IKB-DEF-APR 22, 15 - Indicia Research & Advisory

Indicia Knowledge Brief
A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security
April 22, 2015.
Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a
capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events
to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for
better understanding and decision-making.
Indicia Analysis of the Day
After India sat on the arms request from Afghanistan for long until
Afghanistan had to turn it down, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
scheduled to hand over three indigenously-built Cheetal multi-role
helicopters during the visit of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to India
at the end of this month. The move is likely to lift Afghan spirits in so far
as Indian assistance is concerned.
Collapse of MMRCA tender and Defence minister Manohar Parrikar
clarifying that only Light aircraft will replace Mig-21 in Indian air force
has reactivated Gripen Lobby in India.
The first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor involves
construction of an international airport at the Pamir plateu of Xinjiang.
The airport will be built 3,200 ft above sea level and will be the first of its
kind on a high plateau in the city of Tashkurgan, giving it strategic
location.
I. National Defence and Security:
Capacity building must continue unabated: Parrikar:
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on April 20 said capacity building must
continue unabated, as he met top commanders in the national capital. The
minister presided over two separate meetings of the army commandos and the
Air Force commandos. Addressing a meet of commanders of the Air Force,
Parrikar asked them to focus on safety and conservation of available resources.
While addressing the bi-annual meet of Army commanders, the minister
congratulated the Indian Army, stating that it was one of the most professional
institutions of the country, an official statement said. He also complemented the
way the Indian Army dealt with very difficult challenges including the proxy war,
and highlighted the selfless response by the army in dealing with Jammu and
Kashmir floods. According to officials, Parrikar said, one of the topmost priorities
of the government was the welfare of ex-servicemen in which the 'One Rank One
Pension' scheme implementation process is underway. Army Chief General
Dalbir Singh, meanwhile, stressed on various major operational, logistics,
training and manpower issues. During the meet of Air Force commanders, Air
Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha updated the minister on operational
status of the force, induction of C-17 Globemasters and operationalisation of C130 Hercules aircraft. He also highlighted the efforts put in to increase the
aircraft serviceability and the corresponding increase in flying task of the Air
Force as compared to the previous year. Parrikar also congratulated the Air
Force for their contribution in various relief and rescue operations, especially
during Jammu and Kashmir floods and rescue of Indians from Yemen. The
minister emphasised on aviation safety and conserve available resources.
Source: https://in.news.yahoo.com/capacity-building-must-continue-unabated-parrikar-180004113.html
*
India to hand over three Cheetal copters to Kabul:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hand over three indigenouslybuilt Cheetal multi-role helicopters during the visit of Afghanistan President
Ashraf Ghani to India at the end of this month, diplomatic sources confirmed.
This comes amid increasing perception that India’s strategic space in
Afghanistan is under threat after formation of the new Unity government there
and its major policy shift towards Pakistan and China. Cheetals are the upgraded
variants of Cheetah light utility, multi-role helicopters built by Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited. They can be used for personnel transport, casualty
evacuation, reconnaissance and aerial survey, logistic support and rescue and
can operate in high-altitude areas, a critical requirement for Afghanistan's
mountainous regions. They have been customised as per the requirements of
Afghanistan and will not be armed, the sources said.
Repeated requests
Afghanistan has in the past repeatedly requested India for military assistance
and lethal hardware, including tanks, helicopters and artillery guns among
others in addition to training of military personnel. But India had been reluctant
to antagonise Pakistan which views India’s role in Afghanistan with suspicion.
Strategic patnership
Officials said that the choppers are being supplied under the strategic
partnership agreement between the two counties signed in 2011. They were
promised to Afghanistan in 2014 when Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
visited India and met with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and National
Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon but the delivery got delayed for several
reasons.
Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-hand-over-three-cheetal-copters-tokabul/article7123446.ece
*
China-Pak agreement a cause for worry for India: Defence
expert:
Defence expert Lieutenant General (retired) Raj Kadyan has said that the
agreement between China and Pakistan is a cause for worry as far as India is
concerned, adding that the project will be of commercial as well as strategic
importance for Beijing. "It is a cause for worry China and India are two big
countries and China will try all it can to ensure that it has a foothold in all the
neighbouring nations, which is why it had extended help to Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. India is also trying its best to ensure that the
threat of China can be contained," Lt. Gen. (retired) Kadyan told a news agency.
"China`s aid to Pakistan will be of strategic as well as commercial importance.
The commercial reason is that China has started construction on the Karakoram
Highway in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) so that its oil can travel from the
Gwadar Port via land, rather than the more vulnerable sea route that skirts
around India," he added. On April 20, China President Xi Jinping signed
agreements with Pakistan promising investment of USD 46 billion, with the focus
of spending to be along the super highway.
Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/china-pak-agreement-a-cause-for-worry-for-india-defenceexpert_1582142.html
*
Letters: India's future Air Force:
Ajai Shukla's column "'Make in India' on the guillotine," (Broadsword, April 14)
raises several compelling questions, especially about the arbitrary scrapping of
defence procurement tenders. However, to brand the Rafale deal a triumph for
France, simply because of the prime minister's doggedness for a successful
summit outcome might not be accurate. India's future Air Force with 45
squadrons will possibly have 20 squadrons of heavy fighters - a mix of 272 SU30s and 144 fifth generation fighter aircraft - that will progressively replace the
MIG-29s, strengthening our air dominance and strategic bombing abilities.
Another 25 squadrons will be equipped with light/medium fighters. Nine
squadrons of upgraded Mirage-2000/Jaguar fighters will eventually be replaced
by the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). The light combat aircraft
(LCA)-Tejas could eventually equip 10 squadrons. Consequently, there is a gap of
six squadrons; not accounting for the MIG-21s and MIG-27s, which will be retired
in the interim. The six medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) squadrons
were intended to fill this gap with the latest versions of the Mirage 2000.
However, most single-engine fighters of today - the F-35, Saab Gripen - have
capabilities closer to "medium" fighters. This is possibly why the defence
minister compared the abilities of the Rafale and Tejas, with the latter lacking in
some aspects. Hence, our Air Force will have a combination of both, with
economics deciding the ratio between the two. Moreover, the MMRCA was
expected to play a major role in invigorating India's military industrial complex;
a utopian expectation at best. Expedited development of the LCA Mk-2 and AMCA
could serve this objective better....
Source:
http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/letters-india-s-future-air-force115042001178_1.html
*
Rafale deal: The diplomatic deftness of India’s Modi:
India's Rafale deal is not just purchasing fighter jets. It’s also about facing the
challenge of national security, and balancing defense relationships as well as
bilateral ties. A diplomatic deftness PM Narendra Modi seems to have lived up to.
When India, the world's largest arms importer, makes a defense move it is
watched keenly. The recent deal on 36 Rafale jets is no exception. Speculations
are rife on how this deal works for France, and what's in it for India? After all
why would New Delhi choose the expensive Rafale which does not command a
very impressive list of international customers (other than Egypt), nor does the
purchase without a transfer of technology (ToT) in any way compliment India's
much touted 'Make in India' campaign of which the defense sector is an integral
part.However, for India more than the question is who the winner is.
