Indian1973indianexpress…looks like they are still going ahead with plans to station Su30 and Jags in Car Nicobar.
Hope bleak, hunt on for IAF men
SHIV AROOR
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Posted online: Monday, February 28, 2005 at 0107 hours IST
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27: Three more Air Force officers have been declared dead at Car Nicobar station in the December 26 tsunami even as nine parallel courts of inquest are still probing the whereabouts of 23 IAF personnel and their kin — two officers, two airmen, two officers’ wives, four airmen’s wives and 12 next of kin.
Of the 106 IAF personnel and kin on the island, nine were killed while 74 were rescued.
Air Officer (Personnel) Air Marshal A.K. Nagalia has given surviving officers and airmen the chance to choose any posting they desire after they’re finished with 30 days of special leave.
The March reopening of the station is set to be a sombre affair, only partially offset by the 10 Sukhoi-30 and Jaguar fighters that will tear out of the base to mark the station’s symbolic revival. The Indian Express had on New Year’s Day reported the first confirmed IAF death, of Sqn Ldr Celson Rodrigues.
The court of inquest, following the IAF’s casualty procedure, continues to scan in vain for bodies or survivors, the chances of the latter being ‘‘extremely bleak’’, according to an IAF officer. The Board of Adjustment (chaired currently by Air Marshal H.S. Garkal) at Air HQ generally gives the court of inquest six months before kickstarting presumption of death procedures.
With no survivors turning up from the destroyed base since December 26, there is no likelihood that the Board will postpone the date when it will presume the missing as dead — as per procedures, that should be around June this year. IAF vice chief Air Marshal S.K. Malik visited the island on Friday, to oversee reconstruction work being carried out under the supervision of AHQ’s Air Cmde G.R. Prasad.
Indian1973interesting to have visual confirm of the Griffin kit.
Indian1973Deccan Herald:
India, France begin joint naval exercises
KOCHI: UNI
As part of the ongoing series of bilateral measures, India and France on Sunday began joint naval exercises with focus on mine counter measures.
The joint exercises, ”Varuna – 2005/1,” off the Kochi coast, will continue till March seven. The French task groups commanded by Captain Y M Marechal, comprises two mine search ships FNS Orion and FNS Aigle, along with one Mine Warfare command ship FNS Loire.
Three Mine Counter Measure (MCM) ships — INS Kozhikode, INS Cannanore and INS Cuddalore — are representing the Indian Navy contingent led by Captain R A Jaiswal, said a release here.
The exercise will also include deployment of underwater combined explosive ordnance disposal teams comprising divers from both sides.
”Recent developments in the Persian Gulf demonstrated the relative ease with which mine warfare can be waged at sea and the consequent threat it poses to merchant shipping. Varuna 2005/1 is the first mine warfare exercise being conducted by both countries with extensive mine counter measures and diving exercises,” it said.
The harbour phase of the exercise will include training and professional discussion between French and the Indian Navy. French personnel will also visit the Indian Navy’s training establishments here, apart from ships and participating in sports and social events. The Varuna exercises would provide a valuable opportunity for the Indian and French Navy to interact professionally in various spheres of maritime warfare. The last such exercise was held off Goa in April 2004, focussing on Anti-Air Warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare.
Indian1973is it the tube or the missile ? I can see fins at the back but that welded appendage in the front
Indian1973Europe surrenders and sends a phone call for USN to come and sign the formal docs.
250 USN ships sail in grid formation towards france for the expected victory parade.
intimidation and show-of-force is the goal.
2 Oscar subs lying ‘secretly’ within british and french harbours slip off their mooring and
sailing just outside the harbour unleash a salvo of their max loadout towards the
proposed victory parade 😀
then out of the french and british countryside, a mass of Tornadoes, Mirages erupt
from the woodwork to finish off the remants of the Great Fleet.
meantime, off the US atlantic and pacific coasts a mixed force of Akulas and Trafalgars unleash conventional LACM barrage towards the main US submarine hangouts like mystic and kings bay.
A combined europe force of SSK+SSN prowling the shallows of newport news sink two
US CVBGs that attempt to sortie out following news of the massacre and betrayal off the french coast.
Wild-eyed mobs run all over US cities pillaging and burning anything with european connotations, the french and british embassies in NYC are burned to the ground by a mob estimated by police to number 1 million 😀 diplomatic staff escape through the sewers and head for the hills – fast.
…..
china, japan and other nations close their ports and wait to see who’s the winner. in the persian gulf , scores of fully loaded tankers wallow uncertainly.
spot price for a barrel of oil reaches $100.
…..
with world commerce at a standstill, sanity finally reigns and the two warring parties finally conclude a peace treaty in reykjavik.
