Bangladesh Defence

Their primary mission is reconnaissance, classification, and neutralisation of all types of moored and bottom mines in littoral areas, harbours and coastal waterways. The ships are equipped with a high definition, variable-depth sonar, and a remotely-operated, robotic submarine used to neutralise mines.

The largest-ever defence deal between India and the US — acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft by the Indian Air Force for $3.5 billion, nearly Rs 16,100 crore at current exchange rates, — is likely to be inked during US President Barack Obama’s planned visit to India this November. 

Negotiations have reached the final stage and each of the giant transport aircraft, which can carry helicopters too, would be priced at around $300 million. After spares and maintenance are included, the final deal size would be around $3.5 billion, making it the biggest defence deal between the two countries. 



The C-17, also known as Hercules C-17, was deployed by the US in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. It is utilised for air dropping paratroopers and supplies, emergency evacuation and carrying heavy equipment like tanks. 






Interestingly, a C-17 accompanies the US President when he flies on the Air Force One, carrying the Presidential limousine and security apparatus. The C-17 is manufactured by Boeing and the IAF deal is being concluded through government-to-government negotiations under the US’ Foreign Military Sales programme. The IAF wants the C-17 to replace its Russian Ilyushin IL-76 fleet that now acts as its primary transport aircraft. The IL-76 fleet is ageing and the C-17 is likely to provide IAF with much stronger transport capabilities. 


Having a modern transport aircraft will also help in relief operations during natural calamities. 



While the deal would be finalised at the government level, Boeing will handle its implementation as well as the offsets. Mark Kronenberg, vice-president for international business development at Boeing’s defence, space and security division, said India would have the largest C-17 fleet outside the US once the deal is successfully concluded. Currently, UK has the largest C-17 fleet outside the US with eight aircraft, followed by Qatar and Australia. Without going into the deal’s timing or its value, he said that Boeing would come into the picture after the two governments complete their negotiations. 

The C-17 acquisition will be bigger than the $2-billion deal for eight P-81 maritime reconnaissance planes signed in 2009, highly-placed government sources said. It is a major agreement between the two governments, they said on condition of anonymity. This huge order will come in handy for the Obama administration to highlight as one of the steps it has taken to rev up the US economy and create employment. Indian companies will also benefit since the government’s offset policy mandates that 30% of the deal value flows back as offset business. The offset business for this deal is estimated to be around $1 billion. 

The C-17 can carry a payload of around 77,500 kg and has a range of more than 5,200 km. It can land even on runways that are just 3,500 ft long and 90 ft wide. The cruise speed of this heavy-lift transport aircraft is around 853 km/hour. The IAF had conducted a trial with the C-17 in June. 

Ever since the two countries entered into a strategic alliance, India has been buying American defence equipment. In 2009, for example, a $1-billion deal for six C-130 J ‘Super Herculus’ aircraft was inked and earlier this year 24 Harpoon Block III anti-ship missiles were bought for $170 million. The government also bought special VVIP aircraft from the US — also Boeing made —for use by the Prime Minister and the President. 

The US President is likely to visit Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar in November, the sources added. Obama is likely to stay at the Taj in Mumbai, which was attacked by terrorists in 2008, as a sign of solidarity with India’s fight against cross-border terrorism. He is also likely to visit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, another site of the deadly terrorist attack.

  DRDO rather than starting all over again the Arjun MK-2 will have the same design of Arjun MK-1, but major changes are planned for the new generation variant of Arjun Tank to keep up with the new technological changes which are been incorporated in the MBT’s world over .
Arjun MK-2 will have Battle Field Management System (BFMS) which will enable the tank to get feed from UAV‘s and Helicopters, which then enable the Arjun mk-2 tank crew much aware of their surroundings and better understanding of the battle zone, this will lead to improvement in coordinating with other Friendly tanks in the zone and also avoid Friendly kills, it will also give information regarding enemy tank movement along with their troops and help navigate terrain in the battle zone.
Self-diagnostic system (SDS) will also be added to Arjun Mk-2 which is like a health monitoring system. it will not only tell the tank crew if it is having any problem but also point out the trouble area , it is also important when Tank has taken multiple hits from different position and from different ammunition after a self-diagnose Tank crew will know exact damage inflicted on the Tank .

Arjun Mk-2 will get a new efficient 1500bhp engine which has been in development by DRDO in India its self, they are reports that a Indian Private industry is also working with DRDO on the engine development, currently Arjun MK-1 is powered by German supplied 1400bhp engine which is quite old in design and technical parameters but still a powerful and respected engine in the world.

