Military Acquisitions, Partnerships & Developments

[ranganathan]

If its a gap filler then buying 30 more secondhand Mi-35 makes more sense that going for a costly and totally new chopper like apache or tiger.

[ssmitra]

The HAL LCH is purpose built for high altitude operations. There is simply no need to go in for Ah-64D or Mi-28N. The Mi-35s were only upgraded a couple of years back. I am sure they can last till 2010, by which time LCH will inducted in squadron service. For once I hope the Babus scuttle this attempt by drawing it out like the MRCA .

If I am not mistaken the cost of operating heavy birds like Mi-35 at kashmir altitudes is too high. This is a good option since as mentioned before HAL has absolutely no experience in designing dedicated attack helos. All kudos to them for the ALH but the army does need attack choppers.

But having said all that IMHO the first and foremost focus should be on improving the kit of the ground troops. I was recently talking to a buddy of mine in AMC and he was talking about a simple thing of changing the socks of the jawans from the synthetic blend to pure wool to increase moisture wicking. There is such a high rate of athletes foot among the jawans and all they are given is boric powder which was used in WWII.
They used to have pure wool socks but it was changed to the cheaper synthetic blends (probably made in china) sometime in the late 80's

What I mean is that being one of the most economically progressive nations why can't we spend more on making life more comfortable for them. Simple things like knee and elbow pads. better shoes etc.. will go a long way....

sorry for the digress. Seing some of the pics reminds me of my NCC days in the 90's. Now the country has the money and it should do more for the jawans and even the para military forces

[Katare]

If its a gap filler then buying 30 more secondhand Mi-35 makes more sense that going for a costly and totally new chopper like apache or tiger.

Different things make sense to different people, since they are the user let them make sense outta it.

[Rahul M]

If I am not mistaken the cost of operating heavy birds like Mi-35 at kashmir altitudes is too high.

the mi-35 can't be operated in the mountain regions, a cause of much criticism and heartburn during the kargil ops. It is not about the cost.
Sheesh, I thought this was common knowledge !!

Therefore, we can't buy mi-35 for the stop gap measure !!

Anyway, the heavyweight choppers will be a stopgap measure(going by the numbers) till the LCH comes in.
But there is another point, these choppers will be able to do more than the LCH and be more survivable than the LCH in certain scenarios. Think of ops like >SEAD for a behind the lines commando raid, top cover for a commando insertion, increasing the punch of an armour formation by some degree in an extremely hostile environ.

All of these will be ops where the bells and whistles that can be fixed to the large frame of the apache or the mi28 will be invaluable to IA.

[A Sharma]

Where does WSI-Dhruv fits in or HAL is just using it to test technologies for LCH?
Thx

[swapna]

If I am not mistaken the cost of operating heavy birds like Mi-35 at kashmir altitudes is too high.

the mi-35 can't be operated in the mountain regions, a cause of much criticism and heartburn during the kargil ops. It is not about the cost.
Sheesh, I thought this was common knowledge !!

Therefore, we can't buy mi-35 for the stop gap measure !!

Anyway, the heavyweight choppers will be a stopgap measure(going by the numbers) till the LCH comes in.
But there is another point, these choppers will be able to do more than the LCH and be more survivable than the LCH in certain scenarios. Think of ops like >SEAD for a behind the lines commando raid, top cover for a commando insertion, increasing the punch of an armour formation by some degree in an extremely hostile environ.

All of these will be ops where the bells and whistles that can be fixed to the large frame of the apache or the mi28 will be invaluable to IA.

During Kargil operations its common knowledge that Mirages were escorted by Mig-29's and there were even news of Mig-29 locking on to F-16 (Not sure true or not) . What prevents Mig-29s in operating at such heights ?

[ranganathan]

WSI ALH is just the transport version of ALH with ability to carry rockets and ATGM. It will be used to carry troops for insertion while aving capability to attack ground troops and armour. The LCh is a different beast. It is a dedicated attack chopper. No troop carrying capability but very maneuverable.

[NRao]

During Kargil operations its common knowledge that Mirages were escorted by Mig-29's and there were even news of Mig-29 locking on to F-16 (Not sure true or not) . What prevents Mig-29s in operating at such heights ?

MiG vs. Mi

[ranganathan]

deleted

[Rahul M]

During Kargil operations its common knowledge that Mirages were escorted by Mig-29's and there were even news of Mig-29 locking on to F-16 (Not sure true or not) .

