India (Superthread)

[MarkOttawa]

IAF finally getting some new fighters:

Dassault delivers first Rafale to India

New Delhi has taken delivery of its first four Dassault Rafales, completing a decades-long odyssey to obtain a new fighter for the Indian air force

The jets were handed over to Indian defence minister Raksha Mantri at a ceremony held at Dassault's Merignac production line near Bordeaux in southwest France.

Part of a 36-unit order placed by the government of Narendra Modi in 2016, the off-the-shelf acquisition of the Rafales was not without controversy, coming shortly after the cancellation of the long-running Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest.

In 2018, then Air Chief Marshall BS Dhanoa described the 2016 decision to obtain the 36 aircraft as an “emergency buy” to shore up India’s falling number of fighter units: the nation has 33 combat squadrons against an authorised strength of 42.5.

Though the Rafale was also the winner of the 126-aircraft MMRCA competition, this deal collapsed despite three years of negotiations, with stumbling blocks including disagreements over production, intellectual property, and whether Dassault or Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), which was to build 108 examples locally, would be responsible for the quality of India-assembled jets.

Under offset commitments related to the latest deal, the French manufacturer has established a joint venture in India - Dassault Reliance Aerospace - which will manufacture several components for the Falcon 2000 business jet.

“I am particularly honored to host this ceremony today as India is part of Dassault Aviation’s DNA. The long and trustful relationship we share is an undeniable success and underpins my determination of establishing for the long-term Dassault Aviation in India.

"We stand alongside the Indian air force since 1953, we are totally committed to fulfill its requirements for the decades to come and to be part of India’s ambitious vision for the future," says Eric Trappier, Dassault chief executive.

Though the 36 Rafales give a boost to the Indian air force, the need for modernisation is as urgent as ever: in early 2018, the defence ministry issued a request for information (RFI) for 110 new fighters, essentially a reboot of MMRCA, with local production again a major element.

Interested parties are Lockheed Martin with the F-16V (rebadged as the F-21 for the competition), the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Saab Gripen E/F, and Eurofighter Typhoon. There is also separate 57-aircraft requirement for a carrier-borne fighter [emphasis added--but maybe more Rafales? Who knows with Indian procurement, see this: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-09-27/more-rafale-fighters-india].

In addition, New Delhi continues work on indigenous programmes such as the HAL Tejas and the low-observable Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dassault-delivers-first-rafale-to-india-461332/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

And Ottawa's credibility:

​OPINION: Why India must learn from Rafale procurement

Pronouncements at aircraft handover ceremonies are not prone to understatement. Indeed, Dassault hailed its delivery of the first of 36 Rafale fighters to New Delhi as a “celebration of the history of mutual trust” between the French company and India.

It also added a hearty dollop of industrial participation sop in a bow to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” campaign. Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier tossed in that greatest of corporate accolades, stating that India is now "part of Dassault Aviation's DNA”.

Yet, the nation's 2016 deal for 36 French-assembled Rafales represents no great success for New Delhi or Dassault, but a concession prize. It happened only because a 126-aircraft medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal collapsed. Although the Rafale secured preferred status in 2012, three years of negotiation between Dassault and New Delhi ended in failure.

In addition to shattering New Delhi’s already nebulous credibility in defence procurement, the MMRCA debacle eliminated the Indian air force’s chances of obtaining a large infusion of urgently-needed fighters in a reasonable timeframe. Only Modi’s imperious leadership style allowed the 36 jet deal to happen.

New Delhi’s latest requirement for 110 fighters – cynically dubbed by some as ‘MMRCA 2.0’ – features the same contestants as last time.

It is to be hoped that lessons have been learned. Soaking up platitudes from a defence contractor is far easier than avoiding a repetition of history.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/opinion-why-india-must-learn-from-rafale-procureme-461382/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Pretty impressive ramjet cruise missile if works as advertised, good plane to carry it:

IAF operationalises air-launched BrahMos cruise missile in major capability milestone
With longer reach and greater destructive potential than any anti-surface air weapon wielded by India, the 450-km range missile increases India's options for stand-off, cross-border targetting

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted and operationalised the air-launched, extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

With a kill range of 450 km, this is the IAF's most potent air-launched anti-surface weapon, and its induction is a significant capability milestone.

The missile has been mated with select Sukhoi-30MKI fighters. An estimated 42 Su-30MKIs will be modified to wield the airborne BrahMos. The modified Sukhois will have the capability to carry only one BrahMos at a time as part of a weapons configuration which also includes four RVV AE (R-77) air-to-air medium range missiles, two R-73 air-to-air short range missiles and six 250 kg bombs.

