Sir will you be adding an explanation of what we are seeing? it seems there is a lot of duplication going on- tracked an tart based GCCs for the Army are shown, trailer mounted and truck bed mount dater centres for the IAF are shown.
There appears to be a distinct lack of consistency or is this down to the project having moved beyond the original phamplets that are scanned on here?
To FALLOUT & LINKIN: Nope, the IA has NOT walked out of the tracked option. As the photo filenames clearly state, the tracked option is for those Akash-1 Troops & Groups that are deployed in the plains & desert terrain, while the wheeled (motorised) option is for those Troops & Groups that are meant for deployment over mountainous/jungle terrain in the highlands in India’s north & north-east. Therefore, the IA has placed firm orders for both tracked & wheeled TELs for Akash-1
To FALLOUT: For the VSHORADS reqmt, no final selection has taken place, i.e. the L-1 bidder has yet to be identified. But in all probability MBDA will emerge as the winner of this competition & the ground-launched version of the Mistral (whose ATAM variant is already o order for the Rudras & LCHs of the IA & IAF) will be acquired for all three armed services.
Recently I came across a news criticizing the Arihant project that it is at par a technology demonstrator. Its reactor will run out in very short span of time. What's your say? Thanks in advance.
Its being long that you shared tejas MK2 R&D effort and milestone(2011). Can you share how that development is flaring now and when are the next milestone. Is there any impact because of new Raksha Mantri??? You have always been the source of correct information compared to other mirch masala author out there!!
To PRASHANT SINGHAL: Airframe fabrication of the Tejas Mk2 MRCA’s PV-1 has already commenced. First flight will take place sometime in 2017. New RM won’t have any impact on the MRCA’s developmental schedule. More info will likely come out next month during the Aero India expo.
To Anon@8.36AM: Cost escalations have taken place because of 1) the falling valuation of the Rupee 2) rising import bills for hydrocarbons & coal 3) rising import bills for consumer electronics items & gold. Consequently, EVERY weapon system or sub-system being imported also becomes cost-prohibitive & affects programmes like the Su-30MKI licenced-production & production of Tejas Mk1 MRCA. It is futile investing in just radars & sensors when there’s not much available to act upon their inputs & neutralise the emanating threats.
To REDDY: US isn’t giving any lethal weapons in substantial numbers to Pakistan. Instead, the giveaways comprise mostly logistical support equipment & vehicles. As for Kabul-based Afghan factions, India has since the late 1980s always maintained close ties with them & continues to do so & supports them in every way humanly possible. On nuclear matters, contrary to the popular perception, it was the US that gave the nod to Canada to export its CANDU nuclear reactors since the mid-1960s in an unsafeguarded manner, even though India had not inked the NPT. Similarly, it was the US that allowed the likes to Commodore A Paulraj to go to Silicon Valley in the 1970s & acquire the necessary core competencies reqd for designing & developing sonar suites for warships. Almost ALL of the IN’s & IAF’s experimental test pilots have since the 1960s been US-trained & qualified. Same goes for all those pilots who are today flying the IN’s MiG-29K/KUB. They were all trained in the US on US Navy T-45 Goshawks & only then they became qualified for carrier deck landings. No other country has been able to match the kind of military cooperation examples I’ve quoted above. And for sure the US has NEVER engaged in such cooperative ventures with Pakistan. Regarding working with ISRO, your best bet is to contact ANTRIX Corp, the commercial arm of ISRO that deals with such issues.
To VIDYUT & VISHAL: The article is not factual. That’s all I can say about it.
To RAD: Mini-UAVs made by NAL & ADE are all laboratory models & have never been subjected to user-trials. Only one built by TATA was, & that has since been ordered for both the IA & ITBP. The Raven will be used more by the CAPFs. Global Hawk HALE-UAV will be mafe available to the IN once India becomes a full-fledged member of the MTCR by the end of this year. SP-series Tejas Mk1 MRCAs will come fitted with Cobham of UK-supplied nosecones & retractable aerial refueling probes. Derby BVRAAM is for the IN’s LCA (Navy) Mk1s. The IAF’s Tejas M1s will have the Astra-1 BVRAAMs. Required AoA was reached a long time ago (about two years back). It will be interesting to see what kind of lightweight PGMs the IAF opts for in the near future for these MRCAs. AS for the DRDO Chief, all I can say is that being a superb scientist does not automatically translate into being a good administrator or human resources manager. The LCH’s stub-wings’ design looks alright if they’re meant to carry 8 or 16 ATGMs. Only hardware lacking in the wings are edge-mounted MAWS & LWR.
To PRATEEK: The AAP has totally belied the expectations of the residents of Delhi. It is now a party of anarchists & rabble-rousers & is totally incapable of undertaking/providing purposeful & decisive public administration.
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) Totally untrue. IAF has already spent its own money on the Barak-2 MR-SAM procurement programme. 25km-range Akash-1 by comparison is at best an E-SHORADS & Akash-2 with 35km-range will still not be a fire-and-forget system like the Barak-2. 2) That’s because the order is a huge one & therefore one is financially justified in engaging in R & D aimed at coming out with an indigenous alternative. 3) All SP-series Tejas Mk1s will be headed out for Sulur for No45 Sqn.
To ANIONE: Not on patrol, but the F/A-22 Raptors are usually employed for providing air escorts to Air Force One.
To RAD: The SOSNA has not been ordered by anyone in India.
To RAJESH: CRN-91 can fire tracer & high-explosive armour-piercing rounds. The AK-630 does not.
To SANDSTONE: Design work on P-17A FFG has already begun. Only metal-cutting is awaited.
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR & GESSLER: Nothing of that sort will ever happen, rest assured.
To BRUH: Deals are only signed by respective custodians of such hardware. In this case, since the US Defense Secretary isn’t accompanying the US President, no such deal will be signed.
To JAY BHANUSHALI: The total number of attack helicopters reqd is about 70, if the IAF’s force projections are to be believed. But the IAF does not want to use such attack helicopters purely as close air support platforms for the IA, & instead wants them to take part in IAF-specific special operations as well as CSAR. AS for the ISA’s reqmt for integral close air support, the MoD should have instructed the IA long time ago to formalise its reqmt for an LAH version of the LCH. Why this has not yet happened is a mystery, & instead the IA has so far committed itself only to the Rudra helicopter gunship. Logical things to do would have been to develop the Rudra as a helicopter-gunship optimised only or CSAR, followed by developing the LAH, & then accelerating the development of the HAL-designed RSH/LUH. In case you’re interested in knowing how attack helicopters & RSHs functions, then do watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JalGTtOpUrw&hd=1
To SAKSHI: This situation has arisen in the public debate due to only one reason: utter lack of common-sense. Folks still are unable to grasp the fact that cost escalations have taken place NOT because of any Western conspiracy, but due to 1) the falling valuation of the Rupee 2) rising import bills for hydrocarbons & coal 3) rising import bills for consumer electronics items & gold. Consequently, EVERY weapon system or sub-system being imported also becomes cost-prohibitive & affects programmes like the Su-30MKI licenced-production, production of Tejas Mk1 MRCA, production of indigenously designed & fabricated warships, etc etc. And of course matters are not helped when India’s Parliament approves idiotic & adversarial laws related to civil nuclear liability & retrospective taxation.
To RITURAJ: 1) Yes, it is called the Divya Drishti network. 2) Two per squadron.
hi Prasun you mentioned that the astra is the preferred missile for the lca , but the question is will the drdo be able to integrate and test fire the missile in accordance to the FOC that should be done in the year end.In that case they will not have an option but to offer the derby .will the python 5 be integrated to the lca as it is a more modern missile? is it on the pipeline?
Is there Akash-2 program with increased range and terminal onboard seeker or we'll go for the French Mythri program. Akash-1 has been described as obsolete technology SAM with no seeker by the French. What is your opinion sir?
Hi Prasun Dont you thing it will be more cost effective to mount an active seeker whether IIR or radar on the akash to make it much more effective as we have invested huge sums of money.The french seem to be worried and are commenting it is an old tech. Well putting an active seeker should not be a problem as it seems to be a large missile, more over the range will increase due to fire and forget mode.I do remember Israeli pilots being scared of the sa-6 on which it is based on. Of course they overcame it by jamming, but were impressed by the maneuverability. Akash is a generation better.But one thing is worrying akash need a plethora of back up vehicle to be effective unlike the the simplicity of the spyder system. They should improve the system by changing all the radar involved in to aesa based .
HI prasun Is the aswini 4d aesa radar totally indigenous or is there some outside hand holding.Has it the same features as the arudhra radar. Can we compare it with the giraffe AMD radar which seems to be the leader in gap filling radars.Why dont we make a mast as tall at the giraffe for better low level detection.Is it a knock off french or israeli system.rad
Given the fact that the US designs far more hi-tech weapons than Russia and is now willing to sell most of these weapons to India, does India still need Russia?
1. As India and US are working to enhance defence co-production and development, what is your take on local production of C-130 to replace AVRO and AN-32 in coming decade as well as anticipated demand from Army Aviation Corps+ requirement for NDRF, BSF, Coast Guard and ITBP.
2. Should not India focus on UCAV instead of AMCA ? what you think is best country to partner with for UCAV project given that France, US and Russia are actively working on UCAV?
Since Sushma Swaraj is travelling to Beijing, do you think it is possible for India to make an offer to China that if it de nuclearizes Pakistan, India will not join any anti China (trilateral/quadrilateral) alliance?
In any case Japan is not going to open an Eastern front against China in case the latter attacks India.
I do not understand the point of the P75I tender. Are we to operate with a menagerie of conventional submarines? We have seen what the paucity of spares, infrastructure and skilled hands has done to the IN's sub-surface fleet even as it struggles with two different types of conventional submarines sourced from two different countries and thus from two different OEMs. Do we want to exacerbate the situation, have we somehow come upon funds sufficient to put in place the required infrastructure and train the required manpower in order to deal with four different types of conventional submarines?
I never understood the notion of accruing ToT from a Western design and a Russian design and then mixing and matching them, as if it were some puzzle. What an inane notion.
Perhaps the MoD needs to think things through instead of tooting the "Make in India" horn- which it seems means scredrivergiri only by private concerns rather than our DPSUs.
The scorpene with an integrated AIP system from the get-go is the ideal solution. Not because it is the best platform out there but simply because anything else at this stage would be prohibitive.
Perhaps we shall prove the record wrong this time and defy our otherwise congenital bent towards stupidity? Parrikar is not his predecessor, mercifully. He also is not everything that blind forum goers peg him to be, given that he thinks that accelerated acquisitions and assembly of foreign systems in country by private companies can somehow be the path towards a "respected and feared India."
China will not agree to a "denuclearized" Pakistan.
In China's interest- A Pakistan which can serve as a near pear opponent to India as a result of its nuclear arsenal and traditionally aggressive posture.
Not in China's interest- A Pakistan which is so unstable and so thoroughly compromised that its warheads can be used by irregular combatants without any measure of predictability as to the target and causation.
There is quite a bit of ground between these two poles, and so China does not see the need to denuclearize Pakistan. Not in exchange of any promise that India might provide. As things stand, at the moment, Pakistan has ensured that its arsenal is protected, if and when there are clear and tangible signs (multiple attacks on well guarded high security bases for example)that Pakistan's ability to protect said arsenal has been compromised then we may see some movement from the Chinese.
Otherwise, there is no coalition of the willing at the moment.
There was news that India is negotiating for (Project 11356) class frigate with Russia while Russia itself was buying more modern (Project 22350) . why can't India consider more modern design for example FREMM or Type 26.
You are no less stupid than that MP Sakshi Maharaj.
Sujata Singh's appointment was done after the veto of Sonia Gandhi. She was not fit for the job and ended up in that post because of her father's connection. Thereafter, the woman became so arrogant that she started insulting journalists. Moreover, her tongue-tied approach was so visible during Obama's visit. So she had to be kicked out.
Compared to her, Jaishankar is world apart. He is the best ambassador we have got so he was appointed. Modi government had no better option than him. So I may not have agreed to Avinash CHander's decision but this one was good. You better open your eyes and stop smoking that stuff.
What percentage of the price of an aircraft or warship is paid back to the OEM as a royalty or license fee?
For example - if HAL builds Su-30MKI or AJT Hawk completely in India with Indian raw materials, or MDL builds Scorpene in India, what would be the royalty fee?
I was told that in civil industry TOT, it varies between 5-8%. How is it in Defence industry? Please give me some sources if possible.
Am I reading too much that our foreign minister is landing in China today & when just test fired Agni 5 missile though the visit & test was schedule long before. The reason for asking this question is because China tested J-20 when American Defense Secretary was there on a state visit & it created much hullabaloo that time. VMT in advance.
Hi prasun Please give us more inputs on the agni 5 missile.On observing the launch i noticed a jet of flame briefly at 10 o clock position just as the missile cleared the tube and shortly after the main motor ignited a cap fell of the rear, I dont know how many people noticed that. I presume that it is a stabilization device much like the top cap of the brahmos missile which turns the missile horizontally , stabilizes it and is discarded. I dont know of any missile having such a system. This tech would be very useful during underwater launch of missiles where the water current above the submarine may tilt the missile. congrats agni team.
after the agni-V canister launch, a subsequent report mentioned that the vehicle landed in australian waters. any concerns by aussies? any previous instances of tests in aussie waters? any chances of test vehicle falling into non-Indian hands?
Hi Prasun, Why should the news of "India asks Japan" to part of stealth submarine should be the headline in Indian MSM? Why couldn't the govt directly talk with the Japan Govt to help in building stealth submarines for India? I do not understand the logic behind this news.
thanks for the link, this confirms my suspicion that russian tech was involved ,not directly of course.The ss-18 nearly stopped before the main motor kicks in . I expected the flex motor nozzle to take care of the attitude but i think the bottom cap has a dual role , one is to correct the attitude as it leaves the launch tube, and second to protect the flex nozzles from the blast of the gas generator gases that might sneak up the nozzles if not protected which makes sense.
hi prasun how come an indian company OIS advanced tech, suddenly claims that they have made 4 indigenous radars and also have patents for them! Radars are software intensive with unique algorithms. Its a bit difficult to believe that . Now it seems the IAF is looking for new air to air missiles for the future fighters , will russia integrate them on the sukhois or can they be persuaded with big orders.
1. Learnt that IA is dropping plans to procure SRSAM as its very happy with Akash 1 & 2, as per you the former is ESHORAD but where the latter stands and dont you think more of these need to be ordered?
2. Australian sub requirement is mainly for evesdropping its means both the massive SMX-Ocean or Sorya class are of no use, it can be easily done by the HDW subs like IN has, your views?
3. what no body has reported is that 2 Dhruvs is Eqaudor have crashed in less than a fortnight whats happening, its sure to mar Dhruvs prospects. isnt it?
4. have you seen the Su50 schematics, it says a variant for Iran (world powers wont allow that), Korea (it will buy F35), it means except India no one s buying it, correct?
5. Su50 schematics, also shows twin seat Su55 FGFA (for India) & Su55 FGFAM (for Russia) but IAF is going for only the 144 single seat PAKFA that Russians are buying, alongside its trainers. last heard IAF wont go for Twin seat specialized version, the FGFA is basically cancelled, what correct?
6. The recent launch wheeled veraion of Nishant uav the Panchi was hailed as success, which of the two are operationally better?
7. canister launch of Agni5 should pave the way for Shaurya missile?
To SBM: That depends on how one defines contemporary & regional airborne threats & whether they’re manned or unmanned. The IA’s version of Akash-1 has been optimised through extensive user-trials for protecting the IA’s mechanised warfare assets over both the plains & desert terrain & will be effective in the western front. The IAF’s Akash-1s will be equally effective when deployed in the plains for base air-defence. But when it comes to providing air-defence over the northern highlands/mountainous terrain or over jungle terrain of the North East, the performance parameters of both versions of Akash-1 are questionable & remain unproven, since neither version has to date been field-tested in such areas. The IAF itself had stated on record during Aero India 2013 that the performance of the Rohini 3-D CAR was found to be sub-optimal when deployed in sub-zero temperature conditions. Bottomline: for as long as user-trials of Akash-1 are not carried out & validated over the highlands/mountainous terrain or over jungle terrain of the North East, one cannot assertively state that the Akash-1 is a reliable air-defence system in the Indian context. Numbers of Akash-1s & Barak-2s ordered thus far remain the same as stated by BEL & BDL in early 2011. IAF’s Barak-2s will start being delivered from 2017.
To RAD: Firstly, the first Tejas Mk1 sqn will attain FOC status in only March 2018. Secondly, integration of Astra-1 won’t be a problem since IAI/ELTA Systems is providing the object codes required for systems integration with the EL/M-2032 MMR. Thirdly, Astra-1 makes use of the Agat JSC-supplied 9B-1348E seeker & Vympel-supplied AKU-170 launch pylons—both of which are also used by the R-77 BVRAAM (& hence the Astra-1s are being test-fired from a Su-30MKI) & therefore all integration-related data parameters are already available with the IAF. AAM integration challenges for the LAC (Navy) Mk1 will be even lesser since te Derby & Python-5 already comes integrated with the EL/M-2032 MMR & Targo HMDS. As for Akash-2, incorporation of active terminal seeker will involve a thorough re-design of the missile, which is time-consuming & therefore is not worth the effort. Secondly, the Barak-2 is becoming available with active seeker for fire-and-forget capability. Furthermore, Barak-2 will be cheaper & easier to both store & load/unload since it is cannisterised, whereas Akash-1/2 are not. Both the DRDO-developed Ashwini & Arudhra radars will have more than 40% imported content.
To SOMNATH: Elementary. Whenever a country’s annual foreign exchange expenditure exceeds the annual foreign exchange revenue earnings, it automatically results in that country’s own currency losing its value & consequently it becomes more expensive to buy foreign currency like the US$ or Euro or Yen. This is what jacks up the cost of buying any imported product, be it a M-MRCA or even a cellphone.
To NARESH KUMAR: Akash-2 will have an engagement range of 35km through the usage of higher energetic propellant. There will be no other on-board changes. Maitri ST-SAM project has already been scrapped for good. Compared to contemporary fire-and-forget MR-SAMs, the Akash-1 is a generation behind, but not obsolete. Other MR-SAMs available from Russia, China, Europe & South Korea are all vertically launched & are cannisterised, whereas Akash-1 isn’t.
To SIDDHARTH: The competition is still on-going. IN fact, there are more than 3 separate competitions now underway for different types of assault rifles for different formations.
To DEFENSE & AEROSPACE: Of course India very much still needs Russia. Despite all the bonhomie with the US, the existence of US laws & legislation bards the US from partnering with India for the development of fifth-generation MRCA, SSBNs, SSGNs, SSNs, SLBMs & ICBMs. Russia therefore remains the only provider of such critical technological inputs to the DRDO. Anyone who has paid attention to videos showing the test-firings of the K-15 SLBM & cannisterised Agni-5 cannot miss the clearly visible Russian inputs.
To Mr.RA 9: Who wants the F-35 when the FGFA is available? The FGFA has the kind of 360-degree situational awareness capability (in both visual & RF domains) that neither the F-22 nor the F-35 possess as yet.
To PAWAN: The C-130J can ideally replace the An-32REs for air-maintenance tasks, that’s a given. It will, however, require the IAF to strengthen & lengthen some of its existing ALGs, a task which is doable from a financial standpoint. I foresee a total reqmt of some 60 C-130Js for meeting the reqmts of the IAF, BSF, etc. Consequently, it will make financial sense for Lockheed Martin to set up a C-130 airframe MRO facility in India to service not just the C-130Js, but also earlier-model C-130E/H versions as well. At the same time, similar MRO facilities will have to be established for servicing the aircraft’s avionics, landing gear, hydraulics, accessories, & engines. Only then will the MRO business model become financially viable. For this, all MRO-related facilities catering to the C-130 family will have to established in a single industrial zone within 20km of one another. And lastly, India will be reqd to ink the Logistics Support Agreement with the US for such an integrated MRO business model to become fully functional. AS for replacing the Avro HS-748s for executive transport, a far better option would be to import about 30 Legacy business jets, while enlisting Embraer’s help in developing & certifying a twin turbofan-powered version of the NAL-designed Saras within a 36-month timeframe. Strangely, almost everyone else seems to have forgotten the Saras!
UCAVs & AMCAs are both still quite far away as far as the subcontinent goes. Till now, no one has spelt out how exactly the ALCA will be far more financially viable than the FGFA programme.
To SUJOYMAJUMDAR: Why should India ask China for de-nuclearisation of Pakistan when India knows very well how China maintains a tight leash over Pakistan’s WMDs? As for all those self-styled non-proliferation ayatollahs who constantly scream about Pakistan’s steadily increasing WMD-related warheads, do they really bother to keep track of the number of delivery systems & their TELs that Pakistan has at its disposal? Just do a simple check on the number of TELs available for each type of ballistic/cruise missile & one will now exactly what is the strength of Pakistan’s WMD arsenal.
To BHASWAR: Perhaps that’s the real reason why the P-75I’s RFP has yet to be released, despite constant statements emanating from the IN HQ stating that release of the RFP is imminent. Interestingly, the DRDO has quietly gone ahead over the past 2 weeks & inked an agreement with DCNS for seeking the latter’s assistance in developing a fuel cell-based AIP solution! Also, Russia has agreed to lease a second Type 871I SSGN to India, with its delivery slated for late 2017. Agreement to this effect was reached during Putin’s visit to New Delhi last December.
To RITURAJ: The royalty fee in the aerospace/naval sector can go as high as 20% of the product’s acquisition cost. ICBMs like Agni-5 cost roughly Rs.30 crore per unit, minus their TELs.
To DHAKA: Not just Russia-origin combat aircraft. Others do so as well. Agni-5 didn’t land in Australian waters, but in the southeastern part of the Indian Ocean.
To ANIONE: Nope. The coinciding of the dates are purely coincidental.
To RAD & PINTU: Rest assured that missiles like the K-4, K-15, Shaurya & Agni-5 have core technological inputs from Russia. The same also goes for the yet-to-emerge MIRVs. Both of you have guessed right.
To RAVI N: Aha! So you have begun the process of reading in between the lines & becoming a discerning reader! That’s very good to know & my hearty congratulations to you indeed for raising a very pertinent query. I always relish such questions that place a premium on common-sense above all else when trying to figure out matters. Why India is ‘asking’ is because Japan has not yet enacted the legislations necessary for export such fully integrated weapon systems/platforms. Had Japan had a clear export law in place, all that India would have done was to invite Japan to respond to the P-75 project’s RFP. In fact, Australia was the first one to ‘ask’ Japan for similar clarifications. Why is this so? Because both Australia & India are trying to do two things: 1) sending a message to the whole of East Asia (inclusive of China) about both countries expanding their strategic options & signalling their intention to actively consider Japan as a reliable military-industrial partner, & 2) this is Australia’s & India’s way of helping Japanese PM Shinzo Abe overcome the intense domestic opposition he now faces when it comes to exports of major weapon systems developed & built by Japanese OEMs. All that Abe now has to do is go before the Japanese Diet & make compelling arguments in favour of changing some of the archaic weapons exports-related legislations by explaining that in an era of declining economic growth, Japan now has no other choice but to commence weapons exports, albeit in a selective manner & that too to those countries that are Japan’s major emerging export markets.
