US - India Defense & Strategic Affairs

Foreign Policy Article on the deal

2006-07-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

Foreign Policy magazine just came out with a piece that is rather critical of the deal. Think Again: U.S.-India Nuclear Deal, By Thomas Graham Jr., Leonor Tomero, Leonard Weiss

USINPAC - US-India Nuclear Deal Homepage

2006-07-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Click here to send a letter a your congressman or sign the petition.

USINPAC Press Release on the passing of the Historical US-India Civil Nuclear Deal

2006-07-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Please click on the the link below.

US Congress okays nuke deal; rejects killer amendments

2006-07-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

[ 27 Jul, 2006 0856hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed landmark legislation approving the US-India nuclear agreement by a massive 359-68 margin, rejecting several 'killer amendments' on the way.

The House vote was largely bipartisan with backing from both sides of the aisle: 218 Republicans and 141 Democrats supported the deal, and only nine Republicans and 59 Democrats opposed it.

En route to the historic vote, the House rejected at least three 'killer' amendments which supporters said would have scupper the agreement.

An amendment that would have the US audit India's fissile material stock annually was rejected by a 155-268 margin.

Another amendment that would restrict export to uranium to India until the President certified that New Delhi had frozen its fissile material production was rejected 184-241.

When these two amendments were defeated, opponents of the agreement tried to link the deal to India further supporting US in its campaign against Iran.

But that too was defeated 192-235 by supporters who argued that New Delhi had already proved its credentials as a US partner opposed to nuclear proliferation in the Iran context.

About the only significant amendment that was passed without contest was one that enjoins the United States to only support India's civilian nuclear program, and not any nuclear weapons capability enhancement.

At the end of almost five hours of marathon arguments and legislative procedures, the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006, to be renamed the Hyde Amendment after the lawmaker who engineered it, was passed by a handsome 369-58 margin.

The Act will permit a certifiably nuclear-armed India India to buy reactors and fuel from the international market for the first time in more than 30 years (subject to final approval and international consent), despite the fact it has still not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It will in effect mark the end of India's nuclear isolation and possibly arrange the global strategic architecture.

''We are at the hinge of history, building a fundamentally new relationship with India... historians will regard this as a tidal shift in ties between the U.S and India when Congress signaled definitively the end of the cold war paradigm,'' Tom Lantos (D-California) co-author of the legislation said while introducing the bill.

Indeed, historians will record many lawmakers who were instrumental in changing what New Delhi always argued was an unfair nuclear apartheid regime, but some legislators were front and center in the rousing debate.

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey), Gary Ackerman (D-New York), Joseph Crowley (D- New York), Joe Wilson (R- South Carolina), Ed Royce (R-California) Nancy Pelosi (D- California), Eli Faleomavega (D- American Samoa) and Eliot Engel (D-New York) formed the core team of supporters for the agreement led by Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) and Tom Lantos (D-California). In the end, Republicans weighed in far greater numbers than the Democrats although the support was bipartisan.

Among those who vehemently opposed the agreement under one pretext or the other were Ed Markay (D-Massachusetts), Brad Sherman (D-California) and Howard Berman (D-California).

The House vote is a major step in the long legislative process that also requires a Senate approval and international okay (by the Nuclear Suppliers Group), But in the meantime, supporters of the agreement celebrated the win with gusto.

''The USINDIA FORUM congratulates every one who has provided support for this Bill. We call on members of the Indian American Community and their Organizations through out the country to Stay Focused on getting the legislations passed in similar manner in the US Senate also,'' Ashok Mago, a Dallas-based Indian-American convener of the forum said in a message, which claimed a 94 per cent vote from the Texas Congressional delegation.

The Washington D.C -centric USINPAC was also instrumental in rallying what turned out to be an overall 84 per cent Congressional support for the agreement.

For a safer world

2006-06-21T06:27:00.000-05:00

By William S. Cohen
June 21, 2006

The U.S.-India agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is an important manifestation of the growing strategic partnership between our two great democracies. Unfortunately, with less than 50 legislative days before Congress adjourns to pursue elections, the implementing legislation for this landmark agreement still languishes in committee. Time is running out. If not enacted before the congressional summer recess, the chances for ultimate passage will decrease precipitously.

The 2006 midterm elections promise to be some of the closest and most partisan on record. In such an atmosphere, prospects for getting Congress to concentrate on this needed legislation, even after elections, are dim indeed.

A chief delaying tactics by congressional opponents has been to seize on the argument that U.S. cooperation with India on civil nuclear matters will somehow make the world less safe from the scourge of nuclear terror. The reality is just the opposite. For 32 years, the United States has attempted to punish India for failing to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty with no discernable affect on Indian policy. Today, we have the opportunity to formulate a new policy, one that can secure India's cooperative efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons, strengthen democratic values and global security.

Some congressional opponents insist action in favor of implementation would remove a constraint on India's strategic weapons program. Their argument is that India has so little natural uranium that providing fissile material for civilian purposes will free up uranium for the Indians to make more nuclear weapons than they might otherwise. While simply put, the argument is simply wrong.

As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice correctly noted during her appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "[We] do not believe that the absence of uranium is really the constraint on the [Indian] nuclear weapons program." India has more than enough uranium both to support its weapons program and its present civil nuclear power program. India could even significantly expand its weapons program and make modest additions to its nuclear power program with its present uranium supplies.

It takes relatively little uranium to make a nuclear weapon, and India's present nuclear power program is so modest it could be expanded within India's existing supplies. As Dr. Ashley J. Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace notes in a soon-to-be-published paper, the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency estimate India's reasonably assured assets of uranium at no less than 40,980 tons. A single 20 kiloton nuclear weapon only requires about 6 kilograms of plutonium, which can be produced using little more than 6 metric tons of uranium in a research reactor. India's entire present nuclear weapons program plus its power program plus its new reactors presently being built would require about 650 tons of uranium per year.

Thus, these Indian assets of uranium alone could continue India's program for more than 60 years, and India has reasonable prospects for even more. India has all the natural uranium it needs to produce as many nuclear weapons as it wishes plus an enhanced version of its present nuclear power for the foreseeable future.

The truth is India, in considering its strategic interest, will act in a manner consistent with its national security, with or without this agreement. It is unlikely to agree to limit its fissile material production unilaterally.

Should the U.S. Congress reject this agreement, it might make India's satisfaction of its growing energy needs more difficult, and force it to rely more on fossil fuels, thereby increasing harmful greenhouse gases. However, with this agreement India will work with the United States and others, in the words of Director General of the IAEA and Nobel Prize winner Mohammed ElBaradei, "to consolidate the nuclear nonproliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety."

For a safer world, Congress should act now.

William S. Cohen is chairman and chief executive officer of the Cohen Group and is a former defense secretary and U.S. senator from Maine.

We Need This Nuclear Pact With India Now

2006-06-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

We Need This Nuclear Pact With India Now

Letters to the Editor
Wall Street Journal
June 12, 2006

My friend Sam Nunn is mistaken in his criticism of the Bush administration's nuclear agreement with India ("Nuclear Pig in a Poke1," editorial page, May 24).

Former Sen. Nunn and I have worked closely together to promote our shared nonproliferation goals, but he is wrong when he argues that Congress should impose additional conditions to the U.S.-India agreement.

First, if we do, we risk derailing an agreement that for the first time brings global transparency to India's entire civilian nuclear program. Right now, India's civilian and military programs remain closed to global scrutiny. Under this agreement, the entire civilian program, 65% of all nuclear activity and eventually 90%, will open to monitoring by the IAEA.

Second, with this agreement we bring India on board as an ally in our nonproliferation efforts in a critical part of the world where Iran and North Korea pose a real menace.

I consider that partnership vital to the future of our nonproliferation regime. We have spent 32 years negotiating with India over terms they will not accept. Without this partnership, we could spend another 30 years negotiating while India's program expands without scrutiny.

As Mohammad ElBaradei, director general of the IAEA and Nobel Prize winner has said, "It would bring India closer as an important partner in the non-proliferation regime. It would be a milestone, timely for ongoing efforts to consolidate the non-proliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety."

I believe this agreement can serve as a catalyst to strengthening an eroding nonproliferation regime, a regime that has brighter prospects with India than without her.

Sen. Pete V. Domenici, (R., N.M.)
Washington

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since its first nuclear explosion in 1974, India has generated an exemplary record of firmly controlling its nuclear materials and warding against proliferation.

In fact, India's record of nonproliferation is far superior to that of China, one of the five recognized nuclear powers. When the U.S. intercepted a shipment of centrifuges from Pakistan's A.Q. Khan destined for Libya, an earlier Chinese design of a nuclear weapon was discovered in the shipment. Apparently, Mr. Khan had thrown in a bonus. The Chinese actively assisted Pakistan in building its nuclear weapon capability. Ironically, China (as also the other four declared nuclear powers) is not subject to inspection of any sort by the IAEA.

Mr. Nunn tries to put India in the same league as North Korea and Iran. The Indo-U.S. nuclear deal has no relevance to the attempts to contain the nuclear ambitions of these two states. North Korea has traded its missile know-how for nuclear technology, at least with Pakistan. It is a paranoid and dangerous state that has a record of selling anything for hard cash. The Iranian state has been actively supporting various Islamist terrorist groups.

Mr. Nunn is being disingenuous in wanting Congress to require India to not produce fissile material henceforth. By signing the nuclear agreement, President Bush accepted the status of India as a de-facto nuclear power. There are no such legal restrictions on the production of fissile material by the five declared nuclear powers, and China has not officially ended production. The other undeclared nuclear powers, Israel and Pakistan, have no such limitations either. The five powers have been producing fissile material for quite a while.

Sardul S. Minhas, Ph.D.
Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Rethinking Nuclear Safeguards

2006-06-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

By Mohamed ElBaradei

Wednesday, June 14, 2006; The Washington Post, Page A23

In regard to nuclear proliferation and arms control, the fundamental problem is clear: Either we begin finding creative, outside-the-box solutions or the international nuclear safeguards regime will become obsolete.

For this reason, I have been calling for new approaches in a number of areas. First, a recommitment to disarmament -- a move away from national security strategies that rely on nuclear weapons, which serve as a constant stimulus for other nations to acquire them. Second, tightened controls on the proliferation-sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle. By bringing multinational control to any operation that enriches uranium or separates plutonium, we can lower the risk of these materials being diverted to weapons. A parallel step would be to create a mechanism to ensure a reliable supply of reactor fuel to bona fide users, including a fuel bank under control of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The third area has been more problematic: how to deal creatively with the three countries that remain outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): Pakistan and India, both holders of nuclear arsenals, and Israel, which maintains an official policy of ambiguity but is believed to be nuclear-weapons-capable. However fervently we might wish it, none of these three is likely to give up its nuclear weapons or the nuclear weapons option outside of a global or regional arms control framework. Our traditional strategy -- of treating such states as outsiders -- is no longer a realistic method of bringing these last few countries into the fold.

Which brings us to a current controversy -- the recent agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding the exchange of nuclear technology between the United States and India.

Some insist that the deal will primarily enable India to divert more uranium to produce more weapons -- that it rewards India for having developed nuclear weapons and legitimizes its status as a nuclear weapons state. By contrast, some in India argue that it will bring the downfall of India's nuclear weapons program, because of new restrictions on moving equipment and expertise between civilian and military facilities.

Clearly, this is a complex issue on which intelligent people can disagree. Ultimately, perhaps, it comes down to a balance of judgment. But to this array of opinions, I would offer the following:

First, under the NPT, there is no such thing as a "legitimate" or "illegitimate" nuclear weapons state. The fact that five states are recognized in the treaty as holders of nuclear weapons was regarded as a matter of transition; the treaty does not in any sense confer permanent status on those states as weapons holders. Moreover, the U.S.-India deal is neutral on this point -- it does not add to or detract from India's nuclear weapons program, nor does it confer any "status," legal or otherwise, on India as a possessor of nuclear weapons. India has never joined the NPT; it has therefore not violated any legal commitment, and it has never encouraged nuclear weapons proliferation.

Also, it is important to consider the implications of denying this exchange of peaceful nuclear technology. As a country with one-sixth of the world's population, India has an enormous appetite for energy -- and the fastest-growing civilian nuclear energy program in the world. With this anticipated growth, it is important that India have access to the safest and most advanced technology.

India clearly enjoys close cooperation with the United States and many other countries in a number of areas of technology and security. It is treated as a valued partner, a trusted contributor to international peace and security. It is difficult to understand the logic that would continue to carve out civil nuclear energy as the single area for noncooperation.

Under the agreement, India commits to following the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an organization of states that regulates access to nuclear material and technology. India would bring its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards. India has voiced its support for the conclusion of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. The strong support of both India and the United States -- as well as all other nuclear weapons states -- is sorely needed to make this treaty a reality.

The U.S.-India agreement is a creative break with the past that, handled properly, will be a first step forward for both India and the international community. India will get safe and modern technology to help lift more than 500 million people from poverty, and it will be part of the international effort to combat nuclear terrorism and rid our world of nuclear weapons.

As we face the future, other strategies must be found to enlist Pakistan and Israel as partners in nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. Whatever form those solutions take, they will need to address not only nuclear weapons but also the much broader range of security concerns facing each country. No one ever said controlling nuclear weapons was going to be easy. It will take courage and tenacity in large doses, a great deal more outside-of-the-box thinking, and a sense of realism. And it will be worth the effort.

The writer is director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He and the agency won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

No schedule yet for India nuclear deal

2006-06-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

By Roxana Tiron - June 8, 2006

The independent Council on Foreign Relations is urging Congress to endorse a controversial civilian nuclear-power deal between the United States and India as soon as possible.

The council, in a report released Wednesday, recommends that lawmakers in both chambers pass sense-of-Congress resolutions supporting the basic framework and delay final approval until they are assured critical nuclear nonproliferation needs are met.

President Bush announced the nuclear deal during a trip to India in March, but the idea has been in the works since last summer. The agreement would allow India to import U.S. nuclear technology in exchange for opening its civilian nuclear facilities to international inspections. India’s nuclear-weapons program would remain secret.

The administration wants Congress to pass amendments to the 1954 Atomic Energy Act that would give India specific waivers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would gain access to India’s civilian nuclear program. India would place two-thirds of its reactors and two-thirds of its generating power under permanent safeguards, with international verification.

But changes to the 1954 act are no small task, congressional sources say.

“The Atomic Energy Act is something you do not change lightly,” one aide said, adding, “nonproliferation policy is important.”

The council’s report comes at a time when supporters of the nuclear deal fear that changes in legislation required to implement it could be delayed during a packed pre-election calendar.

If Congress does not approve the deal, “it would damage the bilateral relationship,” the council concluded.

The Bush administration is pushing for congressional approval by the end of July, before the summer recess. But Senate and House consensus may not come until the end of the year, several sources indicated.

Neither the Senate Foreign Relations Committee nor the House International Relations Committee has scheduled any concrete dates to mark up legislation.

According to the US Indian Political Action Committee (USINPAC), the largest Indian-American PAC, Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), International Relations chairman, said in a private meeting that he plans to mark up legislation before or on June 21. A congressional aide said that June 21 would be the target but that dates are fluid. The PAC has called approval of the deal its highest priority.

In a press release, USINPAC touted Hyde’s support for the deal: “His support is critical to the successful passage of the deal.”

But a Hyde spokeswoman said Hyde “has serious concerns regarding the proposed civil nuclear agreement.”

“The chairman reiterated his support for the president’s initiative in reaching an agreement with India, however he did tell [the] U.S.-India PAC that he will be working with the administration and Mr. [Tom] Lantos [D-Calif.] to craft a bipartisan piece of legislation that supports the president’s effort to strengthen ties with India,” said Kristi Garlock, Hyde’s committee spokeswoman.

Hyde is in the process of crafting his own bill, she added.

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), has expressed his full support for the U.S.-India agreement and has committed to bringing it to a resolution, said USINPAC’s chairman, Sanjay Puri, who met with Hastert recently.

“It is an important priority that has support, and we hope and expect to move legislation to the floor before the August recess,” said Kevin Madden, spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). But Madden added: “No decisions have been made about when it will be considered on the floor calendar yet.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said he is relying on Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, “to take care of it in the committee.” Lugar backs the accord but indicated that he may seek to add some conditions.

“I think it is certainly the intent of the president and the Senate for [the legislation] to pass sometime this year,” said Andy Fisher, spokesman for the committee.

But the Senate has a crowded schedule, debating a constitutional ban on gay marriage, a flag-burning amendment and a tax package with wide, bipartisan opposition. The Senate also has to consider the 2007 defense authorization bill, and both the House and the Senate still have to deal with the 2006 emergency supplemental.

“There is a concern that the agenda might cloud this issue out,” Puri said. “Congress has a lot to do, and that is a big concern. The business of the nation needs to go on.”

A few more Democrats than Republicans oppose the deal, a lobbyist working on it said. Even so, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has indicated her support.

While the issue is not expected to become a partisan fight, Democrats are not willing to give Bush “carte blanche,” a congressional aide said.

The administration initially proposed that Congress pre-approve the deal before the United States negotiated it with India, the aide said. Pre-approval would waive parts of the Atomic Energy Act once the president certified that India would make the necessary changes, the aide explained.

“The problem is that the administration’s initial proposal was to enunciate some general principles and for Congress [to] pre-approve [those],” the aide said. After the initial pre-approval, Congress would have a chance to overturn the deal, but only with a two-thirds vote.

“It is complicated procedurally,” the aide said.

The administration is eager to move ahead, the aide said.

“They think some indication of congressional support is going to make a difference in terms of what they are going to do with the Indians,” the aide said. “The Indians have some tough decisions to make, and the idea is that if Congress is going to do something they will be likely to make the changes.”

Fearing that the agreement may not have enough congressional support to alter radically 30 years of U.S. policy to punish India for developing nuclear weapons in the ’70s, Lantos, the ranking member of the House panel, proposed a compromise intended to keep the agreement alive. Congress would commit to approving it under expedited procedures but would only formally change U.S. law after lawmakers review the completed agreement and the IAEA safeguards accord.

Lantos is circulating his proposal in the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over the matter.

USINPAC lobbies prominent US lawmaker to back US-India Nuclear Deal

2006-06-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

Washington, Jun 8: A prominent US lawmaker has backed the US-India nuclear deal and said he is for a stronger relations between the two countries.

The decision of Henry Hyde, the Republican Chairman of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, is said to have been made known in a private meeting with the US India Political Action Committee, a USINPAC release said.

The powerful Chair of the House Committee is also reported to have stated that he is "confident the bill will pass and is willing to push it through".

"I am for a stronger US-India relations and I understand that India is in a very dangerous neighbourhood and energy self sufficiency is very important to them," Hyde is reported to have remarked, the release said.

N-deal with India real-world pact: US official

2006-06-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

2006/5/18 14:49:06

Washington: The US-India civil nuclear energy deal is a "real-world agreement" that may not be perfect, but will prove to be a "net gain for non-proliferation", said a top state department official here.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher underlined the breathtaking potential of the deal to transform India-US ties across the board.

"If we can do nuclear power, we can do anything together. The advantages of such a relationship for regional stability and for the future of over a billion people are many," he told the Asia-Pacific committee of the House International Relations Panel here Wednesday.

"It will secure their increasing conviction that there is solid support from the US government for long-term civil nuclear cooperation and thereby open the door to cooperation across the board," he stressed.

Boucher's presentation to the panel, titled "The US and South Asia: An expanding agenda", made an appeal to the Congress to clear the deal that can take the "US-India relationship to heights we have never previously achieved".

"I think we'd all be happy if India and Pakistan gave up their nuclear weapons and joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty. (But) It's not going to happen," Boucher said.

"We went into this negotiation knowing the positions that India had taken all along. This is a real-world agreement. We don't claim it's perfect," he said.

He also sought to correct the impression that the US had given away "too much" in the agreement and claimed that the deal provided "a net gain for non-proliferation" as India has already taken a series of steps to bring itself in "alignment with the international non-proliferation regime".

"They have improved their export control systems, brought their standards into alignment with the practices of the Nuclear Suppliers Group already. They have pledged to support negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty.

"They have begun their discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency," he said in response to a question.

--IANS

2006-06-01T19:56:00.000-05:00

International : N-deal with India real-world pact: US official
2006/5/18 14:49:06

Washington: The US-India civil nuclear energy deal is a "real-world agreement" that may not be perfect, but will prove to be a "net gain for non-proliferation", said a top state department official here.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher underlined the breathtaking potential of the deal to transform India-US ties across the board.

"If we can do nuclear power, we can do anything together. The advantages of such a relationship for regional stability and for the future of over a billion people are many," he told the Asia-Pacific committee of the House International Relations Panel here Wednesday.

"It will secure their increasing conviction that there is solid support from the US government for long-term civil nuclear cooperation and thereby open the door to cooperation across the board," he stressed.

Boucher's presentation to the panel, titled "The US and South Asia: An expanding agenda", made an appeal to the Congress to clear the deal that can take the "US-India relationship to heights we have never previously achieved".

"I think we'd all be happy if India and Pakistan gave up their nuclear weapons and joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty. (But) It's not going to happen," Boucher said.

"We went into this negotiation knowing the positions that India had taken all along. This is a real-world agreement. We don't claim it's perfect," he said.

He also sought to correct the impression that the US had given away "too much" in the agreement and claimed that the deal provided "a net gain for non-proliferation" as India has already taken a series of steps to bring itself in "alignment with the international non-proliferation regime".

"They have improved their export control systems, brought their standards into alignment with the practices of the Nuclear Suppliers Group already. They have pledged to support negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty.

"They have begun their discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency," he said in response to a question.

--IANS

Energy Geopolitics 2006

2006-06-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

by Richard Heinberg
Published on 25 May 2006 by Museletter / EB. Archived on 25 May 2006.

Please click on the link below for the source.

No new conditions on N-deal: US

2006-06-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

Sridhar Krishnaswami in Washington, DC | May 26, 2006 14:03 IST

Please click on the link below for the original Rediff Article.

India wants US nuclear deal to ensure growth

2006-06-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

REUTERS
Posted online: Friday, May 26, 2006 at 1657 hours IST

TOKYO, MAY 26: Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee urged the US Congress on Friday to approve a US-India accord on nuclear energy cooperation so New Delhi can achieve rapid economic growth.

The nuclear deal struck last July to permit US civil nuclear technology sales to India for the first time in three decades has run into trouble in Washington and New Delhi, as critics on both sides complain their side got too little and the other side got too much.

"I do hope this arrangement will get the ratification of the US Congress, and after that the Nuclear Suppliers Group will recognise and help India to have access to technology, materials and equipment to pursue our peaceful civilian nuclear programme," Mukherjee told reporters in Tokyo.

For the deal to take effect, Congress must change US law and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group must alter its rules.

"We require energy to ensure our rapid development," Mukherjee, in Tokyo on a three-day visit, said.

India has been barred from obtaining foreign nuclear technology because it developed and tested nuclear weapons and did not sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The US administration, which considers the accord key to improved ties with the rising Asian power, has met resistance after pushing Congress to change quickly the Atomic Energy Act.

India never signed the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, developing weapons in contravention of international norms.

"Though India is not a signatory to NPT, we have accepted all of the obligations, most of the obligations, under the treaty voluntarily," Mukherjee said.

India also has not had meaningful negotiations with the UN watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, on another key piece of the deal, a system to monitor Indian civil nuclear facilities, experts say.

"We require minimum credible deterrent," Mukherjee said. "We want to achieve minimum credible deterrent to meet our requirement."