True.

What prevents Mig-29s in operating at such heights ?

Nothing.

[Rahul M]

Where does WSI-Dhruv fits in or HAL is just using it to test technologies for LCH?
Thx

Remember that WSI dhruv is for IA and LCH is for IAF.

the former's role will be (mostly) close air support missions in conjunction with the lower level formations of IA, say of a few battalions strength of infantry, both ground troops and mechanised. the large numbers will ensure that there is enough for everybody.
Being controlled by IA it would be easier for even junior rank officers to easily call in air support at a short notice, something that won't be possible in the case of LCH.
To understand this better, I refer you to vivek ahuja's burma scenario where, near the end IIRC, a similar scenario is described.

The LCH OTOH will be operated by the IAF in support of the armoured part of the strike formations at a much higher level, say brigade or even divison level. It would be used in the anti-armour role in order to clear the ingress path of IA's tanks.

[shiv]

Hi,

There has been a lot of discussion (and hand wringing) on the forum around delays in various import projects. A lot of the angst has been directed at the Russians (and their "hardballing" tactics), but a fundamental question might need attention. Are Indian requirements inherently complex, thereby adding to misunderstanding/underestimation of the work required, resulting in delays?

A few examples:

1. The Bison project - involved ingration of Israeli, Indian and French electronics. A brand new (then) Russian radar had to be married to this diverse set of electronics.

2. Phalcon - A Russian aircraft to be modified under an Israeli radar spec, and further the radar made "open architecture" in terms of software under Indian requirements.

3. Naval ships - the typical Indian naval unit today will need to integrate a Russian/Indian AShM - radar combo, Barak missile-radar combo, Indian EW systems, Indian sonars, Italian torpedos, Russian CIWS-radar combo and a mix of Indian and Israeli electgronics. Not to speak of engines from Ukraine (or US), electrical components from a variety of Russian/CIS sources etc.

4. Su30 MKI - involved making the aircraft almost afresh. Indian and French avionics, Israeli EW etc etc.

Of course the gurus here can expand much more. The crux of the matter is that the Indian forces make the same BBC (best of brochure claim) demands while ordering imports as they do for DRDO products. Which means that the designing skills of the OEM gets stretched to the limit, causing the delays and cost over runs.

It would be useful to do an analysis of the "MKI" version of all major platforms bought by India/under execution against their "vanilla" versions.

[sanjaychoudhry]

Punj Lloyd signs pact with ST Kinetics for defence equipment

Engineering and construction firm Punj Lloyd today said it has signed an agreement with Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics) for the manufacture of defence equipment.

Under this agreement, ST Kinetics and Punj Lloyd would be pooling their resources in the execution of supply contracts for the Ministry of Defence, Punj Lloyd said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Earlier, Punj Lloyd had been issued a license by the Government of India for manufacture of guns, rockets and missile artillery systems and other related equipment.

Link

[rkhanna]

What prevents Mig-29s in operating at such heights ?

Very Little Time on Target due to very little range. Cannot carry the Payload Required for an Airstrike so limited to Air Cover Duties

[Rahul M]

mig-29's in IAF service have no ground attack role and are not wired for such roles. they are out and out air superiority fighters.

and whatever range they have was enough for the required time on target for mig-29s. by the same token mig-27s should not have flown at all in kargil. their range is much lesser.

[Tilak]

Punj Lloyd to manufacture guns, rockets, missiles
Thursday, 05 June , 2008, 13:51
Last Updated: Thursday, 05 June , 2008, 13:56

New Delhi: Engineering and construction company Punj Lloyd Thursday said it will enter the defence equipment manufacturing business following a pact with the $1.3 billion Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd (ST Kinetics).

The agreement was signed after the government licensed Punj Lloyd to manufacture guns, rockets, missile artillery systems and related equipment, in addition to other defence equipment for India's defence forces.


ST Kinetics manufactures small arms and ammunitions for the Singaporean army, apart from other military products to US or NATO specifications for export. The company has subsidiaries in the US, Canada and China.

In a statement issued here, Punj Lloyd chairman Atul Punj said his company was confident of penetrating the defence sector, given its diverse expertise.

Earlier this week, it announced a 74 per cent acquisition in Britain's Technodyne International Ltd, an engineering designing and consultancy firm, for an undisclosed amount.

