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Friday, June 23, 2023

No More A Fence-Sitter

When India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III met in New Delhi on June 5 this year, many were wondering what was the reason why the two had indulged in what can be termed as ‘over-hugging’ before and after the delegation-level talks. The answer came on June 15 when the Indian Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Defence Acquisition Council  approved the off-the-shelf procurement of 31 General Atomics-built MQ-9Bs (15 MQ-9B Sea Guardians for the Indian Navy and 16 Sky Guardians—eight each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force) from the US Navy and US Army through the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. And the numbers of these MALE-UAVs itself was the giveaway to another reality—India definitely will have a critical role to play in the maritime awareness domain in the event of military hostilities breaking out between the US-Japan combine on one hand and China on the other in the event of a full-scale military invasion of Taiwan by China.

This should put to rest all doubts to the contrary that were aired over the past 30 days by the likes of Ashley Tellis and Daniel Markey, which can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIN7stDcfmk&t=3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlEmF0sQ9jc&t=3s

Simply explained, India as the nett provider of security within the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) stretching from the Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea right up to the Malacca Strait, will do her bit in providing persistent ISR support to the navies of not just the US, but also to those of Japan, Australia and Singapore, all of which always deploy their warships within the IOR. Hence, one can safely infer that the MQ-9B Sea Guardians will also be operating from the Indian Navy air bases at Karwar and Kochi.

Interestingly, India is the only country that has operational interactions with three US theatre commands--Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Central Command (CENTCOM) and African Command (AFRICOM). Providing such ISR support is not new, since under OP Sagittarius between late 2001 and mid-2002 the Indian Navy’s AOPVs had escorted high-value cargo of the US Navy and Marines, which meant for sustaining military operations in Afghanistan for OP Enduring Freedom, across the Malacca Strait, known for its high density of shipping traffic and incidents of piracy.

For all the four countries of the QUAD Grouping, filling the persistent ISR void within the IOR had acquired a sense of urgency due to the widespread belief that China is expected to militarily invade Taiwan latest by 2027.

But most importantly, military-industrial activities have commenced on a project that calls for: 1) laying of an undersea optical fibre-optic cable from Chennai to Port Blair; and 2) the construction of an undersea network of seabed-based surveillance sensors stretching from the tip of Sumatra right up to Indira Point and from there to India’s southeastern seaboard; and another similar network stretching from India’s southwestern seaboard right up to the entrance to the Red Sea (near Socotra). Once completed, this network will be an integral part of the existing US-Japan ‘Fish Hook’ sound surveillance (SOSUS) network that will play a pivotal role in constantly monitoring all submarine patrols mounted by China’s PLA Navy (PLAN) in both the South China Sea and the IOR. This network will in turn be networked with the Indian Navy’s high-bandwidth National Command Control and Communications Intelligence network (NC3I), which has been set up under the IN’s National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) project at a cost of Rs.1,003 crores. At the heart of the NC3I is the Gurgaon-based, Rs.453 crore Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), whose systems integration software packages were supplied by Raytheon and CISCO.

However, it is also a fact that if India were to play a critical role in support of a combined US-Japan counter-attack against China, the PLA’s Rocket Force’s (PLARF) DF-17 and DF-27 ballistic missiles (BM)—both equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles (HGV)—will definitely target the Indian Navy’s MALE-UAV operating bases in India’s south-eastern seaboard (INS Rajali) and air bases at Port Blair and Campbell Bay. It now remains to be seen whether the US provides assured protection against the PLARF’s HGV-armed BMs by stationing its THAAD interceptor batteries and related AN/TPY-2 fire-control radars in such operating bases of the Indian Navy.

Another area of cooperation between the US and India that can be expected s the co-development of a cheaper and scaled-down version of the X-band SBX floating radar, which, in India’s case, can be a ship-mounted X-band fire-control radar fabricated in India with US military-technical assistance.

57 comments:

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

SBX Radar Booklet: https://www.mda.mil/global/documents/pdf/sbx_booklet.pdf

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To GESSLER: Besides co-producing F414 turbofans with GE Aero Engines and procuring SeaGuardian/SkyGuardian MALE-UAVs from the US, India is working on two key agreements that will open the multi-billion-dollar US military sub-systems/components outsourcing market for Indian companies. Initial discussions have started on the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDP). Once negotiated & inked, they will drastically increase opportunities for Indian manufacturers to engage with US OEMs. The negotiations are expected to take time but have been mentioned in the India-US roadmap for defence industrial cooperation that will get a significant boost during the PM's ongoing visit. Indian industry has made representations to the MoD and higher levels of the government for expediting the agreements as they would enable Indian industrial entities to be qualified as suppliers and contractors for US Department of Defense military-industrial orders. Once the RDP is finalised, India will join a list of countries accorded the status of being Defence Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) compliant. Only 26 countries are presently qualified to supply significant components and parts for US military orders. The agreement will open big doors for India's manufacturing sector in terms of orders for castings and other components made of steel, copper, nickel, titanium and zirconium needed for US military orders. It will also co-align the defence manufacturing ecosystems of the two countries. "The new defence industrial roadmap and associated agreements will thus see Indian companies getting the opportunity to more comprehensively plug into the US military-industrial base. There are signals from both governments that there will be significant movement on tech releasability issues, accelerating the US-India defence cooperation. The RDP basically provides a waiver of US laws that otherwise restrict the federal government from procuring goods from non-domestic sources.