Multilevel stroke
Against a required 44 squadrons to be able to effectively neutralize any external
threat the Indian Air Force's (IAF) assets have come down to just 34. Most of
these functioning squadrons comprised obsolete MiG-21s & MiG-27s ready to be
scrapped in about two years. Apart from just 55 percent serviceability of new
Sukhoi-30MKIs (200 in service, of 272 ordered for $12 billion), even the putting
into operation the indigenous Teja light combat aircraft is behind schedule, in
addition to the delays in the joint development of the Russian 5th generation
fighter project. Prime Minister Modi has been told by his defense team that the
earlier MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) contract - to acquire 126
fighters at a cost to the country $14.43 billion, and a delivery period likely to be
over seven years - cannot offer the quick transfusion required for India's air
capability. Nor was scrapping the deal and issuing a fresh tender an option as
that would have led to expensive penalties. Instead, reducing the number to 36
jets, expected to be delivered in less than three years, seemed more effective to
plug operational gaps. As India based defense analyst Nitin A Gokhale says, “It's
neither business nor politics. It is pure operational necessity.” Then there was
also the quotient of global relations. India has been trying to diversify the
sources of its arms imports. Although the US and Russia are its largest sources,
India recently has come out into the open about its intent to deepen defense ties
with countries like Israel, a relationship hitherto kept under wraps for fear of
upsetting friends in the Middle East. The reason is, while the US has been a
weapons supplier to rivals like Pakistan for a long time, Russia too has recently
forged defense ties with Islamabad – much to the discomfort of New Delhi. So
deeper French ties seemed fitting as part of India's tryst to spread out its
dependence for arms to multiple sources.....
Source: http://rt.com/op-edge/251325-india-france-rafale-jets-deal/
*
India: the emerging Asian super power:
Singapore’s defence minister Ng Eng Hen stated last month that his country
wanted India to play a bigger role in the South China Sea. The leaders of Vietnam
and the Philippines have also made similar statements in recent years. This
“invitation” extended to India by the leaders of Southeast Asia to participate in
that region’s security affairs is tantamount to India’s emergence as a great power
in Southeast Asia, and by extension, in Asia itself. Southeast Asia connects the
Indian and the Pacific Oceans, and includes some of the most important maritime
chokepoints, is likely to be the site of order-making in Asia in the context of the
rise of China. Thomas Donilon, who was the American National Security Advisor
when the US said its “pivot/rebalancing” has explained that the pivot is not just
about “rebalancing towards Asia” but also includes rebalancing “within Asia” as
America has begun to focus “in a renewed way on Southeast Asia and Asean.”
Furthermore, the Asian-institutional architecture is Asean-centric and Asean-led.
Therefore, India’s emerging profile in Southeast Asia is significant and marks its
arrival as a great power.
Solid grounds
There are two main reasons that explain the benign perception of India’s rise in
Southeast Asia. First, there are no territorial disputes between India and its
immediate neighbours in Southeast Asia. India has a land border with only one
Southeast Asian state, Myanmar, which was fixed by their British colonial rulers
in 1937. India has maritime borders with three Southeast Asian states: Myanmar,
Thailand, and Indonesia. India’s maritime boundaries with Thailand and
Indonesia were fixed through a trilateral agreement in 1978, while India’s
maritime boundary with Myanmar was finalized in 1987. Second, India is not
pursuing any unilateral or hegemonic policies towards Southeast Asia. In 2012,
former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, explicitly noted that New Delhi
believes that “Asean centrality is essential in the evolving regional architecture,”
endorsing Asean’s leading role in regional diplomacy....
Source:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/india-the-emerging-asian-superpower/article7122861.ece
*
India, Russia to discuss investment fund for high-tech items,
defence:
In a move that could step up Russian investments in India, the two countries are
in talks on setting up a joint investment fund for high-tech products, defence
equipment and other areas of mutual interest. “A Russian team, headed by Sun
Group’s Shiv Khemka, a member of the Russian Prime Minister’s Foreign
Investment Advisory Council, will meet senior officials from the Indian
Government to discuss details of the proposed fund on Tuesday,” a Department
of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) official told BusinessLine. The corpus of
the proposed Russia-India investment fund could be around $2 billion, but a final
decision is yet to be taken. It will be a 50:50 joint venture between the two
countries, the official added. Interestingly, India’s investment in Russia, at $7
billion, is more than double Russia’s investments of about $3 billion in India.
