India Cuts Steel For Its First Locally-Built Project 11356 Frigate

India’s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) cut a steel plate for its first locally built Project 11356 frigate on September 21. The official ceremony of steel cutting was being live-streamed on the same day by the Ishwari Digital media platform.

During the ceremony, the Vice Chief of the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) Staff Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar cut the first plate of steel for the premier Indian-built Project 11356 frigate.

In his turn, a representative of GSL said the construction of the Project 11356 frigates would be the largest shipbuilding program to be conducted by the enterprise. “Thanks to the commencement of the project, the shipyard has entered the league of the Indian enterprises that are capable of building large surface combatants. Therefore, India’s capabilities to construct this type of defense hardware will be dramatically reinforced,” he said. “We are planning to fulfill the program in time. The enterprise rapidly adopted to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to minimize its impact on manufacturing processes,” he added.

According to the representative of GSL, the new ships will incorporate “a large number” of indigenous subsystems.

India has designated the new ship ‘Advanced Missile Frigate’ (AMF). “GSL commences production of Advanced Missile Frigates, with ‘First Steel Cutting’ today at the hands of Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar — another landmark step in Defence Shipbuilding and a major boost to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ [projects],” said GSL in a tweet on September 21.

Russia and India previously contracted the delivery of four Project 11356 frigates to the Asian country. Under the deal, the Yantar Shipyard (a subsidiary of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation) and GSL are set to build two ships each.

The Project 11356 frigate is designed to strike surface/underwater combatants and aerial targets in both blue and green waters. The ships operate both in battle groups and as standalone naval platforms. The frigate is armed with an A-190 10 mm naval gun, strike missiles (including the Kalibr and Shtil missile weapons), and torpedoes. The ship can store a Kamov Ka-27 naval rotorcraft. The Project 11356 frigate is 124.8 m long and has a displacement of 3,620 t, a full speed of 30 kt, and a cruise range of 4,850 nm.

The naval platform has been designed with the use of stealth technologies; the acoustic signature of the ship has also been reduced, while the system’s protection against high-precision weapons has been reinforced. The frigate’s powerplant integrates four gas-turbine engines. The ship can employ only one gas-turbine engine to sail in order to increase the service life and cost-effectiveness ratio of the main powerplant.

Another representative of GSL told TASS at the Army 2019 international military-technical forum that the Indian Project 11356 frigate would receive a number of locally built subsystems, including a 76 mm naval gun, the BRAHMOS cruise missiles, two 30 mm anti-aircraft guns, two torpedo launchers, and a rocket launcher. The source added that the sensor suite of the new ship would also comprise several Indian items, including a sonar, an information combat-management system, and an electronic warfare system.

Naval news 

Another 36 Rafales on the way?

Earlier this month, the Indian Air Force formally inducted five Rafale combat aircraft — two 2-seat trainers, and three combat-ready single seater aircraft, into the 17th ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron in Ambala. Another five Rafales with IAF roundels are at the Dassault base in Merignac in southern France, being used for conversion of MiG-21bis pilots, ground handling and maintenance crews. The retraining stints are for six months for each lot of Indian pilots and technicians, with the pilots allotted the contracted number of training sorties alongside a French instructor.

Making allowance for the occasion, there was the expected hyperbole. The defence minister Rajnath Singh called the aircraft a “game changer” and, with less the Chinese adversary in Ladakh in mind than the domestic audience, added that it sent a “big and stern message to the entire world, especially those eyeing our sovereignty.” The French defence minister Florence Parly not to be outshone in exaggeration said that “India has world class capability and incredible sovereign tool. India has an edge over the entire region.” She was merely embroidering what her Indian counterpart had stated in Merignac on 8 October 2019 when formally accepting the first lot of Rafales. After a joy ride in the plane, the Indian leader had declared “the new Rafale Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)” as making “India stronger” and giving the IAF an “exponential boost” to “its air dominance” capability.

