals. For SRAAMs, the challenge is to make far smaller sized sensors. A beginning in this direction has been made with the optronic seeker for the Akash-NG SAM. China did not copy the F-35 design. Instead, it was able to access the engineering/manufacturing processes (industrial robotics) reqd for building the F-35’s airframe, which were then applied on the J-20 & FC-31 airframes.
Prasunda,
1) VMT. Would the decision to use a single high power PWR for the S-5/S-6/S-7 vs two existing PWRs like in the Delta IV not delay the S-5 and other such SSBNs by several years at the very least ?
2) In this case, the S-5 and other similar SSBNs would not be ready before 2030.
Kritavarma
To KRITAVARMA: 1) Not at all. Construction of S-5, S-6 & S-7 is not due to begin until the year 2030. The PWR of the S-2/Arihant, S-3/Arighat & S04 are not life-long, io.e. their reactor vessels will have to be removed & refurbished after 13 years of service & this is a very time-consuming & highly expensive affair. On the other hand, the single 190mWe PWRs of foreign design are of the life-long type, i.e. they will never need any refurbishment, only refuelling. Hence, from both operational & financial standpoints it makes perfect sense to go with single 190mWe PWRs. And in any case, India's DAE has yet to master the science of designing & developing PWRs. While many delusional internet fanboys would not be able to accept this hard-truth (primarily due to their sheer neglect of the laws of physics, mathematics & the science of industrial engineering), it has now been reported here as well:
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india/story/india-close-to-sealing-rs-23-000-crore-lease-deal-for-russian-n-sub-1401875-2018-12-04?__twitter_impression=true
To KRITAVARMA: 1) That's right, and very very few folks do not understand this or they do not have a grasp of the distinction between minimum credible deterrence & a credible minimum deterrence, especially the civilian 'netas' of India. 2) No, neither will be able to adopt a coercive posture in the nuclear arena simply because their own sea-based nuclear deterrents are nowhere near the credible mark. 3) Satellites cannot look beyond a certain shallow depth. In other words, there is no other substitute for a seabed-based array/network of listening devices (SOSUS). And due to all of the above, it then indeed becomes laughable when anyone continues to hope for procuring additional SSKs under Project 75I when the writing on the wall clearly states that for ensuring the protection of SSBNs at sea, a fleet of SSNs acting as escorts is a must.
Prasunda,
1) If MIRVed SLBMs are going to take till the late 2030s to develop, cant MIRVed A5 variants be developed in the interim to partially reinforce the deterrent in the 2020s ? Or is GoI refusing to MIRV the A5, relying only on single warhead systems for the foreseeable future ?
2) You had earlier said that the A5 will be deployed starting the early 2020s only with MIRVs. Has that changed ? If not, that will at least keep our numbers relatively credible.
Kritavarma.
Prasun sir,
"No, neither will be able to adopt a coercive posture in the nuclear arena simply because their own sea-based nuclear deterrents are nowhere near the credible mark".
1.Are you saying that jl-2 slbm is not credible nuclear deterrent?
2 why this time chinese sent convention sub to indian ocean not nuclear sub?
Must watch talk by Major Gaurav Arya on Pakistan using fake news in Kashmir.
https://youtu.be/8htfmhuu2UU
To KRITAVARMA: 1) Yes, both A-4 & A-5 will be fielded with MIRV warheads. 2) No, nothing has changed.
To MOHAN: 1) The most convincing answer is always the common-sensical one. For instance, during the Victory day parade of late 2015, China publicly displayed several of its new-generation missiles, including ballistic missiles. Was the JL-2 one of them? If not, then why was the JL-2 not publicly shown?
2) Let me don my naval war-planner’s hat & explain exactly how the PLAN deploys its SSBNs. On September 29, 2015, according to a PLA Daily report, China’s Central Military Commission awarded the 41st Crew based at the Yalong Bay naval base on Hainan Island the prestigious First-Class Merit Medal. The team received this award for conducting the first successful patrol on China’s second-generation SSBN, the 094-class. Either way, two years before that, this same 41st Crew had received another award for successfully test launching China’s second-generation JL-2 SLBM. SLBM launchers now constitute a plurality (48%) of all Chinese ballistic missile launchers. But China’s four 094-class SSBNs are relatively noisy. According to a 2009 assessment by the US Office of Naval Intelligence, this SSBN is noisier than the Russian Delta III SSBN, which was developed in the 1970s. Wu Riqiang, a Chinese scholar at Renmin University, has used open sources to estimate an answer. He found that the low frequency noise level (100 hertz)—a widely used indicator of submarine quietness— attributed to the 094-class SSBN—is significantly higher than that of the Russian Delta IV SSBN. To make matters worse, China’s SSBNs may be even noisier than Wu concluded, given certain operating parameters. His assessment that the 094-class SSBN is too noisy to be survivable was based on the average ambient low-frequency noise level in the shelf region of the northern South China Sea. However, ambient noise in that region is usually much higher than in deep ocean waters. Consequently, the detection range of the same SSBN in deep ocean waters would be much longer. In other words, China’s SSBNs would be less survivable in deep ocean waters than in shallow coastal waters. And there is another reason that these SSBNs may be even noisier during patrols than Wu’s assessment indicates. Wu had focussed on noise at very low speeds of around 4–8 Knots (approximately 4–9 miles per hour). SSBNs usually operate at such low speeds in their patrol areas to avoid cavitation—a form of noise generation involving the collapse of air bubbles created by a propeller. However, other PLAN experts assert that, even in patrol areas, SSBNs usually operate at speeds of around 15–16 Knots (or about 17–18 miles per hour), much higher than the cavitation threshold speed of about 8 to 10 Knots (or roughly 9–11.5 miles per hour).
Cont'd below...
Also, the Type 094’s large missile compartment, the numerous flood openings in the casing, and the skewed propeller (among other basic design features) make it very difficult to significantly reduce the submarine’s noise level. China’s relatively noisy SSBNs would thus face significant challenges transiting undetected to the Western Pacific. In transiting from the South China Sea or the Yellow Sea to the Pacific Ocean, PLAN submarines have to sail through channels adjacent to enemy-controlled territories in the so-called First Island Chain—a series of archipelagos off the East Asian continental mainland, including Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, China’s Taiwan, and the northern Philippines.
Therefore, Beijing currently favours the option of deploying SSBNs in the more protective setting of bastions in its coastal waters as an alternative to open-ocean patrols. China is thus mirroring the Soviet practice from the 1970s and 1980s of creating such a bastion in part of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea to protect its SSBNs. Despite some potential challenges, PLAN’s in-house experts generally agree that the bastion strategy is a reasonable one for Beijing to adopt. Given the large submarine base China has built near Sanya on Hainan Island, Beijing clearly intends to use the South China Sea as an important operational area for its SSBN fleet. Indeed, there are clear advantages to this approach. The northern and central parts of the South China Sea are deep enough for large SSBNs to operate. The temperature and salinity of the water there create natural barriers for sound propagation and submarine detection. The presence of busy civilian shipping lanes further complicates the underwater sound environment and helps Chinese SSBNs avoid detection. Moreover, China’s SSBNs in the South China Sea can readily receive surface and aerial protection from China’s South Sea Fleet and other general-purpose forces. China’s growing power projection capability and newly built dual-use infrastructure on Hainan, the Paracel Islands, and the Spratly Islands are further advancing its capacity to protect SSBNs deployed in nearby waters.
Cont'd below...
China’s SSBNs can also use parts of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea as secondary patrol areas. China has an important submarine base near Qingdao in Shandong Province, and satellites have often spotted Chinese nuclear submarines, including SSBNs, in its vicinity. Although the relatively shallow waters of the Yellow and the East China Seas are not ideal for nuclear submarines, operating SSBNs from these waters would make their locations less predictable and prevent the US and Japan from concentrating their strategic ASW efforts in one area. A bastion strategy also has logistical advantages over open-ocean patrols. SSBNs operating in bastions do not need to make long transits from their home ports to reach patrol areas in coastal waters, greatly reducing the risks to SSBNs in transit. In addition, the proximity of patrol areas to the mainland and the presence of friendly platforms considerably simplify the challenges of maintaining effective and reliable command, control, and communications arrangements. Moreover, deploying SSBNs in coastal waters would simplify logistics, especially resupply, during a protracted crisis. If an SSBN required critical supplies while on patrol in coastal waters, it could be serviced by warships or aircraft without sailing back to a port. This vertical form of resupply could be accomplished rapidly and would enable the SSBN to remain on patrol continuously. By contrast, the PLAN’s capabilities to provide similarly effective logistical support to vast areas of the Pacific will likely remain limited, at least for the time being.
And yet, there are important challenges to the effectiveness of Beijing’s bastion strategy—challenges that Moscow did not face when it employed a similar tactic. First, the limited range of the JL-2 SLBM reduces the deterrent value of basing SSBNs in Chinese coastal waters. While the JL-2 may be able to strike Guam or Hawaii from such waters, it could not strike the continental US. As a result, in a serious crisis, China might well decide to send its SSBNs out to the Western Pacific to bring the US mainland within range. Second, China’s most likely SSBN bastions would be located in far more crowded waters. Unlike the areas where the Soviet Union (and later, Russia) set up its submarine bastions— in relatively isolated coastal waters, such as the Barents Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kara Sea—there is extensive commercial shipping in the South China, East China, and Yellow Seas. Moreover, the South China Sea, in particular, is surrounded by a number of other countries, making it likely that foreign navies would be present during both peacetime and a crisis. The relatively complex underwater sound environment in the South China Sea makes China’s submarines easier to hide, but this property also makes it more difficult for China to identify and repel foreign attack submarines. In short, China faces challenges in protecting its SSBN bastions that the Soviet Union did not.
Sir, MEA in presser today strongly opposed Pakistan's move to give provincial status to Gilgit Baltistan. Why are we concerned about legal status when much greater damage (demographic change) has already been done by Pakistan. In future even if we liberate POK what are we going to do with these lakhs of outsiders who have been settled there by Pakistan
Prasunda,
VMT. The JL-2 may not be a credible deterrent for PRC with respect to the U.S., but does'nt it give PRC (along with the other missiles at PRC's disposal) overwhelming nuclear superiority vis a vis us ? Unless we rapidly move to a credible deterrent, coercion by the PRC-Pak axis to force us into permanent strategic inferiority is indeed a possibility. We already have the likes of Praveen Sawhney seeling the idea of kowtowing to that axis at this stage itself...
Kritavarma
To KAPIL: No demographic damage has been done & the local natives are still in a majority there. It is only in areas close to the LoC that Punjabi settlers have been allowed to buy real-estate. The UNSC 47 resolution clearly states that ALL Pakistani citizens have to unconditionally withdraw from PoK, period. So, when PoK reverts back to India all these Pakistan-origin settlers will have to be deported.
Meanwhile, in yesterday's press-briefing, the DG of ISPR gave Pakistan's present-day rulers six months to shape up, or else either go for fresh elections or adopt a presidential form of govt. In addition, the DG-ISPR also directed Pakistani journalists to fall inm line & report only positive news, i.e. only the PA's point of view, in order to counter the hubrid war unleashed by India. Here's the briefing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK21Lr9Gvzk
Anmd here's the analysis of that briefing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY9_tCZdRWI
Plus, a car-bomb blast at Chahbahar yesterday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpv-phGWMIk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mS3o1oNHas
This will once again make the Iranians very angry with Pakistan for obvious reasons.
Prasun sir,
I have been a regular visitor of your blog. I have seen many times in the comment section, about you talking that india will get back pok soon. What makes you so hopeful that these spineless leaders will take back pok? I follow news regularly and I don't find any hint of india trying to take back pok. Since 1947, nothing changed.
Tushar
Hello Prasun,
Recall you suggesting that a Indian strike on Pakistan in 2018 was imminent, to take back PoK. Has there been a change in the Indian posturing or do you still see a possibility for such a strike in the near future?
Thank you for all the deep insights you explain, so very patiently.
Thanks,
USAK
It is very interesting to note that River Ravi which flows through Shakargarh bulge has dried up on Pakistani side after construction of Ranjeet Sagar dam. Was the dam intentionally constructed to dry up the riverbed on Pakistani side so as to facilitate armoured thrust towards Shakargarh?
https://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010304/main5.htm
Prasun ji.
1) If BJP losses in state election could the Modi govt go to war with Pakistan along the LOC to ensure victory in 2019?
2) What according to you is giving these beggers the confidence of defying US with such brazenness? https://www.dawn.com/news/1450016
It always amazes me that whilst India is aiming for the moon, more important and practical stuff on the earth gets ignored. How is it that countries like Egypt can modify Soviet era stuff to provide more ground mobility and conventional firepower as seen in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GF-ooMowjI whereas India still lacks APC, mobile mortar systems, truck mounted howitzers and a modern IFC? Everything you hear is "under development" or simply not mentioned. How could you have a huge army with no focus on mobility and firepower when that is exactly what is required on the North and Western front?
@varun
1. Bjp government or any government will.never go to.war with pak until and unless pak militarily invades india. This is how low self esteem nations behave. They are not capable to rewrite and make their own destiny with an iron will. Elections have nothing to do with war.
2. This statement of Pakistan pm is only for public consumption.
Regards
Kunal
@tushar
It is not only the leadrs most people in india are spineless and hypocritical in various walks of life. Also what is more important, taking pok or working towards improving governance, jobs etc or the basic bread and butter things. What do you want your leaders to do. Don't you desire a good job to make a respectful life. Are the leaders doing that? What do you think should be a developing nations priority.
Regards
Kunal
@ ANIL
under indus water treaty control of river ravi is with india. Pakistan has nothing to complain about.
Prasun,
1 Will India opt for the T14? if yes, what modifications need to happen for it to be truly world class (130/152 mm main gun, shell storage on turret, additional optronics, any other)
2 what was discussed & agreed during the US visit of Sitharaman & why is India tilting heavily to Russia for weapons openly snubbing US
3 Is it even a remote possibility that Russia-India can jointly develop a under $200 nuke sub or are ruskies taking gullible netas for a ride stalling the project to prevent the west from offering their subs
4 I still cannot fathom why IA would opt for the inferior igla S & not cancel the current tender & opt for a new one . They could also go for G2G to save time or buy bare minimum for deterrence & get it rebid to include verba
5 any progress on LCH certification & induction
6 Any updates on Kaveri engine
Air Marshal Nambiar completely missed out or deliberately did not speak about three topics :
replacement of Chetaks and Cheetah by a modern light helicopter, future of AN 32 and finally the new 114 fighter MMRCA .
These are important is it not , why could it be ?
Our press does have a habit of messing up the pictures , are they not a B 52 bomber and a Mirage 3 (from PAF) ?
https://salute.co.in/military-modernisation-indian-air-force/
Venky
Hi Prasun,
Any major revelations about UFOs that went under the radar in the last 30 years since Bob Lazar? And he talks about UFOS being excavated and am guessing maybe from India/Egypt/Ancient temple complexes?
Regards
https://youtu.be/g8roEx-onNU
Major Maroof Raza : speaking on India's security challenges and preparedness
Seems like he follows your view in some of his speech.
Buddha
@Kunal I know that the civilian leadership has a history of committing blunders but I am just hoping against hope that something regarding this happens in near future based on 1) Prasun's prediction 2) Pakistan's deteorating condition 3) Faith in Modi and Gen Rawat.
To TUSHAR & USAK & VARUN: As you all may recall, I had stated 2 years ago that if PoK is to be liberated, then it will be part of a multinational Airland campaign that will focus on the denuclearisation of Pakistan. Why so? Because Pakistan being a state whose ideological foundations arise out of a distorted religiosity-based theocracy, logically poses an existential threat to Israel due to Pakistan’s delusions about becoming the leader of the Muslim Ummah. This is clearly not acceptable to several Arab states, including a Saudi Arabia that has invested in non-Muslim states like Israel & India for securing a nuclear umbrella against a virtually-nuclear Iran (I had explained all this before as well). Clearly, therefore, the prospect of China arming Pakistan with sea-based survivable nuclear WMDs is totally unacceptable & hence before 2020 (when China will be ready to supply Pakistan with the 8 Type 032 Qing-class SSKs armed with nuclear warhead-armed SLCMs) something military decisively will have to be done to prevent such weapons transfers. Hence, if a mercantile China wants to sustain its economic gains, then it will have to cancel the deal with Pakistan. If China resists, then its economy will have to face the global wrath, which is now in its initial stages (i.e. the US-China trade war). As for Pakistan, the Western powers together have decided to further widen the domestic faultlines that in turn will lead to further domestic demoralisation & polarisation, which is now being enormously aided by the senseless & delusional govt of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi. This now needs top be sustained right to the point of psychological & economic exhaustion.
And it is for this very reason that last September, when India’s brain-dead ‘netas’ wrote to the PTI-led govt about reconciliation, it was the US along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh & Iran that had warned India to step back from such foolishness, & thus within 24 hours the Govt of India had to backtrack (by cancelling the proposed meeting of foreign ministers of India & Pakistan on the sideleines of the UNGA). So, as one can see from the above, no one should expect India’s ‘blind/andhaa netas’ to formulate a grand strategy aimed at liberating PoK while also destroying Pakistan’s war-waging potential. Instead, leave it to the external powers-that-be to force India’s ‘blind/andhaa netas’ to do what they are incapable of doing so on their own!
