Four-five pacts to be inked during Ukraine President's visit

Four-five pacts are likely to be signed to enhance cooperation in a number of fields including in defence and nuclear energy during the visit of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych here beginning December 9.
Yanukovych will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a range of issues to boost bilateral ties during his four-day trip to India.
At a briefing on the visit, Ajay Bisaria, Joint Secretary of the Eurasia Division in the Ministry of External Affairs, said four-five agreements are likely to be signed between the two countries to enhance cooperation in a number of areas including in defence and nuclear energy.
 He said the difficulties in getting Ukrainian visa by Indians will also be taken up during the talks. Yanukovych will be accompanied by a large official and business delegation.
Bisaria said some Ukrainian experts are working in the Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu and that country is also upgrading the AN-32 tranport aircraft fleet of IAF at a contract value of USD 520 million.
Cooperation between India and Ukraine is multi-faceted and covers a wide range of areas including political, defence, nuclear, space, economic and trade.
The bilateral trade has increased from USD 138.62 million in 1992 to USD 2,865.45 million in 2011-12. Indian pharmaceutical exports to Ukraine are the largest by volume and second in terms of value (USD 325 million in 2011) for the past several years.
India imports 25 per cent of sunflower oil production of Ukraine, which is amongst the world's largest producers of sunflower oil.
The 4th India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation held in May-June this year reviewed the sectoral cooperation between the two countries setting the agenda for the visit of the President.
The Ukrainian President will also be visiting Agra and Bangalore.

Business Standard

Japan issues order to shoot down N Korean missile

Japan's defence minister has issued an order to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens the nation's territory, Jiji Press news agency said.

Japan on Friday readied a surface-to-air missile defence system and is putting its armed forces on standby ahead of a planned North Korean missile launch this month. Tokyo is also deploying Aegis warships in neighbouring waters.

Defence Minister Satoshi Morimoto issued an advance order to Japanese forces to shoot down the rocket or its parts if it looks set to fall on Japanese territory, according to the news agency.

Immediate confirmation of the report was not available.

The communist North announced last week that it would launch a rocket between December 10 and 22 -- its second long-range rocket launch this year after a much-hyped but botched attempt in April.

Washington and Seoul have urged Pyongyang to scrap the launch while Tokyo has postponed talks originally planned this week with North Korea.

- Brahmand /Afp

CCCS clears proposal for Karwar naval base expansion

Government today cleared proposals worth over Rs13,000 crore for a major expansion of the strategic Naval air base at Karwar where the Russian-origin aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov will be berthed and raising a new battalion of Sikkim Scouts for the Army.
The proposals were cleared at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, Navy sources said.
Under the plan, Navy will carry out the expansion of the Karwar base on the country's western sea board in Karnataka where it will berth Admiral Gorshkov, now rechristened INS Vikramaditya, and carry out military aircraft operations. The aircraft carrier is expected to join the Navy next year end.
It plans to deploy the Scorpene submarines and a number of surface ships at the base after the completion of the over Rs 10,000 crore project at Karwar.
Codenamed Project Seabird Phase IIA, the work will involve construction of a wide range of new facilities and augmentation of certain existing facilities, they said.
As per the plans, the Navy will be able to base around 30 major warships at Karwar after the completion of Phase-IIA by 2017-18.
It is also planning to establish a Naval Air Station there for deploying fixed and rotary wing ship-based military aircraft, they said.
Project Seabird has been dogged by long delays, fund crunches and truncated clearances since it was first approved in 1985 at an initial cost of Rs350 crore.
Phase-I, which was completed at a cost of Rs2,629 crore in 2005-06, has enabled the Navy to base more than 15 warships at Karwar.
The CCS also cleared a proposal to raise the first battalion of Sikkim Scouts for the Army which will mainly comprise youth from the northeastern state.

