Indian Defense
India Warned Not To Be ‘Poison’ For SCO Cooperation, As It Seeks Influence On Afghan Issue: CCP Mouthpiece
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Afghan issue and connectivity with Central Asia at the SCO summit in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Friday. Indian media reports said that the summit would provide India with the opportunity to follow the situation in Afghanistan.
Chinese analysts reminded SCO members to be vigilant of India, which may undercut the efficiency of the SCO by bringing its disputes with some members into regional cooperation, and urged India not to be “poison of the multilateral mechanism.”
Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Friday that the SCO is of great importance to India, which was excluded from several international platforms on the Afghan issue, and it looked forward to getting to know the latest moves of the Taliban government and hoped to use the SCO to better restrain Taliban.
India has clearly seen the significance of the SCO, which is expected to include Iran as a member, making it the most important platform on the Afghan issue with all of Afghanistan’s major neighbours as members, Qian said.
India could cooperate with other SCO members on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and counter-terrorism cooperation to prevent the spill over of terrorism, experts said.
The summit in Dushanbe gathers the leaders of all Afghanistan’s neighbours for the first time after the Taliban announced an interim government. A joint declaration on Afghan issues may come out of the summit, according to experts.
On the sidelines of the SCO summit, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday, during which Wang said China hopes India will work with China to stabilize the border situation and and the two sides should jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in border areas and prevent the recurrence of border-related incidents.
Wang said that communication between the diplomatic and military departments of the two countries was effective, and the situation on the border area is on an overall easing trend.
Jaishankar said that unity among Asian countries cannot be achieved without India-China cooperation, and India is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China within the framework of the BRICS and the SCO to jointly tackle terrorism and other global challenges.
But If India doesn’t take practical actions to ease tension with China and Pakistan, it cannot integrate itself in the SCO mechanism, and the consequences will be India’s security being threatened, Qian said.
Analysts also called on India to seriously reflect on itself and not be a troublemaker for multilateral cooperation.
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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