Training jets assembled in India using inferior engines, recent audit says

Pilots training to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy are flying jets fitted with inferior engines and “Category B” or “second-hand components” that seriously affect the “quality of the aircraft”, a recent audit by the Comptroller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) says.

Faced with an ageing fleet of intermediate jet trainers, India bought 123 Hawk - 106 for IAF and 17 for the Navy from British company BAES in 2004. Twenty-eight of these 123 jets were to be bought in flyaway condition whereas the rest were to be assembled by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with the engines being made by it based on technology transfer.

The total value of the deal was about $2 billion. The aircraft were ordered in three phases, starting March 2004.

The problem is with the aircraft assembled here, according to the audit.

In addition to using inferior engines, “a large number of second-hand components and parts have been fitted in the aircraft,” according to the audit report, which has been seen by Hindustan Times.

And, although India specifically bans using agents, a middleman was involved, the inquiry found.

The audit estimates illegal commission worth Rs 500 crore was paid.

“In our findings, a linkage between commission paid and compromises made on the quality of engines, which has affected the quality of aircraft has been clearly brought out,” the audit report says.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was asked to investigate the allegations of payment of commission which first surfaced in the British media. The case is still under investigation.

IAF, HAL and DGQA, or Directorate General of Quality Assurance, part of the defence ministry, and which independently vets the quality of equipment all seem to have turned a blind eye to the lapses, the audit says.

For instance, according to the audit, while India contracted for engines that could be used for 2,000 hours before overhaul and service, the engines which ultimately arrived had to be overhauled after flying for 1,000 hours. “Subsequently, to cover up this issue HAL, IAF and DGQA released a statement which shows that the life of Aero Engines is 1,400 hours and not 2,000 hours and that special inspection to be carried out to find whether it is capable of operations for another 600 hours,” the audit report says.

A spokesperson for HAL didn’t respond to queries. The Indian Air Force also did not respond.

A defence ministry official and an IAF officer, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned the audit, which was conducted in 2016.

“Assumptions that the engine is of inferior quality are incorrect. HAL manufactured engines post transfer of technology from the Original Equipment Manufacturer Rolls Royce,” a senior defence ministry official.

Commenting on the issue of inferior engines and Time-Between Overhaul (TBO) a senior IAF officer said, “Engine servicing is supervised by the OEM every 500 hours till it reaches 2,000 hours. Based on the recommendations of the OEM, engines manufactured HAL are subject to additional inspections after they flown for 1,400 hours for three components. As on date, all HAL engines are accepted with a TBO of 2,000 hours.”

Every component, the IAF officer said, is subject to a “rigorous test,” and use of “sub-standard equipment” does not arise.

Explaining the issue of “Category B” or second-hand equipment being fitted in the jets as raised in the audit, another defence ministry official who asked not to be named because he is not also authorised to speak to the media, said: “ Category B equipment is not second-hand equipment. It is a fly worthy component that is removed from a serviceable fighter for utilisation in another aircraft with necessary certified residual life.”

 hindustantimes

Indian Army to induct Ultralight Howitzer M-777 and Self-Propelled K-9 Vajra guns

After a gap of almost 30 years, the Indian Army is set to get two new artillery guns – Ultralight Howitzer M-777 and Self-Propelled K-9 Vajra. The guns will help the forces target the enemy even in hilly regions. Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday will induct them into the India Army at the School of Artillery near Nashik in Maharashtra.

A contract has been inked with the United States of America for as many as 145 ultralight Howitzer M-777, of which 25 will be brought to India in combat-ready condition. The remaining 125 guns will be made in India with the help of Mahindra Defence. The supply of the guns is expected to begin March 2019.

At a rate of five guns every month, the Indian Army will get all the weapons by 2021. The range of the gun is up to 30 km and since they are not heavy, they will also help the forces during combat in hilly regions.

The guns can be transported using helicopters as well. They will mostly be used by India’s first mountain strike corp in combat-like situations with neighbouring China.

The self-propelled K-9 Vajra is being built with the help of South Korea. Each such gun can move at a speed of 67 km per hour, irrespective of the landscape and terrain, with five personnel in each. They can target enemy positions at a distance of 30-40 km. The Indian Army will get 100 K-9 Vajras.

India had bought the Bofors artillery guns in the late 1980s, but the deal was marred with allegations of corruption by Congress. Scarred by the charges, no deal was inked for artillery guns for almost three decades.

 zeenews

Lockheed Martin offers the top end technologies to Indian armed forces: Vivek Lall

Besides actively supporting all the major intiatives including Made in India, Skill India, Digital India and others, the US aerospace giant US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in addition to the F-16 fighters and MH-60R helicopter is ready to offer other helicopter platforms that could meet the needs of the Indian Navy and new missile technologies for all three services.

Dr Vivek Lall a world renowned aerospace scientist, is currently Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, at Lockheed Martin. He has been commended by several US Presidents in his career as well as other world leaders. The only US India bilateral Chamber of Commerce last month awarded him the Outstanding Leader of the Decade award for his contributions to both nations.

Following are excerpts from an interaction with Dr Lall by Huma Siddiqui-


Recently, the company had a four-day supplier conference in Bengaluru where many of your US suppliers were present. What exactly is the company’s strategy with the Indian supply chain?

The F-16 provides unmatched opportunities for Indian companies of all sizes, including Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and suppliers throughout India, to establish new business relationships with Lockheed Martin, Tata and the other US and global industry leaders. Current F-16 industry partners include GE, Terma, Honeywell, Fokker, Israeli Aerospace Industries, Elbit, UTC, Terma, Eaton, Moog, Parker, and other global defence industry leaders. We’ve had productive and positive discussions with a number of Indian companies and we are continuing to engage with the Indian industry about potential F-16 opportunities.


Regardless of whether India buys the F-16s, the company is going ahead with the production of the wings for the aircraft in India. Why?

This is a strategic business decision that reflects the value of our partnerships with India and the confidence we have in Tata. Producing F-16 wings in India will strengthen the company’s strategic partnership with Tata and support ‘Make in India’ initiatives. Our F-16 proposal to India and our decision to build all F-16 wings in India are natural next steps that build on our successful partnerships with Tata on the C-130J air-lifter and S-92 helicopter.


What technologies according to you will be relevant to both India and the US in the future and how can the company help?

For more than 25 years, Lockheed Martin has been committed to building trust, technology development, and strategic collaboration with India. We are currently engaged in dialogue with all three services regarding capabilities that we can offer to India. In addition to the F-16 and MH-60R, there are several other helicopter platforms that we feel meet the needs of the Indian Navy as well as some of our maritime combat system capabilities and missile technologies for all three services. We are also active supporters of numerous Government of India initiatives including Make in India, Start-up India, Skills India, Digital India, and others.


With the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)in place, do you think the company would be in a position to share more capabilities in order to make the F-16 more attractive to India?

It would be inappropriate for us to comment on specific US or Indian government policies, but we view this as a very positive development. COMCASA enables the Indian military to access the high-end, encrypted communication equipment used on US military platforms, including C-130J aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The IAF operates a fleet of 11 C-130J-30 Super Hercules—the most proven and versatile airlifter in the world. The C-130J represents a legacy of partnership between the IAF, Lockheed Martin and the US.


The Request for Information (RfI) for the fighter aircraft issued by India is seeking specific weapons to be integrated into the aircraft. Which weapons are on offer with F-16s and will there be any provision to integrate Indian missiles on the platform?

