ASIAN DEFENCE

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

BrahMos Cruise Missile Successfully Test-Fired

9:23 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Adding a new feather to India's missile prowess, 290-km range BrahMos cruise missile was today successfully test-fired as part of trials by the Army from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off Orissa coast. “User's trial of the BrahMos conducted by the Indian Army was successful,” ITR Director SP Dash said after the missile blasted off from a mobile launcher at around 11:35 am from the launch complex-3 of the test range near here. The trial was conducted for achieving the maximum range of 290 km of the supersonic missile, he said. The missile can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound carrying conventional warheads up to 300 kg for a range of 290 km. — PTI

Indian MoD, Services to Review Use of Digital Storage

9:13 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Even as Chinese and Pakistani online espionage agents continue their attempts to hack into Indian computer systems, hostile intelligence agencies are also trying to steal defence secrets through use of computer storage media (CSM) devices like pen drives, removable hard disks, CDs, VCDs and the like. The Intelligence Bureau has sounded a red alert about "intelligence officers of a hostile country'' encouraging their "assets'' working in Indian defence establishments to use CSM devices to pilfer classified information from computer networks.

"There have been reports of increasing number of incidents of leakage of data/documents in defence establishments through the use of pen drives and other digital storage devices,'' says the security alert, issued to the defence ministry as well as the Army, Navy and IAF HQs. Consequently, MoD has ordered a thorough review of the entire policy on "the entitlement and usage of CSM devices'' in its different establishments, said sources. While acknowledging the functional necessity to allow some officers to use such devices, MoD has asked for a comprehensive directorate-wise list of pen drives, laptops and internet connections being used in its different offices.

Poland Keen to Sell Tank Recovery Vehicles

9:09 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk flies into New Delhi tomorrow, India is said to be mulling over Poland’s offer to supply to it tank recovery vehicles. The Indo-Polish defence cooperation will figure prominently during talks between the visiting dignitary and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here tomorrow. Defence Minister A K Antony will be part of the Indian delegation at the talks, signally the importance India attaches to burgeoning defence relationship with Poland.

The proposal for selling tank recovery vehicles was made by Poland during Antony’s visit to Warsaw in April for a meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on defence cooperation between the two countries. The two sides have also been discussing various other defence-related issues, particularly joint training programmes. Poland can help India upgrade Indian T-72 tanks, BMP II infantry combat vehicles and a variety of air defence systems purchased from the former Soviet Union. But more than defence ties, it is the prospect of a quantum jump in economic ties with Poland that excites New Delhi.

Russian Military Servicemen are being Trained to Operate Israeli UAVs

8:58 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Some 50 Russian military servicemen are undergoing training in the use of Israeli-built unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said. Earlier on Monday, Russia and Israel signed a military cooperation agreement."We have bought 12 UAV systems from Israel, and 50 servicemen are currently being trained to operate them," Serdyukov said during a meeting with his visiting Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

Under the first contract, signed in April 2009, Israel delivered two Bird Eye 400 systems (worth $4 million), eight I View MK150 tactical UAVs ($37 million) and two Searcher Mk II multi-mission UAVs ($12 million).The second contract was for the purchase of 36 UAVs, worth a total of $100 million, to be delivered later this year.Russia and Israel are currently negotiating the establishment of a joint venture to produce UAVs, worth an estimated $300 million.Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said in April that Russia had spent about 5 billion rubles ($172 million) on the development of indigenous drones, which eventually failed their tests.
Read More

Deployment of Russian S-300 missiles in Abkhazia no threat to region - French Foreign Minister

8:52 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The deployment of Russia's S-300 air defense systems in Abkhazia does not disturb the balance of power in the region, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday."What Russia has deployed in Abkhazia are anti-missile systems, and I don't see any serious disturbance to the balance in the region," Kouchner said during a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris."They don't pose any threat to anybody," he added.Russia said in mid-August that it had deployed S-300s in Abkhazia - a statement that angered Georgia but failed to surprise Washington, which said the systems appeared to have been in place for the past two years.