However, with the Ukrainian crisis souring the country’s relations with the US
and the EU, the equation could soon change. “Russia is keen to invest more in
India as it is looking for alternate markets to divert its funds from the US and EU
following the turmoil in Ukraine,” the official said. Russia has a similar
investment fund with China launched in 2012, which was started with an initial
corpus of $2 billion, contributed to equally by both partners. The Russia China
Investment Fund, established jointly by the Russian Direct Investment Fund
(RDIF) and China Investment Corp to make equity investments in projects, also
seeks to raise another $2 billion from Chinese investors. RDIF has already inked
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian financial services company
IDFC Ltd to create the framework for joint investments in infrastructure and
related industries. Each party will provide up to $500 million to invest in joint
projects. “What Russia is seeking to do now is to create a much larger investment
fund that has Government backing from both sides. It is highly interested in the
defence sector and other high-tech areas, so it wants the fund to focus on such
investments,” the official said.
Hi-tech thrust
Senior officials from the DIPP, including Secretary Amitabh Kant and officials
from the Ministry of External Affairs, are likely to participate in the meeting on
April 21. Russia is mainly interested in investing in high-tech products, including
those related to the defence sector, while it is also open to setting up supply
chains to support the requirement of production and maintenance of
sophisticated equipment.....
Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/india-russia-to-discuss-investment-fundfor-hightech-items-defence/article7123045.ece
*
Why Gripen E No Magic Bullet for IAF:
Saab’s factory in Linkoping has started final assembly work on the first
prototype of Gripen E and the aircraft is due to be rolled out by 2016, followed
by first flight. Saab plans to add 2 more jets before Certification is completed by
2018 and aircraft enters production in 2018-19 onwards. Collapse of MMRCA
tender and Defence minister Manohar Parrikar clarifying that only Light aircraft
will replace Mig-21 in Indian air force has reactivated Gripen Lobby in India, but
a plan observation of above-mentioned timeline will clear many misconceptions
that G2G deal for Gripen E will resolve all problems of depleting fleet strength of
Indian Air force . Aircraft offered (Gripen E) to India actually will make its first
flight by 2016 and deliveries to Swedish airforce itself will start in 2018-19
onwards. The joint assembly plant of Embraer and Saab in Brazil will start
production of aircrafts from 2018 and deliveries will start from 2019 onwards,
which could wrap up as early 2023. The Brazilian plant will assemble only 10 to
15 of Brazil’s 36 aircrafts at Embraer plant and the rest will be supplied by the
Swedish plant at Linkoping. After observing above-mentioned timeline, India
even with a G2G deal can start production of Gripen E in India only post-2019
period which is very close to timeline of Tejas MK-2 entering production line.
Tejas MK-2 as per ADA will make its first flight by 2018 and will enter
production after clearing FOC Certification by 2021-22. The production line of
HAL will start with 8 aircrafts initially which will be increased to 16 aircrafts
after supply lines are streamed lined. What IAF and MOD are discussing is how
HAL can start production line which can deliver 16 aircrafts in the initial phase
and later ramp up production to 24 aircrafts. India instead of committing to
Gripen orders should actually commit to larger orders for Tejas MK-2, which will
encourage private defence sector companies to participate, in fact IAF already
has held discussions with Private defence sector companies so that MK-2 can
have a parallel production line . Second production line will be developed in
collaboration with HAL which could also provide training to engineers recruited
by Private sector company . for such venture to succeed IAF will have to commit
aircraft which it will buy from Second production line to make whole purpose of
second line viable .
Source: http://idrw.org/why-gripen-e-no-magic-bullet-for-iaf/
*
Will Russia tempt Indian Army with new Armata tank?