[Nayak]

Remember that WSI dhruv is for IA and LCH is for IAF.

the former's role will be (mostly) close air support missions in conjunction with the lower level formations of IA, say of a few battalions strength of infantry, both ground troops and mechanised. the large numbers will ensure that there is enough for everybody.

What about sanitization ? Dont the Pakees have copies of stingers and chinese SAMs ? I have a question on how CAS by Dhruv can be safely operated in a manpad rich environment.

[Abhisham]

Remember that WSI dhruv is for IA and LCH is for IAF.

the former's role will be (mostly) close air support missions in conjunction with the lower level formations of IA, say of a few battalions strength of infantry, both ground troops and mechanised. the large numbers will ensure that there is enough for everybody.

What about sanitization ? Dont the Pakees have copies of stingers and chinese SAMs ? I have a question on how CAS by Dhruv can be safely operated in a manpad rich environment.

AFAIK WSI Dhruv was to get Radar/Missile warning, IR jamming and Chaff&Flare flare system which is quite comprehensive for a fire support heli.

[rkhanna]

and whatever range they have was enough for the required time on target for mig-29s. by the same token mig-27s should not have flown at all in kargil. their range is much lesser.

Actually Mig-29s can carry limited A-G ordanance. You add Bombs you increase payload and further reduce range. The Only way the Mig-29s can have the same TOT as the Mirages is by having a reduced limited A-A Payload.

[A Sharma]

FROM MOD Press Release

A six-member Egyptian Defence Delegation led by Maj Gen Mohamed Mohsen Saad El Shazly, Deputy Chief of Operation Authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces, called on the Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM Pallam Raju here today. The two sides discussed ways to enhance Defence Cooperation and greater interaction between their Armed Forces. The Egyptian delegation is on a week-long visit to India to participate in the 2nd Indo-Egypt Joint Defence Committee Meeting. India and Egypt, both members of the Non-Aligned Movement, are emerging stabilizing forces in the world’s two strategic regions, - South Asia and Middle East.

While recalling the close relationship enjoyed between the two countries during the Nehruvian era, Dr. Pallam Raju expressed the hope that India and Egypt, as members of G-15, will play an important role in South-South Cooperation apart from the existing trade partnerships in Africa. The Minister also expressed his happiness over the increasing training cooperation between the forces of both the countries in each other’s Defence Training Institutes. Dr. Pallam Raju stressed that India follows a policy of having friendly relations and peaceful co-existence with all its neighbours based on the principle of Panchsheel.

The two sides later signed on the minutes agreed upon during the Defence Committee Meeting held here yesterday. Maj Gen Mohamed El Shazly and Shri PK Rastogi, Special Secretary, Ministry of Defence, India, exchanged documents to the effect. Proposals include training and visits of soldiers to each other’s Defence Institutes. The visiting Egyptian delegation also called on the Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh and discussed matters of mutual interest.

[Juggi G]

Defense News

Closer Indian-Polish Defense Ties Explored
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
Published: 16 June 11:47 EDT (07:47 GMT)

NEW DELHI - Poland has evinced interest in increasing its defense relations with India beyond simply buying and selling.

Ryszard Schnepf, Polish deputy foreign minister, was here June 16 where he met with M.M. Pallam Raju, Indian minister of state for defense, said a senior Indian Defence Ministry official.

Polish defense personnel conveyed similar interests to the Indian army chief, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, when he visited Warsaw in March.

Poland is keen to Participate in the Upgrading of more than 1,600 Indian T-72 Tanks and the Replacement of Air Defense Systems. Poland is Ready to Transfer Technology for the Design and Development of Anti-Tank Missiles, the official said.

Poland also has Offered to Transfer to India Capability to Produce Landing Vessels for Ships, and to Aid in the Development of Opto-Electronics and Radar Systems, the Defence Ministry official said.

The two countries regularly interact with each other under the aegis of a Joint Working Group on defense cooperation, which has held three meetings since the memorandum of understanding was drawn up in 2003.

[Paul]

India should give more contracts for maintenance, spares, and MRO to east European countries which have considerable expertise in imbibing Warsaw pact mil equipment. Will also weaken Russian bargaining position in the Indian market.

[ramana]

Very insightful article on the whole acquisition cycle with prescriptions. The writer was a former Dy CAS and an ex-MP.