We are still awaiting formal requirements from the IAF, which will drive further government-to-government discussions regarding the integration of specific weapons systems. That said, the company has more than 36 years of weapons integration experience with the F-16. No other organization can match this weapons integration experience. In concert with the US Air Force and multiple F-16 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, Lockheed Martin has certified more than 3,300 carriage and release configurations for greater that 180 weapon and store types.


Besides India which are the other countries interested in buying the F-16s?

The F-16 remains the world’s most successful, combat-proven fighter and there is significant demand for new production F-16s, and F-16 upgrades. We see current F-16 production opportunities totalling more than 400 aircraft. Bahrain recently became our first F-16 Block 70 customer and Slovakia has also selected the Block 70. We are also proposing new Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria and several other potential customers.


The F16 beat Gripen in Slovakia fighters contest. What are the lessons learnt in that competition that the decision makers should take note of here?

As Slovakia’s Defense Minister Peter Gajdos said at the time, the F-16 Block 70 offer is the “best possible solution” for Slovakia, adding that the US F-16 was better “in all aspects” than the competing offer. This partnership will deliver new capabilities to the Slovak Armed Forces and strengthen Slovakia’s strategic partnership with NATO and the US.


Both the F16 and F18 are fourth generation platforms developed in the 1970’s. F16 won the USAF competition and then F18 became the US Navy platform a few years later. However, the USAF continues to fly F16 even today. What’s so special in this aircraft?

The F-16 Block 70 on offer to India is a completely different animal from earlier editions; Block 70 mission systems are completely new and leverage technologies from the F-35. For example, the F-16 offer includes an operational, combat-proven Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The advanced APG-83 AESA radar on the F-16 Block 70 provides F-16s with 5th Generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars. This provides a direct long-term benefit from sharing technology refresh capabilities and costs across multiple platforms.


Any update on the company’s discussions with the Indian Ministry of Defence on the helicopters?

Now that India’s procurement options have been opened up to include the MH-60R, we are looking for ways to leverage that active production line to expedite delivery to the Indian Navy. The MH-60R provides a vital capability for the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific region. The significant investments made in the MH-60R by the US Navy and industry provide the unique assurance that it has undertaken the most rigorous testing. The US Navy has a robust road map to add capabilities to the MH-60R as the aircraft will be in their fleet for several decades. With over 450 anti-submarine warfare capable Seahawks flying around the world and millions of flight hours, the expertise Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin is able to offer is unmatched.


What are the company’s vision and strategy for the Indian startups?

Lockheed Martin has been a strong supporter of initiatives such as Make in India, Start-up India, Skills India, Digital India, and others. As a part of our larger commitment to support Indian innovation, Lockheed Martin has sponsored and supported the India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) since 2007 in partnership with the Indian Department of Science and Technology, Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas. The IIGP has pioneered an initiative that has supported more than 400 innovators and start-ups with in-depth technology commercialization training and handholding support to commercialize and scale their ventures in India and across the world.

Earlier this month, the company hosted an Aerospace and Defence (A&D) Start-up Supplier Conference in Bengaluru. Tier 1 Lockheed Martin suppliers interacted with Indian Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), government officials, and university students to discuss global partnership opportunities and IIGP initiatives. The conference was a wonderful forum for IIGP (aerospace & defence) startups and Tier 1 suppliers to discuss ideas market access for the startups. Strengthening public-private partnerships in India is a key priority for us.


Have there been any discussions with the MoD about Offsets and have you given any recommendations?

In our experience, offsets have been successful in delivering what the Government of India is looking for. The company has two state-of-the-art manufacturing Joint Venture (JV) investments in India with Tata Advanced Systems. These JVs were created to establish a manufacturing presence in India, support the fulfilment of offset obligations, and contribute to ‘Make in India’ initiatives. The investments related have contributed approximately $100 million in manufacturing equipment, tooling, intellectual property and non-recurring engineering; and more than $200 million in private Indian industry revenues and exports. They have also resulted in the training and employment of over 1,200 individuals in aerospace engineering, manufacturing and management jobs in India.


Is the government keen on getting additional C-130s to replace the AN 32 in the fleet?

It would be more appropriate for the Indian government to address this particular question.


What is Skunk Works? Can you share more details about this?

Skunk Works, now formally known as Advanced Development Programs (ADP), is a division of Lockheed Martin that works on advanced, innovative and secret projects. Since its inception in 1943, the mission of Skunk Works remains unchanged: build the world’s most experimental aircraft and breakthrough technologies in abject secrecy at a pace impossible to rival. Skunk Works is responsible for a number of innovative aircraft designs, including the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.


Is there a potential market for the new commercial aircraft 100 J in India?

The LM-100J commercial freighter is the Super Hercules update to the existing L-100 legacy Hercules commercial aircraft, which Lockheed Martin delivered more than 100 of from 1964-1992. About half of these L-100s are still flown today, operated by and are private and government outfits. From delivering vital supplies to communities devastated by natural disasters to hauling oversized equipment to develop new infrastructure, the commercial L-100s are known for the same workhorse capabilities and unmatched versatility as military C-130s. The LM-100J builds on the traits of the L-100 and offers increased speed, situational awareness, safety, capability and power, while also distinguishing itself as one aircraft that can support 11 different commercial operating requirements. While the LM-100J is a new aircraft, it comes to market with almost 2 million flight hours to its credit, all of which were earned by a fleet of 17 global operators who have flown the Super Hercules in almost every type of mission scenario and environmental conditions imaginable.

The LM-100J can go anywhere to support any requirements. That said, we know the LM-100J would be an ideal asset for commercial operators in India and those looking to operate in and out of the country. We welcome any opportunity to discuss the merits of the LM-100J with operators looking to fly the aircraft in India.


The company is at the cutting edge of hybrid airships. Is there any market for it in India?

Lockheed Martin has invested more than 20 years to develop the Hybrid Airship’s technology, prove its performance and ensure there is compelling economics for various markets who would benefit from using this platform. More than 10 years ago, the team built and flew the technology demonstrator known as the P-791, which successfully demonstrated all the technologies needed to make this real. Since then, the team has completed all required FAA certification planning steps for a new class of aircraft and they are ready to begin construction of the first commercial model and the completion of the FAA Type certification process. Hybrid Airships make it possible to affordably deliver heavy cargo and personnel to remote locations around the world. With unlimited access to isolated locations around the globe, Hybrid Airships safely and sustainably support a wide range of activities in areas with little to no infrastructure.


Is there more scope for improving the defence relations between the two countries?

We are very encouraged by the positive trend we’re seeing in US-India relations, particularly on the defence and security front. As you know, India and the US also recently approved the COMCASA, a landmark military communications and security pact, during the historic US-India “2+2” dialogue in New Delhi. Air force-to-air force relationships are another hallmark of strategic ties and trust between nations. We believe an India-US F-16 partnership would strengthen the strategic relationship between the Indian Air Force and the US Air Force. It would also provide a unique path to closer US-India cooperation on advanced technologies, including but not limited to fighter aircraft.

While we are indeed proposing an exclusive F-16 production line in India, we’re looking to build far more than an aircraft. We aim to build enduring relationships and partnerships with India that strengthen strategic ties and trust between our two great democracies.


Lastly, congratulations on being appointed to the US Federal Aviation Advisory Committee. What does it mean for you as an Indian American?

It is a great honour for me. I would be representing the viewpoints of defence technology organisations in the NextGen Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation. The committee advises the American government on issues including, but not limited to, NextGen investment priorities, capability deployment timing, equipage incentives, specific technologies, and deployments such as DataComm, National airspace system performance metrics, and airspace design initiatives.

 financialexpress

L&T JV to export missiles to Europe from Coimbatore SEZ

L&T MBDA Missile Systems Ltd, a joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and French company MBDA, is awaiting the grant of an industrial licence to export fully assembled missile systems to Europe.