To ANIL: Whether or not the River Ravi has dried up can easily be found out through a simple check of GoogleEarth imagery. One doesn’t have to rely on FAKE NEWS like the one you’ve highlighted, since 95% of such news appearing on Indian newspapers are FAKE & journalists in India are not exactly known for doing even minimal research on such issues. Instead, all they do is lift stuff from foreign publications & then bask in reflected glory & self-patting, like this:
https://www.livefistdefence.com/2018/12/livefist-speaks-to-reporter-behind-vvip-chopper-scam-story.html
The arsehole who is the subject of the above story has so far not unearthed even a single financial trail linked to any kind of kickbacks, & yet he proudly claims to be the one who broke news of the ‘scandal’, despite not being able to furnish any material evidence about a scandal even having taking place! When confronted, such arseholes will get defensive & claim that there can be no smoke without any fire. To that I will say: what appears as smoks can in fact also be the chemical fumes from an exploding tear-gas shell, so why ASSUME that one is seeing smoke?
To VARUN: LoLz! What you call brazenness & defiance, I call them as magnificient delusions that will lead to utter disaster & total, unconditional defeat. And that’s why while the civilian netas of Pakistan want to make conditional peace with India, Pakistan’s DG-ISPR continues to refer to India as its perpetual enemy. And the ‘blind/andhaa netas’ of India did not grasp the opportunities offered in September 2016 when Pakistan’s economy had hit rock-bottom, US financial aid had been terminated & 200,000 PA troops were deployed for internal security & low-intensity conflict along the Durand Line. That was the most opportune time for capturing the Haji Pir Pass without any fear of proportional retaliation by the PA. We now have the likes of Lt Gen (Ret’d) Hooda confirming this at last. His confirmation also proves now that the ‘blind/andhaa netas’ of India have never understood the full value of such assessments, which in turn only made them fearful of the PA’s retaliation & this in turn prevented India from demonstrating the strength of her conventional military deterrent posture. Instead, all kinds of needless fearmongering about India’s depleting war wastage reserve stockpiles were highlighted through selective leaks by this govt, without even realising that a near-bankrupt Pakistan at that time was in a far more worse state in terms of its war wastage reserve stockpiles! Sop what did these nitwits (‘blind/andhaa netas’) do? Instead of accepting the logic of India’s military leadership & launching a sustained 6-month limited tactical offensive against the PA throughout the LoC & WB, these nitwits instead made a political gimmick out of the cross-LoC raids & left it to the warrior broadcast TV channels to conjure up every fanciful imaginary scenario that glorified unwarranted for bravado. And it continues till this day, as exemplified by what’s in store next January:
To PIERRE ZORIN: LoLz! I hate to disappoint you, but India is not aiming for the Moon at all, but has instead given the Moon a miss & is headed for Mars (i.e. trying to play leap-frog, just as it did when deciding to developing a 4th-gen MRCA instead of first developing a 3rd-generation AJT, or developing a MBT instead of first developing an APC)! It is China that is investing on making some tangible discoveries on the Moon through its Chan’ge-4 mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftG-PVaw0Ss
Hopefully it will succeed in making some gains, thereby building upon what was already known before:
http://www.hidden-truth.org/1/categories-3/secrecy/283-old-soviet-luna-13-mission-reveals-alien-artifacts-on-the-moon.html?fb_comment_id=822138304544887_1256158181142895
http://www.tarrdaniel.com/documents/Ufology/lunar_spaceship.html
http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/26591964428b.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/94/6f/77/946f77bf3a1092b965cc77d995e3d2de.jpg
Prasun,
I hate to say this but most of India's Netas are not Andhaa or brain dead just utterly shameless and completely self centered, what we generally call as "Nange". They are least interested in anyone or anything else but themselves. They are more than willing to go to any extremes to achieve their self interests even to the point of dancing naked in the streets.Unfortunately our populace has not yet realised this completely .I only hope that the light eventually falls on such who are yet to realise this.The fact is most of India's populace is like that so we have only ourselves to blame and no one else.India is surviving on the functioning of only a few who continue to do the job despite problems encountered.Soon that too will stop.God only help us!
Sir
I dont find it we are leapfrogging anywhere.
Even during mars misdio , nobody stopped the Cdy 2 mission. It was a tech hurdle, which required its own time.
In that sense JAXA mars mission is not possible until 2025, but they already did a aestroid mission. Are they leapfrogging anywhere? No. Definetely not.
As for CSNA, i can go on and on and on in criticizing them.
Arent they done manned spaceflight before than robotic missions to other celestial body. So was they leapfrogging?
Even after all data freely available from ISS , what china achieving by building space station in LEO? Just bringing esteem toward country?
After first manned spaceflight of isro whenever it happen, i hope we join LOP-G with NASA.and do some real work, instead of roamming around like idiots like chinese.
As for Cdy 3 , I hope we launch a radio observatory on far side of moon where no earthly radio signals exist.
BTW, even in cdy 2 we are landing in south pole some 1000 km from Change 2. So we are not that far as we like to think.
To THE INDIAN: Interesting reads:
https://theprint.in/security/china-is-economically-and-militarily-superior-to-india-says-ex-navy-chief-arun-prakash/160966/
https://theprint.in/security/indian-army-ex-chief-wasnt-surprised-when-dassault-junked-hal-as-rafale-partner/160715/
Prasun,
When the brain which is supposed to give directions is itself interested in its own self interests and least interested in anything else such things will happen.Unfortunately there is no accountability for India's Netas .So I do not think that the situation will improve.What is your opinion?
Thanks for the reply, can you elaborate more about what's in store next january?
That culture of running walking crawling principle is like my 4 year old daughter's counting : 1-2-3 -15-20-25-40-100. She can count to 20 or more but speeds up the process and skips in between to achieve the goal fast! Can't even handle things on the earth so the visionary leaders aim for the Mars! I guess when asked why did they ignore the mundane? They can then say they were too busy aiming at the Mars.
SIR,
You said few months back that the AESA radar for Tejas MK1A will be ELTA 2052. It will be a logical choice. Why is bandalbaaz is so disapointed on 2052 selection.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/defence/israeli-radar-means-tejas-aircraft-won-t-have-world-class-meteor-missile-118120900547_1.html
Is his analysis about Tejas fate is true?
that IAF will reject MK1A because of absence of meteor missile.
Can DRDO build meteor like missile indigenously for TEJAS in the next decade by the time of TEJAS MK2 which can also be integrated with MK1A?
hi prasun
what will the target acquisition and surveillance platform for the Sant missile?
does the MPATM missile fit in to the short range anti tank missile category. With the imminent induction of the MPTAGM will we be importing spikes? will it use the same seeker as helina , nag or a diff type?
Prasunda,
So we have ahd the 3rd successful A-5 test this year. Is deployment going to be soon, then ? Also, the two whose pictures have been released do not appear too be MIRVed at first sight.
Kritavarma
To THE INDIAN: The situation will improve ONLY AFTER a paradigm shift in existing mindsets under which public service will not be characterized by discredited credentials like ‘Jan Sevak’ or ‘Gareebon ka Rakhwaala’, but will instead be characterised by productive professionalism, i.e. political parties will have to rid themselves of all kinds of ideological pretentions & instead will have to enroll technocrats in large numbers who can not only effectively commandeer, manage & steer their respective ministerial domains, but at the same time also transform the bureaucratic cadres into professional technocrats, instead of the prevailing practice of churning out jack-of-all-trades bureaucrats (harfan maulaas).
To VARUN: What’s coming next January? Well, everyone is now awaiting a statementor Tweet from POTUS in which it will be stated that a perpetually begging country that has all this while lived far beyond its means & that has for all intents & purposes declared a national financial emergency & which consistently falters on all kinds of human development indexes has no right to possess nuclear weapons of kind.
To RAD: It will be any fixed-wing combat aircraft platform that contains a MMR with GMTI operating mode of operation. MPATGM is in the same category as the FGM-148 Javelin & its seeker is different from that of Nag & HELINA.
To VARUN KUMAR: Not only him, but all other ‘desi bandalbaazes’ & internet fanboys are of the ill-informed view that a MRCA equipped with long-range AESA-MMRs & LRAAMs constitutes a winning combination. Reality is totally otherwise. Had the Meteor really been the sole world-beating LRAAM, then don’t you think the US & all its allies too would have acquired such LRAAMs in very large numbers? But since that has not happened, the answer lies elsewhere. The Meteor’s superiority stems NOT from its long-range, but from its internal mid-course updating data-link that receives cueing updates NOT from any MRCA’s AESA-MMR, but from the AEW & CS platform responsible for airborne battle management tasks inside hostile airspace. This then reduces the MRCA to only a launch platform for the Meteor, which in turn enables the MRCA to continue flying in near-total RF silence, i.e. no active emissions from its AESA-MMR for painting/illuminating hostile airborne combat aircraft & this in turn dramatically reduces the warning time available to the targetted combat aircraft for taking defensive countermeasures. And that's how Sweden employs its JAS-39 Gripens whose Ericsson PS-05 radars don;t have long-range target detection ability, i.e. instead the Saab 340 AEW & CS provides mid-course correction updates to the Meteor.
All of this works well inside hostile airspace. But inside friendly airspace where the mission is defensive counter-air through combat air patrols, LRAAMs are not reqd since the defending MRCAs will be cued by ground-based battle management controllers about the exact coordinates of intruding hostile aircraft & hence the former will always have the advantage of manoeuvring close to the intruding hostile combat aircraft & activating its MMR at the last few & very brief moments to provide mid-course fire-control cues to the BVRAAM, i.e. ambush-types tactics being employed. In such scenarios, the MRCA has the advantage of a no-escape zone because the air interceptions occur at distances of no more than 30km & due to this both BVRAAMs & SRAAMs can be used for simultaneous attacks & this was the very reason that had resulted in the development of the Derby/Python-5 combination 15 years ago.
So, the above clearly explains why the IAF requires LRAAMs like Meteors for deep-penetration MMRCAs like Rafale, while for tactical, light MRCAs like Tejas Mk.1A there’s absolutely no need for LRAAMs. The BVRAAM/SRAAM combination will more than suffice for Tejas Mk.1A. I had already explained earlier the issue of source-code sharing for enabling BVRAAMs/LRAAMs to receive RF-based fire-control cues from MMRs & these have now come true.
For SRAAMs such complications don’t exist since the source-codes sharing sharing involves only a electro-mechanical & non-emitting interface to enable the SRAAM’s on-board IIR seeker to be slaved to the direction chosen by the HMDS. As a result, the Targo HMDS has been effortlessly integrated with R-73E & AIM-132 ASRAAM SRAAMs for Tejas Mk.1A & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3, while TopOwl HMDS has been integrated with R-73E SRAAMs on the IN’s MiG-29Ks.
Prasunda,
Thanks for that lucid explanation on the Mateor vrs BVRAAM/SRAAM individual strength and distinctions as given to Varun Kumar.
Does the enemy have means to jam AEW & CS platform when deep penetration aircrafts enter hostile territory? This on order to neutralise the effect of LRAAM of the kind of Mateor?
Would the GSAT-7A satellite being launched for the IAF network-centric warfare next week by ISRO, be part of or counted as a AEW & CS platform?
Kane
To KANE: The SATCOM capability through GSAT-7A will enable the IAF to acquire the air situation picture from AEW & CS platforms irrespective of the AEW & CS platform’s location. Presently, this is not the case since the AEW & CS platform has to send the air situation picture updates to a ground receiving station through line-of-sight data-links. Secondly, once all IAF combat aircraft are equipped with SATCOM-based tactical data-links (there are 2 types of data-links, i.e. tactical non-SATCOM ones for combat aircraft to communicate with one another, like MIDS or Link-16; & the other being SATCOM-based to ensure connectivity between the AEW & CS platforms & combat aircraft inside hostile airspace), then the AEW & CS platform will be able to communicate directly to the combat aircraft. In fact, non-SATCOM tactical data-links were pioneered by the USSR in the early 1980s that enabled Soviet combat aircraft to exchange air situation pictures & as a result while combat aircraft illuminated hostile airborne targets, an entirely different combat aircraft could launch 2 types of BVRAAMs, the R-27R radar-guided & the R-27T IIR-guided. While the targetted combat aircraft was busy trying to deflect the R-27R through countermeasures, the R-27T was provided mid-course correction cues by the tactical data-link of the launch aircraft & it was this BVRAAM that could shoot down the targetted aircraft through near-total surprise. It was this tactic that was studied & absorbed by Israel for its Derby/Python-5 combination.
And the selected EW suite for the Tejas Mk.1A includes the EL/L-8222 ASPJ pod, which on the Jaguar IS/DARIN-3 is installed internally by removing the port-side DEFA-30mm cannon & using the empty space created to house the ASPJ avionics.
And here’s some video of the PLAAF’s Su-35s of the 6th Brigade operating from Suixi air base, where the Su-35s for the past 2 years have been flying only daytime sorties & only recently did they commence nighttime flying training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0T3d09A4_0
The Su-35’s S-108 tactical data link ensures exchanges and data sharing between a maximum of 16 Su-35s at any given time.
11th Academy of the CASC Group’s JF-12 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel for Testing Scramjets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQWfchek6rg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJy6FOXlYic
Icing Wind Tunnel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X_Ddcg-xnc
Prasun,
What you state is absolutely correct.However do you feel that anything like it is likely to happen in the near future?What is your opinion about the resignation of RBI governor?How correct is it when institutions like RBI or the armed forces are treated like dirt just for doing their job by these dirty scoundrels?And most of the public will not even understand the importance of the RBI as an institution and the necessity for it to function in an independent manner!
Sir
Thanks for such a detailed answer of my Question. I have become your fan.
Every day I start my day by looking at the comments section of your Articles and end my day again there before going to sleep. I wish some of my teachers had explained their subjects in such details, instead of just covering the syllabus.
After reading your previous posts on LCA TEJAS,
I have a feeling that we have lost a decade on this fighter, and still it is sub optimal because ADA, HAL, and IAF did not worked together in harmony, and our political masters had no clue about it.
for eg : IAF could have given instruction to make it mantinance friendly at prototype vehicle stage instead after IOC.
the changes in design like front fuselage lengthening etc could have been made before starting FSED phase.
I had attended a seminar few years back, where GTRE director told that, they had negligable infrastructure for testing KAVERI turbofan engine which was main cause of delay apart from funding.
In a lab in Germany they found out that engine blades were having level 3 vibrations.
For high altitude test they went to Russia after completing full bureaucratic procedure which took 8 months. etc, etc.
We are developing a jet engine without first establishing Testing infrastructure.
Our organizations are running in Such a sorry state of affairs , with no application of
COMMON SENSE . And our political masters dont give a damn about it.
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/indian-action-under-the-scanner-as-un-special-rapporteur-probes-fate-of-dubai-princess
It’s like what you said before. Being democratic country don’t you think we should let her flee to US or at least US embassy here in India. Do you think she is killed or alive?
What kind policy India should adopt to face these kind of situations?
Ron
Dear Prasun,
Can you let us know the reason for selection of Derby for Tejas. How good is this missile?
prasunda,
todays assembly poll results worrysome.entire defence process will be in danger if govt changes in 2019.
what do you think will happen in 2019??????
Dada, after today's electoral defeats can PM Modi order the IA to launch a sustained military campaign across the loc to capture as much territory as possible in PoK? If I were in Modi's place I would do so because that's the only thigt I feel can guarantee a second term and I think even Modi realises that. Related question: Is the Indian army today capable enough to achieve this task?
Prasun Da,
Two questions I've about the regiments of the Indian Army :
(1) Why are there community based regiments like Jats, Kumaon, Dogra, Sikh etc ? I understand the British formed these regiments but on what basis were these communities chosen?
(2) Why did the India Army raise a Naga regiment? Is there something really special about the Nagas?
Thanks,
Sujoy
hi prasun
your reply on how the meteor missile is going to be used, is a revelation to me .
which brings me to the question, then we have to integrate the data link of the rafale fired meteors withe The Israeli awacs and the Indian made awacs as well .Is it a part of the deal?.
if that was such a great advantage then why dint the US make a ramjet m LRAAM which they can easily do?
Now using the same logic why cant we use our phalcon awacs to guide the barak missile in a silent mode as well > that would be fantastic force multiplier!!
I have always been a great fan of long range IIR missiles as a silent killer and as the fact fighter borne DIRCM has not come of age and neither will in the near future.
Thats why i asked you before is there a IIR version of the astra missile program .The french were the first western country to adopt the russian tactics of dual missile firing with the mica series.
I will pop a bottle of champagne the day you tell me it is on !! i think it very doable with a french or Israeli IIR seeker .
can you confirm if the data link o f a su-35 works on an IP protocol? for that matter other airbone data links as well?
Thanks for this most fascinating thread.
Interesting choice of an ELTA radar/EW suite. Not unexpected. Does the suite include MAWS?
Are we heading towards seeing Mr. Pappu as PM and Sherry Paaji as DM ?
To THE INDIAN: Well, all I can say is that judging by the state election results, the electorate has shown remarkable maturity in rejecting every conceivable form of ritualistic religiosity, especially in MP & Rajasthan. At the end of the day, it is neither this, nor Pakistan-bashing, that calls the shots. The bottomline is always about ROTI, KAPADA AUR MAKAAN. The demonetization issue, along with the Central Govt’s failure (past govts too have failed on this score) to alleviate the farmers’ distress, coild never have been overcome by hyperbole WRT ritualistic religiosity. So, I can only hope that some hard leasons will be learnt by the central Govt-in-power.
