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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Myanmar Opts For CATIC's FC-1 Light MRCA

Myanmar last March became the second export customer (after Pakistan) for the FC-1 ‘Xiaolong’ light multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) when it inked a contract with the Chinas Aero Technology Import-Export Corp (CATIC) for an initial 12 aircraft along with a cockpit procedures trainer, while retaining the option to procure another 12 at a later date.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in December 2017 and these FC-1s will eventually replace Myanmar’s existing Xi’an F-7M Airguard and Nanchang A-5IIIC combat aircraft, which had been procured in the early 1990s.
The FC-1’s formal R & D process began when Pakistan inked a procurement contract with CATIC in 1999. 
The MRCA’s design was frozen by China’s 611 Institute in February 2001. Subsequently, six flying prototypes were built by the Chengdu Aircraft Corp (CAC). The first prototype was rolled out on May 31, 2003 and its maiden flight took place on August 25, 2003. The third prototype, built to series-production standards, first flew on April 9, 2004. The fourth prototype flew in April 2006. 
The first tranche of six FC-1s, known as JF-17 Thunder Block-1, was delivered in flyaway condition to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) between March and April 2008. 
Following this, a supplementary contract for 42 more JF-17s was inked on March 7, 2009. Of these, only the first two were delivered in flyaway condition, while the remaining were supplied in semi-knocked-down (SKD) condition to the Kamra-based Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The first PAC-assembled JF-17 was rolled out on November 23, 2009. 
To date, CAC has delivered 50 JF-17 Block-1s and four JF-17 Block-2s (featuring a fixed aerial refuelling probe), with another 46 JF-17 Block-2s due for delivery by 2020. CAC is building them at a rate of eight per year. 
The RD-93 turbofans for both the FC-1 and its JF-17 version are produced by the Moscow-based Chernyshev Machine-Building Plant, a subsidiary of Russia’s United Engines Corp (UEC) and supplied to CATIC.
The PAF plans to procure 50 Block-3 versions of the JF-17 in the following decade and each of these are likely to be equipped with a FWS-13 Taishan turbofan (now being flight-tested on board an IL-76MD testbed at the PLAAF’s China Flight Test Establishment at Xian-Yanliang air base in Xi’an, Sha'anxi province), passive electronically scanned array multi-mode radar (PESA-MMR) along with a CATIC-supplied  infra-red search-and-track (IRST) sensor and a Sicong Group-developed helmet-mounted display system (HMDS).
CATIC is presently developing the JFT-17, a tandem-seat operational conversion trainer that is expected to make its maiden flight by the year’s end.
Data On FC-1s Avionics Suite
FC-1’s Weapons Package
The CPMIEC-developed CM-400AKG supersonic air-launched ASCM has a terminal cruise speed of Mach 3 and a maximum range of 120km.

227 comments:

1 – 200 of 227   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun da,

First of all good morning and thanks for the new thread.

In the previous thread you replied to a query from Bhoutik regarding the Derby missile that the IAF has rejected the R-73e for the deadly Python 5 missile. Does it mean that in future the IAF will integrate the Python 5 missile or it's future variants ( you never know with the Israelis, they are always one step ahead of the opponents) and the i-Derby-ER BVRAAM on the Super Sukhois and even the FGFA. The i-Derby-ER BVRAAM looks a deadly BVRAAM with it's unique dual pulse motor just like the Barak 2 MRSAM, and another unique Software defined solid state AESA radar plus it's unique aerodynamic design. I think it's jumped ahead of other competitors in the market including the R-77, the AMRAAM and the MICA RF. Only the Meteor is ahead, that too in range only due to it's ramjet technology. I think it will better in the end game due to it's end game motor which fires only with the target in sight and it's unique SDR technology.

Earlier in February there was a report circulating that the IAF will use Israeli missiles I.e. the Derby and the Python 5 AAMs on it's futue MMRCA which is the Rafale now. Is it true? I think it will be cost effective if the IAF chooses a common missile system for it's future fighters like the Rafale, the Tejas mk1/mk2, the Super Sukhois and even the the FGFA. Any from the Israelis take it-that's the mantra. What do you say?

India is developing the EW system and the dual-colour MAWS with the help of the Israel. Is there any thought of jointly developing an IRST system for the Tejas mk2, the Super Sukhois and even the FGFA?
Can the El/M-2052 AESA go on board the Super Sukhois instead of the MIRES AESA and also on the FGFA.

Thank you. With regards,

Pallab.


SOUBHAGYA said...

Dear Prasun,

From this post I am finding that JF 17 is a lethal and potent MRCA. I don't think that those patriotic Indians who rant against JF 17 by assuming that Tejas MK I is good enough to tackle JF 17, they can't do it again after reading your post. These plan makers make the head down of India. I don't think Tejas will survive (without AWACS) against JF 17 in dissimilar warfare against JF 17. What is your view???

Rituraj said...

Prasun,

Thanks for a very informative thread.

I have a question on the following link:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/hal-turbomeca-to-set-up-mro-unit/article7327484.ece

If the Shakti engine has been co-developed and is produced in India, why is MRO being setup only now? Where were they going for MRO so far? What parts of this engine is built in India and what comes from France? Is it a collaboration like China-Pak on JF-17 or more like Brahmos?

Thanks

SK said...

Prasunda,

Between Visby class corvette and Ambassador/Izzat class Vessels, which one is better and cutting edge? Visby has composites and other stealthy features but Ambassador class seems well designed.

Can you elaborate?

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

(1) Will India construct more destroyers once Project 15 B is completed?

(2) If yes, will a foreign designer be roped in?

Please do let me know your views.

Thanks,

VIKRAM

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir,

So why Pakistanis so much excited about this export order? When this whole export order is done by the China, and they export it.

Unknown said...

We should compare su30mki with jf17 coz both are licence assembled aircrafts of foreign origine
Even then the su30mki is more indian than the jf17 is pakistani.
Iaf has 200+ su30mki already in service with availability > 50% .these fighters alone are more than enough to handle all of the paf jf17 and f16.
Rest of the paf fighter jets are ancient and obsolete second hand crap of 60's and 70's vintage and even iaf mig 21 bisons can handle them with ease, leave aside the iaf mig29upg and mirage2k.

Paf at best will have 150 jf17 as their only modern mrca along with some 50 f16 for the foreseeable future.

It is therefore impossible for the paf to even dream of being an aggressor in any future conflict.

Ps- if you compare india with china and feel a bit bogged down then i can understand that but when compared to pakistan, india is like paradise and is lightyears ahead in any field you wish to compare the two.

Anonymous said...

This says a lot about who actually makes/owns the rights to the JF-17......
"A small commotion broke out at static display area of the JF-17 at Paris Airshow when Chinese officials refused to allow a Taiwanese TV crew to view the fighter close up even though they were escorted by a Pakistan Air Force officer."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgTiCT02EvA

Ved said...

JF17 was what PAF could afford looking at their economy. Nonetheless, its useful for PAF and they are trying their best to get the best out of it.

It makes up for numbers and that is the ideology behind it. They have the capability to carry some lethal Chinese weapons in both A2G and A2 SHIP role.

Tejas MK2 need to be fielded first before any comparison be done. Yes they are no match for Su30mki.

piyush said...

Give credit where its due...their fighter is in the air and ours is still waiting for FOC.
Hopefully soon we would see Tejas in IAF colours participating in foreign air shows. Hope that the IAF accepts it and wholeheartedly supports its firther development.

Sukhbir said...

To Prasun:- Thanks for the reply in the previous thread.

Your this thread has AGAIN PAINED ME A LOT.

Will we as an INDIAN LEARN anything or not most of the subsystems in FC 1 are at par with what this MRCA project plus they are indigenous which means chinese capabilities has surpassed INDIA beyond imagination

Will DRDO-HAL-ADA learn anything or not or worse are they even aware of such sale taking place (Lolzz). The CAG report has again blown holes on DRDO-HAL-ADA capabilities
When they will learn ?

I am pretty sure that LCA Mk2 will be another disaster.

On a side note please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_feco6vn7E by a desi DUDE, is india unable to develop a gas thrust to push missile out of water as done in most of missiles like trident,M-51 ICBMs or this is some novel innovation and what is K-4 range and payload capacity ?

Jon said...

Its interesting that Pakistan has no issues with Chinese restrictions on religious freedom in Xinjiang:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-restricts-Ramzan-fasting-in-far-western-region/articleshow/47718812.cms

Parthasarathi said...

Prasunji,
It is really commendable the way China is building their aerospace industry. JF 17 is another model to them. It is designed for export customers only. They never included JF 17 in their fleet as they have much better options.
It is really painful mention that HAL can't deliver even 2 Tejas / year ! SP1 was delivered almost six months back ! Still IAF. is waiting for SP2 ! At the same time Pakistan is building 8 JF 17 / year ! What a pity. HAL should be ashamed ! ( off course if they have any self-respect left ).
Regards.

Mayur M Manapure said...

sir, your views on it
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188557
Surprisingly no outcry from any organization in Pakistan.....they carry out peace march for Rohingayas ....but no worries for Uighur Biradar.....

Anonymous said...

LoL.. Jay Bhanushali, you said don't compare apples with oranges and then you just did that. JF-17 is small compared to Su-30, which is almost 1.5 times the size of JF-17.

Prasun, I thought that China got the technology for JF-17 (FC-1) from IAI Lavi, when China purchased/stolen the technology from Israel for its Chengdu J-10. When I looked at the specifications, both J-10 and JF-17 have similar characteristics. So China might have used Pakistan and its money to develop J-10. Basically JF-17 is a guinea pig for the development of J-10. For each spare parts Pakistan order for JF-17, some parts will be free for J-10 for PLAAF. What is more surprising is why there is no JF-17 with PLAAF!

Nevertheless, we should give the credit where it goes. Smart Chinese made this fighter plane flying and really challenging Indian AF. Our Tejus looks like a toy and its development story is like a fairy tale.

RaviN

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun,

I have a few questions to ask.

1) I wonder how could Pakistan afford to sign deals for JFs, Submarines, AWACS, Missiles, so on and still be able to run payroll for their forces in their $7B defense budget.

2) Is there any plan to increase Indian defense budget in coming years, realistically it looks like current $40B budget isn't enough for the needs

3) When do you think INS Aridhaman, Tejas MK2, INS Vikrant would go on real time testing before commissioning.

Unknown said...

You completely missed the gist of my argument. The comparison is about the r&d and industrial production capabilities of india and pakistan.
I will simplify it for you.
Su30mki and jf17 are like instant noodles.
You buy it boil it eat it. The fact that one is more expensive and delicious than the other DOES NOT change the fact that both are instant noodles,and are compared when you go to the mall to buy them.This comparison is justified but you cant say that its home made food.

Tejas is like growing the wheat,all the spices,processing it and coming up with the entire recipe and then cooking it.

And about apples and oranges,comparing india and Pakistan is doing just that.
Pakistanis cant even make a motorcycle engine in their country,even those are licence assembled in pakistan leave aside creating an eco-system to build fighter aircrafts and its various components.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PALLAB: As of now the only non-French item on board the Rafales for the IAF is the Litening LDP. Even at the Paris Air Show, the Rafale is not being shown with Derby/Python-5 combination. The EW & MAWS suites being developed by DARE are not with any Israeli input, but from EADS/CASSIDIAN. For a country that can’t even develop FLIR sensors, developing IRST sensors is a long way away. Installation of EL/M-2052 on Su-30MKI or Super Su-30MKI is a physical impossibility & total waste of money.

To RITURAJ: Why only now has HAL been blessed with this brainwave? Eurocopter-built helicopters powered by Turbomeca engines have been flying with Indian operators like Pawan Hans since 1986. So why have all their engines & gearboxes been going to Turbomeca’s Singapore-based MRO facility since 1986? And who is the BASTARD responsible for such a state of affairs???

To SK: Both are good, but the Visby-class benefits from superior technological inputs from both KOCKUMS & TKMS.

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) Of course. 2) Not necessarily.

To KAKU SH & MAYUR M MANAPURE: That’s because Pakistanis generally like to bask in reflected glory, i.e. someone does all the hard work while someone else takes the credit. The PAC guys must now be baying for my blood for revealing the name of the FC-1’s 2nd export customer. Just imagine this: on one hand Pakistan is trying to galvanise all other Muslim countries to act against Myanmar for the Rohingya crisis. And on the other it is expressing glee over Myanmar’s selection of the FC-1. So far only Turkey has dispatched one of its naval vessels to the Andaman Sea for supplying humanitarian relief materials to the Rohingyas who are stuck in the Andaman Sea. Not one vessel from the Pakistan Navy has even bothered to attempt a similar feat. That’s how ‘brotherly’ the Pakistanis are when it comes to the Rohingyas. Pakistan should right now object to China's plans for supplying the FC-1 to Myanmar. But it won't.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SOUBHAGYA: One cannot compare apples with oranges. Scientists can only make technological breakthroughs in laboratories. Exploiting & packaging such breakthroughs into commercially viable & operationally capable/useful products is the job of engineers. Can you tell me how many engineers are employed by the DRDO? The entire emphasis WRT Tejas LCA has always been on re-inventing the wheel by developing technology demonstrators of import substitutes when it comes to avionics & accessories. There was never any emphasis laid on developing deployable, reliable & practical solutions that could be packaged into a flying platform. Still don’t believe me? Then read these:

http://tarmak007.blogspot.in/2011/01/world-beaters-fly-by-wire-fcs-will-take.html

http://tarmak007.blogspot.in/2011/01/world-beaters-fcs-story-from-ade-part-1.html

http://tarmak007.blogspot.in/2011/01/for-18-years-they-had-one-goal-one.html

No wonder when one talks about anything to do with Tejas LCA-related R & D, all one reads about is ADA, ADE & DARE. Not a word about CABS, whose role should have been critical. Why so? Here, read these to find out how other countries carry out such R & D work:

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2015-06-15/french-fighter-testbed-makes-public-debut

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2015-06-15/honeywell-shows-boeing-757-flying-technology-lab

Do you know what it takes by way of ground-based & airborne R & D infrastructure to develop MRCAs? Here, read this:

http://www.istc.ru/istc/db/inst.nsf/wsu/i0001503?OpenDocument&lang=Eng

Hell, even the Chinese in the mid-1990s modified four Tu-154Ms of China United Airlines to serve as airborne testbeds! And even the Iranians! See this:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Iranian-Aircraft-Manufacturing/Tupolev-Tu-154M--/2150303/L/

Now, why is such infrastructure lacking in India? Can’t anybody get the fundamentals right? If not, then those who are still hoping for the Tejas Mk1 to become a light MRCA are only being delusional & STUPID. Therefore, it is even unthinkable to compare the Tejas Mk1’s R & D effort with that of the FC-1/JF-17.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To Anon@4.51PM: Excellent find! Stark reality at its naked best. The photos above of 2013 vintage clearly show JF-17 airframes being loaded on to PAF IL-78MKPs at Chengdu. More recent photos of early 2015 vintage clearly show the JF-1`7s being assembled in Kamra. There’s simply no industrial manufacturing activity underway in Kamra. The photos above all clearly prove this.