US Official: U.S.-India deal to boost trade

2006-06-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

May 30, 2006
By RAJESH MAHAPATRA
AP BUSINESS WRITER

NEW DELHI -- Trade between the United States and India will get a big boost from a civilian nuclear pact between the two countries that should boost U.S high-tech exports and foster trust, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Exports and imports between India and the United States have tripled to $26 billion in the past 10 years, but the trade balance has increasingly tilted in favor of India, leaving the U.S. with a deficit of about $10 billion in 2005.

Experts have long argued that the trade gap can be bridged only if the United States eases curbs on American companies that want to sell high technology products and military hardware to India. That should happen once the civilian nuclear deal, sealed by President Bush during a March visit to India, is cleared by the U.S. Congress.

"The civilian nuclear deal is going to have benefits that will cut across sectors," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia told reporters.

Bhatia's comments followed talks with Indian officials about doubling the two-way trade between the counties in the next three years.

Both sides discussed steps to reduce trade barriers and improve protection for patents and copyrights, among other issues, Bhatia said.

They also tried to identify areas where India and the U.S. could sign agreements at a planned meeting in Washington in June.

Tuesday's talks also focussed on how the countries could work together to break the current impasse in global trade negotiations, Bhatia said.

Talks at the World Trade Organization to reach a new global treaty by the end of this year have been stalled because of differences over opening up agricultural trade.

India, Russia to finalise $600 mn fighter deal

2006-05-30T07:10:00.000-05:00

India is expected to finalise a $600 million deal for swapping 18 Su-30K and Su-30MK fighters with the latest version of Su-30MKI during Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi's week-long visit to Russia beginning today. During his Russia tour, first as an air chief, Tyagi is to hold talks with the Chief of Russian General Staff and other senior defence officials.

He is also scheduled to visit MiG and Sukhoi corporations and Siberian plant of IRKUT corporation, the main supplier of state-of-the-art Su-30MKI multirole fighters, specially designed for IAF. During Irkutsk visit, Tyagi is expected to finalise the $600 million deal for swapping 18 older Su-30K and Su-30MK fighters with the latest version of Su-30MKI.

The air chief is also scheduled to watch demonstration flight of the latest MiG fighter Moscow intends to field against US F-16 in the Indian tender for the acquisition of 126 fighters. Tyagi would be the first senior foreign official to watch the demonstration flight of MiG-29OVT at Zhukovsky airbase near Moscow, Kommersant daily reported.

During his visit to St. Petersburg, the air chief is to visit Aerospace Equipment Corporation and aircraft engine factories Klimov and Krasny Oktyabr involved in Indian deals. Tyagi is visiting the country at the invitation of his Russian counterpart.

After Hawk AJTs for air force, will it be Goshawk for navy?

2006-05-30T07:09:00.001-05:00

The US is offering to the Indian Navy the latest version of its T-45C Goshawk trainer aircraft, the naval version of the British BAe Hawk that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is purchasing.

Boeing, which manufactures the Goshawk in collaboration with BAe Systems, sent a high-level team to India last week to formally offer this aircraft, in addition to the F-18 Super Hornet that it wants to sell to the IAF to meet its multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) requirement of 126 jets.

Chris Chadwick, Boeing's vice president and general manager for global strike systems, said India was wide on the US horizon and that the best of American technology was on offer in view of the newly emerging strategic equations between the two countries.

Cooperation between the two countries could cover the latest equipment for the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force - as well as space.

India needs trainers for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov that it is buying from Russia. Ironically, as the Russians could not extend carrier landing training to the Indian Navy, it had to go to the US - and that has provided Washington the opportunity to offer the Goshawk to the Indian Navy.

Thirty-two Indian Navy pilots have been assigned to receive carrier takeoff-and-landing training at the US Navy's Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, where all US naval pilots are given initial and advanced training. The Indian pilots are being sent in batches of four, beginning earlier this year.

The US is looking for "interoperability" with the Indian forces for commonality in weapons and systems. It was with this in view that the Pentagon offered to train Indian naval pilots.

New Delhi had to accept the offer as Russia was unable to come up with carrier deck training. Admiral Gorshkov is due for delivery to the Indian Navy in 2008 along with a complement of 16 MiG 29K carrier-based fighters.

Boeing says that as the IAF is buying 66 Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs) from Britain, it would be cost-effective for the Indian Navy to go in for the Goshawk as there is a substantial commonality of parts between them. Rolls Royce's Adour engines power both aircraft, and although they are different models, many of their sub-assemblies are common.

Adour engines also power the IAF fleet of Jaguars that are made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The US Navy had selected the Hawk for training its pilots but as deck-based operations need sturdier airframes, the aircraft was suitably modified. The latest model T-45C has digital avionics and its training programme covers classroom instructions to simulators, initial and advanced carrier-based operations. The aircraft can also carry some weapons if required.

Boeing is responsible for the forward fuselage and stabilizers, assembly and systems integration, production test flights and maintenance. BAe produces the wings and the centre and rear fuselage while Rolls Royce makes the engines.

Some 170 Goshawks have been delivered to the US Navy, with 100 more in the pipeline. It is likely to be in operation beyond 2030.

As for the Indian Navy, its pilots have so far received advanced training on Harrier jump jets.

Unlike the AJTs for the IAF, two-thirds of which would be made in India under licence at HAL, the navy's requirement of trainer aircraft should not normally exceed a squadron, or about 20. Thus they are likely to be purchased outright.

The Bush administration is trying to enlist Tokyo's support for its controversial decision to back India's civilian nuclear power development.

2006-05-30T07:09:00.000-05:00

India will sign a defence deal with Russia within a fortnight under which 18 Sukhoi-30K fighter jets it had purchased earlier from Moscow will be exchanged for the latest su-30 MKI multi-role war planes.

A spokesperson of Irkut Corporation, the manufacturer of Sukhoi jets, said the trade-in contract would be signed within a fortnight. However, she declined to reveal the value of the deal.

As per the deal 18 su-30k jets with limited capabilities, supplied in late 1990s to the Indian Air Force (IAF) would be bought back by Russia and the similar number of latest fighters would be shipped into India.

Russian defence expert Konstantin Makiyenko said Irkut will supply 18 Su-30MKI jets specially tailored for the IAF, while older jets received from it will be upgraded for deployment in Belarus along the border with NATO.

In 2004 Russia had completed the supply of 40 Su-30 fighters and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has already launched the assembling of its latest version under licence for the production of 140 jets.

The Sukhoi license deal provides the full transfer of technology to HAL, including indigenous production of thrust-vectoring engines, a privilege denied to China under a similar deal.

U.S. urges ally Japan to back India nuke pact

2006-05-30T07:08:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration is trying to enlist Tokyo's support for its controversial decision to back India's civilian nuclear power development.

U.S. President George W. Bush will broach the issue with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at their June 29 summit meeting in Washington, sources said.

Koizumi is among Bush's staunchest allies, but it is not clear how far he will go to express support for the U.S.-India agreement.

Some officials are concerned the deal would further undermine the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Others say that Japan, as the only nation to have had atomic weapons used against it, should not give its backing.

India has conducted nuclear weapons tests, but it has not signed the NPT.

U.S. officials argue that the nonproliferation structure has been strengthened because India is allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its civilian nuclear facilities. That agreement was a precondition to India's purchase of nuclear technology and fuel from the United States.

However, the U.S.-India deal does not cover inspections of India's military facilities, leading to concerns that nuclear weapons would effectively be placed outside of the international arms control structure.

Japanese government sources said U.S. officials asked for an expression of support soon after the deal was signed on March 2.

Japan has not stated its official position, but government officials are considering issuing a statement of "basic understanding" of the agreement.

Among points in favor of Japan expressing its support are that the deal enables inspections of India's civilian nuclear facilities, thus strengthening the nonproliferation structure. The agreement would boost India's economic growth. Britain and France have already expressed their support.

However, some government officials are concerned about the lack of guarantees that IAEA inspectors will be able to carry out their inspections in India.

In addition, they worry that nuclear technology developed in India's civilian sector could be converted to military purposes.

Some officials think Japan should delay any expression of support until the July Group of Eight meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, which Britain and France will also attend.

Indo-UK Naval exercises underway

2006-05-30T07:06:00.001-05:00

A British nuclear task force is engaging the Indian navy in the biggest naval exercises between the two sides in four decades.

'Konkan 2006' is a sign of just how important India is being seen as a major international military force.

Exercises like these, which were unthinkable till a few years ago, reflect the new strategic equation between India and countries like the UK and the US.

Today, western powers are going out of their way to cultivate India.

Action in Arabian Sea

The cutting edge of the Indian Navy - including the destroyer Mumbai, the frigates Brahmaputra and Ganga and the submarine Shankush - are in the thick of action in the Arabian Sea, taking on powerful and state of the art warships.

“These exercises would not have happened a few years back. It is a sign of the changing times. India and the UK are strategic partners,” said Sir Michael Arthur, British High Commissioner.

Apart from war games, this is a demonstration of Britain's state-of-the-art helicopter EH 101 - one that they are hoping India will buy.

But a greater attraction for India are the British sea harrier jets.

The Indian navy, which already uses the jets, is looking at buying more, and price negotiations are underway.

"The Indian Navy is extremely capable. We don't do this sort of exercise with just anyone, but we are entirely comfortable operating with the Indians," said Bob Cooling, Commander of HMS Illustrious.

Perhaps that sense of comfort is because both countries use common war machines like the sea harriers.

But the exercises, dubbed War At Sea, aren't designed for a comfort zone.

Instead, the war games are testing the fighting skills of the thousands of personnel involved in Konkan 2006.

Indian Army open to source equipment from US

2006-05-30T07:06:00.000-05:00

The Indian Army is open to source military technology and equipment from the United States if they were best in the class, Indian Army Chief J. J. Singh said Saturday.

Asked whether the army would shop for military equipment, including arms from the U.S. in the light of an upswing in the Indo-U.S. relations, Singh said while efforts would be made to source the requirements indigenously, the army would like the equipment to be produced in the country with technology from outside.

"Our first preference is to source indigenously or get the equipment produced within the country by the public or private sector with technology from outside. If nothing can be done, we would like to meet our requirements from outside," Indo-Asian News Service quoted Singh as saying.

We are happy to receive equipment, which is in its best class from any source, including the U.S. But it will have to be a government decision, Singh said after flagging off the newly manufactured bogie flat Arjun tank carrier wagons of military rail at the Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) facility in Bangalore.

He said the Indian Army would begin field trials of the indigenous main battle tank (MBT) Arjun in a month or two along with its T-72 battle tanks.

Indian navy going ahead with the construction of an additional naval base about 60 km south of Visakhapatnam

2006-05-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash said on Wednesday [24 May] that the navy was going ahead with the construction of an additional naval base about 60 km south of Visakhapatnam.

"The Vizag port is getting crowded and the channel has become narrow. We have acquired roughly 5,000 acres of land with the help of the state government. Negotiations are on with the villagers on their relocation and payment of compensation," Admiral Prakash told mediapersons after presenting gallantry and service medals to naval personnel at the Eastern Command headquarters here.

The additional base will come up some 32 km south of Gangavaram port, where a consortium is building a port. Several naval experts have voiced concern over the threat to security from having a private port so close to the naval base. Now, the Gangavaram port will have the Eastern Command 28 km to the north of it, and the new base 32 km to the south.

The navy, however, has previously told the government that it sees no threat from the Gangavaram port. A senior official of the Indian navy said that new base was still in the conceptual stage. It would have a separate harbour and channel into the sea, the present channel at the Visakhapatnam port being totally choked by cargo and defence ships and submarines. The additional base will have all the operations on par with the existing naval base.

The 5,000 acres will be acquired to the south of the city under Rambilli, Nakkapalli and Yelamanchali mandals of the district. A revenue official said that the state government had already identified the land and the negotiations were on with the villagers on relocation and payment of compensation. Admiral Prakash thanked the state government for allotting 5,000 acres of land for the expansion of the Eastern Command. Admiral Prakash also said that the navy would have two aircraft carriers with escort and support ships and submarines to make it a blue water force by 2015.

"We have submitted all the proposals to the government." Pointing out that the navy had got 17.5 per cent of the total defence budget, he said, "We have already placed the orders with the shipyards and they (aircraft carriers) will be ready by 2015." Admiral Prakash said that during his two-day visit to the Eastern Naval Command, he had reviewed the security situation, assessed the assets and reviewed emerging situations in Sri Lanka.

India shelves ambitious nuclear missile program

2006-05-30T07:03:00.000-05:00

NEW DELHI - Has the Agni III, India's most ambitious nuclear-capable ballistic-missile program, been aborted or merely put in cold storage? Keen to impress the world community of its peaceful intentions in its quest to obtain nuclear fuel and technology from the United States, France, Canada and Australia, it seems that New Delhi has made up its mind to shelve plans for big military-power credentials for now.

The government has decided to cancel the first test-firing of an Indian inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), one with a range of 4,000 kilometers (some say up to 6,000km), which is sufficient to reach China and capable of delivering a nuclear payload.

Pressure from the US and others cannot be discounted. The United States has always been very suspicious about India's Agni program, and in 1994 persuaded it to suspend testing of the missile after three test flights. The US-backed Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) seeks to prevent the proliferation of missiles capable of delivering a 500-kilogram payload over distances of 300km and more.

India has been subjected to sanctions since it exploded a nuclear device at Pokhran in 1974 and turned into a full-fledged nuclear-weapons state through a series of underground tests in May 1998. Nor has India (or Pakistan) signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The restrictions have been eased over the past few years, partly because of Washington's strategic shift toward India, the influence of business interests (India's nuclear market is considered to be worth more than US$100 billion), and India's record as a "responsible nation" with a strong democratic traditions. It culminated in the Indo-US nuclear-energy cooperation deal this March.

However, it has also come to light that as part of the March pact (the contents of which were leaked to the media) Washington has been insisting that New Delhi agree to a future moratorium on testing of dual-use (nuclear or conventional warheads) missile technology and the testing another atomic bomb.

India has rejected such a commitment as a back-door entry to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. India has not signed the CTBT, as it feels that the treaty came into existence after those who possessed nuclear weapons had perfected the know-how. But at this delicate time, India is also keen not to annoy the United States and the US-backed 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) scheduled to deliberate on the issue next week in Brazil.

Some experts think that India's restrained approach as a nuclear power puts the country at a geopolitical disadvantage, as any mere symbolic capability is a liability. "For us to start acting as if we're a nuclear-weapons state may have it costs, because someone may end up believing you. And, as I say, if someone believes that you're a threat, then he may be moved to take some preemptive action,'' said analyst Bharat Karnad on CNN-IBN.

However, the thinking in New Delhi is different. The consensus holds that India now has a minimum credible nuclear deterrence in place, and so the Agni III should rest for a while. Given the acute electrical-power situation in the country, it could be a worthwhile tradeoff. In any case, it will not be possible for India to beat China in a nuclear-arms race for a long time.

This week Anil Kakodkar, chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission, said plans are in place to double the electricity production from nuclear power plants by 2030. "We are trying to realize the target of 20,000 megawatts and scale it up to 40,000MW by 2030, with the possibility of international cooperation," he said.

The importance to the nuclear pact that will make India eligible for supplies of enriched uranium to generate power became apparent in a roundabout way. At a recent event attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, M Natarajan, who is the scientific adviser to the government, said, "We are technically ready for the test-firing of the Agni III missile [since January]. We are awaiting a nod from the government.''

However, New Delhi, mindful of international reactions especially at the upcoming NSG and the ongoing wrangles at the US Congress, which is debating the Indo-US nuclear pact for legislation, has quickly said it has canceled the tests. Mukherjee, who is also a proponent of improved Sino-Indian ties and is slated to visit China this month, said, "As responsible members of the international community, we want to keep our international commitments on non-proliferation. We have no pressure on us, nor are we putting any political pressure. It is just that we have decided to have self-imposed restraint.''

New Delhi has further reiterated that it did not postpone the test-firing of Agni III under US pressure. Such decisions, it said, were based on its assessment of national-security needs. "Decisions concerning the country's strategic program, including the development and testing of different classes of missiles, are based on technical factors and a continuous review and assessment of our overall security environment,'' a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

So far, India has developed the 150-300km Prithvi and the 700-800km Agni I missiles, which are aimed at Pakistan and have been inducted into military service. In response, Pakistan has its own arsenal, including the 750km-range Shaheen I and 1,500km Ghauri-I ballistic missiles believed to be derivatives of the Chinese M-9 and North Korean Nodong missiles.

Last year, Pakistan successfully test-fired its first cruise missile. India has its own cruise missile, BrahMos, with a 300km strike range, believed to be similar to the US Tomahawk cruise missile, which was widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan. China's ballistic missiles are, of course, far more advanced and are said to cover most of the world.

Agni II (2,000km-plus, also inducted) and Agni III are seen as nuclear deterrents aimed at China. Agni III is said to be able to deliver a 200-300kg warhead with a high degree of accuracy. The longest-range, surface-to-surface Agni III has reportedly been ready for launch for two years, but the tests have been repeatedly postponed.

India's military capabilities and arsenal are developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which works in close coordination with space and nuclear-power institutions. At one level the announcement by Natarajan is seen as a way to deflect criticism of the DRDO as being steeped in red tape, delays and long gestation periods. However, there is no doubt that it is the shadow of Washington and access to nuclear energy that finally tilted the scales against the Agni III.

Boeing bids to sell P8 aircraft to Navy

2006-05-30T07:01:00.000-05:00

After playing hard to get with the Indian Air force, Boeing, the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer, has put up an offer to the Indian Navy.

In the first ever direct military sales offer, the aviation giant has bid to sell eight P8A anti-submarine aircrafts to India.

Boeing has also invited India to jointly manufacture the plane.

Multi-Mission Maritime aircraft or the P8 is a militarised version of the company's commercial jetliner 737. Designed as a maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, the P8, Boeing says, will dramatically enhance the Indian navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Boeing says the P8 is crucial for the Indian Navy to effectively defend a coastline that extends more than 7,000 kilometers.

Says Rick Buck, P8 Programme Manager, "It means persistent surveillance and reconnaissance in those waters. You know who's there, you know why there are there, you know what they are doing and you can execute on those if they happen to be hostile targets. This is a significant presence. The reliability of the aircraft means that you can pursue those missions 24/7."

A contract to build more than 100 P8s for the US navy is already in the pipeline for Boeing. A growing strategic Indo-US partnership means that for the first time ever the company has the opportunity to directly sell its technology to a foreign country.

Says Buck, "The aircraft we're developing for the US navy definitely provides us with an advantage in time. We're already under development, we already have flight-test programs established. We'll be able to take advantage of those flight test programs and engineer development to meet the scheduling time frame the Indian navy requires."

Boeing submitted its official bid to build the P8s to the Indian government last month. There are however other contenders in the market including Russia and Boeing's main competitor in the US - Lockheed Martin.

The P8-A is expected to offset the Navy's existing fleet of Ilyushin-38 and Tupolev 142 aircraft.

Indian Army to acquire 'Nishant' by mid-2007

2006-05-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

The first fleet of indigenously-built Unmanned Aerial Vehicle `Nishant', specifically designed for any-time launch and recovery, would be delivered to the Army by mid-2007, Aeronautical Development Establishment Director G Elangovan said today.

ADE conducted its 106th flight trial early this morning and the multi-mission UAV's successful launch and recovery here was watched by officials of the Coast Guard, he said.
"The uniqueness of Nishant is that it has no wheel at the bottom and is ready for launch and recovery from any point", he told reporters here.

Noting that it did not require a runway, he said the Indian Army had placed orders for the UAV with the Bangalore-based ADE and the first fleet would be delivered by middle of next year.
`Nishant' would be the state-of-the-art UAV to be acquired by the Army after `Lakshaya', which is now used as an aerial target system for shooting, Programme Director Natarajan said.
Besides, the UAV would also be used for civilian applications, he said.

With the commissioning of the ninth Indian Coast Guard station at Beypore near here - third in Kerala - full-time surveillance of coastal areas of the state would be complete, Coast Guard officials said.

Coast Guard Director General Prabhakaran Paleri would commission the station at Beypore on Thursday, they said.

EADS guns for India deal

2006-05-30T06:57:00.000-05:00

In a bid to tap the Indian market, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Consortium is in the race to provide hi-tech early warning systems for helicopters and armoured vehicles of the Indian Army besides offering ground-based radars and unmanned aerial vehicles.

"Early Warning (EW) systems are in increasing demand worldwide with even terrorists possessing shoulder-fired missiles to attack helicopters. We have requests from India for these equipment and we are in the bidding process to step into this business in India," Bernhard Gerwert, CEO and President of EADS Defence Electronics, told PTI on the sidelines of an international air-show, which concluded here on Sunday.

He said the EADS would tie up with Indian companies to produce these highly sophisticated equipments and also hold talks with Indian research institutes to develop and evolve the product pattern.

Gerwert, accompanied by company Vice President Alexander Reinhardt, said the Army has been asking EADS whether the system could be developed further for protecting armoured vehicles.

"The land forces have been asking for the same technology ... They want the same electronic equipment to protect tanks and armoured vehicles. We have developed this equipment for German land forces," he said, adding that negotiations were continuing with Indian companies on the issue.

Gerwert said that his firm was producing large variety of equipment for COMINT (Communication Intelligence), SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) and ELINT (Electronic Intelligence). "We are developing these in India through our South African subsidiary, Green Tech Aviation," he added without elaborating on the nature of such devices.

Speaking on network-centric simulation systems which coordinate and combine wartime efforts of different wings of the armed forces, he said "EADS will develop such equipment in India, which is a leading IT power and there are lot of experts there doing research and development on these issues".

"I cannot go into details ... I can only say that there is not only expertise, but a big market in India. Why should we hire Indian experts abroad. We will go right there and do work in India and that too, very soon," he said.

The EADS Defence Electronics produces a wide range of Electronic Self-Protection Systems, Missile Warning Systems, Radar Jammers, laser-guided Counter-Attack Measures and EW systems, which could be fitted on fighter jets like the futuristic Euro-fighter 'tornado', military choppers like Germany's tiger, the NH90 and A400m Military transport plane.

It was also developing "active protection" equipment called DIRCUM (Direct Infra-Red Counter Measure system) for aircraft, which are not just flares but active laser equipment which seek and destroy missiles.

Some other ultra hi-tech electronic devices include the missile launch detection system to protect helicopters and wide-bodied aircraft against missile attacks, which could be mounted on VVIP aircraft. Another device, Hellas-W (Helicopter Laser Radar Warning), was the only one in the world that could protect choppers from obstacles like high-voltage transmission lines by scanning the surroundings with laser beams.

IAEA Chief urges US Congress to approve India-US nuclear deal

2006-05-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, has urged the US Congress to endorse the legislation to allow India obtain American nuclear technology as well as power plant equipment.

In a rare and most direct appeal to US Congressmen and Senators on Wednesday, ElBaradei said the civilian nuclear agreement between India and the US lawmakers on behalf of an agreement initiated by President George W Bush would for the first time give India access to nuclear technology from the US and other nations.

"To me, this is a win-win agreement, and I hope it will go through Congress," said ElBaradei soon after meeting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department.

In her remarks, Rice said, "We've also talked about the US-India deal and Dr ElBaradei has been very supportive -- not because he is trying to intervene in US-Indian relations, but as we have talked about it because we need to broaden our concept of non-proliferation regime in order to deal with anomalies like the Indian situation. And then finally, of course, we've talked about Iran and how to bring into being compliance with the Board of Governors resolution that was passed and also the presidential statement that was passed in the Security Council that asks Iran to rapidly comply with the international community's demands."

