The physical design of North Korea’s Bukkeukseong-1 SLBM resembles the Soviet Union’s R-27 SLBM, a single-stage, storable liquid-propellant design. The SLBM launch likely took place on May 8, 2015 off North Korea’s Sinpo South Shipyard, a facility on the country’s eastern coast. This test was focussed primarily on SLBM ejection, which would suggest that the SLBM’s efficacy at range and precision were not the primary focus of the test. Instead, North Korea was likely more interested in the SLBM’s ability to successfully clear the surface of the water with adequate thrust. That’s why the SLBM probably flew for just 100 metres above the surface. US officials in late August 2014 had confirmed that a missile launch tube on a North Korean submarine was recently observed by US intelligence agencies. On September 14, 2014 South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) had confirmed that North Korea may be building a SLBM-equipped submarine. North Korea had acquired one Project 629 Golf-class conventional missile submarine (SSB) from Russia as scrap in the early 1990s. Also acquired was one R-27 SLBM that later aided the development of North Korea's 2,500km to 4,000km-range BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile.
To RAMAN: The M-777 deal is on & could be a money-spinner if the entire production facility is shifted to India under a consortium led by BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence. French Defence Minister's visit was successful & the defence ministries of both countries are drafting the contract documents for the 36 Rafales. By July 2015 the contract signature will take place.
The C295 Deal would not be too bad........56 to replace the Avro's plus at least another 30+ to replace a few of the An32's (MTA is going to take a long while/years and 45 on order) plus MRMP for both the ICG and IN (??) plus a few for the CAPF's......that would take it to a 100 plus ..........and, maybe a few for the Pvt Airlines (for Cargo or flights to the NE)...
1. All these guns are ok but still feel M26/M4 combo is the best suited
2. look at this http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31809&articlexml=Country-made-AK-47-seized-one-held-10052015008033
chaps at Munger have built a home made AK47, why cant MoD/OFB use their expertise in jugaad
3. More than a decade back heard that a huge sack of gunpowder meant to be used with Jaigarh cannon was recovered & promptly destroyed, authorities said they didnt expect it to be still fresh, dont understand why didnt MoD/army take sample to use it as new type of explosive
4. PM is trying to distance himself from Tibet, why are we scared, a IA top boss say we can go to war with China, CAG says we only have ammo for 20 days, an article says China can go to war with India or any SEAsia nation by 2017, whats happening?
Prasun Sir How log does it take a firearm to (typically) go from development trials to induction . The case of multi calibre rifle is puzzling to my untrained eye it seems like a very capable design (even without its ability to change calibres) I believe you are mistaken about the title of "MBT" in soviet literature . To them the 1st MBT was the t64. The t54 approached the armour protection of the heavy tanks (IS3 T10). But it was not until the 125 mm of the t64 that a medium tank acquired the firepower of heavy tank hence becoming an "MBT" . The also completed the obsolescence of their heavy tank programs despite heavy lobbying by Kotin.
To KAKU SH: The BrahMos-1 Block-3 firings were from IAF stocks. Car Nicobar was chosen as the launch sikte in the Andaman Sea to test out the missile out to its maximum engagement envelope. It has nothing to do with Indonesia or any other country.
BrahMos-1 Block-1 is for the Indian Navy only & is an ASCM. BrahMos-1 Block-2 is a LACM for the Indian Army. BrahMos-1 Block-3 with top-attack capability is the LACM for the IAF.
To ANUP: Yes indeed. Matters are progressing. The good news for today is that the RM has just rescinded AKA's earlier decision to cancel the RAN-40L radar contract with Finmeccanica. What this means is that the contract's validity has been reinstated & the RAN-40L will indeed be delivered for the IN's INS Vikrant/IAC-1 aircraft carrier.
Is it true that Trichy Assault Rifle was discarded for Ghatak AKM. If so why? And when Indian made guns can perform why is Army looking for Galil ACE / ARX 160. And Is Zittara license produced by OFB now? And will there be still an evolution of the INSAS family of weapons. I mean where these guns will be ambidextrous, and with picatinny rails something like SIG 550 family of weapons.
As always its wonderful and insightful to read your blog and Thank you in advance for all your replies.
hi prasun give us some insight on the reliability o f the arjun as news reports suggest they are breaking down. will it be cheaper to produce zitara carbine in india? have the Israelis given us tot?. or is there screw driver tech again?. Israel seems to have integrated the barak 8 on to its saar corvettes what are the indians doing so long.They would have never done that until it was proven and passed all tests?.
1) You have stated that the Mirage 2000 upgradation deal includes the engines. Upgrading them from M53-P2 to M53-P3. But in the latest edition of Force magazine - Mr Atul Chandra states that IAF has declined this engine upgrade. So which news is correct.
2) What are the chances of C-295 as replacement for Avro (As Rafale is being bought Off-The-Shelf and to retain some credibility for Namo's Make in India). I know you personally prefer additional C-130's but what is the most likely reality.
3) When will we see the MTA and what will be the most likely engine option on it.
To HEBERIAN: Ever since the visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to the US & India last month, there has been a steady rise in Pakistani statements about R & AW's increasing footprint inside Pakistan (this by implication meaning that the ISI is incompetent, just as it was when OBL was eliminated in Abbottabad in May 2011). It seems the Indian PMO has instructed R & AW to create a special cell with a fund of US$30 crore (am quoting Pakistani figures) for internally destabilising Pakistan. More data on this is expected later today when the Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar addresses a press conference later today. This then is likely to lead to further mass processions staged in Lahore & Islamabad tomorrow immediately after the customary Friday noontime 'Khutba' by the likes of Hafiz Sayeed. Will explain later later tonight in detail how the regional geo-politics & geo-economics are unravelling.
DAC Meeting today..........let's hope (and pray) ki Manohar Parrikar finally moves his butt on so many pending issues.......it's been 6 months since he keeps promising action/decisions......I hope the new Def Sec will more active than the bureaucratic and slow moving Shri Mathur.......
Just fail to understand why it takes so long to take such obvious decisions and even longer to implement them........
The stage is being set for preparing the world that Pakistan will respond and dont be surprised about it. The good thing is that Mr Doval et al, are on record saying what they did and are doing in Pakistan.I guess things are going to get nasty...I pity the major cities in SA.
"Regarding a fund of US$30 core" This is the Stupidest move by the Right Wing Govt so far, the basic funda is a that a stable south west Asia depends upon on a stable PK. This is the only reason that all previous govt, other countries kept a low profile. This ultranationalist view of situation is going to hurt as long term. As we still have large masses with discontent everywhere within our country.
To Raw13 or whatever. Yes, we all know how Pakistan can respond: There will be another attack on innocent civilians in India. That is the best Muslims can do: attack the innocent , unarmed and unsuspecting. Against a strong foe, you guys run with tails between your legs. The world does not need to know more about Pakistan, we already know enough. You are a terrorist country: and will remain so with your stupidity and ridiculous religion. Allah kills more Muslims than any other God
To S NAIR: I had already stated above that the info on funding & all other Pak-centric conspiracies has been originating from Islamabad. Whether or not you wish to take them seriously is entirely up to you.
To RAW13: LoLz! The way Pakistan is responding to its washouts in cricket even against Bangladesh tells a lot about Pakistan's responses. Also, do read the book titled THE WAY OF THE KNIFE, which details how exactly Lt Gen Shuja Ahmed Pasha reacted during the Raymond Davies affair after being threatened by the then CIA Director Leon Panetta. This former DG of ISI is now feeding on crumbs left over by the US at a certain US-owned hospital in Dubai.
Bottomline: None of Pakistan's civilian or military elites have ever stashed their ill-gotten wealth in China, nor have they sent their kids to China for higher education. No military officer from Pakistan had ever done any higher command or staff college course in China. China has never extended any non-refundable financial aid to Pakistan, whereas the IMF & World Bank have. China's AIIB bis also going to be stuffed with funds in US$ & Euro denominations, & not the Yuan. Same goes for all project financing for the China-Pak economic corridor. Therefore, expect Pakistan to be 100% reliant on the West for funds for decades more to come. This parasitic relationship won't change for at least the next 50 years, rest assured. And those (like MKB) who shirk away from such hometruths are most welcome to kiss my arse!
Sir, even if we consider the size of PRC's economy, is it sensible to run only high speed Passenger Train Sytem. The cost is exorbitant. They look good. They are fast. But what about maintenance cost.
Pakistan may be thinking itself to be very smart but the East India Company and the British Empire took over Delhi when it was ruled by the alien Mughals. Now the so-called Islamabad is also being ruled by the alien Mughals and it faces the brightest prospects of to be taken over by the Neo-Chinese Social Imperialism.
Islamic State claims deadly bus attack on Karachi Shias — first in Pakistan http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Islamic-State-claims-deadly-bus-attack-on-Karachi-Shias-first-in-Pakistan/articleshow/47270252.cms
Wtf is going on.has the isi and pak army lost all control. Will these idiots make a conspiracy theorie to blame india and RAW for this as well. Or is the ISI and pak army outsourcing its job of killing off all religious minorities in pakistan to the ISIS? What a hell hole of a country Pakistan is!! I am amazed at how the citizens of Pakistan manage to remain patriotic in these circumstances.
Muslim killing Muslim in the name of Islam, I think even Allah has abandoned Pakistan.....
To MAYUR MANAPURE: High-speed trains are different from superfast trains, or bullet trains. High-speed trains are more applicable for India rather than bullet trains.
To RAJESH MISHRA: The term ‘Mughal’ is a British term. From Mohd Ghori onwards right up till Bahadur Shah Zafar they were all Chugtai Turks. As for the subcontinent’s native Muslims, they were always treated by their Muslim rulers as third-class citizens. That’s why when Emperor Shah Jehan was on the lookout of a Shahi Imam for the Jama Masjid, he selected one all the way out from Bokhara that today is in Uzbekistan. That explains why the present-day Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid all sport the Bukhari surname.
To JAY BHANUSHALI: Those Ismaili Shias (followers of HRH Aga Khan) are all from the Chitral-Gilgit region who had to migrate to Karachi in search of livelihoods. As per the PA’s own estimates, there are still 100 sleeper-cells that need to be uncovered. R & AW has nothing to do with them. At most, India-made ‘tamanchas’ may have been obtained by the Mohajirs through their own networks/relatives inside India for self-protection, but such firearms can hardly be expected to sport ‘Made in India’ etchings! Reality is that the Shias & Mohajirs have pooled in their resources & have decided to arm themselves for their self-protection & that’s why the gun-running activities have increased, involving purchases of consignments in Bangkok & then being shipped to Karachi. This is what most likely happened on New year’s Eve last year when the ICGS by pure accident stumbled upon one such gun-running operation then underway. This then fully explains the NTRO’s eavesdropping of satellite phone conversations taking place between Karachi & Bangkok.
To JON: The number of C-295s to be ordered will likely reach the figure of 84 if options are counted in. That means 56 + 28. This then will enable the IAF to phase out the An-32Bs at an earlier date, since the An-32RE upgrade project is in total jeapordy due to Ukraine’s inability to supply the upgrade packages as per the upgrade contract. The IAF in return can start cannibalising its existing An-32Bs for spares & at a date in the near future can also start supplying a few of these An-32Bs or even An-32REs to the Afghan Air Force, which direly requires them. As for the M-777 ULFHs, BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence should make a proposal to IA HQ for installing them on the hull of Arjun MBT so that a homegrown 155mm tracked SPH becomes a reality. That way, the bizarre proposal for the Arjun Catapult (housing 130mm guns) can be junked. The two B.777-300ER procurement is also extremely good news & their customisation will be undertaken by IAI’s Bedek Aviation Division, & will involve the installation of SATCOM/self-protection suites similar to the one on-board the IAF’s Bombardier Aerospace Global 5000 Border surveillance platforms.
To VISHAKH: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/russias-armata-t-14-tank-super-weapon-12861
To SK: The IN is more interested than the IA on the Kestrel 8 x 8 ICV for its proposed amphibious warfare brigade. Matters on this will progress before the year’s end.
The US & ASEAN collectively (with Cambodia & Laos as exceptions) decide to collectively call China's bluff in the South China Sea:
On May 11, 2015, a US and PLA naval ships squared off in the South China Sea. The Yancheng, a PLA Navy Type 054A guided-missile frigate closely tracked the USS Fort Worth, a US Navy Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), as the latter patrolled the South China Sea near disputed Spratly Islands. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has directed his staff “to look at options that include flying USN’s P-8A LRMR/AQSW surveillance aircraft over the islands and sending US naval ships to within 12 nm of reefs that have been built up and claimed by the Chinese in an area known as the Spratly Islands.” The move comes as China’s reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands has expanded reefs from 500 acres last year to as many as 2,000 acres currently. Satellite images have also revealed that China is building airstrips capable of handling combat aircraft on some of these artificial islands. The US has refused to recognise China’s claims of sovereignty within 12 nautical miles of the artificial islands. The UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) gives countries sovereignty over waters within 12 nautical miles from their coast lines. However, it doesn’t afford such rights to artificially created islands. "As part of our strategic rebalance to bring our newest and most capable Navy platforms to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, (the LCSs have) a regular presence in Southeast Asia. Routine operations like the one Fort Worth just completed in the South China Sea will be the new normal as we welcome four LCSs to the region in the coming years," Capt. Fred Kacher, commodore of the Navy's Destroyer Squadron 7, said.
North Korea has executed its defence chief on treason charges by putting him in front of an anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said. Hyon Yong Chol, 66, who headed the isolated country's military, was purged late last month for disobeying Kim Jong Un and falling asleep during a meeting at which North Korea's young leader was present. His execution, the latest of a series of high-level purges since Kim took power in 2011, was watched by hundreds of people. It was not clear how the NIS received the information and it is not possible to independently verify such reports from within secretive North Korea. Hyon, last known to have spoken publicly at a security conference in Moscow in April, was said to have shown disrespect to Kim by dozing off at a military event. Hyon was believed to have voiced complaints against Kim Jong Un and had not followed his orders several times. He was arrested late last month and executed three days later without legal proceedings, the NIS said. The reported execution comes after South Korea's spy agency said late last month that Kim ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year as punishment for challenging his authority. In all, around 70 officials have been executed since Kim took over after his father's death. Hyon was executed at a firing range at the Kanggon Military Training Area, 22km (14 miles) north of Pyongyang. In 2013, Kim purged and executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the second most powerful man in Pyongyang's leadership circle, for corruption and committing crimes damaging to the economy, along with a group of officials close to him. Pyongyang's military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power. Kim, who is in his early thirties, has changed his armed forces chief four times since coming to power. His father Kim Jong Il, who ruled over the isolated nuclear-capable country for almost two decades, replaced his chief just three times. Hyon, a little-known General, was promoted within the military at the same time as Kim Jong Un in 2010. He later became a vice marshal of the North Korean army in 2012. Ma Won Chun, known as North Korea's chief architect of new infrastructure under Kim, was also purged. Ma had also once served as vice director of the secretive Finance and Accounting Department in the ruling Workers' Party and, up until recently, was effectively the regime's money man. He had been regularly photographed alongside Kim Jong Un in state propaganda images, but had not made any reported appearances since November 2014.
These decisions, if and when finally implemented are really 'earth shaking' and MOMENTOUS.....really......as far as the Indian Armed Forces (and Make in India) are concerned....what a breakthrough....finally the Defence Sector thrown open to the Private Industry and in such a big way.........and for full systems (Aircraft/howziters/helicopters) instead of just components (or at best subsystems).........
Just hope this opens up the doors.....like telecom/airlines/television/education/hospitals etc.......
Finally.........and now hope he does some thing about the OROP/DPP/JCS........
Was watching World Business Report n BBC & was reminded once again about the petulant nature of BBC journalism.
In a story devoted to Modi's China visit, the BBC showed a bunch of school kids making fun of Hindi and India.
Here is a similar story
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32730803
Basically the West wants India to go to war against China. It does not matter to them who wins, coz in the process India & China will destroy each other's economy.
That is indeed funny, I think you are losing your marbles ;-).
If this investment from China does materialise, it will completely change Pakistan. ADB is also trying to lend $6billion for infrastructure. Not only China but Russia too will have access to the port of Gwadar.
10 yrs ago, china was relatively poor, 20 yrs ago it was lot poorer. Now with $4trillion reserves, they can invest abroad.
To see, just read President Xi's letter in Pakistani's papers on the eve of his visit. Its from the horses mouth as they say. Next 10yrs will be dramatic. :-)
What I dont get is why MQM would want to get weapons from RAW et al, via whatever boats you are talking about. Only someone who has absolutely no clue of our society says things like that (OK Karachi is bit different). If you go to any home in the countryside, in the house you will see various types of weapons like ak-47's or its various copied versions, hanging on the walls. Also there are many gun shops selling weapons of all kinds.
Basically what I am saying is that you can get whatever weapons you want, including NATO stuff in Pakistan without too much effort or fuss. Why the risky boat option with nervous indians around. Something doesnt add up.
Anyway seems as if taliban have started payback already.
As per ur suggestion, IAF shoud have gone for more C-130Js.; but now c-295 on the pipeline would it make any sense (w.r.t. cost of acquisition and maintenance)??? What will be future acquisition plan for C-130J???