To SUKHBIR: Why all this pain & gloom? The fauly lies clearly lies with the then Govts of India which, between 1984 & 1986, totally screwed up the project direction/project management of the LCA project. That is the genesis of the problem & till this day no one has bothered to correct the R & D project command-and-control flaws. Nor has anyone in India bothered to do some basic research on the relationship between an aircraft designing entity & an aircraft manufacturing entity. Any independent consultant would have concluded in the mid-1980s itself that the formula of putting all eggs into the DRDO’s basket was totally wrong, & that HAL should have been designated as the prime contractor-cum-systems integrator. This is what happens when some decision-makers in their all-knowing wisdom have total disregard for global best practices.

To RAVI N: Not from IAI. But from Northrop Grumman & Westinghouse since the mid-1980s. Go back to genesis: first there was the Super Sabre concept, then it became the Super 7 concept & finally the FC-1. In addition, combat aircraft R & D is an evolutionary process & China has been at it non-stop since the late 1960s. On the other hand, in India after the HF-24 Marut project, there was lull for almost 15 years. Had the Govt of India since 1980 taken heed of the IAF’s proposal to develop an upscaled version of the Folland Gnat under HAL’s direction, then by now that MRCA would have been the LCA Mk1 & today the Tejas Mk2 would have been entering service. On a related note, do browse through these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9h81PxgIi0

http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/jaguar-crash-and-one-more-goes-down-the-math-behind-iafs-fighters/99/

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun da,

Good morning and thanks for answering for my queries and others too.

First of all it's a pity that all the mistakes that led to what the Tejas mk1 is what today were correctable including those of relationship between the DRDO and HAL, that HAL should have been the main system integrator not the DRDO and aflying test bed should have been made available.

Okay past is past and we can learn from our mistakes and look into the future. What do you have to say about the new flying test bed that the DRDO acquired last year the NABHRATHNA for testing of mission sensors and avionics. There is also talk about acquiring a supersonic flying test bed in the form of Sukhoi. Do you see the present government putting all the messy worrks behind and taking the right decisions for for make or made in India a grand success, after all a lot of mess created by the previous government has to be corrected??

So do you see the Tejas mk2 research effort moving in the right direction, learning from previous mistakes and being more user I.e. IAF oriented, with everyone knowing now what to do to make the Tejas mk2 a grand grand success??

You replied to my above query that the only Israeli system going aboard the French aircraft until now is the Lightening LDP. But do you see it changing in the near future? Means if the IAF specify to the use of Israeli weapons like the Deby/Python 5 combo and the Spice family of PGMs on board the Rafale will the French government allow it after all it has a open architecture mission control computer. Moreever the French weapons are costly.
Can the Derby/Python 5 combo be used on the Sukhois and the Mig 29upgs in place of the r77/r73e combo?

Thanks. With regards,

Pallab.

SUVO said...

PRASUN DA,
Many in Manipur are questioning the Indian government’s description of the raid as a major success.“No pictures have been released to show the extent of the damage on the rebel camps or of any bodies,” says one young man, refusing to give his name.“Most of the rebels have families in Manipur. If many had died, word would have got out. And it hasn’t.”Reports now suggest that the raid may have targeted a couple of small camps close to the border.
PRASUN DA,please share your view about the above stated report.

rad said...


HI Prasun
Please enlighten us on who is responsible for the sending our engines to singapore for overhaul?

The french have agreed to give navigation hardware for the brahmos missile, is it a INS package , I thought we had good enough ones.

Please confirm whether the I-derby ER has an aesa seeker? IT seems to be better than the amraam missile, at least on paper.Comments please

raw13 said...

some excellent reporting in India, you do have some good one's:

http://qz.com/431012/meet-the-young-men-who-make-pakistani-flags-in-indias-kashmir/

on the mil-35M likely to be ordered by PAA. They will test drive the first 4 and if happy with the spec's performance, will order upto another 32. These are likely to reside with the FC.

http://rbth.co.uk/news/2015/06/18/contract_for_delivery_of_mil_mi-35m_helicopters_to_pakistan_may_be_signe_47012.html

Some nice info Prasun.

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

what do you make of this interview, especially about some of the ratio's being mentioned?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cMMxZNH0oQ

Those that question the capabilities of light fighters, need to read/watch what the USAF guys thought of mig-21bisons in cope india. Now imagine that mig with far far more range, better radar, better ecm, 4 BVR's, fully networked and oh much smaller RCS. One of the reasons PAF is not rushing to buy the J-10B, is how this aircraft performed against the su-30/27 and J-11 in PLAAF, in exercises ;-)

http://www.janes.com/article/52236/paris-air-show-2015-sino-pakistani-fc-1-jf-17-thunder-showcased-at-le-bourget

If you look at what is planned and currently being worked on for Blk III, HMD, internal IRST, ASEA. It will be one hell of a fighter.

Why jf-17 is able to absorb these technologies quickly? well because most of these are already in J-10B. All these techs are developed first for J-10B, JF-17 then gets them with few tweeks from PAC. It piggy backs on to any development for the J-10.

http://www.janes.com/article/52308/paris-air-show-2015-jf-17-fighter-flying-with-indigenous-chinese-turbofan

BLK I & II, 110 are on order.
BLK III, currently 50 on order (delivery's starting in 2018) but likely to increase by another 50 if there is no BLK IV.

What makes this an excellent fighter is its operating cost is in the same ball park as the likes of T-50 and is very easy to maintain.

raw13 said...

nice to see this:

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/politics/tamil-nadu-cm-jayalalithaas-rice-scheme-for-mosques-lauded-by-pakistan-tv-channel-aiadmk-1008306.html

some funny comments by Modi supporters. This is going to make you friends Prasun not going after kids who raise Pak flags.

You guys really do watch a lot of our channels...impressive!

what do you make of this? It seems to me, that china wants IN to focus solely on PN, they will have to with this must force coming in to PN. With this force and the 2-3 fighter squadrons the PN is likely to get, Pak can choke indian Oil supplies completely. Who would have thought!

raw13 said...

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/ships/2015/06/17/pakistan-revive-naval-modernization-shipbuilding-china-frigates-dockyard-ksew/71074464/

Anonymous said...

PrasunDa,

Did you read this Times Of India news? It says Indian Navy wants the ban on Finmeccanica subsidiary Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquel lifted so that the IN can purchase the Black Shark' torpedoes.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lift-ban-on-blacklisted-co-for-torpedo-deal-Navy/articleshow/47727232.cms

Why can't the Indian Navy purchase similar torpedoes from Atlas Elektronik ? Atlas makes world class torpedoes.

raw13 said...

I havent come across this writer but he makes some interesting points:

Its interesting that there are more book launches in India on Pakistan then in Pak it self.


http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/pakistans-resilience-beats-modis-56-inch-chest-771700

Arpit Kanodia said...

@raw13 You never come across Mani Shankar Aiyar and you dont know who he is? That tells alot about your intelligence. LoL

Do some research on this country which you want to defeat by CPEC. rofl.

raw13 said...

@Kaku,

You may be surprised but we dont really know many indians by name and nor do many of us watch any indian TV, or read indian papers.

You are mistaken if you think we want to defeat you. Too much headache. We will use CPEC to improve our economy and better the lives of our people. Believe it or not if it was not for Kashmir we wouldn't care less what happens to the east of us.

Arpit Kanodia said...

@raw13

Believe me, I know the sentiments of Pakistanis and what they think, living in another kind of baloney, like RAW created a desk for sabotaging CPEC. LoL.

And on the other note, If you seriously dont know who is Mani Shankar Aiyar, then bhai, seriously you need to do lot of research on internet.

Hint: He is not jurno or anykind of anchor in TV news channel.

Jon said...

Not sure how accurate this report is?

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/myanmar-turns-down-indias-proposal-for-joint-operations-against-nscn-cadres-1008729.html

Parthasarathi said...

Prasunji,

On JF 17 from Chinese paper :

http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0618/c98649-8908441.html

Regards


Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PARTHASARATHI: The FC-1/JF-17, essentially being a light MRCA, will be offered as replacements for the F-7s & A-5IIICs flying worldwide, just as is the case with Pakistan & Myanmar. Consequently, all those countries that are presently flying either the F-7 or A-5 will find it natural to opt for the FC-1. At best, therefore, only some 60-80 units may be exported top new customers, since Pakistan is only committed to 150 units.

To JON: Myanmar’s Tatmadaw is in no physical or operational condition now to stage any kind of joint operations. In fact, historically, it never staged any such operation. It only staged coordinated operations that call for the Tatmadaw to act inside Myanmar, while the IA conducts similar operations along the international boundary inside India. This way, the Tatmadaw conducts sweeping operations aimed at pushing & sqeezing the India-origin insurgents along a narrow corridor of the India-Myanmar border, so that IA’s infantry forces can cross the border out to a depth of 16km inside Myanmar for search-and-destroy missions. Presently, for a layman trying for the very first time to negotiate the terrain in ‘Eastern Nagaland’ in order to reach one of the insurgent camps, it takes at least 49 days if the daily rate of walking is 10km per day during daylight (including days when no movement is possible due to the monsoons & landslides). Therefore, this translates into a a combined lateral/longitudinal distance of almost 300km, or a depth of 160km. Therefore, heliborne surgical strikes aimed at the HQs of various insurgent groups (centre of gravity) is a huge challenge & cannot be conducted unilaterally by the IA alone.

To VIVEK: LoLz! That’s because he gives me good laughs at times by revealing his ignorance & distorted/deviant mindset.

To PALLAB: The Do-228-212 testbed of CABS is meant for only flight-testing the optronic payloads, plus SAR & maritime search radar payloads for the Rustom-2 MALE-UAV & for a heliborne MMR. By no means can this testbed be used for flight-testing avionics & accessories meant for use on board combat aircraft. You should have known this by now after I posted weblinks showing how all other countries go about developing integrated avionics suites & life-saving hardware like ejection seats & cockpit canopy separation systems. No one else uses turboprops, only business jets or regional jets. Supersonic flying testbeds are used only for validating airframe adaptation designs of products that have already been developed & flight-qualified—and not for hardware that have only emerged from the laboratory & are awaiting flight-testing.

Even if it is ideal on paper, in the real world it will be cost-prohibitive to use Derby/Python-5 combination for Su-30MKIs, MiG-29UPGs or Rafales. That’s why the Astra Mk1/2 are being developed for the Su-30MKI & MiG-29UPG, while the MICA family of AAMs are being procured for the upgraded Mirage 2000I & Rafale, & AIM-132 ASRAAM for the Jaguar IS/DARIN-3. I-Derby-ER/Python-5 combination can be acquired in large numbers only if the Tejas Mk2 & LCA (Navy) Mk2 are acquired in large numbers. Going by financial realities, it remains to be seen if the IN will opt for the carrier-based LCA (Navy) Mk2 in large numbers, since it will have limited flight endurance when compared to that of twin-engined MRCAs like MiG-29K & Rafale M.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: You may recall that I had earlier stated that with every passing day the selection of Black Shark torpedoes gets firmer. That’s because once the SUBTICS combat management system & its fire-control system elements on the Scorpene’s torpedo compartment are installed within the Scorpene’s 6.2-metre wide pressure-hull, it becomes impossible to make any hardware/software modifications for accommodating the SeaHake. And since the SUBTICS comes directly from THALES & comes along with embedded software that is meant for use with the Black Shark, it is now a foregone conclusion that the IN will indeed procure the Black Shark, & not any other torpedo.

To RAD: It has been the Govt of India’s Dept of Industrial Policy Promotion (DIPP). Thjere are two different RLG-INS systems reqd for any land-launched long-range rocket artillery. One is the RLG-INS contained inside the missile round, while the other is the hybrid-type (with IRNSS GPS receivers) that’s housed inside the TEL for north-pointing calculations. That’s why the SIGMA-30 is on board every Pinaka MBRL TEL & on every Dhanush 155mm/45-cal towed howitzer. The SIGMA-30 for BrahMos-1 will be for the Block-3 variant’s BrahMos Technical Complex, for which the IAF is the customer.

To SUVO: No pictures will ever be released in public by the Govt of India or Army HQ. And no other govt or army elsewhere in the world does so as well. Obviously the retaliatory surgical strikes were conducted within a depth of only 16km inside Myanmar & therefore the targetted camps were only transit centres, & not major hubs housing the HQs of the insurgent groups. Therefore, it stands to reason that such transit camps serve as only logistical facilities & cannot house more than 20 insurgents at a time. Nor was the IA’s recent operation a ‘hot-pursuit’ by any stretch of imagination. Hot-pursuit involves highly mobile quick-reaction units that are on the move within 2 hours of an insurgent attack—they don’t take 4 days to mobilise & deploy. In the past I had met some folks from Southeast Asia who had gone to some of the HQs of the insurgent groups (Indian & Myanmarese) & they had been given access to the archival records of these groups for conducting historical research of such insurgent movements. According to them (& I have seen their photos as well), it takes at least 49 days if the daily rate of walking is 10km per day during daylight (including days when no movement is possible due to the monsoons & landslides). Therefore, this translates into a a combined lateral/longitudinal distance of almost 300km, or a depth of 160km. Therefore, heliborne surgical strikes aimed at the HQs of various insurgent groups (centre of gravity) is a huge challenge & cannot be conducted unilaterally by the IA alone.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: Whatever gave you the idea about CPEC improving Pakistan’s economy? Do you really want the whole world to believe that the road connecting Baltistan to Xinjiang will withstand the wrath of Mother Nature? Hasn’t Pakistan learnt any lessons at all from the natural calamities of 2005 & 2010? Fact-of-life is that Pakistan’s economy is totally dependent on the whims & fancies of ‘Uncle Sam’. All it takes is one phone call from the ‘Mai Baap’ & Pakistan becomes the molst docile domesticated pet. Look at the flip-flops concerning the ‘Save the Children’ NGO. Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister within 24 hours of receiving a phone-call from Washington DC had to rescind his decision 24 hours earlier to expel this NGO from Pakistan. And then there’s the call from John Kerry to PM Nawaz Sharif 48 hours ago (mind you, no such call was made to the Indian PM). Why so? Read this:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/mobile/inside.asp?xfile=/data/international/2015/June/international_June473.xml&section=international&

Want to know why? Because every Pakistani politician like buffoons clearly went overboard & hurled all kind of abuses against Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Wajed. The US has till this day never been able to overcome its sheer guilt about not supporting the liberation movement of 1971 & therefore it tends to go overboard whenever Bangladesh is unfairly targetted. That’s why everytime a natural calamity strikjes Bangladesh, the US Navy & USMC are the first humanitarian respondents AFTER India. I’m sure you’re aware of how arrogant the Pakistani politician were last week when they loudly claimed in public that “Pakistan is not a pliant state like Myanmar or Nepal or Bhutan or Sri Lanka to accept Indian hegemony”. Do you really think all these self-respecting SAARC member-states will take such insults to their sovereignty & integrity lying down? What if Bangladesh tomorrow goes to the ICJ in The Hague & files a case against the Pakistan Army’s documented war-crimes committed between March-December 1971? Will the PA be able to stomach this global humiliation? As it is the PA is deeply hated by Pakistan’s ruling political elites, especially after the then COAS of PA Gen A P Kayani committed Contempt of Court in 2011 by refusing to comply with the Pakistani Supreme Court’s instruction to the PA to court-martial former COAS Gen Mirza Aslam Baig & Lt Gens Hamid Gul & Assad Durrani for having being found guilty of subverting the Pakistani Constitution in the late 1980s & early 1990s. No wonder the likes of Asif Ali Zardari are now totally pissed off with the PA.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: Looks like there’s a counterpart to M K Bhadrakumar across the LoC in PoK/AJK, who is ‘above the curve’. Do enjoy these:

http://drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.in/2015/06/pak-politicians-want-to-resolve-kashmir.html

http://drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.in/2015/06/elections-in-gilgit-baltistan-and-new.html

http://drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.in/2015/06/sham-elections-in-gilgit-baltistan-dr.html

http://drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.in/2015/06/hazara-shia-genocide-and-evils-we-dont.html