The US-India nuclear accord, announced by President Bush during his visit to India earlier this year would lift a 30-year-old ban on keeping India out of the non-proliferation regime.

To become effective, the deal has to be endorsed by the US Congress where the legislation proposed by the Bush administration is pending with Democrats stalling the process by saying that the US Congress could act faster if India's talks with the IAEA were speeded up and Congress had an idea about the broad contours of the India-IAEA safeguards agreement. US arms control hawks also point to this alleged delay in talks with the IAEA as evidence of Indian perfidy.

However, the administration officials argued that the deal would benefit both countries as India is the world’s most populous democracy, an ally against terrorism and it could open up a huge commerce market for US companies.

Besides being approved by the US Congress, the deal has to be endorsed by consensus in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Negotiations on this are being debated in London, Washington, New Delhi and Brazil.

The major benefits outlined by the Bush administration were that the nuke deal was a net gain for non-proliferation as India would open its civilian nuclear programme to IAEA inspection and it would also allow US firms to invest in India’s nuclear programme.

They had also said that American companies would gain from development of India’s nuclear power as it needed nuclear power reactors.

Regarding Iran, Secretary Rice acknowledged that a closed door meeting of the so-called P-Five Plus One grouping in London ended without an agreement and she discussed the results of the London meeting at a joint press appearance with Mohamed el Baradei.

"We did not expect that they were going to finalise all matters, and I think they are still working on some matters," said Rice.

However, neither Rice nor her key aides were specific about the problem issues in the talks.

IAEA chief was understood to support a direct US nuclear dialogue with Iran instead of the Bush administration's current approach of working through Britain, France and Germany.

However, in the appearance with Rice, ElBaradei said the format of talks was for the United States to decide, and that his role was as an honest broker in pursuit of a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis.

Pak approves purchase of Swedish aircrafts

2006-05-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

Pakistan's government has approved the purchase of six Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft from Sweden, news reports said on Thursday.

The cabinet approved the purchase after defence officials told the ministers that Pakistan required a reliable surveillance system to safeguard its airspace, a government statement said.

Pakistan had signed a one-billion-dollar deal with Sweden in October to purchase the early-warning-system aircraft. President Pervez Musharraf had started negotiating for the aircraft during his July 2004 visit to Stockholm.

Also during Wednesday's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz thanked China for its support and cooperation in building the JF-Thunder fighter aircraft.

The Pakistani Air Force is to induct the first batch of JF-17s in its fleet sometime next year, followed by the jet's serial production in the country the same year.

Conceived in 1992, the JF-17 project was jointly undertaken by Pakistan and China until the first prototype carried out its maiden flight in September 2003.

It is a lightweight multi-role jet that can fly at a speed of mach 1.6 with an operational ceiling of 16,765 metres.

IAF likely to purchase US transport aircraft

2006-05-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has proposed to procure specialised American C-130 J transport aircraft, according to sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The IAF in its recent communication to the MoD has sought technical details of the C-130 J transport aircraft from the manufacturer for rapid deployment of armed forces in counter-insurgency operations.

The C-130 J aircraft made by the American aviation giant Lockheed-Martin, are used by special forces in western countries for specialised operations like storming hostage holding centres and hijacked planes.

The aircraft, according to the manufacturers, has a capability to land even on improvised makeshift landing grounds and even without lights.

According to company sources, the IAF and Border Security Force (BSF) could be in the market to purchase 12 to 13 of such aircraft. IAF presently uses its medium lift AN-32 aircraft as a carrier for special forces. The IAF which has 100 of these transport aircraft, is at present undertaking an emergency upgrade of these aircraft as well as heavier IL-76 aircraft to extend their life by 10-20 years.

Lockheed-Martin is also offering the C-130 Hercules aircraft as a replacement for IAF’s AN-32 fleet.

The flight deck of the ‘J’ series has been completely revised to provide the three-man crews with a state of the art “glass cockpit” environment.

The incorporation of multi-function, flat screen, displays has significantly reduced the number of dials that were in the earlier variants and are complemented by head-up displays, which present a host of flight management information directly into the pilot’s field of view as he scans the skies around him.

Additionally, the newer, advanced Rolls Royce Allison T56-A-15 Turboprop engines drive six-blade, carbon composite propellers. These engines are controlled by Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) units, which improve performance without compromising the high level of fuel efficiency. The propeller blades are fully reversible, allowing the ‘J’ model to manoeuvre better on the ground, the sources said.

PROFILE OF A C-130 j

Role: Primary Function Intratheater airlift

Power Plant: Four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops (4,300 HP, each)

Length: 97 ft

Height: 38 ft

Wingspan: 132 ft

Speed: 374 mph (Mach 0.57) at 20,000 ft (6,060 mts)

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 69,750 kgs

Normal Passenger capacity: Up to 92 troops or 64 paratroops or 74 litter patients

Range: 2,356 miles (2,049 nautical miles) with maximum payload; 2,500 miles (2,174 nautical miles) with 11,250 kgs cargo and 5,200 miles (4,522 nautical miles) with no cargo

US sees greater Indian role in Malacca Straits

2006-05-24T07:57:00.000-05:00

The US sees a greater role for the Indian Navy in the Malacca Straits region, one of the world's busiest sea-lanes, a top US admiral said Tuesday.

"Let me make it very clear - the US is not interested in patrolling the region. It is for the littoral states (of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) to do so. India and Japan also have a more active role to play," Admiral Gary Roughead, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said.

India and Japan are already conducting joint patrols in the region.

"Global prosperity depends on the free flow of commerce on the seas," Roughead said.

Some 50,000 vessels pass every year through the Malacca Straits, an 800-km long waterway that links Asia with the Middle East and Europe. It carries some 40 per cent of the world's trade, including 80 percent of South Korea's and Japan's oil and gas and 80 per cent of China's oil.

During his visit, Roughead met Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, to discuss greater interaction between the two navies.

"We will continue to advance our relationship. I believe we can do good things for our navies," he said, pointing out that the Indian Navy had been invited to depute observers for two major exercises - Valiant Shield and Rimpac - to be held in the Pacific later this year.

"We have also invited India to post a liaison officer at the Pacific Command headquarters (at Honolulu) and are awaiting a response on this," Roughead said.

The US admiral responded positively when asked whether the two navies had reached a stage of coordination.

"We enjoy a rather unique position in that we can come together at short notice (as happened in the wake of the December 26, 2004, killer tsunami)," he pointed out.

This was also reflected in the impromptu exercise conducted by the INS Viraat and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carriers of the two navies off the Sri Lankan coast earlier this year.

"It wasn't planned. Ronald Reagan was transiting the area. Viraat was in the region. We got together for a quick exercise," the admiral said.

"As I often say - practice, practice, practice. Through exchange of methods, we will devise procedures that we both will benefit from," said Roughead, who spent two-and-a-half years of his childhood in Mumbai where his father, an executive with a US oil company, was posted.

"I was there from two-and-a-half to five. I was very young. All I remember is that the house we lived in seemed huge. I was very much taken in by the vastness and the beauty of the surroundings," he said.

Indian, U.K. Navies Meet for Arabian Sea Exercise

2006-05-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

Indian Navy aircraft will take off from the deck of the British Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier Illustrious during joint exercises under way off the coast of Goa, a senior Indian Navy official said.

The two navies began their Konkan exercises May 11 in the Arabian Sea. It is part of a regular series of joint exercises between the British and Indian fleets, begun in 2004.

The Indian Navy has fielded the guided-missile destroyer Mumbai, guided-missile frigates Ganga and Brahmaputra, fleet replenishment tanker Shakti and the recently modernized HDW-class submarine Shankush.

The Royal Navy task force comprises the Illustrious, guided-missile destroyer Gloucester, fleet replenishment tanker Fort Victoria, submarine support ship Diligence and nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) Sovereign.

The joint naval exercise ends May 29.

US, Indian navies should go beyond 'exercises': US admiral

2006-05-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

The Indian and United States navies should go beyond "exercises" and look to expanding the relationship to enchance inter-operability for providing security, US Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Gary Roughead has said.
Praising the "professionalism" of the Indian Navy, the admiral, who arives in India next week, said both navies should not "simply be thinking in terms of this exercise or that exercise but as two very capable navies. How do we operate in the region? What are some of our shared objectives and interests that we have? How should our leadership interact and what should our agenda be?"

The admiral who emphasised inter-operability as the "most important priority" between the two navies, said his discussions with the Indian naval brass in New Delhi would include sharing of technology and policy. He may also talk about arms procurement by the Indian Navy.

"The first thing is how do we make sure we are able to share information from both a technical and also a policy point of view. It is from that sharing of information that opens up the opportunities to work in areas such as maritime security. Before you can do any type of operation you really have to have a common understanding," he told PTI.

Making the point that such sharing of information should not be limited to just the time of joint operations, he said it should be such "that our navies operate in a way, are equipped in a way that when we come to operate it is always automatic."

"I don't see the challenges. I see the opportunities. So the opportunity to come together, to be able to work together, to work with other nations in the region in a reinforcing way I think is so very important," Admiral Roughead said, adding, "I believe the interest that the Indian Navy has expressed in some of the procurements recently can only add to that."

He said he would look at ways to raise the level and complexities of activities between both forces.

The admiral who recalled his boyhood days in Mumbai said his visit was also a "good opportunity" to meet with the leadership of the Indian Navy. "I have had several occasions to meet with the leadership -- Admiral (Arun) Prakash visited Hawaii last year and it was my honour to be able to spend sometime with them. We talked on several issues and then in the intervening months I have been to several conferences where the navy leadership was represented."

U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation

2006-05-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

David C. Mulford, U.S. ambassador to India, delivered an address on the state of U.S.-India relations and the importance of the proposed nuclear agreement between the two countries. Edited excerpts follow.

India’s transformation is accelerating, and a new U.S.-India relationship has emerged in the past three years. Our growing partnership touches almost every field of human endeavor.

We should not misjudge the vital importance of the normalization of India’s civil nuclear relation with us and with the world. The civil nuclear agreement as it stands agreed between the United States and India is the cornerstone. Going forward, do we really want India outside the world’s nuclear nonproliferation system, its gifted scientific community and political leadership confined to continued isolation? I think not.

The negotiations leading to the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement were long and complex, but at all times civil and constructive. The final result represents a fine balance of our respective national interests and political realities. India has already put in place new antiproliferation legislation and is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries. Legitimate concerns and questions on the agreement will be addressed by the administration.

In the end, we will need to make a fundamental judgment based on this agreement and the long-term interests of the United States. I believe this agreement will strongly serve U.S. national and global interests. It will strengthen the world’s nonproliferation regime, help address India’s real and growing energy needs, and recognize the new reality of India.

On May 11, AEI hosted another event on the U.S.-Indian strategic partnership. The panelists looked beyond the issue of whether Congress would or should approve the nuclear deal to how the outcome of any such agreement would affect the broader partnership. The keynote speech for the day was given by State Department counselor Philip Zelikow, a senior policy adviser to the secretary of state.

Crash rate of MiG-21s is down: IAF chief

2006-05-23T07:13:00.000-05:00

The number of crashes involving MiG-21 jets has gone down in the past year, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi said here today, refusing to accept that the jets were "flying coffins".

Compared to the average of 23 crashes of MiG-21s annually 10 years ago, the last fiscal year was the "safest" in IAF history, with only 11 of the Russian-designed jets going down, Tyagi told reporters.

"Why would the government allow pilots to fly them had not the MiG-21s been safe?" he asked. "It is not at all a flying coffin. Who has given this name? Perhaps a sub-editor in a newspaper working late at night has coined the word," he said when asked how long the IAF would continue to fly the MiG-21s.

On the delay in commissioning the Light Combat Aircraft, Tyagi said designing a combat jet was very complex and was being done by India after 30 years.

"As this is a new venture, it will take some time. In between sanctions were imposed on India which came as a setback to the progress of the LCA," he said.

Now both the IAF and the defence ministry would determine how fast the LCA project could be pushed to get quick results "because after all the air chief would want to fly an Indian-designed aircraft rather than a foreign production", he said.

MRCA Update Part 1: Mirage 2000s Withdrawn As India's MRCA Fighter Competition Changes

2006-03-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

It's the biggest fighter aircraft deal since the early 1990s,said Boeing's Mark Kronenberg, who runs the company's Asia/Pacific business. DID has offered ongoing coverage of India's planned multi-billion dollar jet fighter buy, from its early days as a contest between Dassault, Saab, and MiG for a 126 plane order to the possible entry of American competitors and even EADS' Eurofighter. What began as a lightweight fighter competition to replace India's shrinking MiG-21 interceptor fleet appears to have bifurcated into two categories now, and two expense tiers.

That trend got a sharp boost recently, when Press Trust of India (PTI) reported a surprise pullout by the CEO of Dassault on the eve of the RFP. The Mirage 2000v5 will no longer be fielded for the India deal, despite the fact that India already flies 40 Mirage 2000Ds and its senior officials have touted standardization as a plus factor. So, what's going on?

In a word, lots. The participants are changing, India's view of its own needs is changing, and the size and nature of the order may be changing as well....

Dassault's Move: The Rafale Option

According to India Press Trust, Chacks Edelstenne, CEO of Dassault Aviation, visited the Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh and The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal AK Nangalia on February 21, 2006. He informed his audience that "we are on the verge of closing the Mirage fighter assembly line and want to offer India a quantum jump in technology... Though India has not not floated the Request for Proposals (RFP), we have conveyed to India to supply 40 Rafale multi-mission fighters in single source deal."

In a related move, French engine maker Snecma, which is also bidding for DRDO's joint collaboration project on the Tejas LCA's Kaveri engines, has offered to mount Kaveri engines in Rafale fighters.

Media reports note that India's decision-making speed may have had something to do with the switch, as Dassault sources claimed that it would take at least three-four years for a contract to actually be signed with India. Word is that the French government thought that it would be too expensive to keep the Mirage factories running during that time without additional export prospects.

Dassault has reportedly assured India that its extensive Mirage repair and servicing facilities set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Bangalore would require only 'limited modification' to accommodate the Rafale, given its commonalities with the Mirage 2000s.

Dassault may be completely up-front about the reasons behind this choice. It may also have decided that the introduction of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, MiG-35, and changing requirements in the RFP make the Mirage a loser anyway, while boosting the Rafale's chance of securing an export order that would be critical to its long-term future.

Whichever way one leans, the withdrawal of the Mirage 2000 from the competition appears to be official and final.

India's MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft): Changes

The original intent of India's fighter purchase was to replace hundreds of non-upgraded MiG-21s that India will be forced to retire, with a complementary force of 126 aircraft to go with India's high end Su-30MKIs, and its low-end Tejas LCA lightweight fighter. India is a large country, with coverage needs over a wide area (see map of airbases in "Order of Battle") and on several fronts.

Lightweight multi-role fighters that could make up for declining aircraft numbers with broader and better capabilities would appear to fit that need, and their initial shortlist followed that template.

The Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 were already in service with India in this role, and the JAS-39 offered a fourth generation aircraft whose costs and profile place it firmly in the lightweight fighter category. These aircraft served as a hedge against the potential failure of the Tejas lightweight Combat Aircraft project, and also offered a more immediate solution to plussing up numbers as existing MiG-21s and MiG-23s/MiG-27s were forced into retirement.

Since those early days, sharply improved relations with the USA have introduced a pair of American planes into the competition, and India's view of its own needs is changing. Official sources told Jane's that RFPs are now to be issued to France's Dassault (Mirage 2000-5 and Rafale), BAE/Saab (JAS-39 Gripen), EADS/BAE (Eurofighter Typhoon), The American firms Lockheed (F-16 Block 70) and Boeing (F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet), and Russia's Rosonboronexport (MiG-29OVT with thrust vectoring, aka. MiG-35).

India's requirements are also changing. Jane's Defence Weekly notes that India wishes to 'significantly' augment their strike capability and range to deal with out-of-area contingencies (a trend noted by DID recently). This has delayed the MRCA RFP, originally expected in December 2005. Another contributor to these delays has been the need to refine and clarify the new industrial offset rules (perhaps US lobbying has made a difference).

Of even greater importance is Jane's belief that India will increase its initial requirement from 126 multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) to around 180-190 aircraft, with the additional number being considered for acquisition by the Indian Navy. Reports to other outlets vary, however, and some reports have India standing firm at 126 aircraft.

The naval requirement will be extremely significant because the current roster of competitors contains only two aircraft that qualify for future STOBAR1 carriers like the INS Vikramaditya (ex- Admiral Gorshkov) and the Vikrant Class (aka. Air Defence Ship), which will reportedly weigh in at 37,500 tonnes with a design that is heavily influenced by Italy's Cavour Class.

Those aircraft are the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault's Rafale-M variant. Additionally, the MiG-35 is related to the MiG-29K naval variant slated for operation on INS Vikramaditya. If Russia wishes to invest in the idea, a carrier-capable MiG-35K may also be doable - if the extra weight of the new fuel tanks doesn't create a problem given the hard impacts of carrier landings.

Recall India's need to replace large numbers of aircraft. Given that both the Rafale and Super Hornet carry flyaway costs in the $55-70 million per plane range, and total program costs significantly higher than that, a naval requirement within the competition almost certainly means a split of the order between these high-expense platforms and a cheaper lightweight fighter contender. For instance, there's the possibility of a smaller F/A-18 E/F order and a large MiG-35 order.

India's defense procurement process is definitely a game for the patient, but an RFP that clarifies India's exact requirements and timelines is expected within the next few few months.

Getting the US-India Nuclear Deal through Congress

2006-03-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

March 18
Washington, DC
Nik Khanna

Many U.S. Congressmen have asked for a change in the U.S.-India nuclear deal signed early this month, the New York Times reported Friday. In the agreement reached last week, Washington reversed longstanding policy by agreeing to sell nuclear technology to India despite India not having signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

As Congressional debate began Thursday on bills that would approve the Bush administration's nuclear deal with India, many Senate and House members were telling administration officials that they wanted to rewrite parts of the agreement, the newspaper said. Many believe, that in the new context of geo-political transformation and India's growing nuclear power needs, an exception to the NPT can be made for India.

The leaders of the House and the Senate Foreign Relations committees introduced bills on Thursday to authorize the deal. But the Republican chairman of the committees made it clear that they did not necessarily support the legislation and were introducing it only as a favor to the White House.

The White House, in a March 8 press release strongly defended the Nuclear pact. It denied that the deal would accelerate the nuclear rivalry between India and Pakistan, saying Washington "has no intention of aiding" New Delhi's atomic weapons program or of concluding a similar cooperation deal with Islamabad.

"We do not intend to pursue a similar civil nuclear cooperation initiative with Pakistan," said the White House.

It also dismissed any notion of a double-standard that might embolden nuclear ambitions in Tehran or Pyongyang.

"It is not credible to compare the rogue regimes of North Korea and Iran to India. Unlike Iran or North Korea, India has been a peaceful and vibrant democracy with a strong nuclear nonproliferation record," the White House said.

The news release from Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, placed the words "at the request" of the administration in capital letters.

This week, Hyde said he believed members of Congress "may seek conditions for its approval." The New York Times quoted an unidentified official as saying that could mean reopening the deal and making changes.

Under a plan made last July, the United States would help India build nuclear power plants, and India would allow regular international inspections of its civilian reactors. As part of the agreement signed in New Delhi, India has agreed to put all civilian reactors under IAEA inspections and safeguards.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached a formal agreement during Bush's visit to New Delhi this month. But the deal is subject to the approval of Congress and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the nations that control nuclear trade.

Critics said that the U.S.-India nuclear deal violates American law and the NSG practice because India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Concerns over proliferation and the continued secrecy of India's nuclear weapons program leave many members of the U.S. Congress wary, the New York Times said.

Bush Administration Encouraged About India Civil Nuclear Deal

2006-03-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

U.S. Congress considering legislation to allow deal to proceed
By David Shelby

March 20, 2006
Monday

Washington - The Bush administration is encouraged by the initial response it has received from members of Congress on the proposed U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns says.

The pact was signed by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during Bush's visit to India in early March.

Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives introduced legislation March 16 that would exempt India from certain restrictions on the export of U.S. nuclear technology. Both houses must pass this legislation, and the final bill must be signed by the president, before the deal can proceed.

"This is going to be a somewhat lengthy process. It's likely to take several months because that's the way the American process works," Burns told reporters at a briefing in Washington March 16. But he added, "We are encouraged by the number of members of the Senate and the House who have spoken out publicly in favor of this agreement."

Burns said the administration respects Congress' right to demand comprehensive briefings on the agreement and said all administration officials who have dealt with the issue are prepared to testify "so that we can spell out in some detail exactly what has been agreed to and what the ramifications of this might be for the nonproliferation regime and for our relations with other countries."

The under secretary said that most members of Congress have reserved judgment on the agreement given that it marks a significant departure from three decades of conventional thinking about the international nuclear nonproliferation regime. But in discussions with members of Congress over the past two weeks, he said, he has heard support for the administration's efforts to tackle a difficult issue: "how to have a functioning and effective nonproliferation system, and include in that this very large country that has a nuclear power industry and wants to expand the nuclear power industry."

Burns maintained that the agreement actually will strengthen the nonproliferation regime because India has committed to put all current and future civilian nuclear facilities under permanent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. He said India also has agreed to strengthen its export controls on sensitive technologies.

India has a history of respecting nonproliferation norms, Burns added.

"[A] lot of countries around the world have a lot of experience with India in the nuclear realm, and of course a lot of countries have taken a close look at India's record on nonproliferation," he said. "And the consensus that I hear talking to most of the members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group is that we all agree on one thing: India, while it's been outside the NPT [nuclear nonproliferation treaty], has conformed to a lot of the practices of the countries inside the NPT."

Burns dismissed the idea that India would use the deal to expand its nuclear arsenal, arguing that the majority of Indian investment would be in the civilian nuclear power industry.

If Congress adopts legislation allowing the deal to move forward, the administration will have to seek the approval of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for India to engage in trade of nuclear-related materials with NSG members. The NSG is a group of 45 nuclear supplier countries that seeks to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by implementing guidelines for trade in nuclear materials.

Burns noted that several members of the NSG already have expressed support for the deal. He added that India is the only country that merits exceptional treatment from the NSG because of its history of respect for nonproliferation norms.

Vaunted U.S.-India nuclear deal begins to fall apart

2006-02-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

Brahma Chellaney - International Herald Tribune
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006

With international attention focused on Iran's renegade nuclear program, a much-trumpeted nuclear deal that was to showcase the emerging global strategic partnership between the United States and India has begun to unravel virtually unnoticed.

Unless the United States rolls back its demands, it is almost certain that no formal nuclear agreement will be ready for signature when President George W. Bush arrives in New Delhi on March 1. A barren U.S. presidential visit would ensure a slow death for the accord.

That accord represented a statement of intent to promote civil nuclear-energy cooperation. Since it was announced last July, intense negotiations on a formal agreement have run into major hurdles over U.S. efforts to shift the goalpost, triggering an Indian backlash. The present and former chiefs of the Indian nuclear program have vented their fury in public against the U.S. negotiating goals.

The concern in Washington over the July deal coming loose has found expression in contradictory ways - first an undiplomatic outburst by the U.S. ambassador to India that resulted in him being summoned to the Indian foreign office for an admonition, and then the dangling of a new carrot.

To salvage the deal, the Bush administration is offering to include India in its proposed global energy partnership program that is to supply countries with reactor fuel and take back the spent fuel afterward to prevent its use weaponry. The dubious plan is to rely on a technology that at present remains prone to catching fire and is not cost-effective. The U.S. Congress, moreover, is unlikely to change the law to allow the dumping of foreign-generated nuclear waste.

