Indian Defense
Rajnath Singh, Australian Deputy PM Marles Reaffirm Commitment To Further Strengthen Defence Ties
New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral defence relations.
Rajnath Singh and Richard Marles expressed satisfaction at the increasing military-to-military cooperation between the two nations, including joint exercises, exchanges and institutional dialogue. Singh congratulated Minister Marles on the maiden and successful conduct of the multilateral exercise ‘Malabar’ by Australia in August this year.
“Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mr Richard Marles in New Delhi on November 20, 2023. Both the ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening the bilateral defence relations,” the Ministry of Defence said in a press release.
The two leaders underscored the importance of further enhancing cooperation in information exchange and maritime domain awareness between the two nations. During the meeting, Rajnath Singh emphasised that the forces of the two nations should look at cooperating in niche training areas like Artificial Intelligence, anti-submarine and anti-drone warfare and cyber domain.
“The two sides are also in an advanced stage of discussion to conclude implementing arrangements on hydrography cooperation and cooperation for air-to-air refuelling,” the Ministry of Defence said in the press release.
Richard Marles and Rajnath Singh agreed that deepening cooperation in the defence industry and research would give a fillip to the already strong relationship. Singh suggested that shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance and aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) could be potential areas of collaboration.
In the press release, the Ministry of Defence said, “The two ministers also discussed cooperation for joint research in underwater technologies. Collaboration between the defence start-ups of both the countries, including that for solving challenges jointly, was discussed by the ministers.”
“They concurred that a strong India-Australia defence partnership will augur well not just for the mutual benefit of the two countries but also for the overall security of the Indo-Pacific,” it added.
Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that the partnership between India and Australia will scale new heights in the time to come.
Taking to X, Rajnath Singh stated, “Excellent meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Mr. @RichardMarlesMP in New Delhi today. We had wide-ranging discussions on a number of issues pertaining to strengthening our bilateral strategic engagements. I am confident India-Australia partnership will scale newer heights in the times to come.”
In a post shared on X, Richard Marles stated, “Always a pleasure to see Defence Minister @rajnathsingh to discuss the ever-growing defence partnership. 2023 has been a big year for our ADF and the Indian Armed Forces with greater engagement and cooperation.”
Earlier, Richard Marles inspected the Tri-Services Guard of Honour in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at South Block lawns in New Delhi. Marles was received by Rajnath Singh and the two leaders greeted each other.
Marles was seen enjoying Indian delicacies from the street stalls in New Delhi. He enjoyed drinking nimbu pani and eating “Ram laddu” from a stall in Delhi. Notably, Marles paid the vendor through the UPI digital payment system.
The Australian leader also paid floral tribute to former Union Minister Arun Jaitley at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Richard Marles, along with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Delhi. On Sunday, he also watched the ICC Cricket World Cup with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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.
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.
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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