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) SR-SAM was dropped two years ago. Akash-2 is still two years away from user-trials. 2) On the contrary, Australia requires double-hulled ocean-going SSKs like the Soryu-class, whereas the IN requires single-hulled SSKs. 3) Not necessarily. Ecuadorian helicopter flights are flown under very demanding circumstances over high-altitude mountainous terrain & this places very severe demands on both the aircrew & ground-crew. 4) Correct. 5) Not correct. The IAF wants the tandem-seat FGFA as well. 6) Obviously the Panchi. 7) It’s the other way. First came the cannisterised BrahMos-1, then the cannisterised K-15, then the cannisterised Shaurya & finally the cannisterised Agni-5.
BUT, will the Agni-5 be encased within its cannister from the time it exists its final assembly line (as a ready-to-fire ICBM? Or, like the Chinese DF-31As & DF-21Cs, will it be kept in a disassembled state during peacetime & only during national emergencies will it be fully assembled, mated with its warhead along with the primer & detonator & then inserted into a cannister which will then be mounted on its motorised TEL & sent to its intended deployment location for an extended period lasting a few months? Think about it, for neither the Chinese nor Indian TELs for their respective ICBMs make use of the kind of ruggedised TELs used by Russia, & which therefore are clearly not optimised for long-distance travel. Furthermore, such ICBMs of China & India will always be accompanied by mobile troposcatter-based communications systems, back-up SATCOM systems, & motorised field surveying equipment reqd at the pre-designated launch sites. Therefore, only a certified fool/retard will claim that:
“India's road mobile missiles will be randomly based across India's road network consisting of everything from a highway to perhaps even a Class II road.”
“ The idea is to deploy camouflaged TEL's that would look like every day semi-trailer trucks at least when viewed from above. Thus concealment in addition to road mobility is a cornerstone of India's future land based missile force. As Avinash Chander then Chief Controller Missiles and Strategic Systems, DRDO (and now Director General, DRDO) put it in an interview to Frontline in April 2012. You can stop on the roadside on the highway, launch from there and go away. You can stop the traffic for five minutes on either side, launch and go away.”
Dear Prasun, You missed my earlier question. Hence, repeating it again (Plz. don't mind). Recently I came across a news criticizing the Arihant project that it is at par a technology demonstrator. Its reactor will run out in very short span of time. What's your say? Thanks in advance.
Further: 1. Has MoD put the AVRO-748 replacement on the backburner? It seems Airbus with TATA is making quite a bit of pressure for C-295 selection but Mr Parrikar doesn't seem eager? What is the perception behind the scene? Has it got to do anything with Finnmecanica negotiations and probable entry of C-27J again in the contest? OR C-130J is under consideration?
2. The LHD contract has now converted from 20,000 ton to 40,000 ton and the RFP sought bids by last month. Any update on that?
3. What is your opinion on BAE's offer to transfer its AIT (Assembly, integration and testing) setup for M777 ULH from America to India? It has been pushing its case through desi media quite forcefully. Also, it has appointed Deepak Parekh from HDFC as its one of the board members. So what is the MoD's reaction?
1. the answer you gave to my 7th querry is exactly the reason why asked about Shuarya missile, i wanted to know about its formal induction & operationalization (as you have said the Shaurya will be border silo based) it will allow Shuarya to be first responder before Agni5
2. answer you gave to #Pawan regarding C130J is exactly why i gave an elaborate answer on the points raised by you (with additions by me) earlier on the requirement of 125 C130Js in the previous thread
3. answer you gave to #Bhaswar regarding IN leasing another Akula sub the #Kuzbass (in repair since 2010) is better than going for #Irbis as the former like INS Chakra is Akula 2 whereas the latter is Akula 1 improved.
4. still is it possible for IN to lease out a completed Irbis (financed by India) without its nuclear core (Irbis then wont qaulify as SSGN) for use in sub training, SLCM launch and even Indian AIP testing, since both Akula 2 SSGNs with 6 of 10 silos sealed cant be used for SLCM launch practice.
5. as for answer you gave to my 5th querry, are you trying to say the 214 PAKFA include 144 PAKFA (including trainers) & 80 FGFA (including trainers), it will mean we are creating space for AMCA to fill in numbers spending few more billions unnecessarily
Thanks for the answer. Only one thing: in 2011, while I remember that Akash was 8 sqn IAF and 2 regt Army, I cannot recall anything being said about Barak-2 besides some press reports of 9 sqn.
your answer regarding the canister version of Agni-V is a really good option. That was expected because final re-assembling of the canisters would also indicate an escalation ladder of nuclear scenario, which will buy sufficient time for diplomacy and negotiation even in worst case scenario. However, what would be the case with SSBNs which will have launch ready missiles? will they also patrol without ready to fire missiles. Since India and to certain extend China doesnot face an existential MAD race with any one there is no meaning for such doomsday devices to wander around the country side. The canister gives more options in emergency scenarios that even in the absence of pre-mapped launchpads there is a capability. Such ifs and buts are definitely a good thing for deterrence, since the adversary will have more things to calculate before launching a pre-emptive first strike.
There has hardly been any year in the last 15 that outflows of foreign exchange exceeded inflows. Quite to the contrary actually. Japan has been running a trade surplus for many years, but JPY has been weakening.
The value of any currency is a function of wide and complex variety of factors. Increasing imports is only one of them, and certainly not the most important!
To VISHAKH: 1) I’m not aware of any such development. 2) LSV is for the CAPFs. The IA requires a heavier JLTV-type vehicle. 3) Definitely not.
To RITURAJ: 1) I sincerely hope it is on the backburner. The C-295 certainly doesn’t qualify as a platform for transporting just senior armed forces officials. It is far too big for that. And the IAF itself has since clarified that the HS-747s will be used for only executive air-travel by senior officials of all three armed services. So, if we are to believe what the IAF says, then both the C-295 & C-130J becomes a definite overkill for transporting just 20 officers at any given time. The only viable option therefore is to opt for smaller business jets like the ERJ-135 Legacy. 2) RFPs take a long time to be studied, analysed & graded. Any outcome therefore will be known only by early April 2015. 3) If BAE Systems’s offer is to be accepted, then India will have to cater to the worldwide requirement for product support for the M-777’s existing users. While this is good news & makes financial sense, India will have to grapple with its longstanding dogma about non-alignment etc, etc. For instance, wi8ll India continue to provide global product support for the M-777s in case the US uses them in combat against any country with whom India enjoys friendly relations? What if the US M-777s are used against Russia? Will India continue manufacturing & supplying spares for those US-owned M-777s in such a scenario?
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) What you need to analyse is that while Agni-1/2/4/5 are/will all be operated by the IA’s Directorate of Artillery, the Shaurya, like the Nirbhay LACM, will be operated by the IAF. Secondly, Shaurya will be stored in silos, not fired from them. 3) Irbis, the Project 971I SSGN, is a step ahead of the Project 971A in terms of sophistication & since the hull is brand-new, it makes more sense to go for the Project 971I option. 4) Only those submarines designed from the outset to accept AIP plug-ins can ultimately accept AOP retrofits. Therefore, an existing SSGN can never be retrofitted with AIP. INS Chakra too can practice-launch 3M54E & 3M-14 SLCMs. 5) Yes. There will be no FGFA trainers. The tandem-seaters will be fully qualified interdictors.
To SIDDHARTH: They’re meant for Rashtriya Rifles, the SF (Para) & the regular infantry forces. Those are the three categories. Reqmts for the first two categories are more urgent in times to acquisition time-frames & hence are likely to be imported. For the third category the ARDE-developed multi-calibre assault rifles will be selected for sure.
To SBM: Those figures have long since been reworked since they were of mid-2006 vintage. The Kvadrats too were decommissioned in the previous decade. Consequently, numbers of Akash-1/2 & Barak-2 reqd are far more today than 9 & are therefore all in double-digits.
To SREENIVAS R: As matters stand today, what DRDO officials & India’s civilian decision-makers talk about is all about is the existing declared posture of ‘Minimum Credible Deterrence’. Under this school of thought, it is all right to keep all of India’s WMDs in completely knocked-down/dis-assembled state. But if any country is serious about convincing the world about its strategic deterrence capabilities & capacities, then the posture should be changed to ‘Credible Minimum deterrence’. Under such a posture, a bare minimal percentage of the arsenal (comprising TBMs, MRBMs, ICBMs, SLCMs & ALCMs) should always be maintained in a ready-to-fire mode. For instance, if an inventory of 36 Agni-5s with unitary warheads is available, then at least eight of them should be available 24/7 in a ready-to-launch configuration. The same goes for the SLBMs on-board the SSBNs, i.e. if an SSBN capable of launching 12 SLBMs were to undertake two operational patrols every year, then during each such patrol it should carry at least 4 SLBMs in a ready-to-fire mode.
To SOMNATH: Unlike Japan, India has never had the pleasure of enjoying robust trade surpluses with any of its major trading partners. Furthermore, Japan has forex reserves that even a country like China can only dream about till this day. Therefore, successive depressed domestic consumer spending levels in Japan does not mean that the Japanese economy has been weakening. In a country with negative population growth rates, achieving even 0% annual economic growth rate does not translate into a negative GDP growth rate for that country.
To SBM: Orders for procurement of weapons required in large numbers are never placed in one go, since funding is available for only five-year defence plans. They come in successive tranches, based on FIRM & confirmed mid-term & long-term requirements that determine the pace of series-production under successive five-year defence plans.
I'm always surprized by the 'stealth' evolution of the Mirage 2000UPG program... there has been almost no news for months regarding this massive $1.5bn deal. Do you know if the weapon package has already been negotiated with the French or the Israelis? Or do you think that both the weapon packages of the Rafale and the M2000 will be negotiated together at the same time?
Same about the Jaguar 'Darin III' upg. Is there any defined weapon package?
1. France Offers 18 Mirage 2000-5F Fighter to Colombia for $500 million why India is not opting for these in the interim.? 2. There r rumours that modi govt will put 1% of gdp for innovation and will put all defence core R&D into it. 3. Whats your prediction on the defence budget? The first full one from modi govt? 4. Whats your take on the argument of Mountain strike corps ? Whether the army needs to increase its manpower or rationlaize its existing manpower to create one. 5. U had written about the chinese posture vis-a-vis India itwas not at all manpower specific. So whats the right solution according to you? 6. Whats your take on avinash chander pre mature retirement? 7. US is planning 6th gen and we r trying to get a 4th gen fighters and with meagre resources without a right to fail for the scientific community. Do you really think any indian company will risk investing in R&D in india? All the examples as available today are replication of existing tech . 8. How much R&Din US is supported by US gov and how much by companies themselves. More however how much goes down the drain ( failure). Why dont we bring those comparisons to the fore. 9. Do you think modi govt will ensure a CDS ? 10 whats ur take on the indian diplomatic posture vis-a-vis pakistan?
2. Given that we built Arihant reactor with Russian assistance what are they chances that IAC-II will be nuclear power and if it is non-nuclear then can EMALS used as catapult.
3. Is there any connection between SFC demand for dedicated 40 aircrafts for nuclear delivery, 42 SU-30MKI ordered and now integration of Brahmos-A? will these Brahmos-A will be ASMP of India? Regards, Pawan
Does this mean that the Russians are worried that if India commits the $20 billion to the MMRCA they will have no fund for the FGFA, so it is better if they can throw the IAF a bone by releasing a FGFA that is still work in progress?
Of course the question is what was said at AI 2011 ? Not pushing, just completely missed it and can find no reference to quantum on google from AI 2011
Regarding Akash missile, it can carry conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 60kg. The integration of nuclear warhead allows the missile to destroy aircraft as well as warheads released from ballistic missiles. It can operate in all weather conditions.
Please inform what is this so small a nuclear warhead.
watched Najam sethi talking about India being out of Afghan equation except for development work. I think he proved right as yesterday Afghan sent 6 cadets for officer training.
Today he was talking about kashmir dialogue and its solution on lines of Kasuri- Lamba formula.
To SANCHUN YATON: Firstly, inking the Mirage 2000UPG upgr5ade was a bad idea & the French themselves have said so. That money instead should have been invested in procuring the Rafales & had that been done, then by now the first two IAF squadrons of Rafales would have been forming by now. Secondly, the weapons packages for both the Rafales & Mirage 2000UPGs will be identical as far as AAMs & PGMs go & both have already been negotiated. For the Jaguar DARIN-3s, the PGMs will be the same as those for the Rafales & Mirage 2000UPGs & will include the Griffin-3 LGBs. As for AAMs, I will be cheaper & easier for the Python-5 to be integrated, instead of the AIM-132 ASRAAM.
To REDDY LoLz! Not just per capita, but even the reserves. Back in the early 1930s right up to 1940 when the US was suffering from economic depression, it was the ROC (now Taiwan) then under Chiang kai-Shek who bailed out the US by heavily buying up US Treasury bonds. Most of these bonds started maturing from the early 1990s onward & by the beginning of the 21st century they were collectively valued at some US$3 trillion. And Taiwan has since parked all these funds with Japanese banks & allows Japan to liberally make wise long-term investments with these funds on its behalf. This is what has angered China since the mid-1990s because China believes that as part of the ‘One China’ policy that is accepted by most of the world’s nations, this money no longer belongs to Taiwan & China therefore ought to be the sole beneficiary of all this money. But for obvious reasons, Taiwan, the US & Japan aren’t agreeable to this & this then has become the root cause for China’s hostility against Japan & the US.
To ANILUV G: 1) Why opt for an interim solution when a full-fledged solution now awaits India in the form of the Rafale. 2) That’s a very good idea, if it can be made to work. 3) The spending level of the new budget is immaterial. What matters most is how exactly will the money be spent. For instance, it makes no sense to corporatise the DPSUs if at the apex level there’s no corresponding reform within the MoD’s Dept of Defence Production & Supplies. 4) Definitely rationalisation & right-sizing should take precedence over expansion. For instance, in an age of limited wars, does it make sense for the IA to maintain a fleet of 4,200 MBTs? Instead, why not reduce it by half & invest the money saved on acquiring anti-armour force-multipliers like homegrown LAH attack helicopters & Mi-17V-5s fitted with battlefield SARs. 5) The PLA’s posture at this stage in Tibet is defensive in nature since it just does not have the acclimatised manpower required for staging any high-intensity land offensives. In the eastern sector, for example, all its field exercises since 2011 have clearly shown that it believes a localised IA offensive in this area is very much possible to succeed & therefore the PLA has been building up its capabilities to form a strong defensive cordon along the northern bank of the Brahmaputra (Yarlong Tsangpo) River inside southeastern TAR. 6) I’m sure his talents will be better made use of in the private-sector. 8) In the US, fundamental scientific R & D is heavily financed by the US government, whereas the US private-sector companies focus more on transforming such scientific gains into exploitable technologies in a productive manner. 9) I sure hope so. If not, then India will never be able to graduate from a posture of ‘minimum credible deterrence’ to ‘credible minimum deterrence’.
To PAWAN: 1) Not yet. IA is still afflicted with ‘doctrinal paralysis’ & therefore has not yet come up with a firm & frozen GSQR for either the FICV or the FMBT. 2) IAC-2 will definitely be nuclear-powered. The General Atomics-developed E-MALS has not yet been tested with any other form of non-nuclear power generation source. 3) No. There’s no connection. In India, the SFC does not own or operate any assets. It only exercises command over them. Ownsership, operations & maintenance are the responsibilities of the 3 armed services. BrahMos-A is far too big & non-stealthy for an ASMP-like weapon.
To SBM: The figures of 2011 vintage can be found here:
To Mr.RA 9: To date, no one in India has either designed nor tested such a type of n-warhead. Furthermore, the Akash-1/2 missiles are not cannisterised, & therefore, unlike missiles like the cannisterised Barak-2, can’t be left exposed in the battlefield for long durations in a fully deployable mode.
To DHAKA: Of course it can. But the IN hasn’t yet asked for it.
To VIKRAM GUHA: It has nothing to do with India (since the T-50 PAK-FA does not live up to the performance specifications of the FGFA), but with Russia’s own domestic requirements. For, unlike India the Russian Air Force has not made any noteworthy procurements over the past two decades. Only this year the situation is set to change, when 126 new military aircraft (mostly Su-35s each priced at US$85 million, plus a few PAK-FAs) and 88 helicopters begin being delivered. In addition, the combat aircraft fleet serviceability status will increase up to 67%, meaning that two out of three aircraft will be ready to fly at any one time (for the USAF the corresponding rate in 2013 was 78%).
To PAWAN: That is yet another distortion of ground realities. Firstly, India has since late 2001 provided developmental assistance to Afghanistan. This includes vocational training to several hundreds of Afghan military personnel plus several hundreds of civil servants. In addition, in early 2012 India used Chah Bahr port in southeastern Iran for the first time ever to transport 100,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid. Not many know that this was in response to an urgent SOS sent to India & Iran by Kabul & the US after Pakistan shut down all the transit trade routes for NATO & Afghanistan in response to an ISAF attack on a Pakistani check post in Salala, which is located in the Tehsil Bayzai area of Pakistan’s Mohmand Agency. It was India which had financed & helped build Chah Bahr (as a free trade port located within a free trade zone) a decade ago to provide it access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, & has also financed the construction of a 560-mile long railway line from the Zabul iron ore mines in southern Afghanistan to Chah Bahr. Along with Iran and Afghanistan, India also has an agreement to accord Indian goods headed for Central Asia and Afghanistan preferential treatment and tariff reductions at Chah Bahr. Today, only China & India—and not Pakistan--are the prime customers for commodities originating from Afghanistan. Therefore, is any Afghan so stupid so as to distance itself off from its principal markets just for the sake of placating a country like Pakistan, which has no buying power if its own & is surviving solely on financial dole-outs from the US & from remittances from expatriate Pakistanis? Furthermore, Afghanistan as made it known that Pakistan’s good intentions will be proven only when 1) it deports the entire Mullah Omar-led Quetta Shura back to Afghanistan without any pre-conditions, & 2) it prevents the Afghan Taliban from staging attacks inside Afghanistan during the coming summer season. It is for this reason that both Afghanistan & India agreed during the SAARC Summit last year that President Ashraf Ghani will make a state visit to India only by this April, by which time it will become clear to one & all whether or not Pakistan abides by all the promises that it has made so far to Afghanistan. If one goes by past experience, then it is most unlikely that Pakistan will honour all its pledges & that’s exactly why both the US & India & now China too are maintaining collective pressure over Pakistan to comply.
And as for the covert proxy war being waged by India inside Balochistan, one does not need in today’s globalised environment a physical presence in neighbouring Afghanistan (such as the Indian consulates in Kandahar, Jalalabad, Heart & Mazhar-e-Sharif). Plans/agreements are hatched, clinched, financed & finalised elsewhere, for instance, somewhere in the Middle East or distant Europe, where most Pakistani separatist elements are based. That was precisely why the US Secretary of State John Kerry during his last visit to Pakistan publicly rubbished reports about these Indian consulates being involved in supporting & financing the Baloch separatist rebellion.
To PAWAN & Mr.RA 9: As for the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani POV today itself is totally convoluted. On February 5, which was celebrated inside Pakistan as Kashmir Solidarity Day, not one Pakistani politician could publicly project a coherent POV on any current-affairs TV talk-show. Some said that Pakistan stood for Kashmir’s right to self-determination & that too only inside J & K & not within POK & Gilgit-Baltistan, while others claimed that J & K is meant to be an integral part of Pakistan, while now pick up a fight with the UK by alleging that this whole problem was the brainchild of the late Lord Louis Mountbatten! Even China, which had asked Pakistan as far back as mid-2009 to clarify the legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan, has since given up after Pakistan failed to come forward with any cogent arguments. That’s why only between 2009 & 2011 did China insist on issuing stapled visas to Indian citizens living in J & K, & it quietly discontinued this practice from late 2011. For India & the rest of the world today, it is crystal-clear that it is Pakistan that has consistently shied away from implementing the UN resolutions on J & K by refusing to withdraw from POK & Gilgit-Baltistan. In any part of any of the UN resolutions, there is not even a mention of any plebiscite or referendum (those words were used only in speeches made by Nehru & were never part of any UN correspondence). And the right to self-determination today has several connotations: while for Pakistan it is like last year’s Scottish referendum, for India is like the Anglo-Irish political agreement for Northern Ireland. And given Pakistan’s worsening economic situation (thanks in large part to China’s mercantilism, due to which Pakistan’s domestic manufacturing sector has been decimated since mid-2005), the never-ending power generation shortages & unending sectarian strife, no one in their right mind in India will agree to any form of diplomatic dialogue, leave alone meaningful negotiations, for settling any dispute. And to add to all this, the US & the EU are negotiating with Iran in good faith toward a normalisation of relations. What this means is that since everyone knows Shia Iran’s WMD capabilities are targetted solely against the perceived WMD capabillties of the Sunni world comprising Pakistani & the Middle Eastern sheikhdoms led by Saudi Arabia, Iran will NEVER surrender its nuclear WMD options unless Sunni Pakistan too is de-nuclearised. This is an existential issue on which Iran will never compromise. Consequently, if the US & EU are serious about normalising relations with Iran, then it becomes mandatory that the de-nuclearisation of Pakistan takes place. How soon or how late this will happen, only time will tell. But that’s the writing on the wall. And there’s nothing much that China can do about reversing this.
To Ram Bharadwaj: 1) Uran-Es will be used, not BrahMos-1. 2) Had the problems been overcome, then by now HAL would have publicly confirmed it through some 'paid news' published in BUSINESS STANDARD. In any case, what's the justification for acquiring an IJT that will be powered by a turbofan whose total service life is only 300 hours?
HI Prasun Instead of trying to invent the wheel and make a rickety one as far as the multi caliber rifle is concerned what on earth stops them from getting consultancy or co developing from big players like colt,Beretta, h&k etc.This this model seems to be working in the case of brahmos and barak ,as there is somebody to check the quality. The prototype model looks ok but the finish is below par. Does it make sense not to have a canister for the akash missile in place like rajasthan or the Himalayas? what on earth is stopping the MTA form going ahead this game has been going on for more than a decade. Are the chinese still using the agat seeker for their missiles or have developed their own.
Which class of vessels may be the possible contenders. Can Indian navy go for this Taiwanese vessel, considering India maintains its 'one China policy'- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuo_Chiang_class_corvette
To RD: The NGMVs are repkacements for the 5 477-tonne Project 1241RE guided-missile corvettes (INS Veer K-40, INS Nirbhik K-41, INS Nipat K-42, INS Nishank K-43 and INS Nirghat K-44, all of which are armed with P-20 Termit ASCMs. The favoured contenders for the NGMVs will be DCNS, Kockums & Fincantieri. In fact, what the IN ought to do is to select a common imported hull design for both the 16 SW-ASW vessels & the initial 6 NGMVs. Since the NGMVs are meant to be stealthy platforms, the on-board ASCMs will be required to be vertically-launched, as will the missiles of the CIWS. ASCMs like BrahMos-A won't fit the bill, while IAI could possibly come up with a smaller version of the Barak-2 with 35km-range that can neutralise hostile ASCMs inbound at Mach 3 speed. An anti-ship version of the vertically-launched Nirbhay can easily be developed in-country. If not, then the Kongsberg NSM will be the next best option. Another ASCM option is to develop a 180km-range version of the DRDO's proposed LRCM.