NERA (non-explosive reactive armor) will be added to Arjun Mk-2 this will give the tank additional protection against anti-tank munitions, unlike ERA, NERA will enable tank to take multiple hits anti-tank munitions, but also increase the weight of Arjun MK-2 to 60 tons from its current weight (Arjun MK-1) of 58 tons.

It is much likely that Arjun Mk-2 will also spot Air-conditioning system for the crew, which will be powered from an APU which will draw its power from the Main engine of the Tank; this will enable the tank crew to operate in higher temperature of desert heat without any discomfort to the tank crew, Arjun MK-1 already has hardened electronics that function perfectly even in the Rajasthan summer without requiring any Air-conditioning system.

More changes will take place in Arjun Mk-2, above mentioned are mostly likely changes which will take place in the new variant.

A furious IAF, which urgently needs the Tejas to replace its retiring MiG-21 squadrons, has complained in writing to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The IAF report says that even as the Aeronautical Development Agency, or ADA — which oversees the Tejas programme — is choosing between two powerful, modern engines from the global market, the DRDO has confused the issue by throwing up a third option.


An offer to resurrect its failed Kaveri engine programme, this time in partnership with French engine-maker, Snecma.

The IAF report, currently with the highest levels of the MoD, makes two points. First, since the DRDO has been unable, for over two decades, to deliver a Kaveri engine that can power the Tejas, the ongoing procurement — of either the General Electric (GE) F-414, or the Eurojet EJ200 engine — should go ahead.


The IAF’s second objection is even more damning for the DRDO: Snecma, the IAF charges, has already developed the heart of the engine it is offering, an uprated derivative of the M88-2 engine that powers the French Rafale fighter. The DRDO, therefore, will not co-develop the engine, but merely provide Snecma with an indigenous stamp. In reality, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), the DRDO laboratory that has laboured for decades on the Kaveri, will hardly participate in any “joint development”.



Further, says a top IAF source, a Kaveri engine based on Snecma’s new core will leave the Tejas short of performance, providing barely 83-85 Kilonewtons (KN) of maximum thrust. In contrast, the GE and Eurojet engines already short-listed for selection provide 90-96 KN, a significant advantage. The source says sneaking in the underpowered Kaveri-Snecma engine through the GTRE back door will damage the LCA project.



For the IAF, the performance of the new engine is crucial. It has agreed to accept the Tejas into service as soon as the fighter obtains its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in December, even though the Tejas does not yet fly, climb, turn or accelerate fast enough. The IAF’s accommodation is based on a promise from the ADA that a new, more powerful engine will overcome all the Tejas’ current performance shortfalls.


Senior IAF officers explain that the DRDO needs the Tejas project to endorse the Kaveri-Snecma engine because Snecma insists on a minimum assured order of 300 engines as a precondition for partnering GTRE in “joint development”. Since India’s futuristic Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) — the other potential user of a Kaveri-Snecma engine — has not yet been sanctioned, only the Tejas programme, with some 120-140 fighters planned, provides the numbers needed for satisfying Snecma.




The IAF will buy two squadrons (42 fighters) of Tejas Mark 1, which use older GE F-404 engines. In addition, five squadrons (110 fighters) of Tejas Mark 2 are planned, which will be powered by a new engine. Given that each Tejas could go through 2-3 engines during its lifetime, the LCA Mk 2 will actually need 200-300 of the new engines.

Contacted by Business Standard, the DRDO declined to comment on the subject.
Business Standard has already reported (December 12, 2009, “Kaveri engine comes alive; will power Indian fighters”) that the MoD is backing Kaveri-Snecma as a new engine for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). That report was corroborated on May 13 by Defence Minister A K Antony, who told Parliament that the Kaveri “requires to be optimised for lower weight and higher performance so that it can be used for the Tejas and possibly for Indian next generation combat Aircraft.”



But there are mixed signals from the establishment. In the same statement, Antony also talked about the possibility of engine import. And the ADA chief, P S Subramaniam, has told Business Standard: “There are many Tejas already flying that will soon need new engines and we will use the Kaveri-Snecma engines for those. The Tejas Mark 2 will be powered by either GE F-414 or the EJ200.”
According to ADA sources, both the GE and Eurojet engines have fully met the technical requirements for the Tejas Mk 2. The Eurojet EJ200 is the more modern, lighter, flexible engine and has impressed the IAF. The GE F-414 is significantly heavier, but provides more power. The Indian tender for 99 engines (plus options) demands that all engines after the first 10 be built in India.

