Indian Defense
India Skips Key Meet On Climate Change In UK, Says Made Its Stand Clear At G20
India was the only one of 51 invited countries that didn’t attend a two-day ministerial meeting in London, hosted by the incoming president of the COP26 United Nations talks
London: Global efforts to tackle climate change suffered another setback this week as India — the world’s third-biggest emitter — failed to attend a key diplomatic gathering in London.
India was the only one of 51 invited countries that didn’t attend a two-day ministerial meeting in the U.K. capital, hosted by the incoming president of the COP26 United Nations talks, according to people present at the summit who asked not to be named.
The conference was designed to lay the groundwork for a successful COP26, which is due to take place in Glasgow in three months time. COP26 President Alok Sharma has said it will be the last chance to ensure global temperature increases don’t exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius — the lower limit of the Paris Agreement. A Group of 20 meeting last week failed to clinch a more ambitious agreement on climate, and India was a key holdout.
The London event was positioned to follow on from the G-20 with a broader group, meeting mainly in person. India had been due to attend the conference, according to a statement released by Sharma’s office beforehand.
Gaurav Khare, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said the government had decided against attending in person as the country had already made its views known at the G-20 in Naples. Then technical issues prevented it from taking part virtually.
Sharma “has constructive ongoing dialogue with his counterparts in India, having visited the country earlier this year where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a spokeswoman for COP26 said.
India’s failure to show was perceived as a snub by the COP presidency, one of the people present at the London summit said. With all of the Group of Seven nations now having committed to eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the presidency is seeking to put pressure on emerging economies such as China and India.
Sticking Points
The main sticking points to achieving the goals of the Paris accord are agreeing on concrete actions and a firm timeline to phasing out fossil fuels and subsidies, as well as commitments to ditch coal, the people said. The world’s richest countries are also falling well short of financial pledges to support energy transitions in developing countries, they said.
India held out at the Naples meeting last week, with the final communique from the gathering included a footnote saying the country rejected the language agreed on net-zero emissions.
India is not alone in resisting these efforts, with a handful of other countries reluctant to sign up to the plans in full.
The nation — which has often taken the position that the richest countries should lead in cutting emissions — criticized those that have promised to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. It instead urged G-20 nations to make a pledge that focused on per-capita emissions.
While India is the third-largest emitter on a country basis, it is also the second-most populous. As a result, emissions per head are extremely low, ranking 134, according to the Global Carbon Atlas project.
“Keeping in view the legitimate need of developing countries to growth, we urge G-20 countries to commit to bringing down per-capita emissions to global average by 2030,” India said in a statement attached to the final G20 document.
Earlier this year, India had been mulling setting its own net-zero target by 2050, according to people familiar with the matter. A statement about the plan had been expected during a White House climate summit in April, but never came.
“With less than 100 days until COP26, India faces a clear decision: follow its friends in favour of an ambitious outcome on climate in Glasgow, or leave itself starkly isolated on the world stage by continuing to oppose the need for accelerated climate action before COP26,” said Tom Evans, a researcher at the think tank E3G.
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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