Pakistan's Military Industrial Base is Better Than India's: General Sarath Chand

Pakistan's military industrial base is "better" than India's, said India's Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) Lieutenant General Sarath Chand, as he "slammed" the performance of ordnance factories at home, Times of India reported.

According to the Indian daily, Chand said on Tuesday that "Pakistan probably has a better industrial base, as far as defence production is concerned, than our country," adding that Pakistan exported more defence equipment than India.

Speaking at the inaugural session of AMICON 2017, a two-day conference organised by the Indian army and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Chand criticised India's ordnance factories for not keeping up with changing technology and not undertaking enough research and development initiatives.

He wondered if the poor functioning of the factories was caused by a "lack of accountability", read the TOI report.

"It is very hard to see ordnance factories changing in the present state. Overall, it has become an unsuccessful method of supporting our defence requirements," observed Chand.

According to the Indian daily, Chand further highlighted the importance of a military industry in times of war, adding that India had been "let down" by "friends [...] whenever the chips have been down."

India might hit Pakistan, warns US Defence Intelligence Agency Chief

WASHINGTON: India might strike Pakistan in order to teach him a lesson over the increasing cross border attacks, Head of the US Defence Intelligence Agency has informed the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

A senior intelligence official from the United States has warned that India is considering punitive actions against Pakistan.

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READ MORE: Pakistan Foreign Office reacts strongly to Indian Defence Minister provocative statement
“India has sought and continues to move to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and is considering punitive options to raise the cost to Islamabad for its alleged support to cross-border terrorism,” US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

The Indian army claimed yesterday (Tuesday) that it had destroyed several Pakistani posts across the LoC. However, the Pakistan Army has rubbished Indian claims.

http://www.asiandefenceforum.com/threads/india-might-hit-pakistan-warns-us-defence-intelligence-agency-chief.54/

India Started Development of Ghatak UAV and AMCA Stealth Fighter

Seed funding to commence design Work for Ghatak UCAV and AMCA has been processed and preliminary work will begin soon. A part of the funds will also be used to design and develop critical stealth technologies for the AMCA stealth fighter project.

Both Ghatak ACAV and the AMCA 5th generation stealth fighter are awaiting final clearance from the Prime Ministers Office. Development time for both projects is estimated to be seven years according to government sources.

If the work on Ghatak and AMCA commences in 2017 then both birds can debut in 2025.

The Narendra Modi government is set to give the green light to a Rs 3,000-crore plan to develop Ghatak, a new engine that will power India's first unmanned combat aircraft, or drones capable of delivering bombs as well as tackling aerial threats, as part of a project that envisages major participation of the private sector.

Ghatak will be a derivative of the abandoned Kaveri project that had been in the works for over two decades, officials said. The key difference in the current plan is the proposed participation of the private sector in a significant way.

The drone is being designed to be invisible to radars with its radical 'flying wing design'.

India to Deploy Massive Tank Army Along Border With Pakistan

The Indian Army is set to deploy over 460 new T-90SM main battle tanks (MBTs) along India’s border with Pakistan, senior Indian defense officials told IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly on January 19.

The new T-90SM MBT (other designations T-90AM or T-90MS) is the latest and most modern version of the T-90 (which in turn is a modernized variant of the T-72 MBT), and has specifically been designed for export by Russia.

French DCNS in Indian Scorpene Submarine Leak Scandal

A massive leak of documents containing top-secret technical details of the Indian Navy’s Scorpene-class submarines has hit the French defense company DCNS which is set to build new Australian submarines.

The documents, first revealed by The Australian, contain 22,400 pages and detail secret combat capabilities of the six Indian Navy submarines designed by DCNS.

The Indian government said available information was being examined by the country’s Ministry of Defence noting that that the source of leak appeared to be from overseas and not from India.

While The Australian decided to edit sensitive information from the documents showing only a small portion of them, the news site said the documents revealed everything related to the submarine’s underwater and above-water sensors, combat management system, torpedo launch system and communication and navigation systems.

Indian Scorpene submarine

This scandal is likely to cause concerns in Australia since DCNS won a AU$$50 billion contract to build a fleet of new submarines for the Australian navy in April.

Even before the scandal, U.S. officials have been reported as saying that the U.S. feared the French defence contractor DCNS, who would be building the submarines, would leak confidential information about the U.S. technology that would be fitted on the subs.

Seeking to reassure Australia of the confidentiality of its submarine program, DCNS appeared to be blaming India for the leak.