Why Rajnathji was briefed to say this is not important. But how the IAF means to actually obtain air dominance with just 36 of these aircraft is a mystery. Sure, Rafales working in tandem with Su-30MKIs can plausibly achieve this objective as former Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa stated, but by themselves even twice this number of Rafales in Indian colours cannot. But, as the late defence minister Manohar Parrikar was convinced, larger numbers of Su-30s would alone have sufficed for the purpose. Moreover, the additional Su-30s could have been secured at a fraction of the Rs 59,000 crore upfront cost of the Rafales or, to repeat myself, for just a “truckload” of the exorbitantly-priced Meteor, Scalp and Hammer missiles that these aircraft will be armed with, and which have been tested and proven by the French Air Force against such military heavyweights as Libya and Syria!

This begs the question I long ago asked — where was the need for the Rafale in the first place?

But whether India dominates the skies is not Parly’s interest; that the IAF procures an additional 36 Rafales is. In a meeting with the French press at the embassy that evening, Parly was reportedly confident that Paris will be able to ring up such a sale on the same terms, but without the ‘sunk costs’ of attending infrastructure — airconditioned hangars, special diagnostic and testing machines, etc.

When reminded by a pesky French journo that such a follow-up deal clashes head-on with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘atm nirbharta’ policy and the thrust of Rajnath Singh’s ‘negative list’ thinking, Madame Parly dissembled but did not budge from her stand, indirectly hinting that such a deal would be signed for the same reason the original was approved in April 2015: Modi will agree to buy ’em. End of argument! Irrelevant considerations like, where’s the money? are obviously not expected to intrude into the Indian government’s calculations, or at least Paris does not expect them to.

Both France and the IAF had gamed this out right, and their plan is working. IAF was the decisive actor here. It had sought the 36 Rafales it was partial to from the beginning as a wedge purchase easing the buy, as I had predicted, of more such aircraft to fill the Service’s entire 126 MMRCA requirement without having to go through the transfer-of- technology and licensed manufacture cycle.

Bharat Karnad

CAG flags pending defence offset deals: Dassault, Boeing, Russian ROE in list

The CAG mentioned that out of total offset obligations of Rs 66,427 crore between 2007 and 2018, Rs 19,223 worth of offsets should have been discharged. But only Rs 11,396 crore worth of it had been discharged.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has criticised the Defence Ministry’s offset policy, introduced in 2005, stating that it has brought “negligible Foreign Direct Investment”, and that the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) “has not acquired any high technology so far”.

In its report for 2019, tabled in Parliament on September 23, the CAG noted that it found that “in many cases vendors make offset commitments in order to get the main contract. But later they are not earnest about fulfilling these commitments and raised new issues which delayed offset implementation.”

It has listed cases of a deal to buy 80 helicopters from Russian Rosoboronexport (ROE), 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation, and a contract with US giant Boeing to buy 10 military transport C-17 III aircraft.

The CAG mentioned that out of total offset obligations of Rs 66,427 crore between 2007 and 2018, Rs 19,223 worth of offsets should have been discharged. But only Rs 11,396 crore worth of it had been discharged, of which Rs 5,457 worth of offset claims have been approved, it reported.

Rest of the claims are either pending or have been rejected” by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), it stated.

Offsets are benefits that a buyer gets from a seller — technology/capability that Indian industry gets from a foreign vendor selling equipment to India.

The CAG noted that offset obligations worth about Rs 55,000 crore are “due to be completed by 2024”. But “the rate at which foreign vendors have been fulfilling their offset commitments was about Rs 1300 per year,” so “given the situation”, fulfilling the commitment in the next six years will be a “challenge”, it noted.

On the entire offset policy, which the government is banking on as it tries to invite more international projects and push domestic defence manufacturing, the CAG has said that the “objectives of the offset policy remain largely unachieved, even after more than a decade of its adoption”.