To LAXMAN: As per the 2011 census, those calling themselves Hindus constitute only 15.16% of the total population. The remaining 88.64% is made up of 2.3% Christians, 13.47% Muslims, 40.94% other backward classes (OBC), 19.5% Dalits & 8.63% Adivasis. Now, the RSS, ABVP & other like-minded entities would like to believe that OBCs are Hindus as well. But in reality, there has been a distinct class consciousness among the OBCs since the 1990s & this has since morphed into a distinct religious-ethnic identity as well. For instance, the Gonds that are spread over Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, have produced research works to establish that their Gondi language is the mother of Dravidian languages & that the Harappan script, whose illegibility has long stumped scholars & archaeologists, is actually decipherable using a Gondi language. Furthermore, for the Gonds, the 10-headed Ravana might well be a mythic figure that a lot of ‘Hindus’ torch & dispatch to hell every year, but the Gonds, Ravana, his wife Mandodari & son Meghnad are their ancestors & therefore a lot of Gonds are now buildings temples in honour of Ravana, starting with MP. Similarly, some OBCs now worship Mahishasur in Maharashtra & MP 4 days after Dussehra. Then we come to the issue of the so-called sanctity of the cow, which is erroneously but vehemently traced back to the Vedic era, but what is forgotten is that Vedic rituals involved cow sacrifice & beef-eating. Then there’s the wrong perception about the cow’s survival in India being threatened by beef-eating Muslims. In reality, all Dalits, Adivasis, Christians Muslims & even some Shudras are beef-eating. Furthermore, a growing number of universities throughout India, starting with Delhi & Hyderabad, have been organising annual beef-eating festivals during which the ‘Hindu’ OBC students were only asking whether the meat came from the cow or buffalo. It is also a fact that buffaloes produce more milk in India than cows & therefore the former has far greater utility. Yet it is not protected against slaughter. On top of it, cow’s beef is freely available through West Bengal, Kerala & the entire North East.
To LAXMAN: What is even more galling & annoying is the utter disrespect being shown by entities like VHP to India’s rich southern Indian civilisational legacy. This becomes evident when terms like ‘Vedic Science’ are presently used, thereby meaning that prior to the Vedic era there was no science in India at all! This is a highly arrogant assertion, to say the least. What is often forgotten is that the Vedic texts were written down in Sanskrit only less than 3,000 years ago, which in turn means that the Vedas were originally scripted in either Brahmi or Prakrit scripts several thousands of years ago. Evidence of all this can be found in ther archaeological excavations carried out in both Dwarka & Mahabalipuram. It has all been documented here, as usual by a Caucasian:
Youtube and some web sites are not authentic sources as they are just like news paper editorials where one or two persons writes an opinion on any topic as if they have eternal knowledge and are consumed by millions like a sheep.
How come an editor write/ pronounce judgement on any topic be it religious or science or technology and every thing in between and people take that as a final word?
and y specifically beef festivals? why only in hyd osmania and delhi JNU? why not in other places and other universities?
try to organise a free pork festival in hyd osmania university.. they see what happens? muslims thugs will tear the so called secularists.. and u don't want hindus not to raise voice and you want to hit below the belt by saying cow meat is eaten even during vedas period.
now the condition is: am a christian and a minority in india and so on this sole reason it is the duty of the GOI and hindus to feed me, educate me and give a job otherwise i scream of impartiality.
am a muslim and a minority and is giving birth to my piglets and it is the duty of GOI and hindus to feed me, educate me and give me a job..otherwise all hell broke loose..
i know you wont keep my comment and also you wont keep any comment that is anti-US for the reasons better known to you.
so what do you mean to say? gonds worship ravan and hindu burn ravana there by hurting the sentiments of them.. so what? let the hindus burn ravana and let the gonds worship ravana. hindus are not killing them for worshipping ravana unlike pakis declare such people as non muslims and punished to death.
hindus are the most tolerant for centuries. we dont need any certifications for anyone including pope or obama.
the tone of your answer says it all.. hindus fault for everything in this society.
you dont say that they should be shameful to claim jobs even they dont deserve based on caste and religion.
I want to see GOI to give MD, MS, PHDs etc people based on caste and religion, they deserve that, and the reaction of the world to them.
they are silent to claim jobs but they are vocal even to slight friction.
guys like you are ever ready to label hindus as non accommodative..
what business muslims have in this country when they are given pakistan and bangladesh?
Hey Prasun, Quick Question. Why does LCA NP2 prototype have a similar canopy like tejas twin seat trainers? It doesnt look like the single seat IAF variant at all..
HI Prasun The IA has ditched the lahat missile and gone in for canon launched guided missile. The Israelis are not dumb to make a bad missile that is not accurate and smokey as claimed by the IA. More over they say they are going in for a indigenous missile clgm, which itself seems to be derived from the Lahat! what is the truth. Please shed some light on the multi caliber rifle and also the plight of the modern sub machine carbine.
After reading your replies to demography, I have few questions.
1. US Govt is in frenzy about religious freedom in India, why so, suddenly after India visit of POTUS.
2. Isn't Pakistan was fraud on India, because It was meant to be home for muslims of subcontinent but 1/3 rd muslims call India their home.
3. I really puzzled by fact why Muslim population is not being assimilated in locals of countries they live and this fact has been highlighted from Ex President of Singapore to American scholars to European Politicians and think tanks.
4. Can't Govt restrict activities of groups like Bajrang Dal or VHP who have narrow ideologies about India's history & are unable to think about cause and effects of their activities.
One will find from the IP address that Mix N Match and whatever else and Indian Hindu are one and the same. If he were a Dutch citizen I have no problem in naming him as Van der Troll.
The size of these NGMVs, as per the RFI, do not fit into Veer class corvette. The complement asked is nearabout 90 people and the gun which is required is ideally 76mm for 15km range. So it looksl like a vessel in 1350-1500 ton class. Other criteria also support it.
That makes one wonder whether IN is going for something like Type 56 corvette of PLA-N? By the way, why can't IN go for tuo-chiang class Fac-M or Ambassador class boats of Egypt (bought from US), when it comes for smaller combatants?
Dear prasun ji you are mensioned about obc gonds and ravana and mahisasura, but however they are from Vedic charectares and they believed in Vedas and ravana is great devotee of Siva, so there is no question about they are against Vedas
(1) Does the RIC(Russia-India-China) grouping have any importance? Does it benefit India?
(2) The Indian Army intends to purchase the Scorpion Common Smart Submunition from Textron. However, it seems to be just an expensive IED with some added sensors. How will this purchase benefit the Indian Army?
To RAD: Why Simply because nor even one of the world’s established small-arms manufacturers will deliberately create another competitor by teaching another manufacturer how to go about designing & developing such weapons. Consequently, there’s no other choice but to come up with one’s own unique solutions. The BrahMos model doesn’t apply in this case, since the BrahMos isn’t exactly state-of-the-art when compared to what the Ruskies have had since the mid-1980s, i.e. the Granit. Barak-2 is a risk-sharing joint venture in which both parties have not divulged to one another how exactly they devised & developed solutions for their respective R & D workshares. Akasah-1/2 as they’re now cannot have cannisters due to their inclined launcher configurations. More R & D data on the MTA’s status will become known during Aero India 2015. For BVRAAMs, China is still using Agat-supplied terminal seekers.
Data, photos & posters on the CLGM was uploaded by me way back in January 2013. See this:
LAHAT was designed for use from smoothbore 120mm cannons, not rifled-bore.
To INDIANHINDU: LoLz! I wish you had come up with some coherent comments (like what exactly is the definition of a Hindu) instead of dribbling out whimsical mumbo-jumbo. There are scores of anarchists like yourself who go ga-ga over Hindutva without even defining what means! Even the Supreme Court of India has been able to detail what Hinduism is all about except for stating that it is a way of life. But in what way this way of life differs from other ways of life has not yet been articulated by anyone so far. So, do us all a favour here by first coming up with an all-encompassing definition of Hindu or Hinduism/Hindutva that is acceptable to ALL those who label themselves as either Hindus or pride themselves on being members of various other ‘Hindu’ sects & cults. Better still, do quote any of the ancient texts/scriptures where the term ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindutva’ has been used throughout the ages. Only then can one objectively differentiate between a ‘Hindu’ and ‘Non-Hindu’. Final word of advice: always start from genesis, i.e. the basics/fundamentals, instead of making the peripherals the point of departure.
To DEVAANANDH: Because the canopy configuration is identical to that of a tandem-seater, so that it is far easier to access the avionics bulkhead located aft of the cockpit by simply opening the canopy. This bulkhead houses most of the telemetry/tracking data-links as well as other experimental avionics being tested on-board for the very first time & these need to be manually accessed after every sortie. Therefore, retention of the cockpit canopy design of a tandem-seater is a practical & cost-saving step.
To PAWAN: 1) What POTUS had said was factual. No one can dispute it. Even the Union Finance Minister has characterised the recent events like ‘Ghar Waapsi’ & earlier events like the Babri Masjid demolition as isolated aberrations, meaning they were wrong & cannot be condoned of forgotten. In fact, it is high time the PM himself came out & issued the much-needed clarifications. In any case, these so-called Yogis, Sadhus & Sadhvis are supposed to be detached from all forms of material life. Why then are they issuing their own individual edicts on material living matters & how come they even got themselves elected into Parliament? It would have been far better if they had adopted the same posture as that adopted by the likes of Baba Ramdev or Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who never get involved in any manner with issues of religious re-conversions. 2) In a way it was, much like the existence today of Ukraine, Russia & Belarus as separate countries, despite the fact that they’re all members of the Slavic race & are orthodox Christians—factors that should bind them together as one politico-religious entiry. And yet they are living separately. 3) That’s because ever since the destruction of the Baghdad Caliphate in the 12th century by the invading Mongols, there has been no religious renaissance witnessed within the Muslim Ummah. That’s why you won’t find a contemporary Muslim counterpart of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The only new thought that has emerged within the Muslim Ummah since then has been of the secular type evolved, espoused & practiced by the Turks since the emergence of Kamal Ataturk. That’s why of all other Muslim communities worldwide, the Turks are found to be far more acceptable, especially in European countries. 4) I don’t think restriction of activities is a good idea, because it tantamount to suppression or repression. It is far better to challenge them head-on through open-to-all debates by exposing the deep faultlines within their ideologies, thereby exposing the hollowness of their beliefs. For instance, kindly read the questions I’ve posed above to INDIANHINDU. At the end of the day, any idea/narrative can only be countered by another idea backed up by compelling counter-barratives, & not by brute force.
F-15SE is the final evolutionary form of the F-15, whereas Rafale as it now exists is merely in the first step of its evolution, meaning the Rafale can be upgraded at least twice more, while the F-15SE can’t. That’s the very reason why those that needed to choose between the F-15SE, Super Hornet & F-35 JSF ultimately chose the JSF. The Iron Dome’s Tamir rockets cannot effectively intercept the Nasr.
To XIAN: Everyone uses the ‘victim’ card whenever he/she gets the chance to become opportunistic. That’s why the Chauvinistic Marathis of Maharashtra had in the 1960s & 1970s targetted the ‘Madrasis’, & in more recent times have targetted their wrath against immigrants from UP & Bihar. Likewise, immigrants from Jharkand are treated like shit in some states in eastern & central India. The Gujarat state govt have now begun imploring Maharashtra’s Gujarati residents to leave ‘dirty & stinking’ Mumbai & invest/re-settle in Gujarat. Nor can the late Mother Teresa be held responsible for Kolkata’s present-day state. But what she did while she was alive can be replicated even today at best by a handful of other persons in a country of 125 crores—that’s the pathetic part you’re overlooking with your blinkers on.
To RITURAJ: Obviously the expected size of the NGMVs won’t be the same as the existing FAC-Ms that need replacement. Consequently, the NGMVs won’t be FAC-Ms like the Project 1241RE vessels, but will instead be 700-tonne stealthy corvettes built with a high content of composites. This then leaves only 3 potential contenders in the competition, Saab/TKMS with its Visby design, CMN of France with its Combattante CL65-S design, & another similar design from Italy’s Fincantieri—all sporting integrated masts. The Type 056 from China’s CSTC is more of a littoral patrol FFG whose max speed is not as high as that desired by the IN, while any catamaran design—Australian, Chinese or Taiwanese—is optimised for use only in shallow waters. That’s precisely why the IN has totally dissatisfied with the seaworthiness of catamaran survey vessels like the INS Makar.
To SARAN: I’ve never stated anywhere that the Gonds or other OBCs are against the Vedas. All I’ve done is raise a few simple questions: what’s the proven origin of the four Vedas in terms of vintage? Were they from the outset written in Sanskrit? Are they are oldest spiritual scriptures? Were they preceded by the Ramayana or the Mahabharata or the Bhagwat Gita? Or is it the other way around?
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) Of course it does, based on the synergistic approach outlined by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier last week. For instance, the RIC grouping will play a crucial role in India’s dealings with the proposed Eurasian Economic/Customs Union & may one day even make a gas pipeline originating from Kazakhstan, transiting Xinjiang & entering Uttarakhand or Ladakh a distinct possibility. 2) It may well be an expensive IED with added sensors, but the fact of life is that no one in India has been able to come up with a less-expensive but equally sophisticated alternative.
hi prasun what is the missile TRD-5omt is used on, some fool suggests that the nirbhay is powered by it . even the lakshaya is powered by the ptae engine.
Please hold your tongue and unpleasant senses back.
If you have an argument to make, please make it in an appropriate and gentle way and do not show the readers, how filthy it is, by using personal attacks and with derogatory terms. Thanks.
1. I was reading about INS Aridhaman and wiki and most sources say that it will have twice the displacement as INS Arihant and powered by a 190 MW nuclear reactor. How much of this is true and what is the current status ?? 2. Why all Indian and Chinese BVRAAM's use AGAT seekers when R-77/R-27 missiles have not scored a single kill till date? 3. In case of war , how will the Indian navy do with just few obsolete Pondicherry class minesweepers ? 4. Can India afford the systems like EMALS which costs billion of dollars ? 5. 80,000 crores ( $12 billion approx ) for building six diesel electric submarines. The unite price of Scorpene class is $300 million a boat or even the 4,500 tonne Soryu class is $500 million per boat. Why always I feel that we buy weapons at very expensive prices especially from western sources.Example : Limited upgrade of 50 Mirages ( $2 billion ) or 10 C-17 aircraft ( $4.1 billion ).
I have written one small article, will be honored if you can read once and comment :)
There is no denying the fact that Islam (and Christianity)was spread in India by force.
This is primarily because HINDU rulers lost most of their wars against Arab jihadis unlike the Chinese & Mongols who not only defeated them but as retaliation even invaded the Middle East.
Throughout history HINDU rulers were divided on caste/community lines and some Rajput rulers even invited Islamic invaders to settle their personnel scores with rulers of other Indian kingdoms. Unfortunately not much has changed even today.
Translation: Dassault will not take overall responsibility for the contract in India
So that is that sir, the Rafale deal is dead as a dodo :(
Same deadlock that has been overcome- neither side has backed down, end result the MiGs keep falling out of the sky, the PLAAF keeps building up its forces in leaps and bounds and the IAF stays exactly where it is.
+ sir, I hope the buffoons in the MoD/GoI know they are making India the laughing stock of the world. 3+ years of exclusive negotiations preceded by 5+ years of trails and evaluations, the best part of a DECADE and NOTHING to show for it. The world has moved on and we are STILL using MIG-21/27 and the Su-30MKI fleet has barely 60% avaibilty -so adding more of them as the foolish DM has suggested is beyond retarded not to mention all the other reasons you have so articuarly explained why the MKI is not a suitable replacement for the Rafale. Long story short, we are nowhere, stuck with obsolete equipment and a "replacement" (MKI) that isn't a replacement at all.
(1) HSL has been awarded a contract by the Indian Navy to manufacture 2 mini subs. Does HSL have all the technologies needed to successfully design a mini sub?
(2) Are there any US or European Naval consulting firms that operate in India? If yes, can you please name them?
Today's win of AAP has compelled me to think about its impact on economic growth and national security. Everyone know kind of weird views AAP have on Kashmir dispute, Pakistan etc. Moreover kind of economic policies they were talking about would harm not only FDI but domestic investment environment.
I would appreciate and look forward to your views on my concerns.
The whole world knows how Timur did his India campaign. And please read his autobiography. He himself quoted what he did when he plundered Delhi. He is assailed as a barbarian, whose ancistory
Then, read how Hindu Kush mountains got its name?
Also, if you were correct about higher caste hindus treated lower caste hindus as slaves, then there should be a term in Sanskrit or Hindu about the word slave? What is that?
The reason why Islamic invasion was successful because, the Buddhist Kingdoms during the early quarter of this millennium were not interested in wars and practiced "Ahimsa". So the rulers were not prepared to face the ruthless Arabian, Persians, Barbarian Central Asian Islamic rulers.
In the present civilized world in spite of having UN, Amnesty International, super powers like US, Russia, if entities such as ISIS & Boko Haram can cause so much destruction, massacre of innocent people and devastation of cities, one can think what could have happened during the medieval ages?
If you were a curious history student, you would have noticed not even a single war was reported between ancient Persian Emperor and ancient India. nor between Chinese kings with India except one partial war. Why? Only one attack was reported in History that originated from west, by Macedonian King Alexander. At the same time, Persians, Turks, Egyptians, Mongols were attacking each others. During the middle of Medieval period, these wars turned into Christian-Muslim war. Later war hardened Islamic invaders turned to India just because India were "idolaters,", free country which are against their religion and country with wealth. Please read Iranian History.
If Hinduism had so much hatred among people in the name of casteism, there would have coup or support to invading forces. 20% of elite cannot control rest of the population in any civilization. Moreover, the war between smaller kings fought between Kshatriyas, not in cities, not among the people, unlike invaders, who plundered temples, vidyalaya and destroyed cities.
During the period of AD900-1100 India faced more invasions from Muslim rulers than anybody in this world. Ghazni attacked India 17 times every year.
If you've studied the history of war between Prithviraj and Ghori, Ghori was defeated first war and left him unharmed asking not to attack again. In the second war, Jai Chand (a traiter like to you) helped Ghori to defeat Chauhan. When traitors like Jai Chands are present what is the point of huge army?
Please Al Beruni's History of India, Amir Khusru's diary on Muslim invasion in India.
Al-Beruni said this in his book: "Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, and performed there wonderful exploits, by which the Hindus became like atoms of dust scattered in all directions, and like a take of old in the mouth of the people. Their scattered remains cherish, of course, the most inveterate aversion towards all Muslims. This is the reason, too why Hindu sciences have retired far away from those parts of the country conquered by us, and have fled to places which our hand cannot yet reach, to Kashmir, Benares, and other places. And there the antogonism between them and all foreighners received more and more nourishment both from political and religious sources."
To VISHAKH: All of them are lagging behind. Progress will be achieved ONLY AFTER the passing of the FY 2015 budget.
To RAJ: Only preliminary feasibility studies. No detail design work has been authorised as yet.
To RAD: The person making such a suggestion is certifiably terminally stupid. For the past 2 years I have repeatedly uploaded the same section of the HAL brochure that clearly gives all data & parameters of the Nirbhay’s turbofan.
To BRADSHAW: 1) That applies to the projected S-5, S-6 & S-7 SSBNs. S-2/Arihant, S-3 & S-4 will be identical SSBNs. 2) That’s not a logical way of questioning the effectiveness of Agat JSC-built seekers. One can also turn around matters by questioning the sale of AIM-9X Sidewinders or BrahMos-1 when none of them have so far been used in anger during actual battle. 3) Obviously therefore the need of the hour is to go for ocean-going MCMVs like the USN’s Avenger-class, which at one stage the US agreed to supply with at extremely attractive price-levels. 4) E-MALS does not cost that much, rest assured. 5) That indicative price-level for Project 75I applies only if one is considering the procurement of an entirely new class of SSKs, which will entail the acquisition of an entire eco-system of imported manufacturing facilities. If, however, the base design of the Scorpene SSK is adopted for P-75I, the costs will come down considerably.
Will comment on your article later today.
To LAXMAN: Religions like Islam or Christianity may have been spread inside India by force only to a miniscule extent. By & large, the socio-economically depressed sections of India since the 12th century have voluntarily converted in order to either escape the deprivations & humiliations heaped upon them by the caste system, or to ingratiate themselves with their new masters. And equally true is the fact that despite converting to Islam, the subcontinent’s indigenous Muslims were still subjugated & terrorised by successive invaders from Turkey, Central Asia & Iran. The invaders were never the benevolent lot.
To ROBOTIC: Not at all. On the contrary, the contract will be inked by this June. All that the French are reiterating is their stance. They’re not saying that India has accepting the terms & conditions because that would be highly undiplomatic. Far better for the Indians to give their own statements with their own twists & flavours at a later date. As for the Govt of India turning India into a laughing stock, that has been going on since the late 1950s. Consequently, every ‘Made in India’ combat aircraft of imported design since then has been nett indigenised to only a paltry 38%, for instance. And when India’s Parliamentarians pass IDIOTIC legislations like the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010 (which has been opposed not so much by foreigners, but mostly by India-based OEMs that have been traditional vendors/suppliers to the DAE/NPCIL since the mid-1970s), then it becomes clear why India is popularly labelled as a ‘Refusing-to-Develop’ country.
To RITURAJ: 1) Of course not. What makes you conclude that it is collapsing? Just by listening to one side of the story? 2) Of course not.
To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) Nope. That min-sub was designed by L & T. 2) One of them is Alion of Canada, which has designed the NOPVs now being fabricated by Pipavav for the IN.
To PAWAN: AAP’s win won’t have any impact on either economic growth or national security, since such matters are under the domain of the federal/central govt. AAP may well have its own PoV regarding J & K or Pakistan, but this does not mean that it has any role to play in such matters. Let’s wait & see how exactly AAP goes about solving Delhi’s civic problems. As of now, all that it has done is make loads of promises to Delhi’s residents. And I’m also absolutely sure that AAP will not be able to deliver on a single promise, simply because it does not have the intellectual or financial means of fulfilling its end of the bargain.
HI Prasun you said the mini sub was designed by L&T , where did they get the initial know how ? and how will they integrate various weapon systems and sensors?. collaboration?. Is it used only for the marcos or as a weapon platform by itself.What would be the weapons it would carry and it operational characteristics?. I hope you will be covering the AERO INDIA 2015 extensively and gives some real dope! will it be possible for you to upload specific videos in your blog or youtube.?
Sir how can you be so certain the Rafale deal will be signed by June? Isn't Modi going to Europe in March/April, wouldn't this be the most logical time to sign the deal whislt in `France? And how can you be so certain when you have the Defence Minister of India saying such stupid things as the SU-30 MKI is an adequate replacement of the Rafale! If this fool really thinks that then perhaps he is more inclined to just scrap the entire Rafale deal?
Paket-NK Russian Latest Anti Sumarine Torpedoes and Also Anti Torpedoes hard Kill system is Better than R90 Rockets IN uses >?? Are there any plans this being offered to IN and Is IN interested ????
Can't this solve threat of PAkistan Navy better submarines??
1.Today there was news in defence.net that IAF is negotiating for earlier version Rafale and not current standard F3R. Now how can that be possible because AESA Radar was one of condition in RFP and F3R is AESA version of Rafale?