The industrial licence, under the Arms Act,1959, is given by the Union Home Ministry, but has been delegated to the Commerce Ministry. BusinessLine has learnt that the Commerce Ministry will take up L&T MBDA’s application for licence at the Board of Approvals meeting on November 5.

As soon as it secures the licence, L&T MBDA, in which L&T holds 51 per cent, will begin to produce missiles from a leased plant in Coimbatore’s Aspen SEZ in Coimbatore. (The SEZ is owned by the family of Suzlon group founder Tulsi Tanti).

L&T has been producing missile subsystems for both Indian programmes and MBDA for the past few years. However, the JV with MBDA, announced in April 2017, is for “nearly full missile assembly except explosives, for export to Europe”, Jayant Patil, Wholetime Director and Senior Executive Vice-President (Defence Business) at L&T, told BusinessLine.

Producing the missiles from an SEZ will help save on customs duties, he said. Components can be purchased from abroad (sources have hinted at Israel) and from L&T’s (Malumichampatti) unit in Coimbatore, which makes rocket motors for ISRO and missile propulsion systems for “Indian customers”.

While sources have implied that the investment will be around ₹400 crore, Patil said that since the JV is leasing an SEZ unit, “the investment would be lower (than ₹400 crore), but we may keep investing as it grows in phases.”

Target programmes ::

“This JV has been created with a few target programmes. The ATGM5 (Anti-Tank Guided Missile – 5th generation) and the MRSaM (Medium Range Surface to Air Missile), as well as a few other missile programmes are targeted programmes for the JV,” said Patil.

Loïc Piedevache, India Country Head, MBDA, spoke of making the ‘Mistral’ and ‘Milan’ missiles through the JV. These are very short range, portable missiles which requires only two people to carry them.

The skills and new generation technologies that MBDA has developed for the French army are being made available to India to design, develop and manufacture the ATGM5, says the L&T MBDA website.

 thehindubusinessline

Delhi, Mumbai and other major Indian cities to soon get their own Missile Shields

India is working on a mega plan to make the airspace over almost all its major cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, virtually impregnable, sources in the military establishment said.

The government is procuring a variation of systems, including missiles, launchers and command-and-control units from the US, Russia and Israel, besides deploying indigenously developed missiles as part of the project, they said.

In the last few years, China has significantly ramped up its air power and the sources said that the government was calculated to equip the forces with capabilities on par with its adversaries.

"Over the national capital and many other cities are being strengthened considering the evolving security scenario. Procurement of missile systems, and weaponry is part of the initiative," a senior military official said.

India is engaged in talks with the US for procuring components of systems, including missiles, and drones, and the US has already approved sale of 22 Sea Guardian to India at an estimated cost of USD 2 billion.

It is for the first time, the US is selling them to a country which is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The sources said India is also gazing at the US' National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II to bolster its own defence.

India is also procuring the S-400 Triumf Air Defence System from Russia at a cost of $5.4 billion to accelerate its gizmo. Deliveries will begin as early as 2020.

"The aim of the project is to make our skyline impregnable," the official said.

As part of efforts to strengthen the country's aerial security, India is also in the process of inducting the first batch of its offensive Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System — Agni V — which is expected to significantly bolster India's 2nd strike capability against China. The missile, with a strike range of 5,000 km, is capable of delivering a nuclear payload to every city in China.

Very few countries, including the US, China, Russia, France and North Korea, possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In its offensive missile armory, India presently has Agni-1 with a 700 km range, Agni-2 with a 2,000-km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500-km range.

In November last, India successfully test fired air-launched variant of the Brahmos, the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, from a Sukhoi-30 combat jet. The missile will be also be part of the project to make the country's airspace impregnable, the sources said.

The Defence Ministry is now expediting the process to integrate the deadly Brahmos with 40 Su-30 MKI Fighter Jets.

defencenews

2 Pak Army soldiers arrested near Punjab's Firozpur; SIM cards, cellphone recovered

An operation party near the Border Out Post (BOP) in Punjab's Ferozepur Sector on Sunday arrested two Pakistani nationals, who were approaching the Indian side.

Siraj Ahmed (31) and Mumtaz Khan (38) were apprehended by the security personnel at around 5:10 pm. Both belong to the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.

The security forces recovered Rs 3,660, a mobile phone and a SIM card from Mumtaz and two Pakistani army ID cards, four photographs, a smartphone, and Rs 1,040 from Ahmed.

Earlier in March, Punjab’s special operations cell in a joint operation with military intelligence had nabbed a Pakistan spy.

According to reports, the spy was identified as one Ravi Kumar worked with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.

He was recruited by ISI seven months ago through Facebook, the report added.

Kumar has been booked under various sections of the Official Secrets Act and some sections of the Indian Penal Code.

A Times of India report added that a team of SSOC led by Inspector Gurinderpal Singh arrested Ravi Kumar from the Chatiwind police station area in Amritsar district.

Photographs of vital installations, hand-made maps of restricted areas, photocopies of restricted training manuals of the Army and information regarding Army attack formations were recovered from him, according to a Punjab Police release.

The release added that Kumar gave the accused gave Pakistan information with regard to the movement of Army units, construction of new bunkers on the Indian side of the border, photographs of Army vehicles and their formation signs, exercises and trainings and activity/construction.

The official note said investigation had shown that Kumar was in regular touch with Pakistani ISI officers over mobile phone and internet. “Money was transferred to his account after routing it though Dubai. ISI handlers had even sponsored his visit to Dubai from February 20-24 this year. There, he was briefed on his spying assignment,” the police added while speaking to Hindustan Times.

 dnaindia

India inks $950 million deal for Russian frigates

Russia has inked a $950 -million deal to supply two new warships to India that will be equipped with Brahmos missiles to add to the firepower of the Navy. The two frigates of the Project 11356 class will be bought directly from Russia and a contract to build two more at an Indian yard is likely to be signed at a later stage.

Sources told ET that while final clearances for the long-pending project came before the summit earlier this month between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the deal was signed last week after price negotiations.

Given that the US has implemented sanctions on weapons purchases from Moscow, India could make payments for the ships using the rupee-rouble route. The deal — under a ‘2+2’ scheme where technology will be transferred to an Indian shipyard to construct two of the frigates from scratch — has been in the works since 2015.

The two ships to be brought from Russia are expected to be delivered by 2022, given that the hulls have already been fabricated for a Russian navy order that got stalled following the Ukrainian crisis. The ships have been designed to work with Ukraine-made gas turbines.

The two frigates are likely to be brought to India after construction to fit the gas turbines at a local yard as the order for turbines has been placed directly by New Delhi with Ukraine, to bypass any complications given the Ukraine-Russian relations.

There had been initial discussions to involve the Indian private sector to build two of the ships but the government decided to nominate state-owned Goa Shipyard. It is not clear if the decision still stands or the ministry will follow a competitive process to determine the local partner.

The Goa Shipyard has been facing financial stress and has not been able to go ahead on an earlier order for new minesweeper vessels that are desperately needed by the Navy.

The process to acquire the minesweepers has been aborted twice and an attempt is now being made to issue tenders for the project.

economictimes

Will the Indian Navy go for the 5th Generation fighters for its aircraft Carrier?

With the projected delivery of the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) by the Cochin Shipyard where the IAC is being fitted out, scheduled for 2023, the Indian Navy could be eyeing the fifth generation aircraft for it.

Speaking to FE Online on condition of anonymity, a senior officer said that, “By the time the Aircraft carrier is commissioned in the service, worldwide the navies would be flying the fifth generation fighter and not the fourth generation platforms like Boeing’s F-18, the French Rafale or the Swedish Gripen.”