"The delivery to Pakistan will start in the early part of next year," said Suleman, who is also chief of the air staff of the Pakistan Air Force.He said the Pakistan Air Force was also looking at the option of purchasing Chinese engines, though any final decision will depend on the engines' quality.

Suleman brought FC-1 (Fighter China-1) Xiaolong aircraft, an improved version of China's new generation fighter jet co-developed with Pakistan, to the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai.

The Pakistan Air Force is increasing production docks for the FC-1 (named the JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan) from four to six, and is aiming to have about 25 aircraft assembled by the end of the year.

"It's on a very fast track, and there is no other fighter aircraft anywhere in the world," which has been produced so quickly, he said.

China and Pakistan have traditionally had close military relations, and Suleman said bringing FC-1 Xiaolong aircraft to Zhuhai is to display "solidarity with China" and "to show to the world that we have a tremendous amount of respect and love for our Chinese friends".

Commenting on cooperation in military research and development, he said China and Pakistan "will continue working together".

"There is no shortage of trust and no shortage of will. There will be more projects developed successfully."Peng Guangqian, a Beijing-based military strategist, noted Beijing's weapons deal with Islamabad had almost no effect on the balance of military power between Pakistan & India.

1. Begin the slow progress of mastering the technology so that it can be inculcated into existing Aircraft.
2. Jointly design and build Aircraft with China with approach 5th generation and beyond.
3. Purchase US aircraft with a bit older technology, and then upgrade those aircraft at lesser cost.
4. Work with Indonesia, and Turkey in developing local military technologies to counter the threats.
5. Use less expensive ways to deal with the incoming threat.
6. Bank on Missiles to counter the threat.
7. Bring incremental improvement to the JF-17 Thunder in Blcoks of fifty. This will keep the JF-17 thunder infused the latest technology for the next fifty years.
8. Start production of the FC-20s based on the J-10B and work with the Chinese on the production of the J-11s.
9. Enhance the UAV technology to the next level and design and produce Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs),
10. One expensive option is to build X-47 Pegasus class, to counter India’s military aviation threat to Pakistan.
11. Work with the Chinese to jontly build the WS-13 engine so that it can be used on the UCAV’s.
12. Continue development of the Babur Cruise missile and use to to build UCAV’s.
13. This mixture of response will not only be a potent defense against the IAF, but it will be eliminate the attempt of the IAF to intimidate Pakistan.

1. The six nation $480 million European effort has a produced a flying prototype.
2. The joint German-Spanish, Swiss, Barrakuda conducted its first taxi tests on the 26 January 2006.
3. The British Corax UACV. The UK perceives the Joint Strike Fighter as the last manned platform for its Air Force, which will eventually replaced by an UCAV. The Corax, which undertook its maiden flight already in 2004.
4. China is making UCAV by adopting the old F-7 designs. China is using the J-6 and J-7 into target drones. Pakistan which already has the old F-7s can to this cheaply.

• Greater maneuverability – in modern day fighter aircraft human tolerance is the limiting factor for the number of g forces the plane can pool during rapid manoeuvres, with UACV this bottleneck is eliminated so they can be very manoeuvrable indeed.
• Less weight – this can affect many things like endurance time, acceleration, payload and so on. One or two pilots and all the stuff you put in the cockpit can weight quite a bit.
• Better aerodynamics – you don’t need the cockpit canopy.
  Situational awareness – as Clerik said you can create very good virtual cockpit on ground that is superior to anything you can fit in an aircraft. SA is most important for air superiority missions, I think, and as air-to-air battles are pushed to BWR there is no benefit of having your Mark I eyeball on the actual aircraft.
  No crew fatigue – on the ground pilots can control their UACVs in greater comfort and rotate during mission.
• Lower price – often the flying unit can be made cheaper. All that fancy plane-human interface gear, life support, ejection seats and whatnot costs big $, but in case of UACV you only need the plane-human interface part and with that it is one for many planes and can bee cheaper as it doesn’t have to endure all the stresses and such. You need gear for communicating with UACVs instead, but some means of communication are already in place, so no big change there.
• Pilots are out of harms way – UACVs will save pilots lives. Pilot is very expensive to train and hard to replace quickly.
• Long Range Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Combat
• Short Range within Visual Range Combat:
• Low Costs:
• Quantity versus Quality:
• Kamikaze possibilities

• Tackling the Problem of Jamming:
• Human Element
• Lag – radio communications can travel only so quickly but reaction time is critical for air engagements.
  Single point of failure – if the enemy takes out the command centre, all the UCAV’ are neutralized too.