The Truth about Military Hardware in our Armed Forces

...It is now sixty years, since Independence, that the management of military hardware became our own responsibility. Israel also gained their independence about the same time as our country. While we had Ordnance factories and other infrastructure already in place, Israel had none. Yet in the last sixty years, Israel has developed a capacity to export sophisticated weapons and equipment of about the same value as we have been importing. What are the reasons that have prevented us from becoming self sufficient and self reliant in military hardware?

Is our infrastructure faulty? In the MOD, the DRDO is responsible for assimilating the weapons or equipment requirement of the Services through a qualitative requirement floated by the latter. Thereafter, the DRDO prepares a project report obtains government sanction and the budget. The DRDO is then supposed to fabricate a prototype of the system, offer it to the concerned Service for trial, obtain their approval, make industrial drawings and transfer the system to Defence Production for meeting Service requirements.

Unfortunately, this arrangement has not worked at all. DRDO is headed by an eminent scientist, who also wears the hat of Scientific Adviser (SA) to the Defence Minister. DRDO has excellent laboratories in various disciplines like armament, vehicle, instruments, radio etc. The organisation also has excellent scientists. However, they do not have much practical knowledge about the battle field requirements of the weapon systems that they are engaged in fabricating. There is not much interaction with the Services. Also, the DRDO do not realise their limitation realistically. Taking on the project for Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) is a case in point. No aircraft have been fabricated in the country and to think that a LAC can be made which will match the technical specifications of modern combat aircraft seemed unrealistic. We have seen the result in this project.

The department of Defence Production is headed by a Secretary who is an lAS officer and all the top level decision makers in the department are from Civil Services. This department also works in isolation from the Services and has done very little either to improve the structure of Ordnance factories or modernise their facilities. Though coordination meetings are held to monitor the progress of the projects there is a lack of focus. The allocation of responsibility at the various stages of the project is not clearly defined. The DRDO has been unable to produce prototypes in time. Almost all the projects get delayed. Along with the work of DRDO the department of Defence Production should get involved in making industrial drawings of the system and setting up production facilities. Though coordination meetings are held frequently the expected results are not forthcoming.

Loss to the exchequer in these projects is enormous and calls for introspection to set things in the right perspective to safeguard National security interests. Indigenous manufacture will also cost money but foreign exchange will be saved and the infrastructure will be better utilised. More important, our defence forces will not be dependent on foreign manufacturers in times of emergency. Self-reliance is, therefore, a military necessity. However, except for missiles, our country has been unable to develop any major weapon systems without foreign components. For most of the weapon systems very large number of important components are imported from aboard. So, if we are not importing a weapon system as a whole we continue to import costly critical items like engine, fire control system etc.

The country cannot afford to continue paying large sums of foreign exchange year after year. Therefore, we have to shore up our indigenous capability. The need is to look at the whole system and make urgent changes. Mere patch work will not do; there has to be a total re-think on the whole subject, which may include major structural as well as procedural changes.

The Services have to reconcile to the fact that DRDO and department of Defence Production are not yet geared to produce modern weapons and equipment that are displayed in glossy magazines. Also, the technical expertise and the latest gadgets that include a wide range of facilities will take time. Therefore, the criticality of operational efficiency over mere sophistication is what the Services should look for. For example, the Fire Control System (FCS) in tank and naval ships have become very sophisticated. Having got an efficient stabilisation in the tank, the maximum errors occurred due to faulty range estimation. For a very long time the Israeli Army used hand held range finder and conveyed the target range verbally to the gunner. Till they were able to develop a computer driven fire control system, a hand held range finder was accepted by the Israeli tank men. On the other hand from the day project ‘Arjun’ was launched, our Armoured Corps insisted on a latest fire control system. The DRDO was in no position to fabricate such a system. While the DRDO was in the process of developing a modern FCS, the Armoured Corps should have accepted a simpler system.

So where do we go from here? First, we have to set our aim right. Not only should we aim to equip our Armed Forces with modern equipment, made in India, but we should also aim to enhance exports of our military hardware and earn valuable foreign exchange. The private sector can play a very important role in research, development and production of military hardware. Our country has reached a stage where the private sector can complement the Department of Defence Production in producing the most sophisticated weapons and equipment and indeed take off much weight from their shoulders. The MoD on behalf of the Armed Forces is considered one of the biggest arms buyers in the world market. This is a stigma that must be removed.