You may also want to see how an Indian Muslim has mastered the Bhagwad Gita:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqkUHapC0B4

And how Indian Muslims, unlike their Pakistani counterparts, are intelligently using their own material resources for socio-economic upliftment through the Waqf Board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLpQ8VCYnlQ&hd=1

Lastly, if by your reckoning, 3 JF-17 squadrons can choke up India’s sea lanes of communication, then I’m afraid you don’t have a clue about India’s port infrastructure. It’s easy to choke if one has only one recipient port, like Karachi in Pakistan’s case. Furthermore, the JF-17 being a light MRCA, simply lacks the endurance to loiter over the high seas in search of targets. Furthermore, during hostilities the PAF’s air bases throughout Sindh province will be targetted by no less than 2 squadrons of Su-30MKIs & one squadron of MiG-29UPG. If you want to find out what will then await the PAF, then do watch this to understand what air dominance is all about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a_7iJ93y1Ko

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: Regarding the JF-17, I’m sure you know exactly how many RD-93 turbofans CATIC has procured from Russia. Why such a high number? How many spare RD-93s have been procured by the PAF for its 54 JF-17s? Do you have any idea? With a TBO of only 700 hours, how many RD-93s do you think will the PAF require to maintain high serviceability/availability rates of the JF-17 fleet? And how much will all this contribute to the JF-17’s high direct operating cost per flying hour? Is this why China is devoting R & D resources for developing the FWS-13 Taishan turbofan that will be available only by 2020? Let’s now talk about weapons. Why has China supplied only the PL-5E WVRAAMs? Why not the more advanced PL-9Cs? Why the SD-10A & not the PL-12? AS for PESA-MMR & IRST sensor, their installation will be possible only on the JF-17 Block-3 (only 50 units) since they necessitate structural changes to the JF-17s airframe & internal bulkheads of the type that cannot be implemented on Block-1 or Block-2 airframes. And since annual production rates are only 8 per annum, Block-3s will be delivered only after 2020, rest assured. Fitment of PESA-MMR & IRST sensor for J-10B does not mean the same can be applied on the JF-17 with only ‘minor tweeks’. Flight qualification on an entirely different airframe is a laborious & time-consuming process. Therefore, no amount of oversimplified presumptions will be able to change the laws of physics.

As for Mi-35Ms, the sale-and-purchase proposal involves only four units. Nor is it possible for an agency like the FC to operate them, since it takes almost a decade to train the human resources reqd for operating & maintaining them, & for building the supporting ground infrastructure. Furthermore, will Pakistan dare to disregard the AH-1Z & WZ-10 offers & go solely for the Mi-35M? Most unlikely. Neither Uncle Sam nor Beijing will accept this. But it was good for COAS Gen Raheel Sharif to visit Moscow & pay homage to the Russian martyrs of the Afghan civil war of the 1980s. In doing so, the PA has now official admitted that it was wrong on Pakistan’s part to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs in the 1980s. But alas! Neither the Afghans nor the Russians will be willing to forgive all of Pakistan’s past sins so easily & quickly. Pakistan will therefore be reqd to make far more sacrifices by way of penitence over the coming years.

Rituraj said...

Prasun,

Thanks for all your answers.

What happened to Sikorsky S-70 purchase? Its been almost six months and there has been no update, neither any information. Even on Chinook and Apache there is very slow movement and no final date. Is there any problem in negotiations?

Additionally, P-75I people were supposed to select shipyards 2-3 months ago. This RM also has no idea of timelines?

Anonymous said...

Thanks Prasun da for clearing my doubts. That's why you said it will take 10 years to flight qualify the Uttam AESA MMR as there is no test bed as of now. Am I right to understand? Do you see the DRDO acquiring such flyig testbeds inn near future?

Israel is surging ahead in the field of electronics and critical defence technologies in some ways ahead of the Americans especially in the field of missile defense, GaN based AESA radars like the RADAs software defined MHR and jammers, HD EOsystems like the M-19HD, futuristic missiles like the unique dual sensor multi-pulse motor Stunner and now the I-Derby-ER BVRAAM incorporating for the first time SDR and dual pulse motor for the first time in any air to air missile, and DIRCM like the compact C-MUSIC system and many other items. Now they have come up with the unique B-C/UHF band Ultra UHF C-1, C-6 & C-22 GaN based AESA for detection of stealth aircraft ( which was a myth and will be myth now foreever) and ballistic missiles at very long ranges. I think India will be interested specially in the C-22 and C-6 system for very very long range early warning against ballistic missiles.

I think Israel is always not one but sometimes two steps ahead of it's competitors. With PM Modi visiting Israel, it will give impetus to the current Indo Israel strategic relationship. India can asess to cutting edge technologies which otherwise would not have been possible through joint research and development like the Barak 2 mrsam project and also through funding critical research just like what the US is doing. There can be joint development of futuristic next generation air to air missiles based on either the Barak 2 mrsam or the Stunner missile. It is exciting times ahead for new Indo-Israel relationship.

With regards,

Pallab.

financeblogger said...

What you were saying all along about Black Shark torpedo, seems to be coming through based on the article below

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lift-ban-on-blacklisted-co-for-torpedo-deal-Navy/articleshow/47727232.cms

SUVO said...

Thank you PRASUN DA.

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

Is it true http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/manmohan-did-not-correct-map-error-to-protect-nehru-name#.VSuh3zZmwMA.twitter?

rad said...

hi prasun
please confirm if the seeker of the i-derby er has an aesa seeker.

why is myanmar suddenly opposed to IA entering their territory , due to china?.

You mentioned that the python 5 have already been integrated on the lca? Any drdo news about that. If we want a good missile to take on the the enemy i think we shold get the derby now since it seems the range is equal to the amraam, please confirm.

SOUBHAGYA said...

Dear Prasun,

Is the development of Tejas MK II going in the right direction as per the laid down R & D guidelines??? I hope the plan makers have learned the lesson from their past mistake. If not, Tejas project like Sitara will be a gone case. Plz. tell me.

Ved said...

Yeah me too. Need all info. that is available for Tejas MK2, design, radar, avionics etc etc..

Also need update on S70B naval helicopters.
When will they be inducted. Do they have ASW capability?

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Will-not-speak-to-media-for-6-months-Parrikar-says/articleshow/47747627.cms

What the hell he is thinking? Raksha mantri doing like Nayi navali dhulan nakhare maar rahe ho.

Sukhbir said...

To Prasun:- Thanks for the reply U R right India = refusing-to-develop country.

I came to know from a journalist whom i met in a train that all NVD-thermal_imager-laser devices-seekers are imported from abroad and the labelled blindly by DPSU as indigenous solutions just to fool "EDUCATED INDIANS"

Is it true ?

Anonymous said...

Prasun da,

1. Any news on shaurya, it was our hypersonic missile, no more tests, what was/is the project all about ?
2. Our hypersonic plane was to be tested next month, would be v nice to have some info about this project from you ?
3. Our FM is in a 9 day US trip, earlier he went on a pretty long UK trip, obviously its about getting some money into India to support make in India but can u give us some specifics, I mean 9 days ??
4. Modi will be covering another part of the world next month I.e. central asia, you have already said that agreement for Ayni base would be signed (I believe we already have one at Farkhor)...... do you also expect some movement on North south corridor. ..... plus any movement finally with Kazakhstan on oil, they have ditched us repeatedly earlier

Anonymous said...

Prasun da
Its Vivek here, above post is from me, forgot to mention my name. ..... regret.
Plus in addition to above queries, am also eagerly awaiting your promised post on the game being played out between India/China/others in Indo Pacific

Thanks

UJJWAL said...

Prasunda,1. I am seeking your opinion regading the following matter https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fopinion%2Flead%2Fthe-big-deal-about-the-armys-small-arms%2Farticle6174395.ece&ei=0YWFVfmDAsqRuATI97eIDw&usg=AFQjCNGpwYU3Ycelb7kEPY7w13vQznzRIA&bvm=bv.96339352,d.c2E . Which one is the said single caliber 7.62X39 mm rifle? Is it AK-103? 2.https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fopinion%2Flead%2Fthe-big-deal-about-the-armys-small-arms%2Farticle6174395.ece&ei=0YWFVfmDAsqRuATI97eIDw&usg=AFQjCNGpwYU3Ycelb7kEPY7w13vQznzRIA&bvm=bv.96339352,d.c2E Is the AK-103 is now ready for serial production? Which might be the stated private firm? Thanks in advance...

Ashutosh said...

Dear Sir,

1. Rudras are being inducted in the Aviation corps with what configuration of anti tank missiles? what nos per year will be churned out?

2. LCH will undergo limited series production in 2017 end? What will not be included in these LSPs?How many such nos will be produced What is the use of limited series production 1)operations wise and 2) platform development wise ?
when a fully developed version in envisioned?

3. Apart from performance at elevated levels , how LCH compares against guardians?Does the platform offers evolution for future development

Mayur M Manapure said...

http://tribune.com.pk/story/906575/power-riots-rolling-blackouts-spark-protests-across-the-province/
Well like most of your predictions....
All busy in Metro Bus and CPEC....they can't even provide electricity....I mean they can get cheap Gas to produce the former from their Muslim Birader Countries.....

raw13 said...

PAF are unlikely to switch from RD-93. TBO is on the lower side but its acceleration and maintenance simplicity, they love. They have been working with Kilmov to improve some aspects of it, like smoke reduction, TBO, etc... If you watched the interview with the pilot, he said the trust to weight ration is 1.09. Now that is a pretty precise answer. Did you notice the Multi ejector SD-10A for JF-17 at le Borguet? with a load of 2 WVRs, 4 BVRs, 2 H2/H4 guided bombs, centre line fuel tank. That is pretty impressive multirole load.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cMMxZNH0oQ


wrt Mil-35M, the inital 4 are just to see if FC/ANF are happy with it, determine what customisation Pak wants for the actual order. Pak really like the Mil-35 in Algerian service which have been upgraded by SA for all weather day/night ops. Russia are telling Pak that their upgraded verson is just as good. Now our boys will get to test it in the real environment, at night, all weather. If we like it we will buy upto 32 more. These are for the air-assault. For the PAA, it will be the AH-1Z.

Arpit Kanodia said...

@raw13

What the Squad Leader Nadir Ali said in his interview?

I want to quote

"This aircraft is so easy to learn, I can tell you how easy it is by saying that this aircraft havent a dual seater, so the first flight in this aircraft will be your solo flight."

LMAO.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

Will you please state the salient features of US Defense Sec Ashton Carter's visit to India. The media is only reporting that the India-US defense treaty has been extended for another 10 years and 2 pathfinder projects were signed.

However, Carter made Vizag his first stop. How do you think the US intends to help India militarily especially the Indian Navy?

VMT

Vikram

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAW13: T/W ratio of 1.09 at what altitude, at what fuel loading, & with what external payloads? Are there any answers forthcoming from anyone at PAC? Therefore, whatever has been dished out is not so precise at all. During aerospace expos it is standard practice to fly any combat aircraft in clean configuration & with less than 50% internal fuel since the aircraft will be flying for only 10 minutes at most. Furthermore, at such events, the aircraft perform AEROBATIC manoeuvres, which are quite different from AIR COMBAT manoeuvres. Hence, only a buffoon will go ga-ga over such aerobatic performances.

And what's this bullshit about H-2/H-4 guided-bombs? All weapons & munitions for the JF-17 are imported from China & they don't have any Pakistani material content. And see the photos of a PAF JF-17 cruising over Baltistan with 3 external fuel tanks, two SD-10As & 2 PL-5Es. That's a pretty light weapons load for a light MRCA flying all the way from Peshawar.

And Mi-35Ms for air-assault??? That too over mountainous terrain? Looks like the PAA hasn't drawn any lessons from the Soviet experiences in vertical envelopment operations of the 1980s in Afghanistan. Which is just fine with me. If my adversary is hell-bent upon committing 'Harakiri', then I should be the last one to object (LoLz)!

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH & MAYUR MANAPURE, RAJESH MISHRA: Watch these two documentaries on Zarb-e-Azb's Khyber-2 phase:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UimuL1jDDik&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2LLJz7UWfw&hd=1

Note that despite the reluctance of senior PA officers to identify the source of enemy weapons, one junior officer clearly identifies them as being of Chinese & Bulgarian origin.

And here's another glorious example of how 'brotherly Muslims' from abroad (certainly not hired by R & AW) are behaving inside Pakistan:

A US man who gave money to a suicide bomber who attacked a headquarters of Pakistan’s intelligence service was sentenced to more than seven years in prison last Friday, US prosecutors said. Reaz Qadir Khan, 51, a naturalized US citizen living in Portland, Oregon had previously pleaded guilty in a US court to providing material support to terrorists. Khan admitted arranging for the delivery of approximately $2,450 to Maldivian Ali Jaleel, one of the suicide bombers responsible for the May 27, 2009 attack which killed 30 people and injured 300 more in Lahore. Khan also admitted to providing advice and financial assistance to Jaleel’s wives after the bombing, “while knowing that providing such assistance would hinder and prevent the apprehension of Jaleel’s wives and others who may have helped in the attack,” prosecutors said.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To UJJWAL: WTF! Why such a loooooong weblink? Why not go straight to the source, which is:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-big-deal-about-the-armys-small-arms/article6174395.ece

To ASHUTOSH: For both the Rudra & LCH, only the PRAS-3LR has been evaluated so far. If one has to wait for HELINA, then I’m afraid matters will go downhill. 2) Prototype No3 of the LCH will be the final production-standard version & the design will then be frozen. LSP units comprise the first tranche of six or eight units that enable the manufacturer acquire the reqd industrial proficiency in standardised production processes & practices. 3) In terms of future product improvements, enhancements will be only in areas like mission avionics & higher-output versions of the Ardiden/Shakti engine.

To SUKHBIR: What is presently happening is that while all the exterior shells & most of the interior mechanical/electrical components are being produced locally, the most critical elements of the optronic sensors—infra-red charged-couple device (IRCCD) & related microprocessors—are all being imported from France’s SOFRADIR, while microprocessor chips are being imported from Malaysia & Singapore.