To Raw13 or whatever, I will tell you why Pakistanis(MQM et al) accept help from outsiders. That is because you are born bhikaris (beggers) and Will remain so for foreseeable future. We are just reading how you open your butt to Chinese with whom you share no cultural, religious or historical connection. We know you can do anything for money: just a few pennies and Pakistani will sell his family.
Another eminently sensible suggestion from you. Hope concerned parties are listening.
"As for the M-777 ULFHs, BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence should make a proposal to IA HQ for installing them on the hull of Arjun MBT so that a homegrown 155mm tracked SPH becomes a reality. That way, the bizarre proposal for the Arjun Catapult (housing 130mm guns) can be junked"
Sorry, My mistake got confused about the origin of the news.
Reg: C-130J V/S C-295, I guess the MOD took correct decision. As you said C-295 can be used for early phasing out the An-32Bs. It also economical to go for more twin-engine C-295 rather than four-engine C-130J. Also its Optimum for our loading Habits, C-130J is an overkill considering current load/logistics trends. C-295 also can be a temporary solution till twin engine MTA shows up. Last point am too skeptical considering the cabin heights.
HI Prasun with he induction of kamov 226 is it the death kneel for the LUH ?or is the kamov being built for other purposes.I quite like the kamov becasue it is a proven design ie ka-28 twin rotor design and the navy seems happy with the performance. There is no fear of tail rotor problems here after which is the cause of all accidents and it is more easier to bring down the chopper in case of engine failure.But the added advantage is that it has got 2 engines which is a greater thing. What is your opinion. why was the m-777 howitzer deal revived when it was debunked as too costly?.
Prasun sir, Vmt for your previous reply. I have a question regarding the kamov helis. Can a modified ka 226 be used for the navy luh role? It has a modular design so making navy specific version wont be as difficult. It is also very compact due to absence of tail rotor. The main rotor blades can be modified to fold just like the ka 28 helix.also it is twin engined which is essential for naval use.and the engine is western origin so reliability will be high. Its compact dimensions make it ideal for use form smaller vessels of both the navy and coast guard. Eagerly awaiting your views on this.
Prasunda, From what I know is that RAW is a mediocre intelligence agency which didn't even gave proper warning about the infiltration in Kargil. But our neighbours are giving them unnecessary publicity & putting it in the league of CIA,Mossad,etc-
By the way setting up Ka-226 assembly line is surely a good decision. Its usp is the interchangeable pods which can be fitted for different operations & can be used by army,air force,bsf, itbp,ongc,ndrf,etc. Anyways HAL LUH will surely be ordered (though not sure of how many of them) which is very much similar to other light helicopters of bell,airbus fennec,etc.
To RD: Perceptions are shaped by what one sees & therefore do not reflect the reality. The same applies to R & AW. The day the actions of R & AW are chronicled & declassified, one will get to know a lot more about its achievements & capabilities. About Kargil, no one could have given any forewarning because the ENTIRE buildup of hostile forces, including field artillery & mortar transportation, was done through Mi-17 & SA.330 Puma helicopters of the PA’s Aviation Corps. Nothing moved by road or rail & therefore no one could notice any tell-tale signs of the enemy’s buildup, starting early 1999. That’s why after the hostilities, both the IA & IAF asked the DRDO to develop ASAP manportable air-defence radars like Bharani & Aslesha.
As for GTAM-7 (SA-7), those MANPADS are not in use anywhere in the world. India has only IGLA-1 & IGLA-S. Therefore, whosoever’s claims about India possessing SA-7 & supplying them to the TTP is either a moron or plain ignorant about India’s ORBAT. What R & AW has been doing since 2002 is it has been supplying operational & administrative funds for Afghanistan’s Riyasat-e Amniyat-e Milli, or the National Directorate of Security (NDS). India along with the UK has also been extending political & moral support (& not any military hardware) to the Baloch separatist movement, because India wanted to neutralise Pakistan’s bargaining chip (i.e. ‘sarkari Jihadis’) that was used for securing the Kashmir Valley. In other words, if India ceded the Kashmir Valley to Pakistan, then the ‘sarkari jihadis’ would no longer target India. But what India did was to support the Baloch separatists in a non-lethal manner as a means to neutralise the Pakistani bargaining chip of ‘sarkari jihadis’. This strategy has paid off & now Pakistan has no other choice than to negotiate with India the status of PoK, i.e. vacating its occupation of PoK & returning it to India as mandated by UNSC resolutions. This is exactly what NaMo earlier today told his Chinese counterpart in Beijing & now it’s up to China to decide its next course of action. China on the other hand is in a bind because it has been trying unsuccessfully since August 2009 to get Pakistan to clarify the legal status of PoK (Gilgit-Baltistan in particular), without which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can’t become a reality. And Pakistan too is in a bind because if it annexes Gilgit-Baltistan then it will forever lose all moral claim to the Kashmir Valley & all previous UN resolutions will be nullified. Therefore, clearly Pakistan has been pushed into a corner thanks to A) Allah siding with India since October 1947; & B) Pakistan’s verifiable terminal stupidity. Consequently, Islamabad is not clutching at straws to deflect public opinion & hence all this riff-raff about R & AW’s involvement inside Pakistan.
To RAD & JAY BHANUSHALI & RD: Ka-226T is NOT meant for the armed forces reqmts for RSH & LUH. It is meant for something else & I had explained it all at:
Ka-226T is one of the best available platforms for EMS & SAR when used by agencies like the NDRF & BRO. If India wants Japanese heavy engineering/construction companies to help build all-weather roads, tunnels & railways in the North East, then helicopters like the Ka-226T are a must reqmt. Japanese concepts of CSR are totally different from those of Indian corporate entities. Wherever the Japanese go, apart from Sushi & Saki, they also require 18-hole golf courses & expedited medical evacuation during emergencies. For all these to be provided on-site, machines like Ka-226T are reqd.
To S NAIR: It’s not about C-295 versus C-130J if one takes into account the need to start replacing the An-32s. If more than 80 C-295s are procured, then the reqmt for additional C-130Js will be reduced, but not eliminated. The IAF will still require about 24 C-130J-30s for catering to regional contingencies. The C-295s on the other hand can cater to the domestic aerial logistics reqmts like air-maintenance of the IA’s forward posts over mountainous terrain & in the highlands.
To JON: VMT. Almost all of the agreements inked with the PRC are MoUs. Exactly how many of them get converted into firm contracts is anyone’s guess. The only realistic ones that could see the light of day are the Chennai-Bengaluru & Delhi-Agra high-speed train networks. In any case, one must not expect anything more, because the more such contracts are awarded, the more the number of Chinese labourers coming to India to implement such contracts. Consequently, such contracts will create only minimal jobs for India’s workforce. In my estimation, therefore, the Chinese model/suggestion of infrastructure development may well be useful for either underpopulated African/Central Asian countries, or for countries like Pakistan that do not possess skilled human resources in adequate numbers. But certainly not for India.
To BHOUTIK: 1) What exactly is meant by ‘amphib-capable’? 2) TATA is already gearing up for manufacturing both the turboprop Dornier Do-328-110 & the turbofan-powered Do-328-300. 3) Why should a warship host a remote operator console when such a console can clearly be accommodated within the Dhruv ALH itself?
To SOUBHAGYA: It’s not about C-295 versus C-130J if one takes into account the need to start replacing the An-32s. If more than 80 C-295s are procured, then the reqmt for additional C-130Js will be reduced, but not eliminated. The IAF will still require about 24 C-130J-30s for catering to regional contingencies. The C-295s on the other hand can cater to the domestic aerial logistics reqmts like air-maintenance of the IA’s forward posts over mountainous terrain & in the highlands.
To RAW13: Does MQM thrive in Karachi or in the countryside? The quantum of shipments of small arms reqd for waging urban guerrilla warfare simply cannot be supplied by Pakistani non-state small-arms production cottage industries. Secondly, securing such arms shipments domestically is simply not an option as they will easily be detected by the ISI, IB, FIA & MI. Consequently, the only available route for procuring them clandestinely is from overseas via the sea route. And as for the promised investments from China or ADB or from wherever else, all this will contribute more towards creating a PERPETUAL CIRCULAR debt trap. Don’t forget that the recent approval tranches of loans from the IMF/World Bank are all meant ONLY FOR servicing the interest payments for previous loans taken by Pakistan. So now, who has lost exactly how many marbles?
To VISHAKH: The latest version of C-295. Ka-226T is not for LUH/RSH reqmt.
To RAVI N: It is an S-band radar & DATA Patterns & ASTRA Microwave are the primary hardware suppliers. MOTR is indeed spinoff from the LRDE's Arudhra S-band APAR R & D project. But the laughable point to be noted is that if you were to use Google for browsing through all news-reports about the MOTR, you will notice that none of those reports, including the present one, even mentions the MOTR's operating band!
The state-of-the-art LRTRs used for tracking space debris by the US, EU & Japan are all operating in X-band.
Hello Prasun Da, Thanks a lot for this wonderful blog of yours, I am an avid reader of your writings. Today I have a question for you; Do you think there can be a mutually agreeable solution to the border dispute between India and China in near future? if yes, then can you kindly share your thoughts with us? I know, you are a very busy person, so if you don't get time to answer my question, it's ok, I totally understand, so no pressure. :)
hi prasun you Had earlier mentioned that the arudhra was nothing more than the elm-2084 radar . How can the motr radar be based on that unless they have access to the hardware design and the software?
Hi Prasun, We need so many helicopter in the future and we are using french engine . Is there any Indigenous programme going on , so we can power all these heli with our engine . So we do not have to depend upon french. If not , then our govt. should really consider this because it will not save money but will also boost to defence industry and also will create a eco system of engine manufacturing..
HI Prasun The MOTR seems massive compared to the green pine , nearly 40x25 feet in specs. There was a program tv9 in where some video clips were shown wherein the radar was mounted on a building 5 stories with a radome .Please give us specs and pics on that.Dr kiran kumar says it can track 10 objects at 1000kms. it seems to be designed by isro rather than drdo who achieve results. Is this the swordfish radar ? .The green pine works in the L band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n7rAdPFAU0
people who want to have a glimpse of it can view this link.
Wonderful reading your insight.I just had a question
This is the most active MOD in decades (correct me if wrong) So many decisions and most of them of sound nature (aging correct if wrong)
The question I have is are we facing an imminent threat (did something change in the last 1 year) or is it just that the current govt seems to be proactive
Recently, CAG blasted on ADA and HAL for the short comings in EW of Tejas, which it claims will severely affect the survivability of Tejas Mk-1. Also IAF waived off 53 requirements permanently. Then as per your view how is it going to perform against F-16, J family fighter aircraft of China???
You were in Malaysia in 1998. To the best of your knowledge, is there any truth in the report that both the Malaysian and Singapore militaries went on full alert when there was tension during talks over the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine checkpoint at Tanjong Pagar?
In your opinion, what is the main reason why Pakistan hasn't had much success in exporting arms to countries like Malaysia and Indonesia? Apart from Anza, Bahktar Shika, portable laser designators, MP-5 [to the police] and refurbishing the RMN's MM-38s; Pakistan hasn't had much defence related business in Malaysia. They have tried hard to sell other stuff though and without fail are at DSA.
*by 'amphip-capable' i meant whether thay can land on the water.
*there was once a proposal from the manufacturer for the SU-33UB to perform awacs roles with retractable phased array radar. could that be feasible with the MiG-29K?
*what are india's plans for countering stealth/LO aircraft?
*any VTOL research being done by indian agencies/labs? was the harrier studied for such purposes?
*in a recent article, it has been claimed that:
a)The Tejas' avionics system was designed by France
b)Lockheed Martin rejoined the Tejas flight control system development effort after sanctions (90s nuke tests) were lifted
When do you think India would be able to take back PoK. You said in previous blog entry that opportunity would open to do so in 2016-17. But i think We need to move fast so that we can build connectivity to Central Asia onward to Europe.
Regrading Qatar, Oman India Deep Sea pipeline, why there are delay when feasibility studies were completed years ago.
No you really dont get it. In pakistan there are so many weapons, that if you were to send 100 people, each to buy 10 weapons each, every month, it wont even raise an eyebrow. No body would notice. In any case karachi already has lots of weapons, licensed and un licensed. Until couple of years ago, you could legally get an AK-47. Most people did. They were so cheap.
Suddenly every department of Pakistani Establishment has started blaming RAW. Is this a tactical move to divert attention of Pakistani people or, some strategy with Afghanistan to malign India..?
To SAURAV JHA: The blamegame has morphed over the past one year. It all started with the commencement of OP Zarb-e-Azb when voices alleging Indian financial & material support for the TTP began to emerge. This was later voiced again by the DG of ISPR earlier this year & once the PA & Pak Rangers entered Karachi they began alleging the ‘instigation by RAW’ of Karachi-based anti-national forces. However, folks like Lt Gen Hamid Gul stated 48 hours ago that such allegations can never be conclusively proven in any court of law. Conversely, if RAW is alleged to have made such deep penetrations within Pakistan, then it can only be concluded that the ISI, whose supporters always compare it with MOSSAD in terms of effectiveness, is in fact totally ineffective & incompetent. Either way, the ISI comes up in bad light! Therefore, I hope the morons who are now overplaying the RAW card in Pakistan eventually realise how damaging all this will be for the ISI.
To RAW13: What I make of it is that the West is now more determined than ever to portray Pakistan as an untrustworthy party to the whole world & build up an atmosphere which calls for the denuclearization of Pakistan. Hence all such talk & stories by Seymour Hersh about the PA & ISI knowingly sheltering OBL in Abbottabad—which if proven to be true will mean that Pakistan cannot be trusted to even honour its commitments & promises made to the UN & other multilateral covenants.
To Anon@1.47AM: Do BRO & NDRF come under the Union MHA? Or under the MoD & PMO?
To PAWEAN: It is not about India taking back PoK, but PoK expressing a desire to come back to India.
To VIJAY: It will use 155mm rounds made by OFB. GPS-guided rounds are being developed by DRDO. No laser-guided 155mm rounds are being developed.
To THINK TANK: There’s no reason for them not to be.
To Robert Mungaivah: I personally don’t have any opposition to such agreements being inked with the US. India’s signature will not in any way compromise her supreme national interests. There are no universal drafts of such agreements & each of them is country-specific & therefore their copies are not available as open-source materials.
To BHOUTIK: They can’t land, but they can float since the Dhruv’s naval version is equipped with emergency flotation system. Nope, it won’t be possible with MiG-29K. Develop VHF/UHF radars. That’s the only option left. No VTOL aircraft of any type is being developed in-country. Tejas Mk1’s original closed-loop avionics architecture was based on that of the Mirage 2000 & this was specified by the IAF’s ASQR. The FBW flight control system’s digital flight-control computer was developed with the help of Lockheed Martin & was flown on board a Lockheed Martin F-16 VISTA airborne testbed.
To RAJESH MISHRA: Only for close air-support (CAS), not for tactical air-interdiction. For CAS sorties, if Tejas Mk1 is equipped with small-diameter PGMs this then will allow the Tejas Mk1 to choose its ground targets while staying inside friendly airspace & this therefore will prevent hostile MANPADS & SHORADS from targeting the Tejas Mk1.
To SOUBHAGYA: I had stated numerous times before that the Tejas Mk1 fell short of the end-user’s expectations because it was a design by/of/for scientists—very similar to how the Saras was developed by NAL. The CAG report only validates my earlier claims. But the issue is not just about the airframe development, but also about all its internal avionics—almost all of which had to be developed from scratch. In other countries this was not the case, & while only the airframe design was new, everything else inside was of proven design. This then complicated the Tejas Mk1’s R & D effort by a factor of 10! But the R & D challenges are far more deep-rooted & therefore the CAG report needs to be dissected in detail to bring out all the pitfalls in case of the Tejas Mk2, & what mistakes were made since the project’s inception in the early 1980s. I’m trying to draft just such an analysis at the moment.
To COMMON CENSE: There’s no immediate threat of either full-scale conventional war or limited conventional war from any quarter. What one is witnessing in terms of the MoD’s functioning is exactly what it ought to be on any given day. It all depends on the work ethics & work attitude of the MoD’s top-brass starting with the RM himself.
To RAD: As you are aware the EL/M-2084 MMR’s antenna is scalable in size & can make use of different types of target recognition algorithms for purposes like airspace surveillance & airborne target tracking, artillery round/MBRL round tracking & impact prediction, providing mid-course fire-control cues for MR-SAM/LR-SAM etc. Therefore, taken as a family, the total Indian reqmt for EL/M-2084 MMR will be as high as 70 units. Therefore, while the first 12 were supplied off-the-shelf by IAI/ELTA, the balance is to be licence-built by a BEL-led consortium that also includes ECIL, ASTRA & DATA Patterns. That’s how the ‘desi’ Arudhra & MOTR have emerged. The MOTR ‘s antenna array is smaller than that of the EL/M-2080. The latter looks smaller because all its published photos show it at a distance, while the MOTR was shown in that TV programme as a close-up. Have uploaded above the MOTR’s antenna-array design, which was first shown during Aero India 2013. MOTR wasn’t designed by ISRO. Only its performance specs were drafted by ISRO. LRDE with IAI/ELTA’s help & within Indian industry’s participation developed the MOTR.