To VARUN KUMAR: VMT. Yes, the LCA developmental effort has had a flawed methodology from the outset. But one cannot blame the DRDO or the IAF, for they are only recipients of guidelines issued by the political masters, who may well be literate, but are not at all educated & they don’t even bother to do some reading about how such efforts are handled elsewhere in the world. Hence, they always end up being totally dependent on the bureaucrats & technocrats. And yes, it is the Level;-3 vibrations (due to the wrong ball-bearings being used) that causes the Kaveri to emit a strange but strong humming sound when running at high RPMs.
To RON: And here’s that BBC-2 documentary for all to view:
Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6yips7
It explains the role played by the ICGS Do-228 aircraft No.782.
To VED: Elementary: The Tejas Mk.1 uses the EL/M-2032 MMR, whose fire-control source-codes are compatible with only the Derby BVRAAM.
To ARITRO DATA: Not at all. Govts always come & go. But institutions like the armed forces always stay on & function regardless of who’s in power.
To AYUSH: The verdicts of state-level elections are entirely dependent upon the deliverables on subjects that are controlled by the state, not the Centre. Consequently, foreign or defence policy-level deflections won’t alter the ground realities. At the end of the day, it is neither this, nor Pakistan-bashing, that calls the shots during state-level elections. The bottomline is always about ROTI, KAPADA AUR MAKAAN.
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) They were chosen in accordance with the balance-of-power principle, i.e. to ensure loyalty & discourage mutinies when administering the colonies on the basis of a divide-and-rule stratagem. 2) Not just the Nagas. Even Ladakh Scouts & Sikkim Scouts & Arunachal Scouts have been raised. These regiments are very useful when it comes to defending India’s borders as the inhabitants of these states know fully well the lay of the terrain & are also acclimatized to operate in those areas. And this will also be interesting later today:
http://www.claws.in/images/events/pdf/2076867799_ProgrammeFinal.pdf
Prasun sir, it seems indian navy has already made up its mind to hv a fleet of another six ssk with vls under p75i..
https://mobile.twitter.com/SJha1618/status/1072096953075294208?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Guess we r going to hv a fleet of 18 ssk afterall.
Sirji any chance GOI cancel igla-s deal and go for new deal like govt to govt, if not will igla s is capable for next 15 yeras
Prasunda,
Reading the comments and answers on the state elections, a question comes to my mind. Do you believe Rahul Gandhi's temple-run and soft hindutva displays has helped as well in these elections?
Kane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja7y_L58zBo
To SBM: No. The EW suite comprises only the jammer. The RWR will be the Dhruti (same as that for the Super Su-30MKI). The desi MAWS sensors (comprising six units) have so far been specified for only the Super Su-30MKI.
To DASHU: Not at all. This is a mere wake-up call to the NDA-2 to get its act together, especially for those who are unelected & still hold on to crucial portfolios, like Finance & Defence. These nominated MPs (from the Rajya Sabha) are only messing up. Also, putting up chaps like that Bisht fella (fake Yogi) to run states like UP further complicates matters & causes more fuck-ups.
To JASSS GILL: That is most likely to happen. No competitive bidding process lasting 8 years can be viewed as being realistic or practical.
To KANE: Not at all. Those are all media-created hype & perceptions. Here’s the real reason why:
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/lpg-toilet-house-bjp-built-solid-rural-assets-but-income-didnt-rise-5489311/
https://theprint.in/politics/hours-after-heartland-loss-modi-govt-sends-sos-to-intelligence-bureau-for-2019-polls/162692/
To SUJIT: That is a generic aesthetic design & is by no means a detailed & practical design & hence there’s no need to speculate on the status of Project 75I. Such ill-conceived day-dreaming suits only the internet fanboys. No one has to date designed any SSK capable of vertically launching supersonic ASCMs nor will anyone attempt it due to the undeniable laws of physics, i.e. it is not just about installing the VLS cells, but also the entire pressure-hull will have to be redesigned in order to accommodate the additional water ballast tanks & their high-pressure pumps & pipings--all of which will result in such efforts being cost-prohibitive & financially unviable.
To RAD: Yes, the data-links (referred to as ODL by the IAF) will have to be installed on the A-50I PHALCON & EMB-145I Netra AEW & CS platforms as well. In fact, apart from the Rafales & upgraded Mirage 2000Ns (that already have MIDS data-links from THALES), all other IAF combat aircraft are now being equipped with the BNET-AR SDR that also functions as an ODL. It is a 3-in-2, i.e. V/UHF airborne radios + the ODL. It can be seen here:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--MrzhtgefBQ/WZS7Ns8-e5I/AAAAAAAANYw/v9Z6i28c9HQc0IG5rveG29CSnckEExU0QCLcBGAs/s1600/RAFAEL%2527s%2BBNET-AR%2BSDR.jpg
http://www.rafael.co.il/5635-1096-en/Marketing.aspx
Ramjet-powered LRAAMs are very expensive & are therefore used for very selective missions aimed at knocking out AEW & CS platforms or long-range bombers & in the rarest of rare cases, hostile combat aircraft. To use AEW & CS platforms for friendly airspace air-defence will be a total under-utilisation of such combat-support force-multipliers. Such platforms that are not available in large numbers are therefore best used for airspace surveillance & airborne battle management deep inside hostile airspace. Instead, airspace surveillance radars mounted on tethered aerostats like the EL/M-2083 can now be equipped with the BNET-AR SDR whose data-links can be used for communicating between the aerostat-mounted radar & the LR-SAM (like Barak-8 or S-400), thereby overcoming the range deficiencies imposed on ground-based target engagement radars by the Earth’s curvature. There are no plans for developing as IIR-guided version of the Astra BVRAAM since the IAF possesses large quantities of R-28T IIR-guided BVRAAMs. And it was Israel, not France, that was the first to emulate the USSR’s concept of dual-guidance BVRAAM salvo firings.
Now, coming to yesterday’s seminar on Future Trends in Mountain Warfare, the IA’s COAS was highly enthusiastic about introducing VTOL-UAVs that could ferry cargo loads of 40kg out to the forward posts along the IB, LoC & LAC. But I was shocked to hear that he had to approach the DRDO for solutions. Perhaps he is not aware that in 2008, TATA Advanced Systems had teamed up with Israel’s URBAN AERONAUTICS to co-develop the Air Mule VTOL-UAV for such air-maintenance reqmts! In fact, the Air Mule is now being upgraded for entering service with the US Army & USMC. Why IA has not paid attention to this is indeed mysterious. Here’s data on the Air Mule:
http://www.urbanaero.com/category/airmule
https://cdn.exiteme.com/exitetogo/www.tactical-robotics.com/userfiles/files/FullSizeRender.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmzq-5EB81k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG4BBNLXFpI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSmas902vGU
Furthermore, the COAS was also lamenting that the Army Aviation Corps does not possess any helicopter that can carry appreciable loads beyond a height of 15,000 feet ASL. Other revelations about OP Vijay & OP Safed Sagar came from Gen (Ret’d) V P Malik, who said that during that limited war, the IAF’s SA.315B Lama/Cheetahs, SA.316B Alouette-3/Chetaks & Mi-17s just refused to fly nighttime sorties. In fact, the IA’s own Cheetahs & Chetaks flew more than 300 nighttime CASEVAC sorties over the battlefields. In addition, Gen malik also revealed that back then the IA & IAF had jointly pleaded with the then NDA-1 political leadership to go across the LoC up to a depth of only 3km in order to disrupt & destroy the PA’s battlefield logistics/supply networks, but the NDA-1 govt in its own all-knowing wisdom refused all such requests & for totally fallacious reasons decided to treat the LoC as being sacrosanct, which in turn caused heavy human casualties for the IA.
Sir, we are now in mid December do you see any possibility of a cross loc military campaign being initiated by India? What does the ground situation tell you?
To PRATAP: LoLz! The ground situation is as follows:
Along the Durand Line the mountain passes are blocked by snowfall & therefore the TTP will not try to infiltrate into the Pakistani hinterland. This then relieves the pressure on Pakistan’s western front & hence some of the forces there are being redeployed to their home garrisons to the east for rest & recuperation. The bulk of the forces, however, will be deployed throughout FATA since even after the revocation of the colonial FCR laws there last June, new laws & regulations haven’t yet been enforced there, thereby reducing that entire area to a totally lawless state, which is why the Pashtuns there are growing more & more restive, as explained here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apz11Y1jpj8
This becomes further complicated by persistent mis-governance in the Pakistani hinterland, as voiced & explained here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdvGdP-8xq4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy4FOE_v91c
https://www.dawn.com/news/1450773/balochistan-cabinet-shocked-by-cpec-presentation
So, this month is all set to be holiday time when goodies from Santa Claus are awaited & gence even the PA’s COAS seems to be taking it easy & doping some sightseeing, as evidenced by these:
PA COAS Visits Gadra in Thalparkar, Sindh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMaFljEmVMk
PA COAS Visits venue of EX Shaheen-VII at Bholari air base, home to the PAF’s No. 41 Tactical Wing’s No.19 OCU Sqn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQMXCoQ20M
Along with the four J-10Cs, the PLAAF has also brought along four J-11s (Su-27SKs) of the Western Theatre Command’s Ãœrümqi Base (formerly 37th Air Division), of which the 109th Brigade at Kashi and Hotan in Xinjiang is a part.
And lastly, the following new hardware were service-inducted by the Pakistan Navy yesterday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apD4Xa_fHO8
Sir
Kargil was a weird Conflict
We were fighting militarily to Regain our Territory
But the much larger Diplomatic Challenge was to Convince the Global Community especially the West that India is a responsible
Nuclear State
Our Military Response though cost us lives but Brought us out of the Bad Books ,that we were in , post 1998 Nuclear tests
The Lahore Bus trip which preceded the Kargil war was also made to improve our image as a Responsible nation
Pakistan and China on the Other handed wanted The P 5 and UNSC to intervene
By calling Kashmir as a Nuclear Flashpoint
Post 1998 N tests , US newspapers were writing Editorials calling India a Rouge State and wanted Sanctions on India
Those days were Very tough
Both Economically and Diplomatically
Prasun,
Read your article in Force Magazine Dec - the article ,as usual is great. I have few query's on which would like to know your opinion
1) Looking at the Kamorta class corvette's made by GRSE, for a frigate sized ship which is
categorized as Corvette & grossly under armed. (Wiki states they will be equipped with
MRSAM at later dates) Why did the navy even approve such a complement for the ship. Does
the future inductions will also be same or better equipped.
2) In fact for a Anti-submarine warfare IN lacks the crucial ASROC weapon systems, why is
this overlooked. After all a Rocket Launched Medium/Light Torpedo can reach a submarine
faster then a ship launched heavy torpedo which needs more time to reach the target in
water, thereby increasing chances for a enemy sub to slip away or take evasive
actions.
3) As bigger vessels are capital intensive, wouldn't it be better for the IN invest in
smaller but heavily armed gunboats like the Russian Buyan Class corvettes, which packs
quite a punch for its displacement. These can replace the Veer class corvettes. Although
this concept is not new but holds more promise if a faster and low RCS designs are
built. Like a Visby class but more heavily armed.
4) The US Freedom class Littoral Combat ships design and capability are a generation ahead,
can India partner with US counterparts for design transfer, and build them at lower cost
(a 10+ order can definitely bring down the cost) considering the Kamorta class were
built at cost of $ 390 million where as the Freedom costs about $585 Million.
So there will be no such war as you had predicted? Or has the right opportunity hasn't yet arrived?
To ARUN: Yes, it was WEIRD because opf the way it was fought by both sides. And it is borne out by the PA’s then FCNS GOC Maj Gen Javed Hassan who was fearing an IA ground offensive all the way up to Skardu, i.e. militarily it was doable by the IA even under a nuclear overhang as per the PA’s own appreciation. Therefore, the question of India trying to prove its responsible nuclear weapons-state credentials by treating the LoC as sacrosanct does not hold any water at all, especially because of India’s No-First-Use declaratory policy. Instead, it was the totally wrong-reading by India’s ‘netas’ of the balance of power calculus that prevented India from exploiting the limited war as a strategic politico-military victory for India. For, even if the IA & IAF could have advanced to & permanently held on to Skardu & Haji Pir, the reaction from the US would have been the same since, the US since the early 1990s had been trying desperately to court India & gain access to India’s growing economy. On top of that, the then Clinton Administration was totally distracted by the Monika Lewinsky scandal & also the Congressional Cox Committee investigations into the unusually open-ended access given to China into high-tech US multinational corporations. Consequently, the White House was then desperately searching for some credible means of deflecting attention & India’s clueless then provided such an opportunity on a silver platter without getting anything back in return. Nor was the Indian economy faring badly at that time, since US-India bilateral trade was not the subject of any sanctions. So, all in all, India’s ‘netas’ at that time had terribly underestimated India’s latent strengths & had terribly overestimated the leverage that countries like the US had over India.
To PRATAP: No war of any kind between now & next March, especially along the LoC where wintertime prevents the staging of any kind of offensive action. That’s why even in December 1971 the IA could make very limited gains in northern J & K & the adverse weather conditions at this time prevents the IAF from giving any meaningful air-support due to very poor visibility conditions.
To SK: VMT. 1) The Project 28 corvettes are optimized for ASW operations & therefore they cannot be expected to be armed with ASCMs or MR-SAMs since such vessels are not meant to be all-rounders. In fact, the corvettes require 10-tonne LWT-armed NMRHs on board but the absence of such helicopters does not translate into the corvettes being under-armed or being of faulty design. 2) Weapons like ASROC were reqd in those days when warship-launched torpedoes & submarine-launched HWTs had limited range. With the advent of wire-guided HWTs with ranges in excess of 50km, ASROC has become useless & it is far more effective to possess shipborne ASW helicopters armed with LWTs. 3) The IN has already floated RFIs for seven NGCs (each with a crew complement of 21 officers and 137 sailors) that are required from 2023 onwards, and six NGMVs, each to be crewed by 11 officers and 60 sailors. For meeting both these requirements, Rosobornexport has offered two variants of its Project 20385 guided-missile corvettes that are now being built for the Russian Navy by the St. Petersburg-based Northern Shipyard (Severnaya Verf), a subsidiary of United Shipbuilding Corp. The Project 20385 corvette has a displacement of 2,500 tonnes, a length of 106 metres, width of 13 metres, a speed of up to 27 Knots, a cruising range of 3,500nm, an endurance of 15 days, and a crew complement of 99. It is being offered with a fitment of BrahMos-1 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles. While five of the NGCs are likely to be licence-built by a yet-to-be-selected Indian shipyard, Severnaya Verf has not yet indicated its preference for any particular Indian shipbuilder for forging an industrial partnership. 4) Production costs of India-made warships is 300% higher than its other global counterparts ONLY BECAUSE the warship hulls in India are floated when they are only 32% complete & are then made to await the finalisation of the design for the next 4 years & this in turn leads to delayed orders being placed for numerous sensors & weapon systems. Elsewhere in the world, this is not done & metal-cutting begins ONLY AFTER the design of the warship is completely frozen. It is thus entirely up to the MoD to stop issuing production orders to the DPSU shipyards UNTIL the IN’s Design Bureau finishes the entire design of any warship.
To DASHU: Excellent expose on Nawaz Sharif's money laundering methodology:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obowmj8v6og&t=2s
How the PA makes money via mountaineering expeditions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYSwphG4xEM
District Ghanche Khaplu in Gilgit Baltistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0MHHOAqvGs
Prasunda
And, thus is the revenue India also loses from income generated on our territory occupied by a foreign power. Indians are truly nincompoops.
While our Army chief calls a spade a spade. Forget revenue generation, he also asks that the Army not be seen as an Employment Provider, albeit in the context of fake disability & illness cases, while not ensuring MSP for JCOs
Do you think making old leaders as CM of major states what message congress is giving to youth leaders?
What is your analysis in electing CMs? Can they make development as their major agenda?
Ron
https://m.timesofindia.com/india/sc-finds-no-irregularities-in-purchase-of-rafale-jets-dismisses-all-petitions-for-court-monitored-probe/articleshow/67087626.cms
Now pappu gang has to find new real issue that concerns ordinary people of the country...
Picking kamal nath a key accused of 1984 riots will anger sikh community and what you think it will impact congress vote bank in punjab.
The drama around picking CMs and consequent dharnas and clash of two groups aptly show the inability of Rahul Gandhi as Leader
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sc-finds-no-irregularities-in-purchase-of-rafale-jets-dismisses-all-petitions-for-court-monitored-probe/articleshow/67087626.cms
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sc-says-no-to-court-monitored-cbi-probe-into-purchase-of-36-rafale-jets/story-QNmEozqm9YjRhTOGwGWyzL.html
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/supreme-court-rafale-deal-probe-petitions-dismiss-fighter-jets-bjp-congress-5493168/
So, that's it. And what next? here's my recommendation: activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan, former Union ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and advocates M L Sharma and Vineet Dhanda along with about 10 'desi patrakaars' plus the INC & AAP must now be sued for defamation & the proceeds acquired from them should be used for ordering the second tranche of Rafale MMRCAs. Similarly, once it becomes known that Christian Michel will not divulge anything incriminating about the AW-101 deal, all those 'desi patrakaars' who had alleged that corruption had taken place should be sued for defamation, as should the BJP & the proceeds from such suits should be used for ressurecting the AW-101 deal & procuring all 12 AW-101s as originally envisaged.
Bottomline: There are no holy cows in India's political scene & therefore justice must be even-handed & must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done.