To RAD: AESA-base seekers are reqd only when multiple (interleaved) functions are reqd to be done simultaneously. That is not the case with AAMs. Therefore, AESA-based seekers are not economical for BVRAAMs. As for Derby/Python-5 integration on Tejas Mk1, all the data & timelines are contained within the CAG report on Tejas LCA’s R & D project, which is available on-line.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To BUDDHA & KAKU SH: For your weekend viewing:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ttfgb_hangar-1-the-ufo-files-season-2-episode-10-captured-aliens-hdtv_shortfilms

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2uq50l_hangar-1-the-ufo-files-season-2-episode-11-extreme-close-encounters-hdtv_shortfilms

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Syria’s electronic battlespace:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlMlZ0OWB9A

Pakistan-Russia Ties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85hg9eTX0As

Dacoits along the Punjab-Sindh border armed with 75mm RCLs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbl1MgIR24E&hd=1

Pakistan’s extension of its continental shelf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8VzEY-6cc&hd=1

buddha said...

thank u sir
apni mone rekhechen
felt glad to see that

vishakh said...

Hi

http://idrw.org/hitting-everything-that-flies-new-russian-manpad-verba-knows-no-equals/

Is verbal better than IGLA-S offered to India ??
Is it better than Mistral from france as it has 3 wavelength seeker not available in any other competitor ??

Can it be offered to India under FMS or Govt to Govt deal ???

Sukhbir said...

To Prasun : THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE REPLY

Vijay said...

Dear Sir

Please tell us in PLAIN words what should India do
for this threat of JF 17

The problem is that The Chinese can deliver the NUMBERS
QUICKLY to Pakistan

Should we get More SU 30 MKI

Or more MIG 29 as a CHEAPER option

Secondly Sir what do you think of the AESA equipped LCA MK 1.5
That is being designed a mid way solution between LCA mk 1 and LCA mk2

Has the Israeli AESA been finally cleared for sale

Mayur M Manapure said...

http://www.theunrealtimes.com/2015/06/21/jealous-of-yoga-day-pakistan-to-push-un-to-recognize-14th-august-as-international-terrorism-day/
Even though it's a satirical article....
But the given circumstances... It seems legit...doesn't it..

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

(1) Jadavpur University is transferring land & building to DRDO for establishment of a defence research centre namely the Jagadish Chandra Bose Centre for Advanced Technology (JCBCAT). Can you please explain what will be the mandate for this Center?

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=122574

(2) Is it true that Jadavpur University played a key role in India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Program?

(3) Why is there so much delay in releasing the Defense Procurement Policy 2015?

Best Regards, Sujoy

Ved said...

Tejas mk2 in design phase. Tejas mk1 not worthy enough.

What to do regarding the fillup for Mig 21 and Mig27?

Dear Prasun, how will the gap be bridged if we induct just 36 Rafales?

SK said...

Prasunda,

I thought TASL was going to do it. Turns out that Turkey is running away with the dough of Dornier 328 and 628.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/industry/2015/06/20/snc-stm-turkish-form-turkjet-indigenous-duel-use-erdogan-akp/29008481/

That's why Indian aerospace industry never picks up.

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

This tweet livefist posted on his fb account.
https://twitter.com/ifighterpilot/status/612302809824768000

It saying SL is export customer. :/

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH: Not yet. But Sri Lanka is being courted by CATIC & the FC-1 is being promoted there as well since the SLAF presently operates F-7Ms & MiG-27Ms, which need to be replaced in future. In addition, the Sri Lankan press, unlike its Pakistani & Chinese counterparts, is far better when it comes to investigative journalism & would surely have reported the signing of any such procurement contract.

Both China & Pakistan are keeping mum about naming Myanmar due to the on-going crisis involving the Rohingya refugees. After all, if it were to officially be acknowledged in public that the PAC Karma, which has always (falsely) trumpeted its participation in the FC-1/JF-17 R & D programme, were aiding & abetting the supply of lethal weapons to a country (Myanmar) that is persecuting ‘brotherly Muslim’ Rohingyas, imagine the kind of nationwide uproar that would break out within Pakistan, especially during the month of Ramadaan/Ramzaan. On the other hand, if the ‘Asian’ customer were to be Sri Lanka, there would be no such ‘religious’ controversy. Hence the decision by both China & Pakistan to keep the identity of the FC-1’s 2nd export customer undisclosed. Furthermore, no one from the SLAF has as yet test-flown the FC-1 or JF-17 nor have these aircraft been ferry-flown to Sri Lanka for in-country demonstrations & evaluations. Conversely, the FC-1 was flown into Myanmar last September & evaluated by the Tatmadaw’s air force over a 7-day period.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SK: Not quite. It is perfectly normal for a single airframe to be licence-produced by a number of manufacturers at the same time. The F-16, for example, has been licence-built by no less than 6 countries since the 1970s. Same was the case for the MiG-21. Presently, the Do-228 airframe is being produced by RUAG in Switzerland, plus HAL & TAAL in India. The same will be the case with the Do-328 family. Do read this:

http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show-2015/ruag-dornier-oem-sets-228-production

Turkey had a headstart over others when it comes to production of composites-based airframe structures. By the mid-1990s itself, it was producing the entire airframe of the MD-900 Explorer NOTAR twin-engined helicopter & shipping it back to the Mesa, Arizona-based final assembly line of McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing).

To VED: That’s why the ‘Combat Hawk’ project is being actively pursued by the IAF & the 40 Tejas Mk1s of the IAF will be dedicated close air-support platforms. But all this will solve only 50% of the problem. The gap will still remain in the defensive counter-air interception domain.

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: 1) You may be forgetting that the JCBCAT will be dedicated to the development of cryptographic & cryptoanalysis solutions, as was reported 2 years ago. 2) Nope. 3) Because it takes time to remove all the trash that was accumulated over the past decade by the previous DPPs.

To VIJAY: The JF-17 is a light MRCA & therefore cannot be used for any offensive air superiority purposes. It will be employable for only defensive counter-air & close air-support purposes & when it comes to the latter, it will easily be overwhelmed by either the upgraded Mirage 2000Is or upgraded MiG-29UPGs. China cannot ramp-up production-levels so easily & that’s why it has been delivering JF-17 airframes at a rate of only 8 per year. Therefore, no need to paint China as being 9-feet tall. There’s no such object as Tejas Mk1.5. There’s only a Tejas Mk1 PV that is being used for generating the database reqd for designing & developing an environmental control system (ECS) for the projected Tejas Mk2 that will be equipped with the EL/M-2052 AESA-MMR, which was cleared for export sales way back in 2011.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VISHAKH: FYI, Igla-S was procured by India & Vietnam way back in 2006. The Verba is a superior product as a MANPADS solution for India. FMS route applies ONLY to products of US-origin. All procurements of weapons of Soviet/Russian origin has always been G-to-G deals. In Russia there is no such thing as a private-sector military-industrial company. All military OEMs in Russia are joint stock companies or JSC, in which the Russian govt through Rosoboronexport State Corp has majority shareholding stakes.

To BUDDHA: VMT. It’s always great to know that The Buddha keeps on smiling.

To VIKRAM GUHA: There are a few other, far more sensitive agreements inked that deal with exchange of intelligence in the maritime & geo-spatial domains, but which for obvious reasons, cannot be disclosed. The US has been helping the IN since the 1970s. The very first VDS for the Leander-class FFGs were Westinghouse designs that were licence-built in the UK by Graseby Dynamics & then sold to India. Same is the case with the Sea King helicopter family, which were licence-built & re-engined in the UK by AgustaWestland & Rolls-Royce. The original model-name is the Sikorsky UH/SH-3/S-61. The original combat management system of the IN’s four Class 209/Type 1500 SSKs was supplied by US-based Singer-Link Miles, while the periscopes were from US-based Kollmorgan. Both these OEMs are now owned by Lockheed Martin. Back in the early 1990s a few ex-USMC Harriers were acquired by the IN as attrition replacements. The electro-hydraulic elevators & cranes of Project 71/IAC-1/INS Vikrant are all US-designed products, as is the design of the 2,500-tonne NOPVs being built by Pipavav Defence & Offshore. The periscopes of S-2/Arihant are supplied by the Italian subsidiary (Calzoni) of US-based L-3 KEO. Then there are the LM-2500 marine gas-turbines for P-17/P-17A FFGs & IAC-1, plus delivery of the INS Jalashva & its SH-3 helicopters.

Arpit Kanodia said...

Sir,

What are contingency plans of IA, if the PLA try to do Sumdorong Chu like incident.

I am not saying they do this like in future, but what if PLA decided to attack Tawang and forcefully evict IA from there.

Do we have the capability to do ops even on greater scale of Op Falcon?

Vijay said...

Dear Sir

Many many Thanks for your RE ASSURING Words

The problem is that the Ministry of defence / IAF are all
so NON CHALANT in their behaviour

They always have a STANDARD reply " We are aware of all the threats
and are taking all necessary steps "

But without specifics " we the people " get worried


Vijay said...

Dear Sir

Have the Former PM and DM ( Man Mohan SIng and Antony )have
really weakened and damaged our preparedness
and were these two trying to appease Pakistan by creating road blocks
for Modernisation

Mr Parrikar has only blamed Mr Antony for creating a STALEMATE

That is rather mild ; we should call a spade a spade

raw13 said...

about half way down is the scan of the official magazine by PAC from the Paris airshow on the JF-17. Lots of upto date information, in one place.

When an aircraft can carry 4 tonnes of weapons and additional fuel and is able to refuel in the air. It can play a serious role in any environment. The best thing about this aircraft is that its completely modular and easily upgradable. All weapons in PAF inventory apart from AMRAAM C5 are already qualified or in the process of being qualified on JF-17.



raw13 said...

sorry boys, the scan link:

http://defence.pk/threads/jf-17-thunder-multirole-fighter-thread-6.329675/page-173

Anonymous said...

After Myanmar now its Srilanka's turn to buy a few JF-17s. Nigeria could be next.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUBHO: Not so soon for Sri Lanka, which has other pressing economic priorities.

To RAW13: VMT. It is not a PAC magazine, but an 8-page reprint that has been published as an advertorial. But modular & easily upgradeable? Not quite. Especially when it comes to the powerplant. Also note that scheduled MRO work has already commenced, indicating that some of the original RD-93s have already been replaced due to their low TBOs.

To KAKU SH: That is most unlikely to ever happen again from either side, since both countries learnt their lessons between 1986 & 1995 & both know that such build-ups are futile in an era when 24-hour airborne & ground-based ISTR assets are available & there’s no element of surprise during the build-up phase in such inhospitable areas. That’s why in such areas around Arunachal Pradesh on the Chinese side, there are no networks of black-topped roads. The terrain there is heavily forested & due to the frequent rain showers there a 1962-type lightning strike is simply impossible to stage & sustain.

As for the RM getting the shut-up call from his superiors, it was high time he was told to stop getting too friendly with journalists. His behaviour may have been alright when he was Goa’s CM. But not when he’s the RM. Look at the mess he created through his selective soundbytes about the Rafale MMRCA! I don’t understand how exactly such politicians benefit by sharing soundbytes with the print/electronic/broadcast media during these so-called media conclaves. Because at the end of the day, it is only these media houses that stand to benefit from such events & then they try giving the impression that it is they who are setting the national discourse & influencing it. Such acts are patently dangerous & destabilising. Instead, India needs to adopt the US system of official briefings where the official spokesperson of a particular ministry ought to give weekly briefings. The RM can give a briefing only after major events like a contract signature. But no RM should open his/her mouth at a time when a contract negotiation process is on, since such processes are fluid in nature & don’t become concrete until the contract is inked. In case of the present RM, he has clearly overshot his brief & therefore he should now conserve his energies for doing productive things behind-the-scenes.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Have uploaded 3 new photos above.

Anonymous said...

Hey Prasun , what that mohtarma doing with the puki piglet in an airshow...

Arpit Kanodia said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r7TQcYk3_o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DuI_-bIIhc

Seems like Dr Shabir Choudhry realized that where Kashmir salvation lie.

Ravi R said...

Hi Prasun sir,

Articles sighting Indian Army's FRCV are coming out almost on daily basis and all stating that we are going for T14 Armata. Is there any truth in this. When we have a superior tank design in Arjun, why opt for others?

http://idrw.org/frcv-or-armata-whats-in-a-name-indian-army/#more-67109

Please put things in perspective. Thank you.

Chetan Sinha said...

Prasun Sir,

In this ToI article they talk about 36 radars will be used for coastal surveillance in India. Which company is going to supply these radars?

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-to-plug-holes-in-sky-with-web-of-radars/articleshow/47754735.cms

Ved said...

Hi Prasun,
IDRW.org has posted that Srilanka will be first export customer of JF17, Are you sure its Myanmar???

Arpit Kanodia said...

Anonymous@9:38

If you think something fishy about Force magazine staff, then what you say about Vivekanand International Foundation?

All sharks and whales at one place? LoL.

Iceman said...

Sir,
1.is there any updates on nag and namica ?
2.is it true that indian army is going for armata tank instead of arjun tank?
3. will Astra sport a indian seeker in future?
4 . Is there any chance for e magazines dealing with political, military affairs to grow in India?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

KAKU SH: Forget these trolls. There are better things to do.

To VED: Let's get the facts right: JF-17 cannot be exported. Only the FC-1 can & has been exported to Pakistan as the launch customer. Therefore, anyone who procures the FC-1 after Pakistan becomes the 2nd export exporter for the FC-1. Lastly, Sri Lanka Air Force possessing a fleet of 160 aircraft??? That should be enough for you to conclude whether or not to trust the contents of that website you've quoted.

To CHETAN SINHA: The report you've quoted makes no mention of any coastal surveillance radars or the number 36.

To RAVI R: If the intention is to procure the Object 148 T-14 Armata MBT, then there would have been no need to issue an RFI for soliciting information on a competitive & global basis. Instead, a G-to-G agreement would have been inked, as was the case with the T-90S, Mi-17V-5 & other hardware procured from Russia. Secondly, the Object 148 T-14 Armata has been designed in such a way that only the MBT can't be procured. Instead the entire package comprising the MBT, Object 149 T-15 tracked Heavy IFV, Object 695 Kurganets-25 tracked IFV & Object 693 Kurganets-25 tracked APC have ALL to be procured. Only then will the Object 148 T-14 Armata MBT be able to function optimally during armoured manoeuvre wearfare.

Therefore, it makes far greater sense to use the hull of the Arjun MBT as the baseline vehicle & derive solutions from it by developing derivative vehicles & customised turrets. Importing the entire armoured vehicles package will definitely be cost-prohibitive & hence the issuance of RFIs to determine what other armoured vehicle developers/manufacturers elsewhere are conceptualising about for the future battlefields. This then will enable Army HQ to draft a comprehensive GSQR for a family of armoured vehicles featuring high commonality of hardware, which will then be passed on to CVRDE. Then it's up to the CVRDE to figure out what R & D can be done domestically & what can be achieved through international industrial partnerships.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To Anon@3PM: How should I know? I wasn't there. I only received the photos from 'deep throats' embedded within CATIC & PAC Kamra & duly uploaded them. What others do during such expos is none of my business. Got better to do & monitor.