DNA

India Confirms Chinook as Helicopter Tender Winner

(RIA Novosti) – India has preferred Boeing Chinook over Russian Mi-26 helicopters in a tender on the delivery of 15 heavy-lift helicopters to the Indian Air Force, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
Both the Russian upgraded Mi-26T2 Halo and the Boeing Chinook CH-47F had qualified in the technical trials and their financial bids, covering the initial acquisition cost as well as the lifecycle costs. The Indian media earlier cited cost effectiveness and after-sales service as main factors that tilted the scales in favor of the US aircraft.
“In the proposal initiated by Indian Air Force (IAF) for procurement of 15 Heavy Lift Helicopters, Boeing with Chinook Helicopter has emerged as the L1 Vendor,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Field Evaluation Trials for these Helicopters conducted by the Indian Air Force have found them to be compliant with all the stated Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQRs),” the statement said.
The cost of the future contract will be determined following contract negotiations with Boeing, which are currently underway, the Indian military added.
Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has recently insisted that the outcome of the tender has not yet been determined.
Russia’s traditionally strong position on the Indian arms market has been recently undermined by fierce competition with US and European companies and failures to fulfill several contracts.
Last year Russian arms exporters suffered two painful losses at Indian tenders.
Russia did not win the contract to supply 22 helicopters to India, which preferred the US AH-64D Apache to Russia’s Mi-28N.
During the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender announced by the Indian Air Force to replace aging MiG-21s, the Russian MiG-35 did not even make it to the finals, where the Eurofighter Typhoon twin-engine multirole fighter lost a contract worth at least $10 billion to France’s Dassault Rafale.

Japan Deploys Patriot Missiles Ahead of N.Korea Launch

(RIA Novosti) - A Japanese naval transport ship has delivered Patriot missile interceptor systems to the southern island of Ishigaki to counter any threat posed by North Korea’s planned space launch, Kyodo reported.
The JDS Kunisaki delivered two Patriot Advanced Capability-3 systems to Ishigaki, which is located about 400 kilometers southwest of Okinawa. Patriots will also be deployed on Okinawa.
North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported last week that a Kwangmyongsong-3 Earth observation satellite will be launched by an Unha-3 carrier rocket from the Sohae Space Center between December 10 and 22.
The Japanese military maintains that its air defense capabilities are being readied not to shoot down the Korean rocket, but to destroy any spacecraft elements or debris that might threaten Japanese territory if the rocket deviates from its planned trajectory.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported earlier on Wednesday that North Korea completed pre-launch assembly of all three stages of the long-range rocket.
The launch will be North Korea’s second this year. A previous launch in April failed when the rocket, carrying a Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, crashed into the Yellow Sea minutes after liftoff.
Pyongyang notified the UN's International Maritime Organization about the launch on Monday. According to the preliminary coordinates, the rocket's first stage will fall into the Yellow Sea between the Korean Peninsula and China, and the second stage separation will take place 136 kilometers east of the Philippines.
North Korea maintains it wants to put satellites into orbit for peaceful purposes, while the international community suspects the launches could be a cover for a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly urged North Korea on Tuesday to reconsider its decision to launch a rocket which would be "a clear violation" of UN sanctions.

India's largest naval base to come up near Vishakapatnam

In what is seen as a bid to entrench its presence beyond Bay of Bengal into the East Asian waters and the Pacific Rim, Indian Navy is all geared to get an exclusive sea port for its Eastern-bound frigates and warships.

 

Ramkonda, a quite hamlet on the Coromandel coast some 50 kms east of Vishakapatnam, was chosen for building the new marine base. 

 

The work on the Project Varsha began in 2005, and when completed, it is expected to be a gem of the Indian Navy.

 

Seen by many as another step in fulfilling the ambitions of India’s ‘Look East policy, Project Varsha is expected to be the largest such base in the country once it is completed.

 

Experts claim that Ramkonda’s proximity to Vishakapatnam, which is the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is what prompted Indian Navy to build a base there.