“Multiple and independent controls exist within DCNS to prevent unauthorised access to data and all data movements are encrypted and recorded. In the case of India, where a DCNS design is built by a local company, DCNS is the provider and not the controller of technical data. In the case of Australia, and unlike India, DCNS is both the provider and in-country controller of technical data for the full chain of transmission and usage over the life of the submarines,” DCNS was quoted as saying by The Australian.

Indian, Afghan Intelligence Agencies Supporting Terrorism in Pakistan: IB Chief

Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General Aftab Sultan, while speaking in the Senate standing committee meeting on Tuesday, said a large number of terrorists arrested during the last three years had connections with and were working for the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.

“Out of the 865 terrorists arrested during the last three years, a significant number had connections with India’s RAW and the Afghan NDS,” said the chief of intelligence agency.

The IB chief also said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is endangered by foreign intelligence agencies and anti-state elements.

Replying to a question regarding missing persons during the Senate sub-committee’s meeting, Sultan stated that the IB was conducting 478 inquiries for missing persons, out of which 427 inquiries have been completed.

Earlier in March, law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of Kulbushan Jadhav, saying he had been picked up during an intelligence-based raid in Balochistan's Chaman area.

The Indian Foreign Ministry earlier had confirmed the arrested man was a former Indian Navy officer, but the Pakistani government claimed to have recovered travel documents and multiple fake identities of Jadhav, establishing him as an Indian spy who entered into Balochistan through Iran — holding a valid Iranian visa.

Jadhav was shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, during which an unnamed official said the spy revealed that he had purchased boats at the Iranian port in Chabahar in order to target Karachi and Gwadar ports in a terrorist plot. The official had said the 'RAW agent' is believed to be expert at Naval fighting techniques.

Pakistani Hackers Hack into Indian Planes, Force them to listen to “Dil Dil Pakistan”

NEW DELHI – While India is busy in staging ‘surgical strike’ drama, Pakistani tech experts are up to some real job by teasing the pilots of Indian planes landing into the airports close to the Line of Control (LOC) in Occupied Kashmir.



 According to the Times of India newspaper, Pakistan hackers have been breaching networking protocols of Indian airports for some time now. The tech pirates block communication between the pilots and the control tower just before landing and start playing Pakistan’s patriotic songs like “Dil Dil Pakistan” in the cockpit.

A senior pilot, who regularly takes flights to Jammu and Thoise Air Force base, was mentioning by the newspaper as saying that Pakistan hackers have been so by matching the frequency of the communication between the plane and the control tower.


 The report further added that Indian pilots have now adopted an alternate communication process to avoid getting hacked by Pakistanis.

India's Biggest Lie Exposed, "No Surgical Strike" Says World Body

Desperate India is furious at the United Nations and World Observer bodies for rejecting its black propaganda of surgical strike along the Line of Control in Kashmir.

The UN mission monitoring the ceasefire said it “has not directly observed” any firing along the LoC.
Responding to a question on the “surgical strikes” claim of Indian Army in Kashmir, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a daily press briefing that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) had not “directly observed” any firing.

“They are obviously aware of the reports of these presumed violations and are talking to the relevant concerned authorities,” he said.

But Indian leadership led by hardliner Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still tweaking the script of the loosely choreographed drama in a desperate bid to fix plot holes in the storyline.

Showing anger at the UNMOGIP in extreme frustration, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said the facts on the ground do not change whether somebody has “observed” it or not.
“I have nothing to say because what (Dujarric) said was ‘directly observed’. It’s a call that they have to take. I cannot place myself in their boots and directly observe something,” said the Indian envoy, when asked to comment on Dujarric’s remarks.


Akbaruddin said the “facts on the ground do not change whether somebody acknowledges or not. Facts are facts, we presented the facts and that’s where we stand.”

Meanwhile, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh after inaugurating a ‘smart toilet’ in New Delhi on Sunday when quizzed by reporters on doubts raised by Pakistan over the operation as India did not release the footage of the operation, said, “Just wait and watch,” Indian Express reported.

India claimed on September 29 that it conducted surgical strikes inside Kashmir in revenge attack in Srinagar that killed 18 soldiers.

On the other hand, a Japanese magazine issued a report ruling out the possibility of surgical strikes at the LoC, in the presence of Pakistan’s missile system. “Pakistan’s air surveillance is also highly advanced,” it stated.

