Saturday, January 26, 2019

End Of A Sordid Chapter, While A New Positive Chapter Begins


On January 25, 2019, when India and South Africa on formally agreed on a three-year programme to boost their two-decade-old strategic partnership in key areas such as trade, defence, maritime security and information technology (the “strategic programme of cooperation” was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in Delhi), it was indicative of formally ending a sordid and highly embarrassing fiasco, for which India’s UPA-1 government is the sole party to be blamed. Due credit for achieving such a success must also be given to the relentless and inexhaustible behind-the-scenes efforts of Ms. Ruchira Kamboj, High Commissioner for India to South Africa & Lesotho.
The needless fiasco was the creation of rival, offshore-based weapons import/export lobbies that was entirely successful for derailing for the next 13 years the growing India-South Africa cooperation in the arenas of military-technical and military-industrial cooperation that formally began in late 1995 when South Africa’s DENEL Group began cooperating with the Indian MoD-owned Combat Vehicles R & D Establishment for co-developing the ‘Bhim’ 155mm/52-cal tracked self-propelled howitzer (for which the CVRDE supplied the hull of the Arjun Mk.1 MBT while DENEL supplied and integrated the T-6 howitzer turret for/with the hull).
Fast-forward to June 1999, when against a requirement projected by the IA, the MoD concluded a contract with the NASCHEM subsidiary of DENEL in January 2000 for 7,300 rounds of 155mm illuminating rounds at a total cost of $11.98 million (Rs.52.47 crore). Subsequent audit scrutiny by the CAG revealed that:
(A) At the time of the induction of the 155mm/39-cal Bofors FH-77B towed howitzers in 1986, illuminating ammunition of only 18km range had been procured from Bofors. The requirement was changed in 1997 to 24km-range, which was then available only with NASCHEM, making it a single vendor situation.
(B) As against the rate of $1,440 per round inclusive of transfer of technology (ToT) for licenced-assembly by the MoD-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which had been contracted for by the MoD with the NASCHEM subsidiary of DENEL in 1997, the MoD contracted a rate of $1,641 in January 2000 (without ToT). The escalation of 14% over two years in US$ terms with no ToT rights appeared high and partly attributable to the weak negotiating position because of a single vendor situation.

(C) In the follow-up to the ToT contracted for in 1997, the OFB had taken steps to create industrial facilities for licenced-manufacture of the 24km-range illuminating rounds and reported in August 2000 that it could start production by December 2000. However, no orders were placed.

(D) Although the requirement was projected in June 1999, the contract was concluded only in January 2000, with the deliveries commencing only in May 2000.
Against a requirement projected by the IA mid-June 1999 for OP Vijay, a contract was concluded with Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) in October 1999 for 67,000 electronic fuzes for 155mm artillery rounds and 400 fuze-setters at a total cost of Rs.81.59 crore. The fuzes were to be imported/assembled from components imported from the REUTECH subsidiary of DENEL. Approval of the Defence Secretary was obtained based on the technical offer of ECIL, which indicated that the fuzes would not be of a vintage earlier than 1994. As per the contract, the delivery was to begin in October 1999. After failing to adhere to this time schedule, ECIL made a request in November 1999 for the supply of one category of fuzes (M-8513) of 1989 to 1992 vintage being held by the South African Army as against the 1994 vintage indicated in the technical offer. The approval was communicated by ECIL to REUTECH in May 2000. Subsequent audit scrutiny revealed the following:
(A) The technical offer from the ECIL/REUTECH team had indicated that the M-8513 fuzes would have a minimum shelf-life of 10 years without deterioration when stored under controlled “arsenal magazine storage condition” i.e. 21 +/- 2 degree Celsius and relative humidity not greater than 60% and six months when stored in open terrain. However, based on the submissions made by ECIL during negotiations, the contract indicated a shelf life of 15 years. Therefore, in terms of the technical offer, the 6,118 fuzes of 1989 and 1990 vintage proposed in November 1999 to be supplied had completed their shelf-life and the balance 8,882 fuzes would be completing their shelf-life within the next two years.

(B) In fact, even before the MoD had accorded the approval to the proposal, the ECIL/REUTECH team had supplied 15,000 fuzes of 1989-1990 vintage in December 1999 and 95% of the contracted amount for these fuzes (Rs.17.27 crore) was paid to the team. The MoD was only able to withhold the balance 5% and negotiate it as a discount.

(C) The interest of the MoD was sought to be protected by obtaining a corporate bank guarantee worded in very general terms stipulating that the ECIL/REUTECH team would undertake to perform its obligations under the contract. No signed corporate guarantee was, however, available in the records of the MoD furnished to the CAG for auditing in April 2001. In this context, is is pertinent to note that ECIL is a company wholly owned by the Government of India and the final obligation would ultimately vest with the Govt of India itself.
(D) While the original approval was accorded by the Defence Secretary, being the competent financial authority, the decision for accepting fuzes worth Rs.17.27 crore of such vintage was taken by the Joint Secretary himself. In any case, the first lot of fuzes of the old vintage came only towards the end of December 1999. But since OP Vijay was over by August 1999, this merely resulted in transfer of old fuzes from the stockpiles of the South African Army to the IA at a cost of Rs.17.27 crore to the Consolidated Fund of India.
The MoD concluded a contract in July 1999 with the Mechem subsidiary of DENEL Denel for the supply of 100 NTW-20 Anti Material Rifles (AMR) and 1 lakh rounds of ammunition (14.5mm and 20mm) at a total cost of US$5.4 million (Rs.23.22 crore). Even though the AMR fell short of the range specified in the GSQR by 24% and there was no assurance regarding performance of the 20mm ammunition (which had only been designed for altitudes up to 6,500 feet ASL), the AMR and its ammunition were selected in view of the then-prevailing operational urgency (due to OP Vijay). The AMRs also did not have a carrying handle, open telescopic day sight and a compatible night-sight, which were recommended for inclusion in the contract by Indian Army (IA) Headquarters. Subsequent audit scrutiny by India’s Comptroller & Auditor-General (CAG) revealed that acceptance of the equipment could not serve the operational requirements of OP Vijay as the delivery of the first six AMRs scheduled within 15 days of the signing of the contract actually came only in December 1999, several months. Another 35 AMRs with 1 lakh rounds of ammunitions came only in March/May 2000. The balance came later. Audit scrutiny further revealed that the modifications pertaining to night-sight and carrying handle were never made in the contract. Inspection of the AMRs in June 2000 revealed that they had been supplied without the telescopic open sight and that the conversion kit for the 14.5mm barrel lacked accuracy. The AMRs were, therefore, not cleared for issue. The MoD stated in August 2001 that IA HQ had informed it that the Directorate General for Quality Assurance (DGQA) had cleared the NTW-20s for service-induction in November 2000.
Against an urgent requirement projected by the IA on June 17, 1999) for 155mm red-phosphorous rounds to gain the advantage of incendiary effects in addition to smokescreen-laying during OP Vijay, a contract was concluded in August 1999 with NASCHEM for 9,000 rounds at a total cost of $12.69 million (Rs.55.1 crore). A technical delegation of the MoD and IA had visited South Africa in June/July 1999 and cleared NASCHEM as a single vendor. The contract also envisaged free ToT to be finalised with the OFB. Even though the ammunition was projected as required for OP Vijay, the contract concluded on August 20, 1999 stipulated the delivery of the first 1,200 rounds only four months after the export licence was obtained by Pretoria, and the balance from six to nine months. However, the first lot of 1,200 rounds were received at the Central Ammunition Depot at Pulgaon only in June 2000, 10 months after OP Vijay was over and the inspections had not been completed as of October 2000. The MoD intimated that the delay was caused primarily due to problems in getting chartered ships through the Ministry of Surface Transport for the consignments. CAG audit scrutiny revealed that this issue had been raised by NASCHEM during negotiations in July 1999 and steps could, therefore, have been taken by the MoD in advance to arrange emergency transportation of at least the first consignment. Alternatively, the problem in shipping should have been considered before deciding to source this ammunition, which was required urgently.
On November 29, 2001 the SOMCHEM subsidiary of DENEL was contracted to supply the OFB with a complete ToT package worth Rs.2,160 crore for setting up an industrial facility by November 2005 at Nalanda in Bihar’s Rajgir district for licence-producing 800.000 bi-modular charges (BMCS) per annum. However, the MoD in April 2005 blacklisted the entire DENEL Group after unsubstantiated allegations that it had paid kickbacks to Vara Associates, a company based in the Isle of Man, to help secure five contracts from India between July 1999 and April 2005, to supply the IA with 1,000 NTW-20 AMRs and more than 300,000 rounds of ammunition. No irregularities were found during subsequent investigations in South Africa, the Isle of Man, Switzerland, India and the UK. By the time DENEL was blacklisted by the MoD for no discernable reason, SOMCHEM had already passed on the industrial know-how to OFB for producing the BMCS modules, while 400 NTW-20s had been delivered by MECHEM. The contracts with India involved the supply of 700 NTW-20s off-the-shelf, plus knock-down kits for another 300 NTW-20s (for licenced-assembly by the OFB’s Trichy-based factory) and 398,000 rounds of ammunition.
The OFB Trichy-assembled NTW-20s are now known as the Vidhwansak multi-calibre AMR and contrary to widespread rumours, they have not been indigenised. The same goes for the Mk.1 AGLs supplied by MILKOR of South Africa, which were licence-assembled by OFB Trichy, while their 40mm grenade rounds are still being supplied in kit-form to a dehra Dun-based private company for final assembly.
Meanwhile, in order to replace SOMCHEM, Israeli Military Industries (IMI) was contracted in March 2009 to partner with OFB Nalanda for a Rs.1,200-crore project for producing the BMCS modules. In addition, IMI was contracted to partner with the OFB’s It is also in a joint venture with the OFB’s factory at Khamaria in Madhya Pradesh to make 155mm cargo ammunition (howitzer-delivered cluster munitions designed to maim hostile infantry forces. However, IMI too got blacklisted by the MoD in 2011, following which the OFB’s Nalanda-based factory is now scheduled for commissioning only in March 2019, when series-production of the BMCS modules (whose industrial know-how from SOMCHEM has since been mastered by the DRDO’s HEMRL) will commence.
The MoD announced on September 6, 2018 that it had formally terminated the blacklisting of the DENEL Group after the MoD and the “South African side” signed a “final settlement agreement” on July 19, 2018 following a South African delegation’s visit to India between July 16 and 19 July of the BRICS Summit. In a statement the MoD said that its decision 13 years after it had blacklisted DENEL came after inking a ‘Settlement Agreement’ under which DENEL waived off nearly $100 million that it would have been entitled to after arbitration proceedings following DENEL’s blacklisting. So now, in the words of President Ramaphosa, DENEL is now looking at a “result-oriented” partnership with India. It may be recalled that the strategic partnership between India and South Africa was established in March 1997. DENEL is thus now well-positioned to bag the contract for military-industrial cooperation with the OFB’s Khamaria-based factory for producing 155mm cargo rounds. In contrast, Pakistan Ordnance Factories had in 2014 teamed up with France’s Nexter Systems for licence-producing such rounds, while NORINCO of China began producing such rounds earlier this decade. To date, the OFB has succeeded ion producing only the following types of 155mm rounds:

Yet another lesser-known fact is that the SaabTech-supplied AMLCD-based display processors, radar warning receivers, laser warning receivers and missile approach warning systems found on-board the Dhruv WSI/Rudra and the Light Combat helicopter are in fact originally developed and built in South Africa by AVITRONICS, which is now a subsidiary of Saab. These very sensors are also on board the Su-30MKMs of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, while the AVITRONICS-developed-and-built laser warning receiver is part of TATA Power SED’s offer to install them on the IA’s T-90S MBTs as parts of Saab’s LEDS-150 active protection suite.
In addition, the health-and-usage monitoring suite (HUMS) on board the Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI H-MRCAs and Hawk Mk.132 AJTs too are sourced from South Africa. For further details about them, read this:
http://trishulgroup.blogspot.com/2009/05/hums-for-su-30mki.html

135 comments:

  1. This is an excellent step taken by the GOI.

    ReplyDelete
  2. https://m.timesofindia.com/world/middle-east/experts-images-suggest-a-saudi-ballistic-missile-program/articleshow/67700085.cms
    Sir your opinion... What's going on and what is the big picture....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prasun da, please watch my amature video on How Brahmos Works
    https://youtu.be/cNFENdiPAgI

    ReplyDelete
  4. sir

    what you think about this?
    https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/us-taliban-talks%E2%80%99-details-revealed

    There is any chance of complete US withdrawal? Or just like high hopes like during Quad talks?