Four vendors including the Dassault Aviation of France `Rafale’, US based Boeing Company’s F-18 Super Hornet, Swedish SAAB’s ` Gripen’ and MiG-29 K of Russia, all responded to the RfI that was sent last year for the 57 aircraft for the Navy. The Indian Navy is already having operational issues due to defects in engines, airframe and fly-by-wire system with the Russian MiG 29 K.

By the time the IAC comes, the US will be going to the 5th generation single engine F-35 A, F-35 B and F-35c versions from the Lockheed Martin for its air force, marines, and navy respectively in the future.

Compared to other navies globally, the US Navy, the Royal Navy, the French, Russian and now even the Chinese PLA-N have fighter fleets built around aircraft carriers, as that helps them to project their power over long-distance from their home bases.

Inking of the COMCASA agreement at the end of the first ever 2+2 India-US Strategic Dialogue, the sale of these machines are not ruled out.

Earlier this year, at a US House Armed Services Committee hearing USPACOM (US Pacific Command) head Admiral Harry Harris Jr. had hinted that some of the platforms India is planning to buy from the US including F-16s, multi-role fighter acquisition program; the F/A-18E for multi-engine, carrier-based fighter purchase; a reorder of 12-15 P-8Is; Sea Guardian UAS; MH-60R multi-role sea-based helicopter; and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are all supported by the USPACOM.

As reported by FE earlier, the delay in the delivery of the IAC by December 2018 has pushed back the IAC- 2 plan. The IAC-2 is not part of the 2017-19 annual acquisition plans of the Indian Navy. The first indigenous aircraft for the Indian Navy is delayed by 8 years delayed and this leaves the Navy with one operational aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, the 45,000-tonne carrier bought from Russia, which s expected to go in for repairs very soon.

According to the Lockheed Martin’s website: the different variants of the F-35 have similar performance characteristics, and are mainly distinguished by their different basing requirements. Thus, the F-35B and F-35C variants have unique ways to take off and land.

Though the plans for the IAC-2 have been put on back burner, the navy wants it to have a CATOBAR (catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery) configuration. The IAC under construction has a STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) configuration.

 financialexpress

From Russia's S-400 to Israel's Barak-8 missiles:

Highlights

• Barak-8 is a long-range surface to air missile jointly developed by India's DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries.
• Barak-8 could be crucial to the Indian Navy .
• Russia's S-400 missile system can engage up to 36 targets at a time and simultaneously launch 72 missiles

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded an additional $777-million mega contract for supply of Barak-8 missile defence system known in India as LRSAM - for seven ships of the Indian Navy. The contract was entered with state-owned company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which serves as the main contractor in the project.

Barak-8 is a long-range surface to air missile jointly developed by India's DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (which subcontracted the work to Israel's Elta Systems and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems; the latter has a JV with Indian private firm Kalyani). It is a safe carry and launch missile for ships and can be launched vertically.

Barak-8 could be crucial to the Indian Navy as China has been increasing its presence in and around the Indian Ocean.

But Indian forces are no stranger to Barak-8. In 2017, India and Israel had signed a $2 billion deal for the land version of the missile system, called MRSAM, for the Indian Army and LRSAM for the Navy. IAI then said it was the largest single contract between India and Israel. The LRSAM was to be installed on INS Vikrant and Kolkata-class destroyers of the Navy.

Israel is emerging as one of India's biggest suppliers of weapons, alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply India's Army and Navy with missile defence systems.

The Barak-8 deal follows the pact with Russia for five S-400 missile shields, which can protect India from hostile jets, bombers, drones and missiles. India is expected to deploy them along the borders with Pakistan and China, giving the Army a boost in its defence against Chinese missiles.

The S-400 missile deal was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in first week of October this year. The delivery of the missile systems, tipped to be over $5 billion, will start 24 months from the signing of the contract.

The S-400 system can engage up to 36 targets at a time and simultaneously launch 72 missiles.

The air defence missile system comprises a combat control post, a three-coordinate jam-resistant phased array radar to detect aerial targets, six-eight air defence missile complexes (with up to 12 transporter-launchers, and also a multi-functional four-coordinate illumination and detection radar), a technical support system, a missile transporting vehicles and a training simulator, experts said.

The S-400 system can also additionally include an all-altitude radar (detector) and movable towers for an antenna post.

The target detection range of this system is up to 600 kilometres and its tactical ballistic missile destruction range varies from five kilometres to 60 kilometres.

 timesofindia

UAE will be the first country in the Gulf to get Made in India Akash

At the recently concluded visit by a high-level defence delegation from UAE, `Made in India’ Akash surface-to-air missile system (SAM) was high on the agenda.

Sources confirmed to FE Online that the delegation led by UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falacy is keen on buying this missile which has been indigenously made by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

If the missile which is totally indigenous is being produced by defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), has an interception range of 25-km, is exported to UAE, it will be the first time ever that India would have exported a system like this to a Gulf country.


The missile meant to keep fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones from attacking critical installations is comparable to the SPYDER (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) Missile of Israel. The SPYDER is a short and medium range mobile air defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

India’s Akash is packed with a battery that can track and attack several targets simultaneously; the missile can carry a warhead of 60 kgs and can hit the target up to 30 Kms.

The SPYDER is a low-level, quick reaction missile expected to neutralise hostile targets up to 15 km away and at heights between 20 and 9,000 metres.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already inducted the SPYDER Missile along with the homemade Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) with a range of 25 km as part of a strategic planning for a double layer approach to defend critical assets and locations in the country.

The Israeli Missile can provide air defence for fixed assets and for point and area defence for mobile forces in combat areas fitted on either Tatra Trucks or Scania P-series truck, or a Dongfeng truck.

However, the Akash Missile can be launched from static or mobile platforms and can handle multi-target and destroy manoeuvring targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and missiles launched from helicopters. The system also defends vulnerable areas in all weather conditions against medium-range air targets being attacked from low, medium and high altitudes.

India has made certain changes in its Defence Export Policy which would enable it to export different platforms to friendly nations.

As reported by FE Online earlier, the UAE government is possibly looking at the DRDO-developed Astra 70-kilometer range air-to-air missile too to be fitted on the Mirage fighter planes that it is operating.

 financialexpress

MH-60R Helicopters critical for the Indian Navy for the Indo-Pacific Region

The Indian Navy to prioritize anti-submarine helicopters and drones acquisition over the fourth generation fighters. Speaking to FE ONLINE on condition of anonymity, a senior officer confirmed that “So far the Ministry of Defence has issued the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) with a validity of 18 months for the acquisition of 24 anti-submarine and anti-ship multi-role helicopters (MRH) for the Indian Navy.”

The MH-60R will provide a vital capability for the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific region, where according to the Trump administration India is considered as a major partner to ensure stability and prosperity in the strategic region.

While there is still a long way to go the MoD is keen on expediting acquisition of the Naval Utility Helicopters as it is the first project under the ambitious Strategic Partner (SP) Model, under which the private firms are to be identified for building select military platforms in India in partnership with foreign defence manufacturers.

“The success of this project is very critical as it will also ensure that future programmes under the SP model will succeed,” a senior officer explained.

As has been reported by FE earlier, the government has given approval for the US based Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky MH-60Rs `Romeos’ fitted with sensors through the Foreign Military sale (FMS) route from the US as it is a sale between two governments. Besides a clause for 30 % offsets, there will be certain changes made on these helicopters keeping in mind the Indian Navy’s requirement. The deal is for around $ 2 bn for 24 anti-submarine and MRH capabilities.