Russia has Conducted a Flight Demonstration of PAK FA Fighter for Indian Defence Ministry

8:50 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia has conducted a flight demonstration with its prototype PAK FA fighter for a delegation of Indian defence ministry and industry officials.Held at Ramenskoye aerodrome near Moscow on 31 August, the 10min display was made in support of talks over the bilateral development by Moscow and New Delhi of a new fifth-generation fighter.

The new fighter programme is a topic of discussion by an Indo-Russian commission for military industrial co-operation, along with another to produce a multi-role transport aircraft with a 20t payload capacity.Russia's air force has a requirement for 250-300 next-generation T-50 fighters to enter use from 2015-16, while India plans to buy between 200 and 250 of the joint design. This should use a common airframe and engines, but have its on-board systems and weapons tailored for their individual needs.

Indian Navy's MiG-29K Practicing Supersonic Flights off the Coast in Goa

8:47 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

Indian Navy has asked the coastal residents in Goa not to get worried as that they might hear large noise of super sonic boom as MiG-29K supersonic flights were practicing off the coast. Indian Navy Public Relation Officer (PRO) Cdr M C Joshi has said that the residents may hear sonic boom sounds and they need not panic as it is associated with the training of MiG-29K aircrafts, which is happening off Goa coast. The defence official said that without disturbing the resident population of Goa, MiG-29K pilots at INS Hansa will fly all flights involving supersonic profiles deep into the sea and at very high altitudes.

The PRO has said that the MiG-29K is an advanced multirole fourth generation Air Superiority Fighter at present being operated from the Indian Navy's premier naval air station INS Hansa at Dabolim.

Agreement for Joint Development of BrahMos-II Will be Signed in December

8:35 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India will soon become the first country to have cruise missiles with hyper speed of over 6,000 km per hour, as an agreement for their joint development will be signed with Russia during the visit of President Dmitry Medvedev here in December. The first unit of Kudankulam nuclear plant, built by Russia in Tamil Nadu, will also be commissioned during the visit slated to begin from December 21.

This version of the missile will have a speed of over 6,000 kms per hour, making India the only country in the world to possess such missiles of this speed. The speed of the existing variant of BrahMos is half than that of the proposed ones. With a range of 290 kms, the hypersonic missiles are expected to be ready by 2015-16, the sources said. The much-delayed first unit of Kudankulam nuclear power plant is also expected be made operational during the visit of Medvedev, who will be visiting the site for the purpose, they said.

New F-16 Block 52s Moved to Samungli Air Base Near Quetta

8:26 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Three of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)’s newest acquisitions Block 52 F-16 jet fighters – previously stationed at the Shahbaz airbase near Jacobabad – have been moved to the Samungli airbase near Quetta, sources told The Express Tribune on Saturday. The Shahbaz base was under the threat of being flooded in August. The exact date on which the jets were flown to Quetta could not be ascertained.However, an official said that the jets will be moved back to the Shahbaz airbase as soon the flood situation improves.The report said that some members of the technical support team from the Lockheed Martin (the aircraft manufacturer and other officials of the US Air Force, had left the Shahbaz airbase for Quetta, but other members are still there.

Over 22 water lifting pumps are dumping back the floodwaters from the canal back into the Indus River. The base is safe and secure because of this extraordinary safety plan, built with the financial and technical assistance of the US at a cost of millions of dollars.The fleet of F-16 aircraft arrived in June at the newly-upgraded base, which is under the PAF’s Southern Air Command. Earlier, the base, was being used as a Forward Operating Base by the PAF, but very recently it has been upgraded to house the new F-16 aircraft by installing equipment and radar system.

Russian Air Force Commander Alexander Zelin came to India

8:21 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Chief of Russian Air Force Colonel General Alexander Zelin, arrived in India, where the September 7-10, get acquainted with the system of combat training of Indian pilots.The Russian commander said the high level of training of Indian pilots, who for many years exploited aircraft and air defense of the Soviet and Russian production."The main purpose of the trip - to get acquainted with the system of training of Indian Air Force, to understand how to organize their operational and combat training," - said Zelin told reporters after arriving in New Delhi.