    ReplyDelete
  5. To BUDDHA: It means that facility is a final-assembly/integration facility for solid-fuelled IRBMs.

    To BUDDHA & KAUSTAV: Do watch this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3cI7imb834

    According to this presentation, the ‘Aryans’ hailed from Aldebaran, also designated α Tauri, a red giant star located about 65 light-years from the Sun in the zodiac constellation Taurus. In Hindu astronomy it is identified as the lunar mansion Rohini ("the red one") and as one of the 27 daughters of Daksha and the wife of Chandra (Moon).

    https://www.ramblers.org.uk/~/media/Images/Blogs/Main%20images/Tauruslow.png?la=en

    https://www.gaia.com/article/maria-orsic-vril-ufos-nazi-germany-secrets

    According to the Austrian/German mediums, the ‘Aryans’ communicated via a language that was strange for these mediums & they were then ‘instructed’ to head for Tibet to study & learn this strange language, which seems to be Sanskrit. These ‘Aryans’ reportedly had light blue skin colour.

    Also, this is for your weekend viewing: Tales from Skinwalker Ranch:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31a3DGLiB48
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjaQXQg0dtI

    To ARPIT KANODIA: This will help you with some of the answer that you seek:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06QUcHcBqZk

    This too is very interesting:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNK2u2lAIr0

    The 3 hydroelectric power projects now being built inside PoK (at Karot, Mahal & Diamer) are displacing tens of thousands of the local Kashmiri natives without the promised financial compensations. This has the potential to generate a flow of refugees in very large numbers across the LoC from PoK to J & K. And this opportunity could we be used in future for serving as good-enough reason for India to engage in humanitarian intervention via military means in norder to stop this humanitarian disaster. Here’s more on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9SdrwJ-qHU

    To KAUSTAV: The annual globally televised shameful spectacle, i.e. four different political office-holders giving four different types of salutes, when omly the President of India is authorised to give & receive salutes:

    http://pibcms.nic.in/WriteReadData/Gallery/PhotoGallery/2019/Jan/H2019012662368.JPG

    http://pibcms.nic.in/WriteReadData/Gallery/PhotoGallery/2019/Jan/H2019012662354.JPG

    And a glimpse of how unprofessionally the PAC’s reports are drafted:

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dxg8I9UXQAATYw2.jpg

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  6. Sir, RAF Tornados are getting retired due to lack of funds. Would IAF be interested in having them ?

    ReplyDelete
  7. to sudhipa pathak

    good effort , the proportions of the missiles pic are good .If you can show an animation of the ramjet it would be clearer.

    I have a request . pse try to depict a Barak 8 missile configured as an air to air missile with mid body wings may be like the astra or the mica series of missiles .
    In the real world it would be an unbeatable long range air to air missile with and aesa radar homer.
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. What is the status of AMCA project in your knowledge?
    As according to wikipedia page of AMCA showing the this status given below,
    "In January 2019, two technology demonstrator and four prototype are scheduled to go under various type of testing, analysis and development during testing phase".

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  9. This has the potential to generate a flow of refugees in very large numbers across the LoC from PoK to J & K.
    is crossing that easy?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sir where do you think the PTM movement is heading? They are carrying out massive rallies in Pakistan and PA has abducted many of their activists. Media blackout clearly shows that PA is terrified. Pakistani journalist in exile Taha Siddique has recenty written that it is heading towards another Bangladesh like scenario. And will the people of POK ever rise up like this?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the link, sir.

    1) How does the Indian navy Humsa NG sonar compare with global peers?
    Is it in the same generation?

    2) Is EW warfare suites on Indian navy good enough to repel AShM from pak and China?

    3) How do our naval EW suites compare with the likes of Nettuno 4100 on the FREMM?

    4) With the excellent EW suites of the Type 055 destroyer China possesses, how much does it degrade the lethality of our brahmos and Klub missiles? Do you foresee a need to upgrade our seekers on the missiles?

    5) You had written a piece on EW suites of Indian navy surface vessels way back in 2008, can you please share any info on any developments and additions since?

    6) Apart from ship based helicopter, what others assets our navy has, can be used for over the horizon targeting of brahmos anti ship cruise missile?

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  12. 7) Forgot to add this question sir - the website of BEL lists a naval missile defence radar, an active phased array radar.
    I couldnt find any info on it elsewhere. Can you please throw some light on it. Is it indigenous or license built? Also what ship is it for?

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  13. so according to you
    "
    To KAUSTAV: The annual globally televised shameful spectacle, i.e. four different political office-holders giving four different types of salutes,"

    what type of salute do you suggest over others and why?
    pls educate us one last time.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Prasunda,

    1) Why is Saudi acquiring such an assembly facility for IRBMs (which appear to be of Chinese design) if it has Agni III's supplied by GoI as you have said earlier?

    2) Is'nt it more likely that Saudi IRBMs are from PRC?

    Satyaki

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  15. To PANIC: The RAF Tornados are getting more expensive to maintain because their spares support is getting more difficult, since the spares production was terminated in the previous decade. Hence, no one will find it worthwhile to buy such aircraft.

    To RAY: Well, Wikipedia is usual is terribly off-the-mark & has not recorded the latest developments, which are: the AMCA, unknown to many, has already been tested with an ‘Alladin’s Jaadui Chiraag’ on board that gives the AMCA a cloak of total invisibility whenever reqd, while when it is wrapped in Alladin’s ‘Magic Carpet’, the AMCA can attain 180-degree instantaneous turn-rates & 90-degree sustained turn-rates. And an on-board ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ has been developed by a Gorakhpur-based Raam-bhakt for use as a reusable ‘smart’ projectile for tearing into half all hostile MRCAs that it will encounter. The Patent for this weapon has been applied for, following which the design-related IPR data will be released to the DRDO for devising its industrial production processes. So, due to these spectacular breakthroughs, the GoI had decided against importing any more Rafales or single-engined MRCAs & has also summarily terminated the R & D projects of the Tejas Mk.1A & LCA-AF Mk.2, wih the money being saved now being sanctioned for series-production of the very-much desi AMCA, which is now the world’s envy.

    To MURTHY: Crossing the LoC is very easy for those who genuinely wish to escape coercive regimes & enforced deprivation, while it is always most difficult for those who have ulterior motives in mind.

    To PRATAP: It indeed is, but for due to the PTM movement, but because of 1) what’s hoing on inside PoK & 2) the PA’s directive to the Supreme Court to revisit the 18th Amendment & find ways of centralizing power within the Federal Govt by usurping back many of the powers that were earlier (in 2011) delegated to the provincial govts.

    On a related note, several lessons were learnt from the 29-9-2016 corss-LoC strikes mounted by the IA, and one of them was to make increasing use of loitering ‘Kaamikaze’ UAVs to strike targets deeper across the LoC, especially those PA administrative bases/structures that serve as sanctuaries (and not launch-pads) for the Jihadis behind the hills & mountain ridges. Hence, this is now taking place:

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-plans-to-acquire-15-combat-drones-that-can-crash-into-high-value-enemy-military-targets-report/story-yTecKsA5Mx7OGzURdLXh6N.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Till know i knew IAF already has harops...is this repeat order for harops or first batch????was it used during 29th September 'jawabee karwaee'

      Delete
  16. Israel's latest Arrow-3 BMD test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1lZTxW4XI

    Iran's Ground Forces Exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_tBV2CoC6M

    The Doval Empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hw2Zv3SAzg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This doval issue...sir do u believe sufficient proof is available for proving rivals guilty???

      Delete
  17. For the truth seekers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd5-dHxOQhg

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sir
    I am a reader of your blog. I have few questions
    1.why this delay in mirage2000 upgrade
    2.which are the pgms and air to surface missiles selected
    for the jaguar and mirage upgrades
    3.How many MrsamsBarack8
    were inducted to the IAF
    Joseph Jiju Alex

    ReplyDelete
  19. Prasun,

    1--http://www.defencenews.in/article/LRSAMs-successful-test-How-significant-is-it-in-Indias-scheme-of-things-582808 .. does this now mean that the indian co's which had delayed the missile production have finally got their act together?
    2-- http://idrw.org/building-confidence-between-five-eastern-indian-states-and-our-provinces-my-top-priority-chinese-diplomat/ .. is this china's approach to wrest N-E from India??
    3-- http://idrw.org/hals-83-lca-tejas-proposal-non-compliant-with-tender-requirements-iaf-to-take-matter-to-defence-ministry/ .. will this put a final nail in tejas mk1 A ? and pave way for 110 mmrca? Also there are news doing rounds of IAF/MoD looking for 2 types of mmrca one single engined & the other twin engined ... your take?
    4-- recent visits by SA & Czech premiers & their focus on defence co-op.. what can be expected ? which areas & products would be under consideration ?
    5-- any chances of Bhim self propelled gun revival?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hii Prasun,

    Greetings of the day!!

    Refer to your reply on earlier thread, as "India hasn’t excelled in either space applications or nuclear technologies. In fact, India is only trying to play catch-up & the signing on to regimes like MTCR & NSG only means that India is now able to freely impoprt all those critical components that were earlier denied and you rate it 5 in scale of 10"


    1. The same logic also applies for china as has also not excelled in aforementioned domains as they are also trying to play catch-up with west, hence how do you rate them wrt india?

    2. As per DRDO website, apart from life sciences Technologies, which other innovative technology or product has been developed by other labs of DRDO under armament,electronics, combat engineering, aeronautics, materials, missiles and naval systems aegis.

    3. As per your reply that IAF definelty want to re-engine Jaguar IS Darin-3 aircraft however in your early reply you said that under performance of Jaguar current engine affects from where is is operated, i.e if take off from rajasthan hot atmosphere than it is underpowered but not id take off from forward airbases such as ambala, jamnagar than exactly where is the program stuck? Is it fund crunch of MOD or other tech issues?.

    3. Is EW warfare suites on Indian navy good enough to repel AShM from pak and China?

    4. How the locally developed EW suites for IAF and IA excels wet global standard?

    Thanks and regards,
    Pinkal Shah

    ReplyDelete
  21. Has US admitted its defeat by opening negotiations with Taliban? They want Taliban to fight ISIS in Afghanistan which means that they believe Afghan National Army is useless and Taliban will be back in power in Kabul. But Taliban will be resisted by Afghan warlords, NDS and other groups. So are we going to see another civil war in Afghanistan? What affects will that have in the region and in J&K? And what game is Pakistan playing in all of this?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sir, an unrelated question is there a way to get the Kohinoor diamond back from UK?

    ReplyDelete
  23. To CHANDAN: 1) HIMSA-NG is a low-frequency sonar, while the best in the world have adopted ultra-low-frequency. 2) Yes, as of now. 3) Quite favourably. 4) It has yet to be proven if such suites are ‘excellent’. 5) Nothing revolutionary has appeared so far since then. 6) VTOL-UAVs. 7) Here it is:

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAtJO1FQZr8/Vv8ICyfOZfI/AAAAAAAAKgE/quEX65broPgoxe-7JU45QUC5NB0C9wOHA/s1600/BEL-THALES%2BPHAROS%2BMFR.jpg

    To MURTHY: As per the Rules of Business of the Govt of India & the Warrant of Precedence, only the President of India as supreme commander of the armed forces, and his/her representatives like Governors & Lt Governors can give & receive salutes from any uniformed personnel hailing from the armed forces, state police forces, CAPFs & paramilitary forces. No one else can either give or receive salutes either within closed doors or during public events & all those other than the Presidents or his/he representatives who are now saluting in their own undefined styles are in reality only reqd to stand in attention AS PRESCRIBED by Govt of India regulations. If at all they want to show off their patriotic credentials, in my view, they would be far better served if they tried to retrieve from foreign museums worldwide all the stolen artifacts that were pilfered or robbed during the colonial era.

    To SATYAKI: 1 & 2) Here is the image of the Saudi facility:

    https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2019/01/26/saudi_arabia_ballistic_missiles_67898_s878x743.jpg?3f23b9538ea1dc2a77bfa8b478c627dd1284ca23

    It does not appear to be of Chinse origin in any shape or form. But yes, the MRBMs acquired by the Saudis in the mid-1980s were China-made-n-supplied DF-3s.

    To AMIT BISWAS: That report already clarifies this by stating that 15 MORE Harops will be acquired to add to the 12 already acquired. So far, none of the 12 Harops have been used in combat.