It may be recalled that a decade ago the there was a proposal for MRH to replace the Sea King helicopters in the Indian Navy. The government had issued an RFI for it in 2011 as well as in 2013. These helicopters are an integral part of the frontline warships like the aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and corvettes.

According to senior officer, the approval from the government is only for the budget but there is no set timeline for the procurement process to start. Once the deal is confirmed the delivery of these 24 helicopters will be spread over at least five years.

The Indian Navy is intending to buy 57 carrier-based multirole fighters for its new Vikrant-class aircraft carrier — the 65,000-ton INS Vishal which is already delayed. Global aerospace giants including US based Lockheed Martin, Boeing Company, Sweden-based SAAB, French Dassault Aviation and Russia’s MIG had responded to requests for information from the MoD in 2017.

 financialexpress

Indian Army looks to buy Àvenger UAV from the US

Now the Indian Army shows interest in the Avenger UAV from the US-based General Atomics.

 Now the Indian Army shows interest in the Avenger UAV from the US-based General Atomics. Industry sources confirmed to FE Online that, “During the recent 2+2 India-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, the request from the Indian Army for the UAVs was one of the items discussed when the US Secretary of Defence James Mattis met with the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.”

The first time the request was made by the Indian Army in June 2017, when Mattis was here for a bilateral meeting with Sitharaman.
As has been reported by FE earlier, the Trump administration has already started their internal processing for 100 armed drones for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The IAF has sought the jet propelled Avenger Drones (formerly Predator C).
Though the Indian armed forces have been using Israeli drones, the new UAVs from General Atomics are considered a game changer for the services given the geopolitics of the region. There is a requirement for at least 1000 units of UAVs in the armed forces. This does not include the paramilitary forces.Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems deal of $ 2 bn has already been released by the Trump administration. In 2016, the navy had sent a request letter for 22 Sea Guardians to the American company. The Sea Guardian is exported to a very few select countries by the US administration and India will soon be joining that group. The two countries have inked the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA), which is one of the foundational agreements in 2016, and in September this year has inked the ‘Communications, Compatibility, Security Agreement (COMCASA)’ which will allow transfer of encrypted communication security equipment from the US to India. These platforms include C-130 J, C-17, P-8I aircraft, and Apache and Chinook helicopters. However, India has yet to sign Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA). After inking two major agreements with the US, and being termed as the preferred major defence partner for the US.

 financialexpress

After Ram Nath Kovind’s Tajikistan trip, India hopes to expand strategic presence at Ayni base

India, seeking to expand its strategic presence in Central Asia, is hoping to expand its military base in Tajikistan — its only such facility abroad — where Indian Air Force and Border Roads Organisation personnel have been stationed since 2005.

President Ram Nath Kovind visited Ayni Air Base, about 15 km west of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, during his October 7–9 trip and signalled India’s interest in expanding its presence there, according to sources. Almost 150 Indian personnel have been posted in Ayni. Kovind met the IAF contingent at the base.

India established a presence at Ayni in the days following the September 11 attacks and the US campaign in Afghanistan.

At that time, India operated a hospital at Farkhor on the Tajik-Afghan border, where legendary Afghan political leader Ahmed Shah Masood was treated.

India, Russia and Tajikistan agreed in 2002 to operate Ayni on a rotational basis once construction work at the air base was completed. The Border Roads Organisation helped to rebuild the airstrip and associated facilities at Ayni.

With India entering the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian alliance, and keen on stabilising Afghanistan in collaboration with Central Asian states and Russia besides expanding the counterterror partnership, boosting facilities at Ayni will be handy, experts pointed out.

Expanding defence ties with Tajikistan was among the talking points during President Kovind’s trip.

 economictimes

Eye on China, India and Japan Likely to Ink New Pact to Access Each Other's Naval Bases

Japan hopes to clinch a military logistics pact with India that will allow access to each other's bases, Tokyo's envoy said on Monday, in a tightening of security ties seen as designed to balance China's growing weight in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Japan this weekend for an annual summit with his counterpart Shinzo Abe, and the proposed Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement between the two militaries is on the agenda.

Under Modi and Abe, bilateral relations have rapidly expanded and the two countries conduct three-way naval exercises involving the United States in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

Japan's ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, said it was only natural for the two militaries to have a logistics-sharing agreement because of the large number of manoeuvres they were carrying out each year.


"We hope to start formal negotiations with regard to signing of the ACSA. It is high time we had mutual logistics support," he said.

Under such a pact, Japanese ships would get access to fuel and servicing at major Indian naval bases including the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which lie near the Malacca Straits through which a large amount of Japan's but also China's trade and fuel supplies is shipped.

India's navy, which is increasingly sending ships further out as a way to counter China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, would get access to Japanese facilities for maintenance.

Modi's government signed a similar agreement with the United States in 2016 ending years of hesitation by previous administrations that worried about upsetting China.

Beijing has in the past expressed concern about multilateral and complex exercises, calling them destabilising to the region. Hiramatsu said Japan and India had a great deal of convergence with respect to freedom of navigation and transparency in the Indio-Pacific region.

 news18

Super Hornet’s Make in India Programme: SASMOS delivers 1000th F/A-18 electrical panel assembly to Boeing

Bangalore based SASMOS HET Technologies Limited, a leading manufacturer of wiring harness, electro-mechanical assemblies and unit integration products delivered for the US aerospace giant Boeing Company’s the 1000th F/A-18 Super Hornet electrical panel assembly, on schedule.

This marks a significant milestone in the `Make in India’ initiative and underscores the importance of Indian manufacturers in building the future of aerospace and defense globally. The company has progressed from being a start-up organization to a preferred partner by OEM’s in the industry and created the benchmark in the Harness manufacturing industries in India.

According to Karl Jeppesen, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space & Security Supply Chain, “This delivery is not just an important milestone for SASMOS, but also for Boeing and the Indian industry.” Adding, “As Boeing continues to move forward, these are the types of exciting advancements that will enable the Indian aerospace industry to become the economic growth engine defined by Make in India.”

The Indian company first started work on F/A-18 in 2016 and has so far delivered 1,000 panels in two years. The manufacturer also produces mission-critical equipment and cockpit panel assemblies for Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft, and has delivered more than 3,000 F-15 panels already.

Said Chandra Shekar, Founder and Managing Director, SASMOS, that through this initiative which started three years ago, the company is ready to grow with Boeing’s India initiative.”

The F/A-18 Super Hornet delivers cutting-edge, next-generation multi-role strike fighter capability, outdistancing current and emerging threats well into the future. Boeing recently announced a Make in India plan for the Super Hornet that features a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Mahindra Defence Services and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

The US Company has been working with suppliers in India for over two decades in manufacturing, IT and engineering services. So far there are more than 160 suppliers providing advanced, complex components and subassemblies for Boeing commercial and defense aircraft as part of an integrated global supply chain. Critical components such as aero-structures, wire harnesses, composites, forgings, avionics mission systems and ground support equipment for aircraft are being made in India for both commercial and military planes including the 777, 787, P-8, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-15 and H-47 Chinook.

 financialexpress

INS Vikramaditya completes Rs 705-cr refit

India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikarmaditya is set to sail from the Kochi port on October 23 for basin trials before returning to its home port at Karwar after undergoing a five-month refit at a cost of ₹705 crore at the Cochin Shipyard.

This was the second refit of the carrier since its induction into the Indian Navy in 2013. Both refits were performed by the Cochin Shipyard. “It’s a short refit, but the Navy planned it in such a way that the underwater work package of the next refit – a longer maintenance routine to be conducted in 2020 or 2021 – was also taken up along with this. This means that the carrier is not required to be dry-docked for the next five-six years,” Captain Puruvir Das, commanding officer of Vikramaditya, told The Hindu on the sidelines of a media visit to the carrier now docked at the Kochi port.