The biggest thing was keeping th emilitary in the cantoments and treating them like mushrooms. And over expectations of the military in demanding the best when the good will do. I think the Def Prd should be handed over to the military.

[Victor]

I think the Def Prd should be handed over to the military.

If this means making the engineers in DRDO et al into military personnel, complete with ranks and uniforms, yes it is IMO a good idea. That will solve many problems:

1) Defence scientists will get a better feel for the needs of the man in the trenches, perhaps (& hopefully) because he will have spent some time there! Ditto with aircraft, tanks, ships etc. This will translate to overall better and more realistic meshing of thought and expectations which is missing to a large degree.

2) They will develop a sense of camaraderie, security, pride and respect (rightly so) that comes to most armed forces personnel, combatant or not. This acts as a major draw for certain types of people and compensates for better pay in the civilian sector. This is going to become critical in the near future to retain talented people in the defence industrial complex.

The best solution IMO is to unleash our demonstrated native strengths and let the military indurstrial complex go private with strict oversight from ministry of defence and armed forces much like in the US. It is scary to think what Tata, Mahindra, L&T, Reliance, Kirloskar, Infosys etc will come up with, not to mention any new crop of companies. The money is there.

The need is to look at the whole system and make urgent changes. Mere patch work will not do; there has to be a total re-think on the whole subject, which may include major structural as well as procedural changes.

This of course is the key, but good luck to India with this. "keeping the military in the cantonments" was and is a concern very close to our netas' hearts. Even if it has outlived its original intentions, self-imposed entitlements will be difficult to uproot without major surgery in our political system. Our hope rests with the demise of the old and the birth of the brash new generation that India is producing.

[Sanjay M]

...It is now sixty years, since Independence, that the management of military hardware became our own responsibility. Israel also gained their independence about the same time as our country. While we had Ordnance factories and other infrastructure already in place, Israel had none. Yet in the last sixty years, Israel has developed a capacity to export sophisticated weapons and equipment of about the same value as we have been importing. What are the reasons that have prevented us from becoming self sufficient and self reliant in military hardware?

The answer is obvious -- they had a strong culture with solid values, while we don't. So naturally they were able to quickly build assets they didn't have, while we instead let decay the things we already had. It's like the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper.

Sometimes I think re-partition of India would be a good solution. We can let the lazy leftist idiots live separately, so that they can let their situation decay to ever worsening levels. Meanwhile the intelligent people with common sense can live separately, to erect and maintain infrastructure at the proper levels to meet their needs.

When you lie down with rats, you'll wake up with fleas, not infrastructure.

[srai]

I think the Def Prd should be handed over to the military.

If this means making the engineers in DRDO et al into military personnel, complete with ranks and uniforms, yes it is IMO a good idea. That will solve many problems:

1) Defence scientists will get a better feel for the needs of the man in the trenches, perhaps (& hopefully) because he will have spent some time there! Ditto with aircraft, tanks, ships etc. This will translate to overall better and more realistic meshing of thought and expectations which is missing to a large degree.

2) They will develop a sense of camaraderie, security, pride and respect (rightly so) that comes to most armed forces personnel, combatant or not. This acts as a major draw for certain types of people and compensates for better pay in the civilian sector. This is going to become critical in the near future to retain talented people in the defence industrial complex.

...

Good luck in getting scientists to be military men...

IMO, the solution is to make the industry more competitive by opening up the defense industry to private Indian companies, partnerships through foreign direct investment (FDI), and joint ventures (JV). They are much better at delivering products to the end user. We are beginning to see the movement in this direction now.

DRDO with its scientists and engineers should focus on hard sciences and critical (and futuristic) technologies R&D that are difficult to obtain elsewhere. Their main responsibility should be on building the foundations of knowledge through gaining critical know-hows and then disseminating it to indigenous efforts.

[Paul]

Hindu

HAL’s Intermediate Jet Trainer programme gets a timely boost



Ravi Sharma



Prototype of long-delayed Russian engine arrives





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IJT’s first flight with the AL-55I likely by September

AL-55I has a higher thrust rating than

French-made Snecma Larzac 04H20


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



BANGALORE: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s floundering Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) programme just got a shot in the arm.

A prototype of the long-delayed Russian engine that will power the trainer has arrived here.

Developed by the Russian aero engine house NPO Saturn and christened AL-55I (I for Indian), the custom-made engine — which was to have arrived last November — has a higher thrust rating than the French-made Snecma Larzac 04H20 engine, currently flying the two IJT prototypes.