    "The modified Sukhois will have the capability to carry only one BrahMos at a time as part of a weapons configuration which also includes four RVV AE (R-77) air-to-air medium range missiles, two R-73 air-to-air short range missiles and six 250 kg bombs"

"A few BrahMos-armed aircraft will be provided to all IAF Su-30MKI squadrons to wield this capability," an informed observer disclosed. Some will also be kept in reserve.

Analysts term the IAF BrahMos capability "phenomenal". This has a longer range and more destructive potential than any other air-to-surface weapon wielded by the IAF so far.

"The air-launched BrahMos has a strategic role. It is to destroy targets in depth which have strategic value and compromise the war waging capability of an adversary," remarked Air Marshal BK Pandey (Retired), a former Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the IAF's Training Command. The strategic targets in depth could be major military bases, ammunition dumps and vital installations. "With its range, the IAF can launch this weapon from its own airspace," Air Marshal Pandey said, pointing out the enhanced stand-off attack capability against a persistent adversary.

    "The air-launched BrahMos has a strategic role. It is to destroy targets in depth which have strategic value and compromise the war waging capability of an adversary," remarked Air Marshal BK Pandey (Retired), a former Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the IAF's Training Command

The availability of this weapon increases India military options for launching surprise precision cross-border attacks from a stand-off range.

This will also beef up India's anti-ship capability in a maritime role, and enable quick reaction against an enemy warship up to 1,400 km from India's coastline [emphasis added].

Its 2.8 Mach supersonic speed and terrain-hugging flight mode also makes it improbable to intercept. "In recently-concluded user trials, this missile has shown itself to be very spectacular, very accurate," a senior IAF officer told SP's Aviation [emphasis added].

India's co-option as a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) has enabled the increase in the range of the BrahMos from 290 km to 450 km.

http://www.sps-aviation.com/news/?id=850&catId=1&h=IAF-operationalises-air-launched-BrahMos-cruise-missile-in-major-capability-milestone

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Major new US/India exercise--but Indians will never become the almost allies the Americans want (tous azimuts the former's inclination):

US, India bolster their military partnership in Tiger Triumph exercise

The U.S. and India are set to kick off this week a major joint military exercise: Tiger Triumph. Tiger Triumph is the first U.S.-India military exercise to include all three of India’s military services — Army, Navy and Air Force — and it represents the latest milestone in an increasingly important bilateral military partnership.

The exercise will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and it will include amphibious operations. While U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific is leading planning efforts, the Department of Defense hopes to expand the role for the Army and Air Force in future years. The dock landing ship Germantown with troops from the 3rd Marine Division will participate. The DoD expects this tri-service exercise with India to become an annual event.

Tiger Triumph will increase U.S.-Indian military interoperability and effectiveness. It will also forge important relationships between the two militaries and expand U.S. regional knowledge. Most importantly, the exercise represents a tangible and necessary implementation of a series of U.S. strategic pronouncements regarding the importance of U.S. international partnerships in general and India in particular. In short, to defend shared interests and deter great power adversaries, the U.S. needs strong partners and allies.

For this reason, the 2017 National Security Strategy said the U.S. welcomes “India’s emergence as a leading global power and stronger strategic and defense partner.” It declared unequivocally that the U.S. “will expand our defense and security partnership with India.”..
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/11/13/us-india-bolster-their-military-partnership-in-tiger-triumph-exercise/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Dale Denton]

What is holding them back from fully committing to a foreign supplier? Piecemeal approach with small-batches doesn't seem to be a big help considering the size of the AF. Only 36 Rafales?? Id understand the complexity, but the order should've been for like 360 not 36.

Why hasn't India developed its own domestic design capability?

Seems like a big waste for a country with such a large demand.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Our foreign policy should be taking into account the Hindu supremacy (Hindu Raj, Hindutva) side of PM Modi's BJP gov't (note role of extreme RSS):

1) Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India

i]The Prime Minister’s Hindu-nationalist government has cast two hundred million Muslims as internal enemies.[/i]

In August 11th, two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent soldiers in to pacify the Indian state of Kashmir, a reporter appeared on the news channel Republic TV, riding a motor scooter through the city of Srinagar. She was there to assure viewers that, whatever else they might be hearing, the situation was remarkably calm. “You can see banks here and commercial complexes,” the reporter, Sweta Srivastava, said, as she wound her way past local landmarks. “The situation makes you feel good, because the situation is returning to normal, and the locals are ready to live their lives normally again.” She conducted no interviews; there was no one on the streets to talk to.