To MAYUR M MANAPURE: Thank God the author of that article wrote it in English! Had he written it in Urdu & got it published, he surely would have been targeted by an assassin. In 1976 there were only 6 Madrassas in Pakistan, today there are more than 26,000. What is taught there is only the Quran in Arabian—a language that’s alien to the native Muslims of the subcontinent. That’s why while one can cram it, one cannot make head-or-tail of it. Consequently, its interpretation is always manipulated by the Maulanas to suit their own narrow agendas. Also to be noted is that in all such Madrassas (even in India), no attempt is made to study the Al Hadis—the personal dairy of the Prophet containing his sermons, recollections & explanations. In fact, the wisdom of the Prophet’s teachings is contained within the Al Hadis & without first reading this, it is futile to even dream about reading & understanding the Quran. In Pakistan, if anyone today even talks about Madrassa reforms, that person will immediately become the target of various hostile fatwas. Hence, no one—not even the most powerful—dares talk about such reforms. In India too such reforms are urgently reqd & the GoI should nationalize all such Madrassas & regulate them in the same way as they are done in countries like Turkey, Uzbekistan, etc.
To KAKU SH: What for? All that is reqd is a little re-alignment of the projected pipeline a little further down south. Nothing to panic about.
Will answer all other outstanding queries later today.
Even if I get to interact with a students of my age, say 19-20 years from Pakistan, it will be very hard to convince them about the misdeeds of their nation's masters. Their textbooks are filled with Anti-India chapters. Only if these Fawad Khan obsessed kids have brains to use the Internet, they might see the real world outside Pakistan666 and Arab Birader. Most of them don't even have a grasp of the level of sectarian violence spread throughout Pakistan.
How would PoK express desire to come back to India, when ISI just shoot down anybody raising voice against Islamabad and total population of PoK excluding Mirpuri is relatively small.
Albeit it achieves it at the cost of higher speeds, surprisingly the Textron AirLand Scorpion is designed for higher weapon load capacity than Tejas-Mk1. Your kind comments please.
With your last reply, I feel that Tejas-Mk1 is almost good for nothing.
Sir, I have been following your optimism regarding Afg-India relations, but the Ghani Administration seems to be alienating Indian Interests, I am aware that It is imperative for Afghanistan to have good relations With Pakistan but it seems that our strategic depth is being compromised, in some manner.
I cannot read much into this but on the face of it, it seems that ISI is making forays into NDS which has previously been trained by India. I hope we aren't floundering, somewhere here.
The 3-4 Deals....C-295 (Europe)/ M-777 (USA)...Ka226T / 6 Brahmos Systems (Russia)....were approved just the day Modi left for China...........
and, now, Modi visits Mongolia and S Korea....reverse 'string of pearls'....
Strong message to the Chinese !!
(would be crazy if (1) Modi signs the MCMV with S Korea; (2) Pops into Japan to meet friend Abe on way back !!) (Yep !!......wonder what i'm smoking !!!)
I agree they are over playing this blame game thing with RAW. Its like it was in India few years back, where even flu breakouts/earth quakes were being blamed on ISI. Forget the reputation of ISI, everyone and their dad knows its politics. The agency that is responsible for counter-intel is IB, by the way. I guess RAW have been busy and payback is coming but they dont need to over build the story. Accusing MQM is stupid, those people are some of the most patriotic in the country. Infact all the people who came from India, hate it (india) venomously.
You are mistaken about the arabic language. Many people in Pak madressas and outside speak it, it is taught in many many places, from age of 5 and its spreading. Also if know urdu well, in about 3months you can get pretty fluent, as most of the higher level of the language is pretty much all arabic. This though is not an indicator to the fundy level. Let me put it this way, salafists are some of most higly educated people anywhere, they also happen to be the most fundy. Depending on the mindset, more education can make these people even worse. You combine this with people that actually like fighting, then you have the situation that you have in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Anbar provence of Iraq.
Regarding OBL, just do a google search and you have some top analysts saying they kept hearing the samething straight after the raid and things didn't add up wrt the offical story. What it shows, is that we dont give a monkeys about, what you, USA, Russia, the UN, NATO or whoever, thinks and says. We do what is in our interest. OK sometimes our thinking is messed up but we still do what we want and like. You think the countries that couldnt prevent us from getting the nukes, can take them from us now that we have them in large numbers?
He needs some churan to digest the reality.... http://tribune.com.pk/story/888099/going-for-the-jugular-india-will-never-forget-kargil-war-says-musharraf/
Raw13 is a laugh riot. We will speak Arabic and become Arabs. The Arabs look down upon you and everyone else who is not an Arab. Most of the countries tolerate outsiders since it keeps their country running. Other than that you can never become a citizen or otherwise.
Secondly when was the last time a muslim army won a war? The middle ages? You have been rofl stomped by everyone and their grand mothers..
THE NDRF comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs , say so in the Website. .... So in order works THEY should be inking the contract for KA226T not the MoD
To RAW13: Yes, you're indeed right, Pakistan does not give a damn about any other country--so goes the weekly Friday Khutbaas. In reality, even 3 years after inking the deal with Iran, the IP gas pipeline has yet to be activated. Why? This is just one of many examples. Now as if pressure from the CIA & FBI wasn't enough, now even the US Secret Service is going to barge inside Pakistan after the latest scam involving the faking of the US Secretary of State's signature! Here, read this & reap the whirlwind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcxmGA2b5_4&hd=1
To MAYUR M MANAPURE & PAWAN: Here's a hard-hitting factual account of what the CPEC is all about & how Pakistanis themselves in collusion with certain Middle Eastern sheikhdoms is destroying the CPEC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R47rVTkT3es&hd=1
Have a good laugh after watching it & reading the NYT story above.
To Anon@1.33AM: Orders fopr any type of aircraft can only be placed by the agency that has its own aircrew, ground crew, hangars, & MRO facilities. Does the NDRF possess all these?
What a joke!Pakistan gives access to Saudis for its nuclear weapons but not it's own leaders!If sponsoring terrorism was not enough they have sold their Chinese supplied nukes to the Saudis with the blessings of the U.S.!The way things are coming out Pakistan is a Saudi puppet with no credibility whatsoever!
to raw 13 Here you go again in one of your episodes of brain seizures. We all know that pak will eat grass to get nukes , did that and got it fine.The problem is that you think that eating grass and getting more nukes is the ultimate achievement bank rolled by despot saudis. The whole world knows that if you nuke india you will not be able to celebrate that in a moments time.All this sabre rattling is of no use .Dictator musharaf thought india will shy away from war in kargil but we all know know what happened despite his nuke ratting. Musharaff announced that he caught india by the throat , well that was back stabbing yes.But then"WE KICKED YOU IN THE BALLs AND THREW YOU OUT" and you were cowards enough not to own up to your own dead soldiers"
1) Chabhar Port in Iran and Gwadar Port are 72 KM distance . Which port is better placed economically ??
2) Will chabhar port will be economically viable except afghanistan taken out like port for access to middle eat??
3) Will it be able to act like shipping ships fuelling instead of dubai port or gwadar port??? as Iran as Huge Oil supply and would be cheaper than pakisthan port??
4) Will Chabhar port make Gwadar port little less profitable or inviatable ???
Dec 9, 2014 :"these Made-In-India Ka-226Ts “can be used for search-and-rescue (SAR) operations in mountainous areas”, meaning that these helicopters, to be owned and operated by state-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, will be used primarily by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)."
"To Anon@1.33AM: Orders fopr any type of aircraft can only be placed by the agency that has its own aircrew, ground crew, hangars, & MRO facilities. Does the NDRF possess all these?"
So??? Which is it? .... Hope its the latter and it is the IA Air corp or IAF maintaining it
@Prasunda Hope you are doing good. A few questions. 1) A lot of people seems to have missed out on the significance of the diplomatic protest over CPEC. The last time the Chinese had begun constructing in PoK, the Indian Govt. had largely kept mum and raised "security concerns", BUT this time additionally it was "Sovereignty concerns" that were raised.
I think this is a welcome development because India looks firm on going back to considering the entire J&K as it's sovereign territory.
2) Recently most of the infiltration bids have shifted to that along the IB. Why so?
3)I feel strongly that certain actions along the Kashmir front would propel Narendra Modi to yet another historic victory in 2019 ;) I guess you already know what I am hinting at.
4)What talks were held with Xi Jinping during NaMo's recently concluded visit, vis-a-vis the a) boundary question and b) Af-Pak including G&B.
5) If Vimanas did exist, how come they have not yet been unearthed through excavations? or have they been already discovered and we know not of them yet for obvious strategic reasons?
4-5 Naval accidents in naval platforms worth 100-150 million last year, led to Indian Navy Chief's dismissal.
How come Indian Air Force is wrecking 100s millions of badly needed fighter aircraft, one after another every year and getting away with it??.
In three years, it has destroyed more than a squadron of fighters and even wrecked a C-130J. Then, why is IAF Chief not being kicked out? How come IAF can get away with this egregious destruction of public property? Why is Mr Raha not being put up for a public inquiry?
Especially, when it comes out that last year's Su-30MKI accident happened because both pilots were having an altercation in the cockpit and decided to dump the aircraft, as it came in reports?? Some drastic measures are needed or IAF is becoming a joke everywhere. Head should roll, starting with the current Air Chief otherwise India would keep buying expensive air platforms and these "cowboys" would keep destroying them !!!!
There is a major issue in Indian forces. The Brahmins hate working with the lower classes, saluting them, taking their orders, etc. It is becoming more pervasive. It is one of the main reasons why discipline is breaking down, officers being beaten blue, suicides, turning guns on each other.
To raw13: Are kaha se late ho yeh Bakwaas. Indian armed forces don't have martial race bullshit which exist in Pakistan's Armed Forces. We had a Muslim Air Cheif, Parsi CoAS and many non Hindu chiefs. And I don't know where u get this bullshit from. My dad never had any problems saluting to a Muslim officer. Utter propagandist bullshit. -_-
If India fail to take back PoK in next 2 years than considered it gone. Pakistan is making China stakeholder in area to prevent India from annexing it in future.
- Is the Advanced Towed Array Sonar project with Atlas Electronik done deal?? - How many of IN platforms have these deployed as on date?? - When would the P-28 get these?
Do the Scorpene, Vikramaditya and Kolkatta Class have them??
To VISHAKH: Maybe the MoD started developing second thoughts after I uploaded photos & data on all the wonderful solutions developed by OFB & ARDE! Laughable, maybe, but do give it a thought. OFB is not what it used to be in the late 1990s & a lot of industrial modernisation has taken place since then.
To SK: I have 1 simple question for you: when was it that the IAF first decided to procure personal emitter location transmitters (ELT) for its downed aircrew? You will find the answer to be shocking beyond belief. One clue: it was much beyond 1988!
Modi and his RM can be expected to be no less reliable than the AK-47 itself. It can be hoped that they will go for the best MC Assault Rifle whether it is partly imported or Make in India or Made in India. It can also be expected that they will do it at earliest in a most cost efficient manner. BTW, I also think that the responsible's in the MOD are also seriously reading this blog.
1) Chabhar Port in Iran and Gwadar Port are 72 KM distance . Which port is better placed economically ??
2) Will chabhar port will be economically viable except afghanistan taken out like port for access to middle eat??
3) Will it be able to act like shipping ships fuelling instead of dubai port or gwadar port??? as Iran as Huge Oil supply and would be cheaper than pakisthan port??
4) Will Chabhar port make Gwadar port little less profitable or inviatable ???
I think you could be the first true F*** wit. Where do you see me supporting the fundies? Castism is really messing your forces up. Your forces, (forget the propaganda BS) are extremely respected by pak forces. However over the last few years, this castism has really become a force to be reckoned with. Even listening to the radio comm our guys can tell the casts of you guys, just by how your guys speak to each other and the deference or lack of, is shown....and some of our guys say openly it is such a pity you guys are going down this route.
I have a question for you: why do you think Buddhism was decimated in Bharat?
The Ghazis mercilessly killed atheist Buddhist monks everywhere at Nalanda, Vikramshila and all such places. In lands of now temporarily Pakistan and Bangladesh they killed or forcefully converted all of Buddhists to muslam.
@Raw13 The only fuckwit here is you .. Your theory about caste in the army is the classic case of your sad little army believing its own propaganda to make itself feel better or does the punjabi dominated pakistan army assume that we have the same problems as them ? Where did buddhism go ? Ask your brothers who blow up buddha statues .
To RAJESH MISHRA, JON & UNKNOWN: Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister yesterday admitted that the recent wave of sectarian killings in Karachi were all caused/perpetrated by local Pakistanis & they had no connections whatsoever with any foreign party/country. Watch from 28.26:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vFET6uzE1w&hd=1
This segment also for the very first time details all the hate literature that's taught to Pakistani teenage schoolchildren as part of the official curriculum. It is highly detailed & proves beyond a shadow of doubt what I had stated above: the troubles plagueing Muslim communities/societies worldwide have nothing to do with Islam per se, but with how the religious theology is twisted, corrupted & misinterpreted by human beings with vested interests.
1. You are a sleeping in night for few good hours, your answer timing says that
2. You arent very fond systems of Russian / former USSR states except of those of few strategic value like subs/ships
3. MRSAM for IN, IAF will now be developed for IA too, it means doors shut on Akash MK2
4. each year atleast 1 sukhoi is going down, looks like even before sukhoi reaches the 35 yr airworthy limit it will turn into flying coffin
5. the M777 deal, C295 wont be money spinners for pvt co as OFB/HAL wont allow others to do something OFB/HAL consider their birth right
6. Mirage 2000 jet landed on Yamuna Expressway, Saifai, feel IAF is only trying the Mirage for these ropad runway manuevors as these are the safest jets with best control compared to others
7. Surprised that China allowed India to open consulate right next to Tibet, feel their is climb down on China's position with regards to Indin presence in Tibet
Is it possible that the two pilot theory as in Su-30Mki can create a situation wherein there is a competition among both the pilots as to who ejects first.
You had mentioned a while back that HAL did not consider getting a certification from Europe for the Dhruv because it was too much work/expensive. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/hal-completes-noise-measurement-flight-trials-for-advance-light-helicopter-for-european-certification/articleshow/47370504.cms Something seems to have changed .
I hope you must have listened to islamic spiritual fellow Dr. Zakir Naik, who cliams that OBL isn't terrorist. Godhra train buning was just an accident , not an intentional incident(despite commission reports against Muslim mob who set train on fire). This is how he is able to defend himself and save Islam. But on the other hand he is also supporting terrorism by telling that OBL isn't terrorist. What is your view on him??? Why others falter before him???
To SOUBHAGYA: How can any mortal human being ever claim to save or Islam or any other religious philosophy that is the gift of divinity??? Folks like this entity who claim to have the wherewithal to save or destroy anything that has divine sanction are in fact equating themselves with the supernatural--a most illogical & outrageous stance indeed. Therefore, it is a sheer waste of time listening to such nitwits.
To JON: If only the Govt of India has the guts to authorise cross-border operations along the Eastern Nagaland tract inside Myanmar, the IA's Eastern Command & the IAF's Eastern Air Command will easily be able to totally annhilate all the separatist insurgent groups active in the North East within 72 hours flat.
To PRAV: The 'desi' news-reporter apparently cannot distinguish between ESA & EASA! These ongoing efforts are just the first baby-steps towards obtaining compliance with ICAO regulations, & NOT EASA airworthiness certification by any stretch of imagination.
As for why it is cost-prohibitive to build warships in DPSU shipyards & why there are 200% project cost escalations, the answers are simple: firstly, the IN's Directorate of Naval Design is unable to freeze the warship's design prior to metal-cutting; & secondly, the skilled human resources at all DPSU shipyards start doing the real work only after the end of their official working hours so that they can claim overtime! These very workers who are later poached by private-sector shipyards don't dare engage in any such antics!
To Anon@8.37AM: If this were to be true, then why should HAL continue to waste money on developing the LUH? During President Putin's visist to India last December, it was clearly stated officially by the Russians that the Ka-226T was being offered for SAR & not for light observation, not for CSAR, not for CASEVAC.
To RAJESH MISHRA: Such a scenario should not even arise, since ejection procedures are clearly laid-down & are mandatory, i.e. no one can question it or debate it.
To WHATSINANAME: It's not about being unfaithful. It is about existing in a less evolved state. Just as Pakistan is 100 years behind India in terms of evolution of democratic traditions & practices.
To CHETAN SINHA: It concerns all systems & sub-systems in the arenas of propulsion systems, automotive systems, fire-control systems, optronic sensors, & directed-energy weapons for self-defence.
To RAM BHARADWAJ: The Scorpion has been optimised for close air-support during counter-insurgency operations, & not for high-intensity AirLand battles. It therefore can't be used as either an IJT or AJT or LIFT.