Anonymous said...

Sir, IA wanted anti aircraft guns and had shortlisted S Korean Biho. Then Russians wanted to sell Pantsir. What happened to it ? Will it be local ?
Regards
Venky

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VENKY: It will be imported, but the reqmt of the IA & IAF will have to be common, i.e. no 2 different solutions.

Do watch this presentation by Lt Gen (Ret'd) Javed Hassan on Kashmir:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qmhEhD1YY

He was the Pakistan Army's FCNA at Gilgit during OP Vijay back in 1999.

DAshu said...

That 1st para is eye popping. The gist of this thread is startling and the THAAD.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

The United States and India advanced steps to operationalize tools that will allow us to increase our defense cooperation. The United States and India resolved to strengthen undersea domain awareness cooperation. The agreement to place three Indian liaison officers in US commands for the first time–-deepening our partnership and critical information sharing. The United States and India have also commenced negotiations for a Security of Supply Arrangement and Reciprocal Defense Procurement Arrangement that will enable the supply of defense goods in the event of unanticipated supply chain disruptions. The United States and India finalized a Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap that provides policy direction to defense industries and enables co-production of advanced defense systems as well as collaborative research, testing, and prototyping of the technologies that will determine the future of military power.

The United States Navy has concluded a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with Larsen and Toubro Shipyard in Kattupalli (Chennai) and is finalizing agreements with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilding Ltd (Mumbai) and Goa Shipyard Ltd. These agreements will allow mid-voyage U.S. Navy ships to undergo service and repair at Indian shipyards, facilitating cost-effective and time-saving sustainment activities for U.S. military operations across multiple theaters.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/fact-sheet-republic-of-india-official-state-visit-to-the-united-states/

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

The leaders appreciated the strong military-to-military ties, mutual logistics support, and efforts to streamline implementation of foundational agreements. They noted that information sharing and placement of Liaison Officers in each other’s military organizations will spur joint service cooperation. They also reiterated their resolve to strengthen maritime security cooperation, including through enhanced underwater domain awareness. The leaders welcomed the launch of dialogues in new defense domains including space and AI, which will enhance capacity building, knowledge, and expertise.

Expressing their desire to accelerate defense industrial cooperation, the leaders welcomed the adoption of a Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which will provide policy direction to defense industries and enable co-production of advanced defense systems and collaborative research, testing, and prototyping of projects. Both sides are committed to addressing any regulatory barriers to defense industrial cooperation. The leaders also noted the decision of India’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense to commence negotiations for concluding a Security of Supply arrangement and initiate discussions about Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreement.

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi also welcomed India’s emergence as a hub for maintenance and repair for forward deployed U.S. Navy assets and the conclusion of Master Ship Repair Agreements with Indian shipyards. This will allow the U.S. Navy to expedite the contracting process for mid-voyage and emergent repair. As envisaged in the Defense Industrial Roadmap, both countries agree to work together for the creation of logistic, repair, and maintenance infrastructure for aircrafts and vessels in India.

The leaders welcomed the setting up and launch of the U.S.-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). As a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks, INDUS-X will facilitate joint defense technology innovation, and co-production of advanced defense technology between the respective industries of the two countries. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Force has signed its first International Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Indian start-up 114 AI and 3rdiTech. Both companies will work with General Atomics to co-develop components using cutting edge technologies in AI and semiconductors respectively.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/joint-statement-from-the-united-states-and-india/

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

1) Would the K-4 slbm also be MIRVed like the Agni-P and Agni-5 ?

2) Given the loss of Russian collaboration on the SSBN program, and the resulting delays in the S-5/6/7 (possibly an extra decade), would it make sense to produce more of the Arihant class SSGNs equipped with the K-4 to increase deterrent credibility vis-a-vis China ?

Satyaki

Santosh said...

Sir for one last time please explain this
With the ongoing agreement with GE for F414 engine,wat are the new things which we are getting, Is this same old deal of 2006 which is getting finalized now
Are we getting any technology on crystal blade?
With this deal are we getting know why kind of technology trasfer
How the above deal will help india w r t kaveri engine?will the problem of kaveri engine will be overcome with the above deal in future?


Rohit Gill said...

Sir , how come khalistanis are falling one after another? Who is killing them? Is RAW going Mossad's way? Or is it a cleaning operation by western intelligence agencies?

Agalo said...