To ICEMAN: 1) Nothing much. Matters are moving slowly. 2) Read my response above to a similar question posted earlier. 3) That's what the plans call for. As to when it will surface, your guess is as good as mine. 4) There are always chances, because the great majority of them existing today have content that are just reproductions of brochures, without any supporting explanatory narrative.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To MAYUR M MANAPURE: This effectively explains the status of Pakistan's electricity generation/distribution woes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On00N4oIsXU&hd=1

Some of the revelations are quite hilarious. Also note that China has already declared some of the projects to be commercially unviable. And given the recent spate of earthquakes along the Himalayan Range, there is bound to be a knock-off effect along the adjacent Karakoram Range as well. Therefore, expect some massive landslides & some earthquakes as well in the Baltistan area as well during this monsoon season between August & October, just as was the case in 2010. Therefore, the Karakoram Highway, for all intents & purposes, will remain unusable.

Anonymous said...

Prasun da
2 districts in kunduz taken over by taliban and today's attack on (indian built) afghan parliament. ...... seems like Ghani's love affair is over

Pl revert on my earlier post also

Thanks
Vivek

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

What happened to UFOs sighting that embarrassing Indian Army since 2004 in Ladakh, Army even contacted the NTRO, PMO, DRDO and ISRO, but no one able to explain. Like in 2012, Indian Army dispatched many UAVs to detect those anomalies, but failed ultimately. Even during period of 2009-12, UFO sighting was at peak even in Indian cities.

But after 2013, Govt. goes silent like that those things never happened. Those things stopped in Ladakh and Uttarakhand after 2013?

This was observed in New Delhi in 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugQ-gfZQJQQ

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VIVEK: It is only a temporary takeover. The Taliban cannot hold on to territory for long as they’re not trained for engaging in positional warfare. The India-financed Parliament has not yet been inaugurated. It will be commissioned next month by NaMo when he visits Kabul after visiting Moscow to attend the annual summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on July 9, when India will officially become a member of the SCO. Here’s an interesting analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abdullah-sharif/the-afghan-ethnotribal-ar_b_7622894.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592&ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in

The Shaurya TBM was just a technology demonstrator. Its possession as a nuclear WMD warhead-armed weapon in large numbers promises only diminishing returns, since India’s nuclear deterrence posture is best served through the deployment of MRBMs, SLBMs & ICBMs only. What is due for launch in future is not the full-scale version of a reusable hypersonic vehicle, but merely a scale-model. India’s Union Finance Minister has a lot of explaining to do both to the US & EU in terms of fiscal & monetary policies. At a time when there’s global economic interdependence, one cannot function in a standalone mode like it was during the Cold War era. For instance, India will have to find out where she stands in case the US & EU decide to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia—a country that not only is wrongly structured as far as its economy is concerned, but is also in recession. Putin has not yet spelt out where the buck stops as far as Ukraine goes, & the US & EU are convinced that Russia will next target the Baltic States of Lithuania, Estonia & Latvia for annexation. If that happens, then the neutral Scandinavian countries will panic & will become members of NATO, which will make Russia feel even more insecure. But Russia ultimately cannot win because its economy too is a market economy & is therefore globally interdependent as far as financial capitalism goes, & therefore it cannot be in a standoff with the combined might of the US, EU & Japan for long.

Farkhor is not a base. It is only a field hospital. Kazakhstan cannot supply oil or gas to India until the border issue is resolved between China & India in the Aksai China area. But China is not too eager to resolve this issue & wants India to resolve the issue concerning J & K with Pakistan first. India on the other hand is insisting that the J & K issue cannot be resolved until the demarcation & delineation of the Sino-Indian boundary. It is now being strongly suspected that China’s real intention behind the CPEC is to achieve a trading-related connectivity with the Central Asian Republics through the Wakhan Corridor via Gilgit-Baltistan—something that had been planned as far back as mid-2009. Already, China has weaned Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan away from Russia & this is now a cause for great worry for Russia. So let’s see how NaMo & Putin decide to make their next moves on the chessboard. And do read this:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/china-india-lac-modi-visit-xi-jinping-border-dispute/1/443886.html

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH: Folks here are clueless about such matters. The viedo link link you posted may have been a sighting in Goa: Do watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHN1pQxCFD8

Then there’s this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytJBXRYtoKw

Also, do watch this on where the US stands on this issue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iezJY74GsX8

To VIKRAM GUHA: 1) LoLz! Looks like the right way to provoke nitwits like India’s own homegrown ‘model citizen’ Mehdi Biswas, who will decay as an undertrial for a few decades at least, prior to his sentencing. Am also wondering why that fella Abu Jundal from Maharashtra’s Beed district has not yet been brought to trial. After all, he was extradited from KSA back in 2012. One wonders why is it taking so long to file a chargesheet. 2) Au contraire, these ‘Sarkari Jihadis’ have already been dispatched for performing rear-area logistics duties. The task of recruitment was left to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi & that’s precisely why he was granted bail by the Pakistani court. 3) Not true.

Will post tomorrow some of the significant technological takeways from this year’s Paris Air Show, trends in new-generation PGM developments, & what can the DRDO learn from all this. After all, DRDO officials, strangely, do not frequent such expos & instead prefer to take off on junkets to places like Seoul to offer 130km-range NLOS-BSMs to a country that has already developed both long-range LACMs & 800km-range TBMs!

And finally, here’s more speculative mumbo-jumbo from the infamous ‘bandalbaaz’ who is always the first to draw premature & ill-conceived conclusions:

http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/army-s-new-battle-tank-proposal-sets-stage-for-mod-tussle-115062200028_1.html

Pradeep said...

Sir, how do you interpret the news that the CBI is likely to code it's case against Augusta Westland for lack of evidence? Is this good news for Indian defence? Is this good news for the AW-101 deal for the IAF?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PRADEEP: Then it's the same as what previously happened to both both BOFORS AB & HDW, i.e. there's no case to be brought to trial & no charges to be filed & therefore there's no case to be fought. Thus, Finmeccanica & its subsidiary AgustaWestland are innocent as they cannot be proven guilty of having committed any crime against or in India. Back to business as usual & now the Govt of India is free to resume the process of inducting the AW-101s into service.

To RAJ: Already replied above last night to a similar query. Do refer to it.

Mayur M Manapure said...

Height of Bakchodi....
http://idrw.org/pakistani-twitter-rudaalis-professional-mourner-trend-rawattacksafghanparliament/
This happens when everything that happens in your country is a "propaganda"....
Even Allah cannot save them...

Technology, Photograpy and Travel said...

some thing intresting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QNiZfSsPc0&feature=youtu.be&utm_content=buffer2fe26&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Siddharth said...

Prasun da,

Very curious to know about the current status of MCIWS (Multi Caliber Individual Weapon System) rifle. No updates and news about it on internet or anywhere.

Is it a highly secretive project of DRDO.

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun,

Watched the video on Pakistans extension of EEZ, What are the implications for India?

Best Regards
Raj

Sukhbir said...

To Technology, Photograpy and Travel :- THANKS FOR THE LINK.

Look at these PEOPLE they have developed a whole product ALL BY THEMSELVES.
Whereas our IIT graduated DRDO-HAL-DPSU-ADA officials along with a huge ARMY of men-women still import just everything uner te sun from outside.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

(1) Thank you Prasun Da. And great insight on Lakhvi.

Look what China is doing. Blocking India's move seeking action action against Lakhvi

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/china-blocks-indias-move-seeking-un-action-against-pakistan-on-zaki-ur-rehman-lakhvi-774405

(2) That "Bandalbaaz" you mentioned it seems have now been contacted by the Ruskies via a honey trap ...Lolz

rad said...

HI prasun
please explain the diff between the jf-17 and fc-1 , i am given to understand they are the same.
How many mica missiles can the mirage 2k upg fire simultaneously

It seems Israel has stopped the production of the old derby and the new derby missile i s available.What would be the approx cost of the derby er viz a viz the amraam missile?.

Pradeep said...

Sir, here is the news:


http://m.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/cbi-may-close-agustawestland-probe-after-hitting-dead-end_1587061.html


See what you make of it

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

Lol, you was right again

http://www.dailymirror.lk/77087/sri-lanka-to-purchase-new-fighter-jets#sthash.i85wKyda.dpuf

I want to quote from this newspaper

"Despite foreign media reports that claim Sri Lanka will be the first foreign buyer of the multi-role combat aircraft JF-17 Thunder, Sri Lanka Air Force says no decision has been made yet with regard to the procurement of the fighter jet.

Air Force Spokesperson, Wing Commander Gihan Senevirathne speaking to Daily Mirror said although both Pakistan and China have indicated the availability of the fighter jet and proposals have been submitted on the availability of the aircrafts, SLA has not made any decision on purchasing them. "

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun
Last week Robyn Curnow of CNN mentioned that Pakistan has lost THREE awacs due to Taliban. I thought they lost only one where did these two come from? Have i missed something? I cant find anything on the internet.

Anonymous said...

Have HAL rudra entered production ? If yes how many have been procured indian army aviation corps ? and where will be the first squadron be positioned ?

kunal8888

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/smubashir-noor/pakistans-for-real-proble_b_7296972.html?ncid=inblnkinhpmg00000004&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=outbrain&utm_campaign=huffpost_traffic

joydeep ghosh said...

@Prasun da

a few observations

1. Long time ago i had said China is striking deals with CIS nations like Kirghiztan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhistan settling border disputes in its favor by gobbling land and giving loans in return to develop oil fields that will feed China for decades to come. so i dont think CPEC will be of any extra benefit

2. You forgot SLAF also operates Isreali Kfir jets

3. If Brahmos Mini can be added to Mig29K then i think there wont be any need for Jaguars in maritime strike role; as 12 for Vikrant, 18 for Vikramaditya, means 15 will act as land based maritime strike jets

4. The chap in the last but one pic in PAF topgun pilot, why dont IAF send pilots for topgun training

5. I arjun tank wont get more orders as MBT instead will be used to develop tracked ambulance/rocket launcher/command post/engg. vehicle at best

6. As Obama withdraws troops situation in afghanistan will go to new low and world will realize what the mistake it did in 1980s in first place

7. CLGM is non starter unless capacity of tanks is boosted

8. 600km Prithvi 3 as well as Prahaar missiles are non starters

9. While some news was heard of Cheetals upgrades of Cheetah but no news of Chetan upgrades of Chetak helicopters

thanks

Joydeep Ghosh

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH: LoLz! This is what happens when one web-based news agency in India picks up a fictitious news-item from another based in Taiwan & reproduces it! In reality, Myanmar's air force last April had floated restricted RFQs asking for NiCad batteries for the FC-1. The RFQ had been sent to me as well.

Ravi R said...

Hi Prasun,

Thank you for your reply.

Adding to Siddhartha's question, do you think MCIWS are a better fit for indian armed forces then Colt CM901 / Beretta ARX / Sig Sauer Assault rifles?

Why should Army go for ACE Galil, I mean they are cutomized AKMs build by Isreal. OFB is now producing AK 7's can't they do the job.

When will these Indian guns (MSMC / Amogh / MCIWS) be inducted?

Thank you!

Ashish Sharma said...

Hi Sir,

China blocked India move on Pakistan and Lakhvi. Do we have to be watchful now about any new attacks planned by LeT and Pakistan on India. Isn't this a possibility.

Even though the china pakistan CPEC deal that might lead it to circular debt, Pakistani media is talking nonsense as if it will transform Pakistan to a first world economy. If one listens to them, its like they are the innocent bystanders and India is the real devil. How come they live in this fools paradise.

Thank you!

Iceman said...

Sir,
1.is it true that arjun tank doesn't fit in the railway wagons?
2 . will luh have FLIR pod?
3 . are there any developments regarding overcoming the ammunition shortage problems?
4 . what is the status of Indian army's air defence gun deal?
5 . Could you give some ideas on how to go about setting up a e magazine dealing with military and political affairs in India?

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun,

Interesting analysis:

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3YCeUB4-wQ

What is your opinion on China planning to deploy nuclear weapons against India in GB?

Best Regards
Raj

Anonymous said...

Prasun da,

Now that Namo has completed 1 year, it would be very nice if you could summarize his hits and misses for us on foreign policy front......... and also specially w.r.t China. ....... you also have been saying that China also wants to resolve the boundary issue asap and Namo publicly expressed the need to do so on his China trip....... However Chinese took just 10-15 to reject the exchange of maps mechanism. ..... Dada, doesn't it show that they want to keep the issue open deliberately in near future, what should be India's policy now ?

Thanks
Vivek

Rituraj said...

Prasun,

Have you seen Lalit Modi's tweets, photos and documents that he has posted on his twitter account? Seems like he is screwing Arun Jaitley quite a big time. After looking at documents, Jaitley may find it very difficult to prove his innocence. Same with Timesnow, TOI, and other presstitutes...

Things are heating up quite a bit. Edward Snowden Version 2.

Mayur M Manapure said...

http://www.dawn.com/news/1189939/where-should-a-pakistani-hindu-go
The answer is simple....they should come here...
Its a good time for a Hindu/Sikh to migrate from Pak/Af....more and more people are granted citizenship...

Sukhbir said...

To Prasun:-
1. Are you going to do a thread with diff exhibits as you have done before for Aero India 2015 ?

2. Will you a exhiit thread for Paris Air Show ?

rad said...

HI prasun
Sindhukirti seems on its way to join the navy , how did the local shipyard manage to upgrade it without russian help? It seems to have new sonars and weapons like the club missile etc , how did they manage it after all these years.

Mayur M Manapure said...

Then tell me where the hell these People should go huh....I didn't intend to make an innocent statement. There are more than 56 Islamic countries in OIC. Can't they take up the responsibility for Rphingyas. These people. And who told you India just provides refuge to Hindu/Sikhs.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/indias-refugee-policy-is-an-example-for-the-rest-of-the-world-to-follow/article4269430.ece
Please read this. Its an old article but do read.
There are also links to other articles in the previous post. Do check them.
I was just pointing towards the apathy of minorities in these Countries. I don't want a lecture on secularism.

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

I dont get it, during the period of 60-90s when ASI getting so many proof about Dwarka Nagari, where they even proved the city is around 30,000 years old.

But suddenly, after 2007 UPA stopped the research work of ASI. What the benefit they got in covering up our own histories? And proving that Krishna was original entity and our civilizational roots are as much old as of 30,000 years.

And even NDA till now not allowed ASI-Navy joint excavation/research work to restart.

LALITH said...

Hello Prasun,

1. Did Atlas Elektronik sell the IPR for the ACTAS(Active Towed Array Sonar) to DRDO?

2. Indian Navy was also running tenders for 12 units of a new torpedo defence suite. Any progress on that?

LALITH said...

3. DRDO had developed the advanced low-frequency towed array sonar (ATLAS). Was it developed with foreign help? If yes, which company helped?

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

BBC alleging MQM India link is a result of eurofighter debacle or has Pak Army offered MI6 something which it really need?

Construction of story and report is so second grade that it look like made by some communist TV channel.

Regards,

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PAWAN: LoLz! What has it got to do with Eurofighter? The EF-2000 MMRCA was never being marketed in India by the UK. The corporate HQ of Eurofighter GmbH is in Germany & its marketing effort is headed by Germany. No RAF-owned EF-2000 Typhoon has ever taken part in any Aero India expo. So, don’t fall into any trap & go into a tizzy by gulping conspiracy theories. Leave that to the Pakistanis.

