Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Akash SAM ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Unknown) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady Yesterday, the Indian Army inducted the Akash mid-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system after a wait of 32 years, IBNLive reported. The Akash (“Sky”) is an indigenously designed medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system, whose surface-to-air supersonic missiles (armed with 60 kg high-explosive, pre-fragmented warheads) can engage aerial targets up to a distance of 25 km and at altitudes up to 18 km. According to the developers (the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization, the Ordnance Factories Board, and Bharat Electronics), the new weapon is a multi-target, multi-directional, all weather air-defense system and can provide air defense missile coverage for an area of 2,000 square km. The army version of the SAM system consists “of surveillance and tracking radars, control centers and ground support systems mounted on h

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Navy) Source- The National Interest Author Zachary Keck Iran faked destroying a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier, new satellite images reveal. According to Bellingcat, new satellite images show that the mock-up of the USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that Iran claimed to destroy back in February was actually towed back to port. “New satellite imagery shows that Iran’s mock-up aircraft carrier was not destroyed during naval exercises but was towed back to Bandar Abbas,” the report said. “The 16 mock aircraft previously visible on handhelds and satellite imagery were nowhere to be found.” The report and corresponding satellite imagery showed the mock-up had sustained extensive damage. Back in March of 2014, CNN first reported, citing satellite images, that Iran was busy constructing a mock-up of the USS Nimitz at the Bandar Abbas port. Unnamed U.S. military officials at the tim

RBI Tower ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Nichal P) Source- The National Interest Author- Christopher Whalen Back in August of last year, TNI described why India’s economic prospects are brighter than those of China (“Beware, China: India's Economy Could Have an Even Brighter Future,”). That judgment seems to have been confirmed by subsequent events. As we noted at the time, "When all is said and done, the difference between India and China can be summed up in one word: freedom." India is now clearly outperforming the other emerging nations, particularly China, a nation hobbled by a command economy and one of the most corrupt political systems on the planet. “As Brazil, Russia and China hit hurdles, it’s the poorest member of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s emerging-market group that’s proving a darling of global investors,” Bloomberg News reported in February. “The International Monetary Fund is predicting India will next year grow faster than ea

INS Kolkata ( Image credits- Indian Navy) Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda India’s Defense Ministry has decided that its orders for future ships, including submarines, will be exclusively available for domestic shipyards, according to a Defense News report. The Indian Navy could potentially have in excess of $50 billion in contracts over the next 10 years for new ships and submarines. India’s navy is embarking on a major indigenous modernization effort. As The Diplomat reported recently, the Indian government cleared plans for an $8 billion indigenous development program for important naval assets. This included six nuclear-powered submarines and seven stealth frigates. In fall 2014, India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) approved a $12 billion project for six conventional submarines. According to the Defense News report, this project will still allow the participation of foreign vendors “in the design phase.” The submarines will have to be built in Ind

Image credits- department of State, USA by William Ng Source- The Diplomat  Author- Jeffrey W.Hornung All eyes were on Washington last week, for the visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. One of the focal points was a document that altered security ties between the U.S. and Japan. On Monday, the two countries released new guidelines for defense cooperation, outlining the general framework and policy direction for the roles and missions of the two countries’ militaries. This new document lays out a vision for the alliance that is rooted in bilateralism but is global in scope. Importantly, Japan has emerged as a willing partner in many roles it once considered taboo. Together, this translates into a stronger alliance with broader functions and geographical scope. To quote U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the updated guidelines will “transform the U.S.-Japan alliance.” The U.S.-Japan defense guidelines had become antiquated. First written in 1978, they specified

Russian TU-160 Strategic Bomber ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Vitaly V. Kuzmin) Source- The National Interest Author- Tom Nichols Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu announced recently that Russia is going to begin production of the Tu-160, a Soviet-era bomber known as the “Blackjack.” The Tu-160 is a nuclear platform, basically something like the Soviet version of an American B-1 bomber: a big, heavy, swing-wing bomber meant to deliver nuclear weapons at long distances. The Soviets built about thirty-five of them in the 1980s, of which only fifteen remain in service. So what does this mean to the strategic balance between the United States and the Russian Federation in 2015? In reality, it means absolutely nothing in military terms. As a political signal, however, Shoigu’s announcement is just the latest in a series of provocations. No American response is required and none would matter. The Blackjack, assuming the Russians even manage to build a

Japanese Air Self Defence Force F-15 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Air Force)  Source- The National Interest Author-  Nick Bisley Due to continuing challenges around the TPP agreement, the public release of the revised Guidelines for Japan–US Defense Cooperation is the key policy outcome of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s spring visit to Washington DC. The rebalance to Asia is the signature feature of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, with the Japanese alliance at its center. For this reason alone the Guidelines are of importance. They also spell out a broader functional purpose and larger conceptual frame of reference for the bilateral relationship, which adds to their significance. But what signals do the Guidelines send about the strategic relationship and its purpose? Perhaps the most striking of these is that the alliance is now explicitly global in scope. The alliance has evolved from a key part of US Cold War strategy and it’s n

Chinese J-11 (B) ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Air Force by Staff Sgt D. Myles Cullen) Source- The National Interest Author- Zachary Keck China has conducted the first test flight of a new, upgraded version of its J-11 fighter jet. According to Russian media outlets, which cited unnamed Chinese reports, on Wednesday the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted the first flight tests of its J-11D fighter aircraft. The plane is an upgraded version of the J-11B fighter jets, which themselves are copies of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27. According to the reports, the new J-11D incorporates a number of technologies from China’s J-16 fighter jets. Both planes are manufactured by the Chinese company, Shenyang Aircraft Corp, and the J-16 is believed to have incorporated some technologies from the J-11. However, the J-16 is a multi-role strike fighter. Perhaps most  notable of the J11-D’s upgrades is that it reportedly incorporates the J

Russian Klub Missile ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Allocer) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan- Gady Vietnam is in the process of acquiring 50 anti-ship and land attack 3M-14E Klub supersonic cruise missiles for its burgeoning fleet of SSK Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines, Der Spiegel Online reports. According to the article, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recently updated data on its website, based on information obtained from the United Nations’ register of conventional arms, indicating that Russia has already delivered 28 missiles over the last two years to Hanoi, although the precise number remains unknown. The Klub is a Russian-made conventional supersonic cruise missile, “designed to destroy targets protected by sophisticated active air defenses and countermeasures,” deagel.com explains. It is an export variant of Russia’s “carrier killer” 3M-54 (NATO designation: SS-N-27A “Sizzler”) and capable of lon