If the US really would like to displace Russia from its military influence over India, then there is no choice but for it and France to step into the N submarine sphere. If the US offered a N sub to be leased, be it an older retired one, then probably this can happen. It's clear that the sanctions are finally hitting Russia because not so much internally but it's curbing Russia's efforts to sell its products. Not sure how YUAN will help their coffers as it only helps China.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SATYAKI: 1) Yes. 2) K-4 SLBM will not act as a credible deterrent against China.

To SANTOSH: HAL will get production machinery & manufacturing technology for the following:

> Special coating for erosion and corrosion
> Repair technology for turbine
> Compression disc and blades
> Coating and machining of single crystal turbine blades
> Machining & coating of hot end parts
> Complete tech transfer for blisk machining
> Machining of powder metallurgy
> Polymer matrix composite
> Laser drilling for combustion
> Bottle boring of shafts

This further proves what I have been saying all along, i.e. it is an industrial offsets component of the F-414 turbofan procurement contract that will take effect within the next 36 months, with HAL then becoming a part of the global supply chain of GE Aero Engines. What this in turn means is that GE Aero Engines will transfer all the industrial toolings & machinery reqd for producing such components to HAL & outsourcing such components ONLY from HAL, i.e. GE will no longer be producing them in the US. Most of such components are common to both the F-404 & F-414 turbofan families. This, in essence, is the standard US policy on military-industrial cooperation, i.e. it is similar to what Boeing & Lockheed Martin have been doing with TATA in Hyderabad. For instance, al AH-64E Apache airframes are fabricated by TATA & shipped to the US, where no one presently produces AH-64E airframes. Same goes for C-130J & CH-47F & S-92 airframe parts that are produced by TATA & Dynamatic Technologies.

At the technology-level, all such technologies are about 30 years old & were transferred to HAL even by Russia’s UMPO Ufa 20 years ago for producing components for the AL-31FP turbofan. For example, BLISK machining has long been superceded by BLING machining. So by no means is any cutting-edge production technology being shared with India/HAL. Nor will the complete F414 be licence-built by HAL. This is contrary to what the ‘desi bandalbaazes’ are mis-reporting, like this one who now claims that the Tejas-AF Mk.2 M-MRCA will be twin-engined:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxsohsXAG14

Also, his claim that the GTRE-led Kaveri turbofan project is a failure is totally wrong. The Kaveri today stands ready for high-speed taxi trials & flight-tests, but is devoid of a suitably available aircraft airframe. While high-speed taxi-trials can be done by any PV-series or LSP-series Tejas Mk.1, in-fight tests will require a twin-engined combat aircraft & t is here that the trouble starts, because airframes like MiG-29 & Su-30MKI are designed for turbofans that have overhead-mounted gearboxes, while Tejas & all their West-origin combat aircraft have gearboxes mounted beneath the turbofan’s front-end.

All that I had stated about the F414 industrial offsets was proven in this telecast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rWtQCCf0-Q

Both Ret'd Commodore Maolonkar & former HAL CMD confirmed that the turbofan will not be licence-built & no crucial casting technologies & metallurgical formulae will be shared. As I had explained earlier, no one parts with such technologies since a sharing of IPRs by GE will only tantamount to creating a business competitor & this turn tantamounts to a criminal breach of trust on the part of the publicly-listed foreign OEM's Board of Directors. It is that simple & yet we see several internet fanboys still hoping for miracles to happen.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SANTOSH: In short, the GE-developed F404-IN20 & F414INS6 turbofans represent Gen-4 turbofans, while the F414EPE is a Gen-5 turbofan & the one on Northrop Grumman's NGAD belongs to Gen-6. The GTX-35 Kaveri developed by GTRE comes under the Gen-4 category, but the castings & machining tools for 10 critical alloys used in this turbofan are presently imported & the DRDO's DMRL lab has been tasked with indigenising the 10 alloys. The 130kN-thrust turbofan that GTRE wants to co-develop for AMCA Mk.2 will come under the Gen-5 category.

To AGALO: This throws more light on the issues that you have flagged:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy7lF4LEYZA&t=15s

সুমন্ত নাগ said...

Prasun Da, what can be suitable airframe for test flight, can any western combat jet can be bought or leased ?

Thanks in advance.

buddha said...

Sir I hope you are keeping close eyes on the fluid situations of Russia
How possible coup is taking place
How Putin will handle internal chaos and external threat amidst acute financial crunch situation।
If situation deteriorates it will send ripple across the globe .
Will USA allow next Avenger drone in near future to India

Santosh said...

Thank u for such great explanation,Thank u for clearing all doughts
Sir as per this latest video of Abhijit Iyer in defensive offensive,he says that india doesn't have chain of ISR capability because of which we cannot do long range reconnaissance,we do not have any platform available,we cannot attack long range targets
, He also says that we till now are not capable of producing any aesa radar(UTTAM radar)
We are not capable of producing TRM modules for radar,
We do not have long range indigenous radar like green pine radar
Our upcoming air defence system like Akash prime,QRSAM, Akash NG is obselete
His big claim is that because of indias import from multinational country has let to problem of integration,it doesn't integrate with other systems which led to problems, compromising operational capability
How true is that?
Where we stand in fighting next gen war

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

VMT.