Official Indian sources say India is capable of building an ICBM with a range of 5,500 km, but some dream a rocket that could reach 15,000 km. The development worries China, but New Delhi downplays the issue saying that it is only pursuing its own security. Meanwhile scientific work continues.
New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – India can extend the range of its nuclear range beyond Asia. The announcement was made by the Indian government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which said that it had the technology to build inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that could extend nuclear-armed India's reach even beyond Asia. For some India harbours a secret ambition to develop an ICBM that could reach the United States.
“We have achieved the capability to make missiles with a range of 5,500km but the decision to develop an ICBM has to be taken by the political leadership,” DRDO Chief M. Natarajan said.
Last Thursday, the DRDO test-fired the intermediate-range Agni-III missile which has a range of 3,500 km (2,200 miles) and can carry a 1.5-tonne nuclear or conventional payload. This is within striking distance of Beijing and Shanghai.
India’s other long-time rival Pakistan was already vulnerable to India’s Agni-I (700-800 km range) e Agni-II (more than 2,000 km range).
Agni-III project Chief Avinash Chander said that a second test of the intermediate-range missile would take place in August or October.
Referring to Pakistan and China, former DRDO Chief K. Santhanam said that “India does not plan to be a global superpower but in the regional perspective a 3,500-plus-kilometre range IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile) is enough to deter adventurism from across our two borders.”
Commenting on the development, official sources said that the test was carried out with the tacit approval of the United States which looks favourably to India’s power as a counterbalance to China.
In Beijing authorities reacted by saying that they hope that a country as important as India would work to maintain and promote peace and stability in the region.
In order to allay any concern, New Delhi said that the new missile was not intended to threaten any country but only to increase its national security.
China and North Korea helped Pakistan develop the Shaheen 2 missile which has a range of more than 2,000 km. The rocket was tested in March 2004 and puts the whole of India within a striking distance.
India started working secretly on nuclear weapons after China conducted its first atomic test in 1964—two years after Beijing fought a brief but bloody border war with its neighbour.
New Delhi detonated its first atom bomb in 1974 and in 1998 declared itself a full-fledged member of the nuclear weapons state club.
For some experts the DRDO's dream—denied in public—remains an ICBM with a 15,000 km range, named ‘Surya’ or Sun, that could strike US cities. (PB)

While India keeps cancelling and re-issuing RFPs endlessly, Pakistan is forging ahead on a war footing. They are ahead of India in the following:-

1. Howitzers

India has been dilly-dallying over artillery guns for close to 30 years since the Bofors scam. Pakistan has inducted U.S. made M-109 howitzers.

Indian Express: United Nations data reveal that delivery of the M-109 A5 self-propelled artillery guns took place last year. The guns were transferred under the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme that was granted to Pakistan for the fight against militant groups on its border with Afghanistan. Experts say these M-109 A5 155 mm howitzers give Pakistan a definite conventional edge over the Indian Army that is years away from induction of similar systems. Full news


2. UAVs
The game changers in the ****** war are the future of any credible Air Force. But PSU infighting delayed India's plan for 4 years. Recent articles on 8ak noted that Pakistan has started drone production with Selex Galileo.

3. Fighter Jets
While our military aircraft crash at a rate of 1.5 a month means a constant grounding of fleets (the Sea Harrier fleet is grounded after last weeks crash), Pakistan is upgrading their F-16s to the latest Block C/D with a little help from Turkey. Russia has also given the go ahead to China to give Pakistan the engines for the JF series fighter aircraft.


4. Motivation
The Pakistani people are united, not by their nationality, but by their religion and their constantly-re-inforced-by-the-mullahs/government view on Kashmir. Add to this the combat experience they are gaining in the ****** war and one can see that they would be a formidable force.

5. Funds
While India's budget is larger thanks to a better economy, Pakistan gets billions in equipment and training from the U.S., China and Islamic sympathisers like Saudi Arabia.

The list could go on to include helicopters, missiles, nuclear weapons. But at least India has the Arihant submarine. Well not exactly. Strategy Page article says that the Arihant was launched without a working reactor to scam the public in to believing that the government has something to show after sinking billions in to those projects.