    ReplyDelete
  24. To JOSEPH JIJU ALEX: 1) The delay is due to the lack of adequate skilled human resources within HAL that’s reqd for undertake such activity. 2) That was already covered in previous threads dealing with PGMs & comparisons between the IAF & PAF as well as the thread dealing with Rafale costings. 3) None as of now.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) No Indian company/party delayed anything. All it now means is that the final design configuration has been validated & thus frozen so that series-production for the initial 8 sqns of Barak-8 can get underway. 2) No, but it is a means for attracting more money from India, since at any given time at present, more than 10,000 students are studying in Kunming & Chengdu for obtaining their MBBS degress. 3) The final nail should have been driven way back in 2011, when all the needless drama about IOC1-/IOC-2/FOC-1 commenced. Since 2005 the ADA has shamelessly been showing the Tejas with twin subsonic underwing drop-tanks, when all along the IAF’s ASQR had specified supersonic drop-tanks of the type carried by the Mirage 2000 & MiG-21. Till today such drop-tanks for the Tejas await development. So how can any serious practitioner of combat airpower consider acquiring such pieces of shit? 4) Czech Republic remains one of the countries supplying components for the TATRA family of vehicles, along with the Slovak Republic. 5) No, that option was foreclosed back in the previous decade. The lighter K-9 Vajra tracked SPHs are a far better option as they come with autoloaded ammo resupply vehicles, which were never developed by either the CVRDE or DENEL.

    To PRATAP: Just as the PTM is gaining traction, the ISPR has gone on an overdrive to discredit the PTM by organising these junkets for journalists:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5M8bYWBj7M

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc6GttP44-U

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEzew8izaQg

    ReplyDelete
  25. Analysis of On-Going US-Taliban Talks:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RqRF9KfLVE

    Excellent debates on Israel’s application of strategic combat airpower against Iran in Syria:

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

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNmqoY6qz8&t=17s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3LZQCzSLJw&list=PLxnSgwbAmItfw76sA2xVdJ2-xU8BOrCzJ&index=2

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUA0WKTOjlo

    Sadly such informative debates WRT combat airpower application are totally missing in India.

    Ex-IDF Attache to Iran Recounts Escape in 1979 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr-B2megQuU

    US Pushes Allies to Ban Huawei & ZTE:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5-ezgvRkss
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuMQ3X2l_6g
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcPcQsD4JsU
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l20G4OfGk0&t=23s

    These are the Mach 9 hypersonic manned platforms used by the US for acquiring MIL-SPEC GPS locational coordinates down to the 8th decimal point:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwyRu3nGGXw
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQywAwryU9U

    Secret Space Programme & Origins of Human Life:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iNIsdyZXvI

    Solar Warden Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd0--x0N7cM

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In this video link shared by you " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTogqnLWrjI "
      It can be clearely seen that pantsir is being targeted at 90 degrees to vehicle axis....is it so easy to overwhelm russian SAM systems by Israelis???

      Delete
  26. Sir,
    1. Is it true that India is interested in THAAD system or are there any talks in missile defence co-operation?
    2. When do you think the contract for Avenger drones will be signed?
    3. is it possible that the contract for navy's SW-ASW corvette will be signed afterthe interim budget?

    ReplyDelete
  27. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/shortage-of-funds-hits-infrastructure-development-of-rafale-defence-airbase/articleshow/67733260.cms


    What's this sir ??where has all the money gone???

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sir ,

    Similarly in US protocol say President never required to salute back. But all president did, but when Obama refused to salute , he was heavily criticized.

    In Britain protocols of Queen changing, when around the world such change coming with more media scrutiny

    I don't think India would be exception.

    ReplyDelete
  29. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/china-says-it-can-help-narendra-modi-meet-his-biggest-pre-poll-challenge/articleshow/67735410.cms

    Even jinping wants modi to win lolz

    ReplyDelete
  30. Prasun,

    1-- why didn't current govt close out the low hanging fruits w.r.t defence modernisation esp the airforce by productionising comparatively low value deals (@$2 bln worth) like jaguar reengine, upgradation if IL76/78 to MD 90 A stds, 24 Naval multi utility helis , assault rifles for the army,new bullet proof jackets etc instead of targeting big tkt items (110 mmrca again!!)atleast they would have been more realistic to achive & wouldnt have costed a bomb (total @ 12-15 bln)..
    2-- Pakis always seem to know which horse to bet..to wiggle out of situations & get freebies.. In the decades gone by they milked the west to its fullest extent , now cooly dumped them in favour of china, cajoled the fellow extremist bedfellows (saudi, UAE etc) to loosen their purse strings & if what direction the US- Taliban talks are told to be headed are true then they are actually dictating to the US! no less via the talibs.. they are upto to it again (ie their disruptive approach) if you read the following 2 articles..

    http://idrw.org/pakistan-is-saudi-arabias-likeliest-partner-in-ballistic-missile-programme-move-helps-islamabad-return-riyadhs-largesse/ (perfect case of adding fuel to fire w.r.t the M E)
    http://idrw.org/pak-lt-gen-navid-moktar-figures-in-failed-plot-to-assassinate-sheikh-hasina/

    can it be concluded that they have been better @ reading the pulse of the world . why is it that we are typically @ the wrong end when it comes to extracting the most at the right time from the right avenue ... add involving the saudis in baluchistan as extra security for gwadar..

    Classic case of baking the cake and eating it too......

    3--http://idrw.org/while-iaf-is-losing-focus-on-5th-gen-fighter-programs-the-world-is-moving-on-to-6th-gen-fighters/ -- your thoughts & the way to get out of this conundrum??

    ReplyDelete
  31. To AMIT BISWAS: Yes, it indeed is, if innovative tactics are accompanies by innovative PGMs. All the money has gone to the various welfare schemes launched by the PMO, & to MNREGA.

    To BENO: 1) Yes. 2) Later this year. 3) Yes.

    To ARPIT KANODIA: Barring Presidents Clinton & Obama & Donald Trump, all other US Presidents had served with the US armed forces & hence they were/are therefore eligible for giving salutes. Only Clinton, Obama & Trump are not reqd to give salutes, but even if they do, they do so because all US armed services have ONE (01) common saluting form. They don’t have the system of individual service-specific saluting styles as is the case in India. And since all Indian ‘netas’ have only two hands out of which only one can be used for giving a salute, then which of the three saluting styles should they adopt? Adopting of only one service-specific saluting style (as has been the case with the ‘netas’) tantamount to insulting the other two armed services & state/central police forces. Hence, common-sense & sanity demands that the ‘netas’ stop giving salutes & instead they must all learn to just stand in attention, which is exactly what the present-day VP of India has been doing all along.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) There are no low-hanging fruits, since each & every reqmt for new military hardware is critical & of equal importance. The problems have always been the last 2 years of any govt, since during those 24 months, the govts have to come up with various welfare schemes that require huge funds & so military reqmts during these last 2 years of every govt are always given scarce attention. 2) On the contrary, the situations have always gotten more worse since the early 1990s. Even the packages from Saudi Arabia & the UAE are not bailout packages, but mere insurance packages that do not prevent the Pak economy from reducing in size. On top of that, such insurance packages piss off the Iranians who in turn turn up the heat in Balochistan, which further increases the PA’s annual operational expenditures, thereby leaving less funds available for capital expenditure funds. Only time will tell which country has partnered with Saudi Arabia for ballistic missile production. But it most definitely is not Pakistan, rest assured.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://youtu.be/CxePhkdIo0o

      Can't we get this SDB for targeting the terrorist hideouts beyond the ridge line across Loc.

      Moreover I believe this is the most suitable option and better than even artillery pounding..

      Would like to know more about it

      Delete
  32. *is this news true - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/pak-lt-gen-navid-moktar-figures-in-failed-plot-to-assassinate-sheikh-hasina/articleshow/67734083.cms

    *https://thewire.in/security/new-land-war-doctrine-is-not-credible-deterrent-to-china-or-pakistan - the author here states:

    "Once the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military build-up in the winter of 2017-2018 became apparent, Modi lost his nerve and hurriedly sought peace with China. His spin-doctors softened the force of national humiliation by calling it the ‘reset strategy’. The reality was that India, for the first time since Independence, had capitulated to military coercion. China won without firing a shot."

    do you agree with this statement?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sir,
    1) Apart from conservation of space is there any advantage an integrated Mast with multiple Radars has, over a ship with an equal number of radars spread all over a ship?

    2) The achievements turkey has made especially from ASELSAN is jaw dropping. They even unveiled an integrated Mast with 3 Radars plus their own ATAS, LWT, ECM suite 2 years ago. Is this all their own achievements or is there some help from the west?

    3) Considering Australia will soon get ships with integrated masts and China and Japan already have them, when will we get ours? Are such ships for IN even on the drawing board?

    4) Germany had delivered a few active towed array sonars, in 2015. Have they been deployed yet? If so which ships have them?

    5) When will principal combatants like shivalik class and kolkata class get ATAS?

    6) I know its hubris for a country with a paltry income of 2000$ per capita to dream of making its own defence equipment, but since we have been license assembling stuff for decades and Co developing some weapons like brahmos and Barak 8 for 20 years, have we made ANY tangible progress in our aim to change from importer-assembler to designer-builder? Do you see any good news at all over the last few years?

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dear Sir

    The latest news regarding Tejas MK 1A
    Is that there are going to be more disagreements with IAF and consequently more delays

    Is there any hope for MK 1 A

    ReplyDelete
  35. Prasun,


    Isn't it a bit silly on the MoD - IA gang to stall new gen spike missiles and procure older konkurs & Milan's..what is the reason for such regressive actions? it does look like the threat from defence labour unions...

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi Prasun,
    Thanks for your detailed reply in the previous thread. also Thanks for some awesome video links in his thread.

    Thanks
    Swarop

    ReplyDelete
  37. Prasun sir, just out of curiousity this is my question to u..can tejas be fitted with a 3d TVC engine.?? U know if someone thinks to?

    ReplyDelete
  38. is it not the right move and high time to recall the permission for chinese mission in kolkata given they use it against indian strategic interests based on media news?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Russian Northern Nuclear fleet an inside story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8pKSfJc88

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi Prasun,
    How far have we progressed in DEW and where do we stand? What are the platforms if any developed by us?

    Can we have a submarine platform firing a missile with heavy EMP warhead capable of blacking out entire area of operation in terms of communication and then launch our precision attack weapons. Just my imagination but request your take.

    Why are we not investing in swarm UAVs which could be used decisively for live feed and reconnaissance during tactical operations.

    Lastly do you think India should be a partner in Franco German 6th gen fighter programme?

    ReplyDelete
  41. PrasunDa,

    This articles from Financial Express published today, suggests that there is good potential in defence co-operation between India & Argentina.

    It seems top defence manufacturers from Argentina are keen to work with Indian companies.

    https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/opportunities-abound-india-has-to-take-the-lead-with-argentina-in-the-defence-sector/1458637/

    Will you please comment, if such potential does exist.

    Regards,
    VIKRAM

    ReplyDelete
  42. To BHOUTIK: The following are the realities:

    1) LoLz! Looks like a ‘desi’ Khichdi’ fit for consumption by native suckers! Everything is revealed except the name of the ship & the datum/location of its sinking. And for those who don’t know, Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar (the ‘desi patrakaar’ did not even get the name right) became the DG of ISI on December 11, 2016 & retired on till September 30, 2018, The ISI’s current DG is is currently Lt Gen Asim Munir who was appointed as DG on October 1, 2018. These factoids should suffice to expose the yellow journalism being practiced by The TIMES OF INDIA media group.

    2) No I don’t, because the reality was totally different. First, the PLA forces deployed throughout TAR have to date NEVER conducted any field exercises or war games of an offensive nature. All their exercises to date have rehearsed defensive warfighting postures in which the rivers of the pleatau have been used as natural defensive barriers behind which the PLA forces were deployed in-depth. Second, ALL videoclips released by outlets like GLOBAL TIMES, XINHUA etc etc during the Doklam standoff showed various PLA contingents conducting fire-drills in northwest TAR in Qinghai & nowhere near the LAC. Third, NO extra military hardware (like MBTs, ICVs, APCs, field artillery systems, air-defence artillery & attack helicopters) or ground forces formations were brought inside TAR by either road or rail or air & instead use was made only of the three Combat Brigades & other supporting assets that are integral to the Tibet Military District.