1) If this is the case, what was the purpose of developing the K-4 ? Gaining developmental experience before working on the K-5 ?

2) Would some modification of the S-3/4 be able to carry that K-5 as well (maybe only a small number of them) ?

Satyaki

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUMANTA NAG: Before timelines, let us first catalogue what are the reqmts. First & foremost a flying testbed like IL-76MD is reqd for flight-testing the engine core, like the GTRE-developed Kabini, which was flight-tested in Russia in 2011. Only after this is the complete turbofan built with the flight-tested engine core. Next, for qualifying any new-design complete turbofan (with afterburner) like GTX-35 Kaveri for flight-tests, ground-based test-facilities like a high-altitude wind-tunnel & de-icing test facility have to be built, like these:

https://www.geaerospace.com/sites/default/files/Test-Services-Altitude.pdf

https://www.geaerospace.com/sites/default/files/Test-Services-Icing.pdf

After this comes the flight-testing of such a complete turbofan & this can be done either on a twin-engined MRCA or on a flying testbed like Russia’s IL-76MD FTB (one of which was bought by China 20 years ago). The FTB is used to validate engine performance at 12,192 to 15,240 metres above the ground. It also underscores any serious problems with the programme that needs to be fixed while maintaining the highest margin of safety. So, while any Tejas Mk.1 PV-series or SP-series aircraft can be used only for high-speed taxi-trials while retaining the existing gearbox location, for airborne flight-tests usage of a MiG-29-type MRCA is imperative. If this approach is adopted, then the Kaveri’s existing gearbox location will have to be changed from bottom to top ONLY for such flight-tests. This is doable, albeit at some extra expense, just like UMPO-Ufa had done when developing the AL-31FN variant of the original AL-31F turbofan for China’s Chengdu J-10 M-MRCA. Below are the 2 photos that show the visible locations of the gearboxes:

AL-31F Turbofan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_AL-31#/media/File:AL-31F_series_42_engine_InnovationDay2013part2-42.jpg

AL-31FN Turbofan:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/AL-31FN.jpg/1200px-AL-31FN.jpg

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To BUDDHA: LoLz! Don’t try to solve the world’s problems & instead enjoy the far more exciting events this weekend:

Kalahari UFO Shootdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBKYNwC-bjs&t=185s

https://ufoac.com/was-a-ufo-shot-down-over-the-kalahari.html#gsc.tab=0

Meje UFO Incident in Brazil:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmBniAE4y8E&t=98s

Gumnaami Baba was Indeed Subhas Chandra Bose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JclPZ29VeA

How The US Caught A Chinese Spy Trying to Steal Turbofan Secrets from GE Aerospace:

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

Is This Guy Really a ‘YOGI’?:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1672202688392470529

To SANTOSH: You must be referring to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g99P6xSzz8

All I can say is that BOTH are buffoons who don’t have the slightest clue about military technologies & hence the contents were both factually wrong & violations of the laws of physics. This is the problem with internet fanboys who always twist & distort the reality.

To SATYAKI: The K-4 SLBM is only meant as an interim solution NOT against china, but against Pakistan, pending the arrival of the 6,000km-range SLBM.

সুমন্ত নাগ said...

Prasun Da, thanks for clearing air, since,

a) Russia is getting more and more embroiled in Internal Turmoil, as it seems Putin had some serious miscalculation, can help of France to convert existing A320 Airframes in India as High Altitude Flying Test Beds ? Since, Russia may not be able provide necessary support to convert to Retiring IL 76 as FTB ? Is there any effort going on to procure High Altitude Flying Test Bed ?

b) Can Agreement be made with the France to procure 2 additional Rafale as Combat FTB ? Any steps or proposal is there ? So the need of change of Gearbox can not arise ?

c) Can collaboration be made with France to built High Altitude and De-icing Facility? Will there be headway in future? Since, that will be building blocks for developments of Engines in house.

d) Since, provision to Zircon/Brahmos - 2 depends on Situation in Russia, it is High Time India should opt US-Israeli cooperation in the field of Hypersonic Missile with a clear roadmap of 5 years, Can DRDO HGV Programme be expedited ? What was the ISRO IDS Combined Hypersonic Vehicle ? Is it a type of Hypersonic Missile ?

e) Since, Russia be in turmoil, it will be a Chorbazar once again for PRC and NKOREA, since, India is in now bind with the USA, she can not do anything with the opportunity, except completely go with the West? but the events against Russia, also an warning to Xi,
if it tries to invade Taiwan ?

f) BTW, who is / are behind of eliminating Overseas Khalistanis? Is it RAW ? or ISI is just trashing them out, since they are proving additional burden? Or Intra Narco Mafia War is in progress ? Was there any RAW involvement in elimination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar? In any case RAW involved , since NSA of CANDA, actively clubbed India with Russia, China and Iran ?