Among contracts the country’s top auditor reviewed was the deal to buy 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation in 2016, for which the CAG has noted that the foreign vendor has “not confirmed the transfer of technology” to DRDO that “wanted to obtain Technical Assistance for indigenous development of engine (Kaveri) for the Light Combat Aircraft”. The CAG noted that in April 2016, DRDO identified six new technologies to be obtained under offsets obligations, but “did not agree on transfer of five technologies, as most of them were not within the vendor’s core competencies”.

Another deal mentioned is offset obligations of Mi-17 V5 Medium Lift Helicopters, signed with ROE in December 2008. The CAG said a general offset agreement was “signed for discharge of offset obligation of USD 405.7 million” through four projects by December 2012. The CAG found that of four projects, only one had been completed – for that, too, the CGDA rejected 87 per cent of the claimed value.

The four projects included setting up of overhaul facilities for the helicopter engine and aggregates worth $128 million; purchase of Indian airborne equipment for aircraft Su-30 MK worth 32.07 million; establishing repair and maintenance facilities for navigation system worth $150 million; and setting up two training centres for pilots and ground specialists for $95 million.

Only the project to buy Indian airborne equipment for SU-30 MK was completed, the CAG noted. But of $32.07 million value, CGDA accepted claim for only $2.07 million. So, out of $450.07 million, only $2.07 million worth of offset obligations have been completed and accepted by the government.

The rest have either been rejected or the foreign vendor has sought extensions to complete the project, CAG noted.

The Defence Ministry, the CAG said, “failed to recover penalties against the four projects as there was no provision of Bank Guarantee either in the main contract or in the offset contract”.

In the deal with Boeing, “an offset contract with total obligation of USD 1,115 million was signed” on June 14, 2011. The CAG noted that the offset obligations were to be discharged within seven years of signing the contract through seven projects with 14 Indian Offset Partners (IOP).

“DRDO was one of the major IOP and was to discharge 47 per cent of the offsets”, with “two major projects”. The projects were High Altitude Engine Test Facility (HAETF) for $315 million and Transonic Wind Tunnel (TWT) worth $195 million.

Both projects have been extended till June 2023 — the CAG said the delay has been “mainly on account of export restrictions by the US Government”.

Although DRDO had done due diligence, the CAG said “these facilities were viable option at that point of time, however the vendor had not indicated how long it would take for export license approval from their (USA) government”.

The licence for TWT was granted in February 2017, by when “competence of Indian industries had increased significantly” and DRDO finally decided to not go ahead with it, the auditor reported. The HAETF project is “still under discussion”, as the US government is “yet to grant export license”, the CAG report states.

The CAG specified that “the fact that these technologies required export licence from US Government was known to the vendor at the time of submission of the offset proposal”, but “neither the firm seems to have disclosed the time frame for obtaining these licenses nor the MoD (Ministry of Defence) insisted on time bound commitments”.

The CAG pointed out that “it is not clear how MoD intends to ensure fulfilment of these or alternative commitments of offsets made by the vendor”.

The Indian express 

Taiwan Looks To Slam Chinese Navy Vessels With SLAM-ER Missiles Deployed On F-16 Jets

Taiwan is reportedly close to signing a $3 million deal with the United States to acquire Stand-Off Land-Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles, amidst the ongoing Chinese threat.

The missiles are reported to be part of the large proposed arms deal worth $7 billion between the two nations, which will see Taipei acquire advanced weaponry from Washington.

Built by American Aerospace giants, Boeing, the SLAM-ER missile is an advanced stand-off precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile, developed for the United States Armed Forces and their allies.

According to the US Navy, the missiles which are a derivative of the Harpoon anti-ship missile that can strike targets on both land and at the sea “in excess” of 135 miles.  “The SLAM-ER is extremely accurate, and has the best (circular error probable) in the U.S. Navy’s inventory.”

According to leading global new agencies like the Reuters and The New York Times, the potential arms deal hinges on the approval of the State Department and the US Congress and also on the financial capabilities of Taiwan.

