The Mach 2.8 290 km missile missed the target, though the rest of the flight profile was successful.
It was originally developed for naval use, and the terminal guidance would be the biggest change.
There are reports that part of this test was to validate it carrying a nuclear warhead, just in case you were wondering if real peace were in danger of breaking out between India and Pakistan.
It’s the largest defense contract ever between India and the US for 8 of the Boeing 737 derived maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft.
They will replace a similar number of Tupolev-142Ms “Bear” turboprops.
They will carry sonar buoys, depth charges, torpedos, and Harpoon missiles for use against surface combatants.
Considering that the next largest Indo-US deal was a $962 million contract for 6 C-130J, this is a step up, both in size and technology transfer.
That being said, the US is still a bit player, with Russia, France , and Israel dominating the defense import market to India.
The US and India are in talks regarding the purchase of missile defense systems.
From a purely technical perspective, India’s defense needs are less challenging, the speed of an incoming missile increases with the distance with which it travels and Pakistan and China both share a border.
It’s unclear from the article whether this is a real attempt to sell systems to India, or a PR attempt intended by missile defense advocates on both sides to boost the government support for their respective systems.
We now have analysts saying that Pakistan and India simply cannot afford a war.
They are saying that a war would be too costly for both nations.
This was also what was said in 1913, and in 1938. War was just too damn expensive in an interconnected world where the opponents are too linked.
Here is a news flash: war is always too damn expensive, but it happens just the same.
Well, it looks like the on again off again deal between Russia and India to lease nuclear attack submarines is on again.
The Nerpa, which was originally the subject of the deal until an accidental discharge of the fire fighting system killed 20 people, is no longer believed to be a part of the deal, though a sister ship (Project 971 “Akula” class boats), or perhaps more than one sister ship, might be a part of the deal.
One of the most hotly contested fighter procurement programs in the world right now is the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program, which is intended to replace India’s aging MiG-21s, and Dassault is very aggressively pursuing this.
Basically, Dassault has stated that it has gotten clearance from the French government for near total technology transfer.
Additionally unlike all of the other western competitors, its US content is near zero, and so is not subject to the US export restrictions.
To refresh your memory (more here), the competitors are competitors are the MiG-35 (a Mig-29 derivative), Gripen, Rafale, Typhoon, F-16 and F-18E, and my analysis in my earlier posts stands, I think that the Gripen, F-16, F-18E, and Eurofighter are all too tied up in US export restrictions, that the Eurofighter and Rafale are too expensive, which leaves the MiG-35.
I think that the Gripen’s low cost over its lifetime, it’s about ½ the size of most of the competitors may give it an outside chance, but my money is still on the MiG.
The Indians have been using Russian equipment for about half a century, and the low purchase price and familiarity will mean a lot here.
So, the former Admiral Gorshkov has finally gotten wet, after 3 years in dry dock.
It’s being refitted to be the STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) carrier Vikramaditya for the Indian navy, flying the MiG-29K.
In its Admiral Gorshkov life, it was a helicopter carrier.
It’s now well over budget and behind schedule.
Well, it appears that Pakistan is refusing to hand over suspects in the Mumbai bombing to India.
Given the level of tension between the two nuclear armed neighbors, there is only reason for this that I can see, that Pakistan knows that if they turn over these guys to India, there is a fairly good chance that some of them will finger their handlers at the Pakistani Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Trust Gary Brecher to cut to the chase:
So what you see here is something economists would understand as well or better than traditional military analysts. I hate to sound cold-blooded, putting it this way, but what happened is that Pakistan’s Islamists had a surplus of raw labor, and thought of a way to get it to a place where it maximized its global value in terms of pure blood and destruction.
It is remarkable just how badly Carter and Brezinski’s purchase of a civil war in Afghanistan in the 1970s has screwed up that entire region.
Go read the rest.
There are 3 items, and I don’t believe the first 2:
The Russian Navy is due to receive Severodvinsk 2010. Yeah right…..Considering the delays and cost overruns in their shipyards, the Indian carrier comes to mind, this is not going to happen on schedule.
They are also claiming that they will scrap all decommissioned nuclear submarines by 2012. See above.
The one that I do believe is reports that the Russians Russia will not lease the Akula II class nuke boat, Nerpa India.
