Saturday, October 29, 2016

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India is offering to buy hundreds of fighter planes from foreign manufacturers - as long as the jets are made in India and with a local partner, air force officials say.
A deal for 200 single-engine planes produced in India - which the air force says could rise to 300 as it fully phases out ageing Soviet-era aircraft - could be worth anything from $13-$15 billion, experts say, potentially one of the country's biggest military aircraft deals.
After a deal to buy high-end Rafale planes from France's Dassault was scaled back to just 36 jets last month, the Indian Air Force is desperately trying to speed up other acquisitions and arrest a fall in operational strength, now a third less than required to face both China and Pakistan.
PICS: India's military might packs a mean punch
Surrounded by hostile neighbours, India has fought numerous wars to protect its sovereignty and as deterrent to any future hostility, it has one of most well-armed, trained and disciplined military force in the world. We take a look at the men and the weapons of the Indian armed forces.
Picture: Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft patrol the skies over the Himalayas.

A contingent of Indian Army's parachute regiment, including special forces, doubles past the saluting dais during the Republic Day parade in Delhi.


INS Kochi, India's deadliest ever warship


An Indian Navy personnel gestures on the deck of the newly built INS Kochi, a guided missile destroyer, during a media tour at the naval dockyard in Mumbai, India September 28, 2015. The warship is the second ship in the Indian Navy to have multi-function surveillance and threat alert radar to provide information about targets for a long-range surface-to-air missile system, according to a media release issued by the Indian Navy.

INS Kochi, India's deadliest ever warship


An Indian Navy personnel looks on as he stands in front of the rocket launcher system mounted on the deck of the newly built INS Kochi, a guided missile destroyer, during a media tour at the naval dockyard in Mumbai, India September 28, 2015.


India has purchased 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France to replenish Indian Air Force's depleting squadron strength. 


The Rafale is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft and it has seen extensive action in the skies over Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali and Syria. Armed with the latest weaponry and avionics, the Rafale will give the IAF an edge over rivals in the region.


Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya joined the Indian Navy in 2013 and it helps the navy in projecting power well beyond India’s maritime borders. Vikramaditya carries the lethal MiG-29K supersonic fighter aircraft which can decimate any aerial threat to the ship and also destroy ground targets with equal ease.


The indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft will be the mainstay of the Indian Air Force in the coming years once the Mark II enters service in 2022. Tejas will replace the MiG 21 and 27. 


A sniper of the Indian Army armed with a Russian-made Dragunov sniper rifle keeps vigil near the Line of Control.


The indigenous Akash surface to air missile has been developed by DRDO and is in service with the army and the air force. A battery of Akash missiles can track 64 targets at a time and fire missiles at 12 of the most threatening ones, which include aircraft, ballistic missile, drones and other aerial targets.


T-90 main battle tanks and BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles practice manoeuvers in Rajasthan. Both T-90 and the BMP-2, which carries soldiers into battle, are at the top of their game and in the event of war, will lead the armoured thrust.


The Sukhoi Su-30 MKI is the mainstay of the Indian Air Force. The twin-seat fighter aircraft is the best aircraft in its class and is the only fighter in the air force which has the range and weapons load to strike deep into enemy territory.


Soldiers of the ‘ghatak’ platoon during Republic Day parade rehearsal in Kolkata on January 24, 2016. Each of Indian Army’s infantry battalion has a platoon (30 soldiers) trained as commandos. They are tasked with the most dangerous missions and they also act as pathfinders. They are equipped with a variety of weapons including Brügger & Thomet MP9 sub-machine guns, AK-47 and INSAS assault rifles.



The mighty Bofors FH77 155 mm howitzer, which has been at the center of controversy for so many years, proved its worth during the 1999 Kargil war when it was successfully used in direct-fire roll against Pakistan bunkers atop mountains captured by Pakistani troops. The Bofors was one of the weapons which won the war for India.


The Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft is a giant of the skies and it can transport troops and material across thousands of miles and land on unpaved, short runways. The aircraft proved very useful in disaster relief operations, flying in aid and flying out the sick and injured during natural calamities in Uttarakhand, Kashmir and other places.


Paratroopers jump out of an Indian Air Force C-130J Hercules transport aircraft. The C-130J’s main task will be to insert special operation forces into enemy territory during day/night all-weather conditions.


An Ilyushin Il-78 aerial tanker of the Indian Air Force refuels Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft.


The MiG 29K fighter aircraft of the Indian Navy provides the teeth to INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. This supersonic fighter aircraft is replacing the venerable subsonic Sea Harrier jump jet.


The indigenous Dhruv multi-purpose helicopter of the Indian Army carries a gypsy during a training exercise in the Thar desert in Rajasthan. Dhruv equips all three wings of the armed forces and also paramilitary forces.


Operatives of the special operations forces of the Indian Navy known as the Marine Commandos or Marcos, slither down from a Sea King helicopter to a waiting zodiac boat. Marcos are the most secretive special forces in India and not much is known about the operations they have carried out though during the 1999 Kargil war, they were said to have carried out numerous cross-LoC raids to neutralize enemy targets.



A marine commando, armed with an AK-103 automatic assault rifle and SIG P226 pistol, provides perimeter security around a helipad used by US president Barack Obama during his 2010 visit to Mumbai.


A T-72 MBT of the Indian Army swims through a canal during a training exercise.


An officer of the elite special forces of the Indian Army displays the Tavor assault rifle, the primary weapon of the special forces.


An Indian Air Force Beriev A-50EI Mainstay airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft comes into land. In the foreground anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile carrier with SAM-3 missiles loaded can be seen.


Soldiers of the Indian army head for the beach during an amphibious landing exercise in the Arabian Sea.