2. I am contemplating career change and would like to discuss few aspects with you. Please advice how can I reach you?
hi prasun the emb145 awacs is going to be handed over to the IAF says DRDO , can we assume that all modes of operation ie surveilance, tracking, interception , vectoring , data link sat operation ,esm ,elint are all operational?. I am surprised they did not face any mutual RFI problems as prone to these systems, with many antennas and data links. what is the state of the bigger awacs program,? is it better to order more emb-145 rather than wait for the enormous time that it is gong to take to design a new bigger awacs
@Prasunda Spoke with a friend who also happens to associated with Arms Brokers. Said things under NaMo have changed like never before. He also hinted at some "big action" in the future with lots of arms being purchased with short shelf lives hinting to the possibility of what could be the reason IA is raising Highland infantry divisions. He refused to state what kinds of weapons or anything more.
Prasun Is there any major design flaw in Dhruv ALH????Its turning out to be sordid saga. I think we have lost more than 16. Even Ecuador has lost 3 out of 7.
1. What happened to the supersonic long range cruise missile which was being developed?
2. When Jet-Li was part time defence minister, one heard of frequent DAC meetings and regular program acceptance and acquisition clearance, After Mr Parrikar has come, all one hears is controversy after controversy but no force augmentation or equipment clearance. He has also not touched OFB or HAL for reorganisation yet.
What is he doing all the time? Why is there nothing for him to show in 4 months? The submarine procurement and shipyard visit - nothing came out of it yet. Avro-748 replacement- no news, MTA, FGFA, Rafale, Chinook Apache - all one hears is this policy or that regulation but no concrete progress.
Is Mr Parrikar waiting for 31st March or he is moonlighting somewhere?
@Prasunda 1)Is it true that NM was asked to resume Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan by Barack Obama? And if so then, aren't the facts stated by you a few days back when backing the suspension of talks with Pak, relevant anymore?
2)Recently I met a person who seems to be very well informed about both Indian and Colonial history. And it was his theory that India and the entire subcontinent has since Independence left a multitude of "interfaces" open with that of the colonial powers of yore due to the adoption of Colonial structures after Independence. This has ensured compromise of Indian government leading them to be run by inimical interests such as, foreign funded NGOs, often inimical as those funded by the Ford Foundation, and other extra-constitutional authorities directly or indirectly puppeted by the Western/Colonial powers to their end.
This is being ostensibly done To further their imperialist design which includes CULTURAL and RELIGIOUS agenda at the foremost. And that is Abrahamification of the Indic belief systems. Which has given rise to the weak pseudo-secular and Indic culture averse state of present times. The powers that be which include an entire gamut of political interests and business interests, have ensured that the Indic culture hatred runs deeper and has hence invested in systems such as academia-media-intelligentsia to create a narrative whereby the Indic universal philosophical systems are alienated and replaced with Abrahamic principles.
According to him it is these external powers who through their internal lackeys(developed and nurtured through the "open interfaces" that Indian administration has had with the Colonial world since the time of Independence) have curtailed and even eliminated any renaissance in Dharmik principles amongst the Indian masses.
This ensures the non-emergence of a strong Indian state armed in it's own universal Dharmik principles which can challenge the Abrahamic West. And instead creates a weak Indian state where the Indigenous universal philosophy of Dharma is weakened by using tools like 'Secularism' and 'Communism', which in turn covertly turn the state into de-facto Abrahamic state where Islam or Xtian principles are dominant.
He further explained that, Pakistan is being sustained by the colonial powers because it helps in the cause of keeping India weak and also as a staging ground for JIHAD to subvert Indic rise.
He went on to add, that it is the business interests and other external interests doing the bidding of these colonial powers that had ensured the fall of Indian National Congress in Lok Sabha 2014, since INC was perceived to be unable to create the economic environment preferred by these Colonial/Western interests.
He said even the otherwise Non-Appeasing NaMo, would turn into a minority appeasing NaMo, because these interests don't want anyone to set right the severe distortions in Indian administrative structures to provide a level playing field that could ensure the revulsion of the imposition of imperialist Abrahamic principles. Hence, he predicts, NaMo would only be able to carry forward the economic agenda that the western interests want him to follow. And that any step in the cultural direction would lead to massive planned protests and political resistance. Too much for NaMo to stomach.
Your thoughts on this scary scary nightmarish theory? Please do provide a detailed counter response, if any, because I'm naturally riled at such a thought.
"There is no denying the fact that Islam (and Christianity)was spread in India by force" I wonder which Christianity are you talking about mate? Jesus was crucified by radical Jews same as you and an innocent person died on the cross without a single swear words or words of revenge. Do you think such a humble person who died like a lamb to the slaughter "force" Himself upon anyone? You are getting mixed up with the Crusaders and if you read the Bible you will know that Jesus said those who live by the sword perish by the sword. So please do your research before misdirecting this blog into jingoism and unnecessary religious debate.
Wow Pierre please don't try the"religion of peace " tactic here , you will only be mocked further .The crimes done in the name christianity extend far beyond the crusades and is the cause of untold misery . Your attempts to whitewash it are rather pathetic.
What u have told prima facie is scary but let's go to the bottom of this by understanding some principles:
1. India needs the west because they have industrial technology and money. As we were not part of industrial revolution our institutions are still evolving to develop the cutting edge tech they have.
2. Elections in India are free and fair. Had it not been so aap in deli would not have won 95 percent seats. Change in govt in centre is not west created but a reflection of peoples mood. Present govt has to adopt to western tech and methods because of pt 1 above. We don't have tech,money or quality management practices of our own. We shoukdinvest in the latter for sure and this is what is getting traction.
3. No body in the present world can live in isolation. They r connected with others and interdependent. Same with India. Western countries are powerful and there is no other option but to positively deal with them. It is also the right thing. Is not China not dealing with the west and adopting their tech successfully. Why should India be different when we have in modern times nothing of our own. Further the success of ISRO is a western conspiracy or collaborative success. Is not Russian help made isro successfully.
4. Demise in hindusim in India is because of deterioration of dharmic spiritual principles enshrined in it. Spiritual wisdom is not being followed by masses. But this is slowly changing. You find yoga popular in the west, is that not a Hindu invasion of the west.
5. Proselytisation can be checked by passing anti conversion laws. Many state govts have done it. Centre needs to do it to safeguard the country. But at grass roots resistance to conversion is on the upside.
6. Our education is westernised and hence western concepts of secularism oppose many meaningful reforms. Those who oppose are Indian people themselves. That is very shameful. However with the rise of nationalistic politics a lot of positive changes I am seeing happening. Things will improve in the future.
What u have told prima facie is scary but let's go to the bottom of this by understanding some principles:
1. India needs the west because they have industrial technology and money. As we were not part of industrial revolution our institutions are still evolving to develop the cutting edge tech they have.
2. Elections in India are free and fair. Had it not been so aap in deli would not have won 95 percent seats. Change in govt in centre is not west created but a reflection of peoples mood. Present govt has to adopt to western tech and methods because of pt 1 above. We don't have tech,money or quality management practices of our own. We shoukdinvest in the latter for sure and this is what is getting traction.
3. No body in the present world can live in isolation. They r connected with others and interdependent. Same with India. Western countries are powerful and there is no other option but to positively deal with them. It is also the right thing. Is not China not dealing with the west and adopting their tech successfully. Why should India be different when we have in modern times nothing of our own. Further the success of ISRO is a western conspiracy or collaborative success. Is not Russian help made isro successfully.
4. Demise in hindusim in India is because of deterioration of dharmic spiritual principles enshrined in it. Spiritual wisdom is not being followed by masses. But this is slowly changing. You find yoga popular in the west, is that not a Hindu invasion of the west.
5. Proselytisation can be checked by passing anti conversion laws. Many state govts have done it. Centre needs to do it to safeguard the country. But at grass roots resistance to conversion is on the upside.
6. Our education is westernised and hence western concepts of secularism oppose many meaningful reforms. Those who oppose are Indian people themselves. That is very shameful. However with the rise of nationalistic politics a lot of positive changes I am seeing happening. Things will improve in the future.
hi prasun the launch video the k4 seems puzzling. the missile exits the water and starts drifting sideways, exhaust seems to come from the nose cap of the missile then the main motor fires .This scenario has never been followed by any undersea launched missile!.Is there any chance that the video is morphed?. what is your take
OK, once and for all people! Secularism: is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. This is what all the developed countries of the world strive to maintain, e.g. USA,UK, germany, Canada etc where I am sure quite a few of you people live and freely practice your religion. The opposite of secularism is a theocracy:Government ruled by or subject to religious authority e.g. Pakistan, saudi Arabia and generally most Islamic countries. So when you thrash secularism you are upholding the values of these theocracies. You are indeed basically saying that you support your own religious version of the above mentioned backward theocracies. And this could be Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu ,Buddhist, Sikh, jain,bahai whatever. I request prasun not to delete this as too often I have to listen to this rubbish thrown against secularism
We generally being secular are always prone to target the Hindus. But when we get a chance to go in to the deep of Xtians and especially the muslamics, we feel safe being the Hindus.
i today's modern day and age religion has become obsolete. it is a baggage that we carry from the past.the basic purpose of religion was to maintain public order and to prevent the people from doing whatever the hell they wanted.purpose of religion was to unite people,give them something to believe in,keep human arrogance in check.if there was no fear of hell then you could do anything as long as you didn't get cought and it will be ok.the idea of god is like todays surveillances state where the citizens know that the government knows everything you do and can see you always.religion at its onset was a means to bring order and maintain control over the population. humans are greedy and unless you give them a good enough incentive to be good to others( ie the concept of heaven ) they just won't do it. also god acts as a the guy you can blame for your misery and for everything that goes bad.this Shields the person from the fact that his shitty life is his own fault and unless he does something about it, it will get even worse.also rulers of the time could justify all horrible things they did by connecting it with religion. today religion is causing more problems than giving solutions.in poor backward countries with illiterate population it still serves a purpose to some extent.but in a rich country its pretty meaningless.if you could get heaven on earth and that too without dying only by working hard and being smart then why waste time pleasing some sadistic dude in the sky in the hope that when you die he will decide your fate.i mean if you wanna fuck 72 virgins it isnt that difficult to get them if you have enough money.and why only 72 you can have even more.who is stopping you dude.you can get moksha or nirvana if you can get your hands on some premium lsd.i mean you will visualise music and hear colour if you snort that stuff.
so all this fight about whose religion is better or worse is pretty much meaningless.its like fighting over, who's fart smells worse coz you dont choose to fart nor can you control how it smells; yours or anyone else's.i mean you are never going to appreciate someone else's fart.its just a fact of life and you live with it whether you like it or not.it just doesn't deserve a discussion.
Prav and the rest - I don't have to continue arguing as I come to this blog for military info. Indians are looked upon as morons purely because of views like yours. Read magazines like Barnabas Aid and Open Doors and your eyes will open. What man does especially Catholic church has nothing to do with the Bible. So you are denying Jesus ever existed and died and what was done to Him served Him right because He was molesting young children, raping women and chopping the penises off if people didn't accept Him? There are more sceptics than believers in the Bible and please free to check out sites like Creation Ministries who take challenges from people and don't just say accept in blind faith.
A request to PKS - as the owner of the blog can you please moderate any non essential topics and digressions? I come here to hear your expertise and questions that seek out such expertise but some here deliberately veer the thread away with inadequate knowledge and plenty of jingoism. Views and varied opinions can be productive if sticking to the subject.
Rad, SPOT ON ! That's what I was about to say, the exhaust was uncanny in nature considering the launch of the SLBMs, and now looking forward for Prasun Da's view.
I think as long as humans live ie before nuking or polluting ourselves out of existence, this, my religion is better than your religion will go on!!poor god .!! please listen to one lunatic called Dr zahir naik on youtube and enjoy!! he claims islam was the first and only religion and only ,You have to appreciate his memory power and that he seems to have read the gita , vedas, bible , etc and pulls out faults. He claims islam was always there since the birth of man and all other religions are not religions??!!
i feel the renewed interest of modi in talking to pakistan has more to do with bjp-pdp alliance in j&k than anything else.modi is just giving mufti a face saver.i don't see the US pressurizing india for anything other than economic liberalization. the kashmir issue is as good as dead, indo pak relations have plateaued as pakistan is to weak to wage a war in any meaningful way and india being a status quoist power is not going to be an aggressor. i mean the US has nothing much to gain from indo-pak talks nor do india or pakistan. the talks if they do go ahead will be more about economic ties between the neighbors.
good for him. as long as he pays his taxes and doesn't brake the law i am fine with this guy.
but i cant imagine a world economy without interest on capital.i mean by islamic logic my banker goes to hell for giving me a home loan and charging interest for it and i go to hell just coz i have some money in savings account and earn some interest. so mr modi just sent another 140 million people to hell via his jandhan yojna. mind you,charging interest is one of the 7 unpardonable sins in islam. so allmost the whole civilized world is going to hell and those who aren't are soo poor that they are basically experiencing hell on earth.that is some messed up shit.
Prasun Da, it appears that my queries are getting deleted due to the reasons unknown, hence I am posting those queries multiple posts thanks.
Prasun Da, very many thanks for your previous reply to my queries.
However, I have some more questions coming to my mind on some current news:
1. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has suspended order of Heavy Arms from India, according to this article by the ET:
http://idrw.org/archives/58119
-------Does it mean that Afghanistan will source Military Hardware but not financed by India, but elsewhere, now as you have opined in the previous thread replying a query by Pawan:
"As for supplies of military hardware to Afghanistan, it only wanted those hardware that were supplied to India in the 1980s by the USSR & which have since been decommissioned. Nor does India possess the capability to refurbish them into usable items. However, Iran has this capability & consequently, such hardware can easily be shipped by India to Iran for such work to be undertaken, with India picking up the financial tab. Therefore, President Ashraf Ghani was ‘technically’ right in saying (during the SAARC Summit in Nepal last year) that Afghanistan is directly not importing any readymade military hardware from India"
-----Now what might be the source of this Hardware, will they be sourced from Iran ? or PRC ? and if so, financed by Whom ?
2) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31164119 Prasun Da, what are the nature of the training of these 6 Cadets in Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad, since,ANA mostly favour India as their Training Destination, given the radicalisation of Pakistani Army ?
Afghanistan arrested 6 Militants hiding there wanted in connection with Peshwar Army School attack, so is this an indication of warming ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what about Afghanistan's position on preparators of attacks in Afghan soil ? What about the deportation of Quetta Shura ? Is there any deal reached between two countries ? Though Maulana Fazlullah is still at large.
4)http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Pakistan-beats-India-in-race-to-become-Cern-associate-member/articleshow/45577152.cms, & http://home.web.cern.ch/about/updates/2014/12/pakistan-become-associate-member-state-cern,What are these Final Documents that needs so much time for Govt. of India to submit to become an Associate Member of CERN ? Where as Pakistan did that in time to be an associate member of the same ? Where CERN is itself much willing for India becoming a Associate Member of CERN, from present Observer Status, also, it is quite unnatural that Russian Federation and the USA alongwith China and Japan are still in non-member status ?
Hi Prasun da, I have been passive follower(until now) of your blog for years and really a big admirer of your blogs and amount of effort you put in to enlighten common people on national/defence affairs.I have few queries and would like your opinion on those. 1)is BJP-PDP alliance means maturing of indian politics and moving from vested interest to national one's?I am happy to see BJP coming forward and accepting the people's mandate for now .your views pls 2)regarding IAF Tejas MK2 ,i don't understand why DRDO /ADA dragging its feet for past 4 years .They have still not finalized the design why the delay?its killing the IAF and specially when they have all the resources to get it fly by 2016 ?every AERO show first flight is moved two years away why ? Why can't PM Modi make it pilot project for MAKE IN INDIA initiative and mkae it a national project. BTW i have to admire the Navy for taking NLCA 2 to its conclusion ,would appreciate your views? 3)Regarding electronic manufacturing in india,so do you think enough was done by FM to make it a success 4) do you think opposition is right by blocking the amendement of land aquition Bill as it is required for the BRO activites as well for ROAD creation nead china border ?do you think foreign money being used to block the bill . 4)why i don't see Indian Army modernization drive as compared to airforce and navy ??
@pintu, on your question 5.i would like to say to ADA folks.
STOP BRAGGING /TALKING ABOUT AMCA and start making Tejas mK2 a reality firts and then talk about AMCA.It seems they are trying to mess this one up also.They need to learn to walk first properly .
Thanks for your replies. I would be grateful for some more spoon feeding.
From where are the Carbon Fibre Composite Materials for the Tejas Programme sourced. I need to know specifically about the CFRP, Fabric and Resins. Is ToT available or have some Indian companies already developed the capability to manufacture these items? Are Technical Textile Industries available in India who manufacture / weave aerospace textiles for the Tejas and other programmes?
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169 comments:
So the army has moved away from the troubled t-72 tracked launched and fitted it rather neatly on a tatra truck? a very elegant solution I think.
What is going on with the VSHORADs requirement sir?
Sir will you be adding an explanation of what we are seeing? it seems there is a lot of duplication going on- tracked an tart based GCCs for the Army are shown, trailer mounted and truck bed mount dater centres for the IAF are shown.
There appears to be a distinct lack of consistency or is this down to the project having moved beyond the original phamplets that are scanned on here?
To FALLOUT & LINKIN: Nope, the IA has NOT walked out of the tracked option. As the photo filenames clearly state, the tracked option is for those Akash-1 Troops & Groups that are deployed in the plains & desert terrain, while the wheeled (motorised) option is for those Troops & Groups that are meant for deployment over mountainous/jungle terrain in the highlands in India’s north & north-east. Therefore, the IA has placed firm orders for both tracked & wheeled TELs for Akash-1
To FALLOUT: For the VSHORADS reqmt, no final selection has taken place, i.e. the L-1 bidder has yet to be identified. But in all probability MBDA will emerge as the winner of this competition & the ground-launched version of the Mistral (whose ATAM variant is already o order for the Rudras & LCHs of the IA & IAF) will be acquired for all three armed services.
Dear Prasun,
Recently I came across a news criticizing the Arihant project that it is at par a technology demonstrator. Its reactor will run out in very short span of time. What's your say? Thanks in advance.
Enjoy these pre-Republic Day goodies:
History of Subsonic Cruise Missile R & D:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8Kr0f1tEY&hd=1
Evolution of Guided Bombs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoviZpTT9eY&hd=1
Evolution of PGMs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2tYOU9ju7U&hd=1
Evolution of MBT Designs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z9o5oPMWss&hd=1
T-90AM/MS Presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfGP-dGjjnY&hd=1
Evolution of the Russian Navy, including details on how a 24-missile salvo attack using Granit missiles is to be conducted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Er3l0-o9c&hd=1
To SOUBHAGYA: Will answer all outstanding queries (from the previous 2 threads) on the S-2/Arihant i a consolidated reply-format later tonight.
Hi Prasun,
Its being long that you shared tejas MK2 R&D effort and milestone(2011). Can you share how that development is flaring now and when are the next milestone. Is there any impact because of new Raksha Mantri??? You have always been the source of correct information compared to other mirch masala author out there!!
http://youtu.be/PXWJrpA8FnE
sir what is this....
a think a fun animation
To PRASHANT SINGHAL: Airframe fabrication of the Tejas Mk2 MRCA’s PV-1 has already commenced. First flight will take place sometime in 2017. New RM won’t have any impact on the MRCA’s developmental schedule. More info will likely come out next month during the Aero India expo.
REPLIES to queries in the previous thread:
To Anon@8.36AM: Cost escalations have taken place because of 1) the falling valuation of the Rupee 2) rising import bills for hydrocarbons & coal 3) rising import bills for consumer electronics items & gold. Consequently, EVERY weapon system or sub-system being imported also becomes cost-prohibitive & affects programmes like the Su-30MKI licenced-production & production of Tejas Mk1 MRCA. It is futile investing in just radars & sensors when there’s not much available to act upon their inputs & neutralise the emanating threats.
To REDDY: US isn’t giving any lethal weapons in substantial numbers to Pakistan. Instead, the giveaways comprise mostly logistical support equipment & vehicles. As for Kabul-based Afghan factions, India has since the late 1980s always maintained close ties with them & continues to do so & supports them in every way humanly possible. On nuclear matters, contrary to the popular perception, it was the US that gave the nod to Canada to export its CANDU nuclear reactors since the mid-1960s in an unsafeguarded manner, even though India had not inked the NPT. Similarly, it was the US that allowed the likes to Commodore A Paulraj to go to Silicon Valley in the 1970s & acquire the necessary core competencies reqd for designing & developing sonar suites for warships. Almost ALL of the IN’s & IAF’s experimental test pilots have since the 1960s been US-trained & qualified. Same goes for all those pilots who are today flying the IN’s MiG-29K/KUB. They were all trained in the US on US Navy T-45 Goshawks & only then they became qualified for carrier deck landings. No other country has been able to match the kind of military cooperation examples I’ve quoted above. And for sure the US has NEVER engaged in such cooperative ventures with Pakistan. Regarding working with ISRO, your best bet is to contact ANTRIX Corp, the commercial arm of ISRO that deals with such issues.
To VIDYUT & VISHAL: The article is not factual. That’s all I can say about it.
To RAD: Mini-UAVs made by NAL & ADE are all laboratory models & have never been subjected to user-trials. Only one built by TATA was, & that has since been ordered for both the IA & ITBP. The Raven will be used more by the CAPFs. Global Hawk HALE-UAV will be mafe available to the IN once India becomes a full-fledged member of the MTCR by the end of this year. SP-series Tejas Mk1 MRCAs will come fitted with Cobham of UK-supplied nosecones & retractable aerial refueling probes. Derby BVRAAM is for the IN’s LCA (Navy) Mk1s. The IAF’s Tejas M1s will have the Astra-1 BVRAAMs. Required AoA was reached a long time ago (about two years back). It will be interesting to see what kind of lightweight PGMs the IAF opts for in the near future for these MRCAs. AS for the DRDO Chief, all I can say is that being a superb scientist does not automatically translate into being a good administrator or human resources manager. The LCH’s stub-wings’ design looks alright if they’re meant to carry 8 or 16 ATGMs. Only hardware lacking in the wings are edge-mounted MAWS & LWR.
To PRATEEK: The AAP has totally belied the expectations of the residents of Delhi. It is now a party of anarchists & rabble-rousers & is totally incapable of undertaking/providing purposeful & decisive public administration.
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) Totally untrue. IAF has already spent its own money on the Barak-2 MR-SAM procurement programme. 25km-range Akash-1 by comparison is at best an E-SHORADS & Akash-2 with 35km-range will still not be a fire-and-forget system like the Barak-2. 2) That’s because the order is a huge one & therefore one is financially justified in engaging in R & D aimed at coming out with an indigenous alternative. 3) All SP-series Tejas Mk1s will be headed out for Sulur for No45 Sqn.
To ANIONE: Not on patrol, but the F/A-22 Raptors are usually employed for providing air escorts to Air Force One.
To RAD: The SOSNA has not been ordered by anyone in India.
To RAJESH: CRN-91 can fire tracer & high-explosive armour-piercing rounds. The AK-630 does not.
To SANDSTONE: Design work on P-17A FFG has already begun. Only metal-cutting is awaited.