According to Russian media reports, Russian Army will start receiving, 20 units
of beta versions of a future main battle tanks which will usher in the 5th
generation MBT for next-generation warfare. While characteristics and
appearance of the platform remain classified, but there is no doubt in minds of
many Russian defence experts that as soon as Production line is streamed line
Russia will offer an export variant to countries which operate Soviet era Main
battle tanks like T-72/T-80/T-90 . Many Russian experts are calling Armata tank
a revolutionary tank due to the adaption of new battle vehicle design and use of
new construction methods. Armata will sport new 125 mm 2A82-1M
smoothbore cannon which overshadow the performance of German Leopard-2
Rheinmetall 120 mm gun until now was dubbed as best tank smoothbore
cannon. New 125 mm gun has 15-20 percent improved accuracy over the T-90
main gun and its rolling fire angular dispersion has improved 1.7 times. Reports
also say that Tank is fully Computerised and in the future fully robotic battle
vehicle will be developed in future. Love for Russian battle tanks in Indian Army
is legendary and it won’t be a surprise if Russia will start lobbying for Export
variant of Armata tank to India While locally developed Arjun MK-2 MBT is yet to
enter into production due to Stiff requirements of Indian Army and India’s future
main battle tank (FMBT) is still not taken off due to Indian Armies inability to
make up its mind and issue General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs) for
the new tank . Will Indian Army resist temptation for the new Russian tank? and
will the development of FMBT also suffer due to indifference Army will adapt to
Imported battle tanks like it did for Arjun and heavily favored Russian T-90 over
the Indigenous battle tank? only time will tell.
Source: http://idrw.org/with-russia-tempt-indian-army-with-new-armata-tank/
*
India's Obsessive Spending on Defence:
Arms manufacturers of the world, rejoice. The government of India is your loyal
friend. Not just this government, but the previous government too - the UPA as
well as the NDA. According to a study conducted by the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute, India topped the list of weapons importers and
accounted for some 15 per cent of worldwide arms imports from 2010 to 2014.
Five of the 10 biggest arms importers in this period were in Asia, including China
(5%), Pakistan (4%), South Korea 3%), and Singapore (3%). Imports are only
part of the picture of the global arms industry, of course, and the countries that
had the highest levels of military expenditure in 2014 were the USA, China, and
Russia. India was placed seventh on that list, with spending at $50 billion or 2.4
per cent of GDP, an increase of 39% between 2005 and 2014. Signs of the
government's thirst for arms acquisitions were evident when Narendra Modi
declared during his visit to France that India would purchase a number of
Rafaele jets for roughly $4.3 billion. On the heels of that development came the
disclosure that the US Secretary of Defence, Ashton Carter, would be flying in to
New Delhi in May to close the sale of Apache and Chinook helicopters, worth
some $2.5 billion. The figures are staggering, though not by the standards of
military expenditure, and there will be other such announcements in the months
and years ahead since India cannot manufacture the weapons that its leaders
insist upon. The current government wants to cut defence imports, but not
reduce military spending. The Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, announced in his
budget speech that defence spending would actually increase by 11% to Rs.
246,727 crore in 2015-2016. The defence share accounts for almost 14% per
cent of the overall central government budget for the year 2015-16. With so
much to play for, it's no wonder that Anil Ambani said in March that he wanted
to make Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering the nation's largest defence
manufacturer. "This is a unique opportunity for Reliance Group to participate in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' programme for the high growth
defence sector," he added, just in case the message had not come through. You
may think of the military-industrial complex as an embarrassment, but for
business tycoons it's an "opportunity" to embrace openly.....
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/indias-obsessive-spending-on-defence-756591
*
Huge opportunities for joint ventures in defence manufacturing:
Rao Inderjit Singh:
Calling upon the aerospace and defence industry to join the 'Make in India'
campaign and make it a success, Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh on April 21
said the time is right for catapulting India into the league of technologically
advanced nations. "I believe the time is right for catapulting India into the league
of technologically advanced nations and I invite you all to respond to the call and
move along with us on this cause of 'Make in India'," Union Minister of State for
Defence Singh said at an aerospace and defense symposium on April 21. "There
are huge opportunities for collaboration and creation of joint ventures in the
defence electronics sector in India. However, the window of opportunity must
benefit from big ticket acquisitions and offset opportunities," he said. The oneday symposium on the theme 'Focus Where It Counts' was organised by the USbased Keysight Technologies, which produces test and measurement equipment
and software. The Minister said that major companies in the global aviation
industry are keenly watching the market here and scouting for working with and
outsource to the domestic companies for aerospace and defence products as
India was fast emerging as a centre for engineering and design services. Noting
that the industry is dominated by defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs)
and ordnance factories, the Minister said these two together contribute about 90
per cent of the total domestic manufa ..