Dear Prasunda,
Can you write and tell us more about CROSS BOW-18 exercise by IAF and what purpose it will serve
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UtfK0u6oaQs
Defence minister avoided the question of 2nd tranche of Rafale purchase.
https://russiandefpolicy.blog/2018/11/03/nuclear-subs-starving-the-fleet-part-i/
came across an interesting claim from the above site -
“Meanwhile now our ‘partners’ [trans. the U.S.] are developing new ways of detecting submarines. Submarine officers in Severomorsk laid down the flight track of an American ‘Orion’ reconnaissance aircraft on a map of the disposition of our nuclear submarines in the course of exercises. And all ten turning points of its route precisely followed the disposition of our submarines. In fact it didn’t even search, but went to the exact point. The ‘Orion’ went precisely to our nuclear submarine without any tacking, dropped a buoy and went to the next one.”
If this account is true, what 'new ways of detection' could these be?
Prasun sir,
Rahul gandhi says the suprime court has based it judgement on cag report which has to be on first presented to pac.but pac has not read the report and law says that before pac nobody can discuss it. Is there any truth in his substantes?
Regards
Interesting reads:
http://aviationweek.com/defense/pioneering-bizjet-airborne-early-warning-creating-difference?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral
https://theprint.in/governance/raw-chief-anil-kumar-dhasmana-ib-director-rajiv-jain-get-6-month-extensions/163835/
https://theprint.in/opinion/dhaka-pakistans-psychological-defeat-how-indian-military-commanders-won-1971/163216/
https://theprint.in/opinion/how-i-captured-and-saved-indias-first-prisoner-of-war-in-1971/158246/
https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/not-pakistan-indira-gandhis-india-escalated-military-action-before-1971-war/157753/
https://theprint.in/opinion/even-before-1971-war-started-with-pakistan-india-had-won-the-battle/152975/
Sir I need some clarifications
1) why was reliance aerospace created right before deal was signed if there is no quid pro quo?
2) why did Anil Ambani invested in holland wife’s film if these is no favouritism?
3) what do you say about holland coming out and saying India insisted only on reliance? If there is no wrong why would he say these thing about India? Isn’t he credible to speak the truth?
4) if real estate is only means of selecting reliance then doesn’t DLF, Sahara has lot of real estate in India?
5) if VVIP chopper corruption hasn’t happened then why would Anthony himself Say against his party or government and go for CBI enquiry? He’s defence minister himself
Please attach all necessary sources videos or pdfs to your answers
Pawan
To SANJAY: Cross Bow is an annual exercise conducted at Suryalanka to test the proficiency of air-defence crews from both the IA & IAF.
To BHOUTIK: This are what the US has been using:
https://www.naval-technology.com/features/sea-hunter-inside-us-navys-autonomous-submarine-tracking-vessel/
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/14733/the-us-navy-has-created-its-first-ever-underwater-drone-squadron
To MOHAN: When CAG reports are tabled in Parliament via the PAC, it means the document is now available for public consumption & therefore is in the public domain. But when the CAG’s report is presented to the Supreme Court inside a sealed envelope, then that does not come under the ambit of ‘public consumption’ & therefore there is no breach of parliamentary privilege. Obviously the ‘Pappu’ is blissfully’ unaware of the Rules of Business of the Govt of India & therefore has scant regard for the finer legalities characterising the functions of the Legislature, Executive & Judiciary.
To PAWAN: 1) It was created because previously Dassault Aviation had since the previous decade been dealing with the Reliance Group, which then was a monolith. But after the breakup of this monolity between the two Ambani brothers, the elder brother (Mukesh) chose not to venture into the aerospace business sector while the younder brother (Anil) decided to venture into this sector & therefore secured access to the piece of real-estate at Mihan which had its own integral airfield. 2) What may appear as favouritism to you may in fact turn out to be an act of selfless goodwill. There are still fo0lks in this world that engage in such acts, such as your’s truly spending time to reply to various queries without expecting anything back as quid pro quo. 3) Hollande never said that. In fact, it was the French online publication that MISINTERPRETED Hollande’s remarks. In fact, Hollande had stated that a prerequisite for choosing an Indian industrial partner by Dassault was that the former had to have had real-estate with an airfield inside it because the Indian industrial partner was reqd as per contract to provide guaranteed spares support on-demand for a period of 7 years. Such AOG-type spares support can only be provided by someone that has an airfield which is operational 24/7 & all 365 days of the year. 4) Yes, they do but their real estates don’t contain any airfields. 5) That can only be answered by that nitwit, because when someone makes an allegation, then he/she should have the means to back up his/her allegations with supporting material evidence. And since that nitwit A K Antony has so far not brought forward any such evidence, it only means that such evidence does not exist & consequently by unilaterally terminating the AW-101 contract without any credibly legal reason (& this is why India’s case will fail 100% during the internmational arbitration process & eventually India will have to pay financial damages to AgustaWestland as compensation, thereby ending up as the nett financial loser), he not only demonstrated the UPA-2 govt’s crass opportunistic mindset, but this has also caused incalculable damage by eroding the effectiveness of India’s national nuclear command authority. And the present-day NDA-2 govt's deliberate refusal to correct this mistake & instead reinforce failure by continuing to stick to unprovable allegations is only compounding the errors. As KAUSTAV has correctly remarked above, such Indians are truly nincompoops.
To PAWAN: Instead of fishing around & looking for conspiracy theories, the following ought to be the operative parts of the debate:
1) Has any truly fourth-gen MRCA like Eurofighter EF-2000 or Rafale or even the F-15SD ever been licence-built anywhere in this world? No. Why? Because it is cost-prohibitive & unaffordable.
2) Will any 4th-gen MRCA to be licence-built ever be subjected to the product warranty/liability obligations/coverage by their OEMs? Never. What very few folks know for a fact is that none of the aircraft licence-built in India by HAL to date have been covered by product performance guarantees of their OEMs, be they from France or the UK or USSR/Russia. In case of the Rafale, while Dassault Aviation was totally agreeable to HAL licence-building the Rafales, it was refusing to issue product performance guarantees for such licence-built aircraft. And this was totally unacceptable to the IAF, which was not compromising on this issue & had wanted product performance guarantees for its Rafales. These 2 finer points are beyond the understanding of the Indian journalists & consequently they take solace in peddling senseless conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, another Gol-Maal has begun, just as had been expected:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/23-indian-passports-go-missing-from-pakistan-high-commission-spark-alarm/articleshow/67099551.cms
Prasunda,
I believe you have got your 'I told you so' moment coming again and again. If we were to wait for Christian Michael's acquittal and release, and India's subsequent loss in the arbitration proceedings, you shall be able to paint all these politicians of various paeties with the same tar. Very sadly sir, our democracy and mindset has encouraged this type of 'crass oppurtunism' by our Nitwits and Nincompoops.
It would all be a great joke, if only it wasn't such a sad tragedy for our RTD motherland.
Guess India is the Joker in the international circus who provides comic relief to the community of nations by hurting herself. Our dear Porki neighbour is of course the other Joker which provides the same comic relief while also kicking about the larger Indian Joker.
Sir, do you think K Ilango will be made the new raw cheif? That's guy seem to have a stupendous job in Sri Lanka.
Tushar
Dear Sir
In case of MMRCA 2.0
Is it possible to Bring Dassault and
HAL back together in the Form of a JV
And Give Management Control to Dassault with 50 percent Equity
With Management Control DA can give product Guarantees
Otherwise this Political fight will Erupt again even in a much larger way
The whole dispute is why Ambani should get contract , which HAL can also do
With all the talk of army rationalization , where does the new mountain strike corps got in ?
Atleast the required specialized such as Chinook, light howitzers, medium helicopters etc are being bought?
Venky
Thanks for clearing that sir can you provide sources for Holland statements on Dassault selection?
Pawan
To TUSHAR: The best persons always come from the dedicated cadres, i.e. the Secretary of R & AW must hail from the Research & Analysis Service, so that career professionalism prevails & the agency performs optimally. 3-year deputations from IPS cadre have caused severe harm to both R & AW & the IB over the past 45 years.
To ARYAN: LoLz! So you want to achieve the unachievable, i.e. which no one else in the world has suceeded in doing so far, i.e. producing 2 different types of 4-gen MRCAs concurrently, the LCA Mk.1A & Rafale!!! If developed countries can;t finance such an industrial feat, then how can you expect India to do so? Is it because you reckon India has always been & will continue to be the land known for mythical miracles & from where common-sense & logical reasoning took flight a long long time ago?
To VENKY: The MSC (XVII Corps) isn't just about M-777s & CH-47F Chinooks. All Tables of Equipment will require specialisation, such as being lightweight, air-mobile & being able to sustain the rigours of bad weather. The most critical TOW concerns high-altitude communications networks & ISTR platforms--both manned & unmanned. Also, battlefield logistics & CASEVAC will have to be maintained by air using both fixed-wing STOL aircraft & helicopters.
To PAWAN: O Yaar, just forget what Hollande or anyone else has said or will ever say, & instead just try to find answers to the 2 questions I had posed above. Answers to those 2 questions is more than enough to end all debate & backstabbing about the Rafale's procurement methodology. For, it is futile to argue that 2 + 2 equals either 3 or 5, but never 4. And here's more to expose all the delusional conspiracy theories of the INC that were peddled yesterday:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amid-rafale-row-mallikarjun-kharge-led-parliamentary-panel-slams-hal-for-failure-to-provide-enough-tejas/story-kvKGXLxbKZxzyJoDfo7OsL.html
Sir, based on your reply to PRATAP, if despite having 10 times bigger economy and superior army we are unwilling to punish an enemy whose economy is collapsing and whose army is already over stretched then it really shows how idiotic we are. Why then are we spending billions on modernisation of army that money should be allocated education and healthcare.
To SATYA: Allocating funding is totally different from optimizing the utilization of the allocated funds. Such optimization can only come about if re-structuring of the organization & command structures of the three armed services are carried out. And the re-structuring process can be articulated ONLY IF the national security objectives are clearly spelt out so that the logical war directives can emerge from them. And all this is in the domain of the elected officials of the country who are reqd to initiate discussions in Parliament so that an all-party consensus can emerge & the necessary legislations are enacted. But the elected ‘netas’ are not doing all this & are instead creating one committee after another headed by non-elected bureaucrats & technocrats. Consequently, such committees an only make non-binding recommendations, as opposed to binding all-party resolutions & legislations enacted by the two houses of Parliament.
To KAUSTAV: Just received some good news from Col Shankar (who heads the ALPHA Technologies Group) from Bangkok, where his company has won the contract on behalf of ELBIT Systems for producing & supplying 55 units of the TIFCS digital fire-control system for 55 M-60 MBTs of the Royal Thai Army. ALPHA is now supplying 1,000 units of the TIFCS for the IA’s upgraded T-72Ms & is also supplying upgrade kits for the earlier TISAS fire-control systems that were installed on the upgraded T-72CIA MBTs.
In another development, the Brazilian Navy yesterday launched its first licence-built Scorpene SSK & it used this event to also showcase its nucl;ear powerplant expertise for submarines, which has been in the works for the past 20 years. So, if we were to use that as a yardstick, it appears that it is impossible for the DAE to develop a homegrown PWR for the IN’s SSBNs with only 10 years of work & therefore considerable foreign (Russian) mentoring was extended to India for producing & testing the S-1/Half Boat prototype PWR at Kalpakkam. The following videoclips explain it all (they also show the Brazilian counterpart of the S-1/Half Boat):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGvO764fHsM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IdQRjmEYKk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIek8N1iuRw
Meanwhile, IA soldiers deployed along the Shamshabari Range in north-western J & K are dancing to Pakistani tunes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBj4fJXuNkc
bijoyer shubheccha prashun bhai
Sir,
What in your esteemed view is going to be the capacities of the PWR ( MW T & MWE)to power our next gen SSBN's
SSN's & the Nuclear AC when it comes and when do you estimate it to be critical ? Are we to accept the IN's version of a decade from now as you've quoted in your post ?
What is scope of Russian involvement in this programme & after the Russians handholding us for the design & construction of the S1 & the reactors powering the Arihant class of Submarines why is it we lack the expertise to go ahead with the design & construction of heavier capacity / next gen PWR? Can you please shed some light on this
Thanks in advance .
Regards,
R. Shetty
Wanted to ask, why no APS for mbts is top of the agenda for Indian army planners
Sir
If that is the yardstick
Then why Brazil failed to develop civilian / commercial nuclear reactor.
Why there is no military enrichment facility in Brazil.
How this is possible to develop marine reactor without developing commercial reactor.
DRDO is all set to test K5 SLBM and Pralay short range ballistic missile.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/dec/15/maiden-trial-of-pralay-k5-likely-soon-1911623.html
NOTAM for Pralay missile has been issued and the test is likely to take place on 17/18 December. BTW what is the use of another Short range BM when we already have shaurya. It's development is reportedly supported by indian army. Are we planning to integrate MLPGMs with the missile for accurate targeting?
Dear Sir
If MMRCA 2.0 is also handed to a Private Company instead of HAL under the Strategic Partnership Model
Will the Opposition Raise the Same Hue and Cry as they are doing now in case of Reliance and Rafale
Which party would like to loose elections because of False Allegations
Pradun sir, in one defence forum i read that the upcoming seven next gen corvettes will be based on the project 3180 barz class corvette..and the boys are pretty sure about this..is this true ?? Do u hv any knowledge about it?? I really hope it to be true cauz seeing the barz concept its pretty damn impressive of a corvette..
Dear Prasunji,
1) You said all religions follow law of karma, but evangelical Christians claim that all that is needed to enter heaven is to "believe" in jesus.
And that works by men are irrelevant.
I find it unimaginable, that a murderer will go to heaven if all needs to do is "believe".
2) How many Kilo subs in our navy have upgraded to carry klub missile out of the 9 remaining?
3) Some conspiracy theories going around that the arihant actually sunk due to the open hatch incident in 2016. Any truth to that?
4) What is the standard weapons configuration of the upgraded Kilo class? As in number of torpedo and AShM they carry?
5) How many torpedoes can the shishumar class carry?
6) Since we don't have any torpedoes for the kalvari class yet, does that mean she now carries just the exocet? How does this affect her usefullness in a full war situation?
If fully equipped how does she compare to the latest type 039A that China has?
7) What weapons (torpedoes /missiles) does the arihant carry other that the BMs?
8) In an emergency situation if needed can she be used as a SSN?
Thanks
@ pawan
This is a fuller statement of Hollande in that interview which was completzely wrongly translated by Rahul & Co to spread the impreassion that Inil Ambani's company was given as the company to do the offset agreement with.
"La France n'a en aucune manière choisi Reliance", a-t-il insisté. "Les autorités françaises n'avaient pas à choisir le partenaire, Dassault s'est retrouvé avec Reliance sans que le gouvernement français ait été consulté (...) Ce sont des partenaires qui se sont choisis eux-mêmes"
Which translates as: "France took no part in choosing Reliance", he insisted. "French authorities weren't supposed to be choosing the partner, Dassault found itself with Reliance without the French government having been consulted. (...) These are partners who chose one another."
Of course, it's in French but a simple text search will make you find the quotes and a google translation (Google translate is not the perfect translation tool, particularly for a language like French, which the Congress used successfully to expand its lies) will help you understand the whole page. Here is a blog that says more:
https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/l-ex-president-hollande-relance-la-polemique-sur-les-rafale-en-inde-5979382
So the entire Rafale info-war propaganda of lies repeated ad-infinitum by Congress was worked up to use as prop for the elections. Nothing else.
Kane
What is Brazilian compulsion for investing such huge money in nuclear submarine programme....do they face any nuclear threat???
To BHOUTIK: VMT & the very same to you & all your loved ones. Also, do enjoy these pertaining to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYehpS9_PRk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9scCD93Vs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMUgwG2zUdw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QWw-D-QpE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYDs8u0HvjU
And remember this?
https://www.firstpost.com/india/new-lashkar-e-taiba-base-blossoming-in-dust-blown-pakistani-town-fatf-probe-looms-large-over-imran-khan-govt-5357361.html
This is why that centre was created in Bahawalpur:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pakistan-infiltration-ops-shifting-to-jammu-border-nia-report/story-YLDqPx0qJjdD04I2JyPYHP.html
Meanwhile, on December 15, 2018, the Myanmar Air Force inaugurated the JF-17 Thunder fighters. Also newly introduced were an ATR-42 medium transport aircraft and helicopters.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DucUYkDX4AAq0pM.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Duh4zxbWoAAPlQ0.jpg
And while Pakistan croaks about the human rights situation in India’s Kashmir Valley, the lesser-evolved species of decision-makers of Pakistan have yet to release the Justice Ibrahim Commission’s report on the APS terror attack in Peshawar four years ago!
To UNKNOWN/BUDDHA: Beautiful documentary that discloses the birthplace of Zarathustra on the banks of the Oxus River along the Afghan-Tajikistan border:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FN3ll_aTEw&t=15s
To UNKNOWN/R SHETTY: In my view (not esteemed but common-sensical) & that esteemed view of Ret’d Admiral Arun Prakash (who had first written about it in 2010) the future PWR of the 4th-generation must be a unitary 190mWT unit (exactly like what’s now on board the INS Chakra). It will thus have to be of Russian design but of Indian construction (as is the case with the existing 89mWT PWR on INS Arihant) & up to a decade of testing & evaluation of the India-made PWR will have to be conducted on-shore so as to establish its total life-cycle. In Brazil for instance the indigenously developed PWR has been running for the past 20 years as it was a brand-new design & thus all design/performance parameters had to be validated prior to integrating it with the Scorpene submarine’s pressure hull.