 

The base, envisaged for the exclusive use of the Navy, is also expected to ease off traffic from the Vishakapatnam harbor.

 

With an expanding warships’ fleet which has already touched 46 and will soon see induction of nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant, the strength of Eastern Naval command is now on par with India’s western Naval command.

 

And with Admiral Joshi’s aggressive rhetoric hinting that India would co-operate with Vietnam in competing with China for natural resources in the South China sea and beyond, a prominent naval base in East was long overdue.

 

Interestingly, Project Varsha is being built on the same line of motives as Project Seabird. While Seabird, located on the coast of Karnataka, was built to have an eye on Pakistan, Varsha is seen by many as manifestation of India’s ambitions in South China Sea and counteracting the growing Chinese might in the region.

 

But Project Varsha is not the only war base in the strategic Bay of Bengal.  A naval air station is all set to be built off Kolkata’s coast, with another envisioned for the Tamil Nadu’s coast. The latter is expected to secure the Indian interests on both, the eastern and western flanks. 

 

Besides, India also boasts of an air surveillance station in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. It had been built to monitor the activity of air and sea-borne traffic in and around the region.

 

Daily Bhaskar

India nears catapult decision for second indigenous carrier

India is in the process of deciding whether its second indigenous aircraft carrier will be equipped with catapults.
The vessel, referred to within New Delhi naval circles as IAC 2 (indigenous aircraft carrier 2), will follow IAC 1, which is now being built in Kochi shipyard.
The lead ship will be similar in size to the INS Vikramaditya, formerly the Soviet carrier the Admiral Gorshkov, and displace approximately 36,000t, says a source familiar with Indian navy plans. As with the Vikramaditya, IAC 1 will launch aircraft using a "ski-ramp" structure.
IAC 2 is envisaged as a far larger warship - with a displacement of approximately 60,000t - and could enter the fleet within 10 to 15 years. Senior leaders within the navy are leaning toward deploying this ship with catapults, sources say, with a decision on whether to integrate steam catapults or an electromagnetic aircraft launch system to come as soon as July 2013. New Delhi is also considering the possibility of making IAC 2 a nuclear-powered vessel.
Indian navy plans call for a three-carrier fleet, with the service's only current example, the Viraat, to be retired in the coming years. This would allow one carrier to be stationed on each of India's coasts, while the third would undergo repairs or perform other duties such as training.
The Vikramaditya was supposed to have been delivered this month, but problems with the ship's propulsion system have reportedly delayed this until the second half of 2013. Prior to the emergence of these issues, Russian pilots in RAC MiG-29K/KUB aircraft conducted successful flight tests from the ship.
Through the use of catapults, IAC 2 would be able to operate larger, more powerful aircraft, such as the Dassault Rafale - the apparent winner of the Indian air force's medium multirole combat aircraft requirement - or the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Catapults would reduce the deck space required for launching aircraft, while allowing them to carry more fuel and heavier payloads. Ramp-assisted operations require long take-off runs, and involve fighters burning considerable fuel just to get airborne.
The addition of catapults would also allow IAC 2 to operate fixed-wing airborne early warning and control system and battle management aircraft, such as Northrop Grumman's E-2D Hawkeye, providing the fleet with far greater situational awareness than helicopter-borne surveillance equipment.

Flight global

India urges Israel to speed up defence projects

India has asked Israel to speed up crucial bilateral defence projects, including the around Rs 13,000 crore development of two advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to arm Indian armed forces against hostile aircraft, drones and helicopters.

This came at the 10th joint working group on defence cooperation here, co-chaired by defence secretary Shashikant Sharma and Israeli defence ministry director-general Major-General Ehud Shani.

While the regional and global security situation, including the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire, figured in the talks, the focus was on bilateral defence training programmes, exchanges, R&D projects and armament deals.