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR & GESSLER: Nothing of that sort will ever happen, rest assured.
To BRUH: Deals are only signed by respective custodians of such hardware. In this case, since the US Defense Secretary isn’t accompanying the US President, no such deal will be signed.
To JAY BHANUSHALI: The total number of attack helicopters reqd is about 70, if the IAF’s force projections are to be believed. But the IAF does not want to use such attack helicopters purely as close air support platforms for the IA, & instead wants them to take part in IAF-specific special operations as well as CSAR. AS for the ISA’s reqmt for integral close air support, the MoD should have instructed the IA long time ago to formalise its reqmt for an LAH version of the LCH. Why this has not yet happened is a mystery, & instead the IA has so far committed itself only to the Rudra helicopter gunship. Logical things to do would have been to develop the Rudra as a helicopter-gunship optimised only or CSAR, followed by developing the LAH, & then accelerating the development of the HAL-designed RSH/LUH. In case you’re interested in knowing how attack helicopters & RSHs functions, then do watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JalGTtOpUrw&hd=1
To SAKSHI: This situation has arisen in the public debate due to only one reason: utter lack of common-sense. Folks still are unable to grasp the fact that cost escalations have taken place NOT because of any Western conspiracy, but due to 1) the falling valuation of the Rupee 2) rising import bills for hydrocarbons & coal 3) rising import bills for consumer electronics items & gold. Consequently, EVERY weapon system or sub-system being imported also becomes cost-prohibitive & affects programmes like the Su-30MKI licenced-production, production of Tejas Mk1 MRCA, production of indigenously designed & fabricated warships, etc etc. And of course matters are not helped when India’s Parliament approves idiotic & adversarial laws related to civil nuclear liability & retrospective taxation.
To RITURAJ: 1) Yes, it is called the Divya Drishti network. 2) Two per squadron.
vmt for your reply sir
Hi Prasun, If I can ask, is the Akash Mk.1 adequate for contemporary and regional threats ?
How many sqn have actually been ordered 8 or 10 ? IAF seems happy with it.
For Barak-2 or whatever it is called, has the IAF placed firm orders for 9 sqn and when will first deliveries be ?
hi Prasun
you mentioned that the astra is the preferred missile for the lca , but the question is will the drdo be able to integrate and test fire the missile in accordance to the FOC that should be done in the year end.In that case they will not have an option but to offer the derby .will the python 5 be integrated to the lca as it is a more modern missile? is it on the pipeline?
Prasun, just curious, how does increasing imports of oil, cool and electronic s jack up the prices of combat aircraft?
just like fracking technology if some other energy capsule technology becomes available world would see tremendous change.
the middle east oil bubble will collapse along with that of islamic ideologies..
I want to see that day at the earliest..
Is there Akash-2 program with increased range and terminal onboard seeker or we'll go for the French Mythri program. Akash-1 has been described as obsolete technology SAM with no seeker by the French. What is your opinion sir?
Prasun da,
What happens to the Indian Army assault rifle selection process - which rifle has been selected.
On internet it shown that only ARX 160 and Galil ACE are in the competition.
Hi Prasun
Dont you thing it will be more cost effective to mount an active seeker whether IIR or radar on the akash to make it much more effective as we have invested huge sums of money.The french seem to be worried and are commenting it is an old tech. Well putting an active seeker should not be a problem as it seems to be a large missile, more over the range will increase due to fire and forget mode.I do remember Israeli pilots being scared of the sa-6 on which it is based on. Of course they overcame it by jamming, but were impressed by the maneuverability. Akash is a generation better.But one thing is worrying akash need a plethora of back up vehicle to be effective unlike the the simplicity of the spyder system. They should improve the system by changing all the radar involved in to aesa based .
HI prasun
Is the aswini 4d aesa radar
totally indigenous or is there some outside hand holding.Has it the same features as the arudhra radar. Can we compare it with the giraffe AMD radar which seems to be the leader in gap filling radars.Why dont we make a mast as tall at the giraffe for better low level detection.Is it a knock off french or israeli system.rad
Hi Prasun,
Given the fact that the US designs far more hi-tech weapons than Russia and is now willing to sell most of these weapons to India, does India still need Russia?
VMT
But India can not purchase the F-35. It's cost is so high.
Old Mig-21/27 are falling fast and LCA is not coming up fast. That must be some kind of sin.
Interesting analysis of the recent visit to India of POTUS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA-OSbRmMcU&hd=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J29LJ9tbyas&hd=1
Interesting data:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-heavily-reliant-on-China-for-12-essential-medicines/articleshow/46035298.cms
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1681755/how-xu-zengping-became-middleman-chinas-deal-buy-liaoning
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1681621/inside-story-chinas-first-aircraft-carrier-two-part-special-liaoning
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/new-snowden-docs-indicate-scope-of-nsa-preparations-for-cyber-battle-a-1013409.html
Dear Prasunji,
1. As India and US are working to enhance defence co-production and development, what is your take on local production of C-130 to replace AVRO and AN-32 in coming decade as well as anticipated demand from Army Aviation Corps+ requirement for NDRF, BSF, Coast Guard and ITBP.
2. Should not India focus on UCAV instead of AMCA ? what you think is best country to partner with for UCAV project given that France, US and Russia are actively working on UCAV?
Regards,
Prasun Da,
Since Sushma Swaraj is travelling to Beijing, do you think it is possible for India to make an offer to China that if it de nuclearizes Pakistan,
India will not join any anti China (trilateral/quadrilateral) alliance?
In any case Japan is not going to open an Eastern front against China in case the latter attacks India.
Thanks,
Sujoy
Prasun Da,
In reply to a question you said that the Mistral VSHORAD will likely emerge as L1.
However, Pakistan already has the Mistral. Therefore, shouldn't India go in for another VSHORAD?
Thanks again.
Sujoy
Prasun,
So the sword of judgment started falling on people ??
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-govt-sacks-foreign-secretary-Sujatha-Singh-replaces-her-with-envoy-to-US-S-Jaishankar/articleshow/46048436.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-asks-Japan-if-its-interested-in-Rs-50000-crore-submarine-project/articleshow/46049111.cms
I do not understand the point of the P75I tender. Are we to operate with a menagerie of conventional submarines? We have seen what the paucity of spares, infrastructure and skilled hands has done to the IN's sub-surface fleet even as it struggles with two different types of conventional submarines sourced from two different countries and thus from two different OEMs. Do we want to exacerbate the situation, have we somehow come upon funds sufficient to put in place the required infrastructure and train the required manpower in order to deal with four different types of conventional submarines?
I never understood the notion of accruing ToT from a Western design and a Russian design and then mixing and matching them, as if it were some puzzle. What an inane notion.
Perhaps the MoD needs to think things through instead of tooting the "Make in India" horn- which it seems means scredrivergiri only by private concerns rather than our DPSUs.
The scorpene with an integrated AIP system from the get-go is the ideal solution. Not because it is the best platform out there but simply because anything else at this stage would be prohibitive.
Perhaps we shall prove the record wrong this time and defy our otherwise congenital bent towards stupidity? Parrikar is not his predecessor, mercifully. He also is not everything that blind forum goers peg him to be, given that he thinks that accelerated acquisitions and assembly of foreign systems in country by private companies can somehow be the path towards a "respected and feared India."
@Sujoymajumdar
China will not agree to a "denuclearized" Pakistan.
In China's interest- A Pakistan which can serve as a near pear opponent to India as a result of its nuclear arsenal and traditionally aggressive posture.
Not in China's interest- A Pakistan which is so unstable and so thoroughly compromised that its warheads can be used by irregular combatants without any measure of predictability as to the target and causation.
There is quite a bit of ground between these two poles, and so China does not see the need to denuclearize Pakistan. Not in exchange of any promise that India might provide. As things stand, at the moment, Pakistan has ensured that its arsenal is protected, if and when there are clear and tangible signs (multiple attacks on well guarded high security bases for example)that Pakistan's ability to protect said arsenal has been compromised then we may see some movement from the Chinese.
Otherwise, there is no coalition of the willing at the moment.
@ Bhaswar
Thanks for your input.
Hope GOI realizes that this trilateral/quadliteral arrangement with US & Allies will not work.
In 2013 when China laid claims to the Spartly islands the US quietly asked Philippines to back off.
Similarly, Australia's defense whitepaper released last week states that China is more of a friend than a foe
http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2015/01/20/Defence-White-Paper-shaping-up.aspx?COLLCC=1343907163&COLLCC=2647953203&COLLCC=2202117738&
Dear Prasunji,
There was news that India is negotiating for (Project 11356) class frigate with Russia while Russia itself was buying more modern (Project 22350) . why can't India consider more modern design for example FREMM or Type 26.
Regards,
Prasun,
What do you think about the TOI article on Indian interest in Japan's Soryu? Do you see a realistic chance of a Japanese bid?
I believe US had demanded to remove Sujatha Singh as she was the person behind India's aggressiveness in Devyani issue.. Can that be true?
@Sakshi,
You are no less stupid than that MP Sakshi Maharaj.
Sujata Singh's appointment was done after the veto of Sonia Gandhi. She was not fit for the job and ended up in that post because of her father's connection. Thereafter, the woman became so arrogant that she started insulting journalists. Moreover, her tongue-tied approach was so visible during Obama's visit. So she had to be kicked out.
Compared to her, Jaishankar is world apart. He is the best ambassador we have got so he was appointed. Modi government had no better option than him. So I may not have agreed to Avinash CHander's decision but this one was good. You better open your eyes and stop smoking that stuff.
@Sujoy Majumdar
pls enhance your calmness when confronted with anything that is not so nice..
@sujoy
Thanks for the info though
@ Sujoy Majumdar,
I realized that there are a few cowards like you who will use the name of another person to disrespect a fellow poster.
Hence I post from my livejournal account to remove any confusion
I would therefore ask you to get a different name to post because I am certainly not a self-serving, petulant individual like you.
Prasun,
Can you please explain a crucial issue?
What percentage of the price of an aircraft or warship is paid back to the OEM as a royalty or license fee?
For example - if HAL builds Su-30MKI or AJT Hawk completely in India with Indian raw materials, or MDL builds Scorpene in India, what would be the royalty fee?
I was told that in civil industry TOT, it varies between 5-8%. How is it in Defence industry? Please give me some sources if possible.
Thanks
Dear Prsaunji,
Please try to answer queries tonight.
Regards,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=tcmCHb0R-Qs
Russian pilots using rear-view mirrors inside the aircraft. Is this unique to Rusians, how effective is it, is IAF using this method?
Prasunda,
VMT for the last reply.
BTW, some good news..........
http://www.firstpost.com/india/india-successfully-test-fires-longest-range-ballistic-missile-agni-5-2073075.html
Prasunda,
Just asking.
Am I reading too much that our foreign minister is landing in China today & when just test fired Agni 5 missile though the visit & test was schedule long before.
The reason for asking this question is because China tested J-20 when American Defense Secretary was there on a state visit & it created much hullabaloo that time.
VMT in advance.
Hi prasun
Please give us more inputs on the agni 5 missile.On observing the launch i noticed a jet of flame briefly at 10 o clock position just as the missile cleared the tube and shortly after the main motor ignited a cap fell of the rear, I dont know how many people noticed that. I presume that it is a stabilization device much like the top cap of the brahmos missile which turns the missile horizontally , stabilizes it and is discarded.
I dont know of any missile having such a system. This tech would be very useful during underwater launch of missiles where the water current above the submarine may tilt the missile.
congrats agni team.
Hi,
http://www.businessinsider.in/This-chart-shows-all-of-the-versions-of-Russias-fifth-generation-fighter-jet/articleshow/46070283.cms
Are the chart timelines in the above article accurate?
after the agni-V canister launch, a subsequent report mentioned that the vehicle landed in australian waters. any concerns by aussies? any previous instances of tests in aussie waters? any chances of test vehicle falling into non-Indian hands?
Prasun,
Can you also please enumerate the price of strategic missiles which we are developing?
How much does each Agni-5/4/3/2/1, Prahaar, Shaurya and K series cost?
Thanks
Rad, the Launch of Dnepr which is convertible R-36MUTTH ICBM, shows the same,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwvNuZLASdE
Hi Prasun,
Why should the news of "India asks Japan" to part of stealth submarine should be the headline in Indian MSM? Why couldn't the govt directly talk with the Japan Govt to help in building stealth submarines for India? I do not understand the logic behind this news.
RaviN
@pintu
thanks for the link, this confirms my suspicion that russian tech was involved ,not directly of course.The ss-18 nearly stopped before the main motor kicks in . I expected the flex motor nozzle to take care of the attitude but i think the bottom cap has a dual role , one is to correct the attitude as it leaves the launch tube, and second to protect the flex nozzles from the blast of the gas generator gases that might sneak up the nozzles if not protected which makes sense.
hi prasun
how come an indian company OIS advanced tech, suddenly claims that they have made 4 indigenous radars and also have patents for them!
Radars are software intensive with unique algorithms. Its a bit difficult to believe that .
Now it seems the IAF is looking for new air to air missiles for the future fighters , will russia integrate them on the sukhois or can they be persuaded with big orders.
@Prasun da
i have several querries this time
1. Learnt that IA is dropping plans to procure SRSAM as its very happy with Akash 1 & 2, as per you the former is ESHORAD but where the latter stands and dont you think more of these need to be ordered?
2. Australian sub requirement is mainly for evesdropping its means both the massive SMX-Ocean or Sorya class are of no use, it can be easily done by the HDW subs like IN has, your views?
3. what no body has reported is that 2 Dhruvs is Eqaudor have crashed in less than a fortnight whats happening, its sure to mar Dhruvs prospects. isnt it?
4. have you seen the Su50 schematics, it says a variant for Iran (world powers wont allow that), Korea (it will buy F35), it means except India no one s buying it, correct?
5. Su50 schematics, also shows twin seat Su55 FGFA (for India) & Su55 FGFAM (for Russia) but IAF is going for only the 144 single seat PAKFA that Russians are buying, alongside its trainers. last heard IAF wont go for Twin seat specialized version, the FGFA is basically cancelled, what correct?
6. The recent launch wheeled veraion of Nishant uav the Panchi was hailed as success, which of the two are operationally better?
7. canister launch of Agni5 should pave the way for Shaurya missile?
thanks
Joydeep Ghosh
To RAD: LoLz! OIS-AT has not indigenously developed any radar. Here's the website of its principal:
http://www.micrometgroup.com/
All those radars have been developed in the UK & USA, & are only being marketed in India by this 'desi' company.
To SBM: That depends on how one defines contemporary & regional airborne threats & whether they’re manned or unmanned. The IA’s version of Akash-1 has been optimised through extensive user-trials for protecting the IA’s mechanised warfare assets over both the plains & desert terrain & will be effective in the western front. The IAF’s Akash-1s will be equally effective when deployed in the plains for base air-defence. But when it comes to providing air-defence over the northern highlands/mountainous terrain or over jungle terrain of the North East, the performance parameters of both versions of Akash-1 are questionable & remain unproven, since neither version has to date been field-tested in such areas. The IAF itself had stated on record during Aero India 2013 that the performance of the Rohini 3-D CAR was found to be sub-optimal when deployed in sub-zero temperature conditions. Bottomline: for as long as user-trials of Akash-1 are not carried out & validated over the highlands/mountainous terrain or over jungle terrain of the North East, one cannot assertively state that the Akash-1 is a reliable air-defence system in the Indian context. Numbers of Akash-1s & Barak-2s ordered thus far remain the same as stated by BEL & BDL in early 2011. IAF’s Barak-2s will start being delivered from 2017.
To RAD: Firstly, the first Tejas Mk1 sqn will attain FOC status in only March 2018. Secondly, integration of Astra-1 won’t be a problem since IAI/ELTA Systems is providing the object codes required for systems integration with the EL/M-2032 MMR. Thirdly, Astra-1 makes use of the Agat JSC-supplied 9B-1348E seeker & Vympel-supplied AKU-170 launch pylons—both of which are also used by the R-77 BVRAAM (& hence the Astra-1s are being test-fired from a Su-30MKI) & therefore all integration-related data parameters are already available with the IAF. AAM integration challenges for the LAC (Navy) Mk1 will be even lesser since te Derby & Python-5 already comes integrated with the EL/M-2032 MMR & Targo HMDS. As for Akash-2, incorporation of active terminal seeker will involve a thorough re-design of the missile, which is time-consuming & therefore is not worth the effort. Secondly, the Barak-2 is becoming available with active seeker for fire-and-forget capability. Furthermore, Barak-2 will be cheaper & easier to both store & load/unload since it is cannisterised, whereas Akash-1/2 are not. Both the DRDO-developed Ashwini & Arudhra radars will have more than 40% imported content.
To SOMNATH: Elementary. Whenever a country’s annual foreign exchange expenditure exceeds the annual foreign exchange revenue earnings, it automatically results in that country’s own currency losing its value & consequently it becomes more expensive to buy foreign currency like the US$ or Euro or Yen. This is what jacks up the cost of buying any imported product, be it a M-MRCA or even a cellphone.
To NARESH KUMAR: Akash-2 will have an engagement range of 35km through the usage of higher energetic propellant. There will be no other on-board changes. Maitri ST-SAM project has already been scrapped for good. Compared to contemporary fire-and-forget MR-SAMs, the Akash-1 is a generation behind, but not obsolete. Other MR-SAMs available from Russia, China, Europe & South Korea are all vertically launched & are cannisterised, whereas Akash-1 isn’t.
To SIDDHARTH: The competition is still on-going. IN fact, there are more than 3 separate competitions now underway for different types of assault rifles for different formations.
To DEFENSE & AEROSPACE: Of course India very much still needs Russia. Despite all the bonhomie with the US, the existence of US laws & legislation bards the US from partnering with India for the development of fifth-generation MRCA, SSBNs, SSGNs, SSNs, SLBMs & ICBMs. Russia therefore remains the only provider of such critical technological inputs to the DRDO. Anyone who has paid attention to videos showing the test-firings of the K-15 SLBM & cannisterised Agni-5 cannot miss the clearly visible Russian inputs.
To Mr.RA 9: Who wants the F-35 when the FGFA is available? The FGFA has the kind of 360-degree situational awareness capability (in both visual & RF domains) that neither the F-22 nor the F-35 possess as yet.
To PAWAN: The C-130J can ideally replace the An-32REs for air-maintenance tasks, that’s a given. It will, however, require the IAF to strengthen & lengthen some of its existing ALGs, a task which is doable from a financial standpoint. I foresee a total reqmt of some 60 C-130Js for meeting the reqmts of the IAF, BSF, etc. Consequently, it will make financial sense for Lockheed Martin to set up a C-130 airframe MRO facility in India to service not just the C-130Js, but also earlier-model C-130E/H versions as well. At the same time, similar MRO facilities will have to be established for servicing the aircraft’s avionics, landing gear, hydraulics, accessories, & engines. Only then will the MRO business model become financially viable. For this, all MRO-related facilities catering to the C-130 family will have to established in a single industrial zone within 20km of one another. And lastly, India will be reqd to ink the Logistics Support Agreement with the US for such an integrated MRO business model to become fully functional. AS for replacing the Avro HS-748s for executive transport, a far better option would be to import about 30 Legacy business jets, while enlisting Embraer’s help in developing & certifying a twin turbofan-powered version of the NAL-designed Saras within a 36-month timeframe. Strangely, almost everyone else seems to have forgotten the Saras!
UCAVs & AMCAs are both still quite far away as far as the subcontinent goes. Till now, no one has spelt out how exactly the ALCA will be far more financially viable than the FGFA programme.
To SUJOYMAJUMDAR: Why should India ask China for de-nuclearisation of Pakistan when India knows very well how China maintains a tight leash over Pakistan’s WMDs? As for all those self-styled non-proliferation ayatollahs who constantly scream about Pakistan’s steadily increasing WMD-related warheads, do they really bother to keep track of the number of delivery systems & their TELs that Pakistan has at its disposal? Just do a simple check on the number of TELs available for each type of ballistic/cruise missile & one will now exactly what is the strength of Pakistan’s WMD arsenal.
To BHASWAR: Perhaps that’s the real reason why the P-75I’s RFP has yet to be released, despite constant statements emanating from the IN HQ stating that release of the RFP is imminent. Interestingly, the DRDO has quietly gone ahead over the past 2 weeks & inked an agreement with DCNS for seeking the latter’s assistance in developing a fuel cell-based AIP solution! Also, Russia has agreed to lease a second Type 871I SSGN to India, with its delivery slated for late 2017. Agreement to this effect was reached during Putin’s visit to New Delhi last December.
To RITURAJ: The royalty fee in the aerospace/naval sector can go as high as 20% of the product’s acquisition cost. ICBMs like Agni-5 cost roughly Rs.30 crore per unit, minus their TELs.
To DHAKA: Not just Russia-origin combat aircraft. Others do so as well. Agni-5 didn’t land in Australian waters, but in the southeastern part of the Indian Ocean.
To ANIONE: Nope. The coinciding of the dates are purely coincidental.
To RAD & PINTU: Rest assured that missiles like the K-4, K-15, Shaurya & Agni-5 have core technological inputs from Russia. The same also goes for the yet-to-emerge MIRVs. Both of you have guessed right.
To RAVI N: Aha! So you have begun the process of reading in between the lines & becoming a discerning reader! That’s very good to know & my hearty congratulations to you indeed for raising a very pertinent query. I always relish such questions that place a premium on common-sense above all else when trying to figure out matters. Why India is ‘asking’ is because Japan has not yet enacted the legislations necessary for export such fully integrated weapon systems/platforms. Had Japan had a clear export law in place, all that India would have done was to invite Japan to respond to the P-75 project’s RFP. In fact, Australia was the first one to ‘ask’ Japan for similar clarifications. Why is this so? Because both Australia & India are trying to do two things: 1) sending a message to the whole of East Asia (inclusive of China) about both countries expanding their strategic options & signalling their intention to actively consider Japan as a reliable military-industrial partner, & 2) this is Australia’s & India’s way of helping Japanese PM Shinzo Abe overcome the intense domestic opposition he now faces when it comes to exports of major weapon systems developed & built by Japanese OEMs. All that Abe now has to do is go before the Japanese Diet & make compelling arguments in favour of changing some of the archaic weapons exports-related legislations by explaining that in an era of declining economic growth, Japan now has no other choice but to commence weapons exports, albeit in a selective manner & that too to those countries that are Japan’s major emerging export markets.
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) SR-SAM was dropped two years ago. Akash-2 is still two years away from user-trials. 2) On the contrary, Australia requires double-hulled ocean-going SSKs like the Soryu-class, whereas the IN requires single-hulled SSKs. 3) Not necessarily. Ecuadorian helicopter flights are flown under very demanding circumstances over high-altitude mountainous terrain & this places very severe demands on both the aircrew & ground-crew. 4) Correct. 5) Not correct. The IAF wants the tandem-seat FGFA as well. 6) Obviously the Panchi. 7) It’s the other way. First came the cannisterised BrahMos-1, then the cannisterised K-15, then the cannisterised Shaurya & finally the cannisterised Agni-5.