Indian officials get up close to new-look PAK FA fighter

4:14 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia delays delivery of two Su-27SKM fighter jets to Indonesia

4:12 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia will deliver two of its contracted Su fighter jets to Indonesia on Thursday, which is two days later comparing to the previously announced date, a source close to negotiations said.Russia's An-124 transport plane was to deliver two Su-27SKM planes to the air base in the city of Makassar in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province on Tuesday.The source said that the delivery was postponed due to technical reasons but Russia would meet the earlier announced deadline and the last contracted Su-27SKM plane will be delivered to the same base on September 16.
Read More

Lockheed Martin to Finalise Sale of THAAD ABM to UAE Next Year

4:07 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Ivan Gale

Lockheed Martin, the US defence and aerospace giant, expects to finalise the sale of a sophisticated missile defence system to the UAE next year in a deal that could be worth up to US$7 billion (Dh25.7bn), the company’s chief executive said.

A deal for the theatre high altitude area defence (THAAD) system would be the first international sale of the sensitive defence technology and provide the UAE with an upper-altitude layer of missile defence in addition to a Patriot missile system to be delivered next year.The projected sale is “probably the most significant international order opportunity” among missile defence systems for now, Robert Stevens, Lockheed’s chairman and chief executive, told a Morgan Stanley conference on Wednesday.
Read More

Indian Army to boost electronic warfare capability

4:19 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

With electronic warfare becoming central to all military operations, the Army is planning to procure helicopter-mounted electronic warfare systems to augment its capabilities, which, at present, are restricted to land-based systems. Sources said some firms have already briefed senior officers concerned at Army Headquarters about the operational aspects of such systems The Army has now sought technical details of available systems for evaluation. The Army, like its sister services, is already into electronic warfare, with the Corps of Signals being the nodal agency in the force for using the electromagnetic spectrum for military gains

China’s double-dealing India must respond firmly

4:19 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

by Inder Malhotra

TWO facts stand out in the wake of China’s offensive refusal of a visa to one of India’s top generals bound for Beijing to lead the Indian delegation in a high-level exchange with the northern neighbour and the calibrated Indian reaction of “suspending” but not snapping military exchanges between the two countries. The first is that both sides are trying to play down the friction generated by the ugly episode though China is doing so vigorously and this country in a low key. The Chinese defence ministry has even announced that China has “not suspended military exchanges with India, and has received no word that India has stopped military exchanges between the two countries”.

Secondly, it is not the first time that China has acted in this contradictory manner that bespeaks of double-dealing and doublespeak, nor is it going to be the last. This approach may be particularly pronounced in the case of India but is in no way confined to it. Beijing treats most countries, including the United States, in a similar though not identical manner. It is also possible that there are divisions within the Chinese leadership because the issue of succession to President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, scheduled to retire in 2012, is still unsettled. Some China watchers believe the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is more assertive and aggressive than the political leadership and even tends to act on its own.

Read More

China to be biggest exhibitor at Defence expo

4:16 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

China will be the biggest exhibitor at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2010 expo in South Africa later this month, reflecting the growing military might of the Asian giant. The move to be the biggest displayer at the expo is seen as China's attempts to expand military ties with the African countries in lieu of getting access to their minerals and oil reserves. China will cover more than 1,200 square metre in the expo displaying a large number of its military hardware, Defence Ministry sources told PTI here. They said the Chinese are also offering soft loans to the African nations for buying its military hardware.

Chinese Action Denying him a Visa Reflected Their "Predilection". : Lt Gen BS Jaswal

4:15 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Army's Northern Command Chief Lt Gen BS Jaswal today remained unruffled by the Chinese action denying him a visa that fuelled a diplomatic row with India but said it reflected their "predilection".

"My name came up as part of the annual dialogue which takes place as part of the Confidence Building Measures. I share a border with China as part of my responsibility. So best dialogue can take place of the people who are on the ground. "...But it is basically building a mutual confidence on either side. They have denied it as per their own predilection and I will just leave at that," Jaswal said.