Israel is India's second largest defence supplier, second only to Russia, but the expansive ties are largely kept under wraps due to political sensitivities. Tel Aviv records military sales worth around $1 billion to New Delhi every year, ranging from Heron and Searcher UAVs, Harpy and Harop 'killer' drones to Barak anti-missile defence systems and Green Pine radars, Python and Derby air-to-air missiles.

Sources said India expressed "concern'' at the "two-year delay'' in completion of the long-range SAM (LR-SAM) project, sanctioned in December 2005 at a cost of Rs 2,606 crore to arm Indian warships.

There are "minor hitches'' even in the bigger Rs 10,076 crore medium-range SAM (MR-SAM) project, sanctioned in February 2009 for air defence squadrons of IAF.

Both the SAM systems, being developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with DRDO, have the same missile with an interception range of 70-km. They are to be produced in bulk by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics (BDL) to plug the existing holes in India's air defence cover.

"While the multi-function surveillance and threat radars, weapon control systems with data links and the like of the LR-SAM have all been tested, there has been delay in the missiles being developed by IAI,'' said a source.

"But the Israelis said everything was sorted out now and they will try to make up for the delay. DRDO has already finished its work on the propulsion and other systems,'' he added. Incidentally, the LR-SAM project was to be completed by May this year.

Another major missile project, worth around $1 billion, that Israel could bag is the one to supply third-generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to the 1.13-million strong Indian Army. The Army has already trial-evaluated the Israeli 'Spike' ATGM after the US offer of its 'Javelin' missiles was shelved due to Washington's reluctance to undertake "transfer of technology'' to ensure BDL can make them in large numbers, as reported by TOI earlier.

India is also in commercial negotiations for another two advanced Israeli Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), capable of detecting hostile aircraft, cruise missiles and other incoming aerial threats far before ground-based radars, at a cost of over $800 million. The first three Phalcon AWACS were inducted by IAF in 2009-2010 under the $1.1 billion tripartite agreement between India, Israel and Russia. 

 Times of India

Australia to begin uranium sales to India after negotiations

Australia today said actual start of its uranium trade with India will depend on negotiations on the issue between the two countries.

"The question is when we get to the point of actually doing it depends on the way the negotiations between the two countries develop," Australia's Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said speaking at the fourth Australia-India Roundtable here.

He said ruling Labour Party's decision in December last year to open up uranium sales to India had a "major symbolic importance".

Australia's known uranium resources are the world's largest -- 31 per cent. In 2011-12, Australia produced 7,700 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate.

The Australian Minister said India-US civil nuclear agreement was central to Australia's decision in opening up uranium trade with India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard had, during their meeting here in October, decided to launch negotiations for a civil nuclear pact.

The Economic Times

Gorshkov will be commissioned by 2013-end: Navy chief

The much-awaited aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, currently undergoing trials in Russia, is likely to be commissioned in Indian Navy by the end of next year, Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi said on Monday.
Addressing the annual Navy Day press conference here, he also said that a "good news for the nation" regarding indigenously developed nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant will be made "very soon".
"There has been a delay in the delivery of INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov), which has sailed for more than 100 days in the recent past and completed a majority of her equipment and aviation trials. The revised schedule envisages the delivery of the ship in the last quarter of 2013," he said.
On the present status of INS Arihant, he said, "We expect to have good news for the nation very soon." The vessel was expected to be launched for sea trials soon as part of efforts towards completing India's nuclear triad and achieving a credible and invulnerable retaliatory strike capability.
Accepting that the development of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) too has been delayed, Joshi said that the project is finally "picking up pace" at the Kochi shipyard. "The construction of the IAC though delayed is now picking up pace at Kochi Shipyard," he said.
On future inductions in the force in the next one year, he said, "In 2013, we expect to induct one Kolkata-class destroyer, one P-28 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette, one Catamaran Hull Survey Vessel, one Offshore Patrol Vessel and sixteen Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC)."
Joshi said the Navy was inducting more vessels than it was retiring and stressed though its submarines were old, they had potent capabilities and had gone through mid-life upgradations. "Most of the submarines have been upgraded and now have the capabilities, which were not there when they were inducted into service," he said.
On the IAC-2 project, the Navy chief said, "We have been working on it (IAC-2) for some years now. Some time next year we hope to go for approvals."
On augmenting the manpower in the force, he said it is being done with the planned acquisition of new assets. Joshi said the officer cadre is expected to go up from 8,000 to 10,000 in three years time and there will be a corresponding increase in the number of sailors.
On construction of Scorpene submarines, he said necessary steps have been taken to remove the hurdles and Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL) and its partners have been asked to compress the time-frame to complete the project at the earliest.
"Our preferred choice of inducting ships and submarines has been through the indigenous route and of the 44 ships and submarines presently on order, 42 are from Indian shipyards, including private shipyards," he said.
"Over the next five years we expect to induct ships and submarines at an average rate of five to six units per year."
He said among the major naval projects under construction in Indian shipyards are Kolkata-class vessels.

