Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2015

The Lethal A-10 Warthog: A Nuclear Bomber? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Joseph Trevithick)

Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- USAF Source- The National Interest Author- Joseph Trevithick Despite what the Pentagon and senior Air Force leaders might say, the A-10 Warthog is far from a “single-purpose airplane.” But dropping nuclear bombs might be one of the things the low- and slow-flying attackers actually can’t do. But the Air Force once briefly considered the idea. In December 1975, Secretary of Defense Bill Clements wanted to know how much it would cost to modify F-15 and F-16 fighter jets so they could carry atomic weapons. Two months later, the Air Force sent back data on what it would take to upgrade those two types of aircraft—or the A-10—with nukes. “For your information, we have also provided similar cost data on the A-10 aircraft,” states an unclassified memo War Is Boring obtained from the Air Force Historical Research Agency. “The estimated cost to make 275 A-10s nuclear-capable is $15.9 million.” The total amount—equivalent to

Is It Time to Bring Back the Battleships? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Robert Farley)

USS Iowa ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States Department of Defense) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Farley Is it time to bring back the battleship?  For decades, naval architects have concentrated on building ships that, by the standards of the World Wars, are remarkably brittle. These ships can deal punishment at much greater ranges than their early 20th century counterparts, but they can’t take a hit. Is it time to reconsider this strategy, and once again build protected ships? This article examines how these trends came about, and what might change in the future. Why We Build Big Ships The label “battleship” emerges from the older “ship of the line” formulation, in the sense that a navy’s largest ships participated in the “line of battle” formation that allowed them to bring their broadsides to bear on an opposing line. After the development of ironclad warships, the “battle ship” diverged from the armored cruiser based o

Russia and China: Planning to Build Aircraft Carriers Together? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Harry J.Kazianis)

Varyag being towed to China ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States Naval War College) Source- The National Interest Author- Harry J.Kazianis Could Beijing and Moscow’s budding friendship be moving towards the joint development of some of the most sophisticated types of naval vessels on the planet? A recent report may indicate that China and Russia might be considering a big leap in military cooperation: the possibility of jointly developing an aircraft carrier. Such an idea was raised in a recent piece in the Wall Street Journal near the very end of an article detailing Moscow’s struggles to develop advanced military hardware thanks to economic challenges. The piece states specifically, “Russia has touted what it calls a strategic alliance with China, which may develop into plans to build a joint aircraft carrier.” The articles continues, explaining that: “A defense industry official, however, said China is raising its demands, and

Top 10 Richest Countries in 2050. (updated in 2013)

TOP 4 MILITARY POWERS IN ASIA [FullHD 1080p] | 2015

Happy Onam

Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Challiyan Wishing all my readers a very happy and a prosperous Onam

Russia and Reliance Aerospace to make 200 helicopters in India ( Source- Russia & India Report)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Зимин Василий Source- Russia & India Report The Russian government is providing a major boost to the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ programme by choosing Reliance Defence & Aerospace (RDA) for a joint venture enterprise to build 197 units of the Kamov 226T helicopters in India.  According to media reports in the ‘Times of India’ and ‘Business Today’ on Friday (August 28) quoting informed sources, RDA has been chosen for the project to manufacture 197 helicopters for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. According to the Times of India, under the agreement signed between Reliance Helicopters, Russian Helicopters and RosoboronExport, the official agency for defence exports of the Russian defence ministry, Reliance Helicopters will be the lead integrator for a licensed production arrangement with transfer of technology from Russia. According to the newspaper’s sources, the Reliance Group will have a majority 51% sta

China-Russia Naval Ties And Balance Of Maritime Power In Asia – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia Review / Author- Abhijit Singh / IDSA)

Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Kremlin Source- Eurasia Review Author- Abhijit Singh / IDSA One of the more interesting aspects of Asian maritime politics is the Russia-China naval relationship. Both are major maritime powers with considerable stakes in regional security. Like Beijing, Moscow has sought to safeguard its maritime interests in strategically vital spaces in the Asia-Pacific by initiating a military modernisation programme aimed at projecting a strong national image. Significantly, despite having common areas of interest and operations, the PLA Navy and the Russian Navy have managed to maintain a smooth working relationship, which has only been getting stronger with time. The nautical synergy was on ample display when the Russian and Chinese navies embarked on their latest maritime interaction. “Joint Sea 2015 II”, which began in the Sea of Japan on August 20, is a naval exercise of unprecedented operational integration and a workout menu that

A Military Game of Chicken in the South China Sea? ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Pilin Fen-Kok)

Image credits- United States Navy Source- The Diplomat Author- Pilin Fen-Kok Despite China’s protestations against discussing the issue, the South China Sea was front and center at this month’s meetings between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other regional players in Kuala Lumpur. Amid criticisms of China’s island-reclamation activities, the U.S. and China continued to trade accusations that the other is militarizing the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China maintained its objection, to no avail, to internationalizing the South China Sea issue through the involvement of non-ASEAN members. The ship has sailed on both fronts. Now, more than ever, the South China Sea has become both a military and international issue. Given how all parties appear to have dug deeper into their positions, the situation looks unlikely to change anytime soon. While Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told his ASEAN counterparts that China has halted its reclamation of ar

Russia's Lethal Stealth PAK-FA T-50 Fighter: High Hopes, Big Price Tag ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Harry J. Kazianis)

Sukhoi PAK-FA ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Dmitry Zherdin) Source- The National Interest Author- Harry J. Kazianis Reports in the Russian media, if accurate, have made a bold claim: Moscow’s PAK-FA T-50 fighter could be much closer to joining Russia’s air force than many expected. However, economic pressures and technological challenges could be a big bottleneck to the program going forward. In an article by Russia Today, it was reported that “in 2016 the Russian Air Force will get ready to put the first production models of the stealth fighter jet into service.” RT added: “All weapons and technical innovation in design for the PAK-FA are promised to be ready by 2020, which, among others, will include 12 types of missiles alone, six of which are to be ready by 2017. Some of the PAK-FA missiles will be hypersonic, with most designed specially to fit into fighter’s inner bays so as not to interfere with its stealth characteristics.” Many in Weste

Will China's Economic Collapse Save the South China Sea? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Minxin Pei)

Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei ( Credits- Internet image) Source- The National Interest Author- Minxin Pei Not too long ago, the Chinese economy appeared to defy both gravity and doomsayers. Despite years of unbalanced growth, Beijing has managed to rely on investment to power its economy and keep growth high. The country’s binge on credit since 2009, which has brought the debt-to-GDP ratio close to 300 percent, a perilous level for an upper-middle income country, has not triggered a financial crisis. Its real estate bubble, perhaps the largest the world has ever seen in terms of completed but unoccupied residential housing, is leaking air but has yet to crash totally. It was this appearance of economic invincibility that has emboldened the Chinese government to embark on an ambitious but highly-risky new foreign policy in the last few years. Many Chinese elites saw the United States and the rest of the West as in inexorable decline and China’s rise unstoppable. H