Russia Loses Indian Attack Chopper Deal

Source : RIA Novosti

Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter has lost a tender on the delivery of 22 attack helicopters to the Indian military in strong competition with the American AH-64D Apache, an Indian Defense Ministry source said on Tuesday.

“We decided not to choose the Mi-28 for technical reasons. Our experts believe that the Mi-28N did not meet the requirements of the tender on 20 positions, while the Apache showed better performance,” the source said.

The future contract, worth at least $600 million, envisions an optional delivery of additional 22 helicopters.

Russia is still taking part in two other Indian helicopter tenders: on the delivery of 12 heavy transport helicopters and 197 light general-purpose helicopters.

The first tender includes the Russian Mi-26T2 and the American CH-47F Chinook helicopters, while the second involves the Russian Ka-226T and the AS550 Fennec helicopter, developed by Eurocopter.

Meanwhile, Russia continues the deliveries of Mi-17-B5 transport helicopters to India under a 2008 contract for the supply of 80 helicopters worth $1.4 billion.

The Indian military helicopter market, with its potential demand for 700 helicopters in the next decade, fuels fierce competition among foreign manufacturers.

China could do Kargil on India, warns IDSA

Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis

China could do a Kargil on India “to teach India a lesson”, warned strategic affairs think-tank Insitute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), adding it could be a “limited war”.

The limited hostilties could be confined to a specific section of the border, limited in duration and amenable to a negotiated termination, IDSA said in its report.

Projecting conflict scenarios between the two Asian giants, a report titled A Consideration of Sino Indian Conflict by Ali Ahmed said, “The lower end of the conflict at this level could be a Kargil-like situation. China’s aim could be to teach India a lesson so as to influence India’s rise before its capacity building underway acquires traction.”

The report warned this “could be a limited war confined to a specific section of the border or LAC, limited in duration and amenable to a negotiated termination”.

The Kargil hostilities were triggered by infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) in 1999.

Ahmed warns at a higher level, China could indulge in a “territorial grab” by entering an area such as Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

“At the next rung, it could be a more ambitious bid southwards up to its claim line. Lateral or horizontal expansion of conflict from one theatre to another is the next step, with the conflict engulfing one or more of the four possible theatres — Ladakh, Central Sector, Sikkim and Arunachal,” the report said.

The think-tank said in view of India becoming better prepared in future with its capability-development programmes, it could engage China’s “hegemonic attention.”

“Since India would be better prepared by then, China may instead wish to set India back now by a preventive war. This means current day preparedness is as essential as preparation for the future,” it said.

Sudarshan Laser Guided Bomb

This is the indigenous Sudarshan Laser guided bomb in service with the IAF. bombers Mig 27s & SEPECAT Jaguar.

The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) had successfully designed, developed & carried out the user trials of laser guided bomb kits with the participation of the IAF. Flight tests had demonstrated the accuracy, reliability and performance of these precision air launched bombs. A number of high tech components have also been developed by Indian industries for this advanced weapon package. Indian Air Force is upgrading a large number of unguided bombs to this standard based on the excellent results.