India eyes safer skies with Russian S-400 Triumf

In what could be a game-changing arms acquisition, India is planning to acquire the new-generation Russian S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems that can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, stealth fighters, missiles and drones at ranges of up to 400-km.

Sources say the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Manohar Parrikar, will "soon" take up the proposal moved by the IAF to purchase around a dozen S-400 long-range systems from Russia.

"The project is at an initial stage at present. But it will be a government-to-government contract when it is finalized, with the S-400 systems being inducted over several years," said a defence ministry source.

The procurement proposal comes ahead of Parrikar's impending visit to Russia, which will be followed by the Modi-Putin summit in Moscow in December. It also comes around a year after China sealed a $3 billion deal with Russia for acquisition of six S-400 batteries.

China is slated to get the S-400 batteries, which is designated `SA-21 Growler' by NATO and rivals the anti-ballistic missile capabilities of the US Patriot PAC-3 system, from 2017 onwards.

Countries locked in territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas, ranging from Japan and Taiwan to Vietnam and the Philippines, are all worried at the prospect of the People's Liberation Army getting such a force-multiplier to dominate the airspace. India obviously is also wary of China acquiring such a military capability, even if it is defensive in nature, since it can make all the difference during a conflict.

The S-400 basically has three kinds of missiles, with different capabilities, that can fly at supersonic and hypersonic speeds to intercept all kinds of targets at ranges from 120 to 400-km. Russian experts even proclaim the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system can "radar lock and shoot down" stealth fifth-generation fighters like the American F-35 jets.

India, on its part, is now belatedly trying to plug the gaping holes in its airspace surveillance and defence network with progressive induction of a wide array of sensors and weapons.

With both IAF, tasked with the country's air defence, and Army saddled with increasingly obsolete air defence weapons, the ongoing induction of the indigenous 25-km range Akash area defence system has come as a major relief for them.

Induction of the Israeli Spyder low-level quick-reaction missile systems, with a 15-km range, is now planned from 2016-2017 onwards. The project was stuck since the Tatra trucks -- on which the missile systems were to be mounted - had got enmeshed in corruption scandals. The contract was recently amended to replace the Tatra trucks with Tata trucks.

Deliveries of the medium-range SAM systems jointly developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries and DRDO, with an interception range of 70-km, will also begin from 2016-2017.

Along with induction of these weapons, IAF is also now expanding its fully-automated surveillance network called IACCS (integrated air command and control system) to the entire country, with the cabinet committee on security recently approving another Rs 8,000 crore for the project. Eventually, the Army and Navy's Akash Teer and Triguna air defence networks will be integrated with the IACCS.

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India has asked Russia for FGFA test flight

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in December, India has asked Russia to allow IAF test pilots to fly its fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to evaluate its capabilities.

“Flight-testing will help decide the way forward on the collaboration between the two countries on the FGFA. All options, ranging from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 jets to joint production, are on the table,” said a top defence ministry official on Friday.
The fact that India needs an FGFA, which combines stealth, super-cruise capability, super-maneuverability, data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter, in the years ahead cannot be disputed.
For a country that is yet to even make its first indige- IAF down to 34 squadrons (includes 14 squadrons of obsolete MiG-21s & MiG-27s)

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India to buy 10 armored UAV from Israel

Government approves $400-million plan to purchase Armed Heron TP drones for Indian Air Forc. 

The government has quietly approved the purchase of 10 missile-armed drones from Israel — a crucial acquisition that will enhance India's cross-border military strike capability. The $400-million proposal for buying armed Heron TP drones from Israel was cleared last week and these drones may join service within a year.
These drones will be operated by the Indian Air Force, which has a fleet of reconnaissance drones. IAF also has a fleet of Harpy UAVs from Israel, which are self-destructing systems primarily tasked with taking out enemy radar positions.
Heron drones can carry a payload of over 1,000 kg and will be equipped with air-to-ground missiles that detect, track and take down targets deep in enemy territory.

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INS Dega to have Mig 29 squadron

Naval Air Station INS Dega that presently has the only Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) squadron in the country will also have a MiG-29 K squadron. “We intend to have it in place in the next two years and the creation of infrastructure has begun,” says Commanding Officer of INS Dega Capt. D Bhattacharya. Once it happens besides AJTs, pilots would also be trained on MiGs.

The Hawk Mk-132 craft were inducted forming the AJT squadron in November, 2013. It is the Hawks flying that accounts for the morning roar over the skies in the city.
The MiG squadron is expected to be launched once aircraft carrier Vikrant to be based at the Eastern Naval Command is commissioned in 2018. There are also plans to develop a sister airfield at Bobbili where a World War II airfield with two abandoned runways exists.
It will be developed as a diversifying airfield to meet contingencies like bad weather or runway-related problems in Vizag, says Capt Bhattacharya. The additional back-up is required with the number of assets increasing while Dega will remain the main base. Besides, INS Dega is a joint user airfield with civilian aircraft operating and the Navy offering operational support.
INS Dega presently has about 40 craft training pilots.
The Dega air station was abuzz with activity on Thursday with Kamov, Dornier, Chetak, UH 3H, Hawk Mk 132 and the pilot-less target Lakshya on display.

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ISIS and weapons of mass destruction

ISIS,  A major threat to the world soon have to be a nuclear terrorist organization. IS claimed that they can purchase the limited nuclear warheads from pakistan by giving money to the corrupt politicians this is because IS is the richest terror group.