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/huge-opportunities-for-joint-ventures-indefence-manufacturing-rao-inderjit-singh/articleshow/47001637.cms
*
Make in India policy for defence will address concerns: L&T:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India campaign for the defence sector is
gathering steam. The Ministry of Defence is in the final stages of bringing out the
Make in India policy for the defence sector. CNBC-TV18's Sajeet Manghat met MV
Kotwal, company president for HEG and shipbuilding, at L&T's largest shipyard
in Kattupalli, near Chennai to see the preparedness of the company’s
shipbuilding capabilities. Excerpts from the conversation. Q: What progress is
taking place with the government’s Make in India policy for the defence sector?
A: I must tell you in the recent past, a lot of interaction has taken place with the
ministry, a part of the ministry, the secretary is concerned and it is being
monitored from the prime minister’s office. And this is something which we
organise well. Because once there is not only an announced policy but a very
conscious way of monitoring what is happening and removing the hurdles one
by one, that is what will make big difference. So we expect in the next few
months the Make in India policy will come out which is what they are working
on. And I must tell you that in this particular policy we hope because we have
had a lot of interactions. We believe that a lot of those interactions and whatever
problems that we have had and faced are getting addressed in this policy. This
we have been assured and I think very soon we will see that. Once that happens
there will be a whole framework for the government to put in place all kinds of
practices. What kind of practices are followed in order placement and how joint
ventures can be formed in a bigger measure, partnerships can be formed
between the public and private sectors in a meaningful manner. All these will be
encompassed in this and the other part is defence exports which again can be
made in India and exported. So, all these are finding place in this policy as we are
told and that we are really forward to something which will be a change.....
Source:
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/makeindia-policy-for-defence-will-addressconcerns-lt_1363914.html
*
Clear skies predicted for aerospace and defence sector:
Proposed indigenisation of certain processes and increased participation of
private players are among factors expected to give a fillip to a sector that is
considered stunted in growth due to heavy reliance on the public sector. Clear
skies are said to be presiding over the aerospace and defence sector. In a 2013
report, McKinsey said India’s Defence industry, which had grown substantially in
recent years, was headed for even better days. The report said that India’s $12
billion defence market would continue on a strong growth trajectory through
2020. “Till 2005, there were hardly any private players in this sector. Being a
specialised industry requiring high technical knowledge and standards,
companies cannot expect to acquire competency overnight. The last 10 years
have been a gestation period for private enterprises in this field, and it is only
now that we are establishing a foothold. We expect to grow at 25 to 30 per cent
per annum,” says G. Raj Narayan, founder and Managing Director, Radel Group
and chief mentor of DRONA. While the maintenance operations of the aerospace
and defence sector are completely managed by the armed services and the
departments of defence production, it is the indigenous industry engaged in the
manufacture of certain parts for the sector that offer most of the employment
opportunities for skilled manpower. Technicians, inspectors, engineering
supervisors and managers are sought after. But, companies are faced with a
major skill gap. While, every year, over 2.5 million graduates are added to the
workforce, including 300,000 engineers and 150,000 IT professionals, according
to industry sources, the research and training institutes in India are unable to
meet the requirement. Aerospace and defence is especially dependent on highly
skilled workers, says a 2011 KPMG and CII report on the sector....