    All this is undeniable proof of the PLA’s intent, i.e. it only wanted to engage in information warfare through propaganda & it never wanted to undertake any kinetic operations like limited war. And contrary to what many BELIEVE or ASSUME, it was Beijing that realized that this could stretch only to a long-drawn standoff & nothing more. Hence, it decided to cut its losses & opted for PARLEYS aimed at de-escalation but without losing face, since to any Chinaman, losing face is the ultimate insult. Therefore, while it was Beijing that first offered to de-escalate, it offered to invite NaMo to Wuhan for high-level parleys aimed at finalising the de-escalation methodology & schedules & it was also conveyed unofficially by Beijing that this was the optimum face-saving offer that could help both tide over the needless crisis & that China would further sweeten matters by allowing India greater access to China’s commodities market. Had the NaMo-Xi Jinping Summit-level meeting been held in Beijing, then it would have appeared that India capitulated, since Beijing & not Wuhan is the seat of China’s political power. That’s why Wuhan was selected as a neutral venue so as not to give the impression of one country scoring over another.

    I am more than willing to be proven wrong if someone/anyone in this world produces evidence to the contrary, like an Indian diplomatic cable asking China for holding a summit-level meeting anywhere in China.

    ReplyDelete
  43. But sir

    Much more sanity say that they appoint Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and adopt common salute.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Later today, Pakistan’s Federal Cabinet will decide on whether or not allow Indian citizens and PIOs from all over the world to obtain E-Visas for travelling throughout Pakistan without the need for obtaining no-objection certificates for visits to more than one destination inside Pakistan at any time, plus doing away with the need for reporting to the local Police Station on a daily basis. It remains to be seen if such travel facilities will also be extended to areas liying within PoK. Here’s the revelation:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gmMmhj3GE

    To KAUSTAV: What it is to be inside a hardened underground strategic missile storage facility of the PLA’s Strategic Rocket Force:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N2QA2yJnz8&t=180s

    Interview of Maldivian Defence Minister: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIcjy2LBxe0

    To ARPIT KANODIA: Unfortunately, the Indian system is upside-down. In the US all those joining the armed services do so through individual service-specific institutions & are therefore required to salute in different ways, but when they get commissioned into joint service commands, they all have to adopt a single, unitary saluting style. It is exactly the opposite in India where all those volunteering for service enter through a tri-services institution like the NDA & therefore they all start with a unitary/single saluting style. But after graduating from the NDA once they get commissioned into the different armed services, they then start adopting different saluting styles!!!

    VIKRAM GUHA: LoLz! So after Chile, Colombia & Ecuador, it is now Argentina's turn to be tried out! But that news-report says more about Argentina exporting to India!!! But no need to worry at all, since this will be a 100% FIZZLE, kindly rest assured. After all, one just has to keep track of exactly how many times Argentina has become a financially defaulting state since its creation.

    ReplyDelete
  45. To CHANDAN: 1) Not only space-saving, but also less amount of reqd wiring & lesser amount of dynamic hardware like rotating antennae, which results in lesser wear-n-tear * therefore, higher reliability. 2) Turkey being a NATO member-state can easily import vast quantums of sub-systems & components from the West, which is why Turkey can rapidly develop several systems within a short timeframe. 3) In the following decade. 4) Six ACTAS suites from ATLAS Elektronik have already been delivered & they are now being fitted on three project 15 DDGs & the three Project 1135.6 Batch-1 FFGs. 5) In the following decade. 6) This will answer your question:

    https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/nda-has-had-both-success-failure-with-defence-industry-baba-kalyani-119013000026_1.html

    To AMIT BISWAS: Such expensive hardware can be used only by those countries that have state-of-the=art targetting systems & infrastructure. In India’s case, what’s reqd are inexpensive loitering ‘Kamikaze’ UAVs with an endurance of not more than 2 hours of flight that can be guided with line-of-sight microwave data-links whose hand-held control consoles are with SOF personnel that have their targets across the LoC under visual observation, i.e. the SOF personnel will be reqd to cross the LoC into PoK but remain a safe distance away from the PA’s garrisons. Such ‘kamikase’ loitering USVs can easily be developed/made in-country & they will be inexpensive since they will be used only once in a one-way journey.

    To ARUN: The time has come to acknowledge that the Tejas project is beyond both hope & despair. And here is another SNAFFU: delivery of the first two Dornier Do-228s of the 12 aircraft (contracted in 2016):

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dx_gOj-XQAAFL7N.jpg

    So, which belly-mounted search radar is installed on these new Do-228s? ELTA’s EL/M-2022 or this:

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WWeFBXfGs7I/UvvGtfV-z3I/AAAAAAAAGqE/xG9hpTiyUPE/s1600/XV-2004.jpg

    I’m sure that going by previous incidents, had a DRDO-developed radar been installed, then the DRDO would have gone to great lengths to showcase as yet another case of successful product indigenisation. But since this has not happened, we can only conclude that all the mission sensors are imported.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: Why should it be silly? Are any of the IA’s adversaries in possession of state-of-the-art MBTs fitted with APS? If not, then Konkurs-M & Milan-2T with tandem warheads are good enough to engage MBTs fitted with ERA tiles.

    To SUJIT: 3-D TVS nozzles are available only from Russia as of now, hence they cannot be integrated with turbofans that do not originate from Russia.

    To MURTHY: China’s Consul-General in Kolkata has so far done nothing wrong that is incompatible with his diplomatic status. After all, he is only trying his level-best to attract foreign revenues for his country.

    To VED: 1) It is still work-in-progress. 2) Theoretically it is possible. 3) Leave alone swarm UAVs. No one in India is investing in even loitering ‘kamikaze’ drones. 4) Yes.

    ReplyDelete
  46. In your last thread you said that the most downgraded version of humans was found in middle east stretching up to harappa, can you elaborate in which way they are inferior and if they are inferior then as a result we Indian's are also of degraded quality? And can you make clear how humans were developed into four major races and what should be the racial categorization of Indians and semetic arabs

    ReplyDelete
  47. Prasun,
    the recent firing of barak missile from a naval ship.. is it the barak 8 or barak 8 er? if not, will IN/IAF will use the er ver. in the future?

    ReplyDelete
  48. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-to-buy-2-more-awacs-worth-rs-5-7k-crore-from-israel/articleshow/67765253.cms


    In this article the author wrote "In another mega contract worth an estimated Rs 12,640 crore, Israeli firm Elbit Systems is also competing with Nexter Systems of France for suppling India with 400 towed 155mm artillery gun systems, which is to be followed by another 1,180 such guns to be made in India."

    Is this another case of Yellow journalism or mere speculation?

    ReplyDelete
  49. We haven't heard about Nirbhay for too long.
    Can you tell me what is the final status of the project..?
    and when can we see another test..? and when will be the first user test..?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Prasun da,

    https://www.livefistdefence.com/2019/01/exclusive-iaf-arming-su-30s-with-asraams-may-standardise-missile-across-fleet.html

    Any Sachaai in this news.

    Will Russia share its code for ASRAAM.

    ReplyDelete
  51. To SIDHARTH: LoLz! It is 100% PAID/FAKE NEWS aimed at derailing the additional orders for Su-30MKIs, which was reported today & which was predicted by me since 2009:

    https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-asks-russia-for-18-more-sukhoi-30mki-fighters-to-alleviate-shortfall-119013100042_1.html

    Such PAID/FAKE NEWS also proves that the parents of these ‘desi patrakaars’ & their endorsers/supporters completely wasted their money when they decided to send their kids to school for getting educated. For, as such PAID/FAKE NEWS proves, these ‘desi patrakaars’ & their endorsers/supporters have ZERO respect for the laws of the physical sciences & consequently end up being the world's laughing stock. Consider the following:

    The malicious news-report talks only about wind-tunnel tests, but NOTHING about the all-important electronic integration of the AIM-132 ASRAAM with either the SURA-1 HMDS or the Su-30MKI’s weapons-control computer. And since Russia hasn’t shared the source-codes for any of the on-board mission avionics of the Su-30MKI with India, how the hell can the ASRAAM be electronically integrated? In addition, in case a non-Russian HMDS were to be procured for use with the ASRAAM, then how will the HMDS be integrated with the Su-30MKI’s OLS-30 IRST sensor (whose source-code too has not been shared by Russia with the IAF), which is reqd for nighttime air combat?
    Weapons integration therefore is not done with a hammer, screwdriver & some nails. Finally, if the IAF wants to rationalise its stockpiles of SRAAMs, then why the hell was the ASRAAM not selected for the Rafale or the MiG-29UPG or Mirage 2000N? Why were MICA & Meteor AAMs ordered when the ASRAAM/Meteor combination would have sufficed? Hence, from all viewing angles, that news-report is 100% malicious & fake, rest assured. And how can the ASRAAM's Cobham-built ejector be integrated with the Su-30MKI's pylons? Where will the interface come from & who will design/develop it? Has anyone given any thought to all these?

    Finally, though the IN had mounted a Sea Eagle ASCM on an external fuselage-mounted pylon on the Il-38 MRMR/ASW aircraft, NOT A SINGLE test-firing in such a configuration was successful & the entire effort was terminated since it was a total failure.

    ReplyDelete
  52. To DASHU: https://theprint.in/diplomacy/dont-let-pakistan-foreign-minister-speak-at-house-of-commons-india-to-urge-uk/186038/

    https://theprint.in/opinion/no-more-sunny-side-up-how-pakistan-army-taking-journalists-to-conflict-areas-has-backfired/185610/

    To VINOD KUMAR: They belonged to a lesser evolved species of Homo Sapiens 6,000 years ago & were therefore wiped out/annihilated by either a natural or engineered cataclysm. And following them were the Homo Sapiens-Sapiens, a more evolved species.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: The IN has ordered only the Barak-8, while the IAF has ordered BOTH Barak-8 & Barak-8ER. The IN refers to barak-8 as LR-SAM while the IAF refers to Barak-8ER as LR-SAM & the Barak-8 as the MR-SAM.

    To PAWAN MS: Yes, it is. Because how can towed 155mm/52-cal howitzers of imported origin be ordered if the indigenous ATAGS is undergoing development?

    To NEWCOMER: It is still in the developmental stage, with the locally-developed turbofan & IMR monopulse seeker still awaiting flight-tests. Without the IMR seeker the Nirbhay cannot make terrain avoidance flights. Even the CJ-10 of China & its Babur clone have so such seekers on them to date & therefore they can’t make ultra-low-altitude terrain-avoidance flights.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Dear Prasun,
    Now that the P75I has been approved by DAC, Who are the likely contenders and which platforms will likely be offered?

    I assume that all will be fitted with AIP. Will the vertical silos for firing LACM be a condition? When will the navy issue a RFI with required capabilities?

    ReplyDelete
  54. are these guys not staying in Pak? How come they are talking sense.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leTw3QGazMI

    ReplyDelete
  55. To VED: How many times has the DAC cleared the same project? let's start counting:

    The first RFI was issued in October 2008 to international shipbuilding and design yards/firms for the next generation of submarines to be constructed at its shipyards. The RFIs were issued to Rubin Design Bureau (Russia), DCNS/ Armaris (France), ThyseenKrup/HDW (Germany) and Navantia (Spain).

    Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for acquisition of 06 submarines under P 75I was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in August 2010

    The second RFI was again issued on September 7, 2010 for 6 conventional submarines under Project-75I.

    https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/sites/default/files/tender_document/P75I_RFI.pdf

    In October 2010 the DAC, approved a budget allocation of Rs.50,000 crore for the project at a cost of Rs.8,500 crore for each submarine. It was further proposed at that stage that three of the six submarines would be constructed at Mazagon Docks Ltd (MDL), Mumbai and one at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) with the help of a foreign collaborator.

    In late October 2014, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the long pending Project-75I.

    Another push to take Project-75I forward was initiated with the announcement of the Strategic Partner (SP), Policy as Chapter 7 of DPP 2016, in May 2017. The acquisition of six submarines was now slated under the SP Policy, wherein all the submarines would be constructed in India by an Indian shipyard, under Transfer of Technology (ToT) from the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) under arrangement with the Indian strategic partner. Since the AoN that was accorded earlier had expired, a fresh AoN was again accorded in 2016 to the Indian Navy at a revised cost of Rs.80,000 crore (€8.3 billion). The third RFI was issued in July 2017 to Rosoboronexport/Rubin Central Marine Design Bureau, Russia-Amur 1650; Naval Group (earlier DCNS), France-Scorpene; ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Germany-Type 214; Navantia, Spain-S 80; Saab/Kockums, Sweden A-26; Mitsubishi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (MHI and KHI), Japan-Soryu. Spain and Japan did not submit responses to this RFI.

    The DAC cleared Project 75I for an unprecedented third time on January 31, 2019 at a cost of Rs.40,000 crore.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO44jQQe_1M

    Strangely, the estimated budget for the project keeps reducing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Uighurs Being Shunted Out Of Turkey As Well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG23BPrP3qQ

    Myanmar Rebel Groups Unite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JcXGYN_1N8

    To DASHU: Yes, they are, as are these:

    Revisionist version of Mohd Bin Qasim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGuQQQKmtMc

    PoK Conference at Lutton Town Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIvEFEcWH84

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hello Prasun,

    Greetings!

