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Showing posts from September, 2015

INS Kochi inducted into the Indian navy

INS Kochi ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons) Indian navy today inducted it's latest Kolkata class stealth destroyer, INS Kochi by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. INS Kochi is the second of the three ship class of destroyers that the state run Mazadon docks is making for the Indian navy.  She will be packed with advanced and lethal weapon systems like the Brahmos anti ship/ land attack cruise missile, Barak-8 Anti aircraft/ Anti missile defence systems and a whole lot of weapon systems and sensors. The heart of the sensor suit of INS Kochi will be the Israeli sourced IAI EL/M02248 MF-STAR AESA radar systems that is comparable to the American AEGIS system. She will form part of a whole new generation of destroyers that is designed in house by the Indian navy. Kolkata class will be followed by even more lethal Visakhapatinam class destroyers, four of which will be inducted to the Indian navy. She is comparable to the Chinese Type-52D destroyers.  Overview: The Kol

Russia, India may develop new generation IFV ( Source- Russia & India Report / Itar Tass)

BMP3 of The Russian Army ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Vovan) Source- Russia & India Report / Itar Tass Russia and India are considering co-development of a new generation infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) at an Indian enterprise, Albert Bakov, first vice president and co-owner of the Tractor Plants Concern, told TASS on Wednesday. "There are plans of joint production of a new combat vehicle implying development and manufacture at their plant of a Russo-Indian infantry fighting vehicle. This is quite realistic, but no final decision on this has been made so far," Bakov said. "Our countries already have experience of joint work, for instance, the fifth generation fighter project," Bakov added. He said that there are a few more options of cooperating with India. "The Indians would like to launch the production of some vehicles in their country. At issue is the modernization of equipment in service with their armed forces as w

The US-China-India Triangle: A New Tripolar World Order? – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia review / Author- SAAG / Prof B.R Deepak)

Source- Eurasia review Author- SAAG / Prof B.R Deepak The September congregation of the two Asian giants in the US has given off a few definite indications about the emerging world order in the new eco system that is witnessing re-globalization after a brief lull or the de-globalization in the wake of 2008-09 financial crises. It appears that Samuel Huntington’s 1999 prophesy of the Uni-multipolarity where the US would be in the core and various other countries extending diplomatic, economic and military support for its initiatives; and India-China’s aspirations about a multi-polar world is fast eroding and paving way for tripolarity centred on the US-China and India. The US, according to all indications will continue to be a top powerhouse of the military, economic and technological prowess, and China and India closing in the gaps; for example within a decade the respective GDP of the US, China and India at present growth rate will reach to $25 trillion, $19 trillion a

Chinese President’s Visit To United States September 2015 Reviewed – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia Review / Author- SAAG / Dr Subhash Kapila)

Image credits- VOA Source- Eurasia Review Author- SAAG / Dr Subhash Kapila Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States last week cannot be said to be all that fruitful, taking place contextually against the backdrop of the large number of divisive issues that divide China and the United States and the ongoing election debate in USA in which India seems to be emerging as the American favourite in United States formulations. One could straightaway observe initially, that the Chinese President’s visit to USA has taken place at an inauspicious time when chinks have appeared in China’s greatest strength, that is, its powerful economy. The global community was left gaping to witness that the Chinese impregnable economic bubble had eventually burst. China may not be economically down and out but the Chinese economy has lost its momentum and renowned economists opine that the Chinese economy was in for a period of sluggish growth. The above weakens China’s l

Revealed: China Can't Build Lethal Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carriers ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Dave Majumdar)

PLAN Air Craft Carrier Liaoning CV-16 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Voice of America) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar China may have started construction on its second aircraft carrier according to new satellite imagery. The images—which were obtained by the British defense trade journal IHS Jane’s from Airbus Defence and Space—shows that a new ship is under construction in the same dry dock that was used to refurbish the former Soviet carrier Varyag during its conversion into China’s Liaoning. This would be China’s first indigenous flattop—if it were indeed a carrier. The Jane’s analysis indicates that the ship might be between 558ft and 885ft long with a beam greater than 98ft. That’s a little small for a conventional aircraft carrier—and the Jane’s analysts note that they can’t conclusively say the new ship is a carrier. But that length—assuming the Jane’s analysts are correct—would be about the same as India’s Vikramaditya. The be