BUT, will the Agni-5 be encased within its cannister from the time it exists its final assembly line (as a ready-to-fire ICBM? Or, like the Chinese DF-31As & DF-21Cs, will it be kept in a disassembled state during peacetime & only during national emergencies will it be fully assembled, mated with its warhead along with the primer & detonator & then inserted into a cannister which will then be mounted on its motorised TEL & sent to its intended deployment location for an extended period lasting a few months? Think about it, for neither the Chinese nor Indian TELs for their respective ICBMs make use of the kind of ruggedised TELs used by Russia, & which therefore are clearly not optimised for long-distance travel. Furthermore, such ICBMs of China & India will always be accompanied by mobile troposcatter-based communications systems, back-up SATCOM systems, & motorised field surveying equipment reqd at the pre-designated launch sites. Therefore, only a certified fool/retard will claim that:
“India's road mobile missiles will be randomly based across India's road network consisting of everything from a highway to perhaps even a Class II road.”
“ The idea is to deploy camouflaged TEL's that would look like every day semi-trailer trucks at least when viewed from above. Thus concealment in addition to road mobility is a cornerstone of India's future land based missile force. As Avinash Chander then Chief Controller Missiles and Strategic Systems, DRDO (and now Director General, DRDO) put it in an interview to Frontline in April 2012. You can stop on the roadside on the highway, launch from there and go away. You can stop the traffic for five minutes on either side, launch and go away.”
Hi
1) Indian Army selected Force motors Trishul vehicle is this correct and what are numbers and for what purpose??
2) Indian Army has Saperate LSV (light support vehicle ) program ?? who all are partisipating??
3) Scorpio and Safari are also in race for 3000 vehicle ???
How many type of vehicle IA needs and there contenders???
Dear Prasun,
You missed my earlier question. Hence, repeating it again (Plz. don't mind). Recently I came across a news criticizing the Arihant project that it is at par a technology demonstrator. Its reactor will run out in very short span of time. What's your say? Thanks in advance.
Thanks Prasun for your answer.
Further:
1. Has MoD put the AVRO-748 replacement on the backburner? It seems Airbus with TATA is making quite a bit of pressure for C-295 selection but Mr Parrikar doesn't seem eager? What is the perception behind the scene? Has it got to do anything with Finnmecanica negotiations and probable entry of C-27J again in the contest? OR C-130J is under consideration?
2. The LHD contract has now converted from 20,000 ton to 40,000 ton and the RFP sought bids by last month. Any update on that?
3. What is your opinion on BAE's offer to transfer its AIT (Assembly, integration and testing) setup for M777 ULH from America to India? It has been pushing its case through desi media quite forcefully. Also, it has appointed Deepak Parekh from HDFC as its one of the board members. So what is the MoD's reaction?
Thanks
@Prasun da
1. the answer you gave to my 7th querry is exactly the reason why asked about Shuarya missile, i wanted to know about its formal induction & operationalization (as you have said the Shaurya will be border silo based) it will allow Shuarya to be first responder before Agni5
2. answer you gave to #Pawan regarding C130J is exactly why i gave an elaborate answer on the points raised by you (with additions by me) earlier on the requirement of 125 C130Js in the previous thread
3. answer you gave to #Bhaswar regarding IN leasing another Akula sub the #Kuzbass (in repair since 2010) is better than going for #Irbis as the former like INS Chakra is Akula 2 whereas the latter is Akula 1 improved.
4. still is it possible for IN to lease out a completed Irbis (financed by India) without its nuclear core (Irbis then wont qaulify as SSGN) for use in sub training, SLCM launch and even Indian AIP testing, since both Akula 2 SSGNs with 6 of 10 silos sealed cant be used for SLCM launch practice.
5. as for answer you gave to my 5th querry, are you trying to say the 214 PAKFA include 144 PAKFA (including trainers) & 80 FGFA (including trainers), it will mean we are creating space for AMCA to fill in numbers spending few more billions unnecessarily
thanks
Joydeep Ghosh
Prasun Sir,
Can you please further elaborate on 3 separate competitions and different types of assault rifles.
Thanks for the answer. Only one thing: in 2011, while I remember that Akash was 8 sqn IAF and 2 regt Army, I cannot recall anything being said about Barak-2 besides some press reports of 9 sqn.
Is the 9sqn the figure you speak of ?
Prasun Da,
your answer regarding the canister version of Agni-V is a really good option. That was expected because final re-assembling of the canisters would also indicate an escalation ladder of nuclear scenario, which will buy sufficient time for diplomacy and negotiation even in worst case scenario. However, what would be the case with SSBNs which will have launch ready missiles? will they also patrol without ready to fire missiles. Since India and to certain extend China doesnot face an existential MAD race with any one there is no meaning for such doomsday devices to wander around the country side. The canister gives more options in emergency scenarios that even in the absence of pre-mapped launchpads there is a capability. Such ifs and buts are definitely a good thing for deterrence, since the adversary will have more things to calculate before launching a pre-emptive first strike.
Sreenivas R.
Prasun
There has hardly been any year in the last 15 that outflows of foreign exchange exceeded inflows. Quite to the contrary actually. Japan has been running a trade surplus for many years, but JPY has been weakening.
The value of any currency is a function of wide and complex variety of factors. Increasing imports is only one of them, and certainly not the most important!
Excellent example of how till this day, historical facts are distorted inside Pakistan when it comes to the J & K issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVe9gYJ-LdE&hd=1
To VISHAKH: 1) I’m not aware of any such development. 2) LSV is for the CAPFs. The IA requires a heavier JLTV-type vehicle. 3) Definitely not.
To RITURAJ: 1) I sincerely hope it is on the backburner. The C-295 certainly doesn’t qualify as a platform for transporting just senior armed forces officials. It is far too big for that. And the IAF itself has since clarified that the HS-747s will be used for only executive air-travel by senior officials of all three armed services. So, if we are to believe what the IAF says, then both the C-295 & C-130J becomes a definite overkill for transporting just 20 officers at any given time. The only viable option therefore is to opt for smaller business jets like the ERJ-135 Legacy. 2) RFPs take a long time to be studied, analysed & graded. Any outcome therefore will be known only by early April 2015. 3) If BAE Systems’s offer is to be accepted, then India will have to cater to the worldwide requirement for product support for the M-777’s existing users. While this is good news & makes financial sense, India will have to grapple with its longstanding dogma about non-alignment etc, etc. For instance, wi8ll India continue to provide global product support for the M-777s in case the US uses them in combat against any country with whom India enjoys friendly relations? What if the US M-777s are used against Russia? Will India continue manufacturing & supplying spares for those US-owned M-777s in such a scenario?
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) What you need to analyse is that while Agni-1/2/4/5 are/will all be operated by the IA’s Directorate of Artillery, the Shaurya, like the Nirbhay LACM, will be operated by the IAF. Secondly, Shaurya will be stored in silos, not fired from them. 3) Irbis, the Project 971I SSGN, is a step ahead of the Project 971A in terms of sophistication & since the hull is brand-new, it makes more sense to go for the Project 971I option. 4) Only those submarines designed from the outset to accept AIP plug-ins can ultimately accept AOP retrofits. Therefore, an existing SSGN can never be retrofitted with AIP. INS Chakra too can practice-launch 3M54E & 3M-14 SLCMs. 5) Yes. There will be no FGFA trainers. The tandem-seaters will be fully qualified interdictors.
To SIDDHARTH: They’re meant for Rashtriya Rifles, the SF (Para) & the regular infantry forces. Those are the three categories. Reqmts for the first two categories are more urgent in times to acquisition time-frames & hence are likely to be imported. For the third category the ARDE-developed multi-calibre assault rifles will be selected for sure.
To SBM: Those figures have long since been reworked since they were of mid-2006 vintage. The Kvadrats too were decommissioned in the previous decade. Consequently, numbers of Akash-1/2 & Barak-2 reqd are far more today than 9 & are therefore all in double-digits.
To SREENIVAS R: As matters stand today, what DRDO officials & India’s civilian decision-makers talk about is all about is the existing declared posture of ‘Minimum Credible Deterrence’. Under this school of thought, it is all right to keep all of India’s WMDs in completely knocked-down/dis-assembled state. But if any country is serious about convincing the world about its strategic deterrence capabilities & capacities, then the posture should be changed to ‘Credible Minimum deterrence’. Under such a posture, a bare minimal percentage of the arsenal (comprising TBMs, MRBMs, ICBMs, SLCMs & ALCMs) should always be maintained in a ready-to-fire mode. For instance, if an inventory of 36 Agni-5s with unitary warheads is available, then at least eight of them should be available 24/7 in a ready-to-launch configuration. The same goes for the SLBMs on-board the SSBNs, i.e. if an SSBN capable of launching 12 SLBMs were to undertake two operational patrols every year, then during each such patrol it should carry at least 4 SLBMs in a ready-to-fire mode.
To SOMNATH: Unlike Japan, India has never had the pleasure of enjoying robust trade surpluses with any of its major trading partners. Furthermore, Japan has forex reserves that even a country like China can only dream about till this day. Therefore, successive depressed domestic consumer spending levels in Japan does not mean that the Japanese economy has been weakening. In a country with negative population growth rates, achieving even 0% annual economic growth rate does not translate into a negative GDP growth rate for that country.
Thanks again Prasun. So, to clarify, double digit squadron orders for Akash and Barak-2 have been placed for IAF ?
Requirement is one thing but orders can be something else.
To SBM: Orders for procurement of weapons required in large numbers are never placed in one go, since funding is available for only five-year defence plans. They come in successive tranches, based on FIRM & confirmed mid-term & long-term requirements that determine the pace of series-production under successive five-year defence plans.
Dear Prasunji,
Is it true that Barak II has 2 version one is 70KMS and second is for 120KMS range with added booster motor which will be used by IAF.
Regards,
Hi Prasun,
I'm always surprized by the 'stealth' evolution of the Mirage 2000UPG program... there has been almost no news for months regarding this massive $1.5bn deal. Do you know if the weapon package has already been negotiated with the French or the Israelis? Or do you think that both the weapon packages of the Rafale and the M2000 will be negotiated together at the same time?
Same about the Jaguar 'Darin III' upg. Is there any defined weapon package?
Warm regards,
You said:
-- Furthermore, Japan has forex reserves that even a country like China can only dream about till this day. --
you mean per capita?
Prasunda
1.
France Offers 18 Mirage 2000-5F Fighter to Colombia for $500 million why India is not opting for these in the interim.?
2. There r rumours that modi govt will put 1% of gdp for innovation and will put all defence core R&D into it.
3. Whats your prediction on the defence budget? The first full one from modi govt?
4. Whats your take on the argument of Mountain strike corps ? Whether the army needs to increase its manpower or rationlaize its existing manpower to create one.
5. U had written about the chinese posture vis-a-vis India itwas not at all manpower specific. So whats the right solution according to you?
6. Whats your take on avinash chander pre mature retirement?
7. US is planning 6th gen and we r trying to get a 4th gen fighters and with meagre resources without a right to fail for the scientific community. Do you really think any indian company will risk investing in R&D in india? All the examples as available today are replication of existing tech .
8. How much R&Din US is supported by US gov and how much by companies themselves. More however how much goes down the drain ( failure). Why dont we bring those comparisons to the fore.
9. Do you think modi govt will ensure a CDS ?
10 whats ur take on the indian diplomatic posture vis-a-vis pakistan?
So, if Barak-2 and Akash, what firm orders are there for IAF ?
To PAWAN: Yes, it is true.
To SBM: What has been ordered so far is already public knowledge as per data released during Aero India 2011.
Dear Prasunji,
I have few queries as follow.
1. Is there any update o FICV/
2. Given that we built Arihant reactor with Russian assistance what are they chances that IAC-II will be nuclear power and if it is non-nuclear then can EMALS used as catapult.
3. Is there any connection between SFC demand for dedicated 40 aircrafts for nuclear delivery, 42 SU-30MKI ordered and now integration of Brahmos-A? will these Brahmos-A will be ASMP of India?
Regards,
Pawan
Hi PrasunDa,
You seem to be very busy these days, that’s why I am not posting much and disturbing you in the process.
Just had one question about the PAK-FA/FGFA.The Russians are rushing the PAK-FA into production even though the Izdeliye 30 engine is not yet ready.
http://in.rbth.com/news/2015/02/03/first_series_of_t-50_aircrafts_has_entered_the_russian_air_force_41161.html
Does this mean that the Russians are worried that if India commits the $20 billion to the MMRCA they will have no fund for the FGFA, so it is better if they can throw the IAF a bone by releasing a FGFA that is still work in progress?
Regards,
Vikram
Of course the question is what was said at AI 2011 ? Not pushing, just completely missed it and can find no reference to quantum on google from AI 2011
Regarding Akash missile, it can carry conventional and nuclear warheads weighing up to 60kg. The integration of nuclear warhead allows the missile to destroy aircraft as well as warheads released from ballistic missiles. It can operate in all weather conditions.
Please inform what is this so small a nuclear warhead.
Dear Prasunji,
watched Najam sethi talking about India being out of Afghan equation except for development work. I think he proved right as yesterday Afghan sent 6 cadets for officer training.
Today he was talking about kashmir dialogue and its solution on lines of Kasuri- Lamba formula.
Would look forward to your views on it.
Regards,
extended range barak-II for IAF only? can't it be used by Navy as well?
To SANCHUN YATON: Firstly, inking the Mirage 2000UPG upgr5ade was a bad idea & the French themselves have said so. That money instead should have been invested in procuring the Rafales & had that been done, then by now the first two IAF squadrons of Rafales would have been forming by now. Secondly, the weapons packages for both the Rafales & Mirage 2000UPGs will be identical as far as AAMs & PGMs go & both have already been negotiated. For the Jaguar DARIN-3s, the PGMs will be the same as those for the Rafales & Mirage 2000UPGs & will include the Griffin-3 LGBs. As for AAMs, I will be cheaper & easier for the Python-5 to be integrated, instead of the AIM-132 ASRAAM.
To REDDY LoLz! Not just per capita, but even the reserves. Back in the early 1930s right up to 1940 when the US was suffering from economic depression, it was the ROC (now Taiwan) then under Chiang kai-Shek who bailed out the US by heavily buying up US Treasury bonds. Most of these bonds started maturing from the early 1990s onward & by the beginning of the 21st century they were collectively valued at some US$3 trillion. And Taiwan has since parked all these funds with Japanese banks & allows Japan to liberally make wise long-term investments with these funds on its behalf. This is what has angered China since the mid-1990s because China believes that as part of the ‘One China’ policy that is accepted by most of the world’s nations, this money no longer belongs to Taiwan & China therefore ought to be the sole beneficiary of all this money. But for obvious reasons, Taiwan, the US & Japan aren’t agreeable to this & this then has become the root cause for China’s hostility against Japan & the US.
To ANILUV G: 1) Why opt for an interim solution when a full-fledged solution now awaits India in the form of the Rafale. 2) That’s a very good idea, if it can be made to work. 3) The spending level of the new budget is immaterial. What matters most is how exactly will the money be spent. For instance, it makes no sense to corporatise the DPSUs if at the apex level there’s no corresponding reform within the MoD’s Dept of Defence Production & Supplies. 4) Definitely rationalisation & right-sizing should take precedence over expansion. For instance, in an age of limited wars, does it make sense for the IA to maintain a fleet of 4,200 MBTs? Instead, why not reduce it by half & invest the money saved on acquiring anti-armour force-multipliers like homegrown LAH attack helicopters & Mi-17V-5s fitted with battlefield SARs. 5) The PLA’s posture at this stage in Tibet is defensive in nature since it just does not have the acclimatised manpower required for staging any high-intensity land offensives. In the eastern sector, for example, all its field exercises since 2011 have clearly shown that it believes a localised IA offensive in this area is very much possible to succeed & therefore the PLA has been building up its capabilities to form a strong defensive cordon along the northern bank of the Brahmaputra (Yarlong Tsangpo) River inside southeastern TAR. 6) I’m sure his talents will be better made use of in the private-sector. 8) In the US, fundamental scientific R & D is heavily financed by the US government, whereas the US private-sector companies focus more on transforming such scientific gains into exploitable technologies in a productive manner. 9) I sure hope so. If not, then India will never be able to graduate from a posture of ‘minimum credible deterrence’ to ‘credible minimum deterrence’.
To PAWAN: 1) Not yet. IA is still afflicted with ‘doctrinal paralysis’ & therefore has not yet come up with a firm & frozen GSQR for either the FICV or the FMBT. 2) IAC-2 will definitely be nuclear-powered. The General Atomics-developed E-MALS has not yet been tested with any other form of non-nuclear power generation source. 3) No. There’s no connection. In India, the SFC does not own or operate any assets. It only exercises command over them. Ownsership, operations & maintenance are the responsibilities of the 3 armed services. BrahMos-A is far too big & non-stealthy for an ASMP-like weapon.
To SBM: The figures of 2011 vintage can be found here:
http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2011/04/hardened-air-cover-with-mr-sams-lr-sams.html
To Mr.RA 9: To date, no one in India has either designed nor tested such a type of n-warhead. Furthermore, the Akash-1/2 missiles are not cannisterised, & therefore, unlike missiles like the cannisterised Barak-2, can’t be left exposed in the battlefield for long durations in a fully deployable mode.
To DHAKA: Of course it can. But the IN hasn’t yet asked for it.
To VIKRAM GUHA: It has nothing to do with India (since the T-50 PAK-FA does not live up to the performance specifications of the FGFA), but with Russia’s own domestic requirements. For, unlike India the Russian Air Force has not made any noteworthy procurements over the past two decades. Only this year the situation is set to change, when 126 new military aircraft (mostly Su-35s each priced at US$85 million, plus a few PAK-FAs) and 88 helicopters begin being delivered. In addition, the combat aircraft fleet serviceability status will increase up to 67%, meaning that two out of three aircraft will be ready to fly at any one time (for the USAF the corresponding rate in 2013 was 78%).
To PAWAN: That is yet another distortion of ground realities. Firstly, India has since late 2001 provided developmental assistance to Afghanistan. This includes vocational training to several hundreds of Afghan military personnel plus several hundreds of civil servants. In addition, in early 2012 India used Chah Bahr port in southeastern Iran for the first time ever to transport 100,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid. Not many know that this was in response to an urgent SOS sent to India & Iran by Kabul & the US after Pakistan shut down all the transit trade routes for NATO & Afghanistan in response to an ISAF attack on a Pakistani check post in Salala, which is located in the Tehsil Bayzai area of Pakistan’s Mohmand Agency. It was India which had financed & helped build Chah Bahr (as a free trade port located within a free trade zone) a decade ago to provide it access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, & has also financed the construction of a 560-mile long railway line from the Zabul iron ore mines in southern Afghanistan to Chah Bahr. Along with Iran and Afghanistan, India also has an agreement to accord Indian goods headed for Central Asia and Afghanistan preferential treatment and tariff reductions at Chah Bahr. Today, only China & India—and not Pakistan--are the prime customers for commodities originating from Afghanistan. Therefore, is any Afghan so stupid so as to distance itself off from its principal markets just for the sake of placating a country like Pakistan, which has no buying power if its own & is surviving solely on financial dole-outs from the US & from remittances from expatriate Pakistanis? Furthermore, Afghanistan as made it known that Pakistan’s good intentions will be proven only when 1) it deports the entire Mullah Omar-led Quetta Shura back to Afghanistan without any pre-conditions, & 2) it prevents the Afghan Taliban from staging attacks inside Afghanistan during the coming summer season. It is for this reason that both Afghanistan & India agreed during the SAARC Summit last year that President Ashraf Ghani will make a state visit to India only by this April, by which time it will become clear to one & all whether or not Pakistan abides by all the promises that it has made so far to Afghanistan. If one goes by past experience, then it is most unlikely that Pakistan will honour all its pledges & that’s exactly why both the US & India & now China too are maintaining collective pressure over Pakistan to comply.
And as for the covert proxy war being waged by India inside Balochistan, one does not need in today’s globalised environment a physical presence in neighbouring Afghanistan (such as the Indian consulates in Kandahar, Jalalabad, Heart & Mazhar-e-Sharif). Plans/agreements are hatched, clinched, financed & finalised elsewhere, for instance, somewhere in the Middle East or distant Europe, where most Pakistani separatist elements are based. That was precisely why the US Secretary of State John Kerry during his last visit to Pakistan publicly rubbished reports about these Indian consulates being involved in supporting & financing the Baloch separatist rebellion.
To PAWAN & Mr.RA 9: As for the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani POV today itself is totally convoluted. On February 5, which was celebrated inside Pakistan as Kashmir Solidarity Day, not one Pakistani politician could publicly project a coherent POV on any current-affairs TV talk-show. Some said that Pakistan stood for Kashmir’s right to self-determination & that too only inside J & K & not within POK & Gilgit-Baltistan, while others claimed that J & K is meant to be an integral part of Pakistan, while now pick up a fight with the UK by alleging that this whole problem was the brainchild of the late Lord Louis Mountbatten! Even China, which had asked Pakistan as far back as mid-2009 to clarify the legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan, has since given up after Pakistan failed to come forward with any cogent arguments. That’s why only between 2009 & 2011 did China insist on issuing stapled visas to Indian citizens living in J & K, & it quietly discontinued this practice from late 2011. For India & the rest of the world today, it is crystal-clear that it is Pakistan that has consistently shied away from implementing the UN resolutions on J & K by refusing to withdraw from POK & Gilgit-Baltistan. In any part of any of the UN resolutions, there is not even a mention of any plebiscite or referendum (those words were used only in speeches made by Nehru & were never part of any UN correspondence). And the right to self-determination today has several connotations: while for Pakistan it is like last year’s Scottish referendum, for India is like the Anglo-Irish political agreement for Northern Ireland. And given Pakistan’s worsening economic situation (thanks in large part to China’s mercantilism, due to which Pakistan’s domestic manufacturing sector has been decimated since mid-2005), the never-ending power generation shortages & unending sectarian strife, no one in their right mind in India will agree to any form of diplomatic dialogue, leave alone meaningful negotiations, for settling any dispute. And to add to all this, the US & the EU are negotiating with Iran in good faith toward a normalisation of relations. What this means is that since everyone knows Shia Iran’s WMD capabilities are targetted solely against the perceived WMD capabillties of the Sunni world comprising Pakistani & the Middle Eastern sheikhdoms led by Saudi Arabia, Iran will NEVER surrender its nuclear WMD options unless Sunni Pakistan too is de-nuclearised. This is an existential issue on which Iran will never compromise. Consequently, if the US & EU are serious about normalising relations with Iran, then it becomes mandatory that the de-nuclearisation of Pakistan takes place. How soon or how late this will happen, only time will tell. But that’s the writing on the wall. And there’s nothing much that China can do about reversing this.
Prasun -
1.) Will the Delhi class be fitted with Brahmos?? Or would it continue with the Uran??
2.) What is the status of IJT Sitara?? There were some reports that HAL has been able to sort out its Spin and stall issues
Excellent analysis:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/lead-article-indias-tango-with-the-great-powers/article6866029.ece?homepage=true
To Ram Bharadwaj: 1) Uran-Es will be used, not BrahMos-1. 2) Had the problems been overcome, then by now HAL would have publicly confirmed it through some 'paid news' published in BUSINESS STANDARD. In any case, what's the justification for acquiring an IJT that will be powered by a turbofan whose total service life is only 300 hours?
HI Prasun
Instead of trying to invent the wheel and make a rickety one as far as the multi caliber rifle is concerned what on earth stops them from getting consultancy or co developing from big players like colt,Beretta, h&k etc.This this model seems to be working in the case of brahmos and barak ,as there is somebody to check the quality.