To PAWAN & RAJ: Pakistan is presently facing 3 grave challenges: 1) crippling power shortages amidst a killer heatwave during the fasting month. 2) combatting the criminal-political nexus, especially in Karachi, which can only be successful if the National Reconciliation Ordnance (NRO) of 2007 is overturned & abrogated & all criminal & financial offenders from the ruling class are arrested & imprisoned.. 3) the Pakistan Army’s overbearing presence in all countrywide apex committees to implement the National Action Plan post-December 16, 2014. Therefore, a plan was hatched about a fortnight ago to deflect the public’s attention from these issues & force the Pakistan Army & Pakistan rangers to go on the defensive. Thus, to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, it was decided to launch an anti-India tirade. The first salvo was fired a week ago when Pakistan disclosed that amongst a committee of 15 member-states in a UN body dealing with UN registered NGOs, only India, Israel & the US opposed Pakistan’s closing down of the ‘Save the Children’ NGO offices in Pakistan. Reason for this disclosure: Pakistan’s conspiracy theory-loving populace would assume that the triad of CIA, R & AW & Mossad was destabilising Pakistan. When this failed, the 2nd salvo was fired 4 days ago when Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar gave an on-the-record interview to the BBC. Hence, all attributions in the BBC news-report are an anonymous Pakistani source. For instance, the following 6 sentences:

Officials in Pakistan's MQM party have told the UK authorities they received Indian government funds, the BBC learnt from an authoritative Pakistani source. UK authorities investigating the MQM for alleged money laundering also found a list of weapons in an MQM property. A Pakistani official has told the BBC that India has trained hundreds of MQM militants over the last 10 years. The Pakistani official has told the BBC that India has trained hundreds of MQM militants in explosives, weapons and sabotage over the last 10 years in camps in north and north-east India. British authorities held formal recorded interviews with senior MQM officials who told them the party was receiving Indian funding, the BBC was told. Before 2005-2006 the training was given to a small number of mid-ranking members of the MQM, the official said.

Cont’d below…

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Nowhere is it mentioned that the source of the information was either MI-5 or MI-6 or Scotland Yard or any other organ of the UK’s govt. Therefore, if the BBC is sued for defamation by the MQM in any British court, the BBC will simply reproduce its taped interview with Chaudhary Nisar as evidence. Thereafter, it will be left to Chaudhary Nisar to disclose the source of his information. And I can bet that he will come up with zilch. Why? Because no country directly provides any kind of covert financial/military assistance to any party. Such work is always done by proxies or front companies whose source can never be traced due to the absence of any paper-trail. That’s precisely why Hawala/Hundi channels exist. But here’s the best: while last April Sindh Police’s Malir SSP Rao Anwar gave details of how the two men went to India via Thailand to be trained by R & AW somewhere in Dehra Dun, ex ISI DG Lt Gen (Ret’d) Hamid Gul till this day claims that all such paramilitary training is provided in camps located in Rajasthan & Gujarat! And this SSP Rao Anwar has longstanding feud with Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, the present DG-ISI & formerly the DG of Pakistan Rangers! Hence the one-upmanship to prove an India-hand in Karachi.

In reality, the MQM was created in 1982 by a Gen Zia-ul-Haq, a Jullundhari, & was subsequently mentored by two Mohajir COAS of the PA: Gen Mirza Aslam Beg & Gen Pervez Musharraf. So, according to the PML-N’s leadership, if the secular MQM (a middle-class party comprising Muslim migrants from UP & Bihar after partition)has for decades had been using violence for its survival (it has lost 25,000 of its cadres to violence so far, mostly perpetrated by the Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi), can be branded as a party with criminal nexus, then logically, such criminality was condoned or even encouraged by the PA’s thjen COASes like Beg & Musharraf. If this point can be publicised, the PML-N reckons, then this will push the PA on the defensive & prevent it from abrogating the terms & conditions of the NRO of 2007. Expect therefore in the coming days to hear more about R & AW’s involvement in Karachi, like the alleged existence of 100 sleeper-cells, etc etc. Such conspiracy theories always tend to capture the imagination of Pakistan’s ‘awaam’. And do watch the following interesting analyses of the BBC news-report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4v7XXBayzM&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVutL_lY4cQ

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

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Israeli HMDS (from ELBIT Systems) senses if pilot passes out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgWJH8Vx8BQ

SUVO said...

PRASUN DA ,
which engine will be best suited for HAL Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) among:
EJ 200, Snecma M88, NPO Saturn AL-31-117 ,General Electric F414 & F-135.

Pawan said...

Dear Prasun Ji,

Perhaps after watching and reading so much about pakistan my mind tried to acquire some traits. :)

My query is why China obstructing the Indian resolution of Lakhvi, is not itself victim of same kind of terror. Moreover if India knew that China would do so, why present such resolution on such forums.

Regards



DAshu said...

are you by any chance the head whom the combined Pakistan,China,ME and Afghanistan desks of R&AW reports to ?

L.Sudheer said...

Prasun,

How much does Internal Migration within India especially from Bihar & UP pose a security challenge to peace and stability in India?

Bihar & UP have failed to control their extremely high birth rates, unlike southern & western states and as a result of this lakhs of Biharis migrate to other parts of India.

What I see is that there is tremendous resentment in states ranging from Delhi to Tamil Nadu about such migration coz not only are these migrants a strain on the resources but they insult the local culture/people and invariably take to crime. There have been protests in Bangalore, in Chennai and also in my hometown of Visakhapatnam against rampant migration from Bihar & UP.

Arpit Kanodia said...

https://in.news.yahoo.com/human-rights-issues-gilgit-baltistan-pok-raised-un-071804077.html

PKS Sir,

Maybe UK,US and France already decided to free the GB and stop the Pakistani influence in wakhan corridor?

Mayur M Manapure said...

Sir jee....whatever this guy is smoking... It's must be definitely out of this world
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190312/hot-air-from-rajasthan-power-plants-may-have-fanned-karachi-heatwave

Also a bunch of conspiracy theories which keeps An average Pakistani mind occupied
http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153068/what-is-the-wildest-conspiracy-theory-pertaining-to-pakistan

Devopriyo said...

India’s Armed Drone Fleet | The Diplomat
http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/indias-armed-drone-fleet/

VIKRAM GUHA said...

PrasunDa,

1. The Diplomat has published this report stating "How Much Do China’s Warships Actually Cost?" Not sure if their calculation is correct but nonetheless thought of sharing it with you.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/how-much-do-chinas-warships-actually-cost/

2. Our friend Mr.Bandalbazz is now saying

With the United States close to retiring its Warthogs, we could evaluate the benefits of acquiring this legendary aircraft(A-10) at throwaway prices under the "Excess Defense Articles" category .

http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/ajai-shukla-filling-in-mr-parrikar-s-silence-115062201184_1.html

Should India purchase the A-10 in your opinion?

Thanks,

Vikram

Rajesh Mishra said...

and BTW India should not provide or extend any type of help to the Rohingyas.

Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

What your opinion, why extraterrestrial life trying harder to save us from extinction level event. I mean even if we are distant cousin/brother of them, and maybe of same evaluational line.

But still, why they want to save us unnecessarily even after when they definitely noticed the events like WW1 then WW2 then Atomic Bomb, actually we are threat to them.

And I realized there is pretty distinction in usage of term extraterrestrial and aliens in ET community, please shed some light on this.

bhoutik said...

these two images apperaed in a site and are said to be from the jf-17 production line in pakistan.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kIok_0aJdRE/VYuFgztpg5I/AAAAAAAAjXk/HmaAkhNGbZs/s1600/Pakistan%2BJF17%2Bproduction%2Bline%2B3.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GL4pJOf6EcY/VYuFh6AgCuI/AAAAAAAAjXw/2UizfvNRQfg/s1600/Pakistan%2BJF17%2Bproduction%2Bline%2B5.jpg

first one seems to be showing machining of a component. second one is interesting because it appears to show holographic screens.

are these authentic?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To BHOUTIK: LoLz! Those photos are from a list of 68 snapshots taken from a publicity film on PAC Kamra. It actually shows the final assembly line at Chengdu with mostly Chinese workers & only a few technicians from PAC. And those are not holographic screens, but computer-generated graphics animation superimposed on the publicity film, You can see the 68 images here:

http://slide.mil.news.sina.com.cn/k/slide_8_240_36464.html

Hope you can read mandarin.

To MAYUR M MANAPURE: Watch this hilarious programme about former Pakistani PMs who never surrender their official gifts to the Treasury, but always decamp with them. The worst so far is Shaukat Aziz, who did not even spare his liquor bottles! BTW, he's presently an adviser to ArcellorMittal's owner L N Mittal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgU_1RlauWs

To DEVOPRIYO: LoLz! A UAV carrying two ATGMs but not carrying an optronic sensor payload for target acquisition & target designation! And they call this a UCAV! And GAGAN! Why not the IRNSS? GAGAN is strictly for commercial aviation utilization & has nothing to do with military ATM. This is exactly how these jingos turn the DRDO & the country into a laughing stock.

To KAKU SH: The question that should be asked about Pakistan is this: why has the UK given asylum to the MQM leadership & the leadership of the Baluchistan Liberation Army? Why are these leaders using the UK as an incubator?

To L SUDHEER: Migration of workers is always dependent on the demand-supply matrix. No one likes to leave his/her traditional environment just for kicks. It is always about earning a living & wherever there’s demand for migrant workers, there will always be a supply-chain cropping. Therefore, it is fallacious to assume that folks from UP & Bihar arte flooding to all corners of India just for the sake of bursting out of UP & Bihar. They’re going because their labour skills are reqd. One should never denigrade them, as some have been doing in states like Maharashtra since the late 1960s. Remember, the same treatment used to be meted out to the migrants from Tamil Nadu in Maharashtra at that time.

To DASHU: LoLz! Regretably of fortunately, NO, they don’t.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUVO: HAL’s AMCA? HAL has nothing to do with the AMCA. It is ADA’s brainchild. And despite ADA admitting that it should first have developed the Naval LCA & only then the IAF’s version of the LCA, why have ADA’s brochures so far shown only the IAF-specific version of the AMCA? Does that mean that ADA won’t offer the AMCA to the IN? Or is ADA suffering from loss-of-memory? And it also looks like the IA HQ is suffering from a similar loss. Just look at the RFI for the FRCV issued by IA HQ. There’s no mention there at all of an amphibious assault vehicle, meaning the IA HQ did not even bother to consult the IN when drafting this RFI.

To VIKRAM GUHA: LoLz! VMT. I reckon he’s still stuck in 1971 when Hunters with their cannons blazing destroyed the PA’s armoured regiment. Close air-support today is performed exclusively by lightweight PGMs, as exemplified by their sheer proliferation since the past decade & as displayed in this month’s recently-concluded Paris Air Show.

To RAJESH MISHRA: I finally stand vindicated on my stance on the AgustaWestland AW-101 VVIP transportation helicopter. Now, INDIA TODAY is saying the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMKCMS9dxQ&hd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UraUQZ86xl0&hd=1

It is now high-time the Govt of India commenced legal proceedings on charges of criminal negligence against all the members of the previous UPA-2 govt’s Cabinet Committee on National Security. Also, defamation cases should be filed against a select group of journalists who were previously employed by THE INDIAN EXPRESS, but some of whom are now with INDIA TODAY GROUP & with THE ECONOMIC TIMES.

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

I reply to Dashu you denied R&AW desks reporting to you but the why you replied it seems you have links to R&AW. :)


Regards,

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

JF-17 promotional video in HD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZthdDd1Qj6A

raw13 said...

@Kaku sh,

USA, NATO, etc...just have had their asses whooped in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have spent 2+ trillion dollars. And you think they will come to GB? What is in GB that is so valuable to them?

There is one thing you need to understand, dreams aside, no one will fight for you indians. If you want GB, come and get it! Simple as that.

GB's value is only to Pakistan and Central Asian states, it will allow almost all CA states to be able to access the arabian sea via the KKH. It also allows China to bypass malacca strait. However, with all tension in the region, indian threats and so on, means PN and PAF are building the capability to completely block the Oil/Gas supplies from the Gulf region to india and effect supplies from the suez canal.

PN/PAF have been building additional bases in Pasni, Omara and Gwadar. These will house the additional 6-8 subs and the airbases, the JF-17 armed with C-802/3, BVRs, etc... You have seen pics of JF-17 with these lately. Now imagine 20-40 of these aircrafts with 2 of these anti-ship missiles each + 6 subs, hunting IN ships upto 1000km from Pak coast. Now look at the map, and the width of the gulf. Its a stuff of nightmares for the indian sailor.

What affectively has happened is this. In times of war IN will be more worried about keeping the sea lanes to india open and less worried about the malacca strait. These chinese are clever!

Prav said...

Err RAW13 I hope you realise that the Su30s have a much longer range than the Jf 17 and there is no way that the Jf 17 can fly a 1000 Kms out . And then you forget that the carrier launched mig 29Ks will make swift work of any Jf 17 lugging 2 cruise missiles . The nightmare will still be Pakistans and we will wait until the PAF hides all its aircraft and leaves the navy to fend for itself ....just like last time .

Prav said...

@Prasun
More fruits of Afghanistan/Pakistan co-operation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghanistan-pakistan-officer-involved-in-parliament-attack/2015/06/24/f58bf9a2-1a90-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html
So much for #RAWattacksafghanparliament

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PAWAN: LoLz! What ever made you reach such a conclusion? Imagination running wild?

To RAW13: The PAF had only four Mirage 50s at any given time armed with AM-39 Exocets. Do you honestly think the PAF will be able to spare more than eight ASM-armed JF-17s for maritime strike?

To PRAV: Why use Su-30MKI or any other combat aircraft to strike against PAF & PN air bases when the BrahMos-1 Block-3 or Nirbhay LACM of the IAF can do this job with ease?

sweet said...

USA, NATO, etc...just have had their asses whooped in Afghanistan

They would have easily won the war long back. it is Pakistan's continual support to terror outfits that has kept them in afghanistan till now.

"asses whooped"?

what term shall we use to Pakistan then? with losses running in billions and thousands of lives lost, with terror infrastructure spreading its wings throughout country-including military,political and educational institutions-shall we term it as "Pakistan got arse fucked"?

no one will fight for you indians

Indians aren't waiting for anyone to fight for them.

means PN and PAF are building the capability to completely block the Oil/Gas supplies from the Gulf region to india and effect supplies from the suez canal. Now imagine 20-40 of these aircrafts with 2 of these anti-ship missiles each + 6 subs, hunting IN ships upto 1000km from Pak coast. Now look at the map, and the width of the gulf. Its a stuff of nightmares for the indian sailor

I hear it helps to see things clearly if one pulls their head out of their arse.

Arpit Kanodia said...

@raw13

Thats the most stubborn and naive reply you ever had.

What you think why the US and A going to left the troops in Afghanistan, for Taliban? LoLz. Or they going to play just chess in there bases in Afghanistan?

And now you asking whats the importance of GB and wakkhan corridor in this area? Thats why I say you need to do research more about this region leave alone Asia.


And on other note, your comment on JF-17 is laughable, the PAF and PN single objective in A2/AD, expecting expeditionary strike on Indian forces in high sea would be fatal and disastrous, leave alone any chance of success.