    Eagerly await your reply on my comment posted

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  58. Prasun,

    On the recent news on the likely hood of IAF procuring 18 additional Su 30 MKI? will the IAF opt for them to have super Sukhoi ? if not then why can't they opt for it .. as it will aet the stage for the upgradation plan.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed on Friday, February 1, 2019 after an upgraded Mirage 2000TH tandem-seater on an acceptance sortie crashed at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in Bengaluru. An enquiry into the incident will be ordered, the MoD said. According to IAF sources, the two pilots, Squadron leader Siddharth Negi and Squadron leader Sameer Abrol, sustained fatal injuries after the aircraft crashed during takeoff this morning. The Mirage 2000 was on a take off roll of a pre-delivery inspection when it developed a snag, “Today morning, a Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft on an acceptance sortie after upgrade crashed at HAL airport, Bengaluru. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries. One pilot died at the scene of the crash, while the other was seen being carried to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. The aircraft crashed at the edge of the HAL airport compound, which is surrounded by several office and residential buildings. The pilots belonged to the Air Force's Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very sad news.....this sould not have come at such a juncture when already HALs credibility is at stake....now no body will believe HAL after this crash of mirage 2000 which has high safety record....

      Delete
  60. Prasunda,

    https://thekashmirwalla.com/2019/02/demanding-opening-of-skardu-kargil-road-thousands-across-ladakh-stage-protests/

    Interesting, very much so.

    RIP the Pilots, they died knowing the risks and since HAL is not responsible, the blame lies with us Indians for letting the Govt and it's sarkari kaamchor naukars get away with slothful work ethic and corruption

    ReplyDelete
  61. To PINKAL SHAH: 1) Yes, that also applies to China, except that China is advancing much faster & on a global scale in space applications technologies. 2) None. And AEGIS is a US-origin combat management system. 3) Absolutely yes. 4) They are on par with those produced by some European countries.

    And this is the interesting book that I am now reading:

    Shoot Them Down: The Flying Saucer Air Wars of 1952 by Frank C. Feschino, Jr

    https://www.amazon.in/Shoot-Them-Down-Flying-Saucer/dp/0615155537

    To AMIT BISWAS & VED: Since the Mirage 2000 was on a takeoff run, what is probable is that tjere was total hydraulic failure, which was caused by a catasprophic sudden failure of the FBW flight-control system. Consequently, both aircrew decided to eject from ground-level & that in turn took them to al altitude of only 50 feet above ground-level. Add to that another few seconds for the ejection seat harnesses to be manually detached from each of the aircrew, which led to further loss of altitude of the ejected aircrew & this in turn was bound to cause heavy spinal injuries of a permanently debilitating nature to both of them due to hard landings. So all in all, it was sudden equipment malfunction & this was most probably due to human error during the aircraft’s refurbishment process.

    To AMIT BISWAS: How Syrian Pantsyr VSHORADS were destroyed by Israel:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAV0FcHthAc

    To JUST_CURIOUS: Common-sense & logical reasoning will dictate that these additional Su-30MKIs be of the Super Su-30MKI standard.

    To KAUSTAV: Actually, it is Pakistan that has always been against the opening of the Kargil-Skardu road-links:

    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-says-no-to-Kargil-Skardu-bus-link/articleshow/1513360.cms

    https://idsa.in/resources/parliament/PresentstatusofKargiltoSkarduRoad

    Excellent documentary aired yesterday on Saudi Arabia’s ARAMCO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRmGfmqx29g

    Prophecies of Edgar Cayce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLhrBrPejgk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the pantsir video....but my concern is why indian forces are acquiring kamikazees only in two digit numbers if they are cheap.....suppose if any drdo labs engage with saab and boeing to localize the weapon production along with a private sector partner, we can produce thousands of SDB at low price due to economy of scale .

      Also india can take license from Israel for bulk series production for such kamikazees.....
      And as you have highlighted we should sustain attacks against tanzeems across Loc continuously using such weapons....but alas no one is bothered....not even army

      Delete
    2. Regarding mirage crash, who will own of responsibility ???
      HAL OR DASSAULT.....What about IAF....will it get replacement??or compensation from HAL??
      Few months ago one new sukhoi crashed just after take off in Nashik


      And now this mirage crashed....does HAL follows and quality control during overhauling of aircraft....didnt they notice the problem during ground run???
      IAF could have deputed their own technicians to reverify the integrity of overhauled/upgraded/new aircraft before sorties...

      Delete
  62. 1)Prasun sir, I've always wondered what is the criteria that the Indian navy uses to divide ships into Destroyers and Frigates?
    In cost, displacement and capability the shivalik and upcoming p17a Frigates roughly match the Destroyers. So what is the need for two separate classes?
    Couldn't it have been better if instead of ordering 4 p15b Destroyers and 7 p17a Frigates, if we had just combined them and ordered 10 or 11 p15b Destroyers?
    It would have brought about commonality.

    2) Can the thales-bel NMDR be up scaled to be used as the main radar on future ships if necessary?

    3) How has our development of border infrastructure close to China progressed? How much more time is needed to finish it?

    4) Have the 3 talwar and 3 delhi class already been upgraded with ATAS, or will that take more time?

    5) I suppose in a war situation the vikramditya CBG will have atleast two of the talwar or Delhi class that have the ATAS in addition to other ships. Will having only 2 ATAS equipped ships be enough to protect the entire CBG from Agosta 90 subs?

    ReplyDelete
  63. I believe the wives of deceased pilots should sue HAL and GOI to claim damages of at least 100 core each if no pilots error is proved.

    Btw have u seen this sir
    https://kaypius.com/2019/02/02/mirage-2000-crash-in-bengaluru-1st-feb-2019-sad-loss-of-a-national-resource/

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hi Prashn,

    https://youtu.be/jlr0Cy0pVCY

    Can you please comment in this?

    Regards
    Gourav

    ReplyDelete
  65. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0M64DwHLoeg
    Loss of a Mirage & its 2 pilots is a lesson to bring in competition against HAL's monopoly

    Does the time has come to take a strong Effective step to take care of these PSU
    And if NaMo 2nd time comes ..Will they dare to do such very much needed steps..

    ReplyDelete
  66. Dear Prasun,
    Why only 73000 odd rifles? Are these for any specific force for any specific purpose?
    https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/defence-ministry-approves-procurement-of-73000-assault-rifles-from-us/articleshow/67805267.cms

    ReplyDelete
  67. http://idrw.org/indian-army-to-get-major-boost-after-defence-ministry-approves-purchase-of-72400-sig716-g2-rifles/
    What an irony.. .... A country that can make ballistic missiles can't even make a capable rifle

    ReplyDelete
  68. To CHANDAN: 1) It is all about endurance at sea. The DDGs can stay on patrol for far longer durations than FFGs or corvettes. As to what is to be procured & in what numbers depends on a navy’s concept of warfighting in the high seas. 2) It will be the main radar for future corvettes of the IN. 3) All works already already approved since the year 2000 won’t get completed before 2026. 4) They are being upgraded now & the first vessel’s sea=trials are now ongoing in Vizag. 5) Nowadays, dunking sonars fitted to remote-controlled RHIBs can easily be used for doing the same work as ATAS.

    To AMIT BISWAS: They don’t come cheap & that’s why such UAVs meant for use only once in their lifetimes ought to be developed & produced in-country. After all, before the Harops arrived in India in 2012, the IAF had been operating Harpy anti-radar drones since the late 1990s. As for the Mirage 2000’s crash, HAL has to take responsibility, not Dassault Aviation. The latter will take responsibility only for the those 4 Mirage 2000s that it had upgraded. The IAF cannot depute any of its personnel to supervise the refurbishment activities of HAL simply because the IAF does not possess such human resources for aircraft that are being licence-built or refurbished by industry. Only those aircraft being upgraded/refurbished at the IAF’s own Base repair Depots have such human resources.

    To GOURAV: How can one comment on the rants of a certified nitwit? Does he even know where are the PA’s TNWs to be employed & in what numbers?

    To BUDDHA: All DPSUs require total divestment & till today no one has been able to give a sane/common-sensical reason for maintaining them as DPSUs. Maybe morons like Arun Shourie or Yashwant Sinha or the INC’s ‘Pappu’ will be able to come up with some spectacularly outrageous excuses in favour of retaining them as DPSUs!

    To VED: because, as I had stated several times before, these are only meant for the IA’s Northern Command & Southwestern Command.

    To ADITYA KAMBLE: And the ultimate irony is that while the colonial Brits set up the OFB for localizing the development & production of armaments & ammunition, today the OFB is overwhelmingly involved in licence-producing armaments/ammunition of foreign designs. But if this very OFB is publicly-listed as a private-sector entity, it will produce wonders, rest assured.

    ReplyDelete
  69. All stopped clocks are pointing towards HAL.

    ReplyDelete
  70. 1) Thanks for the info about RHIB with dunking sonar,sir. Has such tech been deployed by IN? If so which ships have it? I couldn't find any info of it.

    2) Out of the 5 subs in PN, how many have AIP? Is it only the 3 agosta 90s or do the 2 older agosta 70s also have it?

    3) Which HWT is used by the agosta 90?

    4) I know the agosta 90 is superior to the improved kilo class because of the availability of wire guided torpedoes and the torpedo counter measures which the kilos lack, but how do the agosta 90 compare with the scorpenes and akula 2?

    5) Why hasn't the 2nd scorpene sub been inducted yet? Should it have been inducted last December?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 2) Only the 3 newer 90B models have AIP. The older 70 models don't.

      3) Pakistan bought 59 DM2A4 Seehecht topedoes in 2005 from Germany for their submarines.

      Delete
  71. How good is the SIG 716 compared to Tavor-7? How many countries are using it?

    ReplyDelete
  72. Can you write a post on DRDO please - showing areas of achievement and failures and rationale behind perpetual ailing state?

    ReplyDelete
  73. Prasun sir, china is going to give an aircraft carrear to pak and trying to assimilate into its own military..what do u think. Hw things will turn out for india?

    ReplyDelete
  74. Dear Prasun da,

    Does the recent acquisition of SIG rifles involve transfer of technology or simply import forget and repeat approach followed (a la Beretta CX4 carbine saga).

    ReplyDelete
  75. What is your take on CBI vs KP drama .....
    Is this the fall of lunatic mamata ...

    ReplyDelete
  76. To RAJESH MISHRA & AD: This pretty much sums it up:

    https://theprint.in/opinion/instead-of-grief-alarm-indian-politicians-are-foolishly-celebrating-failures-of-hal/187302/

    To SAMAR: Bulk of the imported firearms like SLRs, carbines & LMGs will be supplied in kit form for final assembly by the OEMs' Indian industrial partners.

    To ANUP: How can the Kashmiri Pandits return back to J & K when their killers from JKLF are still roaming free & have yet to be prosecuted for their crimes? Successive govts at both the central & State-levels have totally failed to enforce the rule of law & have therefore violated the social contract between those who are governing & those who are governed. Even the present-day Central Govt is saying that India will never forget atrocities committed on Kashmiri Pandits, but it is saying NOTHING about what it has done or will do to ensure that such atrocities never happen again. Similarly, it is talking about building more TRANSIT CAMPS, i.e. temporary shelters & NOT permanent dwellings, thereby ensuring that the Kashmiri Pandits remain forever Internally Displaced People:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuHt-p5YK_A

    To SUJIT: And who is the 'Genius' that has revealed this?

    To SATYA: They are good & comparable in performance. None of them is inferior.

    ReplyDelete
  77. China plans to sell Pak an aircraft carrier and integrate it militarily
    The Sunday Guardian
    Prasun sir, this was the news source

    ReplyDelete
  78. Prasun sir,
    I was talking yesterday with a very imminent jurist. He said a few things that shocked me and that I am having trouble believing.

    1) He claims that the only reason pakistan military corners all the resources is due to the perceived threat from india. So the best way to ensure war doesn't happen is for india to disarm so that Pakistani public can know that there is no reason for their military to exist and will mutually disarm.
    Infact he is against India having any military and said we should abolish it a la Costa rica. Is there any truth to this?

    2) Even more, he insisted that China will NEVER attack india and that many things said about China is "establishment propaganda". He said the 20 million death toll of the great leap forward era is FAKE and that it is just western propaganda.
    He also said that tibetan people as such are content with Chinese rule and that it is only the priestly class of Tibet that is against China.