“The carrier’s hull got treated and painted. We have a large number of tanks and spaces which got cleaned and painted too. Then we had some work on the shafts – the carrier has four of them. In floating condition, a diver goes down and measures the health of the shafts with some gauges, but they are fully checked when dry-docked. We had found during routine check-ups that some temperature readings of the shafts were going high, so we had to dry-dock to check the condition of the bearings. That’s been done now,” Capt Das said.

Sources said 16 of the 25 shaft bearings were changed as part of the refit.

“When the carrier is alongside the jetty (that’s right now), the shafts will be turned at very low RPM to see if everything is rotating properly and once we are out at sea, higher revolutions will be done. There will be a large number of workers of the Cochin Shipyard as we go out for the trials to attend to any possible issues. Once it is over, they will return by boat and we will proceed to Karwar,” he said.

He said the Navy was looking at various options for berthing the vessel for its next major maintenance – the normal refit that would come around 2020-21.


Docking space ::

“First, we need a docking space and you need depths. Karwar is suitable for us. Then you need the vendor base, which is well-established in Kochi. But the problem is that we will occupy this berth, the Ernakulam Wharf (at the port) for a long period. It isn’t a naval port. Dredging up the channel is another issue. But the Navy is looking at it all and will take a call in a month or two,” he said.

Captain Das also pointed out that the air wing of Vikramaditya was full-fledged right now and that the carrier would be in Goa in November for flying operations. Over the last 10 days, nearly 16,000 people visited the carrier.

the hindu

Modi Meets Sri Lankan PM, Says Unhappy With 'Slow' Progress of India-Funded Projects

After internal differences between Sri Lankan president and prime minister spilled over into ties with India, the country’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe discussed the current status of India-funded development projects with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Saturday.

Earlier this week, media reports had stated that there had been a verbal clash between Wickremesinghe and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at their weekly cabinet meeting. More worryingly for relations with India, the reports claimed that Sirisena had alleged that the Indian external intelligence agency RAW was behind an alleged assassination plot targeting him and former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The damage control included four press releases – three from Sri Lanka – and a phone call from Sirisena to Modi.

A major point of difference between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe was the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port. While Wickremesinghe insisted that commitment to allow Indian investment should be honoured, Sri Lankan president claimed that he had informed Indian PM that Sri Lanka will develop the project.

Two days after the cabinet briefing, Wickremesinghe arrived in India for an earlier scheduled three-day visit on Thursday evening. This is his fifth visit to India since taking over as the prime minister in 2015.

He was accompanied by the minister of development strategies and international trade Malik Samarawickrama, minister of petroleum resources development Arjuna Ranatunga, chief of staff to the prime minister and minister of youth affairs, project management and southern development Sagala Ratnayaka and senior government officials.

On Saturday, Wickremesinghe held delegation-level talks with the Indian prime minister, who also hosted a luncheon in his honour.

According to a press release issued by the Indian ministry of external affairs, the main item on the agenda was a review of the “progress” in Indian projects.

Unlike the MEA press release, a statement from the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s Office indicated that Modi had expressed dissatisfaction with the “slow pace” of implementation of Indian projects in Sri Lanka.

The details provided in the statement released only in Sinhala in Colombo on Saturday night gave much more detail on their conversation, but was also a pointed attack on Sirisena’s concerns on Indian investment – which according to many observers is part of the political jostling between the two leaders.

As per the Sri Lankan press release, Modi expressed unhappiness over Sri Lankan government constantly delaying Indian development projects.

The statement from Wickremesinghe’s office further stated that the Indian PM told him that he spent most of his time on diplomatic matters on Sri Lanka. However, Modi apparently expressed discontent.

- - - - - - - -
“Premier Modi said, he had spent the most of his time allocated to diplomatic matters, on Sri Lanka, and expressed his discontent over the response of the Sri Lankan government towards the assistance given by India.”
- - - - - - - -

Modi, as per the Sri Lankan PM’s office, also said that if there was any hint of any problem, it should be broached to him or India without hesitation.

Wickremesinghe apparently assured Modi that there was no such suspicion of any problem – and if there was any perception that there was such a feeling, he regretted it.

Earlier, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, minister of home affairs Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had called on separately on Wickremesinghe.

The visiting Sri Lankan leader had also met with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother, Sonia Gandhi on Friday.

 thewire

Additional Sukhois not an answer to fleet shortage, IAF tells ministry

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has told the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that getting more of the existing version of Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets is not an option to bolster numbers to the dwindling jet fleet.

The Sukhoi-30MKI, in its present version, is not an option for the future — next 20 years or so — as its avionics, protection suite, engine and radar is now a generation previous to what is currently available, the IAF has informed the MoD, sources told The Tribune.

The Russian origin twin-engined, Sukhoi-30MKI — a frontline jet of the IAF — is produced by public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under licence from Russia. At present, the IAF has 247 Sukhoi jets in its fleet and another 25 are expected to be added over the next 24 months, taking the total to 272.

The IAF is operating with just 31 squadrons (16-18 planes in each) as against the requirement of 42. Among these, some 130 odd planes are MiG 21s and MiG 27s, which should have been phased out a decade earlier, but are still flying due to their non-replacement with the LCA Tejas.

Even as upgrade of the existing fleet would be expensive at $10 billion (around Rs 75,000 crore) and could take almost a decade, the sources said the plane is good for now but cannot be for the future is its existing version.

The Russians have offered to upgrade it to a ‘super Sukhoi’, which if implemented, will give the aircraft almost fifth generation (latest) capabilities. It talks about its effectiveness in multi-role, AESA radar, more powerful electronic warfare suite like jamming systems, along with high performance engines, the AL-41F turbofan (same as the latest Sukhoi 35).

The Sukhoi-30MKI, which in the past two decades has seen some changes, has a mix of electronic systems from a number of countries. The radar and long-range sensor is Russian. The navigation and heads-up display systems are from Thales of France. The electronic warfare systems and targeting pods are Israeli and the computers and ancillary avionics systems are Indian. The upgrade will be difficult to implement and the US can impose sanctions under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) for dealing with Russians.

Also, the existing upgrades of the Mirage 2000 jets and the Jaguar are running years behind schedule. The Sukhoi-30MKI belongs to heavier class of aircraft which is optimised for ‘air superiority’ roles to dominate the skies but lacks the ‘multi-role’ requirements which IAF wants and has floated a tender to get 114 such jets.

 tribuneindia

F-16 Proposition: US virtual blackmail of India

The reported American informal fiat to India to give an assurance that it would buy the F-16 fighter aircraft from the US to avoid sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for India’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems is an act of virtual blackmail which is condemnable.

While India is believed to have refused to give such an assurance, the pressure on the Narendra Modi government for it is intense. Evidently, there was no lofty goal behind US objections to the Indo-Russian deal. The motivation to deter it was plain and simple expediency.

In its final days in office, the Barack Obama administration too had sold F-16s to Pakistan despite the record of the Pakistan government in fuelling terrorism in the Indian sub-continent. It should indeed be amply clear that US claims of deterring an arms race in the sub-continent as elsewhere are hogwash and are dictated by narrow US self-interest. Any attempt to give it a lofty colour is downright ridiculous and an act of hypocrisy.

It is perhaps concessions like these held out by Pakistan that have led to the Americans ignoring Indian submissions of the Pakistani involvement in training, arming and infiltration of terrorists into India, especially Kashmir. The US has constantly paid lip service to putting a stop to such brazen Pakistani activity while looking the other way when it comes to stopping such a nefarious practice.