Please share Your Views Dada, Thanks in Advance.

সুমন্ত নাগ said...

"Gumnaami Baba was Indeed Subhas Chandra Bose"

Prasun Da, I have seen the Movie Gumnami and reading Conundrum, and I have no doubt that He was none other than Sri Subhash Chanda Bose.

সুমন্ত নাগ said...

Prasun Da, France is eager to feel the potential vacuum that in future may be left by turmoiled Russia, I think India should grab it.

Also, since it is doubtful now that whether Russia can deliver remaining S-400 or even product support, can THAAD be the solution, as XRSAM is still in developmental phase ? I think India should go for it, as past Late AV Bajpayee endorsed US Nuclear Missile Defence at Present GMD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViibIHD9ZI0

I think this guy endorsing you many way.

Please share your views also Dada.

just_curious said...

Prasun,

1 - How many Bramhos can be loaded onto Arhihant based SSGN's?
2- german 212CD is a double hulled sub with a stealthy outer hull design. Can IN collaborate with TKMS for the outer hull design to be used on Arihant based SSGNS?
3 - What is happening between Putin & Wagoner group. Seems the Wagnor guy has become greedy for power.. is this a case of west buying him out?
4 - what is the progress on next gen Nuke reactors for SSBN'S or next gen SSN/SSGN? Since the current designs are russian origin will russia continue to support barc?
5 - what is the optimal sub strength IN needs to have
6 - given that 414 tech is dated should india join hands with RR for bling & composite tech? what will japan gain from its collab with RR on engines when their R&D on jet engines was going strrong/ can india join it? those high thrust engine can be used for SU 30 replacemnent by late 2040's
7 - Are russians involved in S5 design & dev since u mention its will be based on borei class subs? has it got affected as well?
8- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/hypersonic-brahmos-missile-in-the-future-brahmos-ceo-explains/videoshow/100712994.cms .. Bramhos chief talks about newer variants(3:23 onwards). what are these new variants apart from the NG?

just_curious said...

Prasun,

8- will India be able to tie up with Egypt to disrupt erdogan's grand slam plans ? Also greece which is in a similar situation as Egypt economically can we help both & get leverage in Mediterranean? india should have permenant base in Egypt & Armenia? Is the Ayni airbase still being sued in IAF?
9- will a brics currency materialize anytime soon? Also what is the impact on INSTC is it progressing as expected?
10-Russia asking for spares will Indi give it
11 - why has moD /IAF never bothered to buy a IL76 for engine testing like you mentioned china did? plain neligence? why not even now?
12- Russia has a prob with rupees lying with it. how can it be resolved?

just_curious said...

Prasun,

12 - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/hypersonic-brahmos-missile-in-the-future-brahmos-ceo-explains/videoshow/100712994.cms .. Dinakar Rane talkinig about Hypersonic bramhos (1:20) & newer variants (3:24).

joydeep ghosh said...

@prasun da

oi remember you once held Sam Pitroda responsible t=for stopping the advent of cell phone in India in 1980s itself

today I heard him in a interview saying that ' iknew one day cell phones will have to come to India, but at that time in 1980s cell phones were the size of a brick and costly, we kept working on technologies to make it affordable we didn't implement it though and didn't issue telecom licenses, the reason was at that time cell phone technology was analogue, and when asked Motorola was offering only analogue technology, we waited for development in technology and when GSM was launched though it was the right time for cell phone in India. many people accused me of delaying it but it was worth it'

thanks
Joydeep ghosh

just_curious said...

Prasun

13- another 500 jets ordered @paris airshow still no mfg in india why? what can be done to correct it?

just said...

Prasun,

apologies for too many queries
14- what benefit will kaveri get from 414 deal? does kaveri have future apart from UCAV? ditto for HTFE 25? where will it be used?My take replace the russian engine on IJT with HTFE make it a single seater armour it & sell it as light fighter to small nations like maldives . nigeria to fight islamists

Parthasarathi said...

Prasunda,
Can't we make a India specific ( rather Sukhoi 30 MKI specfic) F110 engine and change the present engines, as the TBO is only 1000 hrs.
I personally feel not research and testing is required.
Best regards.

rad said...

hi prasun

will it be a good idea to jointly develop a full fledged bas e in andamans where an american carrier group can berth?

how good is the latest Israeli hypersonic interceptor

can we make a hypersonic BM like the df-`17 ? we already have the basis after the relaunch able space craft test. Any thing regarding that in India?

again is it worth while using an expensive glide vehicle for conventional use?

again is it not easy to track the df-17 by IR as it will glow on re entry due to atmospheric friction at mach 5

by what means do vehicles like these maneuver in the thin air?



Anonymous said...