The AL-55I has been built keeping the Air Force’s staff requirements in mind and is a scaled-down version of the AL-31FP engine that flies the Su-30 MKI combat aircraft.

Official sources from the HAL working on the programme told The Hindu that the Russian engine had been fitted on the IJT prototype one and the aircraft was almost ready for the all-important ‘engine ground run.’

Minor adjustments


Being larger than the French engine, the installation of the AL-55I necessitated minor adjustments such as the modification of the engine bay doors and the re-routing of pipelines on the trainer.

The HAL has, however, not been able to fit the ‘standby generator’ on the aircraft as this will require shaving off a few centimetres from the engine’s casing. The task, which will have to be undertaken by NPO Saturn, is necessary since the standby generator — a safety enhancement device — is very much an integral part of the trainer’s design architecture.

While the engine ground run will enable the HAL to check out the working of the aircraft’s systems, the trainer cannot get airborne until the Russians successfully complete the engine’s flight tests.

Reports quoting the CEO of NPO Saturn, Yuri Lastochkin, have indicated that an AL-55I engine is being installed on the Russian MiG-AT trainer and is ready for flight tests.

The Russians will have to undertake 50 sorties to get the engine certified. The HAL hopes to undertake the IJT’s first flight with the AL-55I by September-end.

Meant to become the backbone of the Air Force’s stage II or combat pilot training programme, the IJT christened Sitara was sanctioned by the government in 1999 with an initial budget of Rs.180 crore.

After the first flight in March 2003, it was meant to replace the Air Force’s workhorse, the Hindustan Jet Trainer-16, or Kiran. Around 225 HJT-36s are to be eventually produced, serving the IAF, the Navy as well as the Air Force’s Surya Kiran aerobatic team.

As per the original schedule, the first batch of IJTs was to have been delivered to the Air Force in 2005-06. Coded the Hindustan Jet Trainer (HJT)-36, the HAL has received an order for 12 Limited Series Production (LSP) and 60 production aircraft. The revised schedule is for the Air Force to receive the 12 LSPs by 2010.

[khukri]

From Defence Aerospace:
India, France to Float Joint Venture to Make SAMs


(Source; ddi Indian Government news; issued June 23, 2008)



India and France may soon join hands to make the latest variants of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) with a lethal hundred per cent kill probability, on the lines of the highly successful Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile.

The proposed joint venture, for which intense groundwork has been done by the missile industry officials from both countries, could take shape in a year's time.

The name of the new series of lethal co-produced missile has been proposed as 'Maitri' and it aims to fulfil the demand of the Army, Navy and Air Force in India for procuring thousands of such missiles to cover up the "yawning" gap in country's air defence.

India is currently in the process of replacing its entire range of surface-to-air missile defence system to weed out the ageing SAM series of missile procured from the erstwhile Soviet Union in the late 60's and 70's.

The procurement of the new range of such missiles is to give more foolproof and vibrant defending capabilities to the nation's vital assets, VVIP complexes as well as provide mobile air cover to troops in operations.

"Our missile industry officials are in intense negotiations with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and India's sole missile producer, Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Limited for setting up of such a joint venture," Antoine Bouvier, CEO of the European missile consortium MBDA, told Indian newsmen in Paris.

French proposal comes as the Indian Army recently floated a 2 billion Euro contract for purchasing 1,000 short-range quick reaction missiles.

"It will be an effort to re-use existing technology capabilities in the two countries" Bouvier said, emphasising that the 'Maitri' range of missiles, under the proposed joint venture, would be made entirely in India.

"There is total French political support for such ventures with India," the MBDA Chief Executive Officer said during the just concluded Eurosatory-2008, the European Defence Exhibition for land combat systems.

MBDA, with an annual three billion Euro turnover, is the largest and sole European missile consortium with a 25 per cent of the world-wide missile market.

It has proposed that such a joint venture could work to build upon its latest Mistral and vertically-launched VL-MICA surface-to-air mobile missile systems.

The MBDA CEO said the proposed joint missile venture would produce state-of-the-art surface-to-air missiles of short and medium range at very "reduced costs". "We have also proposed modification of propulsion and production line at the Bharat Dynamics line for the venture".

As a number of other European companies like Thales and Russians and Israelis were also bidding for the Indian army project, the MBDA top executive said "we propose to bid for the army contract in a consortium with DRDO and BDL".