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) You’re wrong. I work in during those hours that are nighttime for you. I sleep during those hours that are daytime for you. Why? Because we are living in different time-zones. 2) It’s not just me. Even the Chinese don’t like them & that’s why they are developing their own homegrown solutions, even though the Chinese could import whatever they want from Russia at highly competitive rates. India’s armed forces too don’t like Russia-origin products. Select just about any RFI or RFP issued by any one of India’s armed forces & you will see there that all operating/manufacturing specifications desired are of NATO MIL-SPEC/STANAG standard. Not one RFI or RFP even mentions any parallel Russian standard. For instance, the Dhruv ALH was developed to comply with NATO MIL-SPEC & the US FAA’s FAR airworthiness standards, & not any corresponding Russian standard. So, if both India & China have embraced such specification standards, then it can only mean that corresponding Russian standards are deficient or inferior. 3) Most probably. It doesn’t make sense to procure two different types of MR-SAMs, UNLESS the Akash Mk2 will be developed in such a way so as to stay within the same physical dimensions as the Akash Mk1 SAM, thereby ensuring that existing Akash Mk1 SAMs can be replaced in future by Akash Mk2 SAM rounds. 4) ALL Su-30MKI crashes of the IAF were to due either human error or technical malfunctions of on-board ordnance supplied by OFB. Not a single air-crash has been attributed to technical failure of any of the Su-30MKI’s sub-systems or components. Therefore, the fault is clearly that of the IAF. 5) HAL has NOTHING to do with C-295. 6) Mirage 2000 & Jaguar can easily land & takeoff from runways. MiG-29UPGs & Su-30MKIs can’t due to their engines’ extreme sensitivity to FOD cause by wayside stone pebbles. 7) This is nothing new. Way back till 1953 India had consulates & trade offices within Tibet proper as well as in Kasghar. These need to be revived.
To PAWAN: It’s not about India taking back PoK by military means, but it is all about creating the conditions & environment under which the residents of PoK will be compelled to opt for accession to India instead of languishing under Pakistan. For this to happen, the support of the US, the UK, France & Russia is reqd so that they collectively can overrule China at the UNSC. The UK has a critical role to play since it was the UK that first created the undivided state of J & K under the 1846 Amritsar Treaty. IF the UK can convince the US that both their interests will be better-served if PoK reverts back to India, then Russia & France too will follow suit, thereby giving the green-light to India to stage a limited expeditionary warfare campaign as a humanitarian intervention, just like what India did in 1971 & helped create Bangladesh from East Pakistan. Therefore, playing only the military card won’t bring PoK back to India. Instead a game of chess (shatranj) has to be played out to ensure that the desired end-state is reached at the appropriate time.
Interestingly, Afghanistan stood up supporting Saudi Arabia in its invasion of Yemen, which started with heavy airstrikes on Houthi strongholds and bases, leaving some civilian casualties as well. Afghanistan's backing of Saudi Arabia in attacking Yemen sparked an enormous amount of criticism inside the country. Almost every political gathering condemned it and labeled it "wrong," arguing that Afghanistan has its own domestic problems to deal with and shouldn't be "nosing around in Saudi Arabia's business." Afghan president Ashraf Ghani traveled to Saudi Arabia multiple times after taking office—both for Hajj pilgrimage and diplomatic meetings—and thanked Saudi Arabia for helping Afghanistan with the long-troubled matter of peace negotiations with the Taliban. In this situation, Afghanistan could suffer at the hands of Iran for supporting the Saudi kingdom attacking Yemen. Some of these means are diplomatic, but others include affecting Afghanistan's basic infrastructural services. That would cause a serious dispute between the Afghan government and the people: Basic services would be disrupted and spark a darker image of Afghanistan in Iran. Here are a few specific ways Iran could punish Afghanistan: Despite a betterment in the relationship between the two countries, Iran can still misuse the situation and cause such damage that will hurt both countries. Iran's embassy in Kabul has been keeping calm recently, avoiding any comment on matters to prevent attracting attention from the global news media. They can still do much damage without making any noise, such as staging a green-on-blue attack on a high-ranking US military or civilian official. Results of investigations of some of the green-on-blue attacks never showed who actually prepared the Afghan party to attack the US counterparts. Secrecy around Iran's influence on the Afghan government was broken in 2010 after former President Hamid Karzai admitted that his office had received "bundles" of cash from the Iranian government. Multiple provinces of Afghanistan, mainly in the west and southwest, are being supplied power by Iran. Provinces of Herat, Farah, and Nimruz are partially and respectively completely supplied power from Iran. One means of power for Iran to punish the Afghan government will be discontinuing the electricity contract over a reason that they have used in the past: "We need electricity in this session."
Taking southwestern Nimruz province as an example, a cut in the electricity will mean zero power for the entire province—turning the place into something more similar to a frying pan than a civilized city with modern cars and Wi-Fi internet connections. With no means of transmitting power from neighboring Helmand province to Nimruz, the National Unity Government of Afghanistan could face a disaster, followed by an uprising by the people. The water from the Helmand River flows through Sistan Lake in Nimruz province and then goes to Iran's Haamon-e-Saaberi lake. But Iran filters the same water and sells it to Afghanistan in cubic meters. This is the main source of drinking water for the people of Nimruz province. Iran has been unofficially accused of disrupting the security of reconstruction of Lashkari canal in Nimruz many times, but Iranian officials denied any participation in such activities. If repaired and reactivated, Lashkari canal can be the main source of Nimruz water, diverting the water inside the province and cutting the need for water from Iran. The canal will also carry enough water to run one turbine and provide enough electricity for the city of Zaranj, the capital of the province. During Afghan president Ashraf Ghani's first official visit to Iran in April, he made comments about the disputed waters to President Hassan Rouhani, which earned him respect from Afghans. Ghani said that if Iran would not move toward taking actions for the betterment of Afghan refugees' situation in Iran, then the "Afghan waters will create a headache for Iran." According to the United Nations, there are 950,000 registered Afghan refugees residing in Iran. But Iran's government estimates the number at nearly 3 million, both registered and unregistered. The majority of Afghans are living an awful and difficult life. Several incidents over the past years documented Afghan refugees' trouble with the law enforcement of Iran. Afghan refugees are put on the spear of Iran's blame game about the rise of drug trafficking across its borders. According to multiple media reports, hundreds of Afghans are on death row in Iran while a large number of them have been executed by the Iranian government on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and illegal residency. Other have been sent to Syria to fight for the Iran-backed government of Bashar Assad. In the end, no matter how it happens, expect Afghanistan to pay for its support of the Saudis in Yemen.
“Some mealy mouthed politicians have forgotten what the Kingdom has done for Pakistan since its birth,” the Saudi prince said in the statement on May 18, 2015. --------------------------------------------- Looks like the KSA is pissed off with the IRP. It may well turn out that the KSA has now realised that all this while it was being taken for a ride by Pakistan about the latter's nuclear WMDs: while members of the Saudi royalty had been shown the KRL facilities at Kahuta where there are no WMD-related R & D facilities, they were never taken to PINSTECH, which Pakistan now claims to be its in-house R & D facility for developing nuclear WMDs.
Iran on the other hand suspects Pakistani intentions because although Pakistan has claimed that its nuclear WMDs are for the Islamic Ummah as a whole, Islamabad has never invited any Iranian delegation to visit either PINSTECH or KRL. So Iran now believes more than ever that Pakistan's nuclear WMDsare at best meant for only the Sunni Muslim Ummah. If this is the case, then logically Iran cannot give up its nuclear WMD development option unless Pakistan too is denuclearised. Therefore, is this what President Obama too is aiming for by first limiting Iran's nuclear options & concurrently upscaling efforts to confiscate Pakistan's nuclear WMDs? Is this the grand design for which the US, the UK, France, Russia & India are all on the same page?
I was not asking about older projects The new project 17a whose design has not even been finalised yet has 1 billion usd equivalent in cost earmarked for its design and construction . So only when everything goes exactly as planned , the frigate will end up costing this amount.With the Shivalik frigates already in the water .. the excuse of teething problems can hardly be used.
1.What going on in mind of Ashraf Ghani. Either he too smart to think that he can contain harmful influence of Pakistan or he is fool to believe that his appeasement will convince Pakistan to give up Taliban and ISI activities against Afghanistan.
No matter what he is, one is for sure that if his efforts failed to yield results than he may not complete full term in office.
2. Do you think Ghani has tactic support of US in its Pakistan policy?
3. Thanks for reference to Al-jazeera article on ISI-NDS MoU. I hope you read pakistani comments also. there comments clearly show that they have no idea which world they are living.
As far as issue of PoK is concerned , I think Pakistan know that your argument hold truth. That's why they are involving china and building CPEC. Nawaz Sharif is on tour to central asia to increase trade. All this signify that Pakistan want to show to all neighbouring countries that they will benefit if they support Pakistan.
No country is going to help India, unless India create situation and gains for US, UK and Russia in PoK.
I hope we only talk about PoK excluding Mirpur and Co who don't have iota of kashmiriyat in them.
hi Praun Is sindhukirti the sub they took apart and could not put it back after 7 years, what was the reason , how did they manage that.Sea trials seems to b eon.
As per aaj tak, Manohar Parrikar has said that India has no plan to buy more rafales after current order of 36. Instead money saved will be poured into Tejas project.
To PAWAN & VIJAY & ROBOTIC: It is indeed both highly disappointing & laughable that whenever any ‘desi bandalbaaz’ masquerading as a journalist selectively quotes any Govt of India official to serve as justification for the former's point-of-view, the entire cyberspace & especially Indians goes into a tizzy & starts drawing conclusions that are totally distanced from reality. It therefore really makes me wonder many a time whether or not Indians in such large numbers are devoid of common-sense & logical reasoning. Or whether they have eyes & yet they fail to see & spot the obvious.
To RAD & KAUSTAV BHATTACHARYA: If I were to be the decision-maker, I would have offered the refurbished Sindhukirti SSK for sale on deferred payment basis to the Bangladesh Navy as a training platform, thereby killing two birds with one stone: 1) recovering the cost of the Sindhukirti’s mid-life upgrade; & 2) making the IN the Godfather of the Bangladesh Navy’s submarine arm. This gesture would have earned enormous goodwill from a neighbouring SAARC country. But alas, our decision-makers are devoid of such farsightedness.
To PRAV: The import content for P-17A FFG will be much higher, since composites-based structures will be used in large numb ers & the domestic expertise for supplying such structures is totally lacking. Therefore, like the case of the four P-28 ASW corvettes, future cost escalations are a given.
Can you give us your highly-informed and more sensible take on the Rafale affair then? 36 will or won't be the final number in service then? Or they will?
I trust your words please be clear, I am sick of hearing yellow journalism in India that is neither credible nor accurate.
Dispel the myths, separate the wheat from the chaff and tell us the situation as you see it.
Let's just forget about the MiGs falling out of the sky, let's just forget about the conventional airforce stentghts of the PAF and PLAAF being built up, now is the perfect time to go for 36 multirole and highly capable fighters that will just sit there in their hangers for a role they will never be used for (nuclear strike)? Is that right?
Practically Rafale laden with the nukes may have to be the most viable and the ultimate deterrent. Regarding replacement for Mig-21/27, the Tejas MkI/II may suffice for that later or sooner provided the MOD, HAL, DRDO all work together urgently in the right direction.
In case of any further and real urgency, India can always purchase 36 more of Rafale.
To ROBOTIC, RAJESH MISHRA & ARES: Relax & chill out....I have already explained what the RM was hinting at in the latest thread. That should put at end to all needless speculation & BAKWAAS being spewed out by the 'desi' journalists. After all, one cannot expect the RM to spell out in nauseating detail the financial breakdowns at a media conclave! My humble advice to the RM therefore will be to desist from making any utterances on such issues during future media conclaves, & instead give detailed official briefings via the PIB on the concerned projects only when all the data is on hand. This is how it's done all over the world in terms of best practices & India need not be the exception to this global practice. Especially so when other Ministers of the Union Cabinet have already adopted this practice.
Ofb and other organization s are designing and developing small arms then why we are bying assault rifles from abroad. Even army is not happy with insas. Other countries are laughing. A country can develop aircraft but not a rifle
172 comments:
CMP-2015 is out, here:
http://www.defense.gov/pubs/2015_China_Military_Power_Report.pdf
To ANUP: Who says they're not in production? Of course they are.
Hi,
Seems DAC Meeting today......Hindu says ki C295 and also M777 to be discussed ??? (Make in India).
Also........any grape wine on the Fench Def Min visit to India last week for the Rafale ??
This is interesting:
The physical design of North Korea’s Bukkeukseong-1 SLBM resembles the Soviet Union’s R-27 SLBM, a single-stage, storable liquid-propellant design. The SLBM launch likely took place on May 8, 2015 off North Korea’s Sinpo South Shipyard, a facility on the country’s eastern coast. This test was focussed primarily on SLBM ejection, which would suggest that the SLBM’s efficacy at range and precision were not the primary focus of the test. Instead, North Korea was likely more interested in the SLBM’s ability to successfully clear the surface of the water with adequate thrust. That’s why the SLBM probably flew for just 100 metres above the surface. US officials in late August 2014 had confirmed that a missile launch tube on a North Korean submarine was recently observed by US intelligence agencies. On September 14, 2014 South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) had confirmed that North Korea may be building a SLBM-equipped submarine. North Korea had acquired one Project 629 Golf-class conventional missile submarine (SSB) from Russia as scrap in the early 1990s. Also acquired was one R-27 SLBM that later aided the development of North Korea's 2,500km to 4,000km-range BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile.
To RAMAN: The M-777 deal is on & could be a money-spinner if the entire production facility is shifted to India under a consortium led by BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence. French Defence Minister's visit was successful & the defence ministries of both countries are drafting the contract documents for the 36 Rafales. By July 2015 the contract signature will take place.
Thanks for the quick reply.......
The C295 Deal would not be too bad........56 to replace the Avro's plus at least another 30+ to replace a few of the An32's (MTA is going to take a long while/years and 45 on order) plus MRMP for both the ICG and IN (??) plus a few for the CAPF's......that would take it to a 100 plus ..........and, maybe a few for the Pvt Airlines (for Cargo or flights to the NE)...
or am i just dreaming..........
@Prasun da
1. All these guns are ok but still feel M26/M4 combo is the best suited
2. look at this
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31809&articlexml=Country-made-AK-47-seized-one-held-10052015008033
chaps at Munger have built a home made AK47, why cant MoD/OFB use their expertise in jugaad
3. More than a decade back heard that a huge sack of gunpowder meant to be used with Jaigarh cannon was recovered & promptly destroyed, authorities said they didnt expect it to be still fresh, dont understand why didnt MoD/army take sample to use it as new type of explosive
4. PM is trying to distance himself from Tibet, why are we scared, a IA top boss say we can go to war with China, CAG says we only have ammo for 20 days, an article says China can go to war with India or any SEAsia nation by 2017, whats happening?
thanks
Joydeep Ghosh
These guns look very impressive. It seems these are in production...why do indian forces still keep importing? What is the issue, production rate?
Prasun,
The truth is beginning to come out. It seems reality is more surreal than fiction:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/884342/kayani-shuja-pasha-knew-of-obl-raid-in-advance-author/
At the time this occurred there were people in the know who said this but, I personally didnt believe them...but it seems they had the correct story.
Something interesting for you: Looks like more BLK 52+ are heading PAF's way.
Prasun Sir
How log does it take a firearm to (typically) go from development trials to induction . The case of multi calibre rifle is puzzling to my untrained eye it seems like a very capable design (even without its ability to change calibres)
I believe you are mistaken about the title of "MBT" in soviet literature . To them the 1st MBT was the t64. The t54 approached the armour protection of the heavy tanks (IS3 T10). But it was not until the 125 mm of the t64 that a medium tank acquired the firepower of heavy tank hence becoming an "MBT" . The also completed the obsolescence of their heavy tank programs despite heavy lobbying by Kotin.
Sir,
The BrahMos Block-3 recently tested from Car Nicobar Island.
Sir whats the purpose of this? Are we targeting Indonesia?
Prasun,
What is Zittara? IS OFB producing it in India? Which troops are equipped with it?
To SHAKTI: Here's everything on the Zittara:
http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wsc/25.htm
https://vidishmantri.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/zittara-assault-rifle/
To KAKU SH: The BrahMos-1 Block-3 firings were from IAF stocks. Car Nicobar was chosen as the launch sikte in the Andaman Sea to test out the missile out to its maximum engagement envelope. It has nothing to do with Indonesia or any other country.
BrahMos-1 Block-1 is for the Indian Navy only & is an ASCM. BrahMos-1 Block-2 is a LACM for the Indian Army. BrahMos-1 Block-3 with top-attack capability is the LACM for the IAF.
To ANUP: Yes indeed. Matters are progressing. The good news for today is that the RM has just rescinded AKA's earlier decision to cancel the RAN-40L radar contract with Finmeccanica. What this means is that the contract's validity has been reinstated & the RAN-40L will indeed be delivered for the IN's INS Vikrant/IAC-1 aircraft carrier.
Hi Prasun,
Is it true that Trichy Assault Rifle was discarded for Ghatak AKM. If so why? And when Indian made guns can perform why is Army looking for Galil ACE / ARX 160. And Is Zittara license produced by OFB now? And will there be still an evolution of the INSAS family of weapons. I mean where these guns will be ambidextrous, and with picatinny rails something like SIG 550 family of weapons.
As always its wonderful and insightful to read your blog and Thank you in advance for all your replies.
@ Prasun : Here is an article I really liked. It would be nice to hear your thoughts on it, please:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/mk-narayanan-on-indochina-ties/article7194491.ece?homepage=true
Thank you.
hi prasun
give us some insight on the reliability o f the arjun as news reports suggest they are breaking down.
will it be cheaper to produce zitara carbine in india? have the Israelis given us tot?. or is there screw driver tech again?.
Israel seems to have integrated the barak 8 on to its saar corvettes what are the indians doing so long.They would have never done that until it was proven and passed all tests?.