Nirmala Sitharaman is also scheduled to make her first bilateral visit to the US as Defence Minister in mid-December and there is every possibility that the Americans would seek to corner her on the purchase of F-16s or F-18s in the course of discussions there. Other reasons why India is reluctant to buy F-16s is also because they are not compatible with India’s Brahmos missiles and that they have been in Pakistan’s armoury for three decades.

It is believed that the American presentation of the buy F-16 proposition to India was made as part of active deliberation at the 2+2 Indo-US meeting at which the Americans were represented by Secretary of State Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis while India had External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. A subsequent meeting was held at the Singapore ASEAN summit earlier this month.

There was a veiled threat in President Donald Trump’s statement to media last week that India would find out the answer to whether the US will impose sanctions on New Delhi “sooner than you think.” The waiver is indeed dependent on Trump and all eyes are on him.

While the waiver under CAATSA would require, among other things, for countries to significantly reduce their reliance on Russian arms, the sanctions would trigger off once New Delhi makes even part-payment for the Russian missile system which could happen as early as this year.

Considering that India sorely needs spares of Russian arms bought in the past, expecting this country to stop all Russian defence imports would be unrealistic.

That India could be preparing for the eventuality of having to buy the F-16s or F-18s is borne out by the fact that the Indian Air Force has issued an RFI (request for information) for buying 114 fighter aircraft under a competitive bidding process. But that does not necessarily mean opting for F-16 or F-18.

All in all, a battle of nerves lies ahead. By insisting on India not buying the S-400s if it wants the sanctions to be warded off, the US is failing to appreciate the fact that India sorely needs these to stave off the challenge from China which has already acquired this advanced missile system which could pose a threat to Indian security interests and consequently jeopardise US’ global plans.

 newsnation

Indian Navy gets $600 million machines to make breathing easy in nuclear submarines

The Indian Navy’s submarine crew got a $600 million Dussehra gift from Russia – machines called ‘Moisture Separator Reheaters’ (MSRs) that will make their life under water easier.

The MSRs will be particularly useful for the nuclear submarines India is building and the deal with Russia is an indicator that New Delhi is steadfast in its commitment to the project to build nuclear subs, sources said.

Nuclear power enables submarines to be under water for up to two months without having to surface. But submariners, the men manning the boat, need the oxygen from air.

The moisture that builds up in the humid, enclosed space in the submarine underwater absorbs oxygen and makes it difficult for crew to breathe and function effectively.

MSRs insulate compartments in a submarine from water vapour and make it easier for crew to breathe and function better.

The MSRs Russia began shipping to India Friday will be stored at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, the sources said.

India has one nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, launched in 2009, and is building five more at the Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam under the nuclear submarine programme that began in 1974.

The second in the series was initially named Aridaman but it was changed to Arighat.

The Indian Navy also operates INS Chakra, an Akula-class nuclear-powered submarine taken on lease from Russia.

INS Arihant — armed with nuclear tipped B-05 missiles with a range of over 750 km — was quietly commissioned in August 2016, pushing India into a select club of five nations with such technology.

But within months it suffered an accidental breach and ingress of water, raising fears of reactor contamination. It was repaired and made operational in October 2017 after extensive tests showed that the damage was not as bad as initially feared.

 theprint

Budget crunch hits IAF's new arms deals, upgrade of airbases

Highlights

• Sources on Friday said several deals have been put on the backburner due to lack of funds
• More alarmingly, the paucity of funds has also adversely hit the upgrade of infrastructure and runways in airbases around the country

A severe fund crunch is slowly but steadily impacting the operational preparedness of the Indian Air Force (IAF), forcing it to put on hold acquisitions of helicopters, "smart bombs" and missiles as well as repair of runways in crucial airbases on both the western and eastern fronts.

Sources on Friday said several deals, including the ones for 48 more Russian Mi-17 V5 medium-lift helicopters (Rs 6,900 crore) and 32 additional British Hawk advanced jet trainers (Rs 3,500 crore), have been put on the backburner due to lack of funds. "Similar is the case for Russian laser-guided bombs and other precision-guided munitions," said a source.

More alarmingly, the paucity of funds has also adversely hit the upgrade of infrastructure and runways in airbases around the country, with at least three of them being under the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command at a time when China continues to upgrade its military aviation set-up in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

"Apart from having 14 major airfields, advanced landing grounds and helipads in TAR, China is constructing underground hangers and parking bays for its fighters by digging tunnels into mountains at some of them," said another source.

On the western front, the IAF has already been taken to court by contractors involved in runway resurfacing works at Awantipur (J&K) and Chandigarh stations due to non-payment of outstanding bills. "Ongoing work at stations like Sirsa and Bakshi-ka-Talab (Lucknow), as also the IAF academy at Hyderabad, may suffer due to the same reasons," said another source.

The IAF, of course, is mighty pleased with the "two game-changing mega deals" inked for 36 French Rafale fighter jets for Rs 59,000 crore and five Russian S-400 Triumf air defence missile squadrons for Rs 40,000 crore.

While the Rafales are slated for induction in 2019-2022, the S-400s are to be delivered in the 2020-2023 timeframe. Though the money for these two "critical operational inductions" will be paid in instalments over several years, and is also linked to deliveries, it has virtually emptied out the already curtailed IAF budget.

The IAF had asked for Rs 77,695 crore under the capital (modernisation etc) outlay in the 2018-2019 budget, but got only Rs 35,770 crore. Under the revenue (day-to-day operating costs, salaries etc) head, it got Rs 28,821 crore instead of the Rs 35,261 crore demanded. The story is similar for the Army and Navy, which got just 60 per cent and 56 per cent of their projected requirements under the capital head.

Take the over 12-lakh strong Army, for instance. The force is saddled with 68 per cent "vintage" weaponry, 24 per cent "current" and only 8 per cent "state-of-the-art" equipment. It had asked for Rs 44,573 crore under the capital head but got only Rs 26,816 crore.

The allocated funds are not enough to even pay for "committed liabilities or instalments" of earlier deals, leaving virtually nothing for new modernisation projects. It is similar under the revenue head, which by far outstrips the capital outlay in a skewed 83:17 ratio due to a ballooning salary bill in the manpower-intensive Army, as reported earlier by TOI.

 timesofindia

Defence ministry to float tender for 12 minesweepers

India is soon expected to float a fresh tender to build 12 mine-counter measure vessels (MCMVs), popularly called minesweepers, in collaboration with a foreign shipyard under a ?32,640 crore programme, one of the costliest projects under the Make in India initiative, said a top government official familiar with the development.

The request for proposals could be out by the year-end, said Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (retd), who heads Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) that will build the MSMVs or minesweepers in India. South Korean shipyard Kangnam Corporation and Italian shipbuilder Intermarine are expected to compete for the lucrative project. Both shipyards responded to an Indian request for expression of interest (EoI) for the project in May.

“The navy is finalising its qualitative requirements for the minesweepers before holding discussions with the defence ministry to take the project ahead,” Mital said.

This is India’s third attempt in a decade to strengthen the navy’s mine warfare capabilities.

“The gap in the navy’s minesweeping capabilities is huge and it leaves the fleet vulnerable. The new tender is a welcome move. However, questions need to be asked internally as to why we have taken decades to fill this capability gap,” said Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (retd), director, Society for Policy Studies.

Navies deploy minesweepers to secure harbours by locating and destroying mines.

The government issued an EoI on March 21 after previous negotiations with Kangnam Corporation to build the minesweepers collapsed at the final stage. As reported by HT on January 8, talks with the shipyard failed because of commercial complications.