The prototype model looks ok but the finish is below par.
Does it make sense not to have a canister for the akash missile in place like rajasthan or the Himalayas?
what on earth is stopping the MTA form going ahead this game has been going on for more than a decade.
Are the chinese still using the agat seeker for their missiles or have developed their own.
Dear Prasunji,
Thanks very much for answering my queries and in-depth analysis of Afghan situation.
Regards,
Pawan
Hi Prasun,
In the last census related to Religion is it true that only 17% people in India identified themselves as HINDUS?
If yes, this runs contrary to Government figure that states that 82% people in India are Hindus.
Prasunda,
According to latest Rfp, Indian Navy is going for some Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs)-
http://www.irfc-nausena.nic.in/rfi/RFI_NGMV_02Feb15.pdf
Which class of vessels may be the possible contenders. Can Indian navy go for this Taiwanese vessel, considering India maintains its 'one China policy'-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuo_Chiang_class_corvette
To RD: The NGMVs are repkacements for the 5 477-tonne Project 1241RE guided-missile corvettes (INS Veer K-40, INS Nirbhik K-41, INS Nipat K-42, INS Nishank K-43 and INS Nirghat K-44, all of which are armed with P-20 Termit ASCMs. The favoured contenders for the NGMVs will be DCNS, Kockums & Fincantieri. In fact, what the IN ought to do is to select a common imported hull design for both the 16 SW-ASW vessels & the initial 6 NGMVs. Since the NGMVs are meant to be stealthy platforms, the on-board ASCMs will be required to be vertically-launched, as will the missiles of the CIWS. ASCMs like BrahMos-A won't fit the bill, while IAI could possibly come up with a smaller version of the Barak-2 with 35km-range that can neutralise hostile ASCMs inbound at Mach 3 speed. An anti-ship version of the vertically-launched Nirbhay can easily be developed in-country. If not, then the Kongsberg NSM will be the next best option. Another ASCM option is to develop a 180km-range version of the DRDO's proposed LRCM.
To PAWAN: Watch the interesting fireworks between two Pakistanis regarding the J & K issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQc53SH5qK0&hd=1
To LAXMAN: As per the 2011 census, those calling themselves Hindus constitute only 15.16% of the total population. The remaining 88.64% is made up of 2.3% Christians, 13.47% Muslims, 40.94% other backward classes (OBC), 19.5% Dalits & 8.63% Adivasis. Now, the RSS, ABVP & other like-minded entities would like to believe that OBCs are Hindus as well. But in reality, there has been a distinct class consciousness among the OBCs since the 1990s & this has since morphed into a distinct religious-ethnic identity as well. For instance, the Gonds that are spread over Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, have produced research works to establish that their Gondi language is the mother of Dravidian languages & that the Harappan script, whose illegibility has long stumped scholars & archaeologists, is actually decipherable using a Gondi language. Furthermore, for the Gonds, the 10-headed Ravana might well be a mythic figure that a lot of ‘Hindus’ torch & dispatch to hell every year, but the Gonds, Ravana, his wife Mandodari & son Meghnad are their ancestors & therefore a lot of Gonds are now buildings temples in honour of Ravana, starting with MP. Similarly, some OBCs now worship Mahishasur in Maharashtra & MP 4 days after Dussehra. Then we come to the issue of the so-called sanctity of the cow, which is erroneously but vehemently traced back to the Vedic era, but what is forgotten is that Vedic rituals involved cow sacrifice & beef-eating. Then there’s the wrong perception about the cow’s survival in India being threatened by beef-eating Muslims. In reality, all Dalits, Adivasis, Christians Muslims & even some Shudras are beef-eating. Furthermore, a growing number of universities throughout India, starting with Delhi & Hyderabad, have been organising annual beef-eating festivals during which the ‘Hindu’ OBC students were only asking whether the meat came from the cow or buffalo. It is also a fact that buffaloes produce more milk in India than cows & therefore the former has far greater utility. Yet it is not protected against slaughter. On top of it, cow’s beef is freely available through West Bengal, Kerala & the entire North East.
To LAXMAN: What is even more galling & annoying is the utter disrespect being shown by entities like VHP to India’s rich southern Indian civilisational legacy. This becomes evident when terms like ‘Vedic Science’ are presently used, thereby meaning that prior to the Vedic era there was no science in India at all! This is a highly arrogant assertion, to say the least. What is often forgotten is that the Vedic texts were written down in Sanskrit only less than 3,000 years ago, which in turn means that the Vedas were originally scripted in either Brahmi or Prakrit scripts several thousands of years ago. Evidence of all this can be found in ther archaeological excavations carried out in both Dwarka & Mahabalipuram. It has all been documented here, as usual by a Caucasian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjuSVHwNJMk
Youtube and some web sites are not authentic sources as they are just like news paper editorials where one or two persons writes an opinion on any topic as if they have eternal knowledge and are consumed by millions like a sheep.
How come an editor write/ pronounce judgement on any topic be it religious or science or technology and every thing in between and people take that as a final word?
and y specifically beef festivals? why only in hyd osmania and delhi JNU? why not in other places and other universities?
try to organise a free pork festival in hyd osmania university.. they see what happens? muslims thugs will tear the so called secularists.. and u don't want hindus not to raise voice and you want to hit below the belt by saying cow meat is eaten even during vedas period.
now the condition is:
am a christian and a minority in india and so on this sole reason it is the duty of the GOI and hindus to feed me, educate me and give a job otherwise i scream of impartiality.
am a muslim and a minority and is giving birth to my piglets and it is the duty of GOI and hindus to feed me, educate me and give me a job..otherwise all hell broke loose..
i know you wont keep my comment and also you wont keep any comment that is anti-US for the reasons better known to you.
so what do you mean to say? gonds worship ravan and hindu burn ravana there by hurting the sentiments of them.. so what? let the hindus burn ravana and let the gonds worship ravana. hindus are not killing them for worshipping ravana unlike pakis declare such people as non muslims and punished to death.
hindus are the most tolerant for centuries. we dont need any certifications for anyone including pope or obama.
the tone of your answer says it all.. hindus fault for everything in this society.
you dont say that they should be shameful to claim jobs even they dont deserve based on caste and religion.
I want to see GOI to give MD, MS, PHDs etc people based on caste and religion, they deserve that, and the reaction of the world to them.
they are silent to claim jobs but they are vocal even to slight friction.
guys like you are ever ready to label hindus as non accommodative..
what business muslims have in this country when they are given pakistan and bangladesh?
Hey Prasun,
Quick Question. Why does LCA NP2 prototype have a similar canopy like tejas twin seat trainers? It doesnt look like the single seat IAF variant at all..
HI Prasun
The IA has ditched the lahat missile and gone in for canon launched guided missile. The Israelis are not dumb to make a bad missile that is not accurate and smokey as claimed by the IA.
More over they say they are going in for a indigenous missile clgm, which itself seems to be derived from the Lahat! what is the truth.
Please shed some light on the multi caliber rifle and also the plight of the modern sub machine carbine.
Dear Prasunji,
After reading your replies to demography, I have few questions.
1. US Govt is in frenzy about religious freedom in India, why so, suddenly after India visit of POTUS.
2. Isn't Pakistan was fraud on India, because It was meant to be home for muslims of subcontinent but 1/3 rd muslims call India their home.
3. I really puzzled by fact why Muslim population is not being assimilated in locals of countries they live and this fact has been highlighted from Ex President of Singapore to American scholars to European Politicians and think tanks.
4. Can't Govt restrict activities of groups like Bajrang Dal or VHP who have narrow ideologies about India's history & are unable to think about cause and effects of their activities.
Regards,
One will find from the IP address that Mix N Match and whatever else and Indian Hindu are one and the same. If he were a Dutch citizen I have no problem in naming him as Van der Troll.
Prasun,
The size of these NGMVs, as per the RFI, do not fit into Veer class corvette. The complement asked is nearabout 90 people and the gun which is required is ideally 76mm for 15km range. So it looksl like a vessel in 1350-1500 ton class. Other criteria also support it.
That makes one wonder whether IN is going for something like Type 56 corvette of PLA-N? By the way, why can't IN go for tuo-chiang class Fac-M or Ambassador class boats of Egypt (bought from US), when it comes for smaller combatants?
Dear prasun ji
you are mensioned about obc gonds and ravana and mahisasura, but however they are from Vedic charectares and they believed in Vedas and ravana is great devotee of Siva, so there is no question about they are against Vedas
Thank you
Saran
PrasunDa,
(1) Does the RIC(Russia-India-China) grouping have any importance? Does it benefit India?
(2) The Indian Army intends to purchase the Scorpion Common Smart Submunition from Textron. However, it seems to be just an expensive IED with some added sensors. How will this purchase benefit the Indian Army?
http://www.textronsystems.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/product-info/scorpion_datasheet.pdf
Thank You
Actually going against Vedas only means that being pure materialist, inhuman and equating self to the God.
Strangely the Vedas seem to cover even the Atheism within their umbrella.
To RAD: Why Simply because nor even one of the world’s established small-arms manufacturers will deliberately create another competitor by teaching another manufacturer how to go about designing & developing such weapons. Consequently, there’s no other choice but to come up with one’s own unique solutions. The BrahMos model doesn’t apply in this case, since the BrahMos isn’t exactly state-of-the-art when compared to what the Ruskies have had since the mid-1980s, i.e. the Granit. Barak-2 is a risk-sharing joint venture in which both parties have not divulged to one another how exactly they devised & developed solutions for their respective R & D workshares. Akasah-1/2 as they’re now cannot have cannisters due to their inclined launcher configurations. More R & D data on the MTA’s status will become known during Aero India 2015. For BVRAAMs, China is still using Agat-supplied terminal seekers.
Data, photos & posters on the CLGM was uploaded by me way back in January 2013. See this:
http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2013/01/snapshots-of-drdo-exhibits-at-iscs.html
LAHAT was designed for use from smoothbore 120mm cannons, not rifled-bore.
To INDIANHINDU: LoLz! I wish you had come up with some coherent comments (like what exactly is the definition of a Hindu) instead of dribbling out whimsical mumbo-jumbo. There are scores of anarchists like yourself who go ga-ga over Hindutva without even defining what means! Even the Supreme Court of India has been able to detail what Hinduism is all about except for stating that it is a way of life. But in what way this way of life differs from other ways of life has not yet been articulated by anyone so far. So, do us all a favour here by first coming up with an all-encompassing definition of Hindu or Hinduism/Hindutva that is acceptable to ALL those who label themselves as either Hindus or pride themselves on being members of various other ‘Hindu’ sects & cults. Better still, do quote any of the ancient texts/scriptures where the term ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindutva’ has been used throughout the ages. Only then can one objectively differentiate between a ‘Hindu’ and ‘Non-Hindu’. Final word of advice: always start from genesis, i.e. the basics/fundamentals, instead of making the peripherals the point of departure.
To DEVAANANDH: Because the canopy configuration is identical to that of a tandem-seater, so that it is far easier to access the avionics bulkhead located aft of the cockpit by simply opening the canopy. This bulkhead houses most of the telemetry/tracking data-links as well as other experimental avionics being tested on-board for the very first time & these need to be manually accessed after every sortie. Therefore, retention of the cockpit canopy design of a tandem-seater is a practical & cost-saving step.
To PAWAN: 1) What POTUS had said was factual. No one can dispute it. Even the Union Finance Minister has characterised the recent events like ‘Ghar Waapsi’ & earlier events like the Babri Masjid demolition as isolated aberrations, meaning they were wrong & cannot be condoned of forgotten. In fact, it is high time the PM himself came out & issued the much-needed clarifications. In any case, these so-called Yogis, Sadhus & Sadhvis are supposed to be detached from all forms of material life. Why then are they issuing their own individual edicts on material living matters & how come they even got themselves elected into Parliament? It would have been far better if they had adopted the same posture as that adopted by the likes of Baba Ramdev or Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who never get involved in any manner with issues of religious re-conversions. 2) In a way it was, much like the existence today of Ukraine, Russia & Belarus as separate countries, despite the fact that they’re all members of the Slavic race & are orthodox Christians—factors that should bind them together as one politico-religious entiry. And yet they are living separately. 3) That’s because ever since the destruction of the Baghdad Caliphate in the 12th century by the invading Mongols, there has been no religious renaissance witnessed within the Muslim Ummah. That’s why you won’t find a contemporary Muslim counterpart of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The only new thought that has emerged within the Muslim Ummah since then has been of the secular type evolved, espoused & practiced by the Turks since the emergence of Kamal Ataturk. That’s why of all other Muslim communities worldwide, the Turks are found to be far more acceptable, especially in European countries. 4) I don’t think restriction of activities is a good idea, because it tantamount to suppression or repression. It is far better to challenge them head-on through open-to-all debates by exposing the deep faultlines within their ideologies, thereby exposing the hollowness of their beliefs. For instance, kindly read the questions I’ve posed above to INDIANHINDU. At the end of the day, any idea/narrative can only be countered by another idea backed up by compelling counter-barratives, & not by brute force.
F-15SE is the final evolutionary form of the F-15, whereas Rafale as it now exists is merely in the first step of its evolution, meaning the Rafale can be upgraded at least twice more, while the F-15SE can’t. That’s the very reason why those that needed to choose between the F-15SE, Super Hornet & F-35 JSF ultimately chose the JSF. The Iron Dome’s Tamir rockets cannot effectively intercept the Nasr.
To XIAN: Everyone uses the ‘victim’ card whenever he/she gets the chance to become opportunistic. That’s why the Chauvinistic Marathis of Maharashtra had in the 1960s & 1970s targetted the ‘Madrasis’, & in more recent times have targetted their wrath against immigrants from UP & Bihar. Likewise, immigrants from Jharkand are treated like shit in some states in eastern & central India. The Gujarat state govt have now begun imploring Maharashtra’s Gujarati residents to leave ‘dirty & stinking’ Mumbai & invest/re-settle in Gujarat. Nor can the late Mother Teresa be held responsible for Kolkata’s present-day state. But what she did while she was alive can be replicated even today at best by a handful of other persons in a country of 125 crores—that’s the pathetic part you’re overlooking with your blinkers on.
To RITURAJ: Obviously the expected size of the NGMVs won’t be the same as the existing FAC-Ms that need replacement. Consequently, the NGMVs won’t be FAC-Ms like the Project 1241RE vessels, but will instead be 700-tonne stealthy corvettes built with a high content of composites. This then leaves only 3 potential contenders in the competition, Saab/TKMS with its Visby design, CMN of France with its Combattante CL65-S design, & another similar design from Italy’s Fincantieri—all sporting integrated masts. The Type 056 from China’s CSTC is more of a littoral patrol FFG whose max speed is not as high as that desired by the IN, while any catamaran design—Australian, Chinese or Taiwanese—is optimised for use only in shallow waters. That’s precisely why the IN has totally dissatisfied with the seaworthiness of catamaran survey vessels like the INS Makar.
To SARAN: I’ve never stated anywhere that the Gonds or other OBCs are against the Vedas. All I’ve done is raise a few simple questions: what’s the proven origin of the four Vedas in terms of vintage? Were they from the outset written in Sanskrit? Are they are oldest spiritual scriptures? Were they preceded by the Ramayana or the Mahabharata or the Bhagwat Gita? Or is it the other way around?
To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) Of course it does, based on the synergistic approach outlined by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier last week. For instance, the RIC grouping will play a crucial role in India’s dealings with the proposed Eurasian Economic/Customs Union & may one day even make a gas pipeline originating from Kazakhstan, transiting Xinjiang & entering Uttarakhand or Ladakh a distinct possibility. 2) It may well be an expensive IED with added sensors, but the fact of life is that no one in India has been able to come up with a less-expensive but equally sophisticated alternative.
What is Status of FINSAS Program ??
1) Are there any Components finalized for FINSAS ??
2) Are Night Vision Googles , Assault Rifle , Bullet Proof jackets , Communication Systems Systems Ready??
3) What are the systems which are still lagging ???
Hi Prasun,
Has development work commenced on the up-scaled nuclear reactors for IAC-II, and Arihant follow-ons? What is the current status?
Best Regards
Raj
hi prasun
what is the missile TRD-5omt is used on, some fool suggests that the nirbhay is powered by it .
even the lakshaya is powered by the ptae engine.
@anon February 9, 2015 at 3:11 PM
Please hold your tongue and unpleasant senses back.
If you have an argument to make, please make it in an appropriate and gentle way and do not show the readers, how filthy it is, by using personal attacks and with derogatory terms. Thanks.
Hi Pradun da,
1. I was reading about INS Aridhaman and wiki and most sources say that it will have twice the displacement as INS Arihant and powered by a 190 MW nuclear reactor. How much of this is true and what is the current status ??
2. Why all Indian and Chinese BVRAAM's use AGAT seekers when R-77/R-27 missiles have not scored a single kill till date?
3. In case of war , how will the Indian navy do with just few obsolete Pondicherry class minesweepers ?
4. Can India afford the systems like EMALS which costs billion of dollars ?
5. 80,000 crores ( $12 billion approx ) for building six diesel electric submarines. The unite price of Scorpene class is $300 million a boat or even the 4,500 tonne Soryu class is $500 million per boat. Why always I feel that we buy weapons at very expensive prices especially from western sources.Example : Limited upgrade of 50 Mirages ( $2 billion ) or 10 C-17 aircraft ( $4.1 billion ).
I have written one small article, will be honored if you can read once and comment :)
http://idrw.org/archives/57178
Hi Prasun,
Thanks for the explanation.
There is no denying the fact that Islam (and Christianity)was spread in India by force.
This is primarily because HINDU rulers lost most of their wars against Arab jihadis unlike the Chinese & Mongols who not only defeated them but as retaliation even invaded the Middle East.
Throughout history HINDU rulers were divided on caste/community lines and some Rajput rulers even invited Islamic invaders to settle their personnel scores with rulers of other Indian kingdoms. Unfortunately not much has changed even today.
https://twitter.com/AlainRuello/status/564794191356911617
Dassault ne prendra pas la responsabilité globale du contrat en Inde (Collet-Billon DGA)
Translation:
Dassault will not take overall responsibility for the contract in India
So that is that sir, the Rafale deal is dead as a dodo :(
Same deadlock that has been overcome- neither side has backed down, end result the MiGs keep falling out of the sky, the PLAAF keeps building up its forces in leaps and bounds and the IAF stays exactly where it is.
India just pisses me off sometimes...
+ sir, I hope the buffoons in the MoD/GoI know they are making India the laughing stock of the world. 3+ years of exclusive negotiations preceded by 5+ years of trails and evaluations, the best part of a DECADE and NOTHING to show for it. The world has moved on and we are STILL using MIG-21/27 and the Su-30MKI fleet has barely 60% avaibilty -so adding more of them as the foolish DM has suggested is beyond retarded not to mention all the other reasons you have so articuarly explained why the MKI is not a suitable replacement for the Rafale. Long story short, we are nowhere, stuck with obsolete equipment and a "replacement" (MKI) that isn't a replacement at all.
Prasun,
Thanks for your replies.
1. Is the Rafale deal finally collapsing?
http://aviationweek.com/blog/french-mod-backs-dassaults-position-indian-rafale
2. Does LCA Mk-1 with all its weapon loads and full fuel becomes subsonic in flight?
PrasunDa,
(1) HSL has been awarded a contract by the Indian Navy to manufacture 2 mini subs. Does HSL have all the technologies needed to successfully design a mini sub?
(2) Are there any US or European Naval consulting firms that operate in India? If yes, can you please name them?
Regards,
Vikram
Dear Prsaunji,
Today's win of AAP has compelled me to think about its impact on economic growth and national security.
Everyone know kind of weird views AAP have on Kashmir dispute, Pakistan etc. Moreover kind of economic policies they were talking about would harm not only FDI but domestic investment environment.
I would appreciate and look forward to your views on my concerns.
Regards,
Pawan
@laxman
Spread by force, you must be kidding.
Its just because of the fact upper cast Indians treated the rest like slaves.
S Nair
S Nair, you must be an illiterate guy.
The whole world knows how Timur did his India campaign. And please read his autobiography. He himself quoted what he did when he plundered Delhi. He is assailed as a barbarian, whose ancistory
Then, read how Hindu Kush mountains got its name?
Also, if you were correct about higher caste hindus treated lower caste hindus as slaves, then there should be a term in Sanskrit or Hindu about the word slave? What is that?
The reason why Islamic invasion was successful because, the Buddhist Kingdoms during the early quarter of this millennium were not interested in wars and practiced "Ahimsa". So the rulers were not prepared to face the ruthless Arabian, Persians, Barbarian Central Asian Islamic rulers.
In the present civilized world in spite of having UN, Amnesty International, super powers like US, Russia, if entities such as ISIS & Boko Haram can cause so much destruction, massacre of innocent people and devastation of cities, one can think what could have happened during the medieval ages?
If you were a curious history student, you would have noticed not even a single war was reported between ancient Persian Emperor and ancient India. nor between Chinese kings with India except one partial war. Why? Only one attack was reported in History that originated from west, by Macedonian King Alexander. At the same time, Persians, Turks, Egyptians, Mongols were attacking each others. During the middle of Medieval period, these wars turned into Christian-Muslim war. Later war hardened Islamic invaders turned to India just because India were "idolaters,", free country which are against their religion and country with wealth. Please read Iranian History.
If Hinduism had so much hatred among people in the name of casteism, there would have coup or support to invading forces. 20% of elite cannot control rest of the population in any civilization. Moreover, the war between smaller kings fought between Kshatriyas, not in cities, not among the people, unlike invaders, who plundered temples, vidyalaya and destroyed cities.
During the period of AD900-1100 India faced more invasions from Muslim rulers than anybody in this world. Ghazni attacked India 17 times every year.
If you've studied the history of war between Prithviraj and Ghori, Ghori was defeated first war and left him unharmed asking not to attack again. In the second war, Jai Chand (a traiter like to you) helped Ghori to defeat Chauhan. When traitors like Jai Chands are present what is the point of huge army?
Please Al Beruni's History of India, Amir Khusru's diary on Muslim invasion in India.
Al-Beruni said this in his book: "Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, and performed there wonderful exploits, by which the Hindus became like atoms of dust scattered in all directions, and like a take of old in the mouth of the people. Their scattered remains cherish, of course, the most inveterate aversion towards all Muslims. This is the reason, too why Hindu sciences have retired far away from those parts of the country conquered by us, and have fled to places which our hand cannot yet reach, to Kashmir, Benares, and other places. And there the antogonism between them and all foreighners received more and more nourishment both from political and religious sources."
Nair
To VISHAKH: All of them are lagging behind. Progress will be achieved ONLY AFTER the passing of the FY 2015 budget.
To RAJ: Only preliminary feasibility studies. No detail design work has been authorised as yet.
To RAD: The person making such a suggestion is certifiably terminally stupid. For the past 2 years I have repeatedly uploaded the same section of the HAL brochure that clearly gives all data & parameters of the Nirbhay’s turbofan.