To UNKNOWN: It seems you are not aware of niuclear developments of Brazil. Hence, do read these:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/brazil.aspx
https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/update-brazils-submarine-programme
https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/brazilian-navys-nuclear-submarine-shows-progress
Also, do watch this RSTV debate on AESA-MMR for Tejas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOsRpG0B8c
To ANIL: Pralay, like Prithvi, isn’t a BM. I had explained it all in an earlier thread dealing with Pralay.
To ARYAN: No 4th or even 5th gen MRCA will ever be licence-produced by anyone in this world. At best, therefore, an existing 3rd-gen MRCA design like that of the F-16 will be licence-produced (since that is the cheapest option) but these airframes will be equipped with 4th-gen mission avionics like the opnes found on the Block 70 F-16.
To SUJIT: Kindly read my answer of December 14, 2018 at 5:46 AM.
To UNKNOWN: 2) Six, with three more to be upgraded. 3) Totally false. 4) Up to six ASCMs (3M54E) or six LACMs (3M14E) can be carried, plus around 12 HWTs. 5) A similar number. 6) Yes, but the F21 HWTs will be acquired, as even Brazil has opted for the F21, while Chile & Malaysia have the Black Shark HWTs. 7) Refer to the thread on INS Arihant’s Milestones in this blog for all such data. 8) Of course.
Dear Prasunji,
1) How many ka28 helis are still in service with IN?
2) How many westland sea Kings are in service with IN?
3) Which are usual complement of helicopters carried by kolkata class?
4) The radar horizon of the Kolkata class for ASCM is only 25km. This means that mach 3 ASCM will leave the Kolkata class a max of 25 secs before impact to shoot it down with Barak 8.
Is the Barak 8 capable of that? Have any tests been done to prove it?
5) Would you consider the Kolkata class superior to the Chinese type 52d (except in land attack where I know the 52d is superior)?
Thanks
Seeker
Prasun sir,
Indigenous electronic warfare system ignored for IAF's Tejas aircraft ...
https://www.business-standard.com ›
...
What is this project d29?
U said mig 29 upg was using italian ew system then why this ajay shukla chap is hell bent on spreading lies??
And if theres indeed a project d29 ew system then plz enlighten us nd plz do say whether it is as advanced and capable as SPECTRA??
Sir
I am not saying there is no nuclear development in brazil
In today's standard , every country have somekind of nuclear development.
All I am saying why using inferior nuclear state to compare with superior nuclear power.
Brazil not even able to develop any commercial nuclear reactor, be it PWR or PHWR.
There is no nuclear industrial base in Brazil,
It took 50 years for india to develop such industrial base.
And most likely Brazil nuclear reactor wil come from France. Whenever French complete there Barracuda's reactor.
Also there is no military enrichement facility in Brazil, uranium too come from France.
Dear Sir , please answer my Question
If we select Rafale in MMRCA 2.0
Who will Manufacture them in India
To UNKNOWN/SEEKER: 1) About 16 of which 11 are being upgraded. 2) 16 + 6. 3) Tow Sea King Mk.42Bs. 4) Not 25km, but 50km. 5) Yes, even in land-attack
To UNKNOWN: In what way is India a superior nuclear power in the domain of indigenous development of nuclear powerplants? ALL of India’s commercial nuclear power reactors aree of imported design, be they PHWRs (Canadian CANDU design) or Russian (VVER PWRs). Even the Dhruva PHWR is derived from CANDU design. Brazil doesn’t require nuclear reactors on a large-scale for power generation & nor does it have to import crude oil in large quantities since it has already mastered the science of using ethanol for powering commercial vehicles. Also, France will not provide any PWR for military applications to Brazil as Brazil is a signatory to the NPT. Thjat’s why I had provided the weblinks in order to educate you on this issue, but it seems you are unable to absorb & make sense of the info in those weblinks, especially WRT uranium enrichment.
To ARYAN: How can rafale ever be selected as MMRCA 2.0 when the IAF has specified a single-engined MRCA? So, even if twin-engined aircraft are allowed to compete, eventually only a single-engined MRCA will be ordered.
To SUJIT: As usual the ‘Desi Bandalbaaz’ is up to his dirty tricks without consulting the domain experts of such a subject & hence is once again spreading disinformation. This was the original EW suite envisaged for the Tejas Mk.1:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ib-HtWdfmKk/URJ1fZeLiRI/AAAAAAAADvQ/XWMc3AzDnrI/s1600/EW+Suite+for+Tejas+Mk1+MRCA.jpg
And this was to be the internal jammer element of the EW suite:
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Paj714_xifM/WKWRfuGSF4I/AAAAAAAAMas/WNC36j5WqP0a-umXqL8bKWuFrXP0N6vugCLcB/s1600/DARE-developed%2Binternal%2BASPJ%2Bfor%2BLCA%2BMK.2.JPG
But the above could not be developed for internal fitment on the Tejas Mk.1 due to space constraints & hence it will now go on board the LCA-AF Mk.2 MRCA.
This is the DARE-developed D-29 UEWS, developed for the MiG-29UPG, Super Su-30MKI & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dqhsmMq852k/URgMQcRHlgI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/n5TnOeCJrY4/s1600/DARE's+EW+Products-1.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLScRL4HbMw/WKMYIn4SGaI/AAAAAAAAMXs/qiT1LNIECp8K0xcPRSaKx4Ka5Uoqsw09QCLcB/s1600/DARE-developed%2BInternal%2BASPJ.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ2Ik-p64u8/WKWROetoMlI/AAAAAAAAMao/lXbN_GGvx1EcgCzKM08DP53ZtTCVhfUJgCLcB/s1600/DARE-developed%2Binternal%2BASPJ%2Bfor%2BJaguar%2BIS%2BDARIN-3.jpg
ELT-568 AESA-based internally-mounted jammer
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orErn5eiEuw/URgULTe1T1I/AAAAAAAAEAI/Q5zLzSrlxlw/s1600/SSTRU+for+ELT-568+jammer.jpg
The D-29 cannot on board the Tejas Mk.1 or Mk.1A due to severe internal space constraints. Hence the externally-mounted EL/L-8222 self-protection pod was selected for the Mk.1A. On Jaguar IS/DARIN-3 the D-29 can be fitted ONLY IF one of the two Aden 30mm cannons is removed & this is what has been done. For older Jaguar IS the same procedure was applied but the internal jammer was the EL/L-8222.
Pod-mounted or internally-mounted self-protection jammers are not the same as escort jammers, as the ‘desi bandalbaaz’ has ASSUMED. The former is used for jamming fire-control radars & active seekers of BVRAAMs while the latter is used for jamming low-band & high-band airspace surveillance radars & search/acquisition radars. All these can easily be learnt if the 'desi bandalbaazes' bother to speak to the technocrats of DARE during various expos, but these 'desi bandalbaazes' are just not bothered to do their homework!!!
Hi Prasun,
Your prediction on Rafale deal and supreme court order was spot on. But Ajai Shukla, The Wire and INC, still are hopeful of JPC and politicisation of this, just like BJP is interested in AW101 helicopter issue.
On Brazilian sb-nr, one of the website says it will be 43 mw reactor and will be added in to scropene submarines. But I remember reading that Brazilian navy wanted a 6000 ton sub. So will there be a future larger iteration of scropene for Brazil? And how does it fare against the Russian designed 83mwt and 190 met reactors?
On mmrca2.0, if it's decided to be single engnede, why waste time can't they just announce f16's already. My friend in HAL is saying they have pretty good chance with F18s and Rahul Gandhi's agitation has put pressure on government to go HAL way.
Regards,
Srinivasa Nanduri
Hi Prasunji,
On different note from current hot topics.
1) Please shed some insight on 7.62 NATO Vs 5.56 NATO rounds rethink that is going on in India as well as Abroad. I had seen the Rajya Sabha TV debate on INSAS rifle program and One thing the military experts agreed on was that adoption of 5.56 NATO round was not completely thought through and Army did no comparitive study of its future rifle requirements but simply aped the dominant western narrative on what future of the infantry rifle will be.
2) Also American Special Forces need to make M4 rifles more reliable led to development of H&K 416 rifle and one can convert any Stranded issue M4 rifle to H&K 416 by changing the upper receiver of the rifle, can't something similar be done to the INSAS rifle. Have a foreign company or firearms expert like Larry Vickers or someone else look at the rifle and it's production process and suggest changes and we can save lot of time and money by doing so.
Thanks & Regards
Hardik Thanki
To SRINIVASA NANDURI RAMANUJAM: VMT. The Brazilian PWR will be rated at 43mWT, i.e. about 203mWe, which is just fine for a Scorpene submarine. In case Brazil opts for a larger vessel in future like the Barracuda, then a higher output PWR will be reqd. For INS Arihant, the OK-350/VM-4SG design PWR is rated at NOT at 83mWt, but 89.2mWt (18,000hp), which works out to about 30mWe. This PWR was designed & developed by Russia’s OJSC N.A. Dollezhal Scientific Research and Design Institute of Energy Technologies (also known as NIKIET). The 190mWt/43,000hp OK-650B PWR is meant for 10,000-tonne SSGNs like the Project 971 Shchuka-A/INS Chakra SSGN.
WRT the reqmt for 110 MRCAs, the elephant in the room is the MoD’s L-1 criteria for selection, i.e. the one with the lowest financial bid winds the race. Consequently, a single-engined MRCA will ALWAYS be cheaper than a twin-engined one. In addition, Boeing has not yet amortised the R & D costs of the F/A-18, whereas Lockheed Martin has for the F-16 & as a result, the latter will be made available at throwaway prices, plus the option of the TATA-Lockheed Martin industrial partnership becoming the sole airframe spares supplier for all F-16s worldwide, which makes it an extremely value-added proposition. The Boeing-HAL partnership has yet to come up with a matching commercial proposal.
To HARDIK THANKI: 1) barrel diameters of SLRs are reqd to be changed once every 40 years. Instead, in India this has happened every 30 years since 1947. Clearly therefore this was a flawed practice. 2) It is now too late to attempt anything else & the only logical solution is to opt for the Ghaatak 7.62 x 51 SLR.
This issue was highlighted by you earlier AFAIR , you had said long back that IDDM EW could not be fitted to Texas Mk1A due to space constraints.
Regarding MiG 29 UPG does it include D 29 components???
Did IAF mandatorily asked HAL to integrate METEOR with Tejas Mk1A?? Is there any scope of integrating METEOR with teams???
Dear prasunji
1) How many of 16 remaining westland seaking are mk42b versions? Are they still deploying the sea Eagle missile?
2) Can the seaking mk 42b be used for OTH targetting of ships by kolkata destroyers? I know they might use the ka 31 when sailing with carriers, but just incase that option isn't available, can the Kolkata class use its own seakings to do OTH?
3) If so what would be average flight altitude and radar range of the seaking (for targeting frigate size targets) when flying OTH missions if the need arises?
4) Would you say that the DND has over the decades gained the ability to fully design all kinds of surface combatants or are they still ripping off foreign designs like how they did with copying the godavari from the leander class in the 1980s? A recent report suggested that the delhi class and by extension the Kolkata are basically a kashin-sovremmeny-leander hybrid as far as Hull design goes.
Thanks so much
Seeker.
To AMIT BISWAS: Yes, all D-29 components are on the MiG-29UPG & will also be on all Super Su-30MKIs & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3s. But surprisingly, the IN chose not to adopt the D-29 for its MiG-29Ks & instead uses the EL/L-8222 ASPJ pods. Meteor LRAAM was NEVER specified by the IAF for Tejas Mk.1A, as I had already explained in great detail earlier in this thread.
To UNKNOWN/SEEKER: 1) 16 Mk.42Bs & six Mk.42Cs. Sea Eagle ASCMs were decommissioned a decade ago. 2) Yes, provided they are upgraded with new-gen mission avionics in the same as the 11 Ka-28PLs are now being subjected to. Ka-31’s main role is provision of airborne AEW, with secondary OTH target-cueing. 3) About 2,000 feet ASL. 4) From the Project 16 FFGs onwards, all DND-designed warships were indigenous in both conception & design. The Project 15, Project 15A & Project 15B DDGs & Project 17 & Project 17A FFGs are all new-generation designs featuring a centralized citadel housing the combat management system, integrated platform management system & battle damage control system. The Soviet-era Project 61ME Kashin-2 & Project 956E DDGs NEVER had such a centralized command-n-control architecture since their combat management systems, integrated platform management systems & battle damage control systems were spread throughout the warship. Hence, DND-designed warship hulls are totally different from their Soviet-era counterparts.
To SRINIVASA NANDURI RAMANUJAM: While Pakistan’s Parliament yesterday spent much time croaking about Kashmir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FoZWUIcDek), here’s what happened just outside Parliament yesterday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnQBqWd_jXk). Watch only the first 10 minutes of it. On top of that, more data emerged yesterday on the pathetic state of FATA’s inhabitants:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le5s4VFtpFg
And the final icing on the cake was the visit to India of the Maldives’ President Ibrahim Solih, which will cause much heartburn in both Beijing & Islamabad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5OVCW__YPs
So, from the looks of it, if both the PPP & PML-N are to be crucified by the PA-supported PTI-led govt of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, then it is highly likely that the PPP & PML-N will be forced to create a state of chaos & anarchy within Pakistan, which in turn will only usher in greater economic hardship. And predictably, the PTI-led govt will parrot the PA’s stated narrative of all this being supported by India as part of India’s hybrid war against Pakistan. All this in turn will only worsen the woes of the natives of PoK, where large-scale forcible land-grabbing by the PA is now taking place (similar to what has also happened in the Swat Valley) & this is when the deprived natives of PoK will require material assistance for waging guerrilla war against the occupying PA forces. So, will India now step forward & offer such assistance, thereby paying back the PA in kind for what the PA has been doing inside J & K since October 1947? Just sharing a thought.
Prasun,
1 - on Tejas Mk1A why can't the 23 mm gun be repostioned under wing root &its current location be used to mount the external EW jammer pod? that way you get one extra pylon for weapons. Will it require a wing redesign of simply strengthening the wings..
2 - Aside from the much published additional features(aesa radar, A2a refuel pod, ext EW pod), what enhancement in terms of weight reduction (empty wt), shaping, stealth etc can be expected on tejas mk1 a (levicons?) I recollect reading one interview of ex ADA chief CMdre Balaji where he mentioned the following wrt to lca MK2 for navy 'For starters, the team plans to move the wings outboard by about 350mm, increasing the space significantly between the fuselage and the wings. This would immediately optimise load transfer (the ADA has had weight issues with the landing gear) and free up the central fuselage for fuel. We believe the change will free up space for up to 700 kg additional fuel, providing about 22 minutes of additional time on task'--Balaji tells Livefist. Can this be implemented on MK1A?
3 Since MK1 A is still some time away. Why can't DRDO/ADA try out housing the available F414 engines onto the tejas frame. I understand that it will require some design changes but would be well worth it. Since the Mk2 is now classified as a medium wt class fighter why not have a higher thrust engine cater to it (some reports suggesting a 123 KN AF 31F type engine are already doing rounds. Alternatively use the same GE 110 engine to be used on F16, if F 16 is chosen or have a new uprated Kaveri-- K10??? ).
4 Your replies on this thread seem to suggest F16 as having the highest probability of winning the MMRCA 2 tender. If it wins, will not not go for additional rafales (I recollect you suggesting in your reply on one of your prev threads that the IA had a req of a total of @84-90 rafales ). Also, IF chosen can IA work with lockheed to produce F-16U Falcon-21 as suggested in your insightful article on tejas MK2 -http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2017/08/lca-af-mk2-can-still-become-reality.html
Will look forward to your replies on both this set as well as the questions I had posted earlier.. :)
The anti aircraft gun and its ammunition is in news. Both Air Force and army seem to be having separate RFP.
Why can they not buy same model, get it manufactured in India ?
Who are the main players in this race ?
Venky
Sir
If Brazil doesnt need large scale nuclear reactor. Then seriously do we need it?
And would you name one Brazilian reactor program? How there military enrichment program going? After all they need enriched uranium as you know
And as for NPT, how US exported Trident II missile to UK under NPT?
And to go furthur, please read this
www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/us-secret-assistance-to-the-french-nuclear-program-1969-1975-fourth-country-to-strategic
If French British Chinese programs were came into success with outside help.
Even Soviet able to kick start there program after defection from Los Alamos.
Then why you pinpointing India?
Would you explain why the world power like French British required US help to kickstart there nuclear program.
Why chinese required Soviet help?
And how India achieve it without any help.
And how Brazil succeeded in this endevour without French help. Even when french having problem in there own Barracuda program.
Dear Prasun sir,
1) Last year there was news that the navy was searching 270 medium range missiles to equip 24 warships. Any development on that? What missile is being offered? And what ships will be upgraded?
2) Shiv aroor suggested that the vishakhapatnam destroyer and project 17A destroyers may be equipped with the missile. Is there truth to that or will it be the Brahmos?
3) Has the navy procured the 550km range brahmos yet? If not when will it get them?
4) Does the Israeli radar atop the Kolkata have 360 degree coverage simultaneously like the spy-1D and APAR? Or is it rotating like the daring class destroyer's Sampson radar?
Shankar
Hi Prasun, A most interesting discussion. Does this D-29 system include MAWS? I know the Super-30 upgrade for the MKI includes MAWS for the Su-30MKI and that the system has been tested. But does D-29 include it for the MiG-29s?
Hi Prasun,
Thank for your replies.