    3) He says that china does Infact give a lot democratic freedoms to Chinese citizens, and there are plenty of elections to Chinese official positions and that the only difference between US/UK/india and China is that we have a multiparty democracy and china have a single party democracy

    4) He said the only way to move forward with China is to create a common market with China like how the countries of Western Europe created EU which prevented war.

    5) Most importantly, he insisted that there is no such thing as overpopulation, and that it is created by racist westerners to prevent increase in population of blacks and browns and that malthus had not accounted for the rise technology which would overcome population bottlenecks.
    He said that the most advanced countries in the world all have high population.
    He also said that the best state in India is kerala which has highest population density (which is true).
    But when i said that kerala couldn't sustain such a population and had to import food from other states and had to send its workers outside for jobs, he got angry.

    Is there any truth to any of these statements sir?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Dada wonderful article
    Pls enlighten us with following
    1. How much range does the base bleed projectiles achieve vis-a-vis conventional shells
    2. Any developments on reducing the deaths or any such coatings being developed by partnering other companies
    3. Does OFB plays a role in R&D or it only gets the industrial know how
    4. Apart from pinaka do you see the artillery shells getting converted into guided system, is there a need
    5. Do we get to produce the sketch rockets in India also and is OFB also producing any of akash missiles components
    6. Latsly how many MRSAM or LRSAMs got ordered by IAF, does IA us also contending to order the same

    ReplyDelete
  80. VMT Prasun da - Admiral Arun Prakash seems to hit the bull eye with this piece "https://theprint.in/opinion/instead-of-grief-alarm-indian-politicians-are-foolishly-celebrating-failures-of-hal/187302/". But the million dollar question is who will bite the bullet and when?

    Quick question - is "Surya" missile program a reality at all or a produce from fertile brains of "desi" prestitutes?

    ReplyDelete
  81. To AD: Here's more:

    The tragic accident of Mirage 2000 trainer a few days back brought back a flood of memories. Having been associated with HAL for many years as a test pilot, I have seen working of HAL from inside. This is to bring out what happened with us while flying a HAL overhauled aircraft in Kanpur. The very fact that this story can be told means that it had a happier ending than the recent accident. The day was 16 Nov 1996. We had joined HAL as test pilots same year in May. Me and my fellow colleague test pilot Vadlamani Ramchand took a newly overhauled HPT 32 for a test flight. We were at a height of 1 km (3300 feet) above airfield elevation. While carrying out maneuvers, as I reversed a turn from right to left, the controls of the aircraft jammed. The aircraft continued to roll and entered a downward spiral to left. Both of us tried hard to move control column but nothing happened. We were now rapidly heading towards mother earth with the aircraft spiraling out of control. There was no option but to leave the out of control aircraft. Just to put it in perspective, this trainer aircraft does not have automatic ejection seats and we have to manually open the seat belt, open the canopy (it was supposed to fly off on its own due to air flow) and jump out of the aircraft (technically walk on the wing–impossible practically) and then deploy the parachute manually by pulling the D ring. We were out of the aircraft just in time–around 300 m (1000 ft) from mother earth. We survived with minor bruises from our first parachute descent. The aircraft fell in an empty plot in a village not hurting anyone on ground. The news did not get the media attention that it gets today. As far as my memory goes, this was the only case of a twin bail out from HPT-32 with both pilots surviving till that date. The usual COI followed. As you can see from attached picture, the aircraft was destroyed. Nothing came out of COI and HAL managed to get away yet again. The point is HAL has managed to get out of all tricky situations over the years and we have continuously been losing our well trained and qualified pilots to shoddy work. Their work culture is aimed at getting “concessions” without achieving the required quality standards. As our present ACM has pointed out, the enemy is not going to give us “concessions” because we are flying a HAL produced aircraft which passed quality tests with “concessions”. The culture was to somehow get to March (production year ending) and pile up all the aircraft and ask us to fly them to achieve the production target and also achieve “bonus”. Then there was no work for the next three months. We would next fly sometime in June. It slowly used to start picking up from July onwards and we used to start getting one aircraft in a week to flight test. In March, the number reversed and we were flying upto seven aircraft per day. In the last week of March, we used to fly continuously from morning to sunset with little time to even get something to eat. And this was not one type of aircraft – we were flight testing three different types of aircraft – HS-748, DO-228 and HPT-32. Some days there was the neighboring BRD asking us to flight test their AN-32. So it was jumping between four different aircraft types in the course of a day. Very few could pass the quality standard required but were shown as “produced”. With this kind of culture, how can we expect them to produce quality that aviation and aircraft require? Is it only HAL to blame? Everyone from MOD downwards was promoting this culture. Even for LCA, they want “concessions” as our ACM has pointed out. Unfortunately “concessions” to aircraft result in catastrophic results. Will we ever learn and promote quality?

    PS–We wrote to manufacturer’s of the parachute in UK to provide us with a “caterpillar” having survived using their parachute. They congratulated us on being alive.. As it turned out that the parachute was also “life expired” and on “concession” given by a DRDO organization.

    ReplyDelete
  82. To AD: And still some more: I myself was in the directorate of Flight Safety when brand new MiG 27Ms were being delivered to a Squadron. The Squadron Commander landed up at the Directorate Of Flight Safety to plaintively tell us that all of of his MiG-27Ms were in the hanger and none serviceable. We raised a hue and cry at the next IAF-HAL meet. You guessed it. Nothing happened. The Squadron continued to remain sick. I am myself witness to this Marchitis of HAL. They produce a large no of aircraft before book closing. All with defects which have to be laboriously set right by by Air Force engineers. Sometimes as many as three to four test-flights have to be undertaken by the IAF before the snag is rectified.

    To SUJIT: This is the operative part: An official media report separately disclosed that China has planned to carry out a “large-scale upgrade” of China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and “sell it to Pakistan to compete with India”! It described Pakistan “as the best destination for it” and said that by then the Liaoning, which was commissioned into the PLAN in September 2012, will have served the Chinese Navy for about 18 years. Gwadar and Karachi are already described by Chinese Navy strategists as a “logistics base” and “PLA Navy (PLAN) base” respectively.

    And here's why that is IMPOSSIBLE: firstly, the Liaoning is the ex-Varyag of the USSR era & therefore China agreed to Russia's insistence (or a pre-condition for selling Su-35s to the PLAAF)that this vessel NEVER becomne an operational warship & that's why China continues to describe this vessel as only one meant for training. Secondly, since it will be used by the PLAN for training its carrier-based MRCA aircrews, the PLAN will not be able to spare it for export. And as a result of these 2 points, the China-origin news-report about selling the Liaoning to Pakistan (but curiously leaving out any news of the export of carrier-based MRCAs or helicopters) is nothing else but pure speculation & needless propaganda. And anyone who takes such reports seriously is being plainly IDIOTIC.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Dear Mr.Surinder,

    Apologies for unsolicited advise, but thanks to Prasunda, please start to think for yourself, explore the facts yourself and try to reach the logical conclusion yourself, rather than talking to 'INTELLECTUALS' who too are victims of propaganda. The truth is subjective and will have different perspectives, but the only way is to use your own brain for analysis as Prasunda's blog explains. Trust me, your own intellect will usually guide you better than the reflected light of any number of Intellectuals of any persuasion.

    ReplyDelete
  84. dada,
    if i am not wrong there is also some time back there were issues with the fit and finish of the internal components and displays in MKI and also LCA's delivered to HAL.. I think the AF guys have struggling with those also

    ReplyDelete
  85. is india working on ASAT and anti-ship ballistic missile???

    ReplyDelete
  86. Hi Prasun,

    The video showing spike nlos taking down pantsir is quite fascinating. How come a point defence system be destroyed by incoming missile and the defence system didn't even react to protect itself.

    It's baffling and also raises questions about it's usefulness. India has tangushka, so how effective is it against incoming targets like these.

    Regards,
    Srinivasa Nanduri

    ReplyDelete
  87. Of the 272 contracted Su-30MKIs, 50 aircraft were a direct purchase from Russia and the remaining 222 aircraft were to be produced by HAL under license. These were to be produced by HAL under six contracts—two contracts for 40 and 42 aircraft each and a 140 aircraft contract split under four block contracts. In order to accelerate deliveries, an additional amount of approximately Rs 1,100 crore was paid to HAL for creating the required infrastructure. These aircraft were to be contractually delivered by 2017. However, as of late last year, 25 Su-30MKIs were yet to be delivered, with HAL expected to deliver only by 2020—an overall delay of three years.

    A series upgrade of 47 Mirage 2000s was tasked to the HAL on 29 July 2011 at a cost of Rs 2,020 crore. The final operational clearance (FOC) was scheduled to be completed by July 2017 but was it completed only by March 2018. HAL has revised the contracted production schedule thrice. Till date HAL has upgraded only six aircraft vis-a-vis a contracted schedule of 21. Notwithstanding the two-year delay in the project, no aircraft was delivered as of late last year against the revised schedule of five aircraft.

    In December 2009, HAL was handed the contract for upgrade of 61 deep penetration strike Jaguar Darin-I aircraft to Darin-III standard at a cost of Rs 3,113 crore. The completion date of development activities and series upgrade of all 61 aircraft was December 2017. However, no aircraft was delivered to the IAF as of late last year. The series upgrade is now expected to be completed by 2023-24, a delay of six years.

    A contract for 20 LCAs was signed in March 2006, which envisaged initial operational clearance (IOC) by October 2008 and all aircraft to be delivered by 2012. The IOC was granted in December 2013, albeit with 10 permanent waivers and 33 concessions by the IAF. The contractual plan promised deliveries by May 2017. As of late last year, only 10 LCAs had been delivered.

    Cont'd below...

    ReplyDelete
  88. A contract for the supply of 14 multi-purpose Dornier Do-228s was signed in February 2015 envisaging delivery of seven aircraft with conventional cockpit and the remaining seven with glass cockpit configuration by August 2018. The first seven aircraft were to be retrofitted with glass cockpit during the 2,400-hour major servicing. On HAL’s request on 24 August 2015, temporary concession was granted to deliver five out of the seven aircraft with conventional cockpit with a clear stipulation that seven aircraft with glass cockpit will be available to the IAF according to contractual agreements. In June 2018, HAL once again sought concession to deliver the balance two aircraft also in conventional cockpit configuration. The IAF sought a timeline for liquidating the temporary concession granted for the delivery of five aircraft, and to deliver the balance two aircraft in glass cockpit configuration as contracted.

    In September 2015, a contract for the supply of 10 Cheetal helicopters was signed, with delivery of first four helicopters set in September 2018. The Cheetah fleet supports Indian troops deployed at high altitude locations. These helicopters are required to be equipped with 85 Series main rotor blades (MRB). The 85 Series MRB were introduced in 2002 and HAL procured approximately 580 blades from Airbus, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In December 2012, Airbus closed down its manufacturing and repair facility and offered transfer of technology (ToT) of manufacturing/repair and overhaul (ROH) to HAL. The evaluation of the first batch of 12 blades manufactured under ToT by HAL showed poor performance and unsuitable for use due to high level of vibrations. This was indicative of the inefficiency in ToT absorption and quality of manufacturing. Non-availability of these blades impacts the delivery of contracted 10 Cheetal helicopters, further impacting the repair and overhaul of current 85 Series blades.

    The HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) has been delayed by over 14 years as there is no timeline for the achievement of the IOC, scheduled in 2004. The IJT project has encountered serious design flaws, preventing it from being cleared for safe execution of stall and spin. On 28 April 2011, the prototype aircraft PT-1 crashed during spin/stall test, in which the pilots sustained serious injuries. HAL’s effort to make the IJT spin-worthy has not yielded any tangible results. The IJT is unsafe for spin recovery and unfit for utilisation as a trainer aircraft, said sources.

    https://theprint.in/security/the-7-jet-and-chopper-deliveries-iaf-is-still-waiting-for-from-hal/187728/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KOI NAI RAHUL BABA ka time aayega aur HAL ka bera par kar dega

      Delete
  89. ADA claimed to have gained FOC on 31 dec 2018. but why they are test flying tejas even after foc. their website about flight test says so.

    ReplyDelete
  90. if tejas gained FOC by 2018 including some concession of the gun
    then why they are test flying the aircraft till 31 january.

    ReplyDelete
  91. A most interesting and informative thread. Made for truly fascinating reading.

    One question that always puzzles me - how does India decide how much it needs to spend on defence when it has never accepted or indeed formally commissioned a study to define a National Security overview, policy or objective?

    Anyway, two questions if I may:

    1) For the IAF - is it 9 squadrons or 18 squadrons of MRSAMs on order and how many TEL are there per squadron?