China Tests Sukhois in Tibet

4:13 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Tenders for 16 Helicopter for Indian Navy Expire

4:09 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

USA Bags Million-Dollar Defence Deal

4:06 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Indian Air Force to Begin Trials for Basic Trainer Aircraft

4:04 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

The quest to procure basic trainer aircraft for new pilots will acquire momentum with the Indian Air Force (IAF) scheduled to begin trials for six competitors at Jamnagar, Gujarat, this month.

The training programme has been hit after the grounding of the HPT-32 Deepak aircraft fleet (Hindustan Piston Trainer) built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) following the July 2009 crash which killed two experienced pilots.

The flight trials are to select an aircraft from among six competitors — GROB 120 TP of Germany, Embraer EMB 312 ‘Super Tucano' of Brazil, Korean Aerospace Industries KT-1, Finmeccanica M-311 of Italy, and Pilatus PC-7 of Switzerland — that responded to the Request for Proposal, sources in the IAF said.

The government had cleared procurement of 75 aircraft off-the-shelf, and of 106 to be built by HAL. The plan is to include simulators and Computer Aided Learning System in the basic trainer.

The trials were initially planned to be held at the Air Force Station at Tambaram, Chennai, but shifted to Jamnagar where the climatic conditions were considered similar. The IAF has set up teams of test pilots and flight test engineers to evaluate the planes.

USS McInerney has been turned over to the Pakistani navy

12:20 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Shortly before the sun set Tuesday, the USS McInerney was no more.Within a few minutes, the PNS Alamgir floated in its place.Dozens of feet above the water at Mayport Naval Station, a Pakistani sailor was already hard at work with a long brush and bucket of gray paint. He was covering up a large numeral "8" on the ship's bow, a U.S. designation, as the new crew made the ship its own."It tugs at your heartstrings," Cmdr. Paul Young, the final commanding officer of the McInereny said, minutes after turning over the vessel to Capt. Naveed Ashraf.In recent months, Young led the ship on a successful final deployment and then spent months working with the Pakistani crew members, bringing them up to speed as they prepared to take over the ship.

The Pakistani navy is interested in seven of the U.S. frigates, although Congress has not yet approved any more of the transfers.The dozen frigates remaining at Mayport are slated to be decommissioned by 2015, when the USS Samuel B. Roberts is retired.Having the vessels as part of the Pakistani fleet, Haqqani said, is good for both countries.

Northrop Grumman to Provide Personnel for Operating C-RAM in Afghanistan.

12:06 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a $68 million award to provide personnel for operating Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems at forward operating bases (FOB) supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.Northrop Grumman received the award as a task order issued under the Encore II contract vehicle from the Defense Information Systems Agency at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The task order has a potential value of $219 million collectively over a one-year base and two one-year options, making the potential period of performance three years.

China’s role in Arunachal, J&K puts India on guard

12:01 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 2 comments

Aggressive posturing by China on Jammu and Kashmir and its unusual interest in the Indian Ocean has annoyed New Delhi, forcing it to seriously consider ways to counter Beijing. India is considering adopting a “proactive” approach on Tibet and also exposing China’s clandestine nuclear cooperation with Pakistan. According to sources privy to yesterday’s meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the government is considering a multi-pronged strategy to deal with China’s aggressiveness on issues critical to India's sovereignty, particularly J&K and Arunachal Pradesh. The message is clear to Beijing -- its recent actions on J&K were not in line with the efforts being made by New Delhi to normalise ties notwithstanding the complex border dispute. Sources said India would stick to its stance of not having any military ties with China following its refusal to give visa to Lt Gen BS Jaswal on the ground that he commands Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

US deaths in Afghanistan Hit Record in 2010

11:54 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The number of US soldiers killed in the Afghan war in 2010 is the highest annual toll since the conflict began almost nine years ago, according to an AFP count today. A total of 323 US soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war this year, compared to 317 for all of 2009, according to a count by AFP based on the independent icasualties.Org website. Foreign forces suffered a grim spike in deaths last month as the Taliban insurgency intensified, with NATO confirming today that a sixth US soldier was killed on one of the bloodiest days this year. At 490, the overall death toll for foreign troops for the first eight months of the year is rapidly closing in the number registered in all of 2009, which at 521 was a record since the start of the war in late 2001.