Supersonic Brahmos surface-to-surface missiles on display during the Republic day parade.


Nuclear-capable Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during a test.


Special forces personnel of the Indian army during a training exercise in the Thar desert in Rajasthan.


An Israeli-made Spike anti-tank guided missile, which will equip infantry battalions of the Indian army.


A Tunguska surface-to-air missile (SAM) system of the Indian army.


A soldier from the Sikh regiment of the Indian Army displays a Carl Gustav anti-tank weapon system.


A M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer in action with the US army in Afghanistan. The Indian Army is all set to get this gun to equip its mountain corps.


A Chinook heavy lift helicopter of the US Army. The Indian Air Force is buying this machine.


The world’s most lethal attack helicopter, the Apache, will soon don Indian Air force colours.


A BMP-2 ICV climbs out of a water canal during a training exercise in Punjab.


Pinaka surface-to-surface rocket launchers on display during Army Day parade.


INS Teg, a frigate of the Indian Navy on a friendly visit to Germany on Elbe river, near Hamburg.

We take a look at how the army is taking on terrorist infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir





Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Bodies of militants who were gunned down after they entered Jammu and Kashmir are displayed for the media in Srinagar




Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Indian army soldiers surround a house in Kashmir, where militants took shelter after crossing into India from Pakistan occupied Kashmir



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Army and civilian vehicles on the road from Srinagar, capital of Jammu and Kashmir, to Leh. The road passes very close to the LoC and during the Kargil War of 1999, it was under constant artillery fire from the Pakistan side



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Soldiers from the army as well as the BSF have to brave elements, including heavy snow, to maintain constant vigil and thwart any infiltration bid from across the LoC


Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


An Indian army soldier, armed with an automatic grenade launcher, keeps a watch on the LoC



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Soldiers bridge the gap between the two Kashmirs in a rare moment of peace between the two nations, which have been in constant confrontation over Kashmir since 1947



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Caskets draped in the tricolor and carrying bodies of Indian army soldiers, who were martyred on the LoC in an encounter with a combined force of Pakistan army regular and militants from LeT in 2013, awaiting journey home



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Soldiers in mine-resistant boots train to locate mines and IEDs



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


An officer of the Indian army displays a remote control used to detonate improvised explosive device (IED), captured from militants


Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Soldiers patrol along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir



Line of Contention between India and Pakistan


Pakistani currency found on the bodies of militants gunned down by the Indian army



49/49 SLIDES
But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration wants any further military planes to be built in India with an Indian partner to kickstart a domestic aircraft industry, and end an expensive addiction to imports.


Lockheed Martin said it is interested in setting up a production line for its F-16 plane in India for not just the Indian military, but also for export.


And Sweden's Saab has offered a rival production line for its Gripen aircraft, setting up an early contest for one of the biggest military plane deals in play.


deals in play.














"The immediate shortfall is 200. That would be the minimum we would be looking at," said an air officer briefed on the Make-in-India plans under which a foreign manufacturer will partner local firms to build the aircraft with technology transfer.


India's defence ministry has written to several companies asking if they would be willing to set up an assembly line for single-engine fighter planes in India and the amount of technology transfer that would happen, another government source said.
"We are testing the waters, testing the foreign firms' willingness to move production here and to find out their expectations," the person said.


OPERATIONAL GAPS

India's air force originally planned for 126 Rafale twin-engine fighters from Dassault, but the two sides could not agree on the terms of local production with a state-run Indian firm and settled for 36 planes in a fly-away condition.

Adding to the military's problems is India's three-decade effort to build a single-engine fighter of its own which was meant to be the backbone of the air force. Only two of those Light Combat Aircraft, called Tejas, have been delivered to the air force which has ordered 140 of them.
The Indian Air Force is down to 32 operational squadrons compared with the 45 it has said are necessary, and in March the vice chief Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa told parliament's defence committee that it didn't have the operational strength to fight a two front war against China and Pakistan.



JET MAKERS RESPOND


Saab said it was ready to not only produce its frontline Gripen fighter in India, but help build a local aviation industry base.


"We are very experienced in transfer of technology – our way of working involves extensive cooperation with our partners to establish a complete ecosystem, not just an assembly line," said Jan Widerström, Chairman and Managing Director, Saab India Technologies.
He confirmed Saab had received the letter from the Indian government seeking a fourth generation fighter. A source close to the company said that while there was no minimum order set in stone for it to lay down a production line, they would expect to build at least 100 planes at the facility.
Lockheed Martin said it had responded to the defence ministry's letter with an offer to transfer the entire production of its F-16 fighter to India.


"Exclusive F-16 production in India would make India home to the world's only F-16 production facility, a leading exporter of advanced fighter aircraft, and offer Indian industry the opportunity to become an integral part of the world's largest fighter aircraft supply chain," Abhay Paranjape, National Executive for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Business Development in India said in an email.




U.S. TOP SUPPLIER

Lockheed's offer comes on the back of expanding U.S.-India military ties in which Washington has emerged as India's top arms supplier in recent years, ousting old ally Russia.
Earlier this year Boeing also offered India its twin-engine F/A-18 Hornets, but the level of technology transfer was not clear.


India has never previously attempted to build a modern aircraft production line, whether military or civilian. State-run Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has assembled Russian combat jets including the Su-30, but these are under licensed production.


"We have never had control over technology. This represents the most serious attempt to build a domestic base. A full or a near-full tech transfer lays the ground for further development," said retired Indian air marshal M. Matheswaran, a former adviser at HAL.

He said the Indian government would be looking at producing at least 200 fighters, and then probably some more, to make up for the decades of delay in modernising the air force.



















 

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