Indian Defense
Afghan Govt Wants IAF Support To Crush Taliban As Fighting Worsens Across The Country
While Kabul feels the only way New Delhi can help is through air power, India is unlikely to take part in the war in Afghanistan as it doesn’t believe in such ‘counter terrorism mechanisms’
Kabul: In an unprecedented move, the Ashraf Ghani government has sought “robust air support” from India as the fight between the Afghan government forces and the Taliban insurgents grew more intense in the last couple of days.
The Afghan government is concerned that the Taliban “will most definitely” escalate their level of violence once the US forces complete the drawdown of troops by 31 August and thus the need for air support from New Delhi is now being aggressively pushed by Kabul, top sources in the Afghan government said, requesting anonymity.
The government in Afghanistan wants the Indian Air Force (IAF) to come into the country and support the Afghan Air Force even though the US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Kenneth McKenzie made clear that America will give support immediately after 31 August, sources added.
While the request for air support is not new, the Ghani government is “extremely concerned” that the Taliban will now accelerate its violent actions across the country as it continues to make rapid advances. It’s latest advance is happening in Mazar-i-Sharif where fighting intensified Monday.
The matter is believed to have been discussed during a recent phone call between Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
However, it appears New Delhi made it clear that it will not be able to take “such a drastic step” as India has never believed in these kinds of “counterterrorism mechanisms”.
Troika Plus Meeting In Doha
All eyes are once again on Doha now as the Qatari capital gears up to host yet another meeting of the peace process under the ‘Troika Plus’ as part of the intra-Afghan dialogue between Afghan government representatives and the Taliban leaders.
The meeting of the Troika Plus, also known as the Extended Troika, which has been called by Moscow, will take place amongst the US, Russia, Pakistan and China.
According to sources, the original plan by Moscow was to invite all regional stakeholders, including India as well as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. However, that did not fructify and it seems now that the meeting, which begins Tuesday at Doha, will have to take some “tough calls” as the Taliban increases its offensive.
“Air power plays a critical role in the Afghan counterinsurgency, and US air power — long a difference-maker in Afghanistan — will soon be removed from the battlefield equation. So it’s not altogether surprising that Kabul would lean on India, one of its closest friends in the region, for such support. But for New Delhi, even with its grave concerns about Taliban advances, the costs of providing such assistance greatly outweigh the benefits,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior associate for South Asia, Wilson Centre.
He added, “The last thing India would want is to get dragged into the war in Afghanistan, and to inflame tensions in a relationship with Pakistan that is already deeply strained. The use of Indian air power in Afghanistan would be a game-changer with destabilizing regional impacts that New Delhi would much prefer to avoid.”
On the Troika Plus meeting, which will be taking place at a time when Afghanistan is seeing unprecedented bloodshed, Kugelman said that even if these dialogues do not yield desired results, regional powers need to talk amongst themselves and find a solution.
“It’s easy to shrug off the latest regional diplomatic effort to resuscitate a peace process that is seemingly dead in the water, but these meetings matter. And they matter even more now with the US withdrawal. The US and its NATO partners have the luxury of withdrawing and knowing that they won’t be directly impacted by the spill-over effects of war. The regional players have no such luxury,” he said.
“Regional solutions are essential, even if they are and will continue to be elusive. It’s also significant to see, once again, the US decoupling tensions with its Russian and Chinese rivals to cooperate on shared concerns about Afghanistan. This is a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy state of affairs,” he added.
The Troika Plus last met in April this year when it urged for peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan that took place Sunday under India’s presidency, said that the “Taliban must hear from the international community”.
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
Indian Defense
After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
Indian Defense
Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
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