To HEBERIAN: VMT. Here's an equally interesting Op-Ed on the same topic:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/sanjaya-baru-writes-india-and-china-in-a-multipolar-world/article7190817.ece?homepage=true
Plus two news-reports:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Indian-rail-projects-outweigh-rivalry-before-PM-Narendra-Modis-visit-to-China/articleshow/47237457.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chinese-daily-accuses-Modi-of-playing-little-tricks-to-boost-his-domestic-image/articleshow/47250378.cms
Will analyse the Op-Ed in a few hours later tonight.
Prasun,
1) You have stated that the Mirage 2000 upgradation deal includes the engines. Upgrading them from M53-P2 to M53-P3. But in the latest edition of Force magazine - Mr Atul Chandra states that IAF has declined this engine upgrade. So which news is correct.
2) What are the chances of C-295 as replacement for Avro (As Rafale is being bought Off-The-Shelf and to retain some credibility for Namo's Make in India). I know you personally prefer additional C-130's but what is the most likely reality.
3) When will we see the MTA and what will be the most likely engine option on it.
Thank you Prasun!
To HEBERIAN: Ever since the visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to the US & India last month, there has been a steady rise in Pakistani statements about R & AW's increasing footprint inside Pakistan (this by implication meaning that the ISI is incompetent, just as it was when OBL was eliminated in Abbottabad in May 2011). It seems the Indian PMO has instructed R & AW to create a special cell with a fund of US$30 crore (am quoting Pakistani figures) for internally destabilising Pakistan. More data on this is expected later today when the Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar addresses a press conference later today. This then is likely to lead to further mass processions staged in Lahore & Islamabad tomorrow immediately after the customary Friday noontime 'Khutba' by the likes of Hafiz Sayeed. Will explain later later tonight in detail how the regional geo-politics & geo-economics are unravelling.
Hi,
DAC Meeting today..........let's hope (and pray) ki Manohar Parrikar finally moves his butt on so many pending issues.......it's been 6 months since he keeps promising action/decisions......I hope the new Def Sec will more active than the bureaucratic and slow moving Shri Mathur.......
Just fail to understand why it takes so long to take such obvious decisions and even longer to implement them........
The stage is being set for preparing the world that Pakistan will respond and dont be surprised about it. The good thing is that Mr Doval et al, are on record saying what they did and are doing in Pakistan.I guess things are going to get nasty...I pity the major cities in SA.
@Prasun
"Regarding a fund of US$30 core"
This is the Stupidest move by the Right Wing Govt so far, the basic funda is a that a stable south west Asia depends upon on a stable PK. This is the only reason that all previous govt, other countries kept a low profile.
This ultranationalist view of situation is going to hurt as long term. As we still have large masses with discontent everywhere within our country.
Modi must also be talking with Putin, US, Japan and Vietnam.
To Raw13 or whatever. Yes, we all know how Pakistan can respond: There will be another attack on innocent civilians in India. That is the best Muslims can do: attack the innocent , unarmed and unsuspecting. Against a strong foe, you guys run with tails between your legs. The world does not need to know more about Pakistan, we already know enough.
You are a terrorist country: and will remain so with your stupidity and ridiculous religion. Allah kills more Muslims than any other God
To S NAIR: I had already stated above that the info on funding & all other Pak-centric conspiracies has been originating from Islamabad. Whether or not you wish to take them seriously is entirely up to you.
To RAW13: LoLz! The way Pakistan is responding to its washouts in cricket even against Bangladesh tells a lot about Pakistan's responses. Also, do read the book titled THE WAY OF THE KNIFE, which details how exactly Lt Gen Shuja Ahmed Pasha reacted during the Raymond Davies affair after being threatened by the then CIA Director Leon Panetta. This former DG of ISI is now feeding on crumbs left over by the US at a certain US-owned hospital in Dubai.
Bottomline: None of Pakistan's civilian or military elites have ever stashed their ill-gotten wealth in China, nor have they sent their kids to China for higher education. No military officer from Pakistan had ever done any higher command or staff college course in China. China has never extended any non-refundable financial aid to Pakistan, whereas the IMF & World Bank have. China's AIIB bis also going to be stuffed with funds in US$ & Euro denominations, & not the Yuan. Same goes for all project financing for the China-Pak economic corridor. Therefore, expect Pakistan to be 100% reliant on the West for funds for decades more to come. This parasitic relationship won't change for at least the next 50 years, rest assured. And those (like MKB) who shirk away from such hometruths are most welcome to kiss my arse!
Sir, even if we consider the size of PRC's economy, is it sensible to run only high speed Passenger Train Sytem. The cost is exorbitant. They look good. They are fast. But what about maintenance cost.
Pakistan may be thinking itself to be very smart but the East India Company and the British Empire took over Delhi when it was ruled by the alien Mughals. Now the so-called Islamabad is also being ruled by the alien Mughals and it faces the brightest prospects of to be taken over by the Neo-Chinese Social Imperialism.
Islamic State claims deadly bus attack on Karachi Shias — first in Pakistan
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Islamic-State-claims-deadly-bus-attack-on-Karachi-Shias-first-in-Pakistan/articleshow/47270252.cms
Wtf is going on.has the isi and pak army lost all control. Will these idiots make a conspiracy theorie to blame india and RAW for this as well.
Or is the ISI and pak army outsourcing its job of killing off all religious minorities in pakistan to the ISIS?
What a hell hole of a country Pakistan is!!
I am amazed at how the citizens of Pakistan manage to remain patriotic in these circumstances.
Muslim killing Muslim in the name of Islam,
I think even Allah has abandoned Pakistan.....
More projects cleared
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Defence-ministry-clears-projects-worth-Rs-25000-crore/articleshow/47272496.cms
Hi
http://defense-update.com/20150509_t14-t15_analysis.html#.VVONQFSUc8o
http://defense-update.com/20150509_kurganets-25bmp-btr.html#.VVONRFSUc8o
Indepth analysis of T14 Armata Tank
Prasun,
What is the status of Tata Kestrel (Whap or something) ? What happened to it? Is Indian Army interested in it? Please inform.
To MAYUR MANAPURE: High-speed trains are different from superfast trains, or bullet trains. High-speed trains are more applicable for India rather than bullet trains.
To RAJESH MISHRA: The term ‘Mughal’ is a British term. From Mohd Ghori onwards right up till Bahadur Shah Zafar they were all Chugtai Turks. As for the subcontinent’s native Muslims, they were always treated by their Muslim rulers as third-class citizens. That’s why when Emperor Shah Jehan was on the lookout of a Shahi Imam for the Jama Masjid, he selected one all the way out from Bokhara that today is in Uzbekistan. That explains why the present-day Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid all sport the Bukhari surname.
To JAY BHANUSHALI: Those Ismaili Shias (followers of HRH Aga Khan) are all from the Chitral-Gilgit region who had to migrate to Karachi in search of livelihoods. As per the PA’s own estimates, there are still 100 sleeper-cells that need to be uncovered. R & AW has nothing to do with them. At most, India-made ‘tamanchas’ may have been obtained by the Mohajirs through their own networks/relatives inside India for self-protection, but such firearms can hardly be expected to sport ‘Made in India’ etchings! Reality is that the Shias & Mohajirs have pooled in their resources & have decided to arm themselves for their self-protection & that’s why the gun-running activities have increased, involving purchases of consignments in Bangkok & then being shipped to Karachi. This is what most likely happened on New year’s Eve last year when the ICGS by pure accident stumbled upon one such gun-running operation then underway. This then fully explains the NTRO’s eavesdropping of satellite phone conversations taking place between Karachi & Bangkok.
To JON: The number of C-295s to be ordered will likely reach the figure of 84 if options are counted in. That means 56 + 28. This then will enable the IAF to phase out the An-32Bs at an earlier date, since the An-32RE upgrade project is in total jeapordy due to Ukraine’s inability to supply the upgrade packages as per the upgrade contract. The IAF in return can start cannibalising its existing An-32Bs for spares & at a date in the near future can also start supplying a few of these An-32Bs or even An-32REs to the Afghan Air Force, which direly requires them. As for the M-777 ULFHs, BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence should make a proposal to IA HQ for installing them on the hull of Arjun MBT so that a homegrown 155mm tracked SPH becomes a reality. That way, the bizarre proposal for the Arjun Catapult (housing 130mm guns) can be junked. The two B.777-300ER procurement is also extremely good news & their customisation will be undertaken by IAI’s Bedek Aviation Division, & will involve the installation of SATCOM/self-protection suites similar to the one on-board the IAF’s Bombardier Aerospace Global 5000
Border surveillance platforms.
To VISHAKH: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/russias-armata-t-14-tank-super-weapon-12861
To SK: The IN is more interested than the IA on the Kestrel 8 x 8 ICV for its proposed amphibious warfare brigade. Matters on this will progress before the year’s end.
Hello Prasun
Thank you!
I do have laugh at the humour in the "kiss my arse comment" , logic and humour make good reading :0
To HEBERIAN: LoLz! VMT indeed! I should have been more specific, though, by stating "my bony shiny brown arse".
Here are some good panel discussions aired yesterday on the carnage in Karachi, with some credible self-introspections about the ground realities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24uwLyxJuS0&hd=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kasROXfcw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct1V7vzQ9kI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Cz_wPOj3k&hd=1
The US & ASEAN collectively (with Cambodia & Laos as exceptions) decide to collectively call China's bluff in the South China Sea:
On May 11, 2015, a US and PLA naval ships squared off in the South China Sea. The Yancheng, a PLA Navy Type 054A guided-missile frigate closely tracked the USS Fort Worth, a US Navy Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), as the latter patrolled the South China Sea near disputed Spratly Islands. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has directed his staff “to look at options that include flying USN’s P-8A LRMR/AQSW surveillance aircraft over the islands and sending US naval ships to within 12 nm of reefs that have been built up and claimed by the Chinese in an area known as the Spratly Islands.” The move comes as China’s reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands has expanded reefs from 500 acres last year to as many as 2,000 acres currently. Satellite images have also revealed that China is building airstrips capable of handling combat aircraft on some of these artificial islands. The US has refused to recognise China’s claims of sovereignty within 12 nautical miles of the artificial islands. The UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) gives countries sovereignty over waters within 12 nautical miles from their coast lines. However, it doesn’t afford such rights to artificially created islands. "As part of our strategic rebalance to bring our newest and most capable Navy platforms to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, (the LCSs have) a regular presence in Southeast Asia. Routine operations like the one Fort Worth just completed in the South China Sea will be the new normal as we welcome four LCSs to the region in the coming years," Capt. Fred Kacher, commodore of the Navy's Destroyer Squadron 7, said.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/face-chinas-navy-stalks-us-ship-south-china-sea-12882
To FARIS: US Navy Exercises with RMAF & RMN:
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=87041
Dunno whether to laugh or cry after reading this:
North Korea has executed its defence chief on treason charges by putting him in front of an anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said. Hyon Yong Chol, 66, who headed the isolated country's military, was purged late last month for disobeying Kim Jong Un and falling asleep during a meeting at which North Korea's young leader was present. His execution, the latest of a series of high-level purges since Kim took power in 2011, was watched by hundreds of people. It was not clear how the NIS received the information and it is not possible to independently verify such reports from within secretive North Korea. Hyon, last known to have spoken publicly at a security conference in Moscow in April, was said to have shown disrespect to Kim by dozing off at a military event. Hyon was believed to have voiced complaints against Kim Jong Un and had not followed his orders several times. He was arrested late last month and executed three days later without legal proceedings, the NIS said. The reported execution comes after South Korea's spy agency said late last month that Kim ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year as punishment for challenging his authority. In all, around 70 officials have been executed since Kim took over after his father's death. Hyon was executed at a firing range at the Kanggon Military Training Area, 22km (14 miles) north of Pyongyang. In 2013, Kim purged and executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the second most powerful man in Pyongyang's leadership circle, for corruption and committing crimes damaging to the economy, along with a group of officials close to him. Pyongyang's military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power. Kim, who is in his early thirties, has changed his armed forces chief four times since coming to power. His father Kim Jong Il, who ruled over the isolated nuclear-capable country for almost two decades, replaced his chief just three times. Hyon, a little-known General, was promoted within the military at the same time as Kim Jong Un in 2010. He later became a vice marshal of the North Korean army in 2012. Ma Won Chun, known as North Korea's chief architect of new infrastructure under Kim, was also purged. Ma had also once served as vice director of the secretive Finance and Accounting Department in the ruling Workers' Party and, up until recently, was effectively the regime's money man. He had been regularly photographed alongside Kim Jong Un in state propaganda images, but had not made any reported appearances since November 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/north-korea-executes-defe_n_7270666.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592&ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in
With Ka 22t is 200 heli being produced is the tender for 196 heli is scrapped (Bell , AIrbus , Kamov etc)???
HI
C 295 Is with winglets and new Avionics and engine or older version????
Hey Prasun check this out ....they will sell their mothers if the price is rightwww.youtube.com/watch?v=GDuOoB_Ku7I
Hohohoho......what a DAC meeting....finally......
These decisions, if and when finally implemented are really 'earth shaking' and MOMENTOUS.....really......as far as the Indian Armed Forces (and Make in India) are concerned....what a breakthrough....finally the Defence Sector thrown open to the Private Industry and in such a big way.........and for full systems (Aircraft/howziters/helicopters) instead of just components (or at best subsystems).........
Just hope this opens up the doors.....like telecom/airlines/television/education/hospitals etc.......
Finally.........and now hope he does some thing about the OROP/DPP/JCS........
Laudable decision by Modiji, RM and whosoever etc. Not only this PM but also this RM is different.
Was watching World Business Report n BBC & was reminded once again about the petulant nature of BBC journalism.
In a story devoted to Modi's China visit, the BBC showed a bunch of school kids making fun of Hindi and India.
Here is a similar story
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32730803
Basically the West wants India to go to war against China. It does not matter to them who wins, coz in the process India & China will destroy each other's economy.
Prasun,
That is indeed funny, I think you are losing your marbles ;-).
If this investment from China does materialise, it will completely change Pakistan. ADB is also trying to lend $6billion for infrastructure. Not only China but Russia too will have access to the port of Gwadar.
10 yrs ago, china was relatively poor, 20 yrs ago it was lot poorer. Now with $4trillion reserves, they can invest abroad.
To see, just read President Xi's letter in Pakistani's papers on the eve of his visit. Its from the horses mouth as they say. Next 10yrs will be dramatic. :-)
Armata still under development:
http://rt.com/news/258473-armata-t14-powerful-shell/
What I dont get is why MQM would want to get weapons from RAW et al, via whatever boats you are talking about. Only someone who has absolutely no clue of our society says things like that (OK Karachi is bit different). If you go to any home in the countryside, in the house you will see various types of weapons like ak-47's or its various copied versions, hanging on the walls. Also there are many gun shops selling weapons of all kinds.
Basically what I am saying is that you can get whatever weapons you want, including NATO stuff in Pakistan without too much effort or fuss. Why the risky boat option with nervous indians around. Something doesnt add up.
Anyway seems as if taliban have started payback already.
Dear Prasun,
As per ur suggestion, IAF shoud have gone for more C-130Js.; but now c-295 on the pipeline would it make any sense (w.r.t. cost of acquisition and maintenance)??? What will be future acquisition plan for C-130J???
To Raw13 or whatever, I will tell you why Pakistanis(MQM et al) accept help from outsiders. That is because you are born bhikaris (beggers) and Will remain so for foreseeable future. We are just reading how you open your butt to Chinese with whom you share no cultural, religious or historical connection. We know you can do anything for money: just a few pennies and Pakistani will sell his family.
*is the naval dhruv amphib-capable?
*a chinese private company will manufacture an-178. why aren't indian cos. interested?
*can a small retractable aesa radar be mounted on the dhruv controlled from remote operator consoles on surface ships?
End of the HAL LUH?
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/gurgaon-based-sun-group-front-runner-for-being-india-partner-for-kamov-choppers/articleshow/47286433.cms
23bn $ deals, Not Bad!
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/deals-worth-23-5-billion-likely-to-be-signed-during-pm-modis-china-visit/articleshow/47290256.cms
Another eminently sensible suggestion from you. Hope concerned parties are listening.
"As for the M-777 ULFHs, BAE Systems & Mahindra Defence should make a proposal to IA HQ for installing them on the hull of Arjun MBT so that a homegrown 155mm tracked SPH becomes a reality. That way, the bizarre proposal for the Arjun Catapult (housing 130mm guns) can be junked"
@Prasun
Sorry, My mistake got confused about the origin of the news.
Reg: C-130J V/S C-295, I guess the MOD took correct decision.
As you said C-295 can be used for early phasing out the An-32Bs.
It also economical to go for more twin-engine C-295 rather than four-engine C-130J. Also its Optimum for our loading Habits, C-130J is an overkill considering current load/logistics trends. C-295 also can be a temporary solution till twin engine MTA shows up. Last point am too skeptical considering the cabin heights.
HI Prasun
with he induction of kamov 226 is it the death kneel for the LUH ?or is the kamov being built for other purposes.I quite like the kamov becasue it is a proven design ie ka-28 twin rotor design and the navy seems happy with the performance. There is no fear of tail rotor problems here after which is the cause of all accidents and it is more easier to bring down the chopper in case of engine failure.But the added advantage is that it has got 2 engines which is a greater thing. What is your opinion.
why was the m-777 howitzer deal revived when it was debunked as too costly?.
Prasun sir,
Vmt for your previous reply. I have a question regarding the kamov helis.