Other coverage on Republic TV showed people dancing ecstatically, along with the words “Jubilant Indians celebrate Modi’s Kashmir masterstroke.” A week earlier, Modi’s government had announced that it was suspending Article 370 of the constitution, which grants autonomy to Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state. The provision, written to help preserve the state’s religious and ethnic identity, largely prohibits members of India’s Hindu majority from settling there. Modi, who rose to power trailed by allegations of encouraging anti-Muslim bigotry, said that the decision would help Kashmiris, by spurring development and discouraging a long-standing guerrilla insurgency. To insure a smooth reception, Modi had flooded Kashmir with troops and detained hundreds of prominent Muslims—a move that Republic TV described by saying that “the leaders who would have created trouble” had been placed in “government guesthouses.”

The change in Kashmir upended more than half a century of careful politics, but the Indian press reacted with nearly uniform approval. Ever since Modi was first elected Prime Minister, in 2014, he has been recasting the story of India, from that of a secular democracy accommodating a uniquely diverse population to that of a Hindu nation that dominates its minorities, especially the country’s two hundred million Muslims. Modi and his allies have squeezed, bullied, and smothered the press into endorsing what they call the “New India.”

Kashmiris greeted Modi’s decision with protests, claiming that his real goal was to inundate the state with Hindu settlers. After the initial tumult subsided, though, the Times of India and other major newspapers began claiming that a majority of Kashmiris quietly supported Modi—they were just too frightened of militants to say so aloud. Television reporters, newly arrived from Delhi, set up cameras on the picturesque shoreline of Dal Lake and dutifully repeated the government’s line...[read on]
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india

2) India Prepares to Block Naturalization for Muslims

A bill establishing a religious test for immigration to India is expected to pass Parliament, a major step for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist agenda.

India took a major step toward the official marginalization of Muslims on Monday [Dec. 9], as Parliament opened debate on a bill that would establish a religious test for migrants’ eligibility to become citizens, solidifying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist agenda.

The bill, which is expected to easily pass the lower house of Parliament, would give migrants of all of South Asia’s major religions — except Islam — a clear path to Indian citizenship. It is the most significant move yet to profoundly alter India’s secular nature enshrined by its founding leaders when the country gained independence in 1947.

Muslim Indians are deeply unsettled. They see the new measure, called the Citizenship Amendment Bill, as the first step by the governing party to make second-class citizens of India’s 200 million Muslims, one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and render many of them stateless.

“We are heading toward totalitarianism, a fascist state,” said Asaduddin Owaisi, a Muslim lawmaker, who on Monday dramatically tore up a copy of the bill while giving a speech in Parliament. “We are making India a theocratic country.”..

The legislation goes hand in hand with a contentious program that began in the northeastern state of Assam this year, in which all 33 million residents of the state had to prove, with documentary evidence, that they or their ancestors were Indian citizens. Approximately two million people — many of them Muslims, and many of them lifelong residents of India — were left off the state’s citizenship rolls after that exercise.

Now, Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., is hoping to expand that kind of citizenship test to other states. And the new legislation would become a guiding principle for who could hope to call themselves Indians.

Mr. Modi and his party are deeply rooted in an ideology that sees India as a Hindu nation. And since the B.J.P.’s landslide re-election win in May, Mr. Modi’s administration has celebrated one Hindu nationalist victory after another, each a demoralizing drumbeat for Muslims...[read on]
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/asia/india-muslims-citizenship-narendra-modi.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Will our gov't react to the increasingly Hindu nationalist, illiberal, anti-Muslim actions by Modi/BJP? The way we handle the Sikh/Khalistan issue for partisan electoral advantage means India will in any event be very wary about relations with us. But one suspects this gov't will, as with China, keep dreaming of big bucks (further links at original):

Modi’s ‘New India’ and the US-India Relationship: Turbulence Ahead?
Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and the BJP appear to be all-in on implementing several controversial domestic measures. Should that matter for the U.S.-India relationship?

Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s naya bharat (New India) — with its post-2019 general election focus on social issues, in particular — likely to cause a change in the U.S.-India relationship? University of Chicago scholar Paul Staniland has written a thoughtful essay over at War on the Rocks that examines this and other questions.

Staniland’s essay represents an important effort to think through the implications of how internal changes in India’s security policy and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s controversial domestic efforts are likely to feed back into New Delhi’s relations with the United States. As of late-2019, Staniland notes, there are “disagreements about the precise level of alignment that the United States and India should, or will, achieve” within the community of U.S. India-watchers.

“The ‘New India’ of Modi, [Amit] Shah, and [Subrahmanyam] Jaishankar is unabashed in its embrace of power politics and contemptuous of its critics,” he continues, citing the Indian home minister and external affairs minister alongside the prime minister as the three formative figures in the post-2019 government in New Delhi, which was built off the back of a tremendous democratic mandate for the BJP in elections to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.