In any case, the invitation to India is contingent upon successful negotiations to implement last July's accord. Those negotiations, however, have been caught up in battles over U.S. demands that India bring much of its autonomous nuclear program under permanent international inspections.

New Delhi "reciprocally" agreed in July to accept a series of legally binding obligations that include the civil-military separation of its nuclear program. But no sooner had the accord had been signed than Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns repudiated the principle of reciprocity, declaring the accord "will have to be implemented by the Indian government and then we will have to seek these changes from the Congress."

While the accord merely states that India will begin "identifying and separating civilian and military nuclear facilities and programs in a phased manner," Washington has added specific conditionality - that such a separation plan be "credible," "transparent" and "defensible." Put simply, America has set itself up as the arbiter to whom India is answerable. In contrast, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured India's Parliament that, "It will be an autonomous Indian decision as to what is 'civilian' and what is 'military."'

Washington has also sought to renege on the accord's central plank - that India would "assume the same responsibilities and practices and acquire the same benefits and advantages as other leading countries with advanced nuclear technology." Washington now insists India cannot pursue the same "practices" as the five established nuclear powers, which offer nuclear materials and facilities for International Atomic Energy Agency inspections in return for token inspections by the agency.

U.S. negotiators are also insisting on a watertight civil-military separation in India, contrary to the practice in the other nuclear powers, most of which do not even pretend to have carried out any such segregation. Furthermore, by seeking to apply international inspections to the Indian uranium-enrichment and beryllium facilities and to the dual-purpose fast-breeder program, U.S. negotiators are seeking to constrict India's nuclear military capability before New Delhi has built a credible minimal deterrent against its main rival, China.

America's goalpost-shifting approach shows it will accept India at most as a second-class nuclear power. India is unlikely to countenance that. The only way the deadlock can be broken is through political intervention at the highest level. And by a return to the principles enshrined in last July's accord.

US, India close to civil nuclear agreement: Burns

2006-01-30T19:35:00.000-05:00

Sridhar Krishnaswami in Washington | January 28, 2006 12:14 IST
Please click on link for original news item

Business ties linked to India-US relations: Lockheed

2006-01-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, January 30, 2006

American defence major Lockheed Martin, in the race to sell 126 combat jets to India, on Monday said the status of India-US diplomatic ties would influence its plans to supply military hardware to the country.

"Governmental relations in the national security arena have an impact on our ability to do business," said Robert Trice, Lockheed Martin's senior vice president for business development.

"We in the (US) industry follow the lead of our government. Everything we do has to have the full support of the US administration and Congress," he told a news conference in New Delhi.

Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter is one of five jets currently being considered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its plan to acquire 126 jets as part of its modernisation programme. Boeing is also in the race with its F-18 jet.

Trice is in India as part of the Lockheed Martin delegation that will attend the Defexpo 2006 arms fair here. Defence majors from the US will have the largest presence at the four-day event.

In the past, India has been reluctant to source defence hardware from the US in view of that country's complicated procedures for arms sales and its sanction regimes that have resulted in spares being withheld in the past.

Asked if any possible deal between India and Lockheed Martin would be vulnerable to such concerns, Trice said: "Anything can happen."

But he hastened to add: "We would not be here if we were not hopeful of establishing a long-term relationship."

The Indian government is expected to announce soon its formal "request for proposals" for the 126-jet deal. Besides the US-made jets, other aircraft being considered are Sweden's Gripen, Russia's MiG-29 and France's Mirage 2000.

The US government has thrown its weight behind the pitch made by Lockheed Martin and Boeing but some Indian experts have cautioned against any major arms deals with US firms, especially in light of complexities being encountered with the India-US civil nuclear deal of 2005.

Trice, however, noted that the US-India Business Council was lobbying with Indian and American politicians to convince them about the long-term benefits of bilateral ties in economics and defence.

As all arms contracts worth over Rs 6 billion ($136 million) are governed by regulations that require foreign firms to source components worth 30 per cent of the total value of the deal from India, Trice said Lockheed Martin intended to forge "technical collaborations" with Indian partners if it bagged the 126-jet order.

"In most markets, we are not interested in having direct ownership (of assets) or in forming joint ventures... We will transfer as much technology as the US government is comfortable with to create as many long-term jobs as possible," he said.

Bumpy Ride for Indo-US Nuclear Deal

2006-01-27T10:59:00.000-05:00

POLITICS: Analysis by Praful Bidwai
Inter Press Service News Agency

NEW DELHI , Jan 24 (IPS) - The "nuclear cooperation" agreement signed by United States President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, six months ago in Washington, has run into trouble over separation of India’s civilian installations from the military.

Please click on link below

India summons US envoy over Iran

2006-01-27T10:53:00.000-05:00

Last Updated: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 14:21 GMT
BBC News - please click on link below for original news item.

India has summoned the US ambassador to Delhi after comments he made over India's relations with Iran.

US Ambassador David Mulford had warned that a deal giving India US nuclear technology could collapse if India does not back a UN motion against Iran.

He was told his comments were "inappropriate and not conducive" to US-India relations, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Mr Mulford earlier said his remarks were taken out of context.

The US State Department said Mr Mulford was voicing his "personal opinion".

The US is pursuing action against Iran which it suspects of trying to develop a nuclear weapons programme.

Mr Mulford told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency on Wednesday that the US was keen to have India's support when UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets to discuss Iran.

"If [India] opposes Iran having nuclear weapons, we think they should record it in the vote."

India's failure to do so, he said, would have a "devastating" effect on US Congress members who have yet to approve the nuclear deal.

"I think the initiative will die in the Congress. Not because the administration would want it to, but the Congress will... so I think this is part of the calculation that India has to keep in mind," Mr Mulford said.

Mr Mulford also said India had not met "test of credibility" in showing a clear separation of its civilian and military nuclear programmes - a key condition of the technology-sharing deal agreed last year, the PTI said.

'Sincere regrets'

Mr Mulford was summoned by India's Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, on Thursday afternoon and told that his comments were "inappropriate and not conducive to building a strong partnership between the two democracies," a foreign ministry statement said.

It said that the ambassador was informed that India's vote on any possible resolution on the Iran nuclear issue at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be determined by India's own judgement of the merits of the case.

"The ambassador expressed his sincere regrets, saying that his remarks had been taken out of context," the foreign ministry statement said.

India has rejected attempts to tie its stance on Iran to the deal with the US.

Washington agreed last year to share advanced civilian nuclear technology with Delhi, lifting sanctions triggered by India's nuclear tests in 1998.

State department spokesman Sean McCormark said on Wednesday that Mr Mulford was "reflecting" the "very strongly held feelings about Iran" in the Congress about the Iran issue.

"Ultimately, how India votes on this matter is going to be a decision of the Indian government. They voted to find Iran in non-compliance the last time around and we certainly would encourage and hope that they vote for referral this time around," he said.

Mr McCormack also sought to separate the civilian nuclear deal with how India votes on the Iran issue.

"We deal with the Indian government on these two issues as separate issues. Certainly, they come up in the same conversations," he told reporters in Washington.

Correspondents say Mr McCormack's comments are a move to defuse any potential political and diplomatic row that could erupt between the two countries ahead of President George Bush's visit to India in March.

'Serious apprehensions'

One of the key allies of the ruling Congress party-led coalition, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also demanded the government must clarify its stand after Mr Mulford's comments.

"These remarks raises serious apprehensions regarding the nuclear cooperation deal being negotiated with the US," the CPI(M) said in a statement.

Mr Mulford has said that his comments to the Press Trust Of India had "been taken out of context".

"Iran is a matter where we know India will vote on the basis of its own national interest," he said.

The Press Trust of India is standing by its interview.

Diplomat under fire over US-India nuclear deal comments

2006-01-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last Update: Friday, January 27, 2006. 9:33am (AEDT)
The US Ambassador to India has been carpeted over comments that India's nuclear deal with his country could be in jeopardy if India does not back international action against Iran.

In an interview with the press trust of India, America's ambassador to India David Mulford, made it very clear that the US Congress was unlikely to tolerate an Indian refusal to vote against Iran at a meeting of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) next month.

He suggested the cost could be a landmark civilian nuclear technology sharing deal, signed by President George Bush and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last July.

The deal effectively marked the beginning fo a new relationship between the world's most powerful and most populous democracies.

It means India will be the only country getting advanced nuclear technology from the US, even though it conducted nuclear tests and refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Mr Mulford has since expressed his sincere regret for the comments, which he says were taken out of context.

New Delhi faces a diplomatic balancing act ahead of Bush's state visit

2006-01-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

By Jo Johnson and Caroline Daniel - FT
Published: January 27 2006 02:00 | Last updated: January 27 2006 02:00

When President George W. Bush makes his first visit to India in March, officials in New Delhi had hoped to be more than just tour guides.

Instead, they wanted to cement the strategic relationship by seeing the US move to lift restrictions on nuclear co-operation, a key step towards embracing India as a nuclear power.

Yet the trip threatens to be overshadowed by wrangling over how India will separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and place the former under international safeguards.

A former US official said that US diplomats came to the conclusion earlier this month that nothing would happen by Mr Bush's trip in March.

He blamed the faulty origins of the deal, which was forged last July behind closed doors, late at night with no congressional consultation and few details.

"You reap what you sow," the official said.

While filling in those details is now proving problematic, the original ambition was simple: to end the anomalous situation created by India's refusal to sign what it regarded as a discriminatory Non-Proliferation Treaty and give up its option to become a nuclear weapons state.

It exercised this option in 1998, but could not be recognised as a nuclear weapons state by NPT signatories and attracted US sanctions.

Since the 1998 nuclear tests, it has been India's objective to circumvent the NPT by persuading a dominant power to recognise it as a nuclear weapons state and to use that endorsement to persuade other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to follow suit.

Even so, New Delhi faces difficulties on two fronts. First, its atomic energy establishment is not yet fully on board. The Department of Atomic Energy has presented a draft separation plan that was, in the words of C. Raja Mohan, a security expert and commentator, "rather meagre and hardly credible".

Its second difficulty lies in securing the support of Communist coalition partners, who accuse the US of linking the talks to India's vote to send Iran's nuclear programme to the United Nations Security Council and berate the government for its abandonment of India's traditional anti-imperialism and stance of non-alignment.

The US faces equally tough domestic politics. Many congressmen, such as Tom Lantos, have made it clear that their support is dependent on India voting the right way on Iran. Administration officials have also sparked unease by appearing to link the two issues.

"We mishandled the Iran connection from the beginning and there has been a screw-up. We have made it harder for the Indians," says George Perkovich, vice-president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The administration faces an articulate non-proliferation lobby concerned about the fate of the NPT, as well as bruised congressional feelings atthe lack of consultation when the deal was struck and a lack of strong advocates. Even Democrats who play a leading role in the US-India lobby have been reluctant to express clear support, waiting to see if they can deliver a blow to the administration by scotching a key policy.

On the plus side in the US, few congressmen want to offend Indian-Americans in an election year, and generally support closer engagement with India.

The US-India lobby is the largest on Capitol Hill, with nearly 200 members. "The US industry is supportive," says Ron Somers, of the US-India Business Council. "The business community wants the administration to take the lead, and we are waiting for word that the separation plan is in hand and credible, and then industry's voice will be heard on Capitol Hill."

Few believe India will miss the chance to do a deal that addresses its chronic energy shortage. If India does not secure a nuclear supply deal with the US, it will soon, for example, have no fuel to run its reactor at Tarapur in Maharashtra and is unlikely, in the absence of US consent, to be able to secure this fuel from anyone else.

"Even Russia has made it clear that it might not be able to supply fuel for Tarapur until India comes to an non-proliferation understanding with the international community," Mr Mohan wrote this week.

"If there is no progress before President Bush arrives here, India might as well forget about the nuclear deal."

India's Congress party hails civil nuclear energy pact with US

2006-01-23T10:18:00.000-05:00

Hyderabad | January 22, 2006 6:15:06 PM IST

The Congress party Sunday hailed the civil nuclear energy cooperation between India and the US as a significant diplomatic achievement.

In its draft resolution on "external security and international affairs", the party said the agreement would be implemented in a spirit of transparency and reciprocity as stated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The Congress appreciated the technological, energy and other imperatives that formed the backdrop to the Indo-US agreement of July 18, 2005," it said.

In an obvious reference to the criticism by Left parties, which have accused the Congress-led government of surrendering to US interests, the resolution said: "India believes that it has the self-confidence and ability to take advantage of emerging opportunities, exercising its own independent judgment."

The party endorsed the signing of the new framework for US-India defence relationship in June 2005.

"This is an enabling document which would promote exchanges in the defence field, based on the mutual interest and benefit," it said.

The resolution paid tributes to the contributions made by the Indian-American community in US to strengthen Indo-US relations and in changing the perception of India through their professional excellence and notable achievements.

(IANS)

Chamber Applauds Progress in U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Initiative; Chamber Spearheading Major Effort to Secure Agreement

2006-01-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 20, 2006--The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today applauded further progress by U.S. and Indian negotiators that would result in India agreeing to segregate its civilian nuclear facilities from its strategic facilities, a key step in achieving the broader goal of allowing the United States to share civilian nuclear technology with India.

"Obtaining a separation agreement is the next step in achieving the ultimate prize--a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that will reduce the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation by opening India's civilian nuclear facilities to international inspection, cement and advance a strategic partnership between two of the world's greatest democracies, and provide significant business opportunities to American companies," said Lt. Gen. Dan Christman (Ret.), the Chamber's senior vice president of international affairs. "We know there is still work to be done, but the United States and India are making progress."

To win passage of that agreement, which requires congressional approval, the Chamber is hosting a Coalition for Partnership with India (CPI) to marshal a broad public advocacy campaign that will include action on Capitol Hill, a major education effort to raise awareness of the benefits of the agreement, and significant information programs outside Washington.

CPI will provide a forum for American businesses, academic institutions, associations, think-tanks, and like-minded individuals to support a deeper strategic partnership with India, including the sharing of civilian nuclear technology. The Chamber's United States-India Business Council, consisting of 160 of the largest U.S. companies investing in India, is a leading advocate of the Coalition. The Chamber's Christman serves as CPI's chairman.

"This agreement could provide the U.S. business community with $100 billion worth of new opportunities in India in the energy sector alone," said Christman. "Strengthening our strategic partnership with India will spur India's economic reform programs and open its markets to U.S. investment in key areas such as information technology, telecom, pharmaceuticals, defense trade, insurance, pensions, banking, real estate, and infrastructure."

Reducing India's reliance on oil and coal-fired power plants could help keep world oil prices lower and provide significant benefits to the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Chamber.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

Business lobbies for US-India nuclear deal

2006-01-20T19:37:00.000-05:00

Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:57 PM ET
By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American companies are mounting a multimillion-dollar campaign to sell to Congress a landmark civilian nuclear deal with India which promises a "bounty of opportunity" for U.S. business and strategic interests, an organizer said on Thursday.

The lobbying drive is the most expensive ever mounted by business, said Ron Somers, president of the U.S.-India Business Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He did not specify the campaign's budget.

He said retired Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Christman, a former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point now working for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will coordinate a broad effort as the Coalition for Partnership with India that groups businesses, think tanks and academics supporting the deal.

This will complement the U.S.-India Business Council, which has engaged the politically well-connected Patton Boggs law firm to lobby lawmakers, Somers told Reuters in an interview.

The high-powered campaign reflects both the importance of the nuclear agreement and the high hurdles it faces in Congress, Somers said.

Some members of Congress and experts worry the deal clinched in July undermines U.S. efforts to stop the spread of nuclear arms.

Somers said the agreement could open the door for U.S. companies to billions of dollars in non-nuclear as well as civilian nuclear-related contracts.

"It's going to unleash a bounty of opportunity that is even beyond commercial measure," including strengthening nonproliferation goals, he said.

For 30 years, the United States led the effort to deny India nuclear technology because it tested and developed nuclear weapons in contravention of international norms. Both India and its neighbor and nuclear-armed rival Pakistan have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

EVOLVING U.S. ALLY

But U.S. President George W. Bush now views India, a rising democratic and economic power on China's border, as an evolving U.S. ally and the new nuclear deal -- allowing India to purchase nuclear reactors and fuel -- is central to that vision.

Somers spoke as Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns was visiting New Delhi for talks that were expected to show progress on the nuclear deal in advance of Bush's visit to India in late February or early March.

Burns' focus was a plan to put India's civilian nuclear power plants under international monitoring, while weapons-related facilities would remain off-limits.

This separation plan -- the heart of the nuclear deal -- aims to ensure U.S. nuclear technology is never used for military purposes and in theory would make the civilian facilities less susceptible to proliferation.

"We believe the Congress needs to hear that industry is interested in this (nuclear) initiative ... We have been waiting for the administration to provide the signal that the separation agreement is going on well and that it would be (put) behind us," Somers said.

India, for its part, has retained the Barbour Griffiths Rogers lobbying firm of former U.S. ambassador to New Delhi, Robert Blackwill, to push the deal. His former aide, Ashley Tellis, has taken a leave from a Washington think tank to work on the deal at the State Department. Both men are leading advocates of closer U.S. ties with India.

Why the United States needs India

2006-01-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

January 02, 2006

K Subrahmanyam, the legendary strategic affairs expert, begins an exclusive column.

When international politics changes very fast and traditional diplomacy is inadequate to cope with those changes, statesmanly leadership would have to come up with imaginative statecraft to meet the challenge of a transformed world observes US Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice in her article in The Washington Post of December 11, 2005. Such statecraft will take time to find popular acceptability. Therefore the leadership has to exercise patience in order to bring about changes in popular perception.

In the US, it took both time and effort on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's part to convert the United States Congress which passed the Neutrality Act at the beginning of World War II to the position when it declared war on the side of the Allies.

Similarly, the policy of containment had to be pursued diligently and non-provocatively while there were great pressure on the US to confront the Communist bloc frontally. Then Secretary of State Dean Acheson is the acknowledged role model for Dr Rice. Henry Kissinger, President Richard M Nixon's national security adviser, had to plan his move for the US opening to China in utmost secrecy, even keeping then Secretary of State William Rogers out of the decision-making loop. Even after Kissinger and Nixon visited China in 1972 it took several years before formal diplomatic relations could be established between Washington and Beijing.

Dr Rice, following Acheson's example, is attempting to transcend the existing conventional doctrines and debates of the past and transform volatile status quos that no longer serve US interests. She recognises that the prospect of violent conflict between great powers is becoming ever more unthinkable.

Major States are increasingly competing in peace, not preparing for war. Therefore, the US is cultivating partnerships with Japan, Russia, the European Union, China and India. Thereby a more lasting and desirable form of global stability is being built leading to a balance of power that favours freedom. This development is unique in the history of the last 350 years.

To sustain US pre-eminence in this global balance of power and to win the peaceful competition with other powers, especially China and the European Union, the US needs India's partnership.

Secretary Rice and her colleagues consider India a natural partner, economic interaction with whom will enable the US tackle some of its long-term economic problems. The US and India have a convergence in terms of central security challenges they will face in the future such as terrorism, proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear technologies, international crime, narcotics, HIV/AIDS and climate change. Both countries are democratic, secular, multiethnic, multicultural and federal and pledged to the supremacy of civilian control over the armed forces.

In the light of the above worldview and perception about India, it is logical that under the leadership of Dr Rice, who has great influence over President George W Bush, the US has decided to help India in its moves to become a world class power in the 21st century. Her worldview envisages India as a crucial factor in the development of Asian balance of power and world balance of power.

In India's industrialisation and development as a world power, energy is a core issue. President Bush and Secretary Rice are of the view that for the energy problems of the 21st century for large energy consumers like the US, China and India there are no simple hydrocarbon solutions. Therefore, it is essential to unshackle India from the bondage of the Nonproliferation Treaty and allow it free access to civil nuclear energy as the world re-evaluates the role of nuclear energy and re-embarks on research on both new generation fission and fusion reactors.

This vision and statecraft implied to translate it into reality, in Dr Rice's words, are ambitious and even revolutionary. However, she asserts that it is not imprudent. As happened on earlier occasions her ideas will take time to win acceptability in view of the heavy overburden of conventional wisdom.

There are already voices in America which question whether her views are shared by other branches of the administration, especially the Pentagon. Others have serious doubts about her premise that American statecraft 'must now be guided by the undeniable truth that democracy is the only assurance of lasting peace and security between States.' Her consequent assertion that 'implicit within the goals of our statecraft are the limits of our power and the reasons for our humility' is bound to raise eyebrows all over the world.

If the logic of Dr Rice's worldview is not accepted then her statecraft would not make sense to people. One of the major problems in advancing the US-India partnership, which is derived from her worldview and statecraft, is the lack of credibility in her worldview and policies on the part of an overwhelming majority of both the Indian and US elite.

In India, there is lack of credibility in the US being able to remedy the 'Freedom deficit' in the 'broader Middle East.' Many would cite the US tolerance of General Pervez Musharraf and its inability to persuade Pakistan to advance towards moderate Islamic State status as proof of the impracticability of her strategy.

But Dr Rice has no illusions on this score. She herself says that at the end of her term in office 'no one will be able to know the full scope of what our statecraft has achieved.' At the same she asserts her abiding confidence 'that we will have laid a firm foundation of principle -– a foundation on which future generations will realise our nation's vision of a fully free democratic and peaceful world.'

It is in this spirit her moves in nurturing the India-US partnership needs to be interpreted. It may not succeed in yielding significant gains to both sides in the immediate future. Between the two countries there are shared values, common threat perceptions, mutuality of economic, technological and strategic interests.

Their shared vision was reflected in the joint statements of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and then US President Bill Clinton and of President Bush and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But they were not backed by the powerful logic of Dr Rice's worldview spelled out in her article.

On both sides widespread realisation is yet to dawn that in times of unprecedented change there must be transcending of doctrines and debates of the past to achieve transformation of volatile status quos that no longer serve one's purpose. In the US nuclear proliferation specialists are indulging in nitpicking on the basis of NPT logic which they insist should apply to India.

In India too, scenarios of Cold War and past US 'perfidy' are recalled to question the feasibility of the implementation of July 18, 2005 joint statement.

In India there is a small group which understands and goes along with Condoleezza Rice's logic. If the compulsions on the US and the stakes the US has in its partnership with India are understood properly then there will be enough confidence in the US that it means what it says when it declares its intention to help India in its moves to develop into a world class power in the 21st century.

Russia, India Eye $10 Billion Worth of Arms Contracts

2005-11-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

Russia and India are discussing $10 billion worth of arms sales contracts, Interfax news agency quoted Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee as saying Nov. 16.

Mukherjee, who is in Moscow for bilateral talks, did not specify what stage the discussion of contracts had reached or a timeframe for the sales.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told Itar-Tass news agency on Nov. 15 the Russo-Indian commission was expected to discuss a wide range of contracts, including weapons for the Indian Navy, Air Force, ground troops and a joint production of military and dual-use equipment.

India is the second biggest buyer of Russian weapons after China, accounting for nearly 40 percent of Moscow’s overall arms exports, which hit a record $5.12 billion last year.

Ivanov told Tass that, since 1960, India has bought some $40 billion worth of Soviet and Russian arms.

The sale of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and a contract for the production in India of SU-30MKI fighter jets have been the biggest contracts in the past five years.