Can a modified ka 226 be used for the navy luh role? It has a modular design so making navy specific version wont be as difficult. It is also very compact due to absence of tail rotor.
The main rotor blades can be modified to fold just like the ka 28 helix.also it is twin engined which is essential for naval use.and the engine is western origin so reliability will be high.
Its compact dimensions make it ideal for use form smaller vessels of both the navy and coast guard.
Eagerly awaiting your views on this.
Prasunda,
From what I know is that RAW is a mediocre intelligence agency which didn't even gave proper warning about the infiltration in Kargil. But our neighbours are giving them unnecessary publicity & putting it in the league of CIA,Mossad,etc-
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-318065-RAW-supplied-missiles-to-Taliban?
By the way setting up Ka-226 assembly line is surely a good decision. Its usp is the interchangeable pods which can be fitted for different operations & can be used by army,air force,bsf, itbp,ongc,ndrf,etc. Anyways HAL LUH will surely be ordered (though not sure of how many of them) which is very much similar to other light helicopters of bell,airbus fennec,etc.
To RD: Perceptions are shaped by what one sees & therefore do not reflect the reality. The same applies to R & AW. The day the actions of R & AW are chronicled & declassified, one will get to know a lot more about its achievements & capabilities. About Kargil, no one could have given any forewarning because the ENTIRE buildup of hostile forces, including field artillery & mortar transportation, was done through Mi-17 & SA.330 Puma helicopters of the PA’s Aviation Corps. Nothing moved by road or rail & therefore no one could notice any tell-tale signs of the enemy’s buildup, starting early 1999. That’s why after the hostilities, both the IA & IAF asked the DRDO to develop ASAP manportable air-defence radars like Bharani & Aslesha.
As for GTAM-7 (SA-7), those MANPADS are not in use anywhere in the world. India has only IGLA-1 & IGLA-S. Therefore, whosoever’s claims about India possessing SA-7 & supplying them to the TTP is either a moron or plain ignorant about India’s ORBAT. What R & AW has been doing since 2002 is it has been supplying operational & administrative funds for Afghanistan’s Riyasat-e Amniyat-e Milli, or the National Directorate of Security (NDS). India along with the UK has also been extending political & moral support (& not any military hardware) to the Baloch separatist movement, because India wanted to neutralise Pakistan’s bargaining chip (i.e. ‘sarkari Jihadis’) that was used for securing the Kashmir Valley. In other words, if India ceded the Kashmir Valley to Pakistan, then the ‘sarkari jihadis’ would no longer target India. But what India did was to support the Baloch separatists in a non-lethal manner as a means to neutralise the Pakistani bargaining chip of ‘sarkari jihadis’. This strategy has paid off & now Pakistan has no other choice than to negotiate with India the status of PoK, i.e. vacating its occupation of PoK & returning it to India as mandated by UNSC resolutions. This is exactly what NaMo earlier today told his Chinese counterpart in Beijing & now it’s up to China to decide its next course of action. China on the other hand is in a bind because it has been trying unsuccessfully since August 2009 to get Pakistan to clarify the legal status of PoK (Gilgit-Baltistan in particular), without which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can’t become a reality. And Pakistan too is in a bind because if it annexes Gilgit-Baltistan then it will forever lose all moral claim to the Kashmir Valley & all previous UN resolutions will be nullified. Therefore, clearly Pakistan has been pushed into a corner thanks to A) Allah siding with India since October 1947; & B) Pakistan’s verifiable terminal stupidity. Consequently, Islamabad is not clutching at straws to deflect public opinion & hence all this riff-raff about R & AW’s involvement inside Pakistan.
To RAD & JAY BHANUSHALI & RD: Ka-226T is NOT meant for the armed forces reqmts for RSH & LUH. It is meant for something else & I had explained it all at:
http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2014/12/glimpses-of-ideas-2014-expo.html
Ka-226T is one of the best available platforms for EMS & SAR when used by agencies like the NDRF & BRO. If India wants Japanese heavy engineering/construction companies to help build all-weather roads, tunnels & railways in the North East, then helicopters like the Ka-226T are a must reqmt. Japanese concepts of CSR are totally different from those of Indian corporate entities. Wherever the Japanese go, apart from Sushi & Saki, they also require 18-hole golf courses & expedited medical evacuation during emergencies. For all these to be provided on-site, machines like Ka-226T are reqd.
To S NAIR: It’s not about C-295 versus C-130J if one takes into account the need to start replacing the An-32s. If more than 80 C-295s are procured, then the reqmt for additional C-130Js will be reduced, but not eliminated. The IAF will still require about 24 C-130J-30s for catering to regional contingencies. The C-295s on the other hand can cater to the domestic aerial logistics reqmts like air-maintenance of the IA’s forward posts over mountainous terrain & in the highlands.
To JON: VMT. Almost all of the agreements inked with the PRC are MoUs. Exactly how many of them get converted into firm contracts is anyone’s guess. The only realistic ones that could see the light of day are the Chennai-Bengaluru & Delhi-Agra high-speed train networks. In any case, one must not expect anything more, because the more such contracts are awarded, the more the number of Chinese labourers coming to India to implement such contracts. Consequently, such contracts will create only minimal jobs for India’s workforce. In my estimation, therefore, the Chinese model/suggestion of infrastructure development may well be useful for either underpopulated African/Central Asian countries, or for countries like Pakistan that do not possess skilled human resources in adequate numbers. But certainly not for India.
Hi Prasun, how good is this news on this radar?
I wonder why DRDO does not have this capability?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Isro-makes-sophisticated-multi-object-tracking-radar/articleshow/47300242.cms
RaviN
To BHOUTIK: 1) What exactly is meant by ‘amphib-capable’? 2) TATA is already gearing up for manufacturing both the turboprop Dornier Do-328-110 & the turbofan-powered Do-328-300. 3) Why should a warship host a remote operator console when such a console can clearly be accommodated within the Dhruv ALH itself?
To SOUBHAGYA: It’s not about C-295 versus C-130J if one takes into account the need to start replacing the An-32s. If more than 80 C-295s are procured, then the reqmt for additional C-130Js will be reduced, but not eliminated. The IAF will still require about 24 C-130J-30s for catering to regional contingencies. The C-295s on the other hand can cater to the domestic aerial logistics reqmts like air-maintenance of the IA’s forward posts over mountainous terrain & in the highlands.
To RAW13: Does MQM thrive in Karachi or in the countryside? The quantum of shipments of small arms reqd for waging urban guerrilla warfare simply cannot be supplied by Pakistani non-state small-arms production cottage industries. Secondly, securing such arms shipments domestically is simply not an option as they will easily be detected by the ISI, IB, FIA & MI. Consequently, the only available route for procuring them clandestinely is from overseas via the sea route. And as for the promised investments from China or ADB or from wherever else, all this will contribute more towards creating a PERPETUAL CIRCULAR debt trap. Don’t forget that the recent approval tranches of loans from the IMF/World Bank are all meant ONLY FOR servicing the interest payments for previous loans taken by Pakistan. So now, who has lost exactly how many marbles?
To VISHAKH: The latest version of C-295. Ka-226T is not for LUH/RSH reqmt.
To HEBERIAN: Interesting analysis:
http://qz.com/398282/why-on-earth-is-narendra-modi-going-to-mongolia/
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/nirupama-rao-on-indochina-ties/article7202357.ece?homepage=true
To RAVI N: It is an S-band radar & DATA Patterns & ASTRA Microwave are the primary hardware suppliers. MOTR is indeed spinoff from the LRDE's Arudhra S-band APAR R & D project. But the laughable point to be noted is that if you were to use Google for browsing through all news-reports about the MOTR, you will notice that none of those reports, including the present one, even mentions the MOTR's operating band!
The state-of-the-art LRTRs used for tracking space debris by the US, EU & Japan are all operating in X-band.
PLZ PLZ PLZ HELP
http://corruptionindrdo.com/
is TAKEN DOWN
WHY ?
SUKHBIR: Why? How should I Know? I was never in-charge of maintaining that website. So why are you asking me?
Hello Prasun Da,
Thanks a lot for this wonderful blog of yours, I am an avid reader of your writings.
Today I have a question for you; Do you think there can be a mutually agreeable solution to the border dispute between India and China in near future? if yes, then can you kindly share your thoughts with us?
I know, you are a very busy person, so if you don't get time to answer my question, it's ok, I totally understand, so no pressure. :)
Thanks,
Dutta
hi prasun
you Had earlier mentioned that the arudhra was nothing more than the elm-2084 radar . How can the motr radar be based on that unless they have access to the hardware design and the software?
To Prasun : SORRY I APOLOGIZE
Your thoughts on this...
http://www.dawn.com/news/1182200/more-lethal-than-raw
Hi Prasun,
We need so many helicopter in the future and we are using french engine . Is there any Indigenous programme going on , so we can power all these heli with our engine . So we do not have to depend upon french. If not , then our govt. should really consider this because it will not save money but will also boost to defence industry and also will create a eco system of engine manufacturing..
This article is really very deep. Actually non-mathematicians just can not understand it and so the whole Pakistan666.
Sir,
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/stuck-in-the-pipeline-a-4-billion-deep-sea-gas-project/
This means now we have to deal with Pakistan for under water pipeline from Qatar and Iran.
HI Prasun
The MOTR seems massive compared to the green pine , nearly 40x25 feet in specs. There was a program tv9 in where some video clips were shown wherein the radar was mounted on a building 5 stories with a radome .Please give us specs and pics on that.Dr kiran kumar says it can track 10 objects at 1000kms. it seems to be designed by isro rather than drdo who achieve results.
Is this the swordfish radar ? .The green pine works in the L band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n7rAdPFAU0
people who want to have a glimpse of it can view this link.
sorry, the gentleman in the video is Mr Prasad of isro
Hi
C 295 has very low powered engine as compared to An32 of IAF . What is its high altitude performance ???
1) Will it match AN32 lifting at high altitude ??
2) By how much the power in new Engine of C 295 increased ??
Article's so deep, Pakistan found oil..; p
Hi Prasun,
Wonderful reading your insight.I just had a question
This is the most active MOD in decades (correct me if wrong) So many decisions and most of them of sound nature (aging correct if wrong)
The question I have is are we facing an imminent threat (did something change in the last 1 year) or is it just that the current govt seems to be proactive
Dear Prasun,
Recently, CAG blasted on ADA and HAL for the short comings in EW of Tejas, which it claims will severely affect the survivability of Tejas Mk-1. Also IAF waived off 53 requirements permanently. Then as per your view how is it going to perform against F-16, J family fighter aircraft of China???
For ground strikes and close air support, will Tejas-Mk1 be better than Jaguar or it still needs some modifications for this purpose as well.
Prasun,
You were in Malaysia in 1998. To the best of your knowledge, is there any truth in the report that both the Malaysian and Singapore militaries went on full alert when there was tension during talks over the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine checkpoint at Tanjong Pagar?
In your opinion, what is the main reason why Pakistan hasn't had much success in exporting arms to countries like Malaysia and Indonesia? Apart from Anza, Bahktar Shika, portable laser designators, MP-5 [to the police] and refurbishing the RMN's MM-38s; Pakistan hasn't had much defence related business in Malaysia. They have tried hard to sell other stuff though and without fail are at DSA.
This will interest you -
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/05/150513130813859.html
*by 'amphip-capable' i meant whether thay can land on the water.
*there was once a proposal from the manufacturer for the SU-33UB to perform awacs roles with retractable phased array radar. could that be feasible with the MiG-29K?
*what are india's plans for countering stealth/LO aircraft?
*any VTOL research being done by indian agencies/labs? was the harrier studied for such purposes?
*in a recent article, it has been claimed that:
a)The Tejas' avionics system was designed by France
b)Lockheed Martin rejoined the Tejas flight control system development effort after sanctions (90s nuke tests) were lifted
are these claims true?
Hey Prasoon,
What is your view on Foundational Agreements with America? What do you think on CISMOA, BECA and LSA? Should India sign them?
Do you have access to the text of these agreements? Will you post them here?
Thanks a lot.
Dear Prasun Da,
Are these guns as equivalant with AK-12/or TAR / GALIL family if IMI...?
Dear Sir
Please answer my question
For the M777 Light Guns Will we use
INDIAN made ammunition or foreign made
Secondly Is DRDO designing
GPS guided shells like Excalibur
AND Is DRDO also designing Laser guided shells like Krasnopol
Dear Prasunji,
When do you think India would be able to take back PoK. You said in previous blog entry that opportunity would open to do so in 2016-17.
But i think We need to move fast so that we can build connectivity to Central Asia onward to Europe.
Regrading Qatar, Oman India Deep Sea pipeline, why there are delay when feasibility studies were completed years ago.
Rgds
Could you do write up on the significance of the PMs tour of PRC Mongolia and ROK ?
If you say the Ka226T is for EMS & SAR when used by agencies like the NDRF & BRO
Then why it is contracted inked by MoD? should be be the MoH
@Prasun,
No you really dont get it. In pakistan there are so many weapons, that if you were to send 100 people, each to buy 10 weapons each, every month, it wont even raise an eyebrow. No body would notice. In any case karachi already has lots of weapons, licensed and un licensed. Until couple of years ago, you could legally get an AK-47. Most people did. They were so cheap.
enjoy this, from the warriors:
http://focusnews.com/india/pakistan-flags-reappear-in-kashmir/36609/
@Prasun,
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1557090.ece
What do you make of this?
Somebody needs to tell them that we only have 10 nukes and they are under PLA control, that we cannot do this ;-)
Hi Prasun,
Suddenly every department of Pakistani Establishment has started blaming RAW. Is this a tactical move to divert attention of Pakistani people or, some strategy with Afghanistan to malign India..?
To SAURAV JHA: The blamegame has morphed over the past one year. It all started with the commencement of OP Zarb-e-Azb when voices alleging Indian financial & material support for the TTP began to emerge. This was later voiced again by the DG of ISPR earlier this year & once the PA & Pak Rangers entered Karachi they began alleging the ‘instigation by RAW’ of Karachi-based anti-national forces. However, folks like Lt Gen Hamid Gul stated 48 hours ago that such allegations can never be conclusively proven in any court of law. Conversely, if RAW is alleged to have made such deep penetrations within Pakistan, then it can only be concluded that the ISI, whose supporters always compare it with MOSSAD in terms of effectiveness, is in fact totally ineffective & incompetent. Either way, the ISI comes up in bad light! Therefore, I hope the morons who are now overplaying the RAW card in Pakistan eventually realise how damaging all this will be for the ISI.
To RAW13: What I make of it is that the West is now more determined than ever to portray Pakistan as an untrustworthy party to the whole world & build up an atmosphere which calls for the denuclearization of Pakistan. Hence all such talk & stories by Seymour Hersh about the PA & ISI knowingly sheltering OBL in Abbottabad—which if proven to be true will mean that Pakistan cannot be trusted to even honour its commitments & promises made to the UN & other multilateral covenants.
To Anon@1.47AM: Do BRO & NDRF come under the Union MHA? Or under the MoD & PMO?
To PAWEAN: It is not about India taking back PoK, but PoK expressing a desire to come back to India.
To VIJAY: It will use 155mm rounds made by OFB. GPS-guided rounds are being developed by DRDO. No laser-guided 155mm rounds are being developed.
To THINK TANK: There’s no reason for them not to be.
To Robert Mungaivah: I personally don’t have any opposition to such agreements being inked with the US. India’s signature will not in any way compromise her supreme national interests. There are no universal drafts of such agreements & each of them is country-specific & therefore their copies are not available as open-source materials.
To BHOUTIK: They can’t land, but they can float since the Dhruv’s naval version is equipped with emergency flotation system. Nope, it won’t be possible with MiG-29K. Develop VHF/UHF radars. That’s the only option left. No VTOL aircraft of any type is being developed in-country. Tejas Mk1’s original closed-loop avionics architecture was based on that of the Mirage 2000 & this was specified by the IAF’s ASQR. The FBW flight control system’s digital flight-control computer was developed with the help of Lockheed Martin & was flown on board a Lockheed Martin F-16 VISTA airborne testbed.
To RAJESH MISHRA: Only for close air-support (CAS), not for tactical air-interdiction. For CAS sorties, if Tejas Mk1 is equipped with small-diameter PGMs this then will allow the Tejas Mk1 to choose its ground targets while staying inside friendly airspace & this therefore will prevent hostile MANPADS & SHORADS from targeting the Tejas Mk1.
To SOUBHAGYA: I had stated numerous times before that the Tejas Mk1 fell short of the end-user’s expectations because it was a design by/of/for scientists—very similar to how the Saras was developed by NAL. The CAG report only validates my earlier claims. But the issue is not just about the airframe development, but also about all its internal avionics—almost all of which had to be developed from scratch. In other countries this was not the case, & while only the airframe design was new, everything else inside was of proven design. This then complicated the Tejas Mk1’s R & D effort by a factor of 10! But the R & D challenges are far more deep-rooted & therefore the CAG report needs to be dissected in detail to bring out all the pitfalls in case of the Tejas Mk2, & what mistakes were made since the project’s inception in the early 1980s. I’m trying to draft just such an analysis at the moment.
To COMMON CENSE: There’s no immediate threat of either full-scale conventional war or limited conventional war from any quarter. What one is witnessing in terms of the MoD’s functioning is exactly what it ought to be on any given day. It all depends on the work ethics & work attitude of the MoD’s top-brass starting with the RM himself.