Needless to say, the Trump administration — even in months when the president is not staring down impeachment — has been distracted with other issues internationally, leaving strategic thinking about India on the backburner. Since January 2017, the U.S.-India relationship, during its best moments, has mostly glided along the trajectory that had already been running its course through the Obama years, after an initial jolt during the Bush administration.

In 2019, India’s economic performance and the BJP’s expenditure of domestic political capital on longstanding issues on the Party’s social agenda have been negatively correlated: gone are the days of India as the world’s most promising large emerging economy, giving way to the days of India as the next big story in the global surge of populist illiberalism.

From the August 5 announcement of a centrally guided effort to rearchitect the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories to the more recent controversy stemming from the combined threat to posed to Muslims residing in India from the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the naya bharat project appears more concerned with India’s demographics than economics. (A recent Supreme Court judgment on a decades-long controversy concerning a plot of land where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood, though originating with the judiciary, was also warmly welcomed by India’s ruling Hindu nationalists.)

The Trump years have presented bumps in the road for India, but largely, New Delhi has escaped many of the greatest pitfalls of a transactionally minded and capricious U.S. leadership. India’s trade deficit with the United States has brought it under the administration’s scrutinizing gaze — with real costs, like the suspension of GSP developing nation status for New Delhi — but the relationship has survived. Meanwhile, the previously mentioned controversies concern India’s relationship to its only Muslim-majority region, Kashmir, and, more broadly, its 200-million-strong Muslim minority.

With the Trump administration’s own animus toward Muslims — internationally and within the United States — the BJP’s ambitious social reformers, like Amit Shah, may have gambled that the current occupant of the White House is unlikely to give New Delhi too much grief over measures that might be perceived in the United States as concerning and illiberal. That’s largely been the case; the “America First” administration has other concerns as far as India is concerned.

But internal developments in India this year have not escaped the scrutiny of American lawmakers. Even as the executive branch wields overwhelming influence on matters of foreign affairs and defense in the United States, the legislative branch can provide important guidance. With the India-U.S. relationship, movement in Congress might serve as a bellwether for where the relationship may go after Trump — particularly if a Democratic administration arrives in the White House on January 20, 2021. A recently introduced bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives — albeit skewed heavily to the Democratic side of the aisle among its sponsors — has raised eyebrows in New Delhi.

As Staniland rightly notes, perhaps the most fundamental question for American policymakers in the coming years will be to what extent concerns about growing illiberalism and human rights in India should weigh on U.S. policy...
https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/modis-new-india-and-the-us-india-relationship-turbulence-ahead/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

India's continuing nuke deterrence progress:

India test fires K-4, a 3,500 km nuclear-capable missile meant for Arihant submarine
K-4 is the most potent missile that India can fire from a submarine, giving the country unprecedented second-strike capability and huge deterrence power.

After repeated delays, India successfully test fired the 3,500 km range K-4 nuclear-capable missile meant for the indigenous Arihant-class submarines.

The missile was tested Sunday from a fixed underwater pontoon on the east coast — sources told ThePrint it was fired off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

This is the fourth time the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has attempted to test fire the missile since October, but various climatic conditions prevented it.

The K-4 is the most potent missile in India’s inventory that can be fired from a submarine, giving the country unprecedented second-strike capability and a huge deterrence power.

While India does operate a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the K-15, it has a limited range of just about 750 km.

DRDO sources say that the research agency is already working on a much longer range missile, the K-5, which can hit targets 5,000 km away.

India is among the six nations in the world to have the capability to fire a nuclear missile from land, air and undersea. The others are US, Russia, China, France and UK.

The induction of INS Arihant into the Navy in 2016 has been one of the biggest developments for the armed forces in the last decade. With this induction, India completed the nuclear triad.

Stressing on the importance of the deployment of INS Arihant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in 2018, congratulated the crew and all those involved in the achieving the feat.

He had said this puts India among a handful of countries having the capability to design, construct and operate ballistic missile submarines, known as SSBNs.

The second submarine of the Arihant class, known as Arighat, was launched in 2017, and is said to be near induction.
https://theprint.in/defence/india-test-fires-k-4-a-3500-km-nuclear-capable-missile-meant-for-arihant-submarine/351853/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

And now IAF BrahMos cruise missile deployed on Flankers:

South India gets 1st BrahMos armed Sukhoi squad to guard Indian Ocean Region
    *The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound
    *The Su-30 MKI aircraft, along with the BrahMos will be a game-changer and extensively enhance the security of the maritime domain


THANJAVUR [Tamil Nadu]: Adding teeth to India's air and maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean Region, a squadron of fourth generation fighter jets Sukhoi-30 MKI equipped with the BrahMos missile was inducted on Monday at the airforce station here, the first such base in South India.