The report further said that Indian military is not capable of conducting surgical strikes in the first place, for it lacks the defence equipment required in such operations.

Quite contrary to India’s coward attitude , Pakistani military took local and foreign journalists on a rare visit to forward locations along the Line of Control to debunk the myth of Indian surgical strikes.

The Pakistan Army vehemently rejected all the Indian claims of the so-called surgical strikes, saying that no such incident had taken place and the Indian lies had been exposed before the world.

It said anyone who tried any misadventure inside Pakistan will get response beyond his imagination.
“No such incident has taken place nor any such will be allowed to happen in future and if the adversary attempted so, it will be responded to with an ever strongest force,” Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa said.

India Incapable of Waging War on Pakistan, BBC

International experts and analysts believe India lacks the intelligence and capabilities needed to execute targeted strikes or wage a limited war in Pakistani territory.

Most experts say successive Indian governments have been unable to build such capabilities. Media chatter is resonating across India on why the air force should carry out surgical air strikes against Pakistan. But many believe it would not be easy as Pakistan has robust air defence systems. There are also doubts about whether India has built capabilities or possesses measures for unconventional deterrence.

Defence analyst Ajai Shukla is also of the view that India has only escalated rhetoric against Pakistan but not created sufficient military capabilities and planning structure needed to tackle its arch rival. Now, the government appears to have become a prisoner of its own bluster. “The danger of being trapped in your own rhetoric is that you can be forced into an aggressive response and then be ill-equipped to handle the escalation,” Shukla says.

Indian officials have also cautioned against any adventurism following the military asking the govt to consider ‘surgical strikes’, covert military operations or hot pursuits inside Pakistani territory, adding that Pakistan is no Myanmar, where Indian Para-SF troops conducted a transborder raid to take out militants in June 2015. “The government has to take into account that any strike inside Pakistan can escalate into an all-out war. Pakistan, of course, often threatens first-use of tactical nuclear weapons if it is attacked by India,” an official said.

India and Pakistan are facing a war-like situation after militants attacked an army base in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Sunday, killing 18 soldiers. India has blamed the attack on a Pakistan-based group, despite denials from Islamabad. It accuses Pakistan of supporting ‘militant’ attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule only in part.

Russia Claims to Start Building an Aircraft Carrier for Indian Navy

India prepares for building of a 300-meter long nuclear-powered aircraft carrier capable to accommodate 54 warplanes. Prime contenders to assist in the ship building are Russia and France.

Media reported in the summer of 2015 that Russia, France, the UK and the US had received requests for proposal regarding the new carrier. Nonetheless, according toLenta.Ru, prime bidders will be the countries that delivered ship-based airplanes to India earlier. Russian aircraft is represented in the Indian Navy by MiG-29K fighters, and France will start delivery of Rafale war planes in the nearest future.

INS Vikramaditya

                                                                            


Currently, the Indian Navy operates INS Vikramaditya(a retrofitted Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov), and ex-British light carrier INS Viraatwhich is to be decommissioned in 2016.

MiG-29UPG Upgrade Programme Goes On

The MiG Corp. and Phazotron Corp. continue deliveries of knockdown kits to India for upgrading the entire fleet of Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighters under the contract signed on 7 March 2008 (MiG-29UPG programme). In all, 63 aircraft, including nine MiG-29UB twin-seat combat trainers, are subject to upgrade. They are to be given more up-to-date avionics, with their weapons suite to be beefed up with advanced missiles. In addition, airframe and powerplant improvements will extend the fighters' service life by far, and the aircraft will switch to on-condition maintenance. The fuel load will increase owing to a conformal spine fuel tank aft of the cockpit. At the same time, the fighters will get the mid-air refuelling capability.

Overall, the concept of upgrading the IAF MiG-29s corresponds to that of the MiG-29SMT that has been in service with the Russian Air Force since 2009 and mastered by Russian pilots. At the same time, there will be a high degree of avionics and weapons commonality with the MiG-29K/KUB carrierborne fighters that entered service with the Indian Navy on 19 February 2010. At the customer’s request, systems from various foreign manufacturers are integrated with the avionics suite of the upgraded MiG-29UPG (the so-called international avionics suite). Similar experience has been gained from the fulfilling of the Russian-Indian contracts for upgrade of the IAF's MiG-21bis to MiG-21UPG Bison standard and for development and manufacture of the Su-30MKI and MiG-29K/KUB fighters. The experience has showed itself to good advantage.