Hi Dada,

1. Is Russia heading towards another breakup?
2. Do you think Indian armed forces can move to new vendor and is it completely possible?
3. When IAF will order next batch of Rafale fighter jet?

regards,
Mohan

Harsh said...

Prasun sir,
1) How many Guided pinaka rockets has the Indian army ordered? What is our total requirement for this weapon? According to the leaked US documents on the ukriane war, the ukrainians used 9,612 GMLRS rounds till March 18.

2) What weapons does the Indian Air force have to conduct deep strategic strikes, beyond 300km from frontline?

3) According to this article, the US can produce 21,000 artillery per month.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-ramps-up-howitzer-shell-production-to-supply-ukraine-replenish-stockpiles-1e6dce54

How many shells (roughly) can India produce per month in the event of a war if we mobilize our industrial potential?

4) Your thoughts on the Wagner "coup"?

joydeep ghosh said...

your views on the video and what is your opinion on the talk of 2 abhijits
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JvxwMUD9UMU

thanks
Joydeep ghosh

Thehundered said...

Prasun, what are the chances of IAF procuring Eurofighter Typhoon with a 30% cost reduction and transfer of the production line to India?

https://idrw.org/mrfa-eurofighter-consortium-plans-shift-in-strategy-for-india/

Does Indian army have anything similar to Russian ISDM Zemledeliye Mine mine-laying system or US- Remote Anti-Armor Mine system (RAAM)

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SUMANTA NAG: 1) India can still ask Russia to modify one of the ISAF’s IL-76MDs into a flying testbed. For testing turbofans of all kinds, a four-engined jetliner is reqd, while for testing turboprops a single-engined narrow-body jetliner will suffice. Here are some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=995i8v28QEU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOXW4F_9dOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ZX69NvpN4

2) No, that is impossible now & is not advisable, since it will be useful for testing only Gen-4 turbofans while for Gen-5 turbofans the Rafale airframe won’t be suitable. 3) High-altitude wind-tunnels & test-cells can easily be built in India by India OEMs itself. In fact, HAL has already built one where the HTSE-1200 is now being tested. All this was divulged in a webinar last year whose links I have repeatedly posted before €€& here it is again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpSOW28W47Q

4) R & D on both has been expedited & both have dual-use applications. 5) Yes. 6) Your guess is as good as mine. 7) Presently, the THAAD is the only alternative available in the absence of S-400 & XR-SAM.

To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) Eight. 2) Migration of technologies from one submarine design to another among two opposing OEMs is an impossibility. 4) Yes, because the agreement was inked back early last decade along with the agreement to supply two more VVR-1000 PRs for the KNPP project. 5) 6 x SSKs with AIP, 9 x SSGNs & 3 x SSBNs. 6) There’s no need since the F414EPE already uses ‘Bling’ & will be made available for the AMCA Mk.1 project. 7) S-5 design was made public by a DRDO lab back in 2012 & I had uploaded its picture here:

http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2012/06/games-being-played-along-indias-eastern.html

8) It is all explained here: BrahMos Aerospace at 50:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WspNTf1heWU

14) Kaveri won’t benefit at all from the F414 industrial offsets deal. But completion of Kaveri’s development will enable GTRE & HAL to become GE’s technological partners when co-developing a Gen-5 turbofan for AMCA Mk.2. If the HFLT-42 becomes a reality, then the Kaveri can be considered as its powerplant.

To PARTHASARATHY: Theoretically it is possible. But where are the land-based test facilities & airborne flying testbeds that are reqd for such developmental activities? All such deficiencies were clearly spelled out in this webinar a year ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpSOW28W47Q

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To JOYDEEP GHOSH: LoLz! Folks like Sam Pitroda are ‘Quacks’, i.e. bullshitters pretending to be technocrats. Coming now to the money-making quacks on V-blogs, my answer is the same: All I can say is that BOTH are buffoons who don’t have the slightest clue about military technologies & hence the contents were both factually wrong & violations of the laws of physics. This is the problem with internet fanboys who always twist & distort the reality.

This was repeated again yesterday after the INC gave a spectacularly outrageous, malicious & idiotic press-conference concerning the projected Sea Guardian/Sky Guardian MAL-UAV procurements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir_0EgvoEAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRdKufrrMT8

And the buffoon yet again crated total confusion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3LOxEoBsl8&t=23s

A G-to-G contract is inked only when a sole-source procurement is the desired/preferable option. Hence no global or restricted RFPs are reqd to be issued to multiple prospective OEMs. In addition, after DAC approval, the procurement process goes to the MoD’s defence procurement board (DPP), which constitutes the price negotiations committee & this committee in turn along with the US Defense Dept’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) draws up a Letter of Offer & Acceptance (LOA) under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) channel & presents it to the US Congress for approval within a 30-day period. The contents of the LOA are broadly published online at the DSCA’s website here:

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales

Once approved, it is this LOA that is then approved by the Indian Cabinet Committee on National Security (CCNS) & immediately thereafter the LOA is inked by both parties. Next, the DSCA signs a procurement contract with the US-based OEM General Atomics, Telephonics & all other US-based military-industrial vendors & establishes a systems program office (SPO) to manage the contract’s execution & life-long product-support. In India’s case, the SPO will be manned by personnel drawn from the US Army, US Navy & USAF.

