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China Covers Up Submarine Accidents To Hide Its Naval Incapability

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China Covers Up Submarine Accidents To Hide Its Naval Incapability

Beijing: China has been adept at hiding military mishaps, involving fighter jet crashes and submarines as the regime not disposed to transparency attempts to hide its incapability in the naval domain.

The communist regime has rarely been transparent especially in disclosing military accidents with Beijing rarely acknowledging submarine accidents publicly and almost never releasing results of its investigations into jet crashes, American magazine The National Interest reported on Tuesday.

In April 2003, a Chinese fishing boat’s crew found an unusual sight, a periscope drifting listlessly above the surface of the water. They immediately informed China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), which sent two vessels to investigate.

Initially, the Chinese navy thought that it was an intruding submarine either from South Korea or from Japan. But as they found an apparent derelict, the Chinese navy understood it was one of their submarines, the Ming-class 361.

Nearly 70 Chinese personnel were found dead inside the submarine on April 26.

Later in May, former president and military commissioner Jiang Zemin acknowledged the tragic incident. He clarified that the incident was a result of a mechanical failure.

After a month, a commission led by the then-president Jiang Zemin dismissed the commissar of the North Sea Fleet. The commission also demoted or dismissed six or eight more officers for improper command and control.

It has been known worldwide that China always hides its military accidents. So experts speculated that Beijing’s acknowledgment of the 2003 submarine incident was an attempt to downplay the SARS epidemic.

The 361 entered services in 1995 and its three sister ships numbered 359 through 362 formed the North Sea Fleet’s 12th Submarine Brigade. The 361 was deployed on a naval exercise in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea gulf east of Beijing and Tianjing, reported the National Interest.

The last log of the vessel dated April 16 said that the submarine was practicing silent running while off the Changshang island, heading back to a base in Weihai, Shandong Province. A senior naval officer Commodore Cheng Fuming was also aboard.

The vessel went missing and was untracked by the Chinese navy for at least 10 days as the 361 was maintaining the radio silence.

However, it remains unclear that how did the PLAN recover the submarine.

Reports had suggested that the submarine was submerged but it had probably surfaced as it was quickly towed back to the port.

The communist regime never released clear details of the accidents which have given space to various theories.

According to The National Interest, the 361 submarine is a Type 035 submarine that has the capacity of nearly 50-55 personals. But the 361 had 70 personnel on board. The government claimed that these were trainers, however, the presence of a high-ranking naval officer and additional personnel onboard raises speculation that the submarine was not on a routine mission.

Poor standard of maintenance, cheap manufacturing and poor crew training result in such leather accidents as happened in China in 2003.

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Indian Defense

INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’


NEW DELHI: India tested its nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), designed to have a strike range of 3,500 km, for the second time in six days on Friday. The missile test, as the one conducted on January 19, was undertaken from an undersea platform in the shape of a submersible pontoon off the coast of Andhra Pradesh according to a report by Rajat Pandit of TOI.

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.





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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%

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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.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the upgrade. The upgrade is part of India’s efforts to improve the capabilities of its primary fighter aircraft, it refers to as the “Super Sukhoi”.

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.





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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace

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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).

While there is no official confirmation because of the sensitivities involved, documents suggest that the order for the same has already been placed the report further added.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria reported TOI.

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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