Indian1973well of now IN has 5 klub-ized subs and the sixth is undergoing general refit including klub in russia. the three talwar frigates have it. I dunno how feasible it is to mount Klub on
smaller ships, deck penetration makes the vls array unfeasible so a tube launched version would be needed to replace the Urans.
for now IN is happy with the large inventory of Urans which have many yrs of life left
and not in any urgency to get a tube version of klub.
Indian1973you are right. how hungry are they to be a independent pole rather than just a US ally?
hunger is everything….eye of the tiger 😉
Indian1973for land based use they are developing something on EMB-145. land based is really no solution to the 24×7 cover a carrier needs 1000km away.
egypt and isreal are coastal defence navies.
Indian1973looks like a badly PSed job to me. the tail section of the landing C17 would be
around 30 feet below the carrier deck.
Indian1973quite a scary looking set of concepts….I wouldnt want to volunteer being a test pilot
though 😀
Indian1973Indian, Singapore navies begin exercise:
[India News]: New Delhi, Feb 24 : The navies of India and Singapore Thursday began their first exercise in the South China Sea to jointly train for anti-submarine warfare.
This is the first time that SIMBEX, an annual exercise conducted by the two sides, is being held in the South China Sea. Previous exercises have been carried out in the Indian waters.
The Indian Navy is participating with several powerful warships, including the indigenously built frigate INS Gomati, destroyer INS Ranvijay and corvette INS Kora, for SIMBEX 2005.
“The annual bilateral exercise is a valuable opportunity for the Indian and Singapore navies to interact professionally. The exercise has grown in scope and complexity over the years and has helped foster closer relations, mutual understanding and goodwill,” said Indian navy spokesman Commander Vinay Garg.
Other warships from the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, including the destroyer INS Rajput, fleet tanker INS Jyoti and corvette INS Karmuk, feature in the exercise, which will continue till March 5.
The Flag Officer Commanding of the Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral S.K. Damle, will be the senior Indian officer attending the opening and closing ceremonies for SIMBEX 2005.
The navies of the two countries have forged strong links in recent years, including the regular exchange of senior officials for training and other programmes.
The Royal Singapore Navy will be represented in the exercise by the missile corvettes RSS Valiant and RSS Vengeance, patrol vessel RSS Dauntless, missile gunboat RSS Sea Dragon and the submarine RSS Chieftain. Singapore’s military aircraft will also take part in the exercise.
The harbour phase of the exercise includes training and professional discussions. Indian Navy personnel will visit shore establishments such as the combat simulation centre and automated Changi naval warehouse.
Apart from this, ships’ crews will take part in various sports and social activities.
Indo-Asian News Service
Indian1973problem is they arent flexible. they cannot slow down loiter around if the enemy decoys
them with a incoming wave that pulls back….and then a second wave appears soon as this uber interceptor is outa fuel and heading home.
such specialized concepts are too easily defeated.
Indian1973a WW2 comparison would be very interesting. if a pearl harbour type 6 carrier BG went
after the british fleet on high seas, not much would be left standing. They did sink the
Repluse and Prince of Wales somewhere near singapore with a 88 plane attack.
the British had better subs though and understood that line of work better. IJNs lack of
ASW knowledge and interest allowed the US subs to decimate their merchant convoys
later in the war.
Indian1973The Economist mag:
Feb 23rd 2005
From The Economist Global Agenda
America is angry that the European Union plans to lift an embargo on sales of weaponry to China, which in turn is angry that Japan and America have identified Taiwan as a joint security concern
DESPITE all the fence-mending that has taken place during George Bush’s tour of Europe, some transatlantic disagreements could not be prevented from spilling into the open. The most awkwardly visible of these is the European Union’s planned lifting of its embargo on arms sales to China, which the United States opposes. On Tuesday February 22nd, Mr Bush said that: “There is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan.” If the EU went ahead with the lifting of the ban, he added, it would have to “sell it” to America’s Congress, which, he suggested, might retaliate with restrictions on technology transfers to Europe.
The EU will lift its Chinese arms embargo, introduced after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, later this year. This, the Union hopes, will open the door not only to profitable weapons sales but to closer trade relations in general with an emerging economic superpower. In an effort to assuage American concerns, the Europeans say they will limit the transfer of advanced technology by strengthening their “code of conduct” for arms sales; and that they will inform the Americans of any arms sales that would have been prohibited under the embargo. This week, France’s President Jacques Chirac said the embargo would be lifted under conditions that Europe and the United States “define together”.
That looks like wishful thinking. American opposition to lifting the ban runs deep. The Bush administration fears that it might enable the Chinese to develop the kind of sophisticated military systems used in Iraq by America and its closest allies. It also worries that these could be passed from China to rogue states or groups. Earlier this month, Congress voted overwhelmingly to condemn the EU’s planned lifting of the embargo. Some American politicians point out that the Chinese human-rights abuses that led to the embargo, such as the detention of dissidents, remain a serious worry. Others focus on regional security. Writing in the Wall Street Journal this week, Henry Hyde, chairman of the House of Representatives’ international-relations committee, said: “EU security policy toward China is on a collision course with America’s extensive security interests in Asia.”