Cont'd below...

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

Below are some of the DSCA notifications WRT sales of US-origin weapons & military platforms to India over the years:

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-support-direct-commercial-sale-ah-64d-block-iii-apache

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/government-india-c-17-transport-aircraft

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-harpoon-joint-common-test-set-jcts

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mk-54-lightweight-torpedoes-0
https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-m777-155mm-light-weight-towed-howitzers-0

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-ugm-84l-harpoon-missiles

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-harpoon-block-ii-missiles

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-agm-84l-harpoon-air-launched-block-ii-missiles

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-c-17-globemaster-iii-aircraft

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-follow-support-c-130j-super-hercules-aircraft

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-c-130j-aircraft

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

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mh-60r-multi-mission-helicopters

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-p-8i-and-associated-support

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-integrated-air-defense-weapon-system-iadws-and-related-equipment

The first such notification was made in 2002 when the IA wanted to procure 4 THALESRaytheon TPQ-37 Firefinder weapon-locatng radars.

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To RAD: 1) Campbell Bay Island is already being developed to have such a capacity. 2) Almost all solid-fuelled BMs are hypersonic in flight, but not upon atmospheric re-entry & hence hypersonic glide-vehicles are reqd for destroying hardened ammo storage bunkers. Glide-vehicles have control-surfaces for limited manoeuvring. No for some laughter: a photo released by DRDO showing the interior of the ground-control station f Tapas MALE-UAV clearly shows it equipped with CCTV cameras supplied by Hongkong-based China OEM HIKVISION:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FzpMdi6XwAg2KgC?format=jpg&name=large

To MOHAN: the answer to all your questions is: your guess is as good as mine.

To HARSH: 1) More than 9,000. 2) BrahMos-1, BrahMos-A & SCALP-EG. 3) India can do so too, with OEMs like Munitions India Ltd, Adani Defence & Aerospace & Kalyani Group all possessing manufacturing facilities. 4) Good fun, isn’t it?

https://munitionsindia.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIL-Brochure.pdf

https://munitionsindia.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2-Artillery-Ammunition.pdf

https://munitionsindia.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/9-Pinaka-Brochure.pdf

Ordnance Factory Badmal (OFBL) in Bolangir, Odisha, was started as the 39th Ordnance Factory with state-of-the-art technology from M/s Day and Zimermann, USA; M/s Josef Meissner, Germany; M/s HAKO, Switzerland; and M/s KINTEX, Bulgaria. Late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of this Factory on October 29th, 1984. The project sanction came in 1989. The value of plant and machinery at Ordnance Factory Badmal was Rs.166.70 crores when it was installed and the value of buildings, including Factory and Estate was Rs.328.60 crores. This factory produces both 155mm & 125mm rounds. The OFB factory in Nalanda produces BMCS modules & charge-bags, while ECIL & BEL supply the fuzes imported from South Africa & Israel.

To THEHUNDRED: LoLz! You want the IAF to end up like Qatar’s air force? IA has a DRDO-developed mechanical mine-layer. RAAM-type mines are available with Pinaka rockets.

VIKRAM GUHA said...

PrasunDa,

In the link that you have provided it states that Government of India has requested to buy an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System (IADWS)from the US.

1. Are they referring to the NASAM?

2. Did India eventually procure this IADWS from US? If not, will this deal go through in the near future?

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-integrated-air-defense-weapon-system-iadws-and-related-equipment

Thanks,
VIKRAM

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To VIKRAM GUHA: Yes, it is NASAMS, but the contract was never placed. In future, new pricing will apply & a new notification will have to be issued IN CASE India wants to procure NASAMS.

China's UAVS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9vPHSRVlM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omawVz_XN3I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xydCliYnyqQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6w9dwYtnk

Anonymous said...

Prasunda,

1) Is it true that progress on the S-5/6/7 SSBNs will continue as before in spite of the current changes with respect to Russia ?

2) If so, wont the only assistance required from France or anybody else be for fuel for the SSBNs ?

Satyaki

AMIT BISWAS said...

Can u highlight what is this used for
https://youtu.be/LfZWbyWPyuA
Recently seen this in NE dibrugarh airport, reportedly used by OIL..

AMIT BISWAS said...

Weapon realeasing envelope in first video isnt as smooth as western aircrafts

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To SATYAKI: Everything revolves around the money factor, i.e. the payments settlement mechanism between India & Russia at the G-t-G level.

To AMIT BISWAS: Looks like a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom like on the P-8I LRMR/ASW platforms. MAD & LIDAR are used for ground-penetrating searches for underground rock formations as well as their mineral contents.