India Boosts Aircraft Buy, Widens Supplier Options

2005-11-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

India will increase the number of Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) it plans to buy to 200, opening the door for more than one supplier, said Air Force and Ministry of Defence officials

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security, which clears major defense programs, in October accepted the Air Force’s proposal to increase the number from the original 126, for which a request for information already has been sent to overseas vendors. The value of the original contract was $5 billion; the revised plan brings the combined value of one or more contracts to $8.5 billion.

A senior Defence Ministry official said the Air Force plans to phase out 60 of its 140 Jaguar aircraft in the next five years, by which time MMRCAs would start arriving. The additional planes will replace more Jaguars, aging MiG-23s, and some squadrons of MiG-27s, an Air Force official said.

The official said the first batch of MMRCAs could be supplied by one vendor, and perhaps the second lot could be made in India under licensed production from the same or a different vendor.

A request for information for the initial 126 planes was sent to Lockheed Martin for its F-16, Saab for the JAS 39 Gripen, Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) for the MiG-29 SMT, and Dassault Aviation for the Mirage 2000-5. Boeing also has offered its F/A-18 aircraft for consideration, as has RAC MiG for the MiG-35.

The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is due to replace the service’s MiG-21 combat aircraft, but that program is more than a decade behind schedule. The LCA is slated for limited production by 2007 or 2008.

Defence Ministry sources said it will be difficult for the government to choose among the four vendors because political and strategic considerations must be weighed in addition to technical factors.

The sources noted that the move to buy up to 200 MMRCAs would certainly ease the government’s burden, as more then one type of MMRCA could be selected.

They said the Air Force favors the French Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, but cannot ignore the firm from Russia, which is the largest supplier of arms and equipment to the Indian Defense Forces. However, it has been a year since Moscow and India have penned an arms deal. Russia has insisted India first sign an intellectual property rights accord on defense equipment and weapons, which would not allow India’s Russian-built weaponry to be upgraded or fitted with equipment from a third country.

Another consideration is that India and the United States have entered into a new strategic partnership, with Washington agreeing to provide nuclear and space technology for civilian use. The purchase of the F-16 or F/A-18 would signal the beginning of a new defense relationship between India and the United States, said Surya Pal Singh, retired Indian Air Force air commodore.

The purchase of two types of MMRCAs not only will help speed up acquisition of the aircraft, it also may help the Air Force acquire American aircraft, which have been offered with the latest radar, Singh said.

India wants as part of the MMRCA package the U.S. Active Electronically Scanned Array radar as well as new-generation missiles, the Defence Ministry official said.

MiG-29SMT demonstrates hi-tech capabilities

2005-11-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

Russian aerospace heavyweight, MiG, is demonstrating its latest cutting edge defence technology at Dubai 2005 with the newest version of the MiG-29 multifunctional combat aircraft - a highlight of the show’s daily flying display.

“This new MiG-29SMT has a host of improved, compatible technology that makes it more appealing to a wider audience,” said Alexey Fedorov, director-general – Designer General, MiG.

“It is able to successfully compete with the most up-to-date fighters.”

MiG claims its SMT is capable of precision weapons application on aerial, sea and ground targets.

The MiG-29SMT in Dubai features the new Zhuk-ME multimode radar, open architecture of avionics based on MIL-STD-1553B bus military standards, a multi-channel navigation system and a new fuel system which allows for in-flight refuelling and longer flight range.

Two SMTs are at Dubai 2005, one in the static park, the other taking part in the daily flying display. They company is also showcasing the latest MiG 29 simulators.

“Upgrading a huge fleet of the MiG-29 that are in use around the world is currently a priority in MiG’s activities,” said Federov.

“Since numerous operators of the MiG-29s in various countries impose different requirements to an upgrade of their aircraft, the Corporation has developed a package program for upgrading the aircraft to the MiG-29SMT configuration.

“We believe that the SMT upgrade will be of interest for many current operators of the MiG-29 and to new potential customers as they are getting a very advanced 4+ generation fighter.”

The comprehensive upgrade program includes:

- upgrade of the armament management system. Particularly, the in-service N-019E radar will be replaced with the new-generation Zhuk-ME multimode radar. This will turn the MiG-29SMT into a multi-role aircraft able to effectively use air-to-air and air-to-surface precision guided weapons.

The aircraft’s mix of guided weapons will be expanded with the Kh-31A anti-ship missiles with active radar seekers, the Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, Kh-29TE missiles and KAB-500Kr TV-guided bombs. When equipped with an external optical/laser targeting pod, the fighter can use the Kh-29L air-to-surface missiles and KAB-500L laser-guided bombs.

- improvements in the fuel system and an increase in internal fuel store. The internal fuel capacity on the MiG-29SMT has been increased by 950 liters through an addition of a strap-on tank behind the cockpit. The capacity of the external fuel tank has increased up to 2,000 liters. Ferry range with three external fuel tanks and two R-73 air-to-air missiles (for self-defense) has increased up to 3,100 km, and with one in-flight refueling the range will be 5,400 km. Also, the aircraft has been equipped with an improved fuel system featuring a new digital fuel metering system.

- upgrade of cockpit instrumentation with improved ergonomics and use of the HOTAS concept. Two full-color LC multi-function displays are used. Compliance of the digital devices with the МIL-STD-1553B standard means that the aircraft can be completed with optional Russian- or foreign-made equipment and airborne weapons depending on the particular customer’s requirements and financial capabilities.

The MiG Corporation plans to carry out MiG-29 upgrade work on the customer’s facilities, and a scope of upgrade will depend on the requirements of the particular user of the aircraft.

As a result, upon completion of the upgrade program in full measure, the upgraded aircraft will be able to operate like a multi-role fighter and carry the same mix of weapons as the current Russian fighters do. It will be 1.8 to 2.2 times and more than 3.5 times more effective against air targets and surface targets, respectively, than the original MiG-29.

As an option to any of the above upgrade versions, MiG offers the customers the following services:

– modifications of the aircraft for extension of its service life;

– a changeover to on-condition use. Modifications and introduction of a new diagnostics and maintenance system will enable a step-by-step increase of the fighter life to 40 years and 4,000 flying hours.

A Mig29-SMT Cockpit with advanced avionics and CRTs.

A Mig29-SMT on Display

Russia offers MIG-35s

2005-11-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

The fight for the contract of 125 fighter aircraft, which the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to purchase, is due to carry on till the very end with none of the prospective parties involved in the future bidding process ready to give up in the favour of the other, especially the USA, which seems to be ahead of the others in common perception as of now.

While the French, who are offering the latest version of the Mirage-2000, have decided to go till the very last and are confident of getting the contract from the Indian Government, the Russians are also making intense preparations. It is an all out preparation for the war here in the city that is so used to bloodier versions of war.

The Russians have made their intentions clear to fight tooth and nail till the contracts are not decided as the stakes are very high. It will be one of the biggest contracts in the Indian defence history. The Russian Government and MIG (Russian Aircraft Corporation) are undertaking drastic changes and unprecedented preparations to get it.

Each of the fighter planes that the IAF would buy could cost anywhere between Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore, while the total contract would be well over Rs 25,000 crore. There are indications that the Indian Government could be issuing the Request for Proposals (ROF) in January finally putting the process for the purchase in motion.

On Wednesday evening, when Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the high level defence delegation accompanying him reached the MIG’s sprawling corporate complex in Moscow there were enough indications available that Russia was taking the whole process seriously and would be going all out to bid for the contract.

Receiving Mr Mukherjee and his delegation was the recently appointed new chief of MIG-Alexei Federov, the man who till recently was heading the company that manufactured Sukhoi-30s for the Indian Air Force. Mr Federov is a sort of legend in Russian aviation circles-the man headed Irkut Corporation after the Communist collapse, built the company from almost nothing to create the new series of Sukhois. And he led the successful negotiation with India and sold SU-30s in 1996-it was one of the biggest military contracts after the Communist collapse.

Now Mr Federov and his lieutenants have been brought into MIG-this time to fight its battle against the global giants like Lockheed Martin, which makes F-16s, Boeing, which makes F-18 Super Hornets, and the French Mirage-2000 manufacturers. Lockheed Martin at present being the frontrunner seeing the emerging Indo-US relations.

Mr Federov was not the only surprise. MIG Corporation made a detailed presentation on what they are offering to the IAF- they don’t call it the MIG-29 but MIG-35s.

The aircraft are an improved version of the MIG-29s with capabilities that MIG Corporation claims no other fighter aircraft in the world has. It has an all aspect thrust vector control; can actually stop mid-way during flight. This quality will not only allow the fighter to get better accuracy in its attack role, but would also help it to avoid an enemy fighter chase, among other things, they argue.

MiG’s survival depends on India buying

2005-11-21T13:24:00.000-05:00

For a country so used to bloody versions of war, it is time for one of a different sort -where stakes are really high, and more than an enemy to face off.

The Russian are making intense preparations to secure India's proposal to buy 125 fighters for its air force. All-out preparations are underway in the city as India and Russia steady their relations back on a long-term track. As India gets ready to issue RFPs (Request for Proposals) for one of the biggest defence contracts anywhere in the world in recent times, Russia is trying its utmost to ensure that the grand lady of Russian military aviation, MiG, lands the contract.

The Indian Air Force's decision to buy 125 multi-role fighters couldn't have come at a better time for MiG. For MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation, the contract is a question of life and death. With each of the fighters costing anywhere between Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore, the entire contract would be worth over Rs 25,000 crore. And it could provide the MiG corporation a fresh lease of life, and the energy to emerge out of the insipid days it has fallen into after the Communist collapse.

When Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his delegation reached the MiG headquarters on Wednesday the Russian determination to garner the contract was visible. Receiving them at MIG was its new Director General, Alexei Fedorov. His team is very clear about what they are offering the IAF: A fighter unlike any other, what they claim is much more advanced than its competitors. They call it the MiG-35, an advanced version of MiG-29s. For the IAF contract, American biggies Lockheed Martin and Boeing are vying with their F-16s and F-18 Super Hornets, while the French are offering Mirage-200-5s. Swedish fighter Gripen too is in the fray.

It is no more the Cold War era, when India had to depend on Russia for most of its military acquisitions. It is a new marketplace, and India has enough financial clout to bargain for the best. Whatever the reasons, the contract would decide the future of MIG and influence the Russian military aviation sector.

Chinese People's Army team witnesses war games in Rajasthan's Thar desert

2005-11-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

In the presence of a high-level Chinese People's Army delegation, Indian armed forces on Friday conducted the largest ever war games in recent times in the Thar desert showcasing its prowess for short high-intensity wars in a digitised battlefield.

This is the first time a Chinese military team witnessed such an exercise. Defence attaches from many countries were also present.

In "Operation Desert Strike," the Army and the Air Force deployed their latest acquisitions, including Russian T-90 tanks, mechanised infantry combat vehicles in tandem with force multipliers like Israeli Searcher and Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, to carry out rapid deep penetration blitzkrieg thrusts.

Synergy between air and ground forces marked the Corps-level exercises with IAF fighters such as Mirage 2000, ground attack MiG-27s, deep penetration Jaguars, upgraded MiG-21 Bisons and attack helicopters showering fire from air to pave the way for armour and mechanised columns to strike deep.
The previous high-intensity war games were held in the desert in 1987 codenamed "Operation Brasstacks."

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Army Chief J. J. Singh, Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Ajit Bhavnani and services top brass witnessed the war games.

Mr. Mukherjee told reporters later that the Government would spare no effort to further speed up modernisation of the forces. India was not merely interested in buying fifth generation fighter aircraft from Russia but would like to be involved in its conceptualisation.

Welcoming the Chinese delegation, he said they were invited so that they can acquaint themselves with the professionalism of the Indian armed forces. He denied that India has sought Moscow's cooperation for development of indigenous nuclear submarines during talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov, as reported in a section of the media.

``It was wrongly represented. When we talk of submarines, it was conventional submarines. We discussed Amur class diesel-electric submarines, which Russia wants to sell to India. We did not discuss ATV (Advance Technology Vessel). It came from them,'' he said.

India Hopes To Build New Fighter Jet with Russia

2005-11-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee expressed satisfaction Nov. 18 with his country’s already sizeable defense procurement cooperation with Russia and outlined hopes of their jointly building a new fighter jet.

Mukherjee reiterated India’s hopes of developing a new fighter jet with Moscow, following an agreement signed this week to jointly build a new transport plane.

“Our armed forces and industrial enterprises in this sphere would like to take part in all stages of the production of a fifth generation fighter jet,” he told the Vremya Novostei newspaper during an interview as he visited Moscow this week. He ruled a purely financial role for New Delhi in such an endeavor, however..

“Russia is India’s biggest supplier of defense products and I don’t foresee any change to that in the next few years,” the newspaper quoted Mukherjee as saying.

“Our defense cooperation will widen and deepen. … Currently contracts worth around $9 billion dollars are being fulfilled,” Mukherjee said.

Russia’s defense industry has built on Soviet-era ties with India and now supplies around 70 percent of India’s arms imports. New Delhi is the second-biggest buyer of Russian military hardware after China.

As India develops its own defense industry, the two countries are increasingly developing joint projects, with some production already carried out in India under license, including building of Su-30 MKI fighter jets and T-90 tanks, Mukherjee said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is himself due in Moscow next month, when he will sign agreements that include one aimed at protecting intellectual property rights.

The two countries held joint military exercises in the Indian state of Rajasthan last month.

Recent Indian purchases include the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, while the two countries are jointly building BrahMos anti-ship missiles.

India pressing Russia over BrahMos induction

2005-11-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

India is pressing Russia to speed up the process of inducting the BrahMos anti-ship cruise missile, in its Armed Forces, before launching its marketing in third countries.

“Some countries have shown interest in the BrahMos missiles. But before their marketing is launched, they should be inducted in the countries of their production,” Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after his visit to the NPOM Mashinosctroenia, outside Moscow, on Thursday.

“There is no problem from our side, in their induction. But Russian laws require to be amended for their induction into the armed forces,” Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee would not reveal the names of the countries, interested in the BrahMos “There are many competitors in this field and if I mention any particular country, others will approach them to buy the systems from them,” he said.

Meanwhile, an Itar Tass report quoted a Russian Defence Ministry official as saying that over 200 projects worth $19 billion were included in the Indo-Russian military and technical cooperation programme until 2010.

‘‘Transactions totalling $9 billion have been already carried out under the programme...Contracts on military deliveries, as well as other similar projects to the tune of $10 billion are being prepared,” he said.

Joint military exercises strengthening ties: US diplomat

2005-11-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

The India-US joint military exercises are strengthening bilateral ties and would help take on the scourge of terrorism more effectively, a senior US diplomat said here.

"Over the past five years the US and India have held several joint military exercises resulting in strengthened US-India bilateral relationship," said Robert O. Blake, charge d'affaires of the US embassy in India, at a reception here Wednesday night.

Referring to the Oct 29 Delhi serial blasts and the Nov 9 bombing in Amman, Jordan, he said the bombings are "sad reminders that terror knows no borders and respects no religion".

"It is through joint training that our two militaries will enhance their capacity to confront the scourge of terrorism," said Blake at the reception held to toast the ongoing 12-day India-US air exercises - Cope India 05 - at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal, which began Nov 7.

"These 10 days, our two forces have trained side by side on the ground and in the air. USAF (United States Air Force) F-16 have flown with IAF (Indian Air Force) Mirage 2000, MIG-21, SU-30 and Jaguar aircraft offering a tremendous training opportunity to both sides and enhancing the bonds between us," Blake said.

According to Blake, the "amazing progress in the defence cooperation should be seen as one element of a comprehensive relationship that continues to expand and deepen in scope and the July 18 visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (to the US) has marked a watershed in the ties between the two democracies".

Blake hoped that the defence framework signed by Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld in June will promote the defence relations of the two countries for the next decade.

"Through this framework we will improve cooperation between our armed forces, enlarge defence trade, co-produce military hardware and increase technology transfer," he said.

The air exercises at the Kalaikunda airbase, about 120 km southwest of here, are being protested by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which rules West Bengal.

Indo-US air exercise concludes

2005-11-18T08:50:00.001-05:00

The second Indo-US air exercise in which F-16 Fighting Falcons and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning System and Control Aircraft of the US Air Force took part for the first time concluded at the Indian Air Force's Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal today.

The aim of the exercise codenamed 'Cope India 06' was to interact professionally and culturally with the USAF positioned as the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world, Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-IN-C) Air Marshal F H Major said here.

"The home-grown ingenuity and skills of the IAF pilots earn respect from different nations across the globe," he said.

The joint exercise, which commenced on November seven, saw flying exercise for eight days with three days' holidays thrown in between, IAF sources said here.

Twelve F-16s, C-5 transport aircraft from the USAF besides frontline IAF fighters Sukhoi-30, MIG 29, MIG 27, Mirage 2000, MIG 21 bison, and also AN 32 and GCI radars participated.

The AOC-in-C said over the last few years the IAF had carried out bilateral and multilateral air exercises with a number of foreign countries within and outside India.

"Such exercises not only help in promoting mutual understanding and learning from each others' experience but also enhance interoperability and help refine joint operational procedures," Air Mashal Major said.

The first such air exercise was held at Gwalior on February one, last year.

"Our pilots were exposed to flying in an AWACS environment which will help us when we induct our AWACS," Air Marshal FH Major Air Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Air Command, who was also present, said. On their flying experience in tandem with the AWACS, Indian pilots said it gave them an eye deep into rival territory. "We could pick up incoming targets whether aircraft or missiles almost 400 kms away. It gives a grand battle coordination in the air", they said.

Indian flight controllers were allowed by the USAF personnel to handle the AWACS system during the exercises, senior IAF officers said.

Though both Air Force officials painstakingly shied away from giving any figures of "kills" or "hits", US Air Force pilots said they had been impressed by the flying skills of the Indian pilots.

Gen David Deptula as well as Air Marshal Major stressed that in almost two week long exercises, the pilots flew in mixed groups simulating dissimilar Air Combat Missions, Basic Fighter Manoeuvres and largescale engagements in which no indiviual scores were kept.

"US Air Force is the largest and most technologically advanced Air Force in the world with rich operational experience. At the same time, the home grown ingenuity and skill of the IAF pilots has earned them respect from different nations of the world", Marshal Major said.

Outlining the objective of the exercises, Major said it was to familiarise fighter and weapon controllers with each others procedures and terminologies and train together with AWACS. Besides, the lone Boeing 707 mounted E3C AWACS, the US Air Force deployed a full squadron of the Block 50 F-16 fighter aircraft, the type the makers Lockheed-Martin are offering to sell to India.

On the Indian side, the fighters which took part in the exercises included six SU-30's, four Mig-29, four Mig-27, six Mirage 2000 and six upgraded MIG-21 Bisons.

"The Exercises met all their missions and objectives", Major and Deptula told newsmen, with the Pacific force commander saying that military-to-military cooperation between the two countries was now entering into highly advanced stage.

Air Marshal Major said the base which has recently been rennovated at a huge expense could become a home to all IAF exercises with foreign forces. The Singapore Air Force, sources said, would be coming here in January next year to conduct live exercises at the nearby Air to Ground range.

US pilots get 'surprises' from India's ageing MiG-21s

2005-11-18T08:50:00.000-05:00

US Air Force pilots flying sophisticated F-16 jets were in for a few "surprises" when they squared off with their Indian counterparts in ageing MiG-21 fighters during an exercise at an airbase here.

Though senior Indian and US officials were at pains Thursday to emphasise Cope India 05 - the largest air force exercise between the two sides - was all about cooperation and not competition, others privately admitted the US pilots were often "amazed" by the performance of the Indians.

The nearly two-week-long wargame that began Nov 7 sparked angry demonstrations from Left parties opposed to New Delhi's growing military ties with Washington, but US and Indian pilots were unconcerned with such protests, focusing instead on training for possible joint missions in future.

Gen. D. Deptula, vice commander of the US Pacific Air Force, said the manoeuvres - which featured 12 F-16s flying alongside 26 Indian jets, including Su-30s, MiG-21s, MiG-29s and Mirage 2000s - led to increased mutual understanding that would help both countries respond to "unnamed and unknown" contingencies.

"As these unknown contingencies pop up, we can respond better without wasting time," Deptula told a news briefing.

Deptula and Air Marshal Fali Major, chief of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Eastern Command, insisted that "kills" or successes during combat missions during Cope India 05 were not tallied or reported, but other officials from both sides privately said the Indians had often surprised the American pilots.

Major merely noted that the "home grown ingenuity and skill of IAF pilots has earned respect from different nations", but some Indian pilots admitted the performance of the ageing but refurbished MiG-21s had "dumbfounded" the Americans.

"This happened despite the fact that the Americans had an AWACS (airborne warning and control system) with them and we had little experience of operating in an AWACS environment," said an IAF pilot who did not want to be named.

Deptula brushed aside protests against the exercise by the Left parties that rule West Bengal state, remarking that the US and India were democracies whose militaries had to protect the rights of expression of all sections of society.

"That's what this is all about - protecting the people's right to articulate their feelings," he said.

Lt. Col. Pete Bastien, a fighter controller on the US E3Sentry AWACS sent from Japan for the exercise, had plenty of praise for India's Su-30 multi-role jets. "We had never flown in India and we had never operated with the IAF. The page was blank and we learnt a lot during this exercise," he said.

Capt. Ben Mosley, an F-16 pilot, was more forthright. "We're very proud to be allies with India and happy that we will work with the IAF," he said after a few training sorties with the Su-30s.

Cope India 05 also marked the return of US forces to Kalaikunda after nearly 60 years - the airbase was created specifically for US Army Air Force pilots to ferry supplies to China over the "hump" of the Himalayas during World War II.

The IAF recently refurbished the airbase for use in future joint exercise with foreign countries. It will also be "hired" by the Singapore Air Force early next year for training exercises, officials said.

Mukherjee invites RAC MiG to present concept of fifth-gen plane

2005-11-18T08:48:00.000-05:00

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has invited Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG to present its concept of fifth generation fighter aircraft before the top brass of Indian Air Force even as New Delhi has expressed its desire to join the Russian project.

"MiG had presented its concept of fifth generation fighter aircraft when I visited them yesterday. I invited them to make a presentation in India for the IAF officers," Mukherjee told reporters before leaving for home tonight at the end of his three-day Moscow visit.

In the course of his press conference at the Russian Defence Ministry yesterday, Mukherjee had for the first time publicly acknowledged that India is keen to take part in the development and financing of the fifth generation fighter aircraft with Russia, which would rival the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) being developed by the United States.

Russia had for the first time made this offer to NDA government three years ago after successful completion of Sukhoi Su-30MKI project, which already incorporates some features of the futuristic super fighter plane.

Local defence experts have noted that China, a major buyer of Russian military hardware has not been offered stake in the project. France is the only other foreign nation, which has also been invited besides India.

Russian Air Force had identified Sukhoi Corporation as the designer of the fifth generation fighter aircraft, which has already made presentation in India. However, India seems to be in favour of a lighter aircraft, in which RAC MiG specialises.

On the last day of his Moscow visit the Defence Minister addressed the cadets and staff of the Russian General Staff Academy and visited NPOM, the Russian partner of Indo-Russian 'BrahMos' joint venture for the manufacture of supersonic cruise missiles.

Mukherjee said that several 'friendly' countries have evinced interest in the missile, which would be jointly marketed by India and Russia.

He, however, said that first it was the need to induct the missile by the armed forces of India and Russia before global marketing.

"Russia would require to amend some of its laws for inducting BrahMos, and we are pursuing this issue with them," Mukherjee said.

Describing his three-day stay in Moscow and talks with the Russian leadership including President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov "quite successful", Mukherjee said that long pending Intellectual Property Right (IPR) agreement has been finalised and it would be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Moscow visit early December.