MiG-29UPG

The upgraded MiG-29UPG's fire control system is wrapped around the advanced Phazotron-NIIR Zhuk-M2E slotted-array radar and OLS-UEM IRST with the laser, thermal-imager and TV capabilities from the Precise Instrument Systems Scientific and Production Corporation (NPK SPP). The same radar and IRST fit the MiG-29K/KUB. The cockpit management system is based on colour multifunction liquid-crystal displays. The international segment of the avionics suite includes a helmet-mounted target designator from Thales, an inertial/satellite navigation system from Sagem, an Indian electronic intelligence system and an Israeli electronic countermeasures system (the same gear equips the MiG-29K/KUB).

In addition to the conformal fuel cell behind the cockpit and the mid-air refuelling boom on the portside, visual differences between the MiG-29UPG and the baseline MiG-29 include the underwing chaff/flare dispensers from Bharat Electronics and advanced antennae of the defence aids suite under wign and in the root of the right fin.

The basic weapons carried by the MIG-29UPG are the same as those carried by the MiG-29SMT and MiG-29K/KUB. Unlike the weapons suite of production MiG-29s, they also include the RVV-AE medium-range active radar homing air-to-air missiles and such precision-guided air-to-surface weapons, as the Kh-29T general-purpose TV-homing missile, Kh-31A active radar homing antiship missile, Kh-31P passive radar homing antiradation missile, KAB-500Kr TV-homing bombs, etc.

The MiG-29 has been in IAF's inventory since 1987. Overall, 80 aircraft of the type had been delivered from the later 1980s to the mid-'90s, including about 70 MiG-29 singleseaters (version B, or MiG-29B) and 10 MiG-29UB twinseaters.

India is Banking on Russia's S-400 Missile to Thwart China Threat

India's defence sector is likely to get a major boost with New Delhi close to finalizing a deal for the world's most advanced anti-ballistic missile system – the S-400 - during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to Russia

Mr Parrikar, who is scheduled to leave for Moscow on Saturday, in an interview to ITAR-TASS expressed hope to finalise the deal by the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Moscow in December.

The S-400 is designed to protect key installations such as nuclear reactors, government installations and big cities and can intercept enemy missile more than 400 kilometres away.

The S-400 Triumf is capable of countering all air attack weapons, including tactical and strategic aircraft, ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets such as the US F-35 fighter jet.

S-400 Triumf 

The S-400 can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously with as many as 72 missiles at altitudes of five meters to 30 km.

The cost of the acquisition and the number of S-400 systems India will acquire is not known at this stage.

Parrikar's visit comes as the government's Defence Acquisition Council cleared defence projects worth more than Rs. 15,000 crores.

Rafale Most Expensive Acquisition- LCA Cheapest in Combat Category

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had told the Indian air force that there weren't enough funds to expand the Rafale acquisition and that it must induct an improved version of the indigenous Tejas-Mark 1A.

"The IAF (air force) needs to have a minimum number of aircraft at all times. The LCA is our best option at this stage, given our resource constraints," the defense official said.

"The Rafale is our most expensive acquisition. The LCA is our cheapest in the combat category."

Modi pushes 'obsolete' made-in-India plane on reluctant military

NEW DELHI: India's government has turned down its military's request to expand the acquisition of 36 fighter planes from Dassault Aviation SAto plug vital gaps, officials said, nudging it to accept an indigenous combat plane 32 years in the making.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision, in line with his Make-in-India policy to encourage domestic industry, is a blow for not only the French manufacturerbut also others circling over the Indian military aviation market worth billions of dollars.

The push for India's struggling Tejas light combat aircraft(LCA) also comes at a time when the Indian Air Force(IAF) is at its weakest operational strength since the 1962 war against China, which is causing anxiety within military circles.

Since it took over last year, the Modiadministration has repeatedly said its overriding goal is to cut off the military's addiction to foreign arms which has made it the world's top importer.

The air force wanted the government to clear an additional 44 Rafale medium multirole aircraft on top of the 36 that Modiannounced during a visit to Paris this year that are to be bought off-the-shelf to meet its urgent requirements.


But a defense ministry official said that Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had told the Indian air force that there weren't enough funds to expand the Rafale acquisition and that it must induct an improved version of the indigenous Tejas-Mark 1A.

"The IAF (air force) needs to have a minimum number of aircraft at all times. The LCA is our best option at this stage, given our resource constraints," the defense official said.

