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India’s China Options

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India’s China Options

The month of May 2021 has had an ominous ring to it for India and her relationship with China

The month of May 2021 has had an ominous ring to it for India and her relationship with China. On the one hand, in the last week of May, the Daily Mail, a London tabloid, broke a story about the path-breaking research done by British Professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian scientist Dr Birger Sørensen on the origins of the Covid-19 “Wuhan virus”. They provided hard evidence to argue that the virus had “no credible ancestor” and was created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

If true then India’s current political, economic and health crisis because of Covid-19 can be argued to have been engineered at least indirectly by the Chinese. That the present ruling dispensation in India shot itself in the foot as a result of this engineering is another story by itself!

On the other hand, in next-door Sri Lanka, on May 20, 2021, their parliament passed the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill that effectively turns some 660 acres of reclaimed land on Colombo’s waterfront into sovereign Chinese territory. This territory lies right in front of the Taj and ITC hotels on Colombo’s waterfront. When I last visited Colombo in 2018, I could see her waterfront’s skyline silhouetted by giant cranes. This brings the PLAN or Chinese Navy to a secure, sovereign base within 290 km of mainland India. This acquisition follows the earlier acquisition of Hambantota port in Sri Lanka by the Chinese and where PLAN submarines regularly drop anchor.

So while these monumental events were happening that gravely affected India’s national security what was the government focussing its energies on? It was busy fighting Twitter and spending all its energy on removing the Chief Secretary of West Bengal so as to hinder the state’s ability to recover from the election-induced Covid-19 spread and the recovery from the effects of cyclone Yaas. Was it more important than to figure out and calibrate our response to the two developments concerning the Chinese?

There are whispers from open source intelligence sources that Chinese patrols regularly intrude into Arunachal Pradesh, mark their presence and then go back. They know that India’s retaliation in the Galwan Valley last summer was tactical and not strategic. They continue to validate their assessments with these intrusions.

Undoubtedly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in Washington at the same time as the two events were unfolding and undoubtedly, these must have been the main item on his menu for talks with Secretary of State Blinken. However, there is only that much that the US can do to help us.

More importantly, only a strong economy and a cohesive polity can face the upfront and real threat from China. No amount of soirees in Mahabalipuram and Wuhan are going to deflect the Chinese from their long-standing goal of humbling India into submitting to their over lordship.

What do we need to do to face up to this existential threat?

The first thing is to rescue the economy from the disastrous economic policies pursued over the last few years. The most pernicious policy has been to constantly raise taxes on crude oil. While this has undoubtedly sustained a trend increase in GST realisations, it has singularly induced cost-push inflation and dried up demand already suffering from the uncertainty of the Covid-19 impact. We are entering an era of stagflation last witnessed in the early 1970s during the heyday of Indira Gandhi. It required the political will of a crafty Narasimha Rao many years later to get us out of the state of political and economic autarky that ensued from those days. We are returning to it today.

The second thing is to repair the embittered relationship between the ruling party and the Opposition. In Westminster-style democracy, the Opposition is always a part of the establishment, not an enemy within. Only an economically strong India and a united polity can face the Chinese challenge. Only then will our allies like the US and Japan stretch that extra bit to help us out of our current morass.

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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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