Scooter, can you please stop derailing this thread with your repeated posts that harp on the same thing? We get what your opinion is, so just leave it at that.

This is an independent analysis by a third party.

As for proof from Pakistan, surely the burden of proof is on India to back up their story, not Pakistan.

How? By sending international journalists from India to Balakot? Is it on the Indian side of the border?

The very fact that locals were being turned away from a distance, and no journalists were allowed anywhere near the actual area that was claimed by India as being struck made it obvious what had happened.

After all, Pakistan claimed only some trees nearby were felled, so why not take journos on a tour of the madrassa and show that no damage had been done whatsoever? Pakistan did its best to try to pooh-pooh India’s claims, this would have been the easiest way to prove their claim. But till today, nothing.

Actually you do. Otherwise it is just notional capability. India wants to be a party to all the negotiations on space deweaponization and to get invited to that table, sometimes you have to place all your cards on the table.

As pointed out by some other posters elsewhere, this may be what drove the timing of the ASAT test by India. If another discriminatory regime was being planned to be put into place by the so-called “big 3”, then India just arrived un-announced to the party.

link

The so-called Big Three appear to want to “weaponise” space on their own terms and, with huge strides in technology made since the Outer Space Treaty (OST) was signed in 1967, the final frontier is up for grabs.

As the US, China and Russia squabble over the development of sophisticated anti-satellite missiles and lasers, and the launching of weapons into space, the European Union says the very real threat of space debris is being ignored.
Increasingly aggressive rhetoric

…

Beijing on Wednesday denied US claims that China and Russia were raising the risk of conflict in space, and insisted that Washington is to blame for fuelling the space wars.

“While going ahead with its military build-up in outer space, the US is cooking up the so-called threat from China and Russia in outer space, trying to seek pretexts to pursue unilateral military advantage and develop advanced weapons,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a news conference.

While the aim of multilateral discussions such as the ones going on in Geneva is to prevent the militarisation of space, many argue this happened long ago. This is partly because these days it’s unclear what a weapon really looks like.

..

Now that India has proven its ASAT capability with a kinetic test, we can also agree to work on a treaty to ban weaponisation of space. We know it works and can be used in the off chance that India’s satellites are attacked in any conflict.

Mission Shakti: After India’s A-SAT missile test, China hopes nations will uphold ‘peace and tranquility’ in space

Mar 27, 2019

Beijing: China on Wednesday reacted guardedly to India’s anti-satellite missile test and expressed hope that all countries will uphold peace and tranquility in the outer space.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India successfully test-fired an anti-satellite missile by shooting down a live satellite, describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusive club of space super powers. The test makes India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemy satellites.

Mission Shakti: After India’s A-SAT missile test, China hopes nations will uphold ‘peace and tranquility’ in space

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a written response to a question from PTI on India successfully test-firing an anti-satellite missile, said, “We have noticed reports and hope that each country will uphold peace and tranquillity in outer space.”

China conducted such a test in January 2007 when its anti-satellite missile destroyed a defunct weather satellite.

Prime Minister Modi said in New Delhi that the action was not directed against any country and the satellite was a pre-determined target orbiting at an altitude of 300 km. He said India did not breach any international laws or treaties by testing the the anti-satellite missile.

Mission Shakti, which was led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, was aimed at strengthening India’s overall security, Modi said in his address that comes a fortnight before the start of the general election.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that India has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space. “We have always maintained that space must be used only for peaceful purposes. We are against the weaponisation of Outer Space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets,” the MEA said.

The new missile used for this ASAT test by India.

Twitter link

March 27 was a red letter day for #India as it created history by test firing a high speed Gen-next #ASAT missile from a defence base off #Odisha coast. The #missile shot down a live satellite in ‘Hit-to-Kill’ mode making the country a space superpower.

PM Khan is always appearing on their national TV making such non-sensical claims. It is just that PM Modi does not seem to be in the same habit, and I was a little surprised when I heard him mentioning this achievement in a rare televised address. I mean only 12 years ago it was considered a non-significant event by our Indian friends, so what was so different with this Indian test that the Indian PM considered it worth mentioning in a rare televised address. Any ideas?

As for the quality of Pakistani fora, I would not know, but I cannot remember the last time i saw any of them being cited on keypubs. In any case I would not worry about their quality, because as per RSS, Pakistan would be integrated into India by 2025 (do I have the right date?) so I expect those fora to be populated by experts from all over south asia which should enhance their quality; if not I’m sure we could set up some rakhshak committee to monitor their quality closely. What is most thrilling to me is the thought of both JF-17 and LCA launched together in defence of Indian airspace, though it may remain a wet dream because I’m sure China would not supply spare parts for JF-17 and the entire fleet would most likely have to be grounded. No big loss though.

Nonsensical claims? Lol. I see. Is that what Pakistani posters are now saying about DG ISPR Gafoor’s claims as well then? he is the military’s spokesman isn’t he? And he was as specific as he could be when he was referring to that pilot as well “Inshallah we shall take good care of him”. Looks like they really did take good care of him. 😀

Doesn’t suit your narrative, hence nonsensical claim. Everything else is true though, right? Oh wait, that same DG ISPR Gafoor now does another volte face and ays that F-16s did participate actually and that it is for the US and Pakistan to sort that out..although last time around, he categorically denied they were a part of the strike.. God knows what he’ll do a flip flop on next.

As for RSS, they may be a right wing organization, but then at least they are not a terrorist organization recognized as such by other nations, training and pushing terrorists into multiple neighbouring nations in the name of jihad. In that respect, no one can match Pakistan, that’s for sure. I don’t know if there is anything non right-wing in Pakistan at all. Ghazwa-e-Hind rubbish. Flying the flag of Pakistan on the Red Fort in New Delhi and what not fantasies.

PM Modi did it because he believed it was important enough for him to talk about it. It was an achievement as far as the scientific community and the political establishment is concerned. he doesn’t owe any explanation to anyone as to what he feels like talking about on national TV.

Anyway, now that I see your posts’ quality deteriorating to the same level of Mags76 or whatever new assumed name Yasser takes on, I will not bother to engage much with you either. I thought you were sensible. I was obviously wrong. I prefer to ignore trolls as much as I can rather than stoop to their level.

And so important that the Indian PM decided to announce it in a nationally televised address (only two weeks before elections). I remember how a similar achievement by China (around 12 years ago) was ridiculed by great armchair generals on BRF. But people do tend to have short memory spans.

Why does that bother you? Doesn’t your PM appear on your national TV on all sorts of occasions? Even trumpeting “2 Indian pilots in custody” which now no one in Pakistan seems to remember?

As for BRF, lets not go there. the level of discussion on some Pakistani defence forums has to be seen to be believed.

4 CH-47F(I) Chinooks officially inducted into the IAF’s No.126 Helicopter Flight ‘Featherweights’ that also operates Mi-26 helos.

Image credit to the respective owners

CH-47F (I) Chinook Induction – Chinook ‘heavy-lift’ helicopters formally inducted into IAF at AFS Chandigarh, today. The CAS, ACM BS Dhanoa, was the Chief Guest of the Induction Ceremony & the event was attended by various dignitaries.

IAF MCC Twitter link