Pakistan seems to be a done case now. Points of improvement and tangible peace in kashmir by GOI will only cement Indian position. But don't think indian leadership has the Gall to do something daring in pok.
Regarding Tejas mk2, is there any movement forward. We only hear about Tejas mk1a these days.
And why is there no movement on lph. It was a long held requirement and still not fulfilled.
Maldives seems settled now, so is Sri Lanka after the political coup failure. But worrying sign in Bhutan and Nepal.
Don't understand why Nepal banned high denomination indian notes. Nepalese today are active part of bri and its media's increased pro China stance inspite of strong indian presence is astonishing. Same is the case with sey chelles and mauritius.
And we don't here much about Afghanistan now a days but a China Pakistan Afghan peace meeting was held few days ago. What's behind this.
On next gen tank, is indian army actively pursuing t14 armata instead of a desi tech with general dynamics assistance. And this news about K5, seems fake to me.
Regards,
Srinivasa Nanduri
To VENKY: You must be referring to this RFI (not RFP):
https://indianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/RFI/615/RFI.pdf
The MoD is also convinced now that preference will be given to the Buy (Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category, i.e. the homegrown solution. And here’s where my proposal (now being worked at by a consortium ARDE & LRDE & DARE) comes in, which calls for the existing OFB-licence-built AK-630M six-barrelled gun to be integrated with a version of the ‘Uttam’ AESA-MMR & an IRST sensor (of Russian or French origin). There’s just no need to look anywhere else by both the IA & IAF. No need to buy different kinds of AD guns. All the elements of the ‘desi’ solution are already available & are fully developed as technology demonstrators & in many cases, already in service. The only missing elements requiring mobilization: COMMON-SENSE & the ability to READ THE WRITING ON THE WALL. The same also applies to this RFI: for 60mm Mortar:
https://indianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/RFI/612/RFI%2060MM%20Mortar%20First%20Page09112018.pdf
Just junk this RFI & instead opt for indigenously developing a 30mm or 40mm automatic grenade launcher with a longer barrel. Such a solution is both manportable, as well as adaptable to the turrets of APCs & ICVs & ATVs.
To UNKNOWN: LoLz! Why are you competitively benchmarking Brazil with India? As for Brazil’s nuclear reactor programmes, haven’t you read about the Angra 1 and 2? Are you also assuming Brazil does not possess any uranium enrichment capability? If yes, then you do need to read up these:
https://www.nti.org/gsn/article/brazil-opens-uranium-enrichment-plant/
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Brazil-increases-uranium-enrichment-capacity
The US supplied Trident SLBMs to the UK because the UK agreed to station US owned & controlled nuclear weapons on its soil. It has nothing to do with NPT. On the other hand, declared nuclear weapons states that are also signatories to the NPT cannot by law transfer any military-related nuclear technology to non-nuclear BPT signatories. And British, Chinese, French & Indian nuclear WMD projects were homegrown, with the theoretical & experimental physicists acquiring all their knowledge from the US. The Soviets learnt a lot from those German scientists who were captured from Nazi Germany at the end of WW-2, while the US too learnt a lot about cost-effective uranium enrichment from those German scientists & engineers that were ferried to the US in the closing stages of WW-2. So the nuclear WMD & ballistic missile programmes of both the US & USSR were all of German origin. Similarly, the Indian DAE is what it is today largely due to the US & Canada providing India all the scientifi8c & intellectual assistance since the 1950s. The foundation of India’s missile projects derived from assistance from both the French & the Soviets. As for Brazil, several German scientists & engineers in the 1960s left the US & resettled in both Argentina & Brazil & brought with them all their IPRs. Hence, Brazil never reqd any assistance & mentoring from any other country.
To UNKNOWN/SHANKAR: 1) Those ASCMs were reqd for replacing the P-18 Termits & Kh-35 Uran-Es that were acquired in the 1980s & 1990s, plus new-generation ASCMs to replace the now-decommissioned Sea Eagles. In the end, newer variant Kh-35UEs were ordered (they now also equip the IN’s MiG-29Ks & IAF’s MiG-29UPGs), while the helicopter-launched ASCMs have yet to be acquired, with the preference being for MBDA’s Marte-ER. 2) It will be BrahMos-1 ASCMs, with the shipborne helicopters being equipped with an ASCM that is compatible with the S-70B2 Seahawks, i.e. either Marte-ER or Kongsberg of Norway’s HSM. 3) Not yet. Priority is being given to the IAF acquiring the 550km-range BrahMos-1 Block-3s. 4) It is a 360-degree coverage offered by the EL/M-2258 MF-STAR, be it on the Project 15/15A DDGs or Project 17A FFGs or Project 71 IAC-1.
To PIERRE ZORIN: There seems to be spike in the number of bloggers logging in as ‘Known Unknowns’ & ‘Unknown Unknowns’. Any solutions?
To SBM: No, the D-29 suite for the MiG-29UPG & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3 does not include MAWS fitments. This is easily borne out by visual inspections of all to-date available imagery of both the MiG-29UPG & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3.
To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) Why not? Because all accretions demanded by the IAF on the Tejas Mk.1A will have to be accommodated within the existing Tejas Mk.1 airframe, for that is the only way of ensuring a swifter transition to full-scale production. Any external changes will involve a lengthy flight certification process that will delay the project by another 5 years. 2) Only LEVCONs & AAR probe can be considered for fitment. Beyond that, nothing else can be accommodated within the Tejas Mk.1 airframe. LCA-AF Mk.2’s airframe design is a totally different one that includes the 1-metre fuselage stretch & larger wing areas—which cannot be added to the Tejas Mk.12’s airframe for obvious reasons. But the 1-metre fuselage stretch of LCA-AF Mk.2 will be used for housing the EW suite & MAWS-related LRUs since any internal jammer system functions optimally only when the avionics LRUs are in the mid-fuselage section in order to ensure near-zero EMI-related problems. But what can be done to enhance fuel capacioty is to develop conformal fuel tanks of the type developed by Dassault for the Rafale, i.e. mounted in the mid-fuselage above the wings—this again being impossible now inj case of the Tejas Mk.1/Mk.1A airframes due to unavailability of enough space. 3) Again, Mk.1A is not too far away for mission avionics-specific flight-testing. And since the IAF had demanded that all accretions on the Tejas Mk.1A will have to be accommodated within the existing Tejas Mk.1 airframe, no engine change or air-intake design change is now possible. 4) SEF/MRCA reqmt is not the same as MMRCA. The former is a a tactical MRCA whereas the MMRCA is optimized for deep-penetration strikes & strategic strikes. Totally different reqmts. If the MoD & IAF do their homework well & rightly, then they should ensure that the F-16 Block-70s can in future be upgraded to F-16U Falcon-21 standard during the mid-life refit stage.
To SRINIVASA NANDURI RAMANUJAM: Tejas Mk.2/LCA-AF Mk.2 is still in the detailed design stage. The Rafale procurement has resulted in the arrival of certain critical inputs from Dassault Aviation in areas such as usage of LEVCONs & overwing conformal fuel tanks. After all, if the LCA-AF’s developmental process can be expedited to a great degree, then this frees up money for additional Rafales being ordered by the IAF as the assured delivery of a mission-optimised LCA-AF Mk.2 will greatly decrease the pressure on the IAF to acquire imported-design single-engined tactical MRCAs. Therefore, this point should be borne in mind. For the LPHs, funding availability is a problem, as is this:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-may-cut-us-surveillance-drone-deal-by-half-due-to-fund-crunch/story-qOGZRNaHcE6PY23yI7VvfL.html
Because once the GSAT-7A satellite becomes operational, the IAF would like to take advantage of this & acquire turbofan-powered Avenger HALE-UAVs for aerial recce all along the LAC. Nepal’s banning of high denomination Indian currency is a very good move as this will greatly the proliferation of FICN out of Nepal. And no one is interested in importing the T-14 Armata. Instead, efforts to have an eventual fleet of 1,657 T-90S MBTs are being accelerated, as are efforts to upgrade the existing T-72Ms. But, yes there is always a bit, while the MoD has gone ga-ga about indigenising the 780hp V46-6 diesel engine after trying for 34 years, no one is uttering a word about trying to achieve a similar feat about the gearbox! Maybe the MoD’s ‘Babus’ are of the view that it is only the engine that drives the MBT!!!
And the unelected RM of India it seems has taken a fancy to saluting in naval style (thereby insulting the IA & IAF), is these images are to be believed:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DugwyIyXcAAU7xo.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DugsSUNXgAA2krP.jpg
She has yet to be advised that it is for this very reason that the Rules of Business of the Govt of India prohibit any civilian official of the GoI from either giving or receiving salutes of any kind. But these netas seem to be so full of the ‘all-knowing wisdom’ nowadays.
And this is the new doctrinal document released by the IA:
https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/NewsDetail/frmNewsDetails.aspx?MnId=wZKaJTvhq6pc+/CjfB48LQ&NewsID=tkqPmxCCfJ/Pd3JxyZ/rTw==
Finally, this is an interesting read:
https://theprint.in/opinion/an-insider-look-into-what-russia-actually-thinks-of-india/165344/
It is getting absolutely ridiculous with this UNKNOWN business - extremely confusing. The solution is dissolution - stop replying to any UNKNOWN till they are KNOWN by a differentiating handle/name.
Brazil indeed had a lot of American and west German help in design of nuclear reactor. In fact their Angra 3 is heavily dependent on Angra 1 which is nothing but a westinghouse PWR.
https://www.power-technology.com/projects/angranuclear/
Dada
1) how is that Germans made lot of breakthrough in scientific achievements during WW2 in whole world? I’mean how human recourses were trained and origin of their funding? Do they have any alien contact during that time?
2) why brits were lagged behind despite having plenty of recourses in developing nuclear weapons and ballistic weapons?
3) how come US was lagged behind Germans in acquiring nuclear technologies though that were people who detonated nuclear bomb?
4) During 1971 war do we have any material evidence to claim US Navy entered Bay of Bengal and Soviet thwarted that threat despite many IN veterans claims?
5) Do Hamoodur Rahman Commission report and Abbottabad Commission will be made public?
Ron
Hi Prasun,
why is pakistan still building up its air force with J17s if its outclassed by even existing Indian air force planes,
is it because beggars cant be choosers
or that it has a logical plan laid out where j17s can play a vital part in withstanding our forces
Sir,
1) will there really be any chaos in Pakistan as a result of witch hunt against PMLN and PPP as you expect? Nothing really happened when Nawaz Sharif was jailed even now when he is out he has maintained complete silence and did not say a word against PA.
2) Why has IA not carried out any major cross LOC tactical let alone strategic operation after Sep 2016? Are they waiting for another Uri like situation?
3) Is GoI doing any backdoor diplomacy with KSA and China to make sure they dont provide any financial assistance to Pakistan?
how can one possibly do all three types of salutes at the same time?
so that means russia
1. encouraging pakistan to checkmate india
2. do not recognise india's needs/ case regarding USA and our 130 cr people needs
3. do not want to compete for defence deals but G TO G contracts
4. can side with china to suit its needs
5. can blackmail india
how important russia is to india? other than space tech and defence tech, does russia has any tech innovation and financial muscle to match US?
how important US is to india? especially given china and pakistan
trump may be arm twisting for defence deals but russia is doing with us for the last 50 years
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YzRMz9Zb5MM
IBGs Will Not be Based on the Concept of One-Size Fits All, Says Gen Bipin Rawat
Buddha..
Thanks sir for the above documentary link....
Prasunji,
1) One thing that has intrigued about the comparative strengths of various militaries is that their size and capabilities are often not proportional to their budgets. On the contrary quite the opposite.
Eg : The british and French defence budgets were till a few years easily twice the size of ours. Yet their power didn't match up to it.
According to global firepower (not a good source, I know, but still) we overtook the brits and frenchies in raw power back in 2005. And have remained ahead ever since.
Of course I know size doesn't correspond to victory in battle.
But our military is easily 5 times their size.
But none the less where does all their go?
Is it higher salaries for their troops or R&D?
As things stand even the paki army(not navy or AF) is far larger and better equipped than the Europeans.
2) Have the Barak 8 + Varunastra + Mareech ATDS been deployed on the Kolkata class? Or will that take more time?
3) Is the MF STAR EL/M 2248 deployed on the Kolkata and our future warships, the 450km range "frigate" version or the 250km range "corvette" version?
4) Given that the market for small warships in the defence market around the world is exploding, would it not be prudent for india to develop a MODULAR Fac/corvette/ frigate system like the sigma/gowind just for export?
5) Prasunji you said several times before that even UK is a greater power than China. I can't believe that.
What sirji is then the criteria for "power", considering China dwarfs Britain economically and militarily.
Is it scientific knowledge? Creation of a knowledge based economy?
Or influence through multi national organisation like UN?
Thanks
Seeker
Prasun sir, simply superbb you are..m getting to know like new developments like dassault contribution in levcons and cft nd ur proposal of combining ofb ak630mm with uttam radar..is it really true sir? , cauz i always loved rafale cft design which increase its fuel capacity tremendously without any draggy external drop tanks..cauz tejas mk 2 is 1m longer it can hv extra 700kg internal fuel and with 850kg cft each it can hv 5000kg fuel..wwoooaaahhhh..minus external drop tanks..
One dream of mine though is whether iaf can ask dassault to increase the internal fuel to another 2ton?? This wud give a whooping 9ton fuel with cft .same as su30mki..no need of efdt.
To RON: These 2 weblinks will answer your queries WRT Nazi Germany:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/history/771096/nazi-germany-nuclear-bomb-testing-blitz-world-war-ii-secret-intelligence-documents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xY3aais4VA
4) The US Navy’s 7th Fleet Task Force 74 entered the Andaman Sea on 15 December. TF-74 comprised the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Enterprise with a host of other vessels, including the USS Tripoli (an amphibious assault carrier) with a 200-men Marine battalion on board with 25 assault helicopters; the USS King, the USS Decatur, the USS Parsons (all three guided missile destroyers); the USS Bausell, the USS Orleck, the USS McKean, USS Haleakala (all four destroyers) and one supply and support ship. But this TF never entered the Bay of Bengal & instead it headed south for Trincomalee in eastern Sri Lanka. 5) No.
To VIN: That’s because the JF-17s will replace all legacy Mirage-3/5 & F-16A/B/C/D & F-7PJ MRCAs in the future until the Shenyang FC-31 becomes ready for delivery.
To KAPIL: Chaos? It is already far worse than that when one is talking about exporting donkeys for the sake of earning revenues. Don’t believe me? Then watch this for a good laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeAYCPK_-To
2) Yes, because that’s exactly how Indian politicians are. 3) There’s no need for that at all.
To KISHORE: These so-called think-tanks are forgetting that India is Russia’s biggest customer for commercial nuclear reactors, with 36 being acquired in all, which is also why Russia is helping India with the latter’s SSBN & SSN projects. In addition, India is training Bangladeshi technocrats to operate the two Russia-supplied nuclear reactors that are now coming up.
To UNKNOWN/BUDDHA: And behold the majesty of the WAKHAN CORRIDOR here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76khAGbaNHU&t=44s
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1 & 2) LoLz! No, that will never happen, because these so-called think-tanks are forgetting that India is Russia’s biggest customer for commercial nuclear reactors, with 36 being acquired in all, which is also why Russia is helping India with the latter’s SSBN & SSN projects. In addition, India is training Bangladeshi technocrats to operate the two Russia-supplied nuclear reactors that are now coming up.
And here’s something very interesting: a China-made HWT has been washed into the shores of Vietnam & we can all hope that Vietnam will be sharing data on this HWT with India:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dux7P7aWoAUQyMV.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Duyu9OZVsAAsgwQ.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_5KRLrR-l0
And some other good news as well regarding GSAT-7A:
https://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/files/gsat-7a-mission-at-a-glance.jpg
https://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/files/flipping_book/gslv_f11_gsat7a_brochure/GSLV_F11_GSAT7A_Brochure/files/assets/common/downloads/GSLV-F11%20GSAT-7A%20Broucher-A5%20Size.cdr.pdf
Plus this new development from China:
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-flight-tests-new-submarine-launched-missile/
And this is the Type 032 SSB:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BqLotAaD22o/WYKUQYvBipI/AAAAAAAANPk/qWzbrhx1XAIhAUZTVTzFvUXxREDoF51LQCLcBGAs/s1600/S-30%2BType%2B032%2BQing-class%2BSSB.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DkjiH9wUYAAXwMW.jpg
And the on-going tamaashaa involving Christian Michel is throwing up some startling revelations about how the MoD’s civilian bureaucracy muddles its way through:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/michel-had-knowledge-of-files-that-even-ak-antony-didnt-cbi-thinks-so/articleshow/67170062.cms
And here’s the final icing on the cake:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ex-bureaucrats-demand-yogi-adityanath-s-resignation-over-bulandshahr-violence/story-VNwSihcGJT949uIxC3didK.html
It is obvious that this trickster Yogi has Neolithic IQ-levels. For, instead of transforming his constituency of Gorakhpur into a thriving border town doing vibrant trade with neighbouring Nepal, he seems intent on committing Harakiri through his ritualistic religiosity stunts. His Bihari counterpart, however, is the exact opposite & comes across as a pragmatic politician intent on achieving practical results:
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/train-to-himalayas-india-and-nepal-set-to-connect-by-rail-line-from-bihar-1411198-2018-12-17
Prasunda,
No that the JL-3, a large SLBM, has been tested from a diesel sub (the type 032), does this not prove that diesel subs can launch large slbms ?