Kangnam Corporation had competed with Intermarine for the project. Before this, government scrapped a deal in 2014 to build minesweepers in India in partnership with Kangnam Corporation, amid allegations that the South Korean firm had hired middlemen to swing things in its favour.

The navy’s present mine counter-measure force consists of just two vessels, out of the six bought from the erstwhile Soviet Union in the late 1970s. It requires at least 24 minesweepers to secure major harbours in the country.

India would be without a single minesweeper till 2021, warned a March 2017 parliamentary report on the alarming decline in naval force levels. With the programme being delayed further, the navy will be without minesweepers even beyond 2021-22.

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) may take five years to build the 12 minesweepers that will have 60% indigenous content.

Facilities have been created at GSL for building glass-reinforced plastic hulls, a design that reduces the ship’s magnetic signature, allows safer navigation through mine-infested waters. These underwater weapons can detonate on contact, or be activated by magnetic and acoustic signatures.

 hindustantimes

HAL’s jets costlier than foreign ones, says defence ministry audit

Fighter jets made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) – the Bengaluru-based defence public sector unit – cost more than the same jets produced abroad by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a recent review of the state-owned company by the ministry of defence (MoD) has found.

The department of defence production is studying the document, said an officer aware of the development who did not want to be identified.

Su-30MKI – the mainstay fighters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) which is manufactured by HAL under licence from Russia – is about Rs 150 crore costlier than the ones made in Russia, according to the document, a copy of which has been reviewed by Hindustan Times.

“The aircraft produced at HAL comes at a significantly higher cost when compared to direct purchase from the OEM,” the document added.

A Su-30MKI made in Russia cost Rs 269.77 crore whereas one made by HAL in India costs Rs 417.69 crore, almost “Rs 150 crore” more per aircraft, the review said.

Similarly, there is a huge cost difference between the cost of the Hawk trainer aircraft manufactured by British Aerospace and those made HAL.

After long and torturous negotiations, India bought British made Hawk jets to train pilots in 2004. Of the initial 62 Hawk jets, 24 were to be bought in a fly-away condition and the remaining were to be manufactured under licence by HAL. Each Hawk aircraft manufactured Britain in 2004 cost Rs 78 Crore. Those manufactured at HAL would have cost Rs 88 crore that year. The cost Hawk aircraft produced by HAL continued to increase. In 2010, the cost shot-up to Rs 98 crore and in 2016, Rs 153 crore. The difference in price “is primarily due to lesser efficiency and exorbitant man hour rates,” the review has found.

Interestingly, the purchase of 126 Medium Multi-Role Rafale fighters from French Defence manufacturing giant Dassault that was negotiated by the previous government (108 would have been assembled in India by HAL) was scrapped because of high man hour cost at the Indian state-owned company. HAL would have needed 2.7 times more man-hours than the French company for each aircraft.

HAL disagrees with the interpretation of the report. Responding to queries, a spokesperson said “Cost escalation from 2005 (for the Hawk jet) is normal. We also need to take into account the life-cycle cost of each product against off the shelf purchase from overseas. The indigenous benefits, the ecosystem HAL creates for the larger benefit of the country should be factored in also. Importantly, staggered or small orders deny economies of scale to HAL.” HAL also pointed to supply chain issues adding to cost. “Given that multiple agencies get involved in our manufacturing process, kit cost from OEMs and other delays like raw material and spare part supply issues, which are also endemic to the aerospace industry in India, the increase in cost must be evaluated in the right spirit,” the spokesperson added.

The National Democratic Alliance’s decision to enter a $8.7-billion government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes made by Dassault was announced in April 2015, with an agreement signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliance regime’s decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The deal has become controversial with the Opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying Rafale aircraft now is Rs 1,670 crore for each, three times the Rs 526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft. It has also claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with HAL.

The NDA has not disclosed details of the price, but the UPA deal, struck in 2012, was not a viable one, former defence minister Manohar Parrikar has previously said, implying that it would have never been closed and that, therefore, any comparison is moot. Indeed, the UPA was not able to close the deal till 2014, largely over discussions related to pricing of items not included in the initial bid.

The NDA has said that the current deal also includes customised weaponry.

The deal has also become controversial on account of the fact that one of the offset deals signed by Dassault is with the Reliance Group of Anil Ambani. The Congress claims the earlier deal was scrapped and a new one signed just to provide Ambani this opportunity for an offset deal. Both the government and Reliance have repeatedly denied this.

 hindustantimes

Washington lets Delhi know: Buy our F-16s, can give Russia deal waiver

With India signing a pact with Russia to purchase the S-400 missile defence system, Washington has informally conveyed to Delhi that it could avoid sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) if India were to give an assurance that it would buy the F-16 fighter aircraft from the United States. Not keen on buying an aircraft already in service with Pakistan, India has refused to give any such assurance till date. The fallout of the Trump administration’s reaction to the S-400 deal featured in the wide-ranging discussion between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US counterpart James Mattis in Singapore on Friday, but sources told The Indian Express that the offer of a CAATSA waiver in exchange for buying F-16 fighter jets was made earlier this month. Sitharaman and Mattis met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus).

Sitharaman is also scheduled to make her first bilateral visit to the US as Defence Minister in mid-December but it is not clear if Mattis would still be a part of the Trump administration then. Mattis has been a vocal supporter of a CAATSA waiver for India, forcefully arguing for a waiver before the US Congress. But the three-step waiver process is to be decided by President Trump, who said last week that India “is going to find out” the answer “sooner than you think”. US State Department officials have said that “There are no blanket waivers that will be issued for any one country”, and any waiver under CAATSA “would require, among other things, countries to significantly reduce their reliance on Russian arms”. Sanctions under CAATSA would be triggered once Delhi makes a payment for the Russian equipment. India likely to make a part payment of the $4.5-billion deal with Russia this financial year.

US officials told The Indian Express that there is “support on both sides of the aisle” for “strong action against Russia”, and President Trump will need a good deal with India for granting a CAATSA waiver. Although US has offered both F-16 and F-18 fighter aircraft to India, it will be easier in Washington to make a case for moving the F-16 production line to India.

Although US officials argue that the F-16 being offered to India is F-16 Block 70, far superior to Block 50/52 in Pakistan’s inventory, Delhi is not keen on buying a fighter aircraft which has been with Pakistan Air Force for nearly three decades. Besides ‘political’ reasons, Delhi also argues that F-16 would not be compatible with its indigenous Brahmos missiles.

The Indian Air Force has issued an RFI (request for information) for buying 114 fighter aircraft (single/double engine) under a competitive bidding process, which could feature F-16 and F-18. But that open competition will not include any assurance to Washington from Delhi about buying an American aircraft.

A specifically enacted legislation, CAATSA’s “ultimate goal”, in the words of a senior State Department official, “is to prevent revenue from flowing to the Russian Government.” It was enacted to punish Russia by sanctioning persons engaging in business transactions with the Russian defence sector. CAATSA provides President Trump two mechanisms to issue a waiver for India — Section 236(b) of CAATSA (“Waiver of Sanctions that are Imposed”) or Section 231(d) (“Modified Waiver Authority for Certain Sanctionable Transactions under Section 231 of CAATSA”).

It requires the President to certify that India: (i) is taking or will take steps to reduce its inventory of major defence equipment and advanced conventional weapons produced by the defence sector of the Russian Federation as a share of its total inventory of major defence equipment and advanced conventional weapons over a specified period; or (ii) is cooperating with the United States Government on other security matters that are critical to United States strategic interests.

 indianexpress