To RAD: As you are aware the EL/M-2084 MMR’s antenna is scalable in size & can make use of different types of target recognition algorithms for purposes like airspace surveillance & airborne target tracking, artillery round/MBRL round tracking & impact prediction, providing mid-course fire-control cues for MR-SAM/LR-SAM etc. Therefore, taken as a family, the total Indian reqmt for EL/M-2084 MMR will be as high as 70 units. Therefore, while the first 12 were supplied off-the-shelf by IAI/ELTA, the balance is to be licence-built by a BEL-led consortium that also includes ECIL, ASTRA & DATA Patterns. That’s how the ‘desi’ Arudhra & MOTR have emerged. The MOTR ‘s antenna array is smaller than that of the EL/M-2080. The latter looks smaller because all its published photos show it at a distance, while the MOTR was shown in that TV programme as a close-up. Have uploaded above the MOTR’s antenna-array design, which was first shown during Aero India 2013. MOTR wasn’t designed by ISRO. Only its performance specs were drafted by ISRO. LRDE with IAI/ELTA’s help & within Indian industry’s participation developed the MOTR.
To MAYUR M MANAPURE: Thank God the author of that article wrote it in English! Had he written it in Urdu & got it published, he surely would have been targeted by an assassin. In 1976 there were only 6 Madrassas in Pakistan, today there are more than 26,000. What is taught there is only the Quran in Arabian—a language that’s alien to the native Muslims of the subcontinent. That’s why while one can cram it, one cannot make head-or-tail of it. Consequently, its interpretation is always manipulated by the Maulanas to suit their own narrow agendas. Also to be noted is that in all such Madrassas (even in India), no attempt is made to study the Al Hadis—the personal dairy of the Prophet containing his sermons, recollections & explanations. In fact, the wisdom of the Prophet’s teachings is contained within the Al Hadis & without first reading this, it is futile to even dream about reading & understanding the Quran. In Pakistan, if anyone today even talks about Madrassa reforms, that person will immediately become the target of various hostile fatwas. Hence, no one—not even the most powerful—dares talk about such reforms. In India too such reforms are urgently reqd & the GoI should nationalize all such Madrassas & regulate them in the same way as they are done in countries like Turkey, Uzbekistan, etc.
To KAKU SH: What for? All that is reqd is a little re-alignment of the projected pipeline a little further down south. Nothing to panic about.
Will answer all other outstanding queries later today.
To MAYUR M MANAPURE: Interesting read:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malik-siraj-akbar/how-pakistan-hurts-its-pe_b_7289882.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592&ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in
To RAD: Interesting read:
http://defense-update.com/20150516_champ.html#.VVd_Y9KUfDI
Weapons received by Pakistan from the US since 2001:
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/pakarms.pdf
Even if I get to interact with a students of my age, say 19-20 years from Pakistan, it will be very hard to convince them about the misdeeds of their nation's masters. Their textbooks are filled with Anti-India chapters. Only if these Fawad Khan obsessed kids have brains to use the Internet, they might see the real world outside Pakistan666 and Arab Birader.
Most of them don't even have a grasp of the level of sectarian violence spread throughout Pakistan.
Dear Prasun,
How would PoK express desire to come back to India, when ISI just shoot down anybody raising voice against Islamabad and total population of PoK excluding Mirpuri is relatively small.
Rgds
Albeit it achieves it at the cost of higher speeds, surprisingly the Textron AirLand Scorpion is designed for higher weapon load capacity than Tejas-Mk1. Your kind comments please.
With your last reply, I feel that Tejas-Mk1 is almost good for nothing.
Sir, I have been following your optimism regarding Afg-India relations, but the Ghani Administration seems to be alienating Indian Interests, I am aware that It is imperative for Afghanistan to have good relations With Pakistan but it seems that our strategic depth is being compromised, in some manner.
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/19576-nds-and-isi-sign-mou
I cannot read much into this but on the face of it, it seems that ISI is making forays into NDS which has previously been trained by India. I hope we aren't floundering, somewhere here.
Your opinion ?
Hi,
just a random thought.........
The 3-4 Deals....C-295 (Europe)/ M-777 (USA)...Ka226T / 6 Brahmos Systems (Russia)....were approved just the day Modi left for China...........
and, now, Modi visits Mongolia and S Korea....reverse 'string of pearls'....
Strong message to the Chinese !!
(would be crazy if (1) Modi signs the MCMV with S Korea; (2) Pops into Japan to meet friend Abe on way back !!) (Yep !!......wonder what i'm smoking !!!)
Hmmm... Saudi Arab and the nukes from Pakistan666.
http://rt.com/news/259565-saudi-pakistan-nuclear-weapons/
I agree they are over playing this blame game thing with RAW. Its like it was in India few years back, where even flu breakouts/earth quakes were being blamed on ISI. Forget the reputation of ISI, everyone and their dad knows its politics. The agency that is responsible for counter-intel is IB, by the way. I guess RAW have been busy and payback is coming but they dont need to over build the story. Accusing MQM is stupid, those people are some of the most patriotic in the country. Infact all the people who came from India, hate it (india) venomously.
You are mistaken about the arabic language. Many people in Pak madressas and outside speak it, it is taught in many many places, from age of 5 and its spreading. Also if know urdu well, in about 3months you can get pretty fluent, as most of the higher level of the language is pretty much all arabic. This though is not an indicator to the fundy level. Let me put it this way, salafists are some of most higly educated people anywhere, they also happen to be the most fundy. Depending on the mindset, more education can make these people even worse. You combine this with people that actually like fighting, then you have the situation that you have in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Anbar provence of Iraq.
Regarding OBL, just do a google search and you have some top analysts saying they kept hearing the samething straight after the raid and things didn't add up wrt the offical story. What it shows, is that we dont give a monkeys about, what you, USA, Russia, the UN, NATO or whoever, thinks and says. We do what is in our interest. OK sometimes our thinking is messed up but we still do what we want and like. You think the countries that couldnt prevent us from getting the nukes, can take them from us now that we have them in large numbers?
He needs some churan to digest the reality....
http://tribune.com.pk/story/888099/going-for-the-jugular-india-will-never-forget-kargil-war-says-musharraf/
Raw13 is a laugh riot. We will speak Arabic and become Arabs. The Arabs look down upon you and everyone else who is not an Arab. Most of the countries tolerate outsiders since it keeps their country running. Other than that you can never become a citizen or otherwise.
Secondly when was the last time a muslim army won a war? The middle ages? You have been rofl stomped by everyone and their grand mothers..
THE NDRF comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs , say so in the Website. .... So in order works THEY should be inking the contract for KA226T not the MoD
To RAW13: Yes, you're indeed right, Pakistan does not give a damn about any other country--so goes the weekly Friday Khutbaas. In reality, even 3 years after inking the deal with Iran, the IP gas pipeline has yet to be activated. Why? This is just one of many examples. Now as if pressure from the CIA & FBI wasn't enough, now even the US Secret Service is going to barge inside Pakistan after the latest scam involving the faking of the US Secretary of State's signature! Here, read this & reap the whirlwind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcxmGA2b5_4&hd=1
To MAYUR M MANAPURE & PAWAN: Here's a hard-hitting factual account of what the CPEC is all about & how Pakistanis themselves in collusion with certain Middle Eastern sheikhdoms is destroying the CPEC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R47rVTkT3es&hd=1
Have a good laugh after watching it & reading the NYT story above.
To Anon@1.33AM: Orders fopr any type of aircraft can only be placed by the agency that has its own aircrew, ground crew, hangars, & MRO facilities. Does the NDRF possess all these?
What a joke!Pakistan gives access to Saudis for its nuclear weapons but not it's own leaders!If sponsoring terrorism was not enough they have sold their Chinese supplied nukes to the Saudis with the blessings of the U.S.!The way things are coming out Pakistan is a Saudi puppet with no credibility whatsoever!
to raw 13
Here you go again in one of your episodes of brain seizures. We all know that pak will eat grass to get nukes , did that and got it fine.The problem is that you think that eating grass and getting more nukes is the ultimate achievement bank rolled by despot saudis. The whole world knows that if you nuke india you will not be able to celebrate that in a moments time.All this sabre rattling is of no use .Dictator musharaf thought india will shy away from war in kargil but we all know know what happened despite his nuke ratting.
Musharaff announced that he caught india by the throat , well that was back stabbing yes.But then"WE KICKED YOU IN THE BALLs AND THREW YOU OUT"
and you were cowards enough not to own up to your own dead soldiers"
Hi
1) Chabhar Port in Iran and Gwadar Port are 72 KM distance . Which port is better placed economically ??
2) Will chabhar port will be economically viable except afghanistan taken out like port for access to middle eat??
3) Will it be able to act like shipping ships fuelling instead of dubai port or gwadar port??? as Iran as Huge Oil supply and would be cheaper than pakisthan port??
4) Will Chabhar port make Gwadar port little less profitable or inviatable ???
Hi
http://idrw.org/saudis-procuring-nukes-from-pak-us-officials/
Is this possible and won't it add problem of Sanctions of pakistan??
Dec 9, 2014 :"these Made-In-India Ka-226Ts “can be used for search-and-rescue (SAR) operations in mountainous areas”, meaning that these helicopters, to be owned and operated by state-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, will be used primarily by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)."
"To Anon@1.33AM: Orders fopr any type of aircraft can only be placed by the agency that has its own aircrew, ground crew, hangars, & MRO facilities. Does the NDRF possess all these?"
So??? Which is it? .... Hope its the latter and it is the IA Air corp or IAF maintaining it
Whenever Musharraf speaks about Kargil, more and more foolishness comes out from his wide opened mouth.
@Prasunda
Hope you are doing good.
A few questions.
1) A lot of people seems to have missed out on the significance of the diplomatic protest over CPEC. The last time the Chinese had begun constructing in PoK, the Indian Govt. had largely kept mum and raised "security concerns", BUT this time additionally it was "Sovereignty concerns" that were raised.
I think this is a welcome development because India looks firm on going back to considering the entire J&K as it's sovereign territory.
2) Recently most of the infiltration bids have shifted to that along the IB. Why so?
3)I feel strongly that certain actions along the Kashmir front would propel Narendra Modi to yet another historic victory in 2019 ;)
I guess you already know what I am hinting at.
4)What talks were held with Xi Jinping during NaMo's recently concluded visit, vis-a-vis the
a) boundary question
and
b) Af-Pak including G&B.
5) If Vimanas did exist, how come they have not yet been unearthed through excavations? or have they been already discovered and we know not of them yet for obvious strategic reasons?
Regards,
Abs
Prasun,
4-5 Naval accidents in naval platforms worth 100-150 million last year, led to Indian Navy Chief's dismissal.
How come Indian Air Force is wrecking 100s millions of badly needed fighter aircraft, one after another every year and getting away with it??.
In three years, it has destroyed more than a squadron of fighters and even wrecked a C-130J. Then, why is IAF Chief not being kicked out? How come IAF can get away with this egregious destruction of public property? Why is Mr Raha not being put up for a public inquiry?
Especially, when it comes out that last year's Su-30MKI accident happened because both pilots were having an altercation in the cockpit and decided to dump the aircraft, as it came in reports?? Some drastic measures are needed or IAF is becoming a joke everywhere. Head should roll, starting with the current Air Chief otherwise India would keep buying expensive air platforms and these "cowboys" would keep destroying them !!!!
There is a major issue in Indian forces. The Brahmins hate working with the lower classes, saluting them, taking their orders, etc. It is becoming more pervasive. It is one of the main reasons why discipline is breaking down, officers being beaten blue, suicides, turning guns on each other.
If you want to know the result of Modi's trip to China, read this:
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/
To raw13: Are kaha se late ho yeh Bakwaas.
Indian armed forces don't have martial race bullshit which exist in Pakistan's Armed Forces. We had a Muslim Air Cheif, Parsi CoAS and many non Hindu chiefs. And I don't know where u get this bullshit from. My dad never had any problems saluting to a Muslim officer. Utter propagandist bullshit. -_-
Maulana Badarkhumars and Johney Walkers appear on behalf of Pakistan666.
Raw13,
Cover your arse before talking shit, and yes I am brahmin.
And most of the time I think, why god I am not born in SC/ST family or atleast I should be born in OBC.
So, think 2 time what I said above.
Dear Prasunji
If India fail to take back PoK in next 2 years than considered it gone. Pakistan is making China stakeholder in area to prevent India from annexing it in future.
Regards,
pls comment on recent pak and afghan intel sharing pact. thank you.
Hi Prasun
- Is the Advanced Towed Array Sonar project with Atlas Electronik done deal??
- How many of IN platforms have these deployed as on date??
- When would the P-28 get these?
Do the Scorpene, Vikramaditya and Kolkatta Class have them??
Is IAF serious about an Imported IJT like the Textron Scorpion???
Does The IJT Sitara have any future???
HI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hunt-for-Army-assault-rifle-may-be-called-off/articleshow/47349586.cms
Is the army getting out of tender and Ghatak and DRDO MCIWS will now get priority ??
To VIKSHAKH: Watch this interesting debate on direly reqd institutional reforms within the MoD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCv5R8PTa2g&hd=1
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-willing-to-manage-Afghan-air-traffic-control/articleshow/47349695.cms
To VISHAKH: Maybe the MoD started developing second thoughts after I uploaded photos & data on all the wonderful solutions developed by OFB & ARDE! Laughable, maybe, but do give it a thought. OFB is not what it used to be in the late 1990s & a lot of industrial modernisation has taken place since then.
To ABS: Will answer your outstanding queries later today. Regarding Vimanas, & their Indian connection, do watch this:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x24emiq_in-search-of-aliens-s01-e02-nazi-time-travelers_shortfilms
To SK: I have 1 simple question for you: when was it that the IAF first decided to procure personal emitter location transmitters (ELT) for its downed aircrew? You will find the answer to be shocking beyond belief. One clue: it was much beyond 1988!
Modi and his RM can be expected to be no less reliable than the AK-47 itself. It can be hoped that they will go for the best MC Assault Rifle whether it is partly imported or Make in India or Made in India. It can also be expected that they will do it at earliest in a most cost efficient manner.
BTW, I also think that the responsible's in the MOD are also seriously reading this blog.
Hi
1) Chabhar Port in Iran and Gwadar Port are 72 KM distance . Which port is better placed economically ??
2) Will chabhar port will be economically viable except afghanistan taken out like port for access to middle eat??
3) Will it be able to act like shipping ships fuelling instead of dubai port or gwadar port??? as Iran as Huge Oil supply and would be cheaper than pakisthan port??
4) Will Chabhar port make Gwadar port little less profitable or inviatable ???
@Unknown,
I think you could be the first true F*** wit. Where do you see me supporting the fundies? Castism is really messing your forces up. Your forces, (forget the propaganda BS) are extremely respected by pak forces. However over the last few years, this castism has really become a force to be reckoned with. Even listening to the radio comm our guys can tell the casts of you guys, just by how your guys speak to each other and the deference or lack of, is shown....and some of our guys say openly it is such a pity you guys are going down this route.
I have a question for you: why do you think Buddhism was decimated in Bharat?
The Ghazis mercilessly killed atheist Buddhist monks everywhere at Nalanda, Vikramshila and all such places. In lands of now temporarily Pakistan and Bangladesh they killed or forcefully converted all of Buddhists to muslam.
@Raw13
The only fuckwit here is you .. Your theory about caste in the army is the classic case of your sad little army believing its own propaganda to make itself feel better or does the punjabi dominated pakistan army assume that we have the same problems as them ?
Where did buddhism go ? Ask your brothers who blow up buddha statues .
Brilliant analysis by Christine Fair March 5 2015 World affairs council:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eClddgCTP4
in your views is Nepal unfaithful to India?
@Prasun Sir
Can you shed any light on the project17A . Why exactly do they cost in excess of 6000 crores some countries build SSBNs for less ..
Hi Prasun,
TOI reported earlier this month that the INdian Navy has handed over to DRDO a list of 100 technologies that they need.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Navy-for-made-in-India-tech-gives-DRDO-list-of-100-wishes/articleshow/47169703.cms
TOI did not elaborate about these technologies. So will you please shed some light on this.
VMT
Now the US Congress is up in arms against Pakistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhVq7Kz9yFc
To RAJESH MISHRA, JON & UNKNOWN: Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister yesterday admitted that the recent wave of sectarian killings in Karachi were all caused/perpetrated by local Pakistanis & they had no connections whatsoever with any foreign party/country. Watch from 28.26:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vFET6uzE1w&hd=1
This segment also for the very first time details all the hate literature that's taught to Pakistani teenage schoolchildren as part of the official curriculum. It is highly detailed & proves beyond a shadow of doubt what I had stated above: the troubles plagueing Muslim communities/societies worldwide have nothing to do with Islam per se, but with how the religious theology is twisted, corrupted & misinterpreted by human beings with vested interests.
There is some chatter now about cancelling the RSH helo contract and providing the Ka-226 for the army.
Any updates on this?
It makes sense!Why to go in for different types of helicopters for almost the same requirements!