"The Rafale is our most expensive acquisition. The LCA is our cheapest in the combat category."

India's air force says its requires 45 fighter squadrons to counter a "two-front collusive threat" from Pakistan and China. But it only has 35 active fighter squadrons, parliament's defense committee said in a report in April citing a presentation by a top air force officer.

Dassault want Rafale Deal With India Very Soon

Dassault Chief virtually has indicated that HAL may not be the prime contractor should India agrees to buy additional Rafale fighter jet.

Dassault Chief termed Rafale fighter jet as a true force multiplier and also said that a Pair of heavily armed “Omni role” Rafale has same combat potential as Six Mirage-2000s.

Trappier said that recent spate of export orders will need ramping up of Rafale production rates soon, but he was also cautious and said that there are certain challenges to ramp up Supply Chain which involves close to 500 entities.

Dassault Chief With Rafale

Speaking on F3R upgrade program Trappier said that Integration of MBDA’s Meteor BVR missile and SAGEM Hammer AASM will take place in near future for which French government already has cleared a $1 Billion upgrade program to latest F3R standard.

Sources have informed us that French negotiation team still believes that India will eventually continue with its full requirements for 126 Rafales to meet the original MMRCA requirements even though India officially has cancelled MMRCA tender.

Israel and Russia are building 2 AWECS aircraft for India

Israel and Russia have started creating two aircraft for Airborne Early Warning and Control for India. Work has already started in Taganrog, where they are installing Israeli radar on an IL-76.

The Military Gazette wrote that Israel and Russia have started creating two aircraft for Airborne Early Warning and Control for India. This is the joint project called Falcon – an airborne early warning radar system created by Elta, installed on the IL-76 aircraft manufactured by the Ilyushin Company.

Indian Il-76 AWACS

Back in 2004, India signed a contract for the delivery of three of these aircraft, which were delivered in 2009-2011. Work on the creation of another two new aircraft is being carried out under an option provided for in this contract. As the publication noted, Israel purchased two IL-76 airframes from Uzbekistan. Russia, for its part, acquired two mostly completed IL-76 platforms from the Chkalov Aviation Production Association (now the Tashkent Mechanical Plant) in Tashkent. The aircraft frames were brought from Tashkent to the Beriev Aviation Scientific-Technical Complex in Taganrog, where they will be custom finished by the Israeli side, and where Israeli radar will be installed.

IAF's MiG-25RB Foxbat : The LEGEND that could never be intercepted

Most often, the recent advances in technology and innovation make the achievements of previous years a delightful comic to read on a Sunday afternoon. However there do exist an elite league of legendary accomplishments which stand their ground even to this day even after decades have passed into oblivion. The moon Landings by USA for example, which to this day remains nothing short of a spectacular benchmark in space technology has remained unchallenged.

In the year 1981, an aircraft which was more of a manned ballistic missile on steroids entered service in the Indian Air Force changing the course of history as it is. Its induction in the IAF brought in an entirely new performance envelope for its fighter pilots and it became necessary to wear special pressure suits to survive at its service ceiling from where in the curvature of the Earth was visible from the very edge of space.

To the NATO it was known as the “Foxbat” and the IAF christened it the name “Garuda” , the large mythical bird-like creature from the Hindu mythology whose wings were massive enough to block out the sun. Only 42 top pilots of IAF ever qualified to fly solo in the aircraft in 25 years of its glorious service which led its flawless record of zero interception even if detected.

IAF Mig-25

The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-25RB Foxbat-B was designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau in 1964. The aircraft could do Mach 2.8, and it was possible to sustain flights of Mach 3.2 in the early 1970s, but the engines being damaged beyond repair were a concern at such extreme supersonic speeds. To bring that into perspective, the Eurofighter Typhoon even with all the modern technology these days can super cruise at Mach 1.5. To achieve Mach 3, the airframe were built to withstand the airflow temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius. The MiG-25's sustained speed was far above above the dash speed of all other fighters of whichever nation or built, either in 1970’s or even today. In all, 29 records were claimed by the aircraft, of which seven were all-time world records for time to height, altitudes of 20,000 m and higher, and speed. Several records still stand today.