The 'Tigersharks' 222 squadron of Sukhoi 30 MKI jets, formally inducted by Chief of Defence Staff Gen.Bipin Rawat, will be tasked with the air dominance and maritime role and equipped with the air variant of the BrahMos.

The squadron based in this ancient Chola capital, about 340 kms from Chennai, is seen as a gamechanger in guarding the strategically important Indian Ocean Region (IOR) that has seen growing Chinese presence.

Expected to set right the military balance in the IOR, the Su-30 MKI is a state-of-the-art all weather multi-role fighter aircraft capable of undertaking varied air defence, ground attack and maritime missions.

BrahMos, an Indo-Russian joint venture weapon, is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, warships, fighter jets or land. The 2.5-tonne missile has a strike range of nearly 300 km.

The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound. Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and senior defence officials were among those present on the occasion of the induction ceremony with the former describing it as a historic day for the Indian Air Force.

"So the role it will undertake is the Air Defence of Southern Peninsula and more importantly with this special maritime capability in combination of Brahmos it will be in for maritime role in support of nation," Bhadauria said. A defence release said with the operationalisation of the squadron, the air defence capablilites of IAF, particularly in the Southern Air Command area will be strengthened. "This would also provide protection to our island territories and sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean Region.

The IOR is increasingly gaining importance and the presence of a fighter squadron will provide security cover to all our strategic and vital assets in the region," it added. The Sukhois have a combat radius of almost 1,500 km without midair refuelling. "There has been a gradual to an accelerated expansion of varied maritime forces in the region which could afffect the existing military balance. Therefore, there is a need to protect our military and economic interests in the IOR," the release said in an apparent reference to the Chinese presence in the IOR and the need to respond to it.

China already has a military base at the strategically located Djibouti at the horn of Africa, its first in a foreign nation, and it is also looking at expanding its presence. Enhancement of the IAF's capability with the induction of the squad was in response to both conventional and non conventional threats in the IOR and to ensure security and stability in the region, the release said. General Rawat, in his address said the "Tigersharks" underscored "integration," which is the future of the Indian Armed Forces.

The Su-30 MKI aircraft, along with the BrahMos will be a game-changer and extensively enhance the security of the maritime domain, he noted. The squadron will be operating closely with the army and navy to get the ball rolling and thus harmonizing with the armed forces, he said. While the fighter jets got a water salute, the induction ceremony culminated with a flying display by light combat aircraft, Sarang helicopter display team and Surya Kiran aerobatic team. Bhadauria, in his address, said it was a historic day for the Indian Air Force. On the decision to choose Thanjavur as the base for the SU 30 MKI squadron, he said it was because of its strategic location...

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/south-india-gets-1st-brahmos-armed-sukhoi-squad-to-guard-indian-ocean-region-11579533422474.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Modi's Hindu-nationalist/populist gov't not giving India's military the money it needs, at dangerous time with Pakistan and uncertain one with China:

Low defense budget hits India’s power ambitions
India’s military has been starved of funds for modernization under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government

India’s defense budget is shrinking in real terms under the Narendra Modi government, undermining its long-held ambition to be a great power.

Faced with an unprecedented economic crisis, India is cutting back on defense modernization so it can continue to pay salaries to its armed forces.

On February 1, political observers noted that India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention the allocation for defense in her budget speech, officially the second-longest since 1991.

On paper, the increase in the budget from last year is a mere 5%, but when inflation is added, it is a cut in real terms. Which means the money given to defense is less than last year.

This is continuing a tradition under Modi’s government where defense budgets have been abysmally low. Last year, in percentage terms, the defense budget fell as low as 1962, the year when India faced a crushing defeat against the Chinese in a border war.
Crippling shortages

Nearly three years ago the then Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Sarath Chand, told the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Defense that the Indian Army had no money to pay for existing weapon modernization contracts, let alone purchase new weapons.

This budget continues with that trend and is going to leave the three armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard with very little money for modernization. Most of the budget goes towards paying salaries and pensions, which are increasing every year as more people retire.

This is bad news for the three armed forces.