To BRADSHAW: 1) That applies to the projected S-5, S-6 & S-7 SSBNs. S-2/Arihant, S-3 & S-4 will be identical SSBNs. 2) That’s not a logical way of questioning the effectiveness of Agat JSC-built seekers. One can also turn around matters by questioning the sale of AIM-9X Sidewinders or BrahMos-1 when none of them have so far been used in anger during actual battle. 3) Obviously therefore the need of the hour is to go for ocean-going MCMVs like the USN’s Avenger-class, which at one stage the US agreed to supply with at extremely attractive price-levels. 4) E-MALS does not cost that much, rest assured. 5) That indicative price-level for Project 75I applies only if one is considering the procurement of an entirely new class of SSKs, which will entail the acquisition of an entire eco-system of imported manufacturing facilities. If, however, the base design of the Scorpene SSK is adopted for P-75I, the costs will come down considerably.
Will comment on your article later today.
To LAXMAN: Religions like Islam or Christianity may have been spread inside India by force only to a miniscule extent. By & large, the socio-economically depressed sections of India since the 12th century have voluntarily converted in order to either escape the deprivations & humiliations heaped upon them by the caste system, or to ingratiate themselves with their new masters. And equally true is the fact that despite converting to Islam, the subcontinent’s indigenous Muslims were still subjugated & terrorised by successive invaders from Turkey, Central Asia & Iran. The invaders were never the benevolent lot.
To ROBOTIC: Not at all. On the contrary, the contract will be inked by this June. All that the French are reiterating is their stance. They’re not saying that India has accepting the terms & conditions because that would be highly undiplomatic. Far better for the Indians to give their own statements with their own twists & flavours at a later date. As for the Govt of India turning India into a laughing stock, that has been going on since the late 1950s. Consequently, every ‘Made in India’ combat aircraft of imported design since then has been nett indigenised to only a paltry 38%, for instance. And when India’s Parliamentarians pass IDIOTIC legislations like the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010 (which has been opposed not so much by foreigners, but mostly by India-based OEMs that have been traditional vendors/suppliers to the DAE/NPCIL since the mid-1970s), then it becomes clear why India is popularly labelled as a ‘Refusing-to-Develop’ country.
To RITURAJ: 1) Of course not. What makes you conclude that it is collapsing? Just by listening to one side of the story? 2) Of course not.
To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) Nope. That min-sub was designed by L & T. 2) One of them is Alion of Canada, which has designed the NOPVs now being fabricated by Pipavav for the IN.
To PAWAN: AAP’s win won’t have any impact on either economic growth or national security, since such matters are under the domain of the federal/central govt. AAP may well have its own PoV regarding J & K or Pakistan, but this does not mean that it has any role to play in such matters. Let’s wait & see how exactly AAP goes about solving Delhi’s civic problems. As of now, all that it has done is make loads of promises to Delhi’s residents. And I’m also absolutely sure that AAP will not be able to deliver on a single promise, simply because it does not have the intellectual or financial means of fulfilling its end of the bargain.
Interesting Article
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-china-need-to-show-flexibility-to-settle-border-issue/527810-3.html
Possible progress on the border issue?
Thank You, Prasunda.
1. So why has GOI awarded the contract for the mini subs to HSL, when HSL does not have the technology?
2. Do you think HSL will therefore tie up with some foreign defense prime?
3. If yes, which companies do you think can provide the technology to HSL?
Thanks again,
Vikram
HI Prasun
you said the mini sub was designed by L&T , where did they get the initial know how ? and how will they integrate various weapon systems and sensors?. collaboration?.
Is it used only for the marcos or as a weapon platform by itself.What would be the weapons it would carry and it operational characteristics?.
I hope you will be covering the AERO INDIA 2015 extensively and gives some real dope!
will it be possible for you to upload specific videos in your blog or youtube.?
Sir how can you be so certain the Rafale deal will be signed by June? Isn't Modi going to Europe in March/April, wouldn't this be the most logical time to sign the deal whislt in `France? And how can you be so certain when you have the Defence Minister of India saying such stupid things as the SU-30 MKI is an adequate replacement of the Rafale! If this fool really thinks that then perhaps he is more inclined to just scrap the entire Rafale deal?
Hi
Paket-NK Russian Latest Anti Sumarine Torpedoes and Also Anti Torpedoes hard Kill system is Better than R90 Rockets IN uses >?? Are there any plans this being offered to IN and Is IN interested ????
Can't this solve threat of PAkistan Navy better submarines??
Dear Prasunji,
Thanks very much for replies to my queries.
1.Today there was news in defence.net that IAF is negotiating for earlier version Rafale and not current standard F3R. Now how can that be possible because AESA Radar was one of condition in RFP and F3R is AESA version of Rafale?
2. I am contemplating career change and would like to discuss few aspects with you. Please advice how can I reach you?
I should be grateful for your help.
Regards,
re: reply to Laxman - jizya (tax to non-muslims) played a crucial role.
hi prasun
the emb145 awacs is going to be handed over to the IAF says DRDO , can we assume that all modes of operation ie surveilance, tracking, interception , vectoring , data link sat operation ,esm ,elint are all operational?. I am surprised they did not face any mutual RFI problems as prone to these systems, with many antennas and data links.
what is the state of the bigger awacs program,? is it better to order more emb-145 rather than wait for the enormous time that it is gong to take to design a new bigger awacs
Prasun Da,
What is the fussion reactors state in india, and Thorium rectors ?
Prasun da,,
Whats your thinking about recent Global Times newspaper print that there is no dispute in Askai Chin, but the only dispute is in AP.
Now, I think its a no deal then.
Whats your comment on this, I was actually taking a big hope in border resolution like trade off between Askai Chin and AP.
http://defencenews.in/defence-news-internal.aspx?get=new&id=rcUR%24%24vBIM%2FM%3D
@Prasunda
Spoke with a friend who also happens to associated with Arms Brokers. Said things under NaMo have changed like never before. He also hinted at some "big action" in the future with lots of arms being purchased with short shelf lives hinting to the possibility of what could be the reason IA is raising Highland infantry divisions.
He refused to state what kinds of weapons or anything more.
Hi Prasun Da,
Heard about this incident in every defense website of an Su-25 armed with Khibiny-M ECM pod made the US navy AEGIS system blind and paralysed.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1042109/pg1
Your comment please as Aegis is one of the most advanced CMS in the world and offered for next generation IN destroyers.
Prasun
Is there any major design flaw in Dhruv ALH????Its turning out to be sordid saga. I think we have lost more than 16. Even Ecuador has lost 3 out of 7.
What do you make of the China Pakistan Afghanistan trilateral meeting ?
Prasun,
1. What happened to the supersonic long range cruise missile which was being developed?
2. When Jet-Li was part time defence minister, one heard of frequent DAC meetings and regular program acceptance and acquisition clearance, After Mr Parrikar has come, all one hears is controversy after controversy but no force augmentation or equipment clearance. He has also not touched OFB or HAL for reorganisation yet.
What is he doing all the time? Why is there nothing for him to show in 4 months? The submarine procurement and shipyard visit - nothing came out of it yet. Avro-748 replacement- no news, MTA, FGFA, Rafale, Chinook Apache - all one hears is this policy or that regulation but no concrete progress.
Is Mr Parrikar waiting for 31st March or he is moonlighting somewhere?
@Prasunda
1)Is it true that NM was asked to resume Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan by Barack Obama? And if so then, aren't the facts stated by you a few days back when backing the suspension of talks with Pak, relevant anymore?
2)Recently I met a person who seems to be very well informed about both Indian and Colonial history. And it was his theory that India and the entire subcontinent has since Independence left a multitude of "interfaces" open with that of the colonial powers of yore due to the adoption of Colonial structures after Independence. This has ensured compromise of Indian government leading them to be run by inimical interests such as, foreign funded NGOs, often inimical as those funded by the Ford Foundation, and other extra-constitutional authorities directly or indirectly puppeted by the Western/Colonial powers to their end.
This is being ostensibly done To further their imperialist design which includes CULTURAL and RELIGIOUS agenda at the foremost. And that is Abrahamification of the Indic belief systems. Which has given rise to the weak pseudo-secular and Indic culture averse state of present times. The powers that be which include an entire gamut of political interests and business interests, have ensured that the Indic culture hatred runs deeper and has hence invested in systems such as academia-media-intelligentsia to create a narrative whereby the Indic universal philosophical systems are alienated and replaced with Abrahamic principles.
According to him it is these external powers who through their internal lackeys(developed and nurtured through the "open interfaces" that Indian administration has had with the Colonial world since the time of Independence) have curtailed and even eliminated any renaissance in Dharmik principles amongst the Indian masses.
This ensures the non-emergence of a strong Indian state armed in it's own universal Dharmik principles which can challenge the Abrahamic West. And instead creates a weak Indian state where the Indigenous universal philosophy of Dharma is weakened by using tools like 'Secularism' and 'Communism', which in turn covertly turn the state into de-facto Abrahamic state where Islam or Xtian principles are dominant.
He further explained that, Pakistan is being sustained by the colonial powers because it helps in the cause of keeping India weak and also as a staging ground for JIHAD to subvert Indic rise.
He went on to add, that it is the business interests and other external interests doing the bidding of these colonial powers that had ensured the fall of Indian National Congress in Lok Sabha 2014, since INC was perceived to be unable to create the economic environment preferred by these Colonial/Western interests.
He said even the otherwise Non-Appeasing NaMo, would turn into a minority appeasing NaMo, because these interests don't want anyone to set right the severe distortions in Indian administrative structures to provide a level playing field that could ensure the revulsion of the imposition of imperialist Abrahamic principles. Hence, he predicts, NaMo would only be able to carry forward the economic agenda that the western interests want him to follow. And that any step in the cultural direction would lead to massive planned protests and political resistance. Too much for NaMo to stomach.
Your thoughts on this scary scary nightmarish theory? Please do provide a detailed counter response, if any, because I'm naturally riled at such a thought.
"There is no denying the fact that Islam (and Christianity)was spread in India by force"
I wonder which Christianity are you talking about mate? Jesus was crucified by radical Jews same as you and an innocent person died on the cross without a single swear words or words of revenge. Do you think such a humble person who died like a lamb to the slaughter "force" Himself upon anyone? You are getting mixed up with the Crusaders and if you read the Bible you will know that Jesus said those who live by the sword perish by the sword. So please do your research before misdirecting this blog into jingoism and unnecessary religious debate.
Wow Pierre please don't try the"religion of peace " tactic here , you will only be mocked further .The crimes done in the name christianity extend far beyond the crusades and is the cause of untold misery . Your attempts to whitewash it are rather pathetic.
@ Pierre Zorin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Inquisition#Introduction_of_the_Inquisition_to_India
@abs 11 39 pm
What u have told prima facie is scary but let's go to the bottom of this by understanding some principles:
1. India needs the west because they have industrial technology and money. As we were not part of industrial revolution our institutions are still evolving to develop the cutting edge tech they have.
2. Elections in India are free and fair. Had it not been so aap in deli would not have won 95 percent seats. Change in govt in centre is not west created but a reflection of peoples mood. Present govt has to adopt to western tech and methods because of pt 1 above. We don't have tech,money or quality management practices of our own. We shoukdinvest in the latter for sure and this is what is getting traction.
3. No body in the present world can live in isolation. They r connected with others and interdependent. Same with India. Western countries are powerful and there is no other option but to positively deal with them. It is also the right thing. Is not China not dealing with the west and adopting their tech successfully. Why should India be different when we have in modern times nothing of our own. Further the success of ISRO is a western conspiracy or collaborative success. Is not Russian help made isro successfully.
4. Demise in hindusim in India is because of deterioration of dharmic spiritual principles enshrined in it. Spiritual wisdom is not being followed by masses. But this is slowly changing. You find yoga popular in the west, is that not a Hindu invasion of the west.
5. Proselytisation can be checked by passing anti conversion laws. Many state govts have done it. Centre needs to do it to safeguard the country. But at grass roots resistance to conversion is on the upside.
6. Our education is westernised and hence western concepts of secularism oppose many meaningful reforms. Those who oppose are Indian people themselves. That is very shameful. However with the rise of nationalistic politics a lot of positive changes I am seeing happening. Things will improve in the future.
Best wishes
Kunal
@abs 11 39 pm
What u have told prima facie is scary but let's go to the bottom of this by understanding some principles:
1. India needs the west because they have industrial technology and money. As we were not part of industrial revolution our institutions are still evolving to develop the cutting edge tech they have.
2. Elections in India are free and fair. Had it not been so aap in deli would not have won 95 percent seats. Change in govt in centre is not west created but a reflection of peoples mood. Present govt has to adopt to western tech and methods because of pt 1 above. We don't have tech,money or quality management practices of our own. We shoukdinvest in the latter for sure and this is what is getting traction.
3. No body in the present world can live in isolation. They r connected with others and interdependent. Same with India. Western countries are powerful and there is no other option but to positively deal with them. It is also the right thing. Is not China not dealing with the west and adopting their tech successfully. Why should India be different when we have in modern times nothing of our own. Further the success of ISRO is a western conspiracy or collaborative success. Is not Russian help made isro successfully.
4. Demise in hindusim in India is because of deterioration of dharmic spiritual principles enshrined in it. Spiritual wisdom is not being followed by masses. But this is slowly changing. You find yoga popular in the west, is that not a Hindu invasion of the west.
5. Proselytisation can be checked by passing anti conversion laws. Many state govts have done it. Centre needs to do it to safeguard the country. But at grass roots resistance to conversion is on the upside.
6. Our education is westernised and hence western concepts of secularism oppose many meaningful reforms. Those who oppose are Indian people themselves. That is very shameful. However with the rise of nationalistic politics a lot of positive changes I am seeing happening. Things will improve in the future.
Best wishes
Kunal
Pierre zorin
Problem is in the new testament of the bible and not Christ's teachings. Hope rest u understand on ur own.
Regards.
Kunal
Is this old news report accurate?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Post-9/11-US-sought-Indias-military-help-for-Afghan-ops/articleshow/9939394.cms
Was the refusal to accede to the American request a blunder?
hi prasun
the launch video the k4 seems puzzling. the missile exits the water and starts drifting sideways, exhaust seems to come from the nose cap of the missile then the main motor fires .This scenario has never been followed by any undersea launched missile!.Is there any chance that the video is morphed?. what is your take
OK, once and for all people!
Secularism: is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries.
This is what all the developed countries of the world strive to maintain, e.g. USA,UK, germany, Canada etc where I am sure quite a few of you people live and freely practice your religion.
The opposite of secularism is a theocracy:Government ruled by or subject to religious authority e.g. Pakistan, saudi Arabia and generally most Islamic countries.
So when you thrash secularism you are upholding the values of these theocracies.
You are indeed basically saying that you support your own religious version of the above mentioned backward theocracies. And this could be Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu ,Buddhist, Sikh, jain,bahai whatever.
I request prasun not to delete this as too often I have to listen to this rubbish thrown against secularism
We generally being secular are always prone to target the Hindus. But when we get a chance to go in to the deep of Xtians and especially the muslamics, we feel safe being the Hindus.
i today's modern day and age religion has become obsolete. it is a baggage that we carry from the past.the basic purpose of religion was to maintain public order and to prevent the people from doing whatever the hell they wanted.purpose of religion was to unite people,give them something to believe in,keep human arrogance in check.if there was no fear of hell then you could do anything as long as you didn't get cought and it will be ok.the idea of god is like todays surveillances state where the citizens know that the government knows everything you do and can see you always.religion at its onset was a means to bring order and maintain control over the population. humans are greedy and unless you give them a good enough incentive to be good to others( ie the concept of heaven ) they just won't do it. also god acts as a the guy you can blame for your misery and for everything that goes bad.this Shields the person from the fact that his shitty life is his own fault and unless he does something about it, it will get even worse.also rulers of the time could justify all horrible things they did by connecting it with religion.
today religion is causing more problems than giving solutions.in poor backward countries with illiterate population it still serves a purpose to some extent.but in a rich country its pretty meaningless.if you could get heaven on earth and that too without dying only by working hard and being smart then why waste time pleasing some sadistic dude in the sky in the hope that when you die he will decide your fate.i mean if you wanna fuck 72 virgins it isnt that difficult to get them if you have enough money.and why only 72 you can have even more.who is stopping you dude.you can get moksha or nirvana if you can get your hands on some premium lsd.i mean you will visualise music and hear colour if you snort that stuff.
so all this fight about whose religion is better or worse is pretty much meaningless.its like fighting over, who's fart smells worse coz you dont choose to fart nor can you control how it smells; yours or anyone else's.i mean you are never going to appreciate someone else's fart.its just a fact of life and you live with it whether you like it or not.it just doesn't deserve a discussion.
Prav and the rest - I don't have to continue arguing as I come to this blog for military info. Indians are looked upon as morons purely because of views like yours. Read magazines like Barnabas Aid and Open Doors and your eyes will open. What man does especially Catholic church has nothing to do with the Bible. So you are denying Jesus ever existed and died and what was done to Him served Him right because He was molesting young children, raping women and chopping the penises off if people didn't accept Him? There are more sceptics than believers in the Bible and please free to check out sites like Creation Ministries who take challenges from people and don't just say accept in blind faith.
A request to PKS - as the owner of the blog can you please moderate any non essential topics and digressions? I come here to hear your expertise and questions that seek out such expertise but some here deliberately veer the thread away with inadequate knowledge and plenty of jingoism. Views and varied opinions can be productive if sticking to the subject.
Rad, SPOT ON ! That's what I was about to say, the exhaust was uncanny in nature considering the launch of the SLBMs, and now looking forward for Prasun Da's view.
@jay banushalli
good one man .
I think as long as humans live ie before nuking or polluting ourselves out of existence, this, my religion is better than your religion will go on!!poor god .!!
please listen to one lunatic called Dr zahir naik on youtube and enjoy!! he claims islam was the first and only religion and only ,You have to appreciate his memory power and that he seems to have read the gita , vedas, bible , etc and pulls out faults. He claims islam was always there since the birth of man and all other religions are not religions??!!
i feel the renewed interest of modi in talking to pakistan has more to do with bjp-pdp alliance in j&k than anything else.modi is just giving mufti a face saver.i don't see the US pressurizing india for anything other than economic liberalization. the kashmir issue is as good as dead, indo pak relations have plateaued as pakistan is to weak to wage a war in any meaningful way and india being a status quoist power is not going to be an aggressor. i mean the US has nothing much to gain from indo-pak talks nor do india or pakistan. the talks if they do go ahead will be more about economic ties between the neighbors.
good for him.
as long as he pays his taxes and doesn't brake the law i am fine with this guy.
but i cant imagine a world economy without interest on capital.i mean by islamic logic my banker goes to hell for giving me a home loan and charging interest for it and i go to hell just coz i have some money in savings account and earn some interest.
so mr modi just sent another 140 million people to hell via his jandhan yojna.
mind you,charging interest is one of the 7 unpardonable sins in islam.
so allmost the whole civilized world is going to hell and those who aren't are soo poor that they are basically experiencing hell on earth.that is some messed up shit.
@Pierrie Zorin If you don't want be called out on your bullshit refrain from spouting it . There is no need to be an apologist .
Prasun Da, it appears that my queries are getting deleted due to the reasons unknown, hence I am posting those queries multiple posts thanks.
Prasun Da, very many thanks for your previous reply to my queries.
However, I have some more questions coming to my mind on some current news:
1. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has suspended order of Heavy Arms from India, according to this article by the ET:
http://idrw.org/archives/58119
-------Does it mean that Afghanistan will source Military Hardware but not financed by India, but elsewhere, now as you have opined in the previous thread replying a query by Pawan:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3545138702780178046&postID=7844183453238972371
"As for supplies of military hardware to Afghanistan, it only wanted those hardware that were supplied to India in the 1980s by the USSR & which have since been decommissioned. Nor does India possess the capability to refurbish them into usable items. However, Iran has this capability & consequently, such hardware can easily be shipped by India to Iran for such work to be undertaken, with India picking up the financial tab. Therefore, President Ashraf Ghani was ‘technically’ right in saying (during the SAARC Summit in Nepal last year) that Afghanistan is directly not importing any readymade military hardware from India"
-----Now what might be the source of this Hardware, will they be sourced from Iran ? or PRC ? and if so, financed by Whom ?
2) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31164119 Prasun Da, what are the nature of the training of these 6 Cadets in Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad, since,ANA mostly favour India as their Training Destination, given the radicalisation of Pakistani Army ?
3)http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/world/asia/pakistan-credits-afghanistan-in-arrest-of-militants-in-peshawar-attack.html?_r=0
Afghanistan arrested 6 Militants hiding there wanted in connection with Peshwar Army School attack, so is this an indication of warming ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what about Afghanistan's position on preparators of attacks in Afghan soil ? What about the deportation of Quetta Shura ? Is there any deal reached between two countries ? Though Maulana Fazlullah is still at large.
4)http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Pakistan-beats-India-in-race-to-become-Cern-associate-member/articleshow/45577152.cms, & http://home.web.cern.ch/about/updates/2014/12/pakistan-become-associate-member-state-cern,What are these Final Documents that needs so much time for Govt. of India to submit to become an Associate Member of CERN ? Where as Pakistan did that in time to be an associate member of the same ? Where CERN is itself much willing for India becoming a Associate Member of CERN, from present Observer Status, also, it is quite unnatural that Russian Federation and the USA alongwith China and Japan are still in non-member status ?
5)How do you rate http://idrw.org/archives/58153
http://www.oneindia.com/india/oneindia-exclusive-india-s-stealth-fighter-dream-moves-towards-reality-1653749.html
DRDO's claim to role out prototypes of AMCA from 2020 ?
----Thanks in Advance.
Hi Prasun da,
I have been passive follower(until now) of your blog for years and really a big admirer of your blogs and amount of effort you put in to enlighten common people on national/defence affairs.I have few queries and would like your opinion on those.
1)is BJP-PDP alliance means maturing of indian politics and moving from vested interest to national one's?I am happy to see BJP coming forward and accepting the people's mandate for now .your views pls
2)regarding IAF Tejas MK2 ,i don't understand why DRDO /ADA dragging its feet for past 4 years .They have still not finalized the design why the delay?its killing the IAF and specially when they have all the resources to get it fly by 2016 ?every AERO show first flight is moved two years away why ? Why can't PM Modi make it pilot project for MAKE IN INDIA initiative and mkae it a national project. BTW i have to admire the Navy for taking NLCA 2 to its conclusion ,would appreciate your views?
3)Regarding electronic manufacturing in india,so do you think enough was done by FM to make it a success
4) do you think opposition is right by blocking the amendement of land aquition Bill as it is required for the BRO activites as well for ROAD creation nead china border ?do you think foreign money being used to block the bill .
4)why i don't see Indian Army modernization drive as compared to airforce and navy ??
Thanks in advance
Supreet
@pintu,
on your question 5.i would like to say to ADA folks.
STOP BRAGGING /TALKING ABOUT AMCA and start making Tejas mK2 a reality firts and then talk about AMCA.It seems they are trying to mess this one up also.They need to learn to walk first properly .
Thanks,
Supreet
Dear Mr. Prasun,
Thanks for your replies. I would be grateful for some more spoon feeding.
From where are the Carbon Fibre Composite Materials for the Tejas Programme sourced. I need to know specifically about the CFRP, Fabric and Resins. Is ToT available or have some Indian companies already developed the capability to manufacture these items? Are Technical Textile Industries available in India who manufacture / weave aerospace textiles for the Tejas and other programmes?
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