If the deal goes through, the missiles would add to the sea mines, coastal defense cruise missiles, and Reaper surveillance drones and rocket launchers that Taiwan wants to bring from the US, in a bid to fend off advances by the Chinese military.

Tensions between Taiwan and China are extremely high after the Chinese jets repeatedly breached the median line between Taiwan and China last week. The PLAAF pilots indicated their willingness to continue the practice, telling Taiwanese personnel who attempted to warn them away that “there is no median line,” the Taipei-based China Times newspaper reported.

According to the reports, 18 aircraft of the PLA Air Force buzzed Taiwan, which scrambled its fighter jets to intercept the hostile aircraft. Seen as a show of force, the PLAAF detachment consisted of bombers and escorting fighter jets, the Taiwanese defense ministry stated in a tweet.

Chinese state-run media – the Global Times warned both Taiwan and the US and stated that through these military drills, the PLA has gained substantial experience in invading Taiwan and mastered key data on Taiwan’s defense system. These are rehearsals to merge Taiwan with the mainland, warned the GT editorial.

Euroasiantimes 

Israel Aerospace Industries got undue benefit from sale of UAV engines to IAF — CAG report

 

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in Parliament Wednesday pointed out irregularities in the purchase of aero engines for Unmanned Aero Vehicles (UAVs) by the Indian Air Force from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The report states that the IAI gained undue benefits of Rs 3.16 crore from the contract.

It says that the IAF concluded a contract in March 2010 with IAI for five 914 F (certified) UAV Rotax engines for Rs 87.45 lakh per engine even as Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a DRDO laboratory, had procured the same variant of the engine at Rs 24.30 lakh per engine in April 2012.

The average price of the engine in the international market is between Rs 21-25 lakh, the report says.

“As a result, the vendor gained an undue benefit of Rs 3.16 crore as it supplied the five contracted UAV engines at more than three times the market price or the price offered to the DRDO unit,” reads the report.

The auditor also accused the vendor for mislabelling and supplying uncertified engines to the IAF which reportedly led to several accidents, including loss of one UAV in a crash.

Speaking on the report, a senior Indian Air Force officer said that while acceptance of “mislabelled” engines will be looked into, price negotiations are not in the domain of the IAF.

“Price negotiations are conducted by the ministry,” the officer said.

Mi-17 chopper fleet could not be upgraded even after 18 years’

The CAG report also noted that the upgradation of Medium Lift Mi-17 Helicopters, proposed in 2002 to overcome their “operational limitation”, could not be achieved even after 18 years.

“As a result, these helicopters were flying with limited capability, thus compromising operational preparedness during these years,” it said.

The CAG further said that due to poor planning by the Ministry of Defence and indecision at various stages of procurement, it took 15 years to enter into the upgradation contract of 90 Mi-17 helicopters with an Israeli company — in January 2017.

The audit also states that while the contracted delivery of these upgraded helicopters had to begin July 2018 and was to be completed by 2024, 56 of these helicopters, even after upgradation, would be left with less than two years of life and would be phased out by 2024.

The print 

Dassault still not transfered technology: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, said Dassault Aviation — the maker of Rafale fighter aircraft — had so far not confirmed the transfer of high technology for jet engine.

Part of Rafale deal 

• CAG said in the offset contract under Rafale deal, Dassault had proposed to discharge 30 per cent of its offset obligation by offering technology to the DRDO
• But till date, the vendor has not confirmed the transfer of the technology, CAG said

In a statement, CAG said in the offset contract related to the 36 Rafale jets, Dassault Aviation and European missile maker MBDA had initially proposed (in September 2015) to discharge 30 per cent of their offset obligation by offering high technology to the DRDO.

“The DRDO wanted technical assistance for the indigenous development of its engine (Kaveri) for the light combat aircraft. Till date, the vendor has not confirmed the transfer of this technology,” CAG said. “Offset obligation” is the stipulated share of work that the foreign manufacturer is obligated to get done in India.