@Prasun da
a few observations
1. You are a sleeping in night for few good hours, your answer timing says that
2. You arent very fond systems of Russian / former USSR states except of those of few strategic value like subs/ships
3. MRSAM for IN, IAF will now be developed for IA too, it means doors shut on Akash MK2
4. each year atleast 1 sukhoi is going down, looks like even before sukhoi reaches the 35 yr airworthy limit it will turn into flying coffin
5. the M777 deal, C295 wont be money spinners for pvt co as OFB/HAL wont allow others to do something OFB/HAL consider their birth right
6. Mirage 2000 jet landed on Yamuna Expressway, Saifai, feel IAF is only trying the Mirage for these ropad runway manuevors as these are the safest jets with best control compared to others
7. Surprised that China allowed India to open consulate right next to Tibet, feel their is climb down on China's position with regards to Indin presence in Tibet
8. You are unwilling to answer my querries, why
thanks
Joydeep Ghosh
Is it possible that the two pilot theory as in Su-30Mki can create a situation wherein there is a competition among both the pilots as to who ejects first.
You had mentioned a while back that HAL did not consider getting a certification from Europe for the Dhruv because it was too much work/expensive.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/hal-completes-noise-measurement-flight-trials-for-advance-light-helicopter-for-european-certification/articleshow/47370504.cms
Something seems to have changed .
Interesting comment by Def Min:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-to-take-pro-active-steps-to-thwart-terror-manohar-parrikar/articleshow/47374263.cms
Dear Prasun,
I hope you must have listened to islamic spiritual fellow Dr. Zakir Naik, who cliams that OBL isn't terrorist. Godhra train buning was just an accident , not an intentional incident(despite commission reports against Muslim mob who set train on fire). This is how he is able to defend himself and save Islam. But on the other hand he is also supporting terrorism by telling that OBL isn't terrorist. What is your view on him??? Why others falter before him???
As you said above
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183150/the-death-of-urdu-the-new-illiterate
To MAYUR M MANAPURE: It just doesn't get any better:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malik-siraj-akbar/pakistans-educated-jihadis_b_7348992.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in
To SOUBHAGYA: How can any mortal human being ever claim to save or Islam or any other religious philosophy that is the gift of divinity??? Folks like this entity who claim to have the wherewithal to save or destroy anything that has divine sanction are in fact equating themselves with the supernatural--a most illogical & outrageous stance indeed. Therefore, it is a sheer waste of time listening to such nitwits.
To JON: If only the Govt of India has the guts to authorise cross-border operations along the Eastern Nagaland tract inside Myanmar, the IA's Eastern Command & the IAF's Eastern Air Command will easily be able to totally annhilate all the separatist insurgent groups active in the North East within 72 hours flat.
To PRAV: The 'desi' news-reporter apparently cannot distinguish between ESA & EASA! These ongoing efforts are just the first baby-steps towards obtaining compliance with ICAO regulations, & NOT EASA airworthiness certification by any stretch of imagination.
As for why it is cost-prohibitive to build warships in DPSU shipyards & why there are 200% project cost escalations, the answers are simple: firstly, the IN's Directorate of Naval Design is unable to freeze the warship's design prior to metal-cutting; & secondly, the skilled human resources at all DPSU shipyards start doing the real work only after the end of their official working hours so that they can claim overtime! These very workers who are later poached by private-sector shipyards don't dare engage in any such antics!
To Anon@8.37AM: If this were to be true, then why should HAL continue to waste money on developing the LUH? During President Putin's visist to India last December, it was clearly stated officially by the Russians that the Ka-226T was being offered for SAR & not for light observation, not for CSAR, not for CASEVAC.
To RAJESH MISHRA: Such a scenario should not even arise, since ejection procedures are clearly laid-down & are mandatory, i.e. no one can question it or debate it.
To WHATSINANAME: It's not about being unfaithful. It is about existing in a less evolved state. Just as Pakistan is 100 years behind India in terms of evolution of democratic traditions & practices.
To CHETAN SINHA: It concerns all systems & sub-systems in the arenas of propulsion systems, automotive systems, fire-control systems, optronic sensors, & directed-energy weapons for self-defence.
To RAM BHARADWAJ: The Scorpion has been optimised for close air-support during counter-insurgency operations, & not for high-intensity AirLand battles. It therefore can't be used as either an IJT or AJT or LIFT.
To Anon@2.23AM: Here, read this:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/afghan-government-sleeping-enemy-150521044826456.html
To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) You’re wrong. I work in during those hours that are nighttime for you. I sleep during those hours that are daytime for you. Why? Because we are living in different time-zones. 2) It’s not just me. Even the Chinese don’t like them & that’s why they are developing their own homegrown solutions, even though the Chinese could import whatever they want from Russia at highly competitive rates. India’s armed forces too don’t like Russia-origin products. Select just about any RFI or RFP issued by any one of India’s armed forces & you will see there that all operating/manufacturing specifications desired are of NATO MIL-SPEC/STANAG standard. Not one RFI or RFP even mentions any parallel Russian standard. For instance, the Dhruv ALH was developed to comply with NATO MIL-SPEC & the US FAA’s FAR airworthiness standards, & not any corresponding Russian standard. So, if both India & China have embraced such specification standards, then it can only mean that corresponding Russian standards are deficient or inferior. 3) Most probably. It doesn’t make sense to procure two different types of MR-SAMs, UNLESS the Akash Mk2 will be developed in such a way so as to stay within the same physical dimensions as the Akash Mk1 SAM, thereby ensuring that existing Akash Mk1 SAMs can be replaced in future by Akash Mk2 SAM rounds. 4) ALL Su-30MKI crashes of the IAF were to due either human error or technical malfunctions of on-board ordnance supplied by OFB. Not a single air-crash has been attributed to technical failure of any of the Su-30MKI’s sub-systems or components. Therefore, the fault is clearly that of the IAF. 5) HAL has NOTHING to do with C-295. 6) Mirage 2000 & Jaguar can easily land & takeoff from runways. MiG-29UPGs & Su-30MKIs can’t due to their engines’ extreme sensitivity to FOD cause by wayside stone pebbles. 7) This is nothing new. Way back till 1953 India had consulates & trade offices within Tibet proper as well as in Kasghar. These need to be revived.
To PAWAN: It’s not about India taking back PoK by military means, but it is all about creating the conditions & environment under which the residents of PoK will be compelled to opt for accession to India instead of languishing under Pakistan. For this to happen, the support of the US, the UK, France & Russia is reqd so that they collectively can overrule China at the UNSC. The UK has a critical role to play since it was the UK that first created the undivided state of J & K under the 1846 Amritsar Treaty. IF the UK can convince the US that both their interests will be better-served if PoK reverts back to India, then Russia & France too will follow suit, thereby giving the green-light to India to stage a limited expeditionary warfare campaign as a humanitarian intervention, just like what India did in 1971 & helped create Bangladesh from East Pakistan. Therefore, playing only the military card won’t bring PoK back to India. Instead a game of chess (shatranj) has to be played out to ensure that the desired end-state is reached at the appropriate time.
To VISHAKH: Read this:
Interestingly, Afghanistan stood up supporting Saudi Arabia in its invasion of Yemen, which started with heavy airstrikes on Houthi strongholds and bases, leaving some civilian casualties as well. Afghanistan's backing of Saudi Arabia in attacking Yemen sparked an enormous amount of criticism inside the country. Almost every political gathering condemned it and labeled it "wrong," arguing that Afghanistan has its own domestic problems to deal with and shouldn't be "nosing around in Saudi Arabia's business." Afghan president Ashraf Ghani traveled to Saudi Arabia multiple times after taking office—both for Hajj pilgrimage and diplomatic meetings—and thanked Saudi Arabia for helping Afghanistan with the long-troubled matter of peace negotiations with the Taliban. In this situation, Afghanistan could suffer at the hands of Iran for supporting the Saudi kingdom attacking Yemen. Some of these means are diplomatic, but others include affecting Afghanistan's basic infrastructural services. That would cause a serious dispute between the Afghan government and the people: Basic services would be disrupted and spark a darker image of Afghanistan in Iran. Here are a few specific ways Iran could punish Afghanistan: Despite a betterment in the relationship between the two countries, Iran can still misuse the situation and cause such damage that will hurt both countries. Iran's embassy in Kabul has been keeping calm recently, avoiding any comment on matters to prevent attracting attention from the global news media. They can still do much damage without making any noise, such as staging a green-on-blue attack on a high-ranking US military or civilian official. Results of investigations of some of the green-on-blue attacks never showed who actually prepared the Afghan party to attack the US counterparts. Secrecy around Iran's influence on the Afghan government was broken in 2010 after former President Hamid Karzai admitted that his office had received "bundles" of cash from the Iranian government. Multiple provinces of Afghanistan, mainly in the west and southwest, are being supplied power by Iran. Provinces of Herat, Farah, and Nimruz are partially and respectively completely supplied power from Iran. One means of power for Iran to punish the Afghan government will be discontinuing the electricity contract over a reason that they have used in the past: "We need electricity in this session."
Cont’d below…
Taking southwestern Nimruz province as an example, a cut in the electricity will mean zero power for the entire province—turning the place into something more similar to a frying pan than a civilized city with modern cars and Wi-Fi internet connections. With no means of transmitting power from neighboring Helmand province to Nimruz, the National Unity Government of Afghanistan could face a disaster, followed by an uprising by the people. The water from the Helmand River flows through Sistan Lake in Nimruz province and then goes to Iran's Haamon-e-Saaberi lake. But Iran filters the same water and sells it to Afghanistan in cubic meters. This is the main source of drinking water for the people of Nimruz province. Iran has been unofficially accused of disrupting the security of reconstruction of Lashkari canal in Nimruz many times, but Iranian officials denied any participation in such activities. If repaired and reactivated, Lashkari canal can be the main source of Nimruz water, diverting the water inside the province and cutting the need for water from Iran. The canal will also carry enough water to run one turbine and provide enough electricity for the city of Zaranj, the capital of the province. During Afghan president Ashraf Ghani's first official visit to Iran in April, he made comments about the disputed waters to President Hassan Rouhani, which earned him respect from Afghans. Ghani said that if Iran would not move toward taking actions for the betterment of Afghan refugees' situation in Iran, then the "Afghan waters will create a headache for Iran." According to the United Nations, there are 950,000 registered Afghan refugees residing in Iran. But Iran's government estimates the number at nearly 3 million, both registered and unregistered. The majority of Afghans are living an awful and difficult life. Several incidents over the past years documented Afghan refugees' trouble with the law enforcement of Iran. Afghan refugees are put on the spear of Iran's blame game about the rise of drug trafficking across its borders. According to multiple media reports, hundreds of Afghans are on death row in Iran while a large number of them have been executed by the Iranian government on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and illegal residency. Other have been sent to Syria to fight for the Iran-backed government of Bashar Assad. In the end, no matter how it happens, expect Afghanistan to pay for its support of the Saudis in Yemen.
To RAJESH MISHRA:
http://www.ibtimes.com/saudi-prince-warns-against-irans-growing-influence-arab-muslim-nations-slams-pakistan-1931246
“Some mealy mouthed politicians have forgotten what the Kingdom has done for Pakistan since its birth,” the Saudi prince said in the statement on May 18, 2015.
---------------------------------------------
Looks like the KSA is pissed off with the IRP. It may well turn out that the KSA has now realised that all this while it was being taken for a ride by Pakistan about the latter's nuclear WMDs: while members of the Saudi royalty had been shown the KRL facilities at Kahuta where there are no WMD-related R & D facilities, they were never taken to PINSTECH, which Pakistan now claims to be its in-house R & D facility for developing nuclear WMDs.
Iran on the other hand suspects Pakistani intentions because although Pakistan has claimed that its nuclear WMDs are for the Islamic Ummah as a whole, Islamabad has never invited any Iranian delegation to visit either PINSTECH or KRL. So Iran now believes more than ever that Pakistan's nuclear WMDsare at best meant for only the Sunni Muslim Ummah. If this is the case, then logically Iran cannot give up its nuclear WMD development option unless Pakistan too is denuclearised. Therefore, is this what President Obama too is aiming for by first limiting Iran's nuclear options & concurrently upscaling efforts to confiscate Pakistan's nuclear WMDs? Is this the grand design for which the US, the UK, France, Russia & India are all on the same page?
@prasun
Thank you for the clarification .
I was not asking about older projects
The new project 17a whose design has not even been finalised yet has 1 billion usd equivalent in cost earmarked for its design and construction . So only when everything goes exactly as planned , the frigate will end up costing this amount.With the Shivalik frigates already in the water .. the excuse of teething problems can hardly be used.
Dear Prasunji,
1.What going on in mind of Ashraf Ghani. Either he too smart to think that he can contain harmful influence of Pakistan or he is fool to believe that his appeasement will convince Pakistan to give up Taliban and ISI activities against Afghanistan.
No matter what he is, one is for sure that if his efforts failed to yield results than he may not complete full term in office.
2. Do you think Ghani has tactic support of US in its Pakistan policy?
3. Thanks for reference to Al-jazeera article on ISI-NDS MoU. I hope you read pakistani comments also. there comments clearly show that they have no idea which world they are living.
Regards
Dear Prasun Ji,
As far as issue of PoK is concerned , I think Pakistan know that your argument hold truth. That's why they are involving china and building CPEC. Nawaz Sharif is on tour to central asia to increase trade. All this signify that Pakistan want to show to all neighbouring countries that they will benefit if they support Pakistan.
No country is going to help India, unless India create situation and gains for US, UK and Russia in PoK.
I hope we only talk about PoK excluding Mirpur and Co who don't have iota of kashmiriyat in them.
Regards,
hi Praun
Is sindhukirti the sub they took apart and could not put it back after 7 years, what was the reason , how did they manage that.Sea trials seems to b eon.
Dear Prasunji,
As per aaj tak, Manohar Parrikar has said that India has no plan to buy more rafales after current order of 36. Instead money saved will be poured into Tejas project.
What is your take on this?
Regards,
Either the manpower from Arihant got free or the Kilo class was used as a framework for the Arihant...ergo Arihant ready Kilo back in service
Dear Sir
This BIG DECISION by Mr PARRIKAR
that of buying ONLY 36 RAFALES
is totally wrong and absurd
What the hell is going on
Tejas Mk 2 will NEVER be completed
on time
When China is ADDING J 10 / J11
J 15 and Now J 16
what is INDIA doing ; Nothing
IAF needs 100 RAFALES
Please explain to us this craziness from the Defence Minister
To PAWAN & VIJAY & ROBOTIC: It is indeed both highly disappointing & laughable that whenever any ‘desi bandalbaaz’ masquerading as a journalist selectively quotes any Govt of India official to serve as justification for the former's point-of-view, the entire cyberspace & especially Indians goes into a tizzy & starts drawing conclusions that are totally distanced from reality. It therefore really makes me wonder many a time whether or not Indians in such large numbers are devoid of common-sense & logical reasoning. Or whether they have eyes & yet they fail to see & spot the obvious.
To RAD & KAUSTAV BHATTACHARYA: If I were to be the decision-maker, I would have offered the refurbished Sindhukirti SSK for sale on deferred payment basis to the Bangladesh Navy as a training platform, thereby killing two birds with one stone: 1) recovering the cost of the Sindhukirti’s mid-life upgrade; & 2) making the IN the Godfather of the Bangladesh Navy’s submarine arm. This gesture would have earned enormous goodwill from a neighbouring SAARC country. But alas, our decision-makers are devoid of such farsightedness.
To PRAV: The import content for P-17A FFG will be much higher, since composites-based structures will be used in large numb ers & the domestic expertise for supplying such structures is totally lacking. Therefore, like the case of the four P-28 ASW corvettes, future cost escalations are a given.
In the reporting matters of defense, the Marathi to Hindi to English translations through computers are actually creating some confusions.
Parson sir,
Can you give us your highly-informed and more sensible take on the Rafale affair then? 36 will or won't be the final number in service then? Or they will?
I trust your words please be clear, I am sick of hearing yellow journalism in India that is neither credible nor accurate.
Dispel the myths, separate the wheat from the chaff and tell us the situation as you see it.
If the number limited to 36 is really correct, then it may be only for the deep penetration strategical bombing by standoff nukes.
@Rajesh Mishra, SERIOUSLY???
Let's just forget about the MiGs falling out of the sky, let's just forget about the conventional airforce stentghts of the PAF and PLAAF being built up, now is the perfect time to go for 36 multirole and highly capable fighters that will just sit there in their hangers for a role they will never be used for (nuclear strike)? Is that right?
Practically Rafale laden with the nukes may have to be the most viable and the ultimate deterrent. Regarding replacement for Mig-21/27, the Tejas MkI/II may suffice for that later or sooner provided the MOD, HAL, DRDO all work together urgently in the right direction.
In case of any further and real urgency, India can always purchase 36 more of Rafale.
To ROBOTIC, RAJESH MISHRA & ARES: Relax & chill out....I have already explained what the RM was hinting at in the latest thread. That should put at end to all needless speculation & BAKWAAS being spewed out by the 'desi' journalists. After all, one cannot expect the RM to spell out in nauseating detail the financial breakdowns at a media conclave! My humble advice to the RM therefore will be to desist from making any utterances on such issues during future media conclaves, & instead give detailed official briefings via the PIB on the concerned projects only when all the data is on hand. This is how it's done all over the world in terms of best practices & India need not be the exception to this global practice. Especially so when other Ministers of the Union Cabinet have already adopted this practice.
Ofb and other organization s are designing and developing small arms then why we are bying assault rifles from abroad.
Even army is not happy with insas.
Other countries are laughing. A country can develop aircraft but not a rifle
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