India and the US Sign $3 Billion Deal for New Attack Helicopters ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Franz Stefan-Gady)

Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Army) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady This week, Indian and U.S. official signed contracts for the procurement of 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters in a deal estimated to be worth $3 billion the Business Standard reports. The spokesperson of the Indian Defense Ministry, Sitanshu Kar, tweeted from his account this Monday: “Contracts for purchase of 15 #Chinook and 22 #Apache Helicopters signed.” India’s Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS), a government body headed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and responsible for military procurements, approved the purchase in the previous week, after more than ten (some sources say 13) American price validity extensions, which stipulate that the American defense contractor Boeing would sell the military hardware at the price agreed upon in 2013. Final approval of the purchase h

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Challenges ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Kiyya Baloch)

Gwadar Port ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Paranda) Source- The Diplomat Author- Kiyya Baloch The indigenous people of the coastal town of Gwadar – gateway to the much-discussed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – very much have their own opinions when it comes to reaping the benefits from this $46 billion project. As such, concern is rising over speculation that the project will benefit only Chinese interests, with little to offer locals. “It is a conspiracy to convert the local population into a minority, rather than empowering them,” said Syed Essa Noori, a Baloch Nationalist Party legislator in Pakistan’s National Assembly. Noori cited Karachi as an obvious example the local populace being marginalized in the name of economic development. “At the time of the creation of the country, Karachi was Baloch-majority. Within a decade, it had turned into a city of migrants, from parts of India as well as from other parts of Pakistan.” The Baloch nat

Revealed: Why China Is Selling Submarines to Pakistan ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Benjamin David Baker)

PLAN Submarine ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Darkranch23) Source- The Diplomat Author- Benjamin David Baker As previously covered by The Diplomat, Pakistan announced earlier this year that it has agreed to purchase eight modified Type 41 Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines from China. These boats will provide Islamabad with much-needed Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities against the Indian Navy in case of war. This would be especially useful in case of an Indian blockade of Pakistan’s coast and could give New Delhi grounds to pause before deploying its planned new aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant. A Yuan-class submarine is undoubtedly a great piece of kit. It is China’s first class of submarines to incorporate an indigenously designed- and constructed Air-Independent Propulsion system (AIP), giving it a cruise speed of 18 knots and an operational range of 8,000 nautical miles. Although the export version of the Yuan, named the S-20, does not

The Russian Air Force's Fatal Flaw ( Source- The National Interest / Author- David Axe)

Sukhoi SU-30 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Sergey Krivchkov) Source- The National Interest Author- David Axe After two decades of neglect, the Russian air force is enjoying a petrodollar-funded renaissance. In 2010, the air force and naval aviation bought just 19 new fixed-wing airplanes. The number of new planes swelled to 24 in 2011, 35 in 2012, 51 a year later and a whopping 101 in 2014. This year the Kremlin expects to acquire 91 new fixed-wing aircraft. But for all this modernization, there’s one big thing the Russian air force still can’t do. Nearly 30 years after the United States and its closest allies ushered in an era of precision guided munitions, wherein almost every combat plane packs laser-, radar-, infrared- or GPS-guided bombs and missiles, Russia still lags behind in the development, acquisition and employment of such “smart” air-to-ground munitions — especially long-range ones. “Certain categories are absent completely, such

The 61-Year-Old 'AK-47' of Tanks: Russia's T-54 and T-55's Keep Fighting ( Source- The National Interest / Author- S.K Au- Yeong)

T-55 Tank ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Maher27777)  Source- The National Interest Author- S.K Au- Yeong Like the AK-47 but for tanks, T-54 and T-55s endure on battlefields around the world. Simple to operate and maintain, these decades-old Soviet armored beasts are still popular in small nations and with non-state irregular forces — a true “people’s tank.” If a coup or fratricidal civil war breaks out in one of Moscow’s current or former beneficiaries, there’s good chances T-54 or T-55s are taking part. When Afghanistan collapsed in the 1990s, the Taliban and Northern Alliance coalition both inherited T-55s formerly belonging to the communist government. The tanks served in Yugoslavia’s multi-sided civil war during the same decade. Today, captured Iraqi and Syrian T-55s serve under the black flag of Islamic State and other rebel groups fighting in the region. For these insurgent armies, the 60-year old tanks are just as useful as far more modern