The CAG report, Management of Defence Offsets, said it was found in many cases that foreign vendors made offset commitments to qualify for the main supply contract, but were later not earnest about fulfilling these commitments. The CAG statement cited the example of Rafale for this.

The tribune 

Taiwan scrambles jets as 18 Chinese planes buzz during a senior US official visit

Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as 18 Chinese aircraft buzzed the island, crossing the sensitive midline of the Taiwan Strait, in response to a senior U.S. official holding talks in Taipei.

China had earlier announced combat drills and denounced what it called collusion between the island, which it claims as part of its territory, and the United States.

U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the most senior State Department official to come to Taiwan in four decades - to which China had promised a "necessary response."

The U.S. State Department has said Krach, who arrived in Taipei on Thursday afternoon, is in Taiwan for a memorial service on Saturday for former President Lee Teng-hui, who was revered by many on the island and internationally as the father of Taiwan's democracy.

But Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of large-scale air and sea drills last week.

With a U.S. presidential election looming in November, Sino-U.S. relations are already under huge strain from a trade war, U.S. digital security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircraft were involved on Friday, far more than in previous such encounters.

"Sep. 18, two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighters, four J-10 fighters and four J-11 fighters crossed the midline of the TaiwanStrait and entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ," the defence ministry said in an English-language tweet.

"ROCAF scrambled fighters, and deployed air defence missile system to monitor the activities." The ROCAF, Taiwan's air force, has scrambled frequently in recent months in response to Chinese intrusions.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has led the Trump administration's rhetorical offensive against China, accused Beijing of bluster when asked about the Chinese activity.

"We sent the delegation to a funeral, and the Chinese have apparently responded by military blustering. I'll leave it at that," he told a news conference on a visit to Guyana.

The ministry showed a map of the flight paths of Chinese jets crossing the Taiwan Strait midline, which combat aircraft from both sides normally avoid passing through.

Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwanese jets had scrambled 17 times over four hours, warning China's air force to stay away.

It also showed a picture of missiles being loaded onto an F-16 fighter at the Hualien air base on Taiwan's east coast.

'REASONABLE, NECESSARY ACTION'
In Beijing, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's maneuvers, about which he gave no details, involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theater command.

"They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.

He said Taiwan was a purely internal Chinese affair and accused its ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of stepping up "collusion" with the United States.

Trying to "use Taiwan to control China" or "rely on foreigners to build oneself up" was wishful thinking and futile. "Those who play with fire will get burnt," Ren said.

Taiwan's presidential office urged China to exercise restraint, and urged the Taiwanese not to be alarmed, saying the military had a grasp on the situation.

Government officials in Taiwan, including President Tsai Ing-wen, have expressed concern in recent weeks that an accidental military encounter could spark a wider conflict.

Hu Xijin, editor of China's widely read state-backed Global Times tabloid, wrote on his Weibo microblog that the drills were preparation for an attack on Taiwan should the need arise, and that they enabled intelligence-gathering about Taiwan's defense systems.

"If the U.S. secretary of state or defence secretary visits Taiwan, People's Liberation Army fighters should fly over Taiwan island, and directly exercise in the skies above it," he added.

Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait last month while U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week China carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwan's southwestern coast.

The United States, like most countries, has official ties only with China, not Taiwan, though Washington is the island's main arms supplier and most important international backer.

This week, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations had lunch with Taiwan's top envoy in New York. China's U.N. mission said it had lodged "stern representations" over the meeting.

Economic times 

Paramount and WMF vehicles undergoing trials in India

South Africa’s Paramount and Namibia’s Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik (WMF) are currently engaged in armoured vehicle trials in India.

A photo has emerged showing a Paramount Mbombe 4 armoured personnel carrier and Maverick internal security vehicle alongside a WMF Werewolf undergoing trials in India near Ladakh late last month.

The Mbombe 4 was badged as the Kalyani M4 – Kalyani Group is an Indian engineering, technology and manufacturing conglomerate that offers armoured vehicles, ammunition, defence electronics and artillery systems. One of its subsidiaries is Bharat Forge, which in February announced it was setting up a joint venture with Paramount Group to explore the indigenisation of defence systems in India, with a focus on protected vehicles and aerospace.