The hyperbolic article, which the group
attributes to the British hostage John Cantlie, claims Isis has transcended its roots as “the most explosive Islamic ‘group’ in the modern world” to evolve into “the most explosive Islamic movement the modern world has ever seen” in less than twelve months.

Photojournalist Cantlie is regularly used in the terror group’s propaganda and has appeared in a number of videos, including a YouTube series called “Lend Me Your Ears”. He has been held a hostage by Isis for more than two

years. The piece, entitled “The Perfect Storm”, describes militant Islamist groups such as Boko Haram, which recently pledged allegiance

to Isis, uniting across the Middle East, Africa and Asia to create one global movement. The article claims this alignment of groups has

happened at the sane time as Isis militants have seized “tanks, rocket launchers, missile systems, anti-aircraft systems,” from the US and Iran before turning to the subject of more extreme weapons the group is not in possession of – such as nuclear weapons.“Let

me throw a hypothetical operation onto the table,” the article continues. “The Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wil?yah in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapons dealers with

links to corrupt officials in the region.”

It admits that such a scenario is “far-fetched” but warns: “It’s the sum of all fears for Western intelligence agencies and it’s infinitely more possible today than it was just one year ago.

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Airbus to set up final assembly lines for military aircraft, helicopters in India

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS of Toulouse said it is willing to set-up final assembly lines and establish supply chain and related infrastructure for military transport aircraft and helicopters in India.

Mumbai: Aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS of Toulouse said it is willing to set-up final assembly lines and establish supply chain and related infrastructure for military transport aircraft and helicopters in India. The defence and space unit of Airbus has also plans to develop and manufacture electronic sensors with a partner in India, and has advanced discussions to support state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s combat aircraft programmes. In a statement, Airbus said one of its units, Airbus Helicopters is in discussion with Indian companies to finalise teaming arrangements for various helicopter programmes, including the Naval Utility Helicopter, the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter as well as the Naval Multi-Role Helicopter competitions. “India already takes a centre-stage role in our international activities and we want to even increase its contribution to our products. We support Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ call and are ready to manufacture in India, for India and the world,” said Airbus Group chief executive officer Tom Enders. It was in April 1975, state-run Indian Airlines (now Air India Ltd) ordered three A300B2s, the first contract secured by Airbus in a country previously dominated by American aircraft manufacturers. Airbus had set up an Indian fully-owned subsidiary, Airbus India Operations, in December 2013. In India, Airbus Group already operates two engineering centres — one focused on civil aviation and the other on defence — and a research and technology (R&T) centre which together employ over 400 people. During the meeting with Modi, the Group’s senior representatives conveyed their decision to expand these centres so that they can take on comprehensive design responsibilities for future Airbus Group programmes. At present, Airbus commands over 70% market share in the fleet of Indian scheduled airlines. In 2014, Airbus’ procurement from India stood at over $400 million from around 40 companies (public and private) which together support more than 5,000 jobs locally. The top three procurement areas have been in engineering & IT services, aero-structures, and detailed parts & systems. “The prime minister was informed that procurement from the country is set to grow further as the Group plans to award additional manufacturing and engineering work packages to local companies, which will accelerate their integration into the Group’s global supply chain,” Airbus said in a statement. Airbus said it is willing to set-up final assembly lines and establish supply chains and related infrastructure for military transport aircraft and helicopters in the country. “These would be in full compliance of the procurement policies specified by the Indian Ministry of Defence and local Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) guidelines,” it said. Airbus’ defence and space had submitted a joint proposal with Tata Group to produce the modern C295 aircraft in India as a replacement for the ageing Avro aircraft of the Indian Air Force. On 20 February, Mint reported that Airbus Group is in advanced talks with India’s largest engineering company Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) for setting up a radar manufacturing facility in India quoting Christian Scherer, executive vice-president (head of marketing and sales) and member of executive committee at Airbus Defence and Space GmbH. Airbus also works directly with Indian companies in designing and manufacturing aerostructures. These companies include Tata Group, Mahindra Group, Aequs Pvt Ltd, L&T, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, Infosys Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Geometric Ltd and Tech Mahindra Ltd.

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Rafale deal : A boost to IAF (Indian Air Force)

New Delhi: In a surprising decision which is likely to have a major impact on the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Centre has scrapped the $20 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal for purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets which was negotiated by the previous United Progressive Alliance government. Speaking to CNN-IBN, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar claimed that Rafale fighters cannot replace the ageing MiG-21 which will be phased out in the next 6-10 years.

Parrikar said that India's indigenous Light Combat aircraft Tejas will replace MiG 21 as both are almost of the same category while the Rafale is a much bigger jet with a longer range and more weapons carrying capabilities. "We have not purchased any new aircraft of latest technology in the past 15 years. IAF desperately needs fourth generation aircraft, the fifth generation that we are working on will take 10-15 years," said Parrikar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to France negotiated with the government there to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition under a new deal. After meeting French President Francois Hollande in Paris on April 11, Modi announced that IAF would get 36 Rafale jets.

Under the MMRCA deal, India was to get only 18 Rafale directly while the rest 108 fighters were to be manufactured by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. But the final deal between India and France was stuck over who would be responsible for the manufacturers' guarantee on 108 jets which were to be built HAL. India wanted Rafale maker Dassault Aviation to take full responsibility which the latter had not agreed to.

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