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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar On Thank You Mission To Kuwait Via Qatar

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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar On Thank You Mission To Kuwait Via Qatar

Foreign minister S Jaishankar will be carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal letter for Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah

During the second wave of pandemic in India, Kuwait supplied oxygen cylinders and other medical equipment, while Qatar proved to be the new logistic and transportation hub to western India.

External affairs minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar left on a three-day visit to Kuwait via Doha transit on Wednesday morning to further cement bilateral ties and thank the two countries for supporting India during the raging second wave of Covid-19 pandemic by acting as logistics hub for liquid medical oxygen supplies to western India.

While the EAM will be carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal letter for Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, he will be holding meetings with his counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah with the objective of deepening ties in energy, trade, investment, manpower and information technology sector.

Even though the Indian minister will transit through Doha as he travels Qatar Airways, no meeting has been scheduled as of now at the airport with the Qatari leadership.

During the second wave of pandemic in India, Kuwait, which has a robust Indian community of nearly a million, supplied 5,267 oxygen cylinders, 450 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, 66 oxygen concentrators, 11 ventilators and other items like drugs, oximeters, mask and gloves for India in its hour of crisis. All the medical support from Kuwait came to India from May 4 to June 8.

Qatar, which is the largest supplier of LNG and LPG to India, also proved to be the new logistic and transportation hub to the western India. It maintained the flow of passenger flights under the air bubble arrangement since August 2020, especially over the past weeks when many other airlines from the Gulf region closed. In the current situation, we may see Doha becoming a new transit hub for the Indians once the dust of pandemic settles down.

On April 27, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani called up PM Modi and expressed his country’s solidarity with India and conveyed that Qatar would provide all possible support to India. The Prime Minister conveyed that the Indian Ambassador in Doha would coordinate in the matter with his office. The Emir immediately issued directions to his foreign office to ascertain what was required by India and assist in the matter.

On April 29, one of the world’s largest cargo operators, Qatar Airways, announced that it would carry essential humanitarian medical cargo free of charge from around the world to India. Qatar Airways provided important air logistics to ferry international medical aid to India. On May 3, Qatar Airways sent three cargo flights – one each to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai – carrying 300 MT of medical supplies aggregated from around the world. It included ventilators, CPAPS, oxygen concentrators and PPEs.

Qatar also played an important role in supplying liquid medical oxygen to supplement India’s domestic production. On May 1, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke to his Qatari counterpart, minister of energy Saad Al Kaabi. The latter assured that Qatar Petroleum would make available nearly 400 MT of liquid Medical oxygen every week for India.

The 700,000-strong Indian community in Qatar also contributed generously and mobilised 532 fully filled oxygen tanks and 43 oxygen concentrators. The first consignment of 200 fully filled oxygen cylinders and 43 oxygen concentrators was brought by INS Kolkata on May 10 and second consignment of 232 oxygen cylinders of 42 litre and 50 litre capacity were brought on board INS Tarkash on May 12. These have been used in various states, including Nagaland, Odisha, Bihar and Telangana.

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Indian Defense

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

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1 year ago

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December 15, 2023

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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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1 year ago

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December 15, 2023

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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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1 year ago

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December 15, 2023

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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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