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/features/empower/clear-skies-predicted-for-aerospace-and-defencesector/article7126538.ece
*
Cimmco gets licence for manufacturing defence equipment:
Cimmco, a subsidiary of wagon and railway coach manufacturer Titagarh
Wagons Ltd, said it has received industrial licence for manufacturing defence
equipment. “We have received the licence for manufacturing defence products. It
will be manufactured from the Cimmco unit at Bharatpur in Rajasthan,” Titagarh
Wagon Managing Director Umesh Choudhary said. The Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion (DIPP) licence would help the group’s foray into the
defence sector in a big way, he added. Titagarh Wagons had already expressed its
intentions to convert its 75 per cent subsidiary, Cimmco, into a defence
equipment manufacturing firm. Choudhary said he plans to invest “heavily” in
the next two years and orders worth in excess of Rs. 100 crore are already in
hand. “We hope to start rolling out products like armoured vehicles by the end of
this year,” he added. Cimmco’s manufacturing facility is spread over 200 acres
and is strategically located close to Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and Bharatpur
(Rajasthan) tank depots of the Indian Army, he said. Cimmco has been
manufacturing wagons since 1957, but slipped into trouble in 2000 when its
Bharatpur plant in Rajasthan was locked-out due to labour unrest and eventually
turned sick. Titagarh Wagons acquired a majority stake in Cimmco in 2008 and
turned it around.
Source:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/cimmco-gets-licence-for-manufacturingdefence-equipment/article7126651.ece
*
INS Visakhapatnam shows growing Indian ability to build
warships economically:
On April 20, eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the
first Project 15A guided missile destroyer, INS Kolkata, the first of its successor
class vessels - INS Visakhapatnam - was launched into the water at Mazagon
Dock Ltd, Mumbai (MDL). INS Visakhapatnam, the first of four stealthy
destroyers coming up under Project 15B, began taking shape on January 23,
2013, when MDL started fashioning 2,800 tonnes of Indian-made warship steel
into the warship's hull. With this partly-build structure now floating in water,
INS Visakhapatnam will be built up by 2017 into a 7,334-tonne behemoth. After
trials, it will be commissioned in 2018 as India's most heavily armed warship. It
will be joined in the fleet at two year intervals by three successors: INS Paradip,
INS Marmagoa and a fourth vessel, yet unnamed. The most remarkable feature of
these destroyers is not its 32 world-beating Indo-Israeli anti-ship-missile
defences called the Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM), or Barak 8; nor
its arsenal of 16 Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles that can sink ships or strike
land targets 295 kilometres away; nor its heavyweight torpedoes that can
destroy enemy submarines 100 kilometres away. The most remarkable feature
of these warships is that, tonne-for-tonne, they are not only one of the world's
most heavily armed but also one of the cheapest.....
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/ins-visakhapatnam-shows-growingindian-ability-to-build-warships-economically-115042100011_1.html
II
Homeland Security
*
China plans to build airport near Kashmir:
The first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor involves construction of
an international airport at the Pamir plateu of Xinjiang. The airport will be built
3,200 ft above sea level and will be the first of its kind on a high plateau in the
city of Tashkurgan, providing access to the remote area, according to the Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) of China. Tashkurgan is a small trading city located
along the Karakoram Highway. Experts from the CAA visited three shortlisted
locations in Tashkurgan last week to choose a site for the airport. The $46 billion
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor aims to cut transportation costs and long
distance that China is currently taking for its trading activities with the rest of
the world, particularly the Middle East. The “giant” road and railways network
would link Kashgar in Xinjiang, through Tashkurgan and across into Azad
Kashmir all the way to the Gwadar port. However, the plan to construct the
airport near Azad Kashmir has caused alarm in New Delhi. But Chinese Assistant
Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao was reported saying, “The project does not
concern the relevant dispute between India and Pakistan. So, I do not think the
Indian side should be concerned about that.” Currently, Chinese exports and
imports have to pass through India in order to get to the Middle East and the
former is increasingly concerned about the future Indian hostilities if they were
ever to break out. Beijing is also concerned about the Afghan situation, as the US
troops are expected to withdraw from the region at the end of this year, without
completely neutralising the Taliban insurgents. It is important to mention here
that both Pakistan and China have signed 51 memorandums of understanding
(MoUs) and agreements, including energy, infrastructure, security and economic
development. Pakistan is looking forward to overcome its energy crisis and the
corridor could pave the way for the end of decade long power outages.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/20-Apr-2015/china-plans-to-build-airport-near-kashmir
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