Idon’t think that the recent fatal accident has anything to do with this. I think that this was always a ruse by the shipyard to get funding to finish the boat, with the goal of delivering it to the Russian navy.
Indian Navy Destroys Pirate Ship.
I find it odd on so many levels.
BTW, the proximate cause of the piracy is that because there is no government in Somalia, fishing fleets from various nations have strip mined the waters off the coast, leaving fisherman with no other means of support.
India has rejected Russian demands for an additional $1.2 billion for the refit of the Admiral Gorshkov, which the Sevmash shipyard is reconfiguring to a STOBAR configuration.
Considering the fact that the initial deal was for $1.5 billion, I’m not surprised.
The Amur shipyard in Russia has started sea trials on the “kinda sorta new” Akula II boat.
It’s not completely new, construction was halted in 1991, but this is a very capable boat, and the Indians are getting for $650 million for a 10 year lease.
FWIW, I think that the cost has to be understated, even if the Russians are desparate to maintain their shipyards capabilities, this is a 10 cent sale.
This is just lovely, yet another way that India and Pakistan can destroy us all.
It looks like India is looking at developing a medium fighter aircraft in the 20 tonne range.
Considering the fact that its light fighter, the Tejas, is something like 15 years overdue, and that the indigenous engine, the Kaveri, has been abandoned, I do not see this as the start of a pleasant story, particularly given the fact that they are looking about integrating stealth features, which implies that the program will be particularly ambitious.
It’s already starting off on the wrong foot, as they have stated that it is their intent to use two Kaveri engines to power the aircraft.
The punch line is the same as for the joke that starts, “What do you call 100 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?” (Answer at bottom of post)
The head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, Lalit Kishore Choudhary, was beaten to death by employees he had sacked.
I have said on a number of occasions that if you want to go postal, go after upper management first, and it seems that these employees were of a like mind.
The quotes regarding this, show just how callous people are:
A spokesman for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said: “Such a heinous act is bound to sully India’s image among overseas investors.”
That is an unbelievably cold statement. Some dude got beaten to death, and the only comment is, “It’s bad for business.”
Of course, being the Times of London, they are wringing their hands over this, and note the violence at the location selected by Tata for a factory to manufacture its ultra cheap Nano, but refuse to mention the fact that the land in question was stolen from the peasant farmers who had worked it for hundreds of years.
Meanwhile India’s Labor Minister has apologized for saying that the murder of Choudhary should, “serve as a warning” to managers to treat workers compassionately.”
He was right the first time.
If you want to read a more full throated, and more eloquent endorsement of actions that might make senior executives think twice, you need to go no further than Exiled Online
Live by heartless officialese, die by heartless officialese plus a hammer upside the skull. Nothing could be fairer than that. Proceed with the mob beatifications as soon as we get their names. And somebody find that f@#$-you-Mr.-Cheney guy’s name too while you’re at it. Something about the politeness of the “Mr.” right after the “f@#$ you” really enchants us. This is a guy who understands the importance of human dignity. No doubt, with a little encouragement, he could put together a nice mob.
Damn good writing, and you should read the rest right now.
In conclusion, the philosophical foundation driving our current system is that the “entrepreneurial class” should be able to operate without any external limits on their behavior, and that they should operate without conscience or empathy, and this is a psychotic world view.
As to the riddle at the beginning of the page? The answer, of course, is “A Good Start.”
We have US sources accusing Pakistani forces aiding the Taliban, and reports that the Pakistanis have shot down a US drone.
This is not moving in a positive direction.
We have a major truck bombing in Islamabad, with 53 dead.
Pakistan has never been a particularly stable place, but it appears to be getting worse.
It appears that the Pakistanis have gotten a bit hot under the collar about US incursions, as they have just authorized firing on US troops if they cross the border:
“The orders are clear,” Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said in an interview. “In case it happens again in this form, that there is a very significant detection, which is very definite, no ambiguity, across the border, on ground or in the air: open fire.”
Jeff Stein of CQ politics, makes a very good point here, that Pakistan increasingly seems to resemble Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge.
There is one difference though, which Mr. Stein notes: Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
We are now seeing reports that Pakistani troops are firing on US troops, and the Pakistani military is saying that they repelled a US border incursion.
This is why it was so disasterous to take our eye off the ball in Afghanistan. There was a limited window in which to act, and the window is at best rapidly closing at this time.