The Indian Air Force, which is sanctioned for 45 combat aircraft squadrons, is down to 28...[read on]
https://www.asiatimes.com/2020/02/article/lack-of-defense-budget-a-blow-to-indias-military/

And a relevant post:

PM Modi's, and the BJP's, Hindutva Compatible with Serious Economic Growth (with the Dragon in Mind)?
https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/pm-modis-and-the-bjps-hindutva-compatible-with-serious-economic-growth-with-the-dragon-in-mind/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Now Boeing pitching two fighters for Indian Air Force (pity can't offer for RCAF)! Further links at orginal:

Boeing Wants Washington To Clear F-15EX Pitch To India

Confirming a thread that has long been speculated upon in Indian defence circles, Boeing today told FlightGlobal’s Asia Managing Editor Greg Waldron that the company was seeking clearance from the U.S. Government to make a formal offer of the F-15EX fighter to India. This would be for an upcoming contest in which India is looking to build at least 110 fighters in country as part of a ‘Make in India’ effort. Boeing’s F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, a long-standing contender for Indian fighter requirements, has already been pitched by Boeing as part of the 110 jet contest.

The FlightGlobal piece quotes a Boeing executive as saying, “While awaiting further definition on the Indian air force’s requirements, we have requested a license for the F-15 so that we’re ready to share the full spectrum of potential solutions across our fighter portfolio when appropriate.  We continue to offer the F/A-18 Super Hornet to both the Indian navy and Indian air force, and our F-15 is experiencing a resurgence in interest in the US and around the world.”

It was Kelli Seybolt, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for international affairs, who had told FlightGlobal on February 9 that Boeing was looking for clearance to pitch the F-15EX to India. Boeing India confirmed the development to Livefist.

The Indian government is expected to detail next steps in the ambitious fighter buy-and-build project later this year. If Boeing receives clearance to add the F-15EX to the mix, the list of prospective contenders would swell to 8: apart from the two Boeing jets, the Indian government will also be considering the Rafale, Lockheed Martin F-21, Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen E, MiG-35 and Su-35. Russia had similarly decided last year to make the Su-35 available in addition to the MiG-35 pending greater detail from the Indian Air Force on its requirements.

Speaking to Livefist from the Singapore Air Show, FlightGlobal’s Waldron said, “The curious thing about India’s competition is the broad range of types, which go from the Saab Gripen all the way up to the F-15 — should Boeing decide to move forward with such an offer. What is needed is more clarity from New Delhi about what, exactly, is needed.”

The bigger picture is cloudy at best. It remains unclear whether the quest for 110 jets will follow the path set down thus far. Budgetary pressures stand hugely amplified in the throes of economic woes in a country now looking to return to a path of growth. India’s first of 36 Rafale jets arrive in May this year. The IAF, buffeted by said budgetary pressures, is also looking to boost numbers incrementally by deciding to order a dozen more HAL-built Su-30 MKIs and, if cleared, 21 MiG-29 UPGs. India’s new Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has also recently weighed in on the burden of big acquisitions. Boeing’s quest for a license to pitch the F-15EX comes, therefore, in this sort of hazy atmosphere.

The F-15EX is the latest iteration of the highly successful Eagle program, with a raft of improvements. The US Air Force will receive the first two of eight F-15EX jets by the end of this year as part of a $985 million deal approved by U.S. Congress in December last year. The F-15 programs resurgence has so far been confined to U.S. interest, with efforts on to also weigh international interest in the improved jet. The licence to pitch the Indian government is part of that effort.

“Unsurprising that F-15 is finally being brought to the table, given Su-35 is also in the fray for MMRCA 2.0. Honestly, this was always the best fit US offering, but for the existence of the Su-30MKI. That challenge remains,” says aviation analyst Angad Singh.

Boeing’s tryst with the Indian fighter acquisition program began in the mid-2000s when the F/A-18 became a surprise entrant into the then M-MRCA (medium multirole combat aircraft) contest — an endeavour that spiralled into oblivion and finally saw the Indian government contract for a fraction of the intended 126 jets and settle for 36 French Rafales. The F/A-18 has hovered around India’s twisting and turning acquisition program, and now sees itself as a frontrunner for both the Indian Air Force’s 110 jet build program as well as the Indian Navy’s hunt for 57 new generation carrier deck fighters.

A USAF F-15 and IAF Mirage 2000 fly over central India at Cope India 2004

The F-15EX pitch is, in many ways, unsurprising. The F-15 program is currently headed by Pratyush Kumar, who took over the reins of the program after a very successful stint as Boeing’s country head in India. Under Kumar, Boeing scored a list of significant contracts for military aircraft, including the AH-64E Apache, CH-47F Chinook, C-17 and P-8I.