Kritavarma
Sir, how do the chinese subs that pakistan is getting compare to our scorpene subs.
Hi Prasun,
Thank you for your replies.
I am intrigued by your comments that says we already have home grown solutions for AD guns and dont need multiple guns. AK630 based solution will be similar to what China already has developed and hope MOD gets its operational.
But isnt it a fact that OFB is already working on 30 mm and 40 mm guns solutions, while private ventures are offering or in the process of offering BAE 40 mm via Mahindra, rheinmetall / Isreali 30mm via Kalyani group and CTA 40 via L&T?
And what is this with K21 based BIHO Hybrid system offered for India. Why do we need so many systems. Cant we have one streamlined appraoch for air defence?
And is K21 considered for FICV project? If so why? Does'nt Tata alraedy have a ready design, only waiting for funds and a MOD go ahead. I mean if a 30mm / 40mm gun is selected along with Spike LR / Kornet as a ATGM, and with 780 hp engine, couldnt that we a solution with Indian IPR, why go for imported solutions there?
Regards,
Srinivasa Nanduri
Sir please give us detail about EMISAT satellite.
Hi
Was Hamid Ansari honey trapped by isi? Can you throw some light on what actually happened? It's steanst for an indian national to just go to Pakistan like this.
Tushar
Prasun,
Please share you views on the following ..
1 http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2018/12/china-pakistan-have-secret-plan-to.html..
2 http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2018/12/drdo-developing-multi-mission-aircraft.html - looks suspiciously like the dassault falcon!! so id the c 205 off the table? any aircraft we decide. we use it for avro replacement MMMA for the coastgaurd & medium range surveillance aircraft for the IN . Also its irritating to see the likes of HAL (offering upgrades to Avro) & Drdo offering this so late. It clearly smacks of attempts to scuttle private sector. They could have offered the same a whole decade ago esp the Avro upgrade. HAL needs to be disciplined & soon.
Prasun sir, nal director says the rta would be a turboprop aircraft ..do u hv any info on this?? I thought it wud be a turbofan powered aircraft which can later be converted to aerial tanker, maritime patrol version, awacs, special mission craft ..
@Ron,
There is a book "Blood Telegrams", an extremely well researched book by Gary J. Bass. This book is an extraordinary detailed explains theentire environment around the 1971 crisis in East Pakistan that lead finally to the war and dismemberment of Pakistan to its currrent state and Bangladesh.
The book gives details account of the consul general of US, Archer Blood and his official communications with the state department. It also gives details accounts of White House internal tapes that Nixon secretly used for recording all his conversations in the White House between him and all the official meetings, in particular with the chief of staff Kissinger.These tapes kilometers of them were researched which has huge amount of details info on the communications between Nixon and various key officials.
The entire details of the Carrier Batttle Group being sent to Bay of Bengal has been given with the rational that Kissinger and Nixon used for it. This book also gives account of the secret and illegal (from the US law point of view) the transfer of aircrafts that were asked by Kissinger and Nixon, despite legal views given by Pentagon and State department, from Jordan (26 then state-of-the-art F-104 planes) and Turkey (22 planes) to Pakistan just at the begining of the war in October 1971.
But the most important issue was that a secret line of communication between the Nixon White House and China which was helped by Gen Yahya Khan to set up was used in September with China to ask china to build up troops and open a flank against India to prevent the creation of Bangladesh by scaring India into a ceasefire! The meeting in a shady CIA house where the chinese ambassador and Kissinger met in which this was suggested by US was attended by, aside from Kissinger himself, was his assistant and the then US UN representative George H.W. Bush.
This book actualy thanks to the tapes clearly shows that not only US had had some moral and equipment support ($ 1.5 billion of arms sales btween 1965-1971 in todays value $50 bil approx) but was actually promoting and supporting the Genocide in East Pakistan that was launched in March 1971, actively. This despite vicious opposition of the entire East Pakistan entire US consulate office that even sent out protest report signed by all including its consul general, who used the word Selective Genocide (he mentioned that selectively the Pakistani Army under Tikka Khan was selectively killing Hindus and later pushing out hindus as refugees. 7 million hindu refugees to a million of muslims).
An extremely well documented and researched account, that also clarifies the Carrier Group issue, which had entered Bay of Bengal but was to reach near Chitagong in 4 days, when the surrender of Gen Niazi was taken and cease-fire declared.
Kane
PS: Prasunda, apologies if this account contradicts your statement!
Hello sir....
How r u??
Sir I have a fundamental question regarding tejas mk 2. While going for mk2 redesigning process Why IAF didn't asked for serpentine air intakes??
Thanks Prasun Da.
Interesting, that writer (writing in The Print) defined themselves as a group of intellectuals from India :)
However Prasun Da, going forward at best Russia will sell nuclear subs and maybe a few missile systems to India, isn't it ? US has emerged as the biggest player & will continue to remain so in the foreseable future.
So in the future there are not too many military platforms that Russia will be able to sell to India, right ? Fighters, transport aircraft, howitzers etc will be purchased from US and maybe EU but not Russia.
Thanks again.
-Sujoy
Prasun Da,
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/dec/20/drdo-developing-multi-mission-aircraft-for-coast-guard-1914075.html
does there exist a project like this ?
Also, when we have the platform like Boeing P8I Neptune ?
Thanks
Dada heard that Indian Army have selected South Korean Hanwha Biho Hybrid system over pantsir system? Is this true? If yes how is the system from South Korea? And in what number we gonna order and when?
To UNKNOWN/SEEKER: 1) The overall effectiveness of military force is directly proportional to the total destructive firepower that is deliverable, including nuclear WMDs. This is where France & the UK emerge superior to India. 2) Yes, they are on board all 3 Project 15A DDGs. 3) the 450km version. 4) India is only now learning the science of modular shipbuilding & that too from foreign shipyards like Fincantieri. Hence, Indian shipyards, especially the DPSUs, are laggards in such arenas & therefore cannot compete. 5) Militarily too, China is decades behind the West. Don’t be misled by awesome showcases like military parades of the type shown by China. Economically too, China lags far behind most Western countries in areas of industrial innovation & what it has done instead is to replicate existing industrial capacities/processes for the sake of making money through exports. But the downside of all this that the resultant trade wars between China & several Western countries have resulted in severe industrial overcapacity within China & this is now leading to several Chinese companies becoming bankrupt or being forced to declare lock-outs.
To SUJIT: The LCA-AF Mk.2 being a L-MRCA by design cannot be transformed into a Heavy-MRCA. Hence there’s just no need to compare the LCA-AF Mk.2 with the Su-30MKI. RTA-70 was always meant to be a twin turboprop aircraft.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o_no4M2xEPY/TBWcZ_h8jlI/AAAAAAAAKmk/R4CL1acz4Fs/s1600/RTA.JPG
The conceptual regional jetliner is known as the NCA:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wjHLT4k8pHA/TWo34mb15mI/AAAAAAAAM3E/FkQ7KGPksOw/s1600/NCA3.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0SmoqGlWNAQ/TWo34e-rf5I/AAAAAAAAM28/HkLy6jk4jas/s1600/NCA1.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWpRxfrrCRM/TWo34BOM-7I/AAAAAAAAM20/prEGuNcRtYI/s1600/NCA2.jpg
To KRITAVARMA: LoLz! Are you saying that a SSB carrying a solitary SLBM is more than enough to ensure credible sea-based nuclear deterrence? Because that Type 032 SSB can carry only 1 SLBM at a time. So are you also saying that it is perfectly economical to possess a fleet of such SSBs each carrying only 1 SLBM on-board?
To ANSHUMAN CHAKRAVORTY: Those double-hulled SSKs—all of the Type 032 Qing-class family—comprise the S-26 & S-30 SSKs that use Stirling Engine-based AIP modules, while the IN’s six single-hulled Scorpene SSKs don’t have any AIP modules fitted in so far.
To SRINIVASA NANDURI RAMANUJAM: LoLz! No, that’s not the case at all since all three armed services are presently operating different types of AA guns for the same mission, instead of standardising on one unitary gun system. And this is where duplication of effort arises, which in turn greatly increases the acquisition costs. The K21 is nothing but an inferior version of the ZSU-23-4 Schilka. While the K21 uses two barrels, the Schilka has 4. Hence, it is far better to import surplus Schilkas directly from Russia & upgrade them locally as has been the case with the IA’s 48 Schilkas.
To TUSHAR: He himself has given out all facts & by his own admission, it was all his fault for thinking from his heart instead of using his brain.
To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) LoLz! That story has got it all wrong. For, it is now a known fact-of-life that the PAF will acquire the FC-31 MMRCA from Shenyang Aircraft Corp directly off-the-shelf in the following decade. The CPEC package does not include the FC-31 component, but its principal military-industrial component is the setting up of a submarine rebuild facility at Ormara for servicing the eight Type 032 Qing-class SSKs (of the S-26 & S-30 types) that are on order for the PN. 2) That was just a generic illustration showing the Dassault Falcon 900MPA. No one in DRDO is developing any MMA. Instead, what is being developed is only the mission avionics package called the Super Vision for installation on a Do-228 airframe & that’s why CABS last year took delivery of a HAL-built Do-228 for being used as an airborne testbed.
To KANE: There’s no contradiction at all. The book you’ve highlighted deals with all communications from the White House & US State Dept at that time, but very little from the US Defense Dept. It does not highlight anything as far as subsequent declassifications of documents from the US Defense Dept go. It has since emerged that at no point did the White House or State Dept of Defense Dept issue any written or formal Rules of Engagement (ROE) governing the usage of TF-74 in any manner, i.e. the TF-74 was never issued any instructions for militarily intervening in any manner on any front & that explains why only 200 USMC personnel were on board the warships, hardly a force to be used for any form of land combat. So the deployment of TF-74 was deliberately kept vague & undefined, since the US view at that time was that officially, TF-74 was to be deployed in the IOR area as per a bilateral agreement the US had struck with India in 1963 under which a task force of the USN’s 7th Fleet was to spend a specified period of days in the IOR as part of efforts to deter China from conventionally attacking India. But back in December 1971 since Chennai Port was then devoid of any berthing facilities due to the on-going war effort, the TF-74 instead decided to dock at Trincomalee.
Similarly, the issue of China militarily intervening is not borne out by subsequent releases of facts & thus remains a one-sided (US) view. In fact, between August & November 1971 the Soviets had mobilised close to 23 Motor Rifle Divisions along the Sino-Soviet border in Xinjiang & along the Sino-Mongolian border as part of efforts to keep the PLA fully preoccupied with these two fronts, which resulted in the PLA being unable to open another military front against & that too at a time when severe winter prevented the PLA from even contemplating the staging of any kind of land offensive against India.
To ASHISH GAUTAM: Looks like SBI has been keeping you very busy! Serpentine air-intakes are fine for M-MRCAs & H-MRCAs, but not L-MRCAs like the LCA-AF Mk.2.
Yeah sir it is...
U know what... After launch of gsat7a I felt like k armed MALE N HALE catogry k drones banane ka Kam should be given to ISRO... They will give d user required product within 2-3years... But drdo n ADA etc may take 5-6 yrs more....
Do you see Modi coming back to power in 2019 with BJP making govt on its own????
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: Largely due to the nuclear factor (both civil & military), Russia will continue to be far ahead of the US in monetary terms.
To SUMANTA NAG: No one in DRDO is developing any MMA. Instead, what is being developed is only the mission avionics package called the Super Vision for installation on a Do-228 airframe & that’s why CABS last year took delivery of a HAL-built Do-228 for being used as an airborne testbed.
To SUMIT SEN: This is the system:
http://www.hanwha-defensesystems.co.kr/mobile/eng/products/antiaircraft-artillery.do
The programme calls for procurement of five Regiments, or 104 systems, of mobile gun-missile systems, including 4,928 missiles and 172,260 rounds of ammunition costing $1.6 billion. This is totally different from another IA reqmt that calls for procuring 938 guns to replace in-service Swedish Bofors L-70 and Russian ZU-23MM-2Bs along with 5,05,920 rounds of ammunition with the purchase, including 1,63,200 smart 3P rounds. And then there is the IAF reqmt for 244 air-defence guns, 228 fire control and search radars, and 204,000 programmable bullets. So altogether, there are 3 separate reqmts all calling for the same type of air-defence artillery guns. Absolute, sheer & total madness!!!
To ASHISH GAUTAM: LoLz! While you are recommending ISRO to take over the DRDO’s responsibilities, the RM in her all-knowing wisdom has directed the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) to take over the responsibility. And that’s because she has ASSUMED that only the DGQA can ensure that all public-sector & private-sector companies & SMSEs can attain the advanced industrial levels reqd for swiftly developing new weapon prototypes. What she has obviously overlooked is that the DGQA DOES NOT create or formulate new MIL-STDs. Instead, it only endorses the MIL-STDs of Russia & NATO, just like the DGCA that only endorses the airworthiness certificates of the US FAA & European EASA authorities. And that’s why in each & every RFI issued by the MoD, there is always mention of compliance with NATO MIL-STDs. Not a single RFI specifies any DGQA-origin MIL-STD.
Bottomline: These ‘brain-dead Netas’ are absolutely clueless about how to go about creating & mentoring institutions. And this is because of their basic instincts on the methodology of coming to power, i.e. manipulating the institutions by abusing the rule of law. And that’s precisely why the country’s bureaucracy is revolting against the ascension to power of ‘brain-dead Netas’ like that Bisht fella from Gorakhpur who is nothing but a one-man bulldozer specialising in the creation of religious bigotry & communal polarisation. And the longer he stays in power in UP, the greater will the loss for the present-day ruling coalition in the 2019 general elections. It is indeed worthwhile now to ask why does the overwhelming bulk of religious bigotry & communal polarization continue to persist in UP, while other states faced with such problems (like MP & Bihar). Can’t the ruling class of UP ever differentiate between Raaj Neeti (politics) & Koot Neeti (politicking)? This one state (UP) not only continues its tradition of regressive politicking since the 1960s, but also continues to be a singular source of global embarrassment for India.
And do browse through this:
https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/pub/newsletter/2018/Dec_18.pdf
To SUMIT SEN: There's no clarity on whether the tri-services of man-portable VSHORADS will be compatible with the IA's reqmt for the 104 mobile gun-missile systems & whether a single VSHORADS will be selected for all 3 armed services & whether the same missile rounds will also be specified for the IA's & IAF's Rudra ALH & LCH helicopters. As it is the Rudras are armed with MBDA-supplied Mistrals, while the IAF's AH-64E Apaches are coming with Stinger missiles. In other words, HQ Integrated Defence Staff is unable to standardise the reqmt for VSHORADS & their helicopter-launched missile variants. A very convoluted state of affairs indeed.
It's just a matter of time where US is bracing for an outright defeat in Afghanistan, after withdrawal from Syria. Is my assessment correct? US talking to Taliban, congruence of Pak , Russia and China in the matters of Afghanistan are some of the indicators.
To DASHU & SRINIVASA NANDURI RAMANUJAM: Later today it will become known whether or not Asif Ali Zardari goes behind bars on a long prison-term for the second time in his life. And on the 24th of this month Nawaz Sharif’s fate will be decided, i.e. whether or not he gets convicted & sentenced on charges of accounted-for wealth accumulation & money laundering. A similar axe now hangs over the shoulders of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari & Marium Nawaz Sharif-Safdar & Shehbaaz Sharif. Nor will the provincial govt in Sindh be in a position of launching agitational politics due to fears of Governor’s Role being imposed over Sindh. At most, Sanam Bhutto will have to return to Pakistan from Dubai to take over the reins of the PPP. Thus political vacuum will in turn result a valuable time-period of 6 months being given to Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi to push through the urgently-needed administrative reforms through Parliament, since the opposition parties in this six-month period will be absolutely rudderless & will therefore be ineffectual in Parliament. At the same time, the PA has ensured through intimidation that the MQM party continues to lend support to the PTI-led federal govt, thereby ensuring that this govt continues to enjoy a simple majority in Parliament. In other words, the PA is paving the way for Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi to pursue an unrelenting offensive political momentum that reduces the country’s opposition parties to paperless tigers, while at the same time ensuring that the domestic law-n-order situation remains under control in order to pacify the Chinese investors in CPEC. So, do watch this analysis of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi's 100 days in power:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tdkC9VeEik
Hi Prasunji,
What are your thoughts on #Gandhimustfall movement in Africa and whether China is behind this as per some rumours, but I have some doubts about the China angle. What do you think India & Indians should do about it?
Thanks & Regards
Hardik Thanki
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sohrabuddin-sheikh-encounter-case-verdict-likely-today-10-points-1965911?pfrom=home-topscroll
1)What is your take on this based on your knowledge? Is this what you call removing loose ends? His wife was raped and killed such inhuman thing to do?
2’What is your take on Naren Pandya murder? Some claim it was the biggest political murder in India? If you think this too sensitive issue
Don’t answer it
3) if any please give your analysis on him and his associates who got murdered?
Ron
Dear Sir,
There was no agitation with Nawaz Sharif, Maryam or Shebaaz arrest, simply because the public mood/thought in pakistan has changed to the supremacy of the rule of law. This started with Mushrafs second coup attempt and it continues with a strong judiciary.
Zardari's PPP are tainted now and have little of no chance of coming to power in the centre. In Sindh they have been told to perform without corruption, they will be safe. The key fact is that the average PPP supporter has no love for the Zardari's. His rich supporter are less likely to support, as the power of patronage is being replaced by law.