Use your brain on this.

Arpit Kanodia said...

And BTW, @raw13

Read more about future planning of IN about blockading the Pakistan. You think IN is fool enough to send CBG to as close as 100 Km from coast of Pakistan?

Arpit Kanodia said...

@raw13 Ever you thought why Central Asian Republic not like the Arabian Sea via India?

That would be more beneficial?, in last 60 years Pakistan not able to launch a single railway project in GB and AZK. While the railways in other side of J&K is going to complete by 2020. and extended further by 2025-30.

raw13 said...

sweet,

with your ratio of girl to boys, that's all you guys will be getting ;-). May you have long hours of pleasure!

Arpit Kanodia said...

@ raw13

Lolz, I am sensing you have no argument for now on.

BTW, I need to tell blasphemy and rape laws of Pakistan?

raw13 said...

@Kaku sh,

In Afghanistan, that was/is the reality and I was being gentle. Most of the time NATO, US forces stayed in their bases. Their bases from 2007 onwards were constantly under attack. Never mind the debilitating "green on blue attacks" on US, NATO forces. Even last year Taliban controlled more than 60% of the territory. That is not a sign of success.

@Prasun/Kaku sh, PN are planning to have upto 2 squadrons of their own fighters. That's the beauty of having your own aircraft and ability to customise it as one wishes. Currently No. 8 Squadron Haider is equipped with exocets. Now no one has a fighter squadron with 4-5 aircraft do they?

Just have to look at all the weapons PAF have been investing in the last 10 years, PGM, RAAD, H2, H4 and the new mach 5 CM400AKG, c802/3. All stand-off strike weapons. If you notice I havent mentioned the stike packages for the F-16 which we bought/gifted by uncle sam. PAF doctorine is AD & strike. It is not a defensive force, like it demonstrated in 65 & 71.

LALITH said...

Hello Prasun,

Just have 3 questions for you. Please do answer them.

1.Did Atlas Elektronik sell the IPR for the ACTAS(Active Towed Array Sonar) to DRDO?

2. Indian Navy was also running tenders for 12 units of a new torpedo defence suite. Any progress on that?

3. DRDO had developed the advanced low-frequency towed array sonar (ATLAS). Was it developed with foreign help? If yes, which company helped?

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH: Do the blasphemy laws apply to this: Pakistan tops Google search For porn Materials like camel-humping, donkey-humping, horse-humping & child porn.

Watch these hilarious videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg0H0Q3t4dE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGUZtembm5Y

To RAW13: H-2/H-4 never entered service. And by now you should have appreciated the kind of access I have with China's military-industrial enterprises. Therefore, rest assured that the CM-400AKG is not a Mach 5 ASM. The real figure is mentioned above in the narrative. Nor is there any C-803. There's C-802A, C-802AKG & C-802AKD. The PAF has for years had only a flight of four Mirage-VPs with AM-39s. All AM-39s were retired from service way back in 2006. Any combat aircraft aremed with ASCMs requires special modification to its fire-control system & navigation-and-attack system because it cannot by itself search for maritime targets (given the limited range of the MMR), rather it is entirely dependent on MR/ASW platforms like P-3C for target vectors & cueing. Hence, to 'assume' that each & every JF-17 can carry ASCMs in a plug-and-play mode is physically impossible & technological hogwash, rest assured. Lastly, remember that no one else in Pakistan or elsewhere has the kind of access to Chinese OEMs like CATIC, CPMIEC, ALIT etc etc like I have. That's why jingos like you come here & end up copy-pasting my illustrations/posters in other internet chat forums. And that's also why they were all wrongly spreading false canards like the JF-17 ending up in Sri Lanka, when in reality it is the FC-1 that's destined for Myanmar. So, if you really care about your 'brotherly, hapless Rohingyas', you then ought to lodge a strong protest with China for allowing this sale to proceed. And if you don't, then you will forever be condemned as a steadfast hypocrite.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To LALITH: 1) No. 2) It will be a hard-kill system like the one developed by RAFAEL. 3) No. It weas a local effort.

To RAW13: “GB's value is only to Pakistan and Central Asian states, it will allow almost all CA states to be able to access the arabian sea via the KKH. It also allows China to bypass malacca strait.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trouble is, none of the CARs want to access Arabian Sea through Gwadar or anywhere else in Pakistan, but through Chah Bahr. And has anyone from China ever stated that Beijing wants to bypass the Malacca Strait? I’ve only heard Pakistanis blabbering about it. China’s ain’t so stupid so as to make Gwadar its main logistics hub for trading with the Middle East & Africa. If China did so, it would then play right into the hands of anyone that’s interested in choking off China’s access to raw materials destined for western/central China. In addition, China’s imports of oil & gas from Russia & Kazakhstan starting last month has increased manifold & consequently its dependency on SLOCs transiting the Malacca Strait will decrease dramatically over the coming years. China therefore is eyeing Gwadar as only a trans-shipment hub (just like Colombo in Sri Lanka) that will house bonded warehouses for stockpiling China-made products destined for export to the Middle East & East Africa. I’ve seen ALL the project viability studies conducted by both China & Pakistan since 2001 on both the CPEC & China’s ‘One Road One Belt’ concept & all of them refer to Gwadar as only a trans-shipment & refuelling hub. And since it will be a deep-water port, it will be totally unsuitable for hosting naval warships, since warships require berthing facilities & such facilities cannot be built unless breakwaters are built, & if breakwaters are built, then the port ceases to become a deepsea port.

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

Just read in the twitter a/c of an Indian Express journalist that Italy has launched intl arbitration against India under UNCLOS on Italian marines case.

https://twitter.com/DevirupaM

Regardless of whether the shooting took place in intl water or Indian water fact remains that 2 innocent people were killed by these Marines and the Indian Govt has shown tremendous magnanimity by keeping these marines in the Italian embassy, allowing them to go home for Christmas & New Year and now even allowing one of the marines to go home on medical grounds.

Italy has therefore been very petulant in this matter.

I suspect Italian companies like Finmeccanica might lose a few contracts in India. If time permits please share your views.

Thanks,

Sujoy

Arpit Kanodia said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9QPN6BlSSk

PKS Sir,
Lol, even Najam Sethi not able to grasp, in all years ISI was sleeping when R&AW was funding MQM.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

Seems there is more trouble brewing in the negotiation for Rafale.

IHS Jane is generally a respectable name in defense & they are reporting that all is not well. It states :

French officials had reportedly told their Indian counterparts that their "insistence" on offsets would render the Rafale deal more expensive than the price tentatively agreed upon in Paris in April

Please clear the mist on this.

VMT

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUJOY MAJUMDAR: Justice delayed is justice denied—a reality the Indian criminal justice system always ignores to her own peril. The shooting incident took place in contiguous waters, i.e. outside territorial waters at a distance of 22.3nm away from India’s coastline as per data submitted by the ICGS. Therefore, the Italian vessel should have continued to sail away & no one could have legally stopped it. But the Italian vessel’s Captain was stupid enough to be sweet-talked by the ICGS into entering Indian waters & docking at an Indian port after the shootings. By doing so, the Italian vessel willingly then came under the jurisdiction of Indian law, even though the crime was committed outside India’s territorial jurisdiction. Therefore, the Italian Marines too had to be tried by India’s law & courts. So far so good. But India then started committing a comedy of errors by delaying the court proceedings & shying away from sentencing. Naturally no one will like such a state of affairs. Even the Italian court hearing the case of alleged corruption by Finmeccanica has passed the verdict within 16 months! So why does it take so long in India to reach legal closure? Same’s the case with that fella Abu Jundal who was extradited from Saudi Arabia back in 2012 for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks. Why hasn’t he been sentenced as yet? What about the Samjhauta Express terror bombings? Why can’t judicial proceedings be concluded in a time-bound manner? Does it really take 16 years to declare TN CM jayalalitha guilty of financial impropriety? If this is the way things proceed, then naturally there will be a lot more parties or countries that will continue to question the ways & methods of India’s criminal justice system, not just Italy. Therefore, regardless of what others do, it is in India’s best interests that she sets her own house in order ASAP. That this mess was self-created by the previous UPA-2 govt is now beyond doubt; and the present govt now has no other choice but to clear up this mess in a face-saving manner.

To VIKRAM GUHA: 30% industrial offsets for just 36 Rafales is financially unviable & non-implementable. Therefore, the 30% offsets reqmt can be 'parked & banked' (as decreed by the existing DPP regulations) & not waived or set aside, i.e. held in abeyance until a bigger contract is inked for the larger number of follow-on Rafales to be ordered. The India-based stringer of IHS Jane's is therefore obviously not aware of the finer legal matters that govern contractual negotiations.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH: Najam Sethi was being disingenuous yesterday & therefore wasn’t being objective. The fact remains that the on-going involvement of Pakistan Rangers & PA is due to the ‘clean-up’ ultimatum given by China, which has clearly stated that no nuclear power plants will be built by Beijing, nor will the trans-shipment hub come up in Gwadar unless Karachi is decriminalised. That’s why Pakistan panicked & changed the highway alignments linking Gwadar to the Khunjerab Pass & so now the highways will pass through Punjab & Sindh, & will bypass KPK & Baluchistan where the security of China’s human resources cannot be guaranteed. Secondly, the criminalization of Karachi began right after 9/11 when NATO supplies started using Karachi as the entryport while en route to Afghanistan. That’s when the Pathans, Pakistan’s most successful trucking community, entered Karachi in a big way. To ensure sustainable income-levels, the Pathans made deals with the Afghan & later Pakistani Taliban factions to ensure security of the NATO supply convoys. The Pathans consequently paid an annual sum of some US$140 million per annum to their Pashtun Taliban cousins. This then made the Pathans very affluent in Karachi & as a result, turf wars ensued between them, the Mohajir trading communities & after 2008 the Sindhi communities. This then gave rise to gang-wars. Naturally the MQM had to arm itself in order to protect its interests, just as the PPP’s then state interior minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza issued 200,000 licences for AK-47s to various PPP elites within Sindh. Now that the NATO supply-route no longer exists, the criminals are resorting to land-grabs, drug trafficking & extortion rackets for sustenance.

Reports of the supply of some $2.5 million in 2011 to 2 MQM-owned bank accounts in Dubai from a person with a Hindu name is indicative of Hawala channels being used for sending monetary remittances by India-based relatives of the Pakistani Mohajirs after the devastating floods of 2010 that ravaged Sindh. This therefore cannot be construed as constituting some form of official Indian patronage of MQM. Which then brings us to the Pakistani allegations being parroted by the BBC.

Cont’d below…

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

This is a kind of psychological warfare being waged purely for domestic consumption, since, starting from the previous week, a spate of arrests have been made overseas of several naturalised citizens of Pakistani origin throughout North America & Europe.

Last week there was the sentencing of a few of them in the US, while yesterday, a Pakistani suspected of being involved in the Peshawar market bombing, one of the country’s bloodiest attacks,was arrested in Rome, Italian police said to Reuters. The man, who has been living in Italy, is accused of taking part in an attack on the market in Peshawar in 2009 in which 134 died. He was held at Rome’s Fiumicino airport after stepping off a flight from Pakistan. Anti-terrorist police believe he also hid a “suspected suicide attacker who was supposed to carry out an attack” in Italy. Earlier in April, Italian police said they were staging a “vast anti-terrorism” operation against an armed organisation inspired by Al Qaeda whose members were ready to carry out attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A series of raids across the country was targetitng 18 people, they said. Some had been arrested in Italy, including the group’s suspected spiritual leader, but others were believed to have left the country. The group had “an abundant amount of weapons and numerous faithful willing to carry out acts of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan before returning to Italy. All the suspects are Pakistanis or Afghans, anti-terrorism police official Mario Carta told Reuters, adding that the operation was still in progress. Some of the men arrested or being sought are also suspected of involvement in the October 2009 bombing of the Meena Bazaar in Peshawar, which left more than 100 dead and over 200 people injured. According to the Wall Street Journal, the group was in touch with the Taliban movement and top Al Qaeda figures in Pakistan.

Here’s an interesting news-analysis aired last night on this issue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdXjb9azIsw&hd=1

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To PAWAN: These are interesting:

Officials of the Pakistan Navy informed the Islamabad High Court on June 24, 2015 that a missing naval official was in their custody but charges against him could not be disclosed in open court. A PN officer also disclosed that court-martial proceedings against the suspect would commence soon. The revelation was made by Commander Zafarullah during the hearing of the petition of a naval official’s wife alleging that her husband has been in Naval Intelligence’s custody since last September. Safia Ismail claimed that her husband, Sub Lt Hafiz Ehsanullah Sajjad, was in the custody of naval authorities without any charges levelled against him. She said Sajjad was taken away from his residence in Karachi by ‘some people in plain clothes’ on the evening of September 6, 2014. When the case was taken up, the navy commander requested the court to hear the case in chamber due to the matter’s sensitivity. The single bench comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accepted the request and heard the official in person in his chamber. Meanwhile, the court declined plea of the petitioner’s counsel Inamul Rahiem requesting to be present inside the chamber. Following the hearing inside the chamber, the court resumed proceedings in open court and directed the navy officials to arrange a meeting between Sajjad and his family within a week. Subsequently, the court disposed of the petition. In her petition, the ‘missing’ officer’s wife had cited Federation of Pakistan through Secretary Defence, Chief of Naval Staff and Director General Naval Intelligence as respondents. Safia’s counsel had maintained the respondents have allegedly detained his client’s husband without lawful justification, adding not allowing family members to meet him was a violation of fundamental rights. In the petition, the counsel said Sajjad had sought permission to resign from service in July 2014 for personal reasons, adding his request remained under process before he was picked up. Interestingly, on the same day—September 6, 2014—as Sajjad’s disappearance, terrorists had attacked the Pakistan Navy dockyard in Karachi with alleged inside help. Following the incident, details of which are still murky, several naval officials were reportedly held for their alleged involvement. The counsel had contended in the petition that under Rule 44(5) of Naval Ordinance 1961, no person shall be held in close arrest for more than 90 consecutive days without a court martial being convened. He continued that under section 90 (3) of the ordinance, if a person is detained and remained in the custody for more than eight days without brought before a trial, a special report giving reasons for delay shall be made by his commanding officer to Chief of Naval Staff and similar report shall be forwarded after every eight days until a court martial is assembled or such person is released from the custody. He had added that the detention of petitioner’s husband is clear violation of articles 4, 9, 10, 10-A and 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Therefore, the petitioner’s counsel had prayed that the prolonged detention of the petitioner’s husband and the manner of the detention be declared illegal and in contravention of the naval ordinance if naval authorities failed to justify the legality of such a prolonged detention.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

On March 23, 2015, a Hindu soldier of the Pakistan Army, Ashok Kumar, who laid down his life fighting in Waziristan in 2013, was awarded the Tamgha-i-Shujaat. But surprisingly, his name was suffixed with “late” and not “Shaheed” (martyr) as used for Muslim soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Did Kumar not die for love of country? He is perhaps the only Hindu who has sacrificed his life in the Pakistan Army. Hindus were not allowed to join the armed forces until before 2000, and they were only welcomed in the national military during the reign of Pervez Musharraf. This is in contrast with the country’s Christian community whose members have been serving in the army for much longer—with many on senior postings. At the same time, Pakistani Hindus are discouraged from serving in the country’s secret agencies—to the best of my knowledge—whereas India’s Intelligence Bureau was headed by Syed Asif Ibrahim, a Muslim, for two years.
http://qz.com/435699/i-am-a-hindu-and-a-proud-pakistani/

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2v2oln_video-of-mna-lal-malhi-speech_news#from=embediframe

More analysis of OP Zarb-e-Azb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJo1gA_KX7s

Excellent analysis of Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL_eGkLdFG0

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

And finally, here's the statement of an MQM official given to the UK's Metropolitan Police in 2012, in which there are statements made about the MQM receiving funds from unknown sources, Indian or otherwise, & that too in the early 1990s. Like I said before, folks in Islamabad are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Here's the video on which the BBC report was based:

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

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,
Thanks for sharing fascinating details about Naval dockyard case & fate of Hindu soldier. There can be no doubt that the way hindus are cursed in pakistani talk shows, Hindus have no respect and life in Pakistan. Still God will grace Shaheed Ashok with heaven for he paid for his motherland with his blood.