IPR agreement would help in resolving the problem of spares, he said.

India and Russia will also sign agreement on the joint development and production of 145 medium multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) of which IAF will get 45 aircraft for replacing ageing AN-32 fleet.

Russia to help build nuclear submarine

2005-11-17T08:26:00.000-05:00

Russia has agreed to help India build the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) and the air defence vessel.

Speaking after a two-day session of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) for military-technical cooperation on Wednesday, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Russian side had assured him that it would share the technology for building the ATV and air defence vessels and would go in for co-production in some areas of their construction.

ATV is an indigenous project for the development of nuclear submarines.

The Russian Defence Ministry had also agreed to a request from the Department of Space to give India access to civilian and military applications of Russia's Glonass space navigation system, Mr. Mukherjee said.

This will enable the Indian Armed Forces to target missiles with high precision. Under a bilateral accord signed last year, India and Russia will jointly launch navigational satellites to make Glonass fully operational by 2007.

Decision has been taken at the 5th IRIGC session that India and Russia will jointly design and manufacture a Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) for the airforces of the two countries. Russia will purchase 100 planes and India will go for 45 planes, Mr. Mukherjee said.

It has been agreed that the two sides will have equal participation and work share in the project. The Indian side has handed over to Russians a draft agreement on MTA that is expected to be signed during the coming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Moscow early next month.

India is also interested in joining hands with Russia to build a 5th-generation fighter aircraft, Mr. Mukherjee said. Russia's Sukhoi and MiG aircraft building companies have made proposals to India regarding the project, and the IAF and HAL are actively involved with the Russian side in discussing details.

"We are interested not just in financial participation in the project, but want to fully participate in designing, developing and manufacturing the 5th-generation plane," the Defence Minister said. He explained that the Sukhoi aircraft company had already made a presentation of the 5th-generation aircraft in India, and the Indian side was now waiting for the MiG corporation to make their presentation in order to be able to compare the two offers.

The sides discussed terms for the supply of three TU-22M long-range bombers to India. "We want to have the planes on a lease basis and to have Russia's assurance of post-delivery maintenance and servicing," Mr. Mukherjee said.

Mr. Ivanov said the sides identified several thrust areas for military-technical collaboration in the coming years, which include joint development, production and marketing of defence systems for third countries, as well as modernisation, servicing and maintenance of Russian hardware supplied to India.

"Cooperation in these areas will progress far more dynamically than before," the Russian defence chief said. "We are advancing from the buyer-seller relation to technology partnership in designing, developing, producing and marketing of weapon systems in third countries."

Navy for posting officer at U.S. Central Command

2005-11-17T08:25:00.000-05:00

Despite reservations expressed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the Navy is discussing the posting of officers at two U.S. global military commands. "That was at another point in time,'' said a naval officer when asked about Mr. Mukherjee's observation that "there is no question of posting officers at U.S. military commands. We have a defence attaché in Washington."

Mr. Mukherjee made the remarks soon after his visit to Washington in July this year after the Left parties criticised the signing of a framework for defence cooperation with the U.S. Though the Indo-U.S. Naval Executive Steering Group would discuss the possibility of posting officers at the two U.S. military commands, naval officers pointed out that the final call was with the Government on a number of aspects such as the location of the officers — whether at the U.S. Embassy or at the command headquarters. The postings should ensure faster coordination with the U.S., especially with the joint naval exercises getting bigger and, therefore, more complex with each successive edition.

According to navy officers, the U.S. has in principle agreed to post an officer at the Pacific Command that keeps an eye on India and other countries to its east. However, the Navy is keen on posting an officer at the U.S. military's Central Command that oversees the area west of India, comprising the bulk of geographical area of operations for the Indian Navy.

The U.S. had offered to post an observer at the Pacific Command three years ago, but the previous National Democratic Alliance Government preferred an observer at the Central Command that included Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, a region vital to India's energy security.

The exercises would be of double benefit to India. They would not only refine its anti-piracy and anti-terrorist procedures but also expose the Navy to technological advancements in military platforms.

For instance, the participation of U.S. nuclear submarines in the two previous joint exercises gave Indian sailors "hands on experience" and now an Indian naval delegation is in Russia to receive advanced training on handling nuclear powered submarines.

Fighter aircraft decision flies into turbulent political skies

2005-11-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

Political pressures rather than the strategic interests of the Indian Air Force (IAF) may be the pivot around which the selection of fighter aircraft rests.

Some defence experts say growing warmth between India and the US and a far-reaching defence pact signed between the two countries in June could pressure New Delhi to choose the American planes.

“If India’s requirements are beyond any existing fighters, we are prepared to make upgraded F-16s to India’s specifications with complete transfer of technology,” Mike Kelly, senior executive of Lockheed Martin recently told mediapersons.

The deal projects supply of 18 aircraft in flyaway conditions and the remaining 108 assembled in India under technology transfer.

Analysts point out that the US administration has also allowed the sale of the entire array of weapons platform mounted on the aircraft, including beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and 100 km standoff ground target- engaging missiles.

Russia has accepted that its position as India’s main supplier of military hardware is threatened by the US, European and Israeli interests. Talks between New Delhi and Washington on joint development of hardware has made Moscow nervous.

While the US is pushing for contracts for either of its companies Lockheed Martin and Boeing—India seems more keen on Russian aircraft. However, due to the absence of an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreement, Indo-Russian defence cooperation has run into rough weather, according to highly placed defence ministry sources.

The groundwork for the IPR agreement with Russia is being done by the team led by defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is currently in Moscow to ease an ‘IPR stalemate.’ An agreement, once signed, will open the gates for a plethora of military cooperation pacts, stalled for lack of such an IPR understanding, sources pointed out.

There is still one glitch that needs to straightened out. The government is not yet certain about the clauses to be included in the request for proposals (RFPs) to be sent out to aircraft manufacuturers, which was expected to be sent out a couple of months ago, sources added.

All the companies who received request for information (RFI) have already responded and are now awaiting government’s call for RFP. The question is how long the MoD will take before it sets the ball rolling again.

Russia proposes to modernize Indian warplanes

2005-11-17T08:22:00.000-05:00

Russian aircraft manufacturer MiG unveiled Wednesday proposals on modernizing Mig-29 fighters imported by India, the Interfax news agency reported.

"We presented our new projects to the Indian defense minister and briefed him on the manufacture of test models," MiG General Director Alexei Fyodorov said.

"Currently we are in the phase of pre-contract work. We hope that a contract to modernize the MiG-29's will be signed next year," Fyodorov told reporters.

According to him, the proposed modernized version will still bea new aircraft different from the MiG-29SMT despite the fact that it uses many of MiG-29SMT's elements and will be adjusted to the requirements of the Indian air force, he said.

India has about 70 MiG-29s, and "we are planning to modernize all of them," Fyodorov said.

"As a result of the modernization, India will acquire a qualitatively new version of the MiG-29 light frontline fighter. The arsenal of this aircraft will include a wide range of various air armaments of the air-to-air and air-to-surface classes," Fyodorov was quoted as saying.

The updated fighter will be a multirole aircraft, he said. It will be able to effectively attack both air and ground targets. The plane will also be cheaper to maintain, the general director said.

In addition, MiG proposes modernizing MiG-27 fighter-bombers manufactured in India under license, the report said.

A modernized MiG-27 will carry out a test flight and be presented to Indian officials early in 2006, Fyodorov said.

Russia, India to build new multi-purpose transport plane

2005-11-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to sign a deal on joint production with Russia of a new multi-purpose transport plane during a visit to Moscow next month, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

During the December 4 to 6 visit, 'there will be the signing of an agreement on joint production of a multi-purpose transport plane,' Interfax news agency quoted Mukherjee as saying at a meeting in Moscow.

Russia and India have already agreed to jointly produce BrahMos anti-ship missiles and have discussed potential cooperation in the construction of fighter jets.

Russia provides around 70 pct of India's arms imports.

Singh could also sign an agreement with Russia over intellectual property rights, which Moscow has insisted on as defence industry cooperation between the two countries mounts.

'An agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights agreed by us could be signed,' Mukherjee was quoted as saying at a meeting of the Indian-Russian committee for military cooperation.

Army, IAF plan "Exercise Desert Strike"

2005-11-17T08:19:00.000-05:00

The Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) will unite for the joint land and air exercise titled 'Desert Strike' in the scorching deserts of Thar, on November 18, and put to test its latest firepower, strike and logistics capability.

The exercise will be a first of its kind, as the Army will be showcasing its concept of 'Network Centric Warfare', which revolves around the "key elements of synergisation and co-ordination of a vast array of sensors like radars, electro optical devices, thermal images and UAV's through the Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS)".

The system serves to increase battlefield transparency as also optimize ' sensors to shooter' links, thereby generating higher precision in weapons delivery and lethal degradation of the enemy.

The exercise will be witnessed by 24 observers of 16 friendly countries from the immediate and strategic neighbourhood and 39 Defence Attaches posted in India, another first of its kind.

"Most of the observers coming for the exercise are in the rank of Lt. Col, Colonel and Brigadier. China is coming for the exercise, but Pakistan has not been invited. US, UK, Russia, all have been invited," said an Army official.

The exercise, which is held in a cycle of two years, began on November 11 and will continue till 20, but the actual execution, involving strikes and manoeuvres in actual battlefield conditions is yet to begin.

The exercise involves mechanized corps, artillery, air defence, special forces, reconnaissance and air support by the IAF. The weapons include T-72 tanks, missile firing T-90 tanks (Bhishma), all weather Defence Gun Missile System, Searcher UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), Bofors guns, and Chetak and MI-17 helicopters from Army Aviation for para forces.

The IAF's hardware include, the Mirage-2000 fighter jets, MiG-27s, MiG-21 Bisons, Jaguars, Mi-35 Attack helicopters and An-32 for logistics and para dropping. The IAF is also using a plethora of ammunition in its armoury in the exercise, like Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), cluster bombs, Anti-Tank Missiles (Shtrum) and rockets.

Sukhois, IAF officers said, was not involved in the operations because it was going through some trials and tests, adding that once that got over, it would be inducted in all the exercises.

"Sukhoi is, and will be one of the major inventories for the IAF," said an IAF officer.

The targets, officials said involved the neutralisation of armoured regiments, ground forces, command centres and 'Logistics Camp', adding that Ex-Desert Strike was aimed at integration of all the tri-services, but here it was limited to the Army and the IAF.

"Exercise Desert Strike like all other exercises, revolves around OODA concept, which stands for Observations, Orientation, Decision and finally Action," said Brigadier Bal, while briefing the media.

"The Army's night fighting capabilities, had seen a quantum jump, and Ex-Desert Strike will also witness the army's prowess at night fighting," he added.

The exercise organized by the South Western Command of the IAF and Southern Command of the Army will involve as many as 25, 000 Army troops (one corp). For the IAF, the whole of Jaisalmer Air Station along with fighter fleet from Agra and other places will be mobilised in the exercise.

Cope India ’06: Fast-paced and full of firsts

2005-11-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

Under gorgeous, clear skies in a faraway land, two countries’ air forces are engaged in a few firsts.

After kicking off this year’s version of Cope India on Nov. 7 with a series of familiarization flights, a dozen F-16s from Misawa Air Base, Japan, and a slew of Indian air force fighters began squaring off in a series of mock combat sorties.

Except for rest, meals and an Indian holiday on Tuesday, they haven’t stopped yet.

Cope India 2006, named for the fiscal year, marks the first time that U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots have flown against Indian fighters in dissimilar air combat training and the first time that U.S. pilots have trained with the Indian air force’s newest and most advanced fighter aircraft, the Su-30 MKI.

By the time the exercise concludes Saturday, Misawa’s pilots expect to log close to 150 training missions, said Lt. Col. Hugh Hanlon, Misawa’s 13th Fighter Squadron commander, during a phone interview Tuesday from Kalaikunda Air Base, India.

“It’s going really well on both sides,” Hanlon said. “We’re happy with the Indian aircraft’s performance, and we’re extremely pleased with our performance. I think they would say the same.”

This Cope India is the third such bilateral exercise since 2002, and the largest joint combat exercise between the two nations since at least 1963. About 250 personnel from Pacific Air Forces, including airmen from the 961st Air Control Squadron from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, are deployed to India in support of improving interoperability between U.S. and Indian air forces and promoting cooperation and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indian air force’s MiG-21 Bison, Mirage 2000, MiG-29 Fulcrum, and MiG-27 Flogger aircraft also are joining the F-16s in a series of offensive and defensive counter-air engagements. Many of the training scenarios task the F-16s to protect ground targets against advancing Indian aircraft — and vice versa.

Each combat sortie is discussed and scored in combined post-flight briefings using a program that “shows the ground track and location of all aircraft during an engagement,” Hanlon said.

“We’re trying to not talk about the scoring stuff,” he added. “I think both sides got a lot of bad press last year and everyone missed the emphasis. More importantly, both sides are doing well and we’re accomplishing the objective that we set out here to obtain.”

It was widely reported after Cope India in February 2004 that the Indian air force scored several unexpected successes against U.S. pilots flying F-15 Eagles.

Hanlon called the exercise an “absolutely incredible” training opportunity. “We try to replicate how these aircraft perform in the air, and I think we’re good at doing that in our Air Force, but what we can’t replicate is what’s going on in their minds,” he said. “They’ve challenged our traditional way of thinking on how an adversary, from whichever country, would fight.”

Hanlon commended the 74 maintainers deployed from Misawa’s 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, noting not one sortie has been canceled due to maintenance problems.

“This pace has been unreal; the first day was just go, go, go,” Senior Airman Troy Herberholzt, 35th AMXS F-16 crew chief, was quoted as saying in an Air Force news release.

Nanjapa gets a bird’s-eye view sitting in the cockpit of an F-16 at Kalaikunda Air Station, India, as he and Col. Rusty Cabot, U.S. deployed forces commander, discuss the capabilities of the F-16.

Col. Rusty Cabot talks with Indian air force general B.C. Nanjapa at Kalaikunda Air Station, India. A dozen F-16s from Misawa Air Base, Japan, are deployed to India for the Cope India ’06 exercise.

Staff Sgts. Lyle Janey and Allen Conard, along with Sr. Airman Sean Mcelree, all avionics specialists from the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, put their finishing touches on an F-16 as the sun sets over Cope India 2006.

Capt. Michael Thomas, lower center, senior director, and Tech. Sgt. Steven Harshman, lead weapons director, with the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, monitor and direct aircraft with an Indian Air Force squadron leader recently during Cope India ’06.

Photo Courtesy: John Redfield and Martin Jackson of the United States Air Force

Experts back India on N-deal

2005-11-17T07:42:00.000-05:00

South Asia experts have cautioned the US Congress not to impose any additional conditions on India in an attempt to clinch the India-US civilian nuke deal as it could scuttle the landmark agreement itself and also significantly damage the burgeoning US-India relationship.

Testifying at a hearing of the full committee of the House International Relations Committee in Washington on Wednesday, Ashley Tellis, Stephen Cohen, Francine R. Frankel and Satu Limaye voiced their views on why the nuke deal was important for India as well as the United States.

They rejected India signing a fissile material treaty or any such thing as a pre-condition for Congressional approval of the civilian nuclear deal, and said it could have negative consequences for both India and the United States.

They also said India needs to be treated as part of the solution to proliferation rather than as a part of the problem.

The hearing on 'The US-India Global Partnership: How Significant for American Interests?' was called by Chairman of the Committee Henry Hyde to examine the implications of the civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the United States.

Two other hearings have already been held with the Bush administration officials and nuke experts.

Congressman from New York Gary Ackerman, senior member of the House, who wholeheartedly supports the India-US landmark agreement, brought up the issue of conditions.

He said, ''I would point out to those critics of the agreement that there are already many very serious and difficult conditions contained in the July 18 joint statement that India will have to meet.

"Indeed, there are some difficult conditions that the United States will have to meet. I also think that since this is likely to be a phased process, and that as long as the administration is forthcoming with information on Indian progress, members of Congress will be able to decide for themselves that India is working to keep its commitments even as we are working to keep ours.''

He added: ''It's perfectly appropriate for the Congress to include the conditions in the joint statement as part of the legislation we consider, but I have yet to be persuaded that the benefit of adding additional conditions would outweigh their cost.''

Ashley Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it would be impossible to get India to cap its fissile material production as it is a matter of its national security issue in a region where China has a bigger stockpile of nuke weapons.

However, he said if a global agreement on a cut-off in fissile material was evolved, India would not lag behind in signing it.

He said the most important contribution that the legislative branch can make is by helping to change India's status from that of a target under US non-proliferation laws to that of a full partner.

''The Bush Administration's civilian nuclear agreement with India is directed fundamentally towards this objective. It would produce important and tangible non-proliferation gains for the United States just as it would bestow energy and environmental benefits on India,'' Tellis said.

He said so far US non-proliferation laws have treated India as a problem to be contained rather than as a partner to be engaged. It was the Bush Administration that looked at India through a new prism, he said.

He said: "In contrast to the past, President Bush sees India as part of the solution to proliferation rather than as part of the problem. He also views the growth of Indian power as beneficial to the United States and its geopolitical interests in Asia and hence worthy of strong American support."

Tellis also pointed out to the critics of the agreement signed between US President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that they have failed to see the shrewdness of rewarding India's record of voluntary non-proliferation with urgently needed civilian nuclear programmes while placing India's future nuclear development within an international framework.

He also said that by ensuring India's nuclear programme enjoys the same benefits and is bound by the same obligations as other powers in the non-proliferation regime, the US is invoking one of its top national security priorities: the prevention of nuclear commerce between India and a rogue state or non-state actor.

Referring to the criticism that other non-signatories to the NPT like Pakistan or North Korea would demand the same recognition and benefits for their nuclear programmes as that of India, Tellis argued that such fears were groundless 'since India, a democratic and rapidly developing nuclear power with a good non-proliferation track record outside the NPT is almost universally acknowledged to be an exception and not the rule'.

Tellis also urged the US Congress to recognise the American national security benefits of bringing India into the recognised nuclear fold.

Stephen Cohen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, who was more critical of India's nuclear programme, said both the US and India miscalculated the complexity of this deal and the likely opposition.

"Our own abysmal knowledge of India and its politics contributed to this situation," he said.

He also said India would not be a dependent state nor will it become a close ally like Britain. At best, he said, it could emerge as an Asian France, ''a state with which we have many shared interests but one that sees the world through its own prism, not ours.''

The South Asia experts also agreed that advancing the growth of India as a global power, as the Bush Administration intends, is not directed 'at containing China' as many critics have alleged.

Such a policy of containing China is neither feasible nor necessary at this point because India too has no interest in becoming part of any coalition aimed at containing China.

Francine R Frankel, professor from the University of Pennsylvania, said, ''New Delhi has too much at stake in improving its relations with Beijing to be drawn into robust demonstration of support for US interests.''

On the contrary, she pointed out that 'the mindset of India advocates for a natural partnership between the two countries as better described by the determination not to walk into a US trap by becoming overtly anti-Chinese'.

U.S. OKs sale of P-3C logistics support to India

2005-11-16T16:21:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Defense Department on Monday told Congress it approved the sale to India of logistics support worth $133 million for two Lockheed Martin Corp. P-3C reconnaissance aircraft it plans to lease.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the logistics support includes training devices, operations and maintenance training, as well as spare parts.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed would be the prime contractor, which DSCA said would help improve India's security, while at the same time strengthening the U.S.-India strategic partnership.

Congress has 30 days to block the proposed sale, although such action is rare.

DSCA spokesman Jose Ibarra said the notification did not include the leasing of the actual Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft and had no immediate details on that part of the deal.

The Pentagon said the two leased P-3Cs would replace two existing Indian Navy patrol aircraft, Soviet-built IL-38 Mays, which were quickly reaching the end of their operational life.

"To maintain security, it is necessary that India replace these fixed-wing aircraft with an airborne operational capability for land-based maritime patrol and reconnaissance," DSCA said in a statement.

Lockheed officials in February first announced the company was in talks to sell up to 12 P-3Cs to the Indian navy. The company had no immediate comment on Monday's news.

India's rival, Pakistan, announced in August it had acquired eight P-3Cs from the United States, which would help boost its naval capabilities.

Israeli companies invited to Indian Army rifles tender

2005-11-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Israeli defense companies have been invited to bid in an Indian Army tender for the purchase of 50,000 rifles, “Defense News” reports.

According to the weekly, the Indian Army is planning to upgrade the equipment of its infantry units. Indian military planners are currently considering future infantry models, including the infantry program of the US Army, an overall technological project for the future soldier; Israel’s future infantry program; and South Africa’s African soldier program.

The Indian Army is planning to equip its soldiers with an upgraded 5.56 mm assault rifle, sights and observation equipment installed on helmets, a radio and data communications system, and armor and survival equipment.

Within 3-4 months, the Indian Army plans to publish an international tender for the purchase of 50,000 rifles. Companies from Israel, Germany, South Africa, and the US will be eligible.

”Defense News” says that all bids must include a program for transferring rifle technologies to India in order to make local production possible.

Rifles offered in the tender are likely to include electro-optical components, such as thermal sights, holographic sights, video cameras and still photographs, a digital compass, and a global positioning system (GPS). Other equipment is likely to include a digital map and a battlefield identification system. A fire control computer will coordinate all the elements, and make it possible to use electronically summoned air blast ammunition. Rifles will also be equipped with a grenade launcher.

The Indian Army is also planning to buy several thousand light helmets with equipment for distributing data from sensors and other digital information. Battle suits will include ballistic armor and atomic-biological-chemical (ABC) identification kits. The suits, made of infrared-absorbing camouflage materials capable of changing color to match the surroundings, will minimize physical pressure on the body.

Lockheed Martin eyes new opportunities in Indian arms market

2005-11-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

Armaments major Lockheed Martin, in the race to supply 126 combat jets to India, is eyeing several other opportunities to sell aircraft and hardware worth bns of dollars to the country's armed forces.

The US firm will bid for an Indian Navy proposal to acquire some 30 submarine hunter helicopters, the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s plan to buy 80 medium-lift helicopters and an Indian Army programme to acquire tactical missiles.

"I'm telling my colleagues in the US that there's a new opportunity here almost every day," Royce Caplinger, managing director of Lockheed Martin, told IANS.

Lockheed Martin is also pitching its C-130J Hercules, one of the most successful military transport aircraft, to the IAF and will be responsible for maintenance and product support if the Indian Navy goes ahead with a plan to acquire used P3C Orion reconnaissance aircraft from the US Navy.

The firm also makes the missiles used in the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile defence system that the US has offered to India. The chief of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency flew to India in September to make a classified presentation on the system to the country's military top brass.
Caplinger, who heads Lockheed Martin's new Indian office in New Delhi that will be formally inaugurated Monday, admitted the burgeoning defence ties between the US and India had opened up new doors for American armament firms.

Lockheed Martin is one of four military aviation majors short-listed for India's programme to buy 126 frontline jets, and Caplinger believes the F-16 Fighting Falcon jets offered by his firm stand a good chance even though they are pitted against France's Mirage 2000 and Russia's MiG-29 - both already in service with the IAF.

The fourth jet in the race is Sweden's JAS-39 Gripen. The US government has also unilaterally offered the F-18 jet made by Boeing for the programme.

"The Indian government's request for proposals should be issued before the end of the year and we are anxious to get on and compete. We have a team standing by and the US government is preparing as well," Caplinger said.

"The IAF has the Mirage and MiG-29 in its inventory and likes them but the F-16 represents the latest and greatest that the US has to offer. The platform may be old but the technology, weapon systems and cockpit are the latest."
"We have competed with the other fighters and we can win this bid."

