India surprised by Chinese fuss over Agni-V

NEW DELHI: The Indian defence establishment has been left baffled by a brouhaha being generated in China over the yet-to-be-tested Agni-V
ballistic missile. “It seems quite contrived,” said a top official.

For one, Agni-V’s first test is likely to take place only in end-2010 or early-2011. From there, it will take at least three years before the missile can be dubbed fully-operational since it will require four-five more tests, series production and user-trials by armed forces.

For another, the 5,000-km strike range of Agni-V pales in comparison to already-operational Chinese missiles like Dong Feng-31A, which can hit targets 11,200 km away, or even the JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile with a reach beyond 7,200 km.

“China’s missile and nuclear arsenal is leagues ahead of India, capable as it is of hitting any city in India. We can never compete. Our entire focus is on building only credible minimum deterrence against China, not active offensive capabilities,” said the official.

Agni-V, much like the 3,500-km Agni-III, which has been successfully tested a couple of times, has been designed in keeping with this strategy. The already-inducted Prithvi (150-350-km), Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (2,000-km) are more Pakistan-specific in nature.

As earlier reported by TOI, the solid-fuelled Agni-V, for which the government has sanctioned around Rs 2,500 crore, will be a canister-launch missile system to ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be fired from any part of the country.

The ongoing work on Agni-V basically revolves around incorporating a third composite stage in the two-stage 16.7-metre tall Agni-III, along with some advanced technologies like ring laser gyroscope and accelerator for navigation and guidance.

Though slightly short of true ICBMs, which have ranges in excess of 5,500 km, Agni-Vs will come in special storage-cum-launch canisters, making it much easier to store them for long periods without maintenance as well as to handle and transport.

So, conceivably, Agni-V will be capable of being swiftly moved closer to the border with China to substantially enhance its strike range into the country. What has exercised China is the fact this will bring even its northern-most city, Habin, within the missile’s strike envelope.

Moreover, DRDO is also developing MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) warheads for the Agni missiles. An MIRV payload basically is a bunch of several nuclear warheads carried on a single missile, which can be programmed to hit different targets separated from each other. Given this, even ballistic missile defence systems can be overwhelmed by MIRVs.

This fits in with India’s nuclear doctrine, which holds that even though there will be no first-use, “nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage”.

Nair set to retire; bemoans poor quality higher education

ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair, who is to retire by this month-end after an illustrious career at the space agency, bemoans that the country’s higher education system is not up to the mark, churning out graduates only for routine jobs.

Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space, called for improving quality to produce high-class technologists and scientists.

“The level of education and knowledge being imparted by many colleges…They are not up to the mark. Instead of concentrating on quantity, these institutions should concentrate on quality,” he told PTI in an interview.

“I am not happy with the education system in the country. The bulk of applicants (who applied for scientific and engineering jobs at ISRO this year)…They are not able to get even 50 per cent marks in our entrance tests.”

Nair said if the quality level is not up to the mark, then one would only get people for clerical or routine jobs. If real technologists for manufacturing and scientific research were to be produced, the quality had to be far better.

Appointed as chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation in 2003, Nair’s tenure saw realisation of 27 space missions, of which 25 were successful, with India’s maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-1 being the pinnacle of glory for the country’s space agency.

Nair got two extensions in 2005 and 2007.

Penguin AShM On Offer For Indian Navy’s Multimission Helicopter Competition

Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is offering its Penguin littoral anti-ship missile for the Indian Navy’s bid to purchase 16 multimission maritime helicopters. Among other helicopters, the missile is certified on the Eurocopter-Agusta-Fokker NH90 and the Lockheed-Sikorsky MH-60R that are contenders in the Navy’s multi-role helicopter (MRH) competition.

India, Russia to continue negotiations on aircraft carrier

New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) India and Russia have failed to reach agreement on the revised cost of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov that the Indian Navy has purchased and negotiations on this are to continue, it was announced Thursday.

The issue was expected to have been resolved during Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s two-day visit to Moscow that concluded Thursday. However, no breakthrough could be achieved in spite of Antony’s meeting with his Russian counterpart, Anatoliy Serdyukov.

“On the sale of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, both sides agreed that the cost negotiations would continue to find a mutually acceptable solution,” a defence ministry statement said.

The deal for Gorshkov was signed in 2004 for $1.5 billion. Of this, approximately $948 million was meant for the ship’s refit and the balance for the 16 MiG-29 fighters and Kamov anti-submarine warfare helicopters it will carry.

The project hit the headlines in 2007 as the Russians increased the price and the delivery date was pushed back almost four years to 2012.

The two sides have been carrying on price negotiations for more than two years. India is unwilling to pay what it considers an unreasonable escalation that has nearly doubled the cost of the aircraft carrier.

According to senior officials involved in the negotiations with Russia, the newly quoted price fluctuates between $2.2 billion and $2.9 billion.

The carrier will be named INS Vikramaditya when it is commissioned in the Indian Navy.

Navy to patrol Indian Ocean with Indonesia,Maldives

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) In the backdrop of increased piracy related incidents and illegal activities in the Indian Ocean Region, India will join littoral countries, Indonesia and Maldives, to patrol the waters to protect their maritime boundary this month.

The navies of India and Indonesia would carry out their 14th coordinated patrolling of Malacca straits region, once a piracy hit area in the Indian Ocean, from October 18 to November 5.

The Indian Navy would also deploy a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft in the Maldives as part of the security assistance New Delhi agreed to provide Male to secure its waters from pirates and threat from terror groups.

“To increase the cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy will conduct coordinated patrols of the international maritime boundary with Indonesia.

Says you, which is most active thread on forum?

I know you are taking a swipe at the IAF thread. Well we turned that from a shambolic ranting thread to one of the better managed threads in this forum.