The Indian Air Force inducted the reconnaissance version which was a very high altitude, supersonic aircraft capable of a service ceiling which made its interception by enemy fighters or surface to air missiles a joke at IAF’s Nos 102 Squadron 'Trisonics' who flew and serviced these majestic birds. The version IAF had were the MiG-25RB for reconnaissance and the MiG-25U two seater for conversion training. Countless top secret reconnaissance missions were flown over hostile territory of Pakistan and China documenting military bases and surveying the situation on the ground. These flights provided crucial intelligence during war and helped India stay two steps ahead in the reconnaissance game.

F-16IN to make a comeback in MMRCA-II

According to The Indian Express, the United States has extended an offer to India to jointly produce a line of fighter jets to both enhance military ties as well as provide for India’s frontline fighter fleet shortage. This comes right after the Indian government announced that the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal, originally signed with France’s Dassault Aviation, was, for all intents and purposes, over. Bumps, missteps and poor communication contributed to the downfall of the contract which would have seen a set of Rafales built in France to Indian specifications, while the remaining number of jets to be procured in the deal would be built under license in India. So that means India will soon be back on the market, looking for another multi-role fighter to fulfill its needs for another fifteen to twenty years while it works on developing its own indigenous stealth fighter program and makes the best of the mess that is the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the joint Russian-Indian derivative of the PAK FA/T-50 stealth fighter prototype.

Among the many offers tendered to India during the MMRCA competition was one from Lockheed Martin, featuring a heavily-updated version of one of the most successful fighter aircraft in history- the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Designated the F-16IN Super Viper, Lockheed Martin went as far as to call it “the most advanced F-16 ever”.

F-16IN

The integration of fifth-generation technology into the fourth-generation platform is pretty much what makes an already-potent fighter an even more potent air-to-air and air-to-ground killer. Using the Block 60 configuration as the base to work off of, Lockheed Martin added a number of upgrades to beef up the Fighting Falcon into the Super Viper. The most powerful upgrade comes in the form of the AN/APG-80 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar system, which is already in service with the United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 Desert Falcons.

Pakistan's Nasr Missile Is the Most Dangerous Development in South Asia

If ever India loses its patience after repeated terror attacks and decides to retaliate against the terrorist camps, Pakistan may term that a conventional military attack and invoke the nuclear option.'

'This is a way to continue with terrorism without retaliation.'

Top nuclear scientist Dr R Rajaraman, emeritus professor of theoretical physics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, believes Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal is a matter of great concern to India with the Nasr missile being of special concern.

The co-chair of the International Panel on Fissile Materials and a member of the world scientists permanent panel on Mitigation of Terrorists Acts, Dr Rajaraman, below, left, tells Rediff.com contributor Rashme Sehgal why an alarming nuclear story is unfolding in the sub-continent.

Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear programme in the world. By 2020, it is expected to get 200 nuclear devices most of which are targeted at India.

While countries around the globe are talking about diminishing their nuclear stockpiles, the opposite seems to be happening in the case of Pakistan.

It is true that Pakistan is producing more weapon-usable fissile material each passing year. So, for that matter, is India!

Estimates of Pakistan's rate of growth of nuclear warheads are often exaggerated in the West and blindly quoted by some by Indian analysts as well.

Nasr Missile

The main thing to understand about estimates of the number of nuclear bombs is that no one outside the respective governments will really know how many weapons have been assembled. And the government people are not likely to talk.

Most estimates by non-governmental think-tanks and analysts are just unverifiable hearsay. The only responsible outside estimates are based on nuclear fissile materials production and stocks.

So I will go by the estimates made by our International Panel on Fissile Materials which has been tracking fissile material production of all countries year after year.

It is true that the Pakistanis have set up 3 plutonium (Pu) producing reactors at Khushab and a fourth is in the making. But these are believed to be heavy water reactors of about 50 MWth (Megawatt thermal) capacity.

Such reactors typically produce, at 65 per cent efficiency, about 7 kg of Pu each per year. At best the three reactors can together produce only 105 kg in five years, which can fuel about 21 warheads.

Moreover, once the Pu is produced in the reactors it is not immediately available for making bombs. The fuel rods have to be cooled for a couple of years and then reprocessed to have the weapon-usable Pu extracted. So the actual production of assembled weapons will be much less.

Tejas Mark II years away, HAL asks air force to buy Tejas Mark 1-A​

HAL has aimed a serious blow at the Tejas Mark II Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), with a letter telling the Indian Air Force (IAF) that it does not have the manpower to work on developing an improved version of the current Tejas Mark I.