DNA

DAC has given nod for construction of six submarines: Government

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given its nod for construction of six submarines, which will be equipped with land attack missile capability as well an advanced propulsion system, Defence Minister A K Antony has told Lok Sabha.

"DAC has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for construction of six submarines under Project-75(I). These submarines are intended to be equipped with land attack missile capability as well as Air Independent Propulsion (AIP)," he said in a written reply yesterday.

In separate reply, the Minister informed the House about a proposal to procure 14 Dornier aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the purpose of training IAF pilots.

"Additionally, there is also a proposal to procure two more Dornier aircraft, modified to calibrate navigational aids at IAF airfields from HAL. Besides, the Navy has a plan to purchase 12 Dornier aircraft from HAL," he said.

The Defence Minister also said that the proposal for procurement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the IAF is presently at contract negotiation stage with Dassault Aviation, France, which emerged at L-1 vendor in the deal.

On expansion of naval base at Karwar in Andhra Pradesh, he said no Indian firm has met the eligibility criteria as expressed by the government.

"The plan for augmentation of the base with requisite infrastructure and eligibility criteria have been made accordingly. No Indian firm has met the eligibility criteria regarding financial strength, experience in execution of similar projects of requisite expertise as specified in the global notice for Expression of Interest," Antony said.

The Economic Times

Exclusive: Tata to unveil India's first indigenous 155 mm Bofors-type howitzer

The Tata group is to unveil India's first indigenously developed 155 mm howitzer in New Delhi on Monday.

The 155/52 mm howitzer is mounted on an eight-wheeled Tata truck for enhanced mobility. The gun was developed by its defence subsidiary Tata Power Strategic Electronics Division (SED) this year. The 'mounted gun system' can fire a six-round salvo on a target 40 km away in less than three minutes.
The truck-mounted howitzer will be displayed at an army seminar at the Maneckshaw centre tomorrow. The rollout comes even as the Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence have struggled to import howitzers over the past 25 years.

The Army acquired its last howitzers over 25 years ago, 410 FH-77B howitzers from AB Bofors of Sweden in 1987. Since then, the army's howitzer arsenal has been critically depleted.

Tata Power SED, the defence arm of the $ 100 billion Tata group, began work on its 'Mounted Gun Project' over two years ago. The prototype gun was rolled out of the Tata Power SED facility in Bangalore's electronic city this October. It will spearhead the group's bid for the Army's requirement for 814 mounted gun systems for Rs.8500 crore.

The Tata gun is India's first new howitzer since its purchase of Bofors guns. The subsequent bribery scandal torpedoed the acquisition of additional howitzers from Sweden.

The Bofors howitzers performed spectacularly in the Kargil conflict of 1999. The Indian Army wants to buy over 2200 such howitzers in five different categories but has been unable to do so because of other bribery scandals involving firms like Rheinmetall, Singapore Technologies Kinetics, Soltam and De

India Today