When it is concluded, the 126-jet purchase will be one of the largest defence buys by India, which has spent billions of dollars over the past few years to acquire a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier, six French Scorpene submarines, six Il-78 midair refuellers from Uzbekistan and three Phalcon spy planes from Israel.

The US government has been aggressively pitching the F-16 and F-18 to India, and the US Air Force has sent an F-16 squadron from Japan for the Cope India 05 wargame currently under way with the IAF at a base in West Bengal.

During the exercise at Kalaikunda airbase, IAF pilots will fly in the F-16s to get a feel of the aircraft.

Noting that the F-16 was in service with 24 countries, Caplinger said Lockheed Martin would have "no problems" with offering co-production of the jets in India. "We are trying to be pro-active about this deal and have already visited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to look at their (production) facilities," he said.
By choosing the F-16, Caplinger said, India would also get "on the path" to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter currently being developed by Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin has tied up with Sikorsky to offer the MH-60 helicopter for an Indian Navy programme to replace its ageing Sea King submarine hunter helicopters.

"We hope to have the request for proposal for that programme soon. Lockheed Martin will provide the cockpit, sensors and weapons and Sikorsky the platforms," Caplinger said.

Lockheed Martin is also offering its shoulder-fired anti-armour Javelin missile to the Indian Army and patrol vessels and helicopters to India's Coast Guard, Caplinger said.

Pranab Mukherjee to discuss new defence projects in Moscow

2005-11-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be leaving for Russia on a three-day official visit tonight.

Mukherjee will co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) on Military Technical Co-operation (MTC) with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov, on whose invitation he is leaving for Moscow.

The IRIGC-MTC is the apex body of India's strategic defence partnership with Russia and annually reviews the work done as per plan and sets target for the coming year.

A number of new projects are currently on the anvil between on the anvil between the two countries and these will be discussed at the meeting of the IRIGC to take them forward.

Sources said that a major Russian concern regarding intellectual property rights (IPR) will be addressed successfully during Mukherjee's visit, adding that an agreement in this regard is likely to be signed during his stay in Moscow.

Mukherjee who is visiting Russia on the invitation of his Russian counterpart, will be meeting President Vladimir Putin and other high ranking officials of Kremlin and hold talks over bilateral defence relations and the current security situation in India's neighbourhood.

India and Russia have over four decades of defence ties. Russia is presently India's largest weapons supplier with export of Russian military equipment forming 40 per cent of Russian military sales worldwide.

India and Russia have jointly developed the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles. The Indian Air Force's (IAF's) fighter fleet is mostly of Russian origin with the bulk comprising of the MiG - 21s, and other variations like MiG 27s, MiG 29s. The Sukhoi multi-combat aircraft (Su-30 and Su-30 MKI) developed by Russia is now being produced at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under licence.

The T-72 tanks and the T-90 MBT that forms the core of the mechanised corps of the Indian Army are also of Russian origin and manufactured at Ordnance Factories in India. India is looking at procuring the Tunguska air defence system and the Smerch multi-role rocket launcher from Moscow.

India has also signed a 1.5-billion dollar deal with Russia for Admiral Gorshkov, the aircraft carrier that will be handed over to India by 2009 after a refit.

Israel spy satellite on Isro vehicle

2005-11-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

Israel has decided to launch its next spy satellite aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rather than on its own indigenous Shavit rocket, according to a report in Spacenews, the Washington-based weekly on global space business.

The report quoting Israeli officials in Tel Aviv said Israel’s defence ministry and the state-owned satellite producer, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), are finalising with Indian officials contractual agreements for the planned October 2006 launch of TECSAR, Israel’s first synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite.

“On the government-to-government level, a pre-existing bilateral accord on strategic co-operation (between India and Israel) already covers most aspects of the mission,” the report said. The estimated 260-kg TECSAR is slated as the exclusive payload on the PSLV, which will be launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the report said.

Since 1999, India has launched four foreign satellites — a Belgian, a Korean, and two German — aboard the PSLV, which has emerged as Isro’s commercial workhorse launcher. All four satellites were less than 100 kg in weight and flew as “piggyback passengers” with India’s own remote sensing satellites as the main payloads.

India has also signed contracts for the launch of individual satellites for Indonesia, Italy and Singapore in the coming years.

India keen to develop AWACS

2005-11-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

India is hoping for a breakthrough in its experiments with Airborne Warning and Control Systems, Awacs, after the project suffered a setback in 2004.

The programme re-started five years after an airborne early warning plane crashed in Tamil Nadu killing eight scientists and the pilot.

"The airborne warning and control system has become an integral part of any air force's operations," said Air Marshall P Rajkumar, former director of Aeronautical Development Agency.

He said, that India is buying three airborne control systems from Israel and added the Indian air force has no experience with Awacs aircraft.

The Indian air force is training with such planes for the first time at the India-US joint air exercises in Kalikunda, according to Rajkumar.

India is keen to have its own Awacs, and scientists admit the crash of the airborne plane slowed efforts.

"Programme was not abandoned [but] it went on like a drip mode or a slow mode," said former director of CABS, DRDO, Dr K Ramchand

It was this time, he added that the Israeli's offered their technology to India, which was accepted.

Ramchand is confident India will make its own airborne warning systems soon.

"In the next ten years India will have a very cost effective AWACS costing less than 20 million dollars".

India's plans don't stop there.

"After the Awacs programme, the next is the Joint Stars programme. The Awacs controls the air battle and the Joint Stars will control the land battle," Ramchand said.

Despite the setbacks, Indian avionics scientists remain passionate and committed to the idea of building an indigenously developed Awacs, which will one day fly in the Indian Air Force.

Chinese naval fleet leaves for exercises with Indian Navy

2005-11-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

A Chinese naval fleet today left for a visit to India, Pakistan and Thailand during which the vessels will hold the first joint naval exercises in foreign sea areas.
The fleet of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), comprising of a 'Shenzhen' missile destroyer and a 'Weishanhu' depot ship, is expected to hold joint military drills, the first ever by the Chinese navy in alien sea areas, with navies of the three nations.

Sources with the fleet said the drills will focus on items in non-traditional areas, such as joint search- and- rescue exercises, Xinhua news agency reported from Zhangjiang port in southern China's Guangdong province.

Passing four straits, the fleet is expected to enter the Arabian Sea via northern part of the Indian Ocean.

The whole voyage is almost 10,000 sea miles and the sail will last over 40 days.

Destroyer Shenzhen, China's self-developed missile destroyer, has visited 11 nations in four previous trips.

Weishanhu paid its maiden tour to foreign lands, the report said.

Three Indian Naval ships had visited Shanghai port in Oct, 2003 and held joint exercises with the PLAN vessels.

U.S., India ready to join forces for 15-day air combat exercise

2005-11-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

It’s a fighter pilot’s dream: Matching skills, wits and hardware in a dogfight against a foreign-made jet, except nobody gets shot and the adversary really is a friend.

Dissimilar air combat training is the centerpiece of the 15-day Cope India exercise. U.S. military officials say it’s to improve the U.S. and Indian air forces’ ability to work with each other and promote cooperation and stability in Asia and the Pacific. It begins Monday on India’s east coast, over Kalaikunda Air Base about 80 miles south of Calcutta.

The third Cope India since 2002 is the largest joint combat exercise between the two nations since at least 1963. This one features F-16s from Misawa Air Base, Japan; an E-3 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, and several types of Indian fighters.

About 600 personnel from both nations are taking part, officials said, including about 250 pilots, maintainers and support personnel from Pacific Air Forces. Most are from Misawa and Kadena, although a handful are from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; and Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Misawa is sending 12 13th Fighter Squadron F-16s and about 165 personnel from base agencies including operations, mission support, maintenance, civil engineering, communications, security and logistics readiness.

Joining from Kadena are about 40 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron personnel and an additional 30 maintainers.

“It’s the first time an AWACS has played in an Indian exercise,” said Lt. Col. Roberto Guerrero, 961st commander.

The AWACS will provide both sides detailed battle information, such as location of potential adversarial aircraft, said Capt. Alison Schorr, 961st air battle manager and project officer who was to deploy to India on Friday.

It’s the Indian Air Force’s “first opportunity to work with an AWACS platform,” she said. “They only have ground-based radar.”

But the learning is expected to go both ways.

Lt. Col. Hugh Hanlon, Misawa’s 13th Fighter Squadron commander, said his pilots are anticipating training for the first time against Indian fighters such as the SU-30 and MIG-21 Bison, Russian-made aircraft with Indian specifications - similar to aircraft some U.S. adversaries fly.

“Most U.S. training is against U.S. aircraft,” he said. “This allows us to get real experience of seeing these aircraft (in a combat scenario) and to train against their performance capabilities.”

“They’re very good,” Hanlon said of his Indian counterparts, “We’re excited. Rarely, if ever, is an Air Force pilot provided the opportunity to actually go fly with these kinds of aircraft.

India to buy IAI drones in 220 million dollar deal

2005-11-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

India is set to purchase some 50 drones from Israel Aircraft Industries in a deal worth $220 million, the Pakistani English-language newspaper, The Daily Times, reported on Friday.

IAI's Heron drones are fitted with thermal cameras and are capable of reaching altitudes of about 6 kilometers. They will be put to use carrying out reconnaissance missions on India's mountainous borders with China and Pakistan.

Pakistan's Daily Times reported that India already has some 12 Heron drones that proved their worth in the aftermath of the tsunami when they were used to gather information in afflicted regions.

India was said to have been close to sealing the deal with IAI in 2004, but it was postponed due to the change in governments in New Delhi.

Earlier, the Australian army announced it would purchase 18 Heron drones from the IAI. A spokesperson said that the drones would be put to use in Iraq.

Indian Army to hold Desert Strike exercise on Nov 18 in Rajasthan

2005-11-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

The Indian Army's Desert Strike exercise will be held on November 18 for which preparations are being made on a war footing.

According to sources, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Army chief Gen J J Singh, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi and 79 defence representatives of friendly countries will also attend the function to be held at Pokharan field firing range in the district.

The exercise being held under fire power demonstration will test recently acquired weapons and other equipment for its strike capabilities, the source said.

Senior defence officials and security experts from friendly countries have also been invited to the function, source added.

Russia Tests Missile Designed to Overcome US Defense Shield

2005-11-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Russian media are hailing an intercontinental ballistic missile test, calling it a successful demonstration of the military's capability to pierce the U.S. anti-missile defense shield.

The Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile has unique capabilities, making it virtually invulnerable, Russia's leading television broadcaster, Channel 1, commented Wednesday.

Trud, a pro-government daily, said the American anti-missile defense umbrella was no longer a problem for Russia because the test-launch demonstrated that the newest warhead could overcome it.

On Tuesday, Russia test-fired the new missile a new Topol, which boasts a range of some 10,000 kilometers. It was fired from a ground-based launcher and hit a target in a testing ground in neighboring Kazakhstan, the Defense Ministry reported.

Russia's Kommersant daily said the military claimed that "maneuvers" by the warhead during the final stretch of its trajectory would prevent missile defense systems from intercepting and destroying the incoming missile.

This would therefore be Moscow's "asymmetrical" response to the U.S. missile defense system, it said.

Deployment of the new warheads would begin next year, Strategic Missile Forces commander Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov announced last month.

Russia recently test-fired a Bulava missile from a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. The Bulava is a modified, sea-based version of the land based Topol-M.

If successful, Topol-Bulava missiles would be the first intercontinental weapon system Moscow has created since it withdrew from the SALT-2 treaty with the U.S. in response to the American missile defense plans.

The stated aim of the U.S. program is to provide protection against the threat of ballistic missiles fired by rogue states, not by major missile powers like Russia.

Russia has long argued it had the capability to defeat the U.S. anti-missile defense program due to the size of its ballistic missile arsenal.

After President Bush pulled out of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty to pursue the new anti-missile defense program, Russia announced it no longer felt bound by previous agreements that prohibited missiles with multiple warheads.

Russia has looked at equipping its new Topol missile with multiple warheads, an option that would reduce the weapon's vulnerability to the U.S. missile defense system, which is designed to attack one warhead at a time.

Arms race with India can cripple Pakistan: Editorial

2005-10-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

Pakistan needs to shift from its conflictual paradigm vis-a-vis India and think of of ways to ease human distress and promote peace in the neighbourhood in the wake of the devastating October 8 earthquake, says an editorial in the Daily Times.

Not doing so could enhance “external threats” to its already overly strained environment and economy, the editorial adds.

According to the editorial, Islamabad’s resource base is under pressure, and with the government saying that 5 to10 billion dollars will be eventually needed to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives and homes of the quake victims, it should avoid confrontationist positions with New Delhi.

Though countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some other Muslim countries have come forward with aid, international donors have not been as forthcoming as was hoped. Western countries are agreeable to sending men and materials to Pakistan, but reluctant to fork out cash.

At the back of their minds is the fact that Pakistan is about to spend 1.5 billion dollars on buying the first batch of F-16 fighter bombers when that money could be better spent on alleviating the hardships of the quake-hit people.

Given Pakistan's conflictual defence strategy vis a vis India, its air force (PAF) has been under pressure over its depleting armour. Its current fleet of 32 F-16s is not fully operational due to the lack of spares. The Pakistan Air Force has had to cannibalise a few aircraft to keep the rest operational. The truth is that even after getting the 24 new F-16s, the value of the new acquisitions in the Indo-Pakistan weapons calculus context will remain symbolic, says the editorial.

“India can actually lead us to our perdition by playing on our imitative military instinct. The US offer to Pakistan is accompanied with a much bigger offer of technology transfer to India. New Delhi will be offered top-of-the-line fighter aircraft, such as the F-18, or the Joint Strike Fighter, with the additional advantage of licensed production in India. The US is also thinking of transferring to India some of its anti-ballistic missile systems and dual-use technology. Given the foremost reflex in Pakistan to match India weapon for weapon, this gives India an advantage over us, which is more lethal than its military superiority,” the editorial adds.

According to the paper, the size of the Indian economy gives it the leeway to spend more on arms than Pakistan at all times. Its edge over Pakistan in technology sharpens this advantage further. New Delhi can force Islamabad to spend itself into insolvency.

The editorial concludes by saying that the world is fully aware of the folly of an India-Pakistan arms race. It wants the two to normalise relations and become economically interdependent neighbours and recommends that the synergies of the two countries leaderships need to be focused on alleviating poverty and distress rathen than on the weapons calculus.

India ready to export BrahMos

2005-10-28T14:58:00.000-05:00

India has finally cleared the high-tech supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, and Chile could be among the first buyers.

"The export of military hardware is no longer an issue, and we have started exporting the BrahMos," Vice-Admiral Madanjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, said on Thursday. He was addressing a seminar on "Navy-Industry Convergence: Challenges and Opportunities" here.

Later, he told reporters that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, A. Sivathanu Pillai, were in Chile and finalisation of the missile deal was on the cards. Other countries were also in the process of placing orders for the missile, a result of Indo-Russian joint research. He did not name any country but said some in South-East Asia could be among them.

The BrahMos, with a range of 290 km, is capable of delivering an over 300-kg conventional warhead at twice or even thrice the speed of sound. It is the only supersonic missile of its class. The Navy has armed several of its warships, notably the Rajput class destroyers, with the BrahMos, essentially a long-range anti-ship weapon, for a coastal attack role.

The missile is multi-platform capable and a plan is afoot to arm Su-30 multirole aircraft with it for air-to-land combat. Its Army version for land-to-land combat was tested last year.

At the seminar, jointly organised by the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, and the Confederation of Indian Industry to mark the 270th anniversary of the dockyard, Vice-Admiral Singh told industry that the Navy did not like to depend on foreign suppliers, particularly after the post-Pokhran II sanctions that resulted in its helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft grounded for want of spares. He called upon industry to join the indigenisation process.

The Navy, with 20 warships under construction at different shipyards, offered many an opportunity to the private ship building industry.

Even in large weapon procurement deals, for instance the recently-signed French submarine agreement, there were offset clauses requiring the suppliers to buy Indian components and systems. Industry could avail itself of these opportunities. Foreign suppliers were being encouraged to find an Indian industry partner.

Vic-Admiral Singh told reporters that the offset clause got lost in the documents until recently and the domestic industry did not benefit from it. Now the offsets were being pursued attentively. The implementation of the clause could be linked to the payment stages. Industry could also have tie-ups with the Defence Research and Development Organisation and defence public sector undertakings. He wanted an institutionalised approach to such partnerships.

The Navy was keen on a submarine programme, besides the just-concluded Scorpene deal. "We have operated several types of submarines all the time and now also we are having Russian and German submarines in our inventory." Other submarines were being evaluated for the second programme. To a question, Vice-Admiral Singh said the Navy examined and found the Russian Amur a good submarine but it all depended on the offer.

Asked about the indigenous Trishul surface-to-air missile, he said the Navy needed missiles four times more powerful in terms of range and strike capability. Unlike the BrahMos, the Trishul could not hit a supersonic cruise missile.

Chile, India Expected To Sign ALH Contract

2005-10-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

India and Chile are poised to finalize plans for Chile’s purchase of an unspecified number of Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) built by Indian government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), a senior Defence Ministry official here said Oct. 26.

The news was divulged as Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee began an official visit to Chile. The ALH sale contract will be signed during his visit.

Mukherjee is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Vice Adm. Raman Puri, chief of India’s Integrated Defence Staff; HAL Chairman Ashok Baweja; Ordnance Factories Board Chairman P.K. Mishra; and Sivathanu Pillai, managing director of the BrahMos cruise missile project.

India last year offered to sell Chile its homegrown multi-utility helicopters, and a number of senior-level delegations from the two countries have visited each other to negotiate the purchase. HAL is marketing ALH jointly with Israel Aircraft Industries to the global market.

The ALH, which seats 13, is powered by two French Snecma TM-333B engines and has 55 percent foreign components. Sources in the Indian Defence Ministry said each ALH will be sold for around $5.4 million.

The Defence Ministry official said the sale of ALHs to Chile will open opportunities to sell the ALH to other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Surinam.

India, Mauritius Plan More Defense Cooperation

2005-10-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

India and Mauritius, which currently share surveillance information and military training, plan to step up their defense ties to include the supply of weaponry and equipment.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed here Oct. 25, the Indian Navy will assist Mauritius in updating its charts and navigation data.

An Indian Navy official said that the reworking of survey charts would lead to safer navigation and better management of the Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone. To begin with, an Indian Navy survey ship will be deployed in an area to be identified by the Mauritian government in January.

Visiting Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed the Oct. 25 agreement on the hydrographic work to be undertaken by India’s Navy.

Mauritius also has expressed interest in acquiring the Indian-made Advanced Light Helicopter and buying fast boats from Indian shipyards.

A senior Indian Defence Ministry official said Mauritius also is buying an unspecified number of Dornier aircraft built by India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. for maritime surveillance. Mauritius also is negotiating the purchase of Indian Offshore Patrol Vessels.

Over the years, India has provided the Indian Ocean archipelago nation with expertise and hardware to develop Mauritius’ security capability. New Delhi gave Mauritius a patrol craft in the 1970s. A number of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force personnel are attached to the Mauritius Coast Guard.

Indian Air Force goes total high tech in the middle of massive upgradation

2005-10-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

Indian Air Force is planning to compete with America, China and Russia. In the next ten years it is planning to transform itself into stunningly high tech and extremely space based. There are some interim stages though. First it plans to embark on a massive up-gradation of its aging aircrafts to keep pace with Pakistan. After that all eyes to high tech and satellite and space driven total high tech efforts.

According to media reports, concerned over its dwindling aircraft fleet, Indian Air Force announced plans for massive upgradation of its entire frontline fighter fleet, barring the newly acquired Sukhoi-30MKI.

According sources within Indian Government, India is planning to go all out to the space and the Indian President, world’ one of the most well known Space Scientist is all behind it.

"It will be an interim measure as we hope to restore our authorised strength by the proposed induction of 126 Medium Range Combat aircraft," the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani said in Delhi.

The fighters lined up for upgradation through technology induction include the country's lone air superiority aircraft, MiG-29, multi role aircraft Mirage 2000 as well as more of the MiG-21's.

Along with upgrading the frontline fighters, the IAF also proposes to modernize and augment its transport fleet of IL-78 air to air Refuellers, An-32 medium haul aircraft as well its ageing fleet of Mi-17 helicopters, the Vice Chief said.

Air force plans massive fighter upgrade programme

2005-10-27T09:07:00.001-05:00

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has drawn up a massive plan to upgrade hundreds of its combat jets and transport aircraft to extend their life as it scouts the world market for 126 new fighters.

Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani, vice chief of the IAF, said here Monday that his force planned to refurbish its inventory of surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets like the Jaguars, MiG-29s and Mirage 2000s to keep them flying for longer.

At the same time, its fleet of Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters and An-32 medium transport aircraft would also be upgraded with better avionics and sensors.

The IAF is mulling a proposal to refurbish An-32 transport planes and all its helicopters to make them capable of midair refuelling.

"The IAF is also keeping open the option of upgrading more squadrons of its MiG-21 fighters. An earlier contract to upgrade 125 of these jets is complete," Bhavnani told a select group of journalists at a briefing at Air Headquarters.

The issue of upgrading more MiG-21s would depend on whether this was a cost effective option, he said.

India signed a contract worth Rs.12 billion with Russia in March 1996 to refurbish 125 MiG-21s using a mix of modern Russian and Israeli avionics and weapon systems. The contract included an option to upgrade 50 more jets.

Bhavnani, however, said the move to upgrade more jets would be carried out alongside its programme to buy 126 new jets.

Five jets are currently being considered for purchase - the Lockheed Martin F-16 from the US, France's Mirage 2000, the MiG-29 from Russia and the Swedish Gripen jet.

"We are planning upgrades of practically every aircraft. We will also upgrade our surface-to-air missiles which are about 30 years old," Bhavnani said. "We are doing this so that we don't have to start looking for more new aircraft."

As the IAF acquired more potent combat jets like the Su-30, it could consider a proposal to "trim down" its manpower to become a "leaner and meaner" force. However, no guidelines had been framed as yet for the cuts in force levels that could be made, Bhavnani said.

IAF to refine doctrine for contemporary challenges, roles

2005-10-27T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Indian Air Force is redefining its existing doctrine to incorporate contemporary circumstances, including its increasing role in disaster relief and UN peacekeeping, and acquisition of assets conferring a strategic reach capability.

''The IAF was the first service to formulate its doctrine, way back in the mid-1990s. Now, we are engaged in refining that doctrine to incorporate new challenges and roles such as UN peacekeeping, in which earlier the Army only figured. A study has been commissioned in this connection,'' Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani told mediapesons here.

With increasing participation in disaster relief operations, the IAF has also drawn up standard proceedures for reacting to calamities and ensuring a faster response, he said, citing the examples of the devastating tsunami -- where the personnel at Car Nicobar ignored their own losses to instantly mount rescue missions, the floods in Mumbai, Himachal and other parts of the country, and most recently, the killer quake in Jammu and Kashmir.

''We also have to provide for an 'Out of Area' contingencies, where the IAF goes as an expeditionary force, not to fight but render assistance in the wake of calamities,'' he said.

On the IAF's Strategic Vision-2015, he said that it was only limited to the middle of the next decade because that was considered an optimum limit at the time the plan was drawn up, in respect of technology and assets.

''We will have to carry out a rethink in the next three to four years to incorporate newly-acquired assets such as the mid-air refuellers as well as the buddy-refuelling pods on the fighter aircraft that confer greater strategic reach as well as items in the pipeline like the three 'Phalcon' AWACS,'' Air Marshal Bhavnani said.