Paramount Group stated at the time that, “Building defence industrial eco-systems through strategic alliances have been the cornerstone of Paramount’s portable manufacturing model and we are excited to develop our defence and aerospace systems technologies and solutions through strong and long-term partnerships.

“We are pleased to partner with Bharat Forge Limited, a company that shares our philosophy of enabling local manufacturing through technology and skills transfer, the indigenisation of defence and aerospace technologies, and the creation of high value jobs that bolster economic growth.”

Bharat Forge and Paramount at the February DefExpo in India displayed the Kalyani M4/Mbombe 4 and Kalyani Maverick.

The vehicles, along with the Werewolf, are believed to be undergoing evaluation with the Indian-designed and built 8×8 Tata Kestrel (also known as the WhAP – Wheeled Armoured Platform) to meet an Indian Army requirement for a new armoured wheeled vehicle. The 25 ton WhAP has been seen undergoing various tests lately, including amphibious tests.

Indian media have reported that the Army is looking to acquire armoured vehicles for troop movement in the Eastern Ladakh area where Chinese forces have deployed in large numbers. The General Dynamics Land Systems Stryker is apparently among possible candidates.

In November 2019, the Indian Army issued requests for information for the supply of 198 wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, with a request for proposals scheduled for mid-2020. Locally manufactured vehicles are preferred under the Buy Indian initiative.

The requests for information mentioned the amphibious 8×8 solution “should be provided with high mobility, adequate armour protection and [an] armament configuration suitable to destroy enemy tanks and undertake local protection”. This includes twin anti-tank missiles.

Defense web

SAAB, The Makers of Gripen Jets To Equip German Navy With Anti-Ship Missiles

The Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB has received an order from its German partner Diehl Defense for the RBS-15 anti-ship missiles used by the German Navy.

According to the company’s press release, the order is valued at approximately 1.7 BSEK and is part of a framework agreement among Saab and Diehl Defense, which offers the opportunities for extra acquisition later on, where Saab’s share is up to roughly 1.5 BSEK.

Under the new agreement, the delivery of the missiles would commence from 2022 and completed by 2026. The missiles will arm the German Navy’s Braunschweig Class Corvettes which are the country’s newest class of such vessels. The German Navy has been a user of the RBS-15 since 2011.

“We are proud to continue to support the German Navy with additional RBS15 systems. This framework agreement is an important milestone in our long-standing cooperation with Diehl Defence and our relation with Germany. We look forward to continue building our partnership and supporting the German Navy’s capability with our state-of-the-art anti-ship missile systems”, says Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab.

“The new contract award is a sign of confidence from the German Navy and government authorities toward Diehl Defence and its strategic cooperation with Saab in the field of modern weapon systems destined for the Navy”, added Helmut Rauch, CEO and President of the Corporate Division Board of Diehl Defence.

The RBS-15 is a long-range fire-and-forget multi-use surface-to-surface, and air-to-surface anti-ship missile made by Saab Bofors Dynamics, a subsidiary of the Saab Group and the German company Diehl BGT Defense.

The missile has been exported to and is in service with a number of countries including Algeria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Thailand. The missile has a range of 250-300+ kilometers depending on the variant and carries a 200kg high explosive pre-fragmented warhead which is detonated in proximity or on impact.

Euroasiantimes 

Construction begins on Indian Navy’s third P17A-class stealth frigate

The Indian Ministry of Defence has announced the start of construction on the Indian Navy’s third ship (Yard- 12653) under the P17A-class stealth frigates

The Indian Ministry of Defence has announced the start of construction on the Indian Navy’s third ship (Yard- 12653) under the P17A-class stealth frigates.

A keel was laid by Indian Navy COM & CWP&A vice-admiral S R Sarma and additional secretary V L Kantha Rao.