Boeing outsources the manufacture of certain F-15 parts to India already as part of its global supplier chain. Indian firms that make parts for F-15s include Rossell Techsys and SASMOS HET
https://www.livefistdefence.com/2020/02/breaking-boeing-wants-washington-to-clear-f-15ex-pitch-to-india.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Start of a post on Delhi riots and Canadian foreign policy (further links at original):

Canadian Foreign Policy and Muslims' Human Rights in India–What Muslims? What Human Rights?

It seems that our government, still trying to repair the damage from PM Trudeau’s disastrous fancy dress and security blundering visit to India in 2018 (see here and here), very much otherwise occupied with things such as blockades of railways to protest the building of a natural gas pipeline and the novel coronavirus, and eager for those Indo-Canadian votes in key constituencies, can’t be bothered to say anything that might cause any upset to PM Modi’s BJP government.

Not that other Western countries are saying much either about that government’s treatment of India’s large minority of some 200 million Muslims–don’t want to disturb those trade dreams, don’t you know? And the US keeps unrealistically hoping–it’s not just Trump, see this under Obama–that it can turn India into a de facto ally vs China. Excerpts from a major story by the CBC’s Evan Dyer (tweets here):

Canada’s politicians have stayed mostly silent about a wave of anti-Muslim violence in India
...

https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/03/07/canadian-foreign-policy-and-muslims-human-rights-in-india-what-muslims-what-human-rights/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Start of a post:

The Indo-Pak Conflict over Kashmir–and ISI-Sponsored Terrorism

First a post from 2015:

Kashmir, India and…Democracy?

Now the conclusion of a major article at the New York Times Magazine by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee (tweets here) on the Pakistan army’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) and its sponsoring of Jihadi groups–especially Jaish-e-Muhammad and it’s leader, Masood Azhar–to attack India, notably in disputed Kashmir:

Feature

The Terrorist Who Got Away
...

...

https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/the-indo-pak-conflict-over-kashmir-and-isi-sponsored-terrorism/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Start of a post:

Tiger now has More Ground Troops than the Dragon

That’s the reality as the Chinese Communist Party and President (for life) Xi reshape the country’s armed forces seriously to face the US and to develop reach well beyond the region. And keep in mind that India faces the possibility that it might have to fight ground campaigns on two fronts versus serious opponents, Pakistan and China (“Pak-China relationship is like lips and teeth“); a major two-front war like that seems less likely for the PRC. One just cannot see large US ground forces on the mainland...
https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/tiger-now-has-more-ground-troops-than-the-dragon/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Start of a post on Indian spookery in Canada:

Indian Intelligence’s Foreign Influence Ops in Canada

Further to this post in which such Indian activities are noted,

Yes, Justin, There is a Serious Foreign Interference Threat in Canada–and, by the way, the RCMP is Stretched to the Limit and Beyond in a Number of Fields

now a lot of detail in this story:

Canadian politicians were targets of Indian intelligence covert influence operation: document
By Stewart Bell Global News...

https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/04/17/indian-intelligences-foreign-influence-ops-in-canada/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Good Tejas grief--India may be worse than us at buying fighters:

As PM Modi Pushes "Vocal for Local", How India Is Changing Fighter Jet Plans
The country's air force is finalizing plans to induct indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas to boost the capability of its aging combat aircraft fleet, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said.

India plans to switch to locally-made fighter jets, two years after asking global companies to submit proposals to supply 114 combat aircraft in the world's biggest warplane contract.

The country's air force is finalizing plans to induct indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas to boost the capability of its aging combat aircraft fleet, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said in an interview in New Delhi. It will buy an additional 83 jets, apart from an earlier deal for 40 aircraft, for $6 billion, he said.

"The Indian Air Force is switching that to the LCA," Chief of Defence Staff Rawat said, when asked about the global tender for jets. "The IAF is saying, I would rather take the indigenous fighter, it is good."

The decision is a set back for the likes of Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Saab AB who were in the race for the $15 billion order and another sign that India is abandoning costly foreign defense purchases which have been plagued by bureaucratic delays and a funding crunch. Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week stressed the need to buy locally made products to boost an economy battered by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The induction of jets will help India emerge as a key defense exporter due to its "relatively low price," General Rawat said in his office in New Delhi. Several countries may be interested in purchasing the aircraft once they see them in operation with the airforce.

The process to buy fighter jets started more than a decade ago. India scrapped a long-awaited order with Dassault Aviation for 126 Rafales worth $11 billion in 2015, but has since bought 36 of the planes to speed replacement of older aircraft.

n April 2018, India floated a global tender seeking responses from global manufacturers to purchase 114 jets. The deal attracted initial offers from global giants like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sweden's Saab AB and the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30Mki and Su-35. At least 85% of production was to be in India, according to the initial document.