"We can make a start with making of short range up to 9 kms range surface-to-air missile and later graduate to producing medium range, up to 30 kms, and long range, up to 50 kms SAMs," Bouvier said.

Though both Mistral and VL-Mica missiles were [guided] in flight by highly sophisticated Arabel Radars, these weapon systems could be operated with equal lethality by India's own 3D and 2D radars developed by DRDO, the MBDA Chief Executive said.

[ranganathan]

Why the hell does India need their help for 30 Km SAM or 50 KM SAM? Akash takes care of 30 Km SAM and its range can be enhanced to 50-60 Km.

[kuldipchager]

Because,The baboo's need Kick back.If we started to make ourself,they lose kickback mulla.

[Vick]

From DN
June 23, 2008

India Develops Missile Decoy

India’s Hyderabad-based Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DERL) announced it is developing high-tech decoy systems that “seduce” missiles away from their intended targets.

The decoy will emit signals to seduce an incoming missile and distract it from its targeted path, allowing it to hit the decoy. Being self-propelled, it can fly freely and entice away a missile more easily than a towed decoy can.

The decoy is meant for the Indian Navy. DERL also plans to seek collaboration from unnamed international firms to sharpen the technology.

[Himanshu]

Good information on all the TATRA products with the Indian Defense Forces
http://www.bemlindia.com/product_defence.php

[Juggi G]

Defense News

India Launches Global Hunt for Transport Plane
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 24 June 13:51 EDT (17:51 GMT)

NEW DELHI - India is shopping for two Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) for its paramilitary forces, according to a request for proposals (RfP) floated last week.

The MTA would be used to quickly transport troops, including special forces, a senior Indian Defence Forces official said.

The RfP was sent to Finmeccanica of Italy, Bombardiar of Canada and Embraer of Brazil.

The MTA procurement will include associated equipment for ground support and handling.

The aircraft is being procured for the paramilitary and border security forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is expected to cost around $50 million each.

The aircraft will carry regular and military passengers and cargo, with a capacity of 50 seats or 5,000 kilograms. As well as moving troops and cargo, the MTA will be used to drop rations and medical supplies, for communications and logistics roles, and for casualty evacuation.

The MTA will be required to operate from 330 meters above mean sea level.

The vendor will have to train the Indian crew and maintenance personnel, pilots, engineers and technicians three months before delivery of the aircraft.

Meanwhile, India and Russia are also jointly building a new-generation MTA. The project envisions development of a transport plane with a 20-ton cargo capacity to be in service with the Russian and Indian Air Force.

The Russian participants in the project include the Ilyushin Design Bureau and Irkut, which manufactures Sukhoi aircraft. India will be represented by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The Indian Air Force has an initial requirement for 45 aircraft while the Russian Air Force will order 100 to replace its aging An-12, An-26 and An-32 transport planes.

[Malay]

I dont understand, why dont they just get a couple of more C-130's in regular configuration if they need it. Why is the Army hell bent on acquiring more and more diverse platforms!

[Juggi G]

US Eyes Indian Defence Market
Central Chronicle

[Singha]

Malay, all deals with US are generally Govt-to-Govt deals with no scope to make
money. in case of VVIP BBJ it has been restructured now as a Company-to-Govt
deal to sidestep some US end user laws.

but anway, a RFP for 2 airframes indicates nobody is willing to let go of any
chance however small to make some money.

[Rahul M]

really don't understand why IAF birds won't do the trick in this case !
even the IA does not operate fixed wing a/c. why should a paramil force
be allowed to operate just 2 a/c and lay down duplicate infra for the same ? they can simply add
a couple of plain versions to the c-130 deal .

[Sanjay M]

Lasers detecting explosives from 20 meters away

[shiv]

Lasers detecting explosives from 20 meters away

Sanjay here is a complaint from a user. This post of yours has been reported as follows:

Dear Admins, Sanjay has been consistently posting irrelevent posts in various threads. This particular post has no relevence to this thread as it has nothing to do with Indian Military acquisition or development program. Similarly he has made numerous posts in Indian Space thread, which would have been more appropriate in International Space thread.

The complaint is genuine ad I am requesting you to comply.

[SaiK]

Like dhruv, we should find a partner like israel to export arjun-mk2s. Brazilians sounds like a good idea. south america is a start up market for us.