Indian firms Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) are responsible for the construction of the P17A ships.

MDL is building four P17A ships for the navy, while GRSE is constructing three.

The frigates are being constructed with indigenously developed steel and will be equipped with weapons and sensors, as well as an Integrated Platform Management System.

In February last year, GE Marine received a contract to supply gas turbine auxiliary equipment for the LM2500 engines integrated into the new P17A stealth frigates.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: “Construction of P17A ships differ in the very concept of warship building by way of adoption of the modern technology ‘Integrated Construction (IC)’, where the blocks are pre-outfitted before joining to reduce the build period of warships.

“When commissioned the platforms will enhance the combat capability of the Indian Naval fleet.”

In May, GRSE received a contract worth Rs63.11bn ($901.46m) to construct eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASWSWCs) for the Indian Navy.

The contract was awarded by India’s Ministry of Defence and comes five years after the navy issued a request for proposal to defence public sector and private sector firms.

Naval technology 

Shots fired at LAC in Ladakh: India blames China, PLA accuses Indian Army

In a first in over four decades, shots were fired on the Indo-China border on Monday evening, sharply raising tensions in the Chushul sub sector in Eastern Ladakh, where over 10,000 troops from each side have been engaged in a tense standoff since the end of August.

The Indian Army has said that People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to close in on to one its forward positions in the sector and even fired a few rounds in the air as an intimidations tactic. It did not say if anyone was injured in the incident.

Late on Monday night, the PLA issued a statement, saying that the Indian Army had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and when its troops went to negotiate with them, warning shots were fired by the Indian side. Both sides are effectively blaming each other for the shots fired.

“In the instant case on 07 September 2020, it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops. However, despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner,” the Army spokesperson said.

The army has clamed China for conducting grave provocations on the ground, while talking of peace at bilateral meetings. “India, while is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress,” the spokesperson added.

In its statement, the PLA has referred to the area of the clash as Shenpao mountain. India has not mentioned the area of the incident but says it is on its side of the line of actual control. The Indian side has also termed the PLA statement as misleading.

“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility, however is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the (PLA) Western Theatre Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience,” the spokesperson said.

As reported by ET, over 10,000 soldiers from each side, besides heavy weaponry like artillery guns and tanks are now deployed in the Chushul sub sector along the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake. Indian Army has taken control of key heights and passes in the area over the past ten days to prevent the PLA from moving forward.

Economic times 

Situation in Ladakh ‘very serious’, says Foreign minister S. Jaishankar

Foreign minister S. Jaishankar will stop over in Tehran on Tuesday en route to Moscow to attend the SCO foreign ministers' meeting.

He would be the second Cabinet minister after defence minister Rajnath Singh who also stopped over on his return trip from Moscow. While officials said the stop was a "technical halt" mainly for refuelling, Jaishankar will meet his counterpart Javad Zarif, incidentally the first meeting since the pandemic hit.

The Moscow meeting will also be the first time the foreign minister will be stepping out of the country since the pandemic. On Monday, Jaishankar described the situation on the LAC as "very serious", and that "deep conversations at the political level" were needed.

While the focus of the upcoming visit will be on the meeting between Jaishankar and Wang Yi and the prospect of a resolution of the crisis in eastern Ladakh, the meeting, albeit short, with Zarif will be equally important.

India is clearly reaching out to Iran in the context of a couple of developments, the most important of which is the prospect of the Taliban regaining their dominant position in Afghanistan and what that would mean for regional security and international terrorism. As the US pushes the intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar between the Taliban and Afghan government, both India and Iran will face the prospect of radical extremists back in the saddle in Kabul, supported by Pakistan.

Iran has engaged with the Taliban in the past, with the common purpose of driving the Americans out. With that having become reality, the sectarian divide is likely to come to the fore. India anyway expects to be a target. India is exploring whether there can be common ground with Tehran, though nobody is talking of reviving the 1990s northern alliance.