    2) Similarly for the S-400s, with five squadrons on order, how many TEL per sqn?

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  92. To TECHNOLOGY, PHOTOGRAPHY & TRAVEL: Every manufacturer is reqd to climb the learning curve & that’s precisely why all such shortcomings are overcome when the LSP-series aircraft are produced. The industrial QA/QC problems encountered were with the LSP-series LCAs, and not the SP-series. Meanwhile, here's an interesting read:

    https://www.osapublishing.org/OL/abstract.cfm?uri=OL-43-23-5865

    To ARITRO DATA: Yes on ASAT, but no one in the world is developing or fielding ASBMs.

    To SRINIVASA NANDURI: The AAA assets of Syria like Pantsyr were destroyed when they were either lying idle or were shut down. The Harop is a loitering UAS that can stay in the air for 6 hours, waiting for the AAA systems to shut down after its routine period of operational alert. Alternatively, by generating an EMP, the AAA systems can be rendered temporarily inoperable & during this time, the Harops can cruise at treetop heights & hit the AAA assets through the adoption of shallow inclined flight trajectories.

    To UNKNOWN: Only ADA can reveal what it means by FOC, i.e. whether FOC-1 & FOC-2. Also to be disclosed is whether the Tejas Mk.1 has R-73E SRAAMs, because if it has, then why the need for opt for AIM-132 ASRAAMs for Tejas Mk.1A?

    To AMIT BISWAS & ANUP: HAL ka bera who hi paar karega jiske paas COMMON SENSE ko istemaal karne ka hausla, jasbaa, josh, junoon aur sakath hoga. Jiske andar yeh sub khoobian nahi hai, aur jo sub sirf ‘How’s the Josh’ ki naarebaazi karta hai, wo sirf naalayak aur nikammah hai, bilkul PAPPU aur vartamaan kendriya sarkar/hukumath jaisa.

    To SBM: VMT, but kindly rest assured that you are not the only one to be puzzled. The rest of the world is equally puzzled as well & so you are not isolated. 1) 9 + 9 squadrons in all but each of these 2 tranches will be ordered sequentially, i.e, the first 9 being 70km-range MR-SAMs & the next 9 being LR-SAMs. Each Squadron will have three Flights & this is the composition of a Barak-8 MR-SAM Flight:

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rzAxuh0BA_E/TuqeqW1hkoI/AAAAAAAAAmo/dZC41fvqXpA/s1600/15MRSAM.jpg

    2) S-400 LR-SAM Flight: http://i59.tinypic.com/2dtwr68.jpg

    Three such Flights make up one S-400 Squadron.

    ReplyDelete
  93. To AYUSH: The whole world knows & understands that while Kashmir is an issue of dispute between India & Pakistan, the legal sovereignty of India over the erstwhile princely state of J & k was, is & will never be in doubt, meaning J & K is not disputed territory, as detailed in the UNSC resolution No.47 that had explicitly called for only Pakistani nationals to unconditionally withdraw from J & K. Hence, there's a huge difference between an issue of dispute and a disputed territory, which most Pakistanis can't figure out, perhaps because they belong to a lesser-evolved species of human beings. In any case, it was all summed up in the first 21 minutes of this programme aired last night:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHWbNOXGO8

    Then there's this:

    https://twitter.com/SengeHSering/status/1092777988834410497

    And this protest march in Kabul was aimed at highlighting the atrocities of that part of Kashmir that remains occupied by Pakistan, but listen to how the narrative was turned upside-down by the ISPR & conniving TV broadcast channels & then try to co-relate it with the placards shown in this videoclip:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdmzJUKO7zo

    And lastly, there's this problem about some 200 women from PoK who married men from J & K but who have since got divorced & are now stranded inside J & K:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feBJs25fEag

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9JtvHDHzRM

    To SRINIVASA NANDURI: A good discussion about the post-Doklam standoff scenario, organised yesterday in New Delhi by the Ananta Aspen Centre:

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

    ReplyDelete
  94. Hi Prasun,

    Thanks for your reply.

    The panel discussion on China was quite different from the usual stuff. Enjoyed it. Thank you.

    However, I still don't get it. When will this issue get resolved. When India completely surrenders itself to China.

    The encirclement is real, unresolved lac is real, provocation & poking is real, Chinese stance on j&k has changed, nsg & terrorism, they support Pakistan, etc.,

    Agree that Shaksgam & yarkgand were part of Xinjiang and that Goodson line should have been Indo tibetan border, but what next.

    Regards,
    Srinivasa Nanduri

    ReplyDelete
  95. To SRINIVASA NANDURI: Since when & for how long was Xinjiang a part of China? And for how long was Gartuk & Kailas Mansarovar part of India under the 1843 Chushul Treaty? When India gets a political leadership that can provide answers to such questions, only then will India stop bending over to placate China. Also, when the people of India hold their leaders accountable on a mass-scale on issues like this:

    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/aging-jets-for-iaf-corrupt-wine-cheese-for-babus-pilots-kin/articleshow/67859343.cms

    And lastly, the day when the people of India choose get rid of those 'netas' who perpetually choose to focus on ritualistic religiosity instead of material developmental issues, will also be the day when new-gen 'netas' emerge to stop India from punching way below her weight. Until then, energies will be nonsensically frittered away in only yelling "How's the Josh'!!!

    And here's the full report about which the discussion was all about:

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/External%20Affairs/16_External_Affairs_22.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  96. Prasun,
    Do you really think that these shameless creatures called 'Netas' are interested in anything else other than themselves and their selfish objectives? When will our equally selfish and shameless voters understand this? Voters who sell themselves for petty personal favours during voting and also otherwise do not deserve any sort of freedom other than that coming through whip lashes and kicks like the British gave us.I am ashamed to say this but we deserve the Netas we elect.The day is not far when these 'Netas' will sell us to foreign powers to achieve their objectives and our selfish voters will cheer for they will get some personal favours from these very same powers.In fact I suspect that it is already taking place.Wonder where did a certain 'Neta' get so much financial power to win the elections last time.What is your opinion?

    ReplyDelete
  97. http://www.ausairpower.net/API-ASRAAM-Analysis.html

    Good analysis on ASRAAM.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Prasun,


    recent news of IAF & IA both wanting air defence guns will Rhienmettel also be let off the hook like denel? heard Oerlikon Skyshield® Air Defence System is the best in business

    ReplyDelete
  99. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4vfaAlCQccc&t=1030s
    India's World - India's Options In Afghanistan

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pKHiJdNzLvI
    The Big Picture: US vs Russia: N-Arms Treaty & Venezuela

    https://theprint.in/security/central-armed-police-forces-to-finally-get-pay-parity-with-their-ips-counterparts/188228/

    https://theprint.in/security/china-has-a-super-weapon-the-world-must-beware-of-an-electromagnetic-railgun/187950/

    https://theprint.in/security/hal-work-ethos-needs-drastic-change-but-blame-game-will-solve-nothing-iaf-veterans/187260/

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1PJkX9ZPYyQ
    RSTV Vishesh – 06 Feb, 2019: Shifting Magnetic North Pole | खिसकता ध्रुव

    Some interesting readings...Sir..Your opinion on afgan scenario highly solicited..

    ReplyDelete
  100. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZhJUf-EDE
    Budgets
    PM Modi, Congratulations on India’s First Post-Truth Budget | The Quint
    Your view in this report in simple language...So that common people like me can understand well.

    ReplyDelete
  101. https://idsa.in/issuebrief/interim-defence-budget-2019-20-lkbehera-040219
    How you see the budget in perspective of modernisation and big ticket purchase

    ReplyDelete
  102. Prasun Sir,

    “We have completed the acquisition of a BAE Systems facility in Barrow-in-Furness, UK, which is a submarine and artillery plant" Baba Kalyani, Chairman, Kalyani Group

    https://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2019/02/induction-of-new-artillery-guns-shows.html

    Is he talking about this facility?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems_Maritime_%E2%80%93_Submarines


    regrds

    ReplyDelete
  103. you got some frnds in Naval Analyses ... FB holding u responsible for some plagiarism ... check out

    ReplyDelete
  104. Prasun sir, it seems russia has offered the ak 203 not the ak 103 as was reported earlier..this rifle definitely is advanced and comes with added accesories..it wud be fantastic to equip the army with it then why indian army is issuing another tender for assault rifles ..its really confusing

    ReplyDelete
  105. To TECHNOLOGY, PHOTOGRAPHY & TRAVEL: LoLz! Now to more serious stuff that I had been predicting would happen, & finally it has taken place:

    Haifa, Israel, February 07, 2019: In a Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) performed by the Israeli Navy, a Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS) dipping sonar was successfully converted for operation onboard the SeagullTM, Elbit Systems’ Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV). Operating a dipping sonar onboard a USV significantly increases the operational working time and substantially enhances that detection capabilities and the effectiveness of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). The Seagull autonomous multi-mission USV features switchable, modular mission payload suites and can perform, in addition to ASW, Mine Countermeasure missions (MCM), Electronic Warfare (EW), Maritime Security (MS), Hydrography and other missions using the same vessel, mission control system and data links. Seagull offers navies a true force multiplier delivering enhanced performance to naval operations, reducing risk to human life and dramatically cutting procurement and operating costs.

    To BUDDHA: Interesting reads:

    https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/india-777-large-aircraft-infrared-countermeasures-self-protection-suite

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-pushes-to-complete-61-strategic-roads-on-china-border-by-2022/story-mN9y4D98UOOu72me9RrmTI.html

    And here's the locational coordinates for the so-called EMRL at Baotou in Inner Mongolia:

    40 50 38.39 N, 109 36 26.19 E

    ReplyDelete
  106. Hey Prasun,
    What's all this crap going on about USA trying to float a new treaty like INF that would include even countries like India and China. It doesn't make sense to join such treaty unless China does so.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Prasun,

    - what's the issue abt TOT for imports maneuvering instrumentation (ACMI) systems got from israel ? and what is the best soln to it
    - why no TOT for the procurement of sig/ carcal rifles/carbines even though it is said to be emergency buy in small numbers. The count is high when compared to their other buyers
    - Which version of The AK 103 rifle will be manufactured as a part of Indo-Russia deal ? is it the Ak-308?
    - what happens to the cheetal/cheetak helicopters now that HAl is ot able to produce the main fan blades even after a full TOT and airbus has closed down the manufacturing of the same? will it be given to the private sector?

    ReplyDelete
  108. To ABHAY JAIN: The takeover is that of BAE Systems Weapons Systems facility in Barrow, Cumbria, UK. While BAE's facility at Hattiesburg in Mississippi is responsible for final integration and testing of the M777, prime contract management of the programme, manufacture and assembly of the titanium structures and associated recoil components is undertaken in Barrow. This facility has NOTHING to do with submarines.

    To ADITYA KAMBLE: What's so crappy about it? After all, such treaties are of a global nature & therefore must include all those countries in possession of IRBMs & long-range cruise missiles used for nuclear weapons delivery. This of course includes China & India as well.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: It is best to read the original reports, instead of stories like this:

    https://www.businesstoday.in/pti-feed/par-panel-says-fails-to-understand-why-transfer-of-technology-not-sought-for-acmi-system-for-iaf/story/317489.html

    This was the original deal: Elbit Systems Ltd announced on December 29, 2010 that it was awarded an approximately $18 million contract, for the supply of an EHUD Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) system for an Asian air force. The contract is a follow-on order that calls for the supply of two additional complete systems (static and mobile) to be used for real time, autonomous air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training and debriefing. The new systems will feature interoperability with an existing Elbit Systems’ training system that the customer is already operating. The contract will be performed over the next two years.

    And here are the Parliamentary reports:

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_49.pdf

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_48.pdf

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_47.pdf

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_46.pdf

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_45.pdf

    http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_44.pdf

    The Russian offer for licenced-manufacture is that of the AK-103. As for the Cheetal, the news-report has got it all wrong, because excess vibration is NOT due to the main rotor blades, but due to a mismatch between the main rotor hub, main rotor gearbox & the more powerful Turbomeca TM333-2B engine. After all, the gearbox was developed NOT for the TM-333-2B, but for the less powerful Artouste engine. So, if excess vibration is to be avoided, then a new-design main rotor hub & a new-design gearbox must be adopted, especially for high-altitude flights.

    ReplyDelete
  109. https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/ufos-warp-drives-stargates-freedom-of-information-query-reveals-secret-list-of-pentagon-research-projects/news-story/0c1fcffd8aa60239744648eb5c56dded

    Sir What is your opinion of this, all the conspiracy theories now suddenly becoming true.