At the centre of those interests lies Taiwan. Since the mid-1990s, China has been engaged in a rapid military build-up on the coast facing the island, which Beijing views as a rebellious province. This has increased tensions with America, which is legally committed (under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979) to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Although the Americans have recently appeared to play down this obligation, military confrontation with nuclear-armed China over Taiwan is all too possible. Some worry that all it would take is a miscalculation or misunderstanding.
In 1995 and 1996 China staged large-scale military manoeuvres in the Taiwan Strait, including firing unarmed missiles close to Taiwan’s two main ports. China has fired no more missiles since, but has positioned large numbers of truck-mounted short-range ballistic missiles along the coast. It has also increased deployments of longer-range missiles that could target American bases in Japan or on the Pacific island of Guam, about 1,500 miles from Taiwan. And it is working to develop land-attack cruise missiles, which could be fired across the 100-mile strait and penetrate even the most sophisticated anti-missile defences that Taiwan is acquiring from America.
Under Bill Clinton, America stepped up contacts with the Taiwanese armed forces. In 2001, after Mr Bush became president, the Republican administration further strengthened these ties. Mr Bush also offered to sell Taiwan a huge package of advanced weaponry and help it buy submarines. Reports suggest that there are now more American military programmes in progress with Taiwan than with any other American ally.
Though Taiwan has run its own affairs for more than half a century, China continually threatens to retake it by force if it ever formally declares independence. Taiwan has enjoyed de facto independence since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces retreated to the island after being defeated on the mainland by Mao Zedong’s Communists. Nowadays, most western countries do not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent country, though in practice they deal with it as if it were.
A more assertive neighbour
Unlike America, Japan has stepped gingerly around the issue of Taiwan in recent years, which is why Beijing reacted so angrily to the new joint security arrangement between Japan and America that was announced on February 19th. The two called on China to be more open about its military affairs and, for the first time, Japan said it viewed Taiwan as a shared security concern with the United States—in the past they have preferred to waffle on about dealing with problems “in areas surrounding Japan”. China barked back that the statement violated its sovereignty. The kerfuffle has strained Beijing’s ties with Tokyo and Washington at a time when the three are supposed to be working together (along with South Korea and Russia) to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Japan’s increased assertiveness is all the more unsettling for China because of Japan’s plans to reform its pacifist constitution and modernise the role of the Self-Defence Force (its de facto military). A relaxation of the constitution would make it easier in principle for Japan to participate in overseas military actions (it has already sent non-combat troops to Iraq). This could remove an obstacle to Japanese forces helping America protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attempt to invade the island.
China’s relations with Japan and America could deteriorate further in March when, at its next annual plenary meeting, China’s National People’s Congress (the legislature) may enact an anti-secession law. This would give China, at least from its own perspective, a stronger legal basis for invading Taiwan. However, the Chinese might balk at implementing such provocative legislation, as they may not wish to jeopardise recent progress in deepening economic integration with Taiwan—such as the historic agreement on direct cross-Strait flights. Reclaiming Taiwan by a process of slow economic assimilation is just as much a part of China’s long-term strategy as is military aggression.
Indian1973Al-jazeera
Pakistan warns U.S. against arms sale to India
2/23/2005 2:30:00 PM GMT
Masood Khan said that any plans to go ahead with the arms deal would be “counter-productive”.
Pakistan warned the United States against selling the Patriot anti-missile system to India, saying that the move would lead to an “arms crisis” and damage the ongoing peace process between the South Asian nuclear rivals.
Indian media reported that officials from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency made a technical presentation of the Patriot anti-missile system to Indian defense and foreign ministry officials earlier this week.
The Patriot system is used for defense against ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said on Wednesday that any plans to go ahead with the arms deal would be “counter-productive”.
“This would erode deterrance…this would send (the) entire region into a crisis mode,” he said.
“You will have an arms race, an unintended arms race here which nobody wants and finally it would induce higher risk-taking,” he said. “This we think is not in sync with goals of peace and security that we have in this region.”
Khan also questioned New Delhi’s intentions for buying Patriots, saying: “India has been pursuing rapprochement with China and a composite dialogue with Pakistan.
“So where is the threat and what is the threat perception down the road?”
Pakistan and India, who almost went to a fourth war in 2002, have continued to develop military capability despite a peace process launched last year.
Both nations possess long-range missiles capable of reaching deep into each other’s territory.
Earlier this month, Pakistan discussed its military needs with U.S. officials.
The Pentagon informed the U.S. Congress in November of three proposed arms sales to Pakistan worth $1.2 billion, including eight P-3C Orion surveillance drones that Islamabad said would be used in the hunt for rebels on its border with Afghanistan.
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