The Vice Chief noted that in a few years when all these assets are operationalised, the force would have to draft a new vision plan covering the period upto 2025 or 2030.

On a question whether the considerations of strategic reach capabilities could play a role in deciding which aircraft to acquire out of the five contenders for the 126 MRCAs, Air Marshal Bhavnani said these had already been factored in when the contenders were chosen.

Russia flies in missile components for trials

2005-10-22T09:05:00.000-05:00

After the successful trials of the ship-launched and land-to-land versions of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, India and Russia now aim to try out air-launched and submarine-launched variants of the missile.

A Russian airforce transport aircraft flew directly from a Russian airbase to the Bhubaneswar airport on Friday to unload "sensitive cargo" relating to the new variants of the BrahMos missile. The cargo carried in two trailers, which left for the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur accompanied by police escorts and a fire tender.

Sources in the ITR told HT that new versions of BrahMos would soon be tested for which the missile components were sourced from Russia.

Trials of the anti-ship version of BrahMos missile have already been completed and the last successful test firing was conducted from destroyer INS Rajput in the Arabian Sea earlier this year. Land-to-land version BrahMos II was test-fired in a desert range in Rajasthan in December 2004.

"We are now focussing on the air-launched version which would be integrated with Sukhoi MKI (Mark India) multi-role fighter aircraft and submarine-launched version," sources said.

IAF combat fleet down by nine squadrons

2005-10-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has phased out about half a dozen of its MiG series of combat squadrons in the past couple of years, forcing it to take unprecedented steps to keep up its fighting capability by technology induction.

As predicted in these columns at the beginning of this year, the present strength of the IAF combat force has come down to about 30 squadrons, down from 39 declared by the then Chief of Air Staff a couple of years ago. The loss is due to the large ageing fleet of MiG-21s as well as MiG-23s and MiG-27s, and the inability of the successive governments to timely replace them over the last two decades.

Sources say that the IAF has sought an immediate step-up in the production level of SU-30 aircraft from eight to 12 per year, creation of another MiG-21 BIS squadron, and also placed an order for additional Jaguar Attack jets with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Induction of force multipliers like laser-guided and other precision bombs, standoff weapons, better radars and longer-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or pilotless surveillance aircraft has also been boosted.

According to noted defence analyst, Air Marshal Ashok Goel (retd), the loss of numbers is indeed worrying keeping in mind the increasing strategic role of India on the one hand and the fact that a much smaller country like Pakistan has 22 squadrons, or about three-fourths of what India has.

“The Air Force and the Ministry of Defence are now working fast to ensure the induction of 126 multi role combat aircraft (MRCAs) to replace the phased out jets, and although the formal request for proposals (RfPs) to the five contenders would be send by the year-end, their induction would still take time. Fast induction of force multipliers is one immediate measure to keep the force fighting fit,” he says.

Till 2003, India had approximately 700 combat jets, according to the Military Balance published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). About 600 of these were of Soviet/ Russian origin, and of them, more than half, or 300-plus, were MiG 21s. Then there were 78-MiG 23s, 135 MiG-27s, 63-MiG 29s, and seven MiG-25s, the last being the mainstay of aerial reconnaissance.

Except for 125 MiG-21s, which are being upgraded to the MiG 21-BIS standard, all other Mig-21s and all the MiG-23s and MiG-27s aircraft are due to be phased out by 2007.

That is a very large number, creating a vacuum of nearly half of the IAF’s combat strength, but for the timely induction of SU-30s and force multipliers from flight refuellers to precision bombs, the first of which were used in the 1999 Kargil war to throw out the infiltrating Pakistani troops.

India already has a squadron of six Il-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRAs), which can extend the range and staying power of SU 30s, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s. The number of the FRAs, and possibly also that of Phalcon AWACs, three of which India is buying from Israel, would go a long way in helping the IAF defend the nation.

It may be noted that the IAF has received some Mirage-2000 aircraft to make up for the periodic training and operational losses (maintenance reserve and strike off wastage) that any force has to bear, but its expectation to buy 12 Mirage-2005 from Qatar, all of which are in excellent condition, has fallen through due to the differences over price. A deal would have been nice as these aircraft would have come both with spares and weapons.

Mirage 2005 is among the five MRCAs that the IAF is considering, the others being Russian Mig 29M2, Swedish JAS 39 Gripen and the US F-16 made by Lockheed Martin and F-18 made by Boeing.

The F-18 Hornet has been designed for ship-borne attacks but is a good aircraft and can be used particularly from air bases along the shore.

Nonetheless, the choice has to lie with the IAF as it will have the responsibility to deploy them in compatibility with its overall training and operational perspective.

According to Air Marshal Goel, HAL is the lifeline of the IAF and accordingly has a major responsibility, qualitatively and quantitatively, to deliver whatever aircraft the IAF orders on time.

That includes the SU 30s, Jaguars, MiG-21 BIS and the LCA Tejas, whose induction is due from 2007-08 onwards. Of the 126 MRCAs, IAF would get only about 20 in flyaway condition and the rest would be assembled or manufactured by HAL. The process should be time-bound and customer-responsive.

Pointing out that one former Prime Minister opposed the induction of SU-30s, Air Marshal Goel says that it is time the politicians stopped playing blame games with one another and thereby adversely affecting the armed forces.

Delays in induction of aircraft and technology for the Air Force, and similarly modern equipment for the Army and Navy, would threaten the security of the country.

The lesson is clear: ageing equipment loses its heart and soul and technological transplants cannot prolong its effective life. The IAF needs new aircraft and newer technologies. The acquisition process needs to be speeded upto make up for lost time.

Indian President Zooms in on Google’s Satellite Images

2005-10-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Indian military analysts are divided over whether Google’s satellite image service, which the president has warned could help terrorists find targets, poses a serious threat to national security.

Indian President Abdul Kalam has raised the alarm over the U.S.-based search engine’s Web site, Google Earth, launched in June. The site allows users to access sophisticated images of sensitive military and political sites.

“I don’t think it poses a security threat,” said C. Uday Bhaskar, the deputy head of the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, a military think tank based in New Delhi.

“Satellite pictures are available commercially these days for a price. We have to realize that this is part of technology enabling characteristics of the present times,” he said. “This is the reality and we have to deal with it.”

Indian media reports said the Google satellite service allowed browsers to view high-resolution images of installations such as the Mumbai headquarters of India’s Western Naval Command.

“Users can zoom close enough to take a reasonably good look at the deck of India’s lone aircraft carrier. Browse around and you can stroll past piers where warships of all kinds and submarines are docked,” the Times of India said.

The site contains clear aerial photos of India’s Parliament and the president’s palace in New Delhi, prompting Kalam to sound a warning that he was worried “developing countries, already in danger of terrorist attacks, have been chosen” for exposure.

The Web site provides a limited free service and a paid site that allows users to see major geographic features and towns, according to the company.

Google said it does provide high-resolution images that reveal details of buildings in most major cities in the United States, Western Europe, Canada and Britain.

A spokesman for Kalam said Oct. 17 that the president had asked officers to check “whether the images pose a threat to national security.”

Another senior government official, who did not want to be named, said South Korea, Thailand and some other countries also had expressed concern.

“It is not only India which has reservations about this, others have problems, too,” he said.

An Indian Navy source said the pictures in themselves “do not pose a serious threat to security.”

Another army officer, who wished to remain unidentified, agreed.

“Everyone knows where the (Indian) president’s palace is, everyone knows how many rooms it has — these details are there in school books. As for the location, there is no mystery about that either.”

The officer noted that satellite imagery is not a foolproof tool, and cited the United States’ failure to detect preparations for India’s May 1998 nuclear tests.

“Preparations for the test were begun a month in advance but no one got a whiff of it,” he said.

“But U.S. satellites did pick out that some tanks had been moved close to India’s borders with Pakistan in 2002,” he said referring to a tense nine-month military stand-off between India and Pakistan.

“Washington did ask New Delhi about the tank positions in the summer of 2002,” he recalled.

Russian Defense Minister Reviews Joint Terror Training in India

2005-10-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

Russia’s defense minister said Oct. 17 that Moscow wants to sell its most modern weapons to India after reviewing anti-terrorism training exercises here, news reports said.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov attended the first joint anti-terror war games with India in the western desert state of Rajasthan with his Indian counterpart where they both escaped injury after a heavy mortar dropped by a plane landed several meters from their platform, Press Trust of India reported.

Ivanov arrived in India overnight to review the war games between the long-time allies in which 1,600 elite Russian troops will take part, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Ivanov said the two countries plan to collaborate on building advanced fighter jets, warships and submarines, and to conclude a deal on military intellectual property rights by the end of the year, PTI said.

Despite the 1992 breakup of the Soviet Union, Moscow remains New Delhi’s closest military ally and is the source of 70 percent of India’s defense hardware.

The anti-terror exercises, dubbed “Indra-2005”, included hundreds of paratroopers from Russia’s 76th Pskov Airborne Division fresh from operations in Chechnya, the United News of India news agency reported.

Conflict in Kashmir and Chechnya had made India and Russia victims of international terrorism “much before everybody started talking about anti-terror combat”, UNI quoted Ivanov as saying.

Both “had accumulated a rich experience in combating terror and could gain from each others’ experience”, he said.

Ivanov, on a three-day visit, said the intellectual property rights agreement would make it easier to transfer defense technology to India, PTI said.

In addition, Ivanov will witness joint naval maneuvers in the Bay of Bengal with India Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a defense ministry statement said at the weekend.

The naval exercises, the third in the series since 2003, “will include various surface firing, air defense and anti-submarine warfare exercises,” it said.

World wakes up to Indian Army’s counter-insurgency experience

2005-10-19T14:48:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in the Western Sector, Oct. 18. — As terrorism has become the biggest threat the world is facing in the post-9/11 scenario, several countries, including Russia and the USA, are now keen to share India’s “wealth of experience” in countering insurgency.

While the US forces have already taken training at an elite counter-insurgency training institute in India, Russian forces are currently holding their first-ever joint exercise with Indian troops in counter insurgency operations. Several other countries are also keen for joint exercises with the Indian forces.

“Terrorism to countries like the USA is a new thing. But India is facing terrorism for some decades now and our experience in combating it is one of the best. That’s why other countries, including the USA, are keen to train their troops here in counter insurgency,” said a senior Army officer.

In the ongoing joint exercise between India and Russia, the airborne forces of both countries are training with a counter-terrorism backdrop. The exercise on Sunday saw a joint team of forces from both countries attack and destroy a supposed terrorist camp in a third country.

The Russian defence minister, Mr Ivanov Surgey Borisovich, present here on Sunday to watch the exercise, said as both countries are facing terrorism resulting from religious fanaticism, the ongoing exercise is useful and practical. “Both countries have wealth of experience in countering terrorism,” he said.

Chief of the Army Staff, General JJ Singh and Air Chief Marshal, SP Tyagi, were also present on the occasion. Speaking to reporters, Gen. Singh said that as countering terrorism is the joint objective of all peace-loving countries of the world, “experience is being shared by armies to counter terrorism all over the world.”

He said that in the recent past, Indian forces had joint exercises with the US, British and UN forces, apart from ones from Mongolia and Uzbekistan. “Next year, we will go to Russia for a joint exercise,” he added.

The main objective of the Indian-Russian joint exercise, named “Indra 2005” is to establish interoperability between both the armies. In all, 140 army personnel, (60 from Russia, 40 from India) participated in the exercise which began at Agra on 10 October.

Network-centric warfare tops Air Chief agenda

2005-10-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

Network-Centric warfare with strategic reach was the focus of Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi’s speech this morning at the inauguration of the Air Force Commanders’ Conference here.

The IAF’s conceptual indoctrination of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence, collectively called C4I in the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), is being dovetailed expeditiously in anticipation of assets that will allow the force to have far-reaching strategic capabilities.

The network-centric warfare broadly describes the combination of emerging tactics, techniques and procedures that can be combined through communication systems and computers to create a war-fighting advantage. The IAF is now waiting for assets that will propel it squarely into the next generation of strategic capabilities.

For example, the importance of the IAF’s Frontline Base Strike Units (FBSUs), traditionally armed with air defence and ground-strike jets, will diminish with the roll out of long-range multirole fighters like the Sukhoi-30, capable of refuelling in mid-air and engaging adversaries far beyond the country’s borders.

Also, the integration of three Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft will let the force look far and wide for air intruders during peacetime and engage enemy air assets during war.

With a continuous revamp of communications infrastructure to create a seamless superhighway for tactical and battlefield data between commander and the fighting forces, the conference will also discuss the training procedures for officers and airmen that such large-scale upgradations in technology will demand.

Navy to acquire LPD warships from US

2005-10-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

To overcome shortcomings brought to the fore by last year's tsunami disaster, Indian Navy plans to augment its strategic sea-lift capability by acquiring huge Landing Platform Docks (LPD) from the United States.

This was indicated by Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, while addressing the Naval Commanders Conference, which began here today.

"One of the major lessons learnt from last year's tsunami was the requirement to augment sea-lift capability. This calls for acquiring large amphibious vessels and the Navy is keenly examining the offer of a LPD by the US Navy under Government- to-Government sales", he said.

India is negotiating purchase of US Navy's 7,050-tonne displacement LPD, 'USS Trenton', at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crores. The ship which can operate a number of giant helicopters simultaneously has still another 15 years of sea-worthy life.

At Present Indian Navy has only two large landing ship tanks, which can only operate a single Seaking helicopter. Navy can modify the LPD to build such larger vessels in India, officials said.

Noting that lack of maritime surveillance punch as another "area of concern", the Naval Chief said Navy was negotiating offers to augment this capability. US Navy has recently offered to lease four P3C Orions to India to train Indian Navy pilots.

The Naval chief said the stellar role played by the force in the aftermath of the tsunami had raised expectations from India in the neighbourhood. "The Navy's diplomatic role has thus expanded. We stand to reap rich dividends in terms of neighbourhood goodwill from such active international role," Prakash said adding it was towards this purpose that the Navy had set up a foreign- relations cell at the Naval Headquarters.

Prakash also told the top Naval Commanders that Government had accorded sanction to increasing the number of civilian employees in the force.

He said about 1,900 civilians would be recruited for the Project Seabird and the new Naval academy at Ezhimala in Kerala, which would raise the civilians workforce in Navy to about 46,000.

The almost week-long conference would take stock of the security scenario around India's coastline, progress in warship-building as well as efforts to make the Navy into a network centric operation force.

Besides, the Flag officers Commanding-in-Chief of three Naval commands, Mumbai-based Western Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command at Vizag and Kochi-based Training command, Principal Staff officers at Naval Headquarters, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff and Director General of Coast Guard are attending the conference.

Special forces of US, India, Russia to hold exercises

2005-10-19T14:44:00.000-05:00

In a significant move, elite Special Forces of US, India, Russia and United Kingdom are to hold for the first time multi-lateral land and air exercises on the Russian soil next year.

"Russia hopes to organise and host such an exercise" Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told newsmen after rounding off his visit to India and his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Though most of these countries have held bilateral exercises between the special forces, this would be for the first time that such a large scale war game would be held assuming significance against the backdrop of rising threat of urban terorrism.

Sindhugosh submarine to join Indian navy

2005-10-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

Severodvinsk. Oct 17 (Interfax) - A delivery act for an Indian diesel-electric Sindhugosh submarine was signed at the Russian Zvyozdochka federal state enterprise in Severodvinsk on Monday.

After successfully passing the final tests in the White Sea last week, the sub is expected to leave for its permanent location site in India on Saturday, October 22.

In early October, Sindhugosh ended Club-S missile tests at a firing range of the Russian Northern Fleet's Belomorskaya naval station in the White Sea.

Russia eyeing serious chance for deal on MiG-29M : Ivanov

2005-10-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

Upping Moscow’s claim on the prospects of a deal with India on the MiG-29M multi-role fighter jet , Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Russia has a real chance of clinching the multi-billion dollar contract.

Ahead of his departure for India, to observe ‘Indra 2005’, the first-ever Indo-Russian joint anti-terror military manoeuvres, Ivanov told reporters that if the Indian side kept in view the military characteristics, service and price of the MiG-29M aircraft, the decision would be taken in the favour of the Russian jet.

The IAF has sent the Request for Information (RFI) for the deal on the multi-role aircraft to Russian MiG, American F-16 and F-18, French Mirage-2000 and Swedish JAS-39 Grippen. It is expected to send Request for Proposal (RFP) to them, later this year.

Of his agenda when in New Delhi, Ivanov said that it was a “working visit” and he would keep talks on bilateral defence issues for Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s November visit to Moscow.

“India is the biggest partner of Russia in military-technical cooperation,” Ivanov said. “The two countries have already far exceeded primitive buyer-seller relations, and are now involved in the joint design, development and production of sophisticated hardware.”

Ivanov went on to stress the urgent necessity of intellectual property rights (IPR) in defence, which are to be signed by India and Russia. Signing the IPR would take mutual defence cooperation to a qualitatively new level, he said. Russia has already submitted its final draft of the agreement to India.

Expressing the hope that the IPR agreement will be signed by the end of year, Ivanov called its lack a “barrier” to the future development of bilateral cooperation. “Unless we have the IPR agreement, it will be impossible to carry on our cooperation to the higher level both sides desire,” he said.

Indian Air Force plans to move fast into Space and focus on Aerospace

2005-10-15T14:40:00.000-05:00

Time has come to make the world know what Indian Air Force is capable in Space technologies and Aerospace competition.

India with its growing economy needed to pump in more resources to develop its aerospace power which is set to play a "beyond-the-shore" role in the times ahead, India's Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi said on Saturday [15 October].

"No future war can be won without adequate exploitation of aerospace power," Tyagi said at a Second Subroto Mukerjee Seminar on Aerospace Power here.

India's economic boom, the air chief said, would jack up energy demands. "India will get energy hungry. We (too) will need all IAF aircraft to be capable of air-to-air refuelling. We will need more tankers... more means of air surveillance," he said.

"There is no choice but to put more resources in aerospace power. I do believe that out north-centric focus will change and aerospace power will have to play a role beyond shores," the air chief said.

Tyagi said only aerospace power was capable of bringing about a change in what he called a status quo on hilly terrains.

"It is only through the means of aerospace power that you can change the status quo... as the terrain does not permit pumping in of ground forces," he said.

The air chief, however, attributed India's victory in conflicts with Pakistan to coordination between air and ground forces.

Russia hopes for IPR pact with India by year-end

2005-10-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

Russia has said that absence of an agreement wth India on protection of military intellectual property rights (IPR) has become a "tangible barrier" in joint development of sophisticated weapons and cutting-edge defence technologies but hoped the pact would be signed by year-end.

"Indo-Russian defence cooperation began in 1960 and has been steadily growing for almost fifty years now. India's share in Russia's arms exports amounts to minimum 40 per cent," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told PTI on the eve of his four-day visit to India beginning today.

"We have left behind primitive schemes like buyer-seller relationship and have successfully developed Brahmos cruise missiles, multi-role fighters (Su-30MKI), fruitful interaction is underway in naval shipbuilding, but further advance is stalled due to lack of IPR agreement. It has become a barrier, a tangible barrier," he said.

The Russian Defence Minister reminded that this issue was strongly raised during President Vladimir Putin's talks in New Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during the Indo-Russian summit last December.

"We have dropped our initial demand of its retrospective effect (on Soviet era supplies) and the latest draft of the agreement has been sent to New Delhi for approval," he said, hoping that by the end of this year the inter-governmental would be signed clearing the way for the joint development of sophisticated weapons and cutting-edge defence technologies.

Ivanov is expected to reach New Delhi tonight to watch the active phase of bi-annual Indo-Russian wargames 'Indra-2005' involving elite airborne troops and naval warships on October 16-18 in Rajasthan and Bay of Bengal.

India, Russia to hold air exercise

2005-10-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

Elite airborne troops from India and Russia will begin Saturday their first joint anti-terrorism exercises.

The exercises are being held against the backdrop of increasing urban terrorism and insurgency.

"The exercise includes storming terrorist hideouts and after parajumping into danger zones in the Thar desert in western Indian state of Rajasthan," said a senior officer of Indian Air Force.

"The troops from both sides will use specialized weapons and communications systems. The exercise will involve crack troops from Russia's 76 Airborne Division, part of Rapid Deployment Force, and the Indian Army's elite 50th Independent Parabrigade," said Brig. Deepak Sinha, commander of Parabrigade.

He said the exercises were being held amid a rise of urban terrorism in both nations.

"The political leadership of the two countries have developed a level of cooperation in countering terrorism and it is natural for out two armies to carry forward this momentum," Sinha said.

The exercise will be held at the Mahajan field near Bikaner in Rajasthan.

Plan for fighter aircraft - Russia wants to team up with India

2005-10-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

Russia is keen that India should partner it in developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft as the defence needs of the two countries are similar. The Kremlin firmly believes that this will speed up the process of developing such an aircraft as pooling of enormous resources will facilitate it a great deal. The US, which is also engaged in producing a fifth-generation fighter aicraft, has already spent close to $ 40 billion. Moscow will only be too keen to have India as a trusted partner in this ambitious endeavour.

In this context, the collaboration between the two countries in developing the Brahmos missiles is brought to the fore. There is also a need for the two countries to develop future- generation transport aircraft, specially for the armed forces.

India’s proposal of leasing a second Russian nuclear submarine appears to have receded in the background with the signing of the deal with France for the acquisition of the Scorpene submarines with complete transfer of technology enabling this country to manufacture them at the Mazagaon docks in Mumbai.

“Chakra” was the first nuclear submarine leased from Russia.

While emphasising that it was entirely the Congress-led UPA government’s decision to diversify the country’s defence purchases rather than being wholly dependent on Russia, authoritative sources drew pointed attention to Moscow’s “consistent” policy of not making defence sales to India’s neighbour Pakistan. This despite the fact that Islamabad has made several approaches to Moscow showing keen interest in Russian armaments.

These and other issues are expected to figure at the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he visits Moscow in the first week of December. It is scheduled from December 4 to 6 a few days after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the island state of Malta in the Mediterranean.

In a first of its kind, the armies of India and Russia are presently engaged in a joint exercise in Rajasthan to hone their skills in dealing with the growing menace of international terrorism.

About 80 crack paratroopers of the Russian army are engaged in various exercises specially aimed at demolishing the terrorist infrastructure and wiping out the terrorist elements. Russia believes there is a lot it can learn from India in tackling the problem of terrorism which it has been dealing virtually since Independence. The Russians have arrived in this country with heavy duty equipment and transport aircraft along with the requisite Air Force personnel. These exercises already under way are expected to be spread over 10 days till October 20.

Simultaneously from October 18 to 20, the Indian and Russian navies will hold joint exercises off Visakhapatnam where the Indian Navy’s Eastern Command is based. While the Russian ships of missile cruisers are already close to Indian territorial waters, they will move in on October 18. The Russians will only have surface and other support ships and no submarines. There will be some Indian submarines taking part in the exercises.

Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will arrive here on October 15 and witness the exercises between the two armies the next day and subsequently visit Visakhapatnam.

Interestingly, Russia’s former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who is currently the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, is arriving here on a three-day visit from October 21. He will hold discussions with National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan who had paid a brief two-day visit to Moscow immediately after the Prime Minister’s visit to New York last month.

Later from October 26 onwards, External Affairs minister K. Natwar Singh will be in Moscow for the Indo-Russian Joint Commission meeting as well as prepare for Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to the country for the annual summit between the two countries.