While New Delhi is the world's third-biggest military spender, its air force, navy and the army are still equipped with weapons that are largely obsolete.

Local Production

The move to indigenous fighters marks a shift to start using locally made weaponry, General Rawat said. The defense forces will be using a lot more domestically produced goods, and there is an understanding there may be some quality issues in the beginning, but these will be improved, he said.

"The artillery guns, air defense systems and radars will all be indigenous systems as well. We are doing well with artillery guns and in air defense systems," he added. "We are also looking at ammunition manufacturing in our country in a very big way."

Modi had made clear his intention of reducing India's dependence on foreign made weapons platforms soon after taking over as leader in 2014 but the progress hasn't been remarkable.

India desperately needs new aircraft to replace ageing Soviet-era jets. It needs about 42 squadrons of fighters to defend its western and northern borders simultaneously but is making do with about 31 squadrons only. By 2022, it is likely to add on two more squadrons of the Rafale fighter.

While the IAF is backing the indigenous fighter program, there are several glitches, including faster delivery schedules and quality issues that still need to be ironed out. As per plans, the 123 Tejas fighters are to be followed by the Mark-II variant which are medium weight fighters. The test flight for the next generation Tejas aircraft is likely in 2022.

U.S., China and India were the world's three biggest military spenders in 2019, followed by Russia and Saudi Arabia. The two Asian countries made it to the top three for the first time according to a recent report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. For the fiscal 2020-21 India has earmarked $ 66.9 billion for defense but budget cuts are imminent because of CoVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/as-pm-narendra-modi-pushes-vocal-for-local-how-india-is-changing-fighter-jet-plans-2228905

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Indians recognize Australia as a serious country to do business with, unlike PM Trudeau's gov't:

India-Australia partnership to scale greater heights following June 4 summit: Envoy
During the summit, PM Modi and his Australian counterpart are expected to ramp up efforts to diversify Australia's export markets and find trusted suppliers of vital products and components. The new agreements will focus on reliable supply chains in key strategic sectors, including medical goods, technology and critical minerals, amid heightened tensions with China over Beijing's response to coronavirus pandemic.

India-Australia relations will ‘scale greater heights’ and elevated to next stage across sectors with the virtual summit on June 4 Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell said on Monday.

"India and Australia relations will scale greater heights after the summit-level meeting between the two countries," O'Farrell said...

The leaders will seal a new defense agreement allowing reciprocal access to bases and co-operation on military technology projects, while a new education partnership will be on the table to help overcome Australian university reliance on Chinese students [emphasis added].

The talks in terms of strategic convergence, now have greater significance as COVID-19 exacerbates the strategic contest between the US and China...

Australia has felt that it could do more with India in global and regional responses to the threat of terrorism besides widening the scope of their Indo-Pacific partnership to stabilise the Indian Ocean Region through the logistics support agreement for their defence forces. The agreement was originally scheduled to be signed in January during Morrison’s visit.

Logistics sharing agreements with nations like Japan and Australia will significantly enhance the capability of the Indian Navy to operate eastwards, which is an increasing area of interest.  However, sources have cautioned that the agreements should not be seen in the context of the ‘Quad' initiative (quadrilateral security dialogue among the US, Japan, Australia and India [emphasis added]).
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-australia-partnership-to-scale-greater-heights-following-june-4-summit-envoy/articleshow/76138677.cms

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Indians recognize Australia as a serious country to do business with, unlike PM Trudeau's gov't:

Mark
Ottawa

Now the start of a post:

India, Australia Upping Defence, Strategic Cooperation (note Bases) while Canadian Relations with Delhi basically in the Dumps

Further to the mention of the Indian Ocean at this post,

What Does the Fast-Growing PLA Navy Mean for the US Navy (and others)?

Australia is creating a very solid relationship with India, something PM Trudeau has signally failed to achieve (see: “Documents shed new light on Trudeau’s disastrous India trip“):

India, Australia sign pact for reciprocal use of military bases
...

https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/06/04/india-australia-upping-defence-strategic-cooperation-note-bases-while-canadian-relations-with-delhi-basically-in-the-dumps/

Mark
Ottawa

   

 

[daftandbarmy]

Canada = Assam... population wise anyways:

Mapped: The Population of India’s States Compared with Countries

This map juxtaposes nations and Indian states to provide a new perspective on the world's soon-to-be most populous country

www.visualcapitalist.com

 

[Ping Monkey]

A huge step up for the Indian Forces ISR, MPA and ASW capabilities! 31 MQ-9B is a helluva fleet purchase. Well done!

India approves procurement of U.S. MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones

India's defence ministry has approved the procurement of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, sources told Reuters on Thursday.

www.reuters.com