The Bengaluru-based public sector aviation monolith says its engineers are already stretched with existing projects, including the Tejas production line, design and prototype manufacture of a basic trainer aircraft, the Hindustan Turbo Trainer - 40 (HTT-40); and the testing and production of the Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT).

HAL has suggested that, instead of waiting for the Tejas Mark II the IAF should buy 80 Tejas Mark I-A, an interim fighter that would be more capable then the Mark I, but less than the Mark II will be.

Business Standard has learned of a heated debate under way between the user of the Tejas, the IAF; its designer, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA); and its manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The IAF has already committed to buying 40 Tejas Mark I. In addition, the air force has indicated it will buy four-to-five squadrons (80-100 fighters) of the Tejas Mark II when it is ready.

 Tejas Mark II Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

HAL worries about the future of its production line after it delivers 40 Mark I fighters by end-2019. It plans to build four Tejas Mark I by March 2016; another eight by March 2017; and crank up production to 16 fighters annually by March 2018. After 2019, the production line would idle till the Tejas Mark II enters production.

Senior HAL and ADA officials agree the Tejas Mark II is unlikely to enter production till 2023-24. Developing the Mark II involves fitting in a more powerful engine --- the General Electric F-414INS6 replacing the current F-404IN --- and upgrading avionics and weaponry. With prototype development likely to take till 2019, another three to four years would go in flight-testing the Tejas Mark II and preparing production drawings.

HAL, therefore, wants the IAF to buy 80 Tejas Mark I-A to keep the production line occupied from 2020 to 2023-24.

The Mark 1-A would be faster and more agile than the current Mark I. Developing it would involve shaving off 800 kilograms from the current fighter, especially from systems like the landing gear, which are currently "over-engineered", or built heavy, for safety. HAL also proposes to remove 300 kg of dead weight distributed across the Mark I to balance it evenly.

HAL argues that the Mark I's GE F-404IN engine, which generates 84 kiloNewtons (kN) of peak thrust, would meet the IAF's performance requirements, if one tonne is shaved off the Tejas Mark I's empty weight of 6,500 kg. In that case, the GE F-414INS6 engine's 98 kN of thrust would be needed only for the naval Tejas, which must take off from the short runway of an aircraft carrier deck.

The IAF and ADA are taken aback by HAL's reluctance to participate in developing the Mark II. Even though the Tejas project is managed by ADA --- a branch of the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) --- HAL has developed important components. Besides many smaller systems, HAL designed the Tejas structure, its undercarriage and electrical supply system. It would have to upgrade these for the Mark II.

"We have completed the preliminary design of the Tejas Mark II, but now the detailed design will be done. HAL would have to refine and upgrade the systems it developed for the Tejas", points out a senior ADA official.

IAF Cut Orders For 5th Gen FGFA by Half

Looking to cut costs and prune military imports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has halved its demand for Russian-built fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).It now wants just three squadrons of the fighter jets which are to be inducted into the Russian Air Force in 2016.

Sources say the IAF has scaled down its needs and now indicated that just three squadrons (around 18 planes in each), besides a few more for training of the pilots, will be enough for now. This works out to be 65 planes, almost half from the earlier projection of 127 FGFAs to be jointly designed and produced by India and Russia.The T-50 has been built for the Russians under the PAK-FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) programme for the fifth generation fighter aircraft.

A plane will cost $100 million (Rs 650 crore). Three squadrons are the projection of an off-the-shelf deal India is pressing its military ally for immediate delivery of the planes.New Delhi has suggested to Moscow that the T-50 fighter jet can be supplied to the IAF, while the research to improve upon the aircraft can carry on simultaneously. The Tribune had first reported about India’s offer on February 24 this year.

FGFA

Simultaneously, the IAF is also working on a $11 billion R&D contract for long-term development of the jet. It is pending ratification since 2013. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on August 4, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the preliminary design stage of the fifth generation fighter aircraft programme completed in June 2013.

“The expenditure incurred so far is Rs 1,483.15 crore,” Parrikar said. The next stage of development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft will commence after signing of the R&D contract.The problem is in case India opts for the R&D contract route, the deliveries are envisaged to commence 94 months – eight years. The next best option is to go for an immediate off-the-shelf purchase and in case the research-and-development contract works out, more jets can be produced here.

With a dwindling fleet of fighter jets, this wait is not an option for the IAF, said sources. By the end of this year, the IAF would be at its lowest combat strength in more than a decade. It will be down to 32 squadrons by the end of this year and in the middle of a predicted shortage.