    ReplyDelete
  110. To ARPIT KANODIA: Indeed that seems to be the case, as explained this most credible conspiracy theory so far on JFK’s assassination:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRG0-fv1iF0

    It must also be noted that the Ex-Nazi Germans *smuggled into the US under OP Paperclip towards the end of WW-2) & North Americans had by the mid-1960s mastered the science of magneto-aerodynamics, which allowed US industry to series-produce Alien Reproductive Vehicles (ARV) capable of inter-planetary travel within only our solar system. In fact, of the 900 research papers plus industrial patents on this subject that were filed in the US by the late 1960s, 90% of them remain classified till this day & remain out of bounds for the global scientific/engineering communities. However, the science of electro-gravitics continues to remain elusive to humanity & it is this science that enables inter-dimensional travel on inter-stellar/inter-galactic scales. In fact, while magneto-aerodynamics makes use of the physics & mathematics governing particle physics, quantum physics & quantum dynamics, inter-dimensional travel makes use of the physics & mathematics of parallel universes, about which no physics-/mathematics-related foundational knowledge exists as of now & it is now believed that the unsolved 70+ equations originating from Srinivasa Ramanujan all have to do with the physics & mathematics of parallel universes.

    We then come to human evolution itself, which began being ‘intelligently engineered’ some 450,000 years ago in selective tranches, starting with the original brown-skinned natives of the stone & ice ages. According to Edgar Cayce, within these 450,000 years, the Earth has been subjected to four global-scale cataclysms, during which the entire human species that was wiped out by the 1st cataclysm was replaced by a more intelligent human species, i.e. human evolution did not have start again from ZERO. So, after each of the four cataclysms, human beings were re-engineered by alien intelligence from where matters had been left off during the previous cataclysm. The last global cataclysm (the fourth) was some 6,500 years ago. Here are the recollections of Edgar Cayce:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WETl6Xgb5Sk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ8xvps3a8g&t=134s

    And here’s a video-clip on Alien Nano Implants:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLL155y4yr4

    And for everyone’s extended weekend viewing, here are the five episodes released so far by HISTORY Channel on Project Blue Book, which reveal a lot more on the cover-ups of the 1940s & 1950s:
    .
    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x70e74z

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x70qrx6

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7157nj

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x71j855

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x71y4w2

    ReplyDelete
  111. Hi Prasun,
    What are you views in respect to trajectory of Indo- Russian partnership. Which until recently had some semblance of balance due to common interests now look like only tangential where both nations cooperate, nay, trade on a few issues. I am not insinuating that India is going to loose a benefactor, doesn't need one, but it looks like Zamir Kabulov has finally given in to Paks ever so increasing efforts to tilt Russia towards it. Even though Indo - Russian relation is not what it used to be post 1991-92, this does create some power imbalance in India's immediate periphery. Japan and Aus are too far and latter of the two is heavily infiltrated by China. Please comment.
    regards,
    Brown Desi

    ReplyDelete
  112. I am surprised by the fact that an intelligent and objective person such as you Prasun babu believing in Edgar Cayce and Alien theory. I would believe all this ancient astronaut theory any day if someone can answer satisfactorily this question: If it took such clever intelligence to shape humans quite obviously the aliens could not possibly have developed such intelligence on their own from birth - so who created the aliens and so on. There had to be an origin and that origin had to be self existent, eternal and self sustaining. Who is that but God?

    ReplyDelete
  113. To BROWN DESI: Contrary to ‘popular/convendional/ belief, the US decision to withdraw its combat forces (while retaining its inyelligence machinery guarded by armed paramilitary forces) has all the chances of being a godsend for Afghanistan, since Kabul will at last be able craft its own independent foreign & security policies in collaboration with its well-wishers like Russia, India & Iran. Apart from delivering another 3 Mi-25 attack helicopters next month, the door is now totally open for India to supply the ANA with a range of lethal weaponry like a few hundred T-55 tanks & 105mm light field guns, while Iran will henceforth be able to supply 122mm field artillery howitzers, 120mm & 81mm mortars, 23mm cannons for direct fire-support, etc etc. And Russia will be able to play a much greater role in directly servicing & supporting such Soviet-era weapons that it could not do so for as long as US military forces were present inside Afghanistan. And when all this is combined together, it will at last give the ANA some direly needed offensive firepower & mobility for engaging the Afghan & Pakistani Taliban elements all along the Durand Line, which in turn will make mincemeat of the fencing now being undertaken by the PA along the Durand Line. And it is only then that Pakistan woll have to face its worst nightmare, i.e. almost daily firefights along the Durand Line, the Iran-Pakistan border in Balochistan & the India-Pakistan LoC. In other words, the ‘three-front’ low-intensity combat scenario will emerge in full view for everyone to see & this in turn will cause unacceptable attrition losses to the PA.

    That Pakistan is going to face utter disaster on the military front became known the day the Russian & the US along with China together forced Pakistan to permamently free those Afghan Taliban leaders from prison who were in favour of peace & shunning of violence, but who were prevented from migrating to Qatar. And now that they are in Qatar & are negotiating with everyone except Pakistan, only shows that Pakistan was made to accept the defeat of its grand designs WRT Afghanistan & in reaction, Pakistan is now desperately trying to achieve peace along its eastern front (through offers of the Kartarpur Corridor & the PA’s DGMO calling up his IA counterpart last year for implementing the LoC ceasefire in form & spirit), while along its western front, the fencing work is proceeding at breakneck speed.

    To SATYAMEVA: LoLz! So one one hand you are rubbishing the existence of alien intelligence & on the other you are stating that such alien intelligence is due to divine creation. So, I can only conclude that you are terribly confused by your own contradictory narrative & to a large extent you are also highly insecure by nature, usually a trait of those with a very low sense of self-esteem. In case you want to reverse this, then I humbly suggest that you start reading the Ramayana & Mahabharata. Edgar Cayce's revelations can be read much later after you have mastered the foundational precepts of intelligent life within the cosmos.

    ReplyDelete

  114. You answer to BROWN DESI:

    "And when all this is combined together, it will at last give the ANA some direly needed offensive firepower & mobility for engaging the Afghan & Pakistani Taliban elements all along the Durand Line ..."

    Are you seriously saying is that 50 year old refurbished equipment in the hands of the ANA will defeat Taliban when close to 200K+ USA, NATO + Contractors equipped with the best there is terms of equipment couldn't?

    Here is a documentary, BBC Panorama "Inside the Taliban"

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mm88n

    Talibans strength seems to lie not on the borders but amongst the Pashtun populace.

    Also at the moment ANA are losing more men than they can replace (forget about train). Unless IA goes in with few Corps, I cannot see the situation there changing for the better.

    MPatel

    ReplyDelete
  115. To MPATEL: LoLz! The Taliban’s stronghold is down south, especially in Helmand, Sangin, Musa Kala and Lashkar Gah. Kandahar is completely safe & sound. And the reason why the areas mentioned above are Taliban-infested is because the UK’s British Army was singularly unsuccessful in prosecuting its land campaigns. It will perhaps go down in history as being the most unprofessionally fought land campaign in Afghanistan between 2001 & 2014. Why so? Simply because the British Army in these areas was ill-equipped & outnumbered, which is what led to all the flawed planning. Even the Danish Army detachments deployed in Afghanistan were far better-equipped than the British Army. And as everyone now knows, the Afghan Taliban are now in control of only those pieces of real-estate which the Britiush Army was meant to clear, but this job was never done professionally at all by the underarmed & outnumbered British Army. The following documentaries vividly illustrate all that I have stated/explained above:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtC1hVA7pXE

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ILW0zBiszM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdPwLwuN8vM&t=42s

    In conclusion, if the Afghan Taliban is stronger today than it was before, then this is squarely due to the professional incompetence of the British Army, period. The ANA has drawn all the right lessons from this man-made & highly embarrassing British debacle & all it now needs are the requisite type & quantum of military hardware to divre out the Taliban from these areas & destroy their drugs-producing facilities there, which will forever eliminate the Afghan Taliban's funding sources.

    ReplyDelete
  116. More yellow journalism emanating from THE HINDU, but such baseless conspiracy theories are now fetching increasingly diminishing returns & damaging the newspaper's editorial integrity:

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-ministry-protested-against-pmo-undermining-rafale-negotiations/article26207281.ece

    The factoids are produced here:

    https://theprint.in/defence/rafale-deal-clean-pmo-didnt-interfere-former-defence-secretary-quoted-by-the-hindu/189727/

    https://theprint.in/defence/nobody-flagged-any-objections-before-me-says-iaf-officer-who-led-rafale-negotiations/189634/

    ReplyDelete
  117. As per Ajay Shukla, UK will make an offer to India to co-develop a sixth gen aircraft during aero India. Will India join the project if formally invited? Or is Mr Shukla just kite flying?

    ReplyDelete
  118. Sir
    This is not true we don't know anything about our mirror universe.

    https://www2.lbl.gov/abc/wallchart/chapters/05/2.html

    Already this is proven that CP-symmetry (Charge & Parity) is violated, and even quantum chirality is violated.

    Till now no one discovered that T-symmetry is also violated, but that is just a matter of time. Definitely, T-symmetry is also violated.
    https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/127685/which-interaction-violates-t-symmetry

    That means even if you go in mirror universe the arrow of time still be the same(not in reverse).

    ReplyDelete
  119. Sir,

    And if you are interested in edgar cayce prediction of perpetual motion machine.

    The physics totally explain perpetual motion machine
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_mass#Runaway_motion
    https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/165030/can-energy-be-extracted-indefinitely-from-a-mass-dipole-mass-negative-mass-pair

    And which Schrodinger ignored negative mass, Dirac added it in his equation
    If someone is interested in equations and physics behind Dirac sea and how Dirac proposed an infinite amount of energy


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCuaBmAzqek
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR6UebCvFqE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DL-Xa1f3QI&t=64s

    But obviously this all physics need negative mass, and if the negative mass is indeed true.

    ReplyDelete
  120. And more about negative mass

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10AP7tio408

    ReplyDelete
  121. I am not contradicting anything - I am using the same argument as those who propose human intelligence is a result of alien involvement. I was only using the same logic that if it is clear that humans evolved through genetic manipulation and alien influence where did such aliens then obtain their's? One thing is clear natural evolution as proposed by Darwin as a hypothesis could not create appreciation for arts, aesthetics, morals etc and this is what led to the rise of those folks who deny the existence of a Supreme Being citing humans were visited by aliens. But like I said there had to be an origin of the species - an origin which had supreme intelligence to impart this to lesser intelligent beings. WHO or WHAT is that origin? By the way that comment I made before was not derogatory in nature but a sheer astonishment that being such a rational person as you are, how do you not ask that fundamental question but accept that sort of hypothesis?

    ReplyDelete
  122. Another little observation: you run your blog people are free to come and go as they please and you are free to say what you like - 100% NO ARGUMENT on this. However, it is a sign of a wise person to hear different opinions and make room for acceptance - not necessarily agree - and have the humility to agree to disagree and still politely present their own views. You seem to take everything as a personal assault and go into vitriolic attack on others who disagree with you or have an opinion that doesn't fit your mindset. Sure if you have 100% proof of something and know for certain such as defence matters you are entitled to point out disinformation and stupid fake news. But on matters of hypothesis when no one can say they have the truth it is seen as a mark of a great man when the person is firm but humble in listening to what others have to say and not retaliate in personal diatribes. As you would see from my response I may disagree with you and have opined, but that's where the matter ends. I do not engage in name calling, insulting or disrespectful taunts.

    ReplyDelete
  123. To SATYA: Matters have now reached such a stage that India will be much better off joining the Franco-German FCAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbmVvmyV1SU&t=88s

    But let's first wait & see which party Japan joins for developing its own Gen-5 MRCA, i.e. whether the Franco-German FCAS project or BAE Systems' Team Tempest.

    To ARPIT KANODIA: Here's some more on cyclical civilisations & parallel universes:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcDP9IpiTwE

    Gravity & Levity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NpqADtMhz4&t=7s

    To PIERRE ZORIN: World’s Biggest Heist in Malaysia:

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

    ReplyDelete
  124. To SATYAMEVA: There was never any personal malice intended at all against anyone. Nor did anyone question the existence or non-existence of any Almighty or God or supreme human being. But despite this, bringing God into the equation & using it as the springboard for questioning anyone's referencing of "Edgar Cayce and Alien theory" was totally unwarranted & unnecessary.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Double/compound delta wing with a canard. Does not Tejas Mk2 now have a configuration similar to Saab Viggen ?
    Could we not have chosen more modern configuration like grippen/eurofighter/rafale?

    Regards
    Venky

    ReplyDelete