The paks seem to be going in the right direction. Do you think they are on the road to becoming a normal functional state?
MPatel
Dear Prasunda,
Sorry for the comment full of spelling & gramatical mistakes. I realise that 2 drinks and commenting is definitely not a good idea.
Considering you are very deep into the defense as well as political & strategic issues of the country, I can really recommend this book "The Blood Telegrams" by Gary J. Bass, ISBN 978-0-307-70020-9
The book has small print 350 pages of details (...and an additional 150 pages of references including exptensive documents from NSC files, CIA reports and briefings - a lot redacted- State department, Nixon library, Nixon tapes, Indian official records, Haksar and Nehru center and of course the Embassy and Consul of US in Pakistan east & west, Sri Lanka, India) on the period of the 1971 revolving around the genocide in East Pakistan that began on march 25 and continues until the "official" ( this official with quote, as the actual outbreak had already happened with the Battle of Boyra in East Pakistan and the followup airbattle that had 3 Sabres downed by IAF on November 21-22)outbreak of the war on on December 3.
But your statement of a benign presence of US battle group TF-74, TF-74 was to be deployed in the IOR area as per a bilateral agreement the US had struck with India in 1963, does not stand up to the detailed text of Nixon's communication with Kissinger, GHW Bush, CIA, and the meetings of the national security council records since 1970 until the 1972.
Nixon was almost vitriolic and hated India and Indians, as made clear in the repeated statements of abuse in conversation after conversations between him and his entire cabinet but mostly his close confidant Kissinger and Alexander Haig. few examples: "These wholesale invation of East Pakistan by the bloody Indians"; "Its naked agression by Indians"; "India is outrageous";"We can not allow India to dictate the political future of Pakistan"; "That woman is a bitch(Indira Gandhi)"; "He's a decent man (Gen Yahya Khan). He is doing a hard job trying to keep the country together."; "We will not withhold weapon deliveries for the sake of applying pressure. (This after almost the entire Dhaka team of US consulate almost declared mutiny after repeatedly claiming genocide is going on in East Pakistan)"
He and Kissinger clearly and without any iota opf doubt wanted to seriously make Gen Yahya Khan win if the battle broke out and later did everything to make sure that Pakistan got almost 1 billion dollars of urgent equipment to carry out his genocide in 1971 including machine guns, APC's and ammunitions, vital parts for the aicrafts. This also in the middle of almost daily reports of Archer Blood and his deplomatic corps officials from Dhaka of genocide including gruesomedetails of the machine-gunning of the Dhaka University Hindu Hostel and the cold blooded murger of the hindu professors on the Uni lawn.
He exlplicitely asked the NSC that had Kissinger, Alexander Haig, millitary chiefs of staff and CIA with his order to deploy TF-74 and bomb indian lines of communications as soon as the reached Bay of Bengal to protect and defend Chittagong port.
There is also quite a few conversations where he categorically told Kissinger, who was egging him all the time, towards protecting Yahya Khan.... that if by any reason the Soviets interfared he would authorise the use of nukes.
...cont'd
For example this conversation on the 12 Dec. According to Nixon this was..."the first decision to risk war in the triangular Soviet- Chinese-American relationship"
Alexander Haig walked into Oval office "The chinese want to meet on an urgent basis." Kissinger said "that is unprecedented". Nixon asked Kissinger if the Chinese were really going to send troops, you think. Kissinger "No questions"... then after the discussion continued, Kissinger said " We should goad them on, as if we call them off our entire Chinese initiative is pretty down the drain." (Later the Chinese did not send troops as the soviets were building up its forces on the borders of China, as you correctly wrote).
On the issue further Kissinger"We have to trigger this quickly. If the Russsians get away with threatening the Chinese and India get away with defeating Pakistan, we would be looking down the gun barrel for decades."
Kissinger "We do not have to lob nuclear weapons. We have to go to alert now, we have to get in. We have to put the forces in. We may have to give them(Pakistan) bombing assitance."
Haig tacitly suggested that US should tacitly support a Chinese invation of India and if the Soviet Union threatened China they should put "unacceptable" options before them.
They all agreed and the White house was ready to escalate.
On December 12 Soviet Union veto'ed for the 3rd time resolution against India put forward by US. On the same day the Pentagon was told to send the USS Enterprise and its battle group including heli-carrier USS Tripoli and seven destroyers and others towards steam Bay of Bengal.
On 13th Dec. when IAF bombed one of the meetings of Gen Niazi and the East Pakistan govt. in Dhaka and the same day he asked Niazi surrender under a Geneva convention protocol. Gen Yahha informed Gen Niazi to hold on a few more days as the US has assured that the Task force was on its way.
That very day Kissinger said to Nixon that the Indian ambassador said to me "...he has unmistakable oroof that US is planning a landing on the Bay of Bengal. My reply was, thats ok with me." Kissinger added with satisfaction "That carrier move is good".
On 14th the task-force entered Bay of Bengal passing by Thailand. On the 16th Dec the Task force would have reached East Pakistan, but on the 15th Gen Niazi sent the message to Gen Manekshaw that he was ready to surrender after a ceasefire, passed along by the US embassy in Delhi to Haksar, Indiraji's adviser.
When this came through, then Gen Yahya Khan requested Kissinger to send the USS Enterprise to save Karachi as it was fearful that India would push on in West Pakistan to grab "Azad Kashmir" and Chhamb.
That is when, on Dec 16th the TF-74 started moving from Bay of Bengal towards Indian Ocean.
Kane
Neta's most in India r mindless. Just like I feel like Mamata Banerjee wants accession of WB in Bangladesh. As far as I know on ground situation in WB is not good. N may be BJP lead central govt can induce president rule in state. Though all these r just possibilities.
In short all these so called neta including pappu etc just take decisions mind lessly n makes organization's n common man suffer.
Ex First they asks banks to give loans then they go for koan maafi n banks get cacsnt affecting economy badly....
In d same manner defence goes through its own failures.
As per this report both weight and accuracy are a concern for ATAGS.
Weight we have heard before.
What is this accuracy issue ?
http://idrw.org/indigenous-gun-trials-of-the-army-to-enter-next-stage-by-june/
Venky
https://m.timesofindia.com/world/us/trump-throws-kabul-new-delhi-under-the-bus-with-afghan-withdrawal-move/articleshow/67188406.cms
https://www.timesnownews.com/amp/india/article/court-directs-cbi-to-cancel-look-out-circular-against-ex-iaf-chief/334809
https://theprint.in/pre-truth/when-a-supreme-court-order-came-back-to-bite-a-former-sc-judge/167246/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zycgc2lZy9A
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/opposition-up-in-arms-against-centres-new-surveillance-order/article25796586.ece
Prasun da now is india going to be surveillance state.what this govt is upto by snooping on home computers of citizens where as it fails misreably on cyber security.
we still dont have data protection act and what are the safeguards for common man.
thanks and regards.
PK
To HARDIK THANKI: Why go into unnecessary conspiracy theories when the emergence of facts can lead one to the truth? Is it not a fact that M K Gandhi was a medical stretcher-bearer for the British Army during the Boer War? Why did he take up that job? That’s why it is said that there are several facets to the truth & various facts lead toward the ultimate truth, which is never one-sided. So, one has to collate all available facts & only then will one be able top close in on the PROBABLE TRUTH, if not the exact/ultimate truth.
To RON: 1 & 2) These are all manifestations of the utter lack of reforms in India’s law-enforcement processes/machinery, which remain rooted in the 1864 Police Act. Today, witnesses can turn hostile through intimidation or they can even vanish forever & the only way to overcome this deficiency is to enact legislation on witness protection schemes. Until then, several facts will go unnoticed or remain unproven & consequently the truth will never emerge. It is also noteworthy that almost every crime committed by the super-rich-n-wealthy & also during communal violence incidents takes a very long time to be proven beyond doubt because of this very reason, i.e. witnesses turning hostile under severe coercion. Only a witness protection scheme (different from a whistleblower protection scheme) will be able to overcome such legal hurdles.
To KANE: As I’ve explained above, there are several facets to the truth & various facts lead toward the ultimate truth, which is never one-sided. So, one has to collate all available facts & only then will one be able to close in on the PROBABLE TRUTH, if not the exact/ultimate truth. Consequently, to reach a conclusion by reading just one book will be an utter fallacy, since no single book is a tell-all. Nor has any publication to date addressed the absence of 2 vital documents that can conclusively establish whether or not the events portrayed in that book are100% true. These are: a written executive order from POTUS to initiate military hostilities another country, & a written-down Rules of Engagement (ROE). Without these two, one is only left with recorded oral communications, but is not backed up by any written evidence about operational instructions/directives specifying any form of kinetic action. Hence, only the day these 2 documents come into the public domain will one know whether or not the orally communicated intentions were translated into stipulated actions. In addition, was it commonsensical to pitch some 60 carrier-based combat aircraft against six sqns of IAF combat aircraft over the skies of East Pakistan? Was it commonsensical for only 200 USMC personnel to confront a 200,000-stropng IA presence within East Pakistan at that time? Was it commonsensical for the Soviet Navy’s SSGNs to keep shadowing TF-74 while remaining surfaced, & not submerged as wartime ROEs dictate? Was it commonsensical for the US & USSR to lock horns against one another & head for World War-3 at a time when they were engaged in serious negotiations over the SALT treaty? Hence, until answers to all these are found, it will be highly infantile to jump to conclusions based on conspiracy theories derived from mere recorded oral communications in bits & pieces that do not point toward any consequent actions being taken after the issuance of clear & written instructions. Also, the area skirting the Gulf of Siam (Thailand) is the Andaman Sea, not the Bay of Bengal.
To ASHISH GAUTAM: I don’t know how you can possibly reach such a conclusion on the intentions of TMC when there are no actions taken as yet to back up such intentions, if at all they exist. The ground situation therefore is quite good, in fact far better than most other states in terms of stability. In fact, states like WB & Tripura have over the years been able to tackle law-n-order challenges largely through their own state police forces. The unrest in Darjeeling last year was a prominent example. Likewised, Tripura earlier this decade used its Police STFs to launch several & far deeper cross-border surgical strikes against separatist tribal groups that used to take sanctuary inside Bangladesh. But such operations are never to be publicised (which the inferiority complex-afflicted BJP leadership fellas will never understand) because publicity will always make the enemy alert & take both defensive measures & countermeasures, which will prevent the undertaking of surgical strikes inside foreign territory in a sustained manner. While any sensible opposition party would have opted for a ‘mass contract programme’ in WB, the BJP nitwits have once again resorted to the usage of ritualistic religiosity by calling such programmes RATH YATRAS, thereby deliberately giving it a communal colour. And therefore the WB High Court has rightly stepped in to forestall such idiotic & inflammatory practices:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/calcutta-high-court-cancels-its-order-allowing-bjp-s-save-democracy-rath-yatra-in-state/story-WZzPmRTZzmY8sgYwpOaMhP.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/mamata-banerjee-on-her-way-to-throttle-bjp-s-west-bengal-strategy/story-mDiCamJ1o9zzgWA1hwyUhO.html
Cont'd below...
Now to more serious matters. Yesterday was a very interesting seminar on:
https://imrmedia.in/events/event.php?event_id=211
What was very interesting were the reactions to my question about comparative shipbuilding productivity, i.e. why is it that the Indian Coast Guard always continues to receive its vessels ahead of schedule from those very private-sector & DPSU shipyards that, when it comes to the IN’s warships, always end up delivering the warships far behind schedule? I also met several DRDO personnel who were graded as ‘Scientists’. When I asked them that since scientists make breakthrough discoveries, what discoveries they had made so far, none of them could provide answers. Instead, what emerged is that these ‘scientists’ only study the already discovered formulae & try to replicate them in-country, i.e. they focus only on the ‘desi’ industrial processes. It is making generic drugs after coming to know about already-patented pharmaceutical formulae. Bahaut hi bura, dardnaak, afsausnaak, khaufnaak aur sharmnaak intellectual haal hain.
To VENKY: The existing accuracy for the Bofors FH-77 is a CEP of 90 metres. So once this howitzer gets equipped with a North Pointing System using the Sigma-30 RLG-INS (which is what the Dhanush-45 & ATAGS are), then the CEP gets reduced to some 40 metres. One must then add (through the Shakti ACCCS fire-direction network) the meteorological inputs from the Finland-supplied DIGICOR meteorological radar. Only then can a comprehensive database be generated for the sake of deriving the optimum fire-control solution for targeting & then the CEP drops to 20 metresm which is the best for unguided rounds (pinpoint accuracy can be achieved only through GPS-guided projectiles). So far, ATAGS has been subjected to only ballistic firing trials. The next round of trials will involve integration of the ATAGS with the Shakti ACCCS & only then will the accuracy data-points be generated for the sake of fine-tuning the ATAGS’ on-board digital ballistics computer.
To PK: No one cam snoop in on individual standalone computers or other telecommunications devices unless they are directly/physically bugged. Bulk of the snooping involves direct hacking into NETWORKS, data-links & fibre-optic cables. So, kindly rest assured that the recent GoI directive is all about ‘trying to bite far more than one can chew’.
To MPATEL: If you mean that Pakistan is transitioning from a national security state to a welfare state, then the answer is NO. Because the very 1st step reqd to initiate the transition is the total overhauling of the educational system & the related national narrative, which as it now exists, is propagating 100% falsehoods that are contradictory to what the rest of the world holds to be true. Nor can regressive sentiments of religiosity be discarded overnight. Consequently, lots of new TACTICAL SUBTERFUGES are now being introduced, like PM Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi on one hand repeatedly stating that the Kashmir issue can be resolved only through dialogue, while on the other hand his Foreign Minister reiterating that the Kashmir issue can be resolved only as per the UNSC Resolutions. In other words, what BOTH are saying although in different voices (under intense behind-the-scenes Chinese pressure) is that India needs to cede her claim over Gilgit Baltistan so that pakistan can incorporate it as a fifth province & thereby give the CPEC the legitimacy that China has been demanding, and at the same time India should aim for a solution that involves only what Pakistan calls Azaad Kashmir & J & K state, meaning Pakistan is still harbouring hopes of having the cake & eating it as well. But needless to say, India will never surrender her claims to Gilgit-Baltistan & in fact it is the IA & IAF that have made it clear to the spineless netas of India that under no circumstances can the citizens of India be hoodwinked into trashing the all-parliamentary resolution that was passed on February 24, 1994 by India.
Meanwhile, here's another symbolic bailout (but not an investment):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSsHDxGLU1o
Those interested in downloading the latest installment of the Indian Navy's official history can do so from here:
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/blue-waters-ahoy-indian-navy-2001-2010
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/sites/default/files/Indian_navy_book.pdf
"When I asked them that since scientists make breakthrough discoveries, what discoveries they had made so far, none of them could provide answers" - better than the Yes Minister series!! However, I beg to differ Prasun- they have made discoveries that they have not made any discovery at all!! LOL I have always known that DRDO is an organisation which finds ways to transform foreign products into generic brands - albeit spending many years browsing at the formula. So in effect they do eventually discover but not invent because invention is creating from non-existent but discovery means finding something already there e.g. discover a galaxy or an island but invent vaccination.
Prasun sir,
1) Can you please suggest a few books/websites that will give basic info on how modern naval wars in the 21st century are fought? Especially info about Radars, tactics, AShM usage etc?
2) I was watching a documentary (admittedly old one) about British warships of the eighties.
It was shown that some missiles had their fins removed for storage and had to be attached by hand before firing.
I was wondering do our modern missiles like brahmos/Barak 8 in VLS silos need individual modifications before firing?
If a wave of cruise missiles are attacking a warship, can all 16/32 Barak 8 missiles be ripple fired from their silos or would they need some attachments by hand?
What about brahmos in that case?
3) How would you rate websites like Jane's or defence industry daily? Are they sources of accurate info?
4) With that orange moron trump now leaving Afghanistan and Syria, what do you think the future holds for these conflicts?
I'm especially concerned that once the taliban takes control of afghan pak will turn their attention to j&k and the situation will flare like in the 1990s.
5) Since the original brahmos (p800) capable of only 550km range, is it possible for drdo to increase range to 800 km as they have claimed?
6) How long before the forces begin recieving the 450km range brahmos-ER?
7) Which ships will recieve the recently developed L&T quad brahmos Launcher?
Thanks,
Vishal
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-turkeys-recep-tayyip-erdogan-phone-call-set-us-defence-secretary-jim-mattis-resignation-1966546?pfrom=home-topscroll
1) what is happening in Middle East? why US is withdrawing with Mathis resignation? Why secretaries quitting under him?
2) what happens now US withdrawing from Afghanistan ?
Ron
Dear Prasunda,
When you write " So, one has to collate all available facts & only then will one be able to close in on the PROBABLE TRUTH, if not the exact/ultimate truth."; you are absolutely right.
But from your blog and your staements, I have learned from you to assess all the available facts and what the people are saying to extrapolate what actually could happen. So taking the actual meeting statements, and the words of in actual strategy discussions in White House between Nixon, Kissinger, Alexander Haig. George H.W Bush, the CIA and the NSC meetings, The state Department statements and the actual comms of Keeting, the then Ambassador of US in India and the ambassador of US in Pakistan, Consul in Dhaka....
One thing comes across chrystal clear. US Enterprise carrier groups presence in Bay of Bengal was NOT benign vis-a-vis India.
But I remain an dilligent student of yours and thank you for your razor sharp assessments and dilligence in answering our comments and questions, inspite of some being real idiotic sometimes.
Kane
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