Economic times 

Induction ceremony of Rafale fighter jets into IAF to be held at Ambala airbase on September 10

A formal induction ceremony of the five high-profile Rafale fighter aircraft into the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 'Golden Arrows' Squadron will be held at the Ambala airbase in Haryana on September 10. Earlier, sources had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is most likely to attend the ceremony.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly will take part in the induction ceremony and during the visit, other than having a bilateral with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, she will also meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

The first batch of five Rafale jets, which arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29, have already proven their mettle with successful weapons firing at a test range after arrival. When the first batch of Rafales arrived at Ambala, the IAF had said that efforts are focused on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest.

After the ceremony, the French side is also likely to raise the possibility of a larger order for the Rafale fighter jets under the 'Make in India' initiative, sources had said.

The first batch of five incoming Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base around 3.14 PM on July 29, 2020, amid a ceremonial welcome and unprecedented security. The squadron of Rafale jets has been stationed at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft.

The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No. 17 Squadron, also known as the 'Golden Arrows'.

Nearly four years ago, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF's combat capabilities.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron.

Built in 1948, the airbase is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights. The airbase has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 'Bison'. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base.

The Mirage fighters that were used for the airstrike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from Ambala.

The Rafale aircraft will give India a strategic advantage in case of any aerial combat with China in the mountainous Tibet region as the fleet will be able to use the terrain to its advantage, destroy enemy air defence and incapacitate the surface-to-air missiles, former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) BS Dhanoa had said to news agency PTI in August.

Dhanoa, known as the architect of the Balakot strikes, had said the Rafale jets along with S-400 missile systems will give the Indian Air Force a major combat edge in the entire region and that India's adversaries will think twice before starting a war with it.

In case of Pakistan, he had said the purpose of the S-400 and Rafale is to hit Pakistani aircraft inside Pakistani air space and not when they come inside Indian territory, adding the neighbouring country would not have responded on February 27, 2019, to the Balakot air strikes if India had the French-manufactured jets then.

In an interview to PTI, Dhanoa had said the Rafale, with its fantastic electronic warfare suite and manoeuvrability, will be able to use mountainous terrain in Tibet to its advantage and blind the enemy before India's strike aircraft penetrate hostile airspace to carry out their missions.

Zeenews

Indian troops take vantage positions along LAC in Ladakh

With trust levels at an all-time low, India is not taking any chances along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, with troops moving to vantage positions all along the border to detect and deter ingress moves by China. Talks at the brigade commander-level continued for the third successive day but sources said that no headway was made, with the Indian position clear that troops posted in the Chushul sub-sector were moved in response to aggressive Chinese movements and will not be withdrawn.

While ET has reported that Indian forces have taken positions at strategic heights of Chushul, including Rezang La, Rechin La and near Black Top, to take control of the southern bank of the Pangong Tso, sources said similar moves have been made all along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. “Troops have taken up vantage points in all key areas from Daulat Beg Oldie (in the north) to Chumar (in the south). These deployments are within our side of the border and have been undertaken to keep a check on any movements from the other side,” sources said.

Heavy troop deployments continue along both banks of the Pangong Tso, which is a hotspot for tensions since the Chinese side moved in troops to occupy a large tract of land in the Finger Area, located on the northern shore. Deployments in Chushul have given India control over the southern shore but China remains firmly in possession of an area extending from Finger 4 to Finger 8 in the north. Officials said precautionary deployments have been made in the Finger Area as well but there is no eyeball-toeyeball confrontation as of now. “As part of the precautionary deployment carried out on August 30, 2020, some readjustments of our positions on North Bank of Pangong Tso on our side of LAC had also been carried out,” officials said.

Tensions in Eastern Ladakh are on a razor’s edge, with Indian troops at their highest level of alertness to thwart any further attempts by the Chinese to move in troops at new locations to create more flashpoints. Special attention is being focused on vulnerable areas like the Depsang plains, the Demchock sector and Chushul where Chinese troops have violated the LAC in the past as well.

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