1. From the name it looks as if arrested naval officer was shia, is it true and if yes why would he support TTP/Al-Qaida etc.

2. You may make fun but other conspiracy that coming to my mind is- There is something going on between India & UK behind the curtain as well. It may regarding Af policy or UK & Pakistan because lot of news against each other are circulating here and there. Perhaps UK want to go with China on CPEC?

3. Please elaborate if possible on scenario where India has to intervene in PoK. what will be China response? as it not the china of 1971, now it has economic muscle.

Regards,

Pawan

KH said...

Off topic, but finally good to see some serious actions on cleanliness.. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/In-a-first-109-sent-to-jail-for-urinating-in-public/articleshow/47835125.cms

Regards,
Hary

Jon said...

Interesting read:

http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-americans-a-guide-for-foreign-officials/?singlepage=1

Pawan said...

Dear Prasunji,

A point related to my above query- Bruce Riedel in ET article has recommended to fight china by doing investment in Pakistan rather than objecting to CPEC(which has termed as ineffectual). Is it really ineffectual?

Thanks

Pintu said...

Prasun Da, thanks for sharing with us the fact was yet unknown the plight of the minority community in Pakistan, and the timely needed insight about the FC-1 deal. However, I request you to share your views about China's continuous blocking of India's move seeking UN action against Pakistani Terrorists, recent the case was of Lakhvi ?

Ankur said...

Prasun Da,

Deja vu (a la Khobragade):

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-high-commissioner-to-leave-New-Zaland-after-wife-accused-of-assault/articleshow/47839609.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=TOI

Arpit Kanodia said...

Thanks PKS Sir for your detailed reply.

http://www.vifindia.org/article/2015/june/26/bbc-s-fantasy-on-india-mqm-nexus

Lolz, seems like VIF going blitz on BBC.

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

Here is the actual CPEC route maps:

http://defence.pk/threads/genuine-map-of-cpec.372891/

http://tribune.com.pk/story/894068/apc-consensus-parties-settle-on-corridor-route/

"ISLAMABAD: After weeks of haggling and sloganeering, all political parties reached a consensus on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on Thursday once the government offered to first construct the western route of the multibillion infrastructure project. "

Budget allocations for the western route:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-37891-Rs203-bn-for-CPEC-western-route-projects

http://tribune.com.pk/story/895940/budget-2015-16-12-of-approved-funds-goes-to-cpecs-western-alignment/

-------------

Tell me how the goods will get to Chabhar port from CA states? Will Iran still allow india to build it? Who will pay for it, who will own it and who will guard it? Do you think China will use it, after all its the biggest CA economy? Will China feel confident that in difficult times they will still be allowed to use it?

as regards to your knowledge on Pakistan and Pak-China relations, you may have come across this say of Demosthenes:

"Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true."

raw13 said...

Any one can serve in Pak forces, just look at the names of our deceased in wars from 1948 to now. Infact Pak forces do not take into account the religion/sect of the person. Before they put up the memorial, they will always ask the families what to write. If a non-muslim family feels comfortable, it is an honour for us to put the word shaheed in front of their name, because that is what they are. If we had put shaheed in front of his name, likes of you would have said, look they dis-honour us by making a dead hindu into a muslim.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

Prasun Da,

Germany is saying that it has a great chance of winning the P75I contract because the Germans are promising a no-hold barred transfer of technology

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/germany-hopeful-of-bagging-indian-navys-rs-50000-crore-submarine-project/articleshow/47833234.cms

Do the Germans really have a chance to win the P 75I contract or is this just bluster?

Many Thanx

Unknown said...

Prasun sir,
I am baffled by the logic of Pakistanis.
They are hell bent on proving that members of their own parliament who were in power in the ruling alliance with first Musharraf and then PPP from 2002 and 2013 are terrorists. Not just terrorists but also agents of Indian spy agencie R&AW.What they are in effect saying is that Pakistani citizens vote in elections for terrorist R&AW agents repeatedly.Also they are therefore themselves confessing that their political and military establishments ie Musharraf and PPP were in alliance with the terrorist organizations hence proving beyond doubt that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism coz you cant be in alliance with someone for more than a decade and still not know their background(in 2006 itself canada's Federal Court had declared MQM a terrorist organization). Whats more bizarre is that they say India is funding them which means india wields influence over Pakistan army and Pakistan parliament. And even after all this i doubt if they will ban MQM so now knowingly an inspite of their own findings they will still allow MQM to not only keep functioning but to also fight elections.that in itself says a lot about Pakistan as a Nation.

Rajesh Mishra said...

When you first wrote about the Augusta Westland AW-101 VVIP transportation helicopters, it might by many would have been considered as a wild guesswork. However it soon turned out to be a stark reality. I also hope that now Modiji and his officials soon find the proper time to duly charge the faulty politicians and authorities involved therein along with the concerned yellow journalists. The sooner the better.



Arpit Kanodia said...

PKS Sir,

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/kanpur-boy-clicks-pictures-of-a-perfect-ufo/
http://images.indianexpress.com/2015/06/kanpur-ufo.jpg

This is rising with each passing year. But maybe this pic is fake, in age of smartphone, who click pic instead of video.

Kaustav Bhattacharya said...

@ raw13 A small clarification regarding usage of word shaheed ....
The word Shaheed in the Indian context does not mean a Muslim Martyr....It simply signifies a Martyr for a patriotic cause or death in the line of duty while fighting for your own forces and nation against opposition such as invaders, terrorists, natural calamities, disasters etc..Examples abound....Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Raj Guru, War Heroes
Shaheed Major Somnath Sharma, Shaheed Joginder Si gh Sahnan, Shaheed Abdul Hamid, Shaheed Arun Khetarpal, Shaheed Albert Ekka, Shaheed Capt.Vikram Batra, and many many thousands of others irrespective of religion and ofcourse the movie SHAHEED (1948) & (1965) with the hit songs by Raja Haider Ali, Qamar Jalalabadi.."Watan ki raah me watan ke naujawan SHAHEED ho" and "ae mere watan ke logon jara yaad karo qurbani....jo SHAHEED hue hai..sung bu Md.Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.....Secularism and SHAAHDAT martyrdom in your face

Kaustav Bhattacharya said...

I obviously therefore do not underztand how the usage of the word SHAHEED would turn somebody Muslim

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To KAKU SH & BUDDHA: For your weekend viewing pleasure:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2vp9pg_hangar-1-the-ufo-files-s02e12-ufo-superpowers-hdtv_shortfilms

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To Kaustav Bhattacharya: RAW13 is neither a Muslim nor a Pakistani. He's simply masquerading as one. Hence his futile effort to label the term 'Shaheed' as Muslim. That also explains his abject ignorance of what's transpiring inside Pakistan. Therefore, his sources of information are the blogs of his self-embraced guru Messrs M K Bhadrakumar, & nothing beyond that.

To PAWAN & RAJESH MISHRA: Looks like even the Chinese will soon get pissed with Pakistan due to the latter's inability to deliver the Taliban to the negotiating table:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLkBo4NF1Lo

Now, read this & have a good laugh!:

http://www.awaztoday.tv/News_Feeling-the-heat-Taliban-threatens-K-Electric-against-power-outages_1_58442_Political-News.aspx

Ram Bharadwaj said...

Did the Yuan Class Sub of PLAN reach karachi directly from China without any re-fueling?? What is the endurance of the Type 039?

rad said...

hi prasun
how was the modernization of the sindhukirti achieved without russian help?.

raw13 said...

@Prasun,

Comments by Bjorn Fehrm:

http://leehamnews.com/2015/06/26/bjorns-corner-what-paris-air-show-taught-us-about-east-and-west/#more-16408

"As a former fighter pilot and developer of fighters (the Gripen), I discussed the Chinese-Pakistani JF17 Thunder at length with the pilots that flew the demonstrations. I was surprised by how good the aircraft flew and the level of its systems. They are not far behind the fourth generations fighters that the West has."

RD said...

Prasunda,
The recent docking of Chinese submarines in Sri Lanka & Pakistan surely made matters worse for the Indian navy. Now reports are coming that Thailand might also order some Chinese subs.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/how-did-china-just-win-thailands-new-submarine-bid/

So very soon we can see multiple 'Chinese subs' operating in IOR including that of Pakistan,Bangladesh,Thailand & of course of PLA navy. Will it be hard to distinguish between them on patrol.

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

Please read this story and let us know your views.

The Saudis are now pumping thousands of crores of rupees into INDIA to fuel not just Hindu Muslim riots but also Sunni- Shia riots.

http://www.oneindia.com/india/wikileaks-how-saudi-funded-rs-1-700-crore-wahabi-influence-india-1787820.html

Siddharth said...

Prasun da,

Seems our Arjun Tank found praise outside India

http://idrw.org/chinese-military-research-academy-praises-indias-arjun-tank/

Ved said...

Python 5, Derby will be flight tested on Tejas next month as per IDRW.

Radome and refueling probe still pending from Cobham.

Dear Prasun how much will the quartz radome enhance the performance of FCR?

Parthasarathi said...

Prasunji,

You are absolutely correct !!


http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150629000073&cid=1101

regards

Anonymous said...

Hi Prasun,

According to this guy, the Scotland Yard has handed proof to Pakistan that India funded MQM, and Pakistan is going to take it to the UN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCMHrm1DAd0


Best Regards
Raj

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAJ: It's all here:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/british-police-documents-raw-met-mqm-in-europe-in-the-90s-gave-money/99/

Here are the facts:

1) The document wasn't from Scotland Yard or the London Metropolitan Police, but was obtained from the MQM itself by the Govt of Pakistan in 2012 & this was then leaked to the BBC, hoping that this will kick off a diplomatic storm in the UN. But this is doomed to fail because of the several factual errors in the statement to the Met Police. For instance, the MQM was formally born in 1982 & sometime in the 1980s itself Altaf Hussain visited India & openly declared that the partition of India was a wrong idea. Therefore, for a senior MQM leader to state that the MQM was formed in 1994 is factually wrong.

2) The statement to the Met Police is a confessional statement. It does not prove anything beyond reasonable doubt--a prime requirement for the jury to deliver a firm verdict in the UK.

3) There's absolutely no reason for anyone from R & AW to meet in different locations outside the UK because during official public functions (like the Republic Day & Independence Day receptions) hosted by the Indian High Commission in London, public figures, even those hailing from Pakistan but residing in London, are always invited. Therefore, if there's a need for chit-chat, why waste money by visiting other European or South American locations? Hell! Such meetings can transpire in even any public park!

4) Money was received by the MQM reportedly from a Dubai-based entity called Jasmine Valley General Trading LLC, which is owned by a NRI Indian. This does not translate into money being pumped by R & AW. For all you know, it may be just a Hawala/Hundi transaction.

4) The late Benazir Bhutto in an article in Harvard Business Review published in 1996 had alleged that India was training MQM workers in the usage of weapons with a view to provoke the secession of a Sindhu Desh out of Pakistan. God knows why she would make such an allegation (maybe she too believed that the Holy Prophet’s prophecy about India going to the assistance of Sindh sometime in the future). The Met Police, on MI-6’s advice, therefore asked the question about India’s intentions regarding Sindh.

4) Folks in Pakistan are getting mixed up with two different issues. The alleged meetings with R & AW took place in the early 1990s. And the list of to-be-procured weapons was recovered from a senior MQM official’s house in the UK in 2011. At that time, I don’t think the Rupee-US$ exchange rate was Rs.62 to the US$. This piece of paper (as shown in your YouTube video-link), therefore, is obviously a fake. Therefore, if Messrs Pakistan & Maleeha Lodhi want to take this to the UN, then they are either thoroughbred morons, or are profoundly constipated.

Unknown said...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/chinas-pok-investment-not-recognition-of-pakistans-sovereignty/articleshow/47869537.cms

Very interesting statement. So why then are they objecting to ADB loans and Japanese investments in Arunachal.The Japanese can turn around and say the same in Arunachal context.
What are your views on this Prasun sir?

saurav jha said...

Hi Prasun,

It seems Pakistan is planning to raise India's interference in Pakistan ( which in my limited view has potential to boomerang on them ). Will India counter attack ..?

Also NDS-ISI MOU seems to have already run into trouble. Najam Sethi clearly mentioned this in his program. What effect do you think this will have over Afghan-China and China-Pakistan relationship..?

Rajesh Mishra said...

Let us be sure, we are not going to divide Pakistan666 with China or with anyone else.

Arpit Kanodia said...

@saurav jha Why we need to counter-attack, when no one in the world taking this shit?

On the other note, I had too much respect for Najam Sethi, but seems like he getting conspiracy theories from his "chidiyas". On the other note, I find no senior anchor in Pakistan who question Pakistan Army and ISI. Why they were sleeping when RA&W and DIA funding the MQM and training them in north-east of India. Not a single one asked what is the relation between NDS and DIA of India.

Maybe RA&W surpassed the level of Mossad and CIA, and we are invisible. Next thing we do drone strikes on LeT headquarters. Maybe drone strike from India become proof in UN. LoLz.

bhoutik said...

* https://medium.com/war-is-boring/test-pilot-admits-the-f-35-can-t-dogfight-cdb9d11a875

how would you rate the F-35? are the frequent criticisms justified?

* does the IN have LIDAR, acoustic sigint and radiation detection capabilities on any of it's platforms? if not - are they under development and when might they be deployed?

bhoutik said...

* are the frequent criticisms of the F35 justified (especially when its claimed that it is not good enough and will be outmatched)? found a recent piece here -

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/test-pilot-admits-the-f-35-can-t-dogfight-cdb9d11a875

* does the IN have LIDAR, acoustic sigint and radiation detection (from reactors of subs) capabilities on any of it's platforms? if not - are they under development? whats the progress so far, and when might they show up?

*http://www.matthewaid.com/post/56986438191/indias-satellite-sigint-intercept-station-at

in the last para from the link above, the author wonders if the site is a NSA satcom intercept station mentioned in snowden's leaks. the station in question - is it operated with India's knowledge/collaboration, or covertly?

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