How the IA is Defending Arunachal Pradesh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXz5HtGA1w&t=45s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCek4OdV6n0&t=8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCI39KAKsyg&t=2s

What Really Happened at Galwan on June 15, 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbSWQ8TqB7Y&t=11s

Anonymous said...

Sir,

https://idrw.org/opinion-iaf-heavy-freighter-problem-part-2-shift-c-17-production-line-to-india/

JOYDEEP GHOSH ask questions in this blog.

Regards
Dhanu

Gudiram Jhalakia said...

Prasun Babu did you read your love-him-or-hate-him student Joydeep Ghosh's "For my Take"? He is like Reader's Digest version of your blog. Asks heaps of questions then subtly condenses them for his take LoLLZZZ

Raghu said...

Hi

Interesting innovations with regard to sub operations from MDL

https://twitter.com/MazagonDockLtd

Regards,

Harsh said...

Prasun sir,
1) Does the Indian military store old retired tanks and aircraft like the Russians do?
2) We had inducted over 2200 vijayanta and hundreds of mig23/27. Are any of these retrievable?
3) Can you share the orbat of the Tibet and Xinjiang military districts of the PLA? What formations do they contain after the reorganization?
4) You said that you don't see a risk for a china india war in the near future.
What then is the Chinese plan of action? They know their demographics are collapsing, their economy is slowing. If they want to act, they have to do so this decade itself.
So will they move against taiwan first or india? When will they do it?

Satya said...

Prasun sir, can we expect an official announcement regarding France's collaboration in design and development of our SSN project during PM Modi's visit?

rad said...


hi prasun
is it so difficult to jam the lancet drone of russia? after all they have a data link whose freq can be known easily and jam.

can a APS system jam a incoming sensor fuzed round that fires a slug on a tank? if so then again an anti tank warhead can kill a tank inspite of the APS system?

does the lancet do that?

what is the talk of india going in for rd -191 engines ? is there a tot or is the SCE 200 dead due to ukraine crisis?

rad said...


hi prasun

why are persistent reports comming about the meteor to be integrated with LCA etc when the astra mk3 SFDR is being developed ?

the sfdr hit a road block due to russian war?

why no news so far about it? what is the status ?

Anonymous said...

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-refiners-start-yuan-payments-russian-oil-imports-sources-2023-07-03/
It looks like an alternate payment mechanism has been found.

Vin said...

Hi Prasun
What's the status of the upgrades for Su 30 now
Thanks

DAshu said...

what is this https://twitter.com/HALHQBLR/status/1676194939590578176 ?

Nikhil M said...

Hi Prasun

Now entire nation is getting frustrated with MRFA drama.
With your knowledge of MOD and Political landscape (impending electtionsa and constraints thereof), what do you think is going to happen ?

Regards
Nikhil

just_curious said...

Prasun,

what should India to do to eliminate khalistani menace from Anglo axon countries who have been harbouring these rouge elements.. any tit for tat ideas .. also why no red corner notices for Pannu types..

Prasun K. Sengupta said...

To DHANU: LoLz! On one hand India is finding it extremely difficult to raise the Tejas L-MRCA’s annual production rate to 18, while on the other hand we come across spectacularly outrageous propositions! Flights of fancy are limitless, it seems!

To HARSH: 1) No, all decommissioned armoured vehicles are scrapped. 2) They should have been modified into specialist vehicles, but the IA thought otherwise. 3) There are several available online. Here is one of them:

https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/india-china-postures/China%20India%20Postures.pdf

4) China will move against Taiwan first for sure, by 2027.

To SATYA: Quite unlikely, since during the interactions between the NSAs of France & India in Delhi, there was no Indian military official taking part in the discussions.

To RAD: Current APS suites don’t have jamming capability. Nor are they designed to defeat top-attack sensor-fuzed munitions or ATGMs.

Leopard-2 MBT vs Lancet-3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJBgTyLI2U

Abrams-X MBT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l06rX4Ag-k

All talk about Meteor BVRAAM’s integration with Tejas Mk.1A is FAKE NEWS. SFDR-specific R & D has nothing to do with Russia. And about Uttam AESA-MMR & its local producers, do see this slide:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiove8QbMUvHjKL_cOJLMS7b-o17gAzImkEJXJwRGSsjWt9VKOJhVheQ1EQCylFBeasTnnovYZxlKI-9hHO2hFps4Li0PnT5sgBrwLaQ7E05elkzTDVKDs38Pc81i_mWl0jzF36XqsPPRA6Jga4mGXbsOohn88HXhqjkRPkzRNre_Oz_MzN01-pKaR2bog/s3248/AMP.jpg

To VIN: Still awaiting the approval of Sukhoi OKB.

To NIKHIL M: In the end, logical reasoning will triumph, rest assured.

To JUST_CURIOUS: While the UK & US have taken the correct steps, Canada has not & therefore India can downgrade it diplomatic presence in Canada r refer Canada to the FATF & the UN Security Council.