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Showing posts from July, 2019

India hosting Myanmar leader doesn’t give good impression: Bangladesh leader

The Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Defence Services who is currently visiting India should be brought to justice for his role behind the genocide of the Rohingya, a leading member of the ruling coalition of Bangladesh has stated. Hasanul Haq Inu, a member of the Sheikh Hasina-led ruling combine in Dhaka, said that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is internationally blamed for his role in the Rohingya tragedy. “General Min Aung Hlaing has been named by the UN for being the power behind the genocide and displacement of the Rohingyas from Myanmar. He should be brought to the altar of justice,” the Bangladeshi leader told The Hindu on phone from Dhaka. The senior Myanmar figure is currently on a tour of India and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Indian side discussed military-to-military, counter-insurgency capacity-building with him. The visit drew attention of rights activists

Along with P-75 India, our offer for 3 additional Scorpene Subs is still on table : French Naval Group Chairman

At a time when Indian Navy is looking to add more submarines into its fleet, French firm Naval Group has said that its offer to India for buying three additional Scorpene-class submarines was still on and would help India to utilise the investments made by it in the project for last 15 years.  Indian defence PSU Mazagon Dockyards Limited and the French Naval Group have been jointly building the Scorpene-class submarines at Mumbai after the contract was signed in 2005 between the two sides.  The Indian Navy is going to induct all the six Scorpene boats in the next three to four years and has already issued a new tender Project 75-India for buying six new submarines with foreign collaboration under the strategic partnership policy. "The offer is still on the table. We still believe it is a very good solution to keep 15 years of Make in India intact," Herve Guillou, chairman and chief executive of Naval Group told ANI in an interview.  Guillou was in India last week for reviewin

Hopeless Pakistan's Forex Reserves Drop by $389-mn to stand at $7.6-bn

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves decrease $389 million to $7,611.9 million in the week ending July 19, compared to  $8,001.3 million in the previous week, the central bank said on Thursday. As per the break-up of the forex position, foreign reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan’s stood at $7.61 billion, while net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $7.25 billion. The central bank said the SBP reserves plunged $389 million to $7.61 billion owing to the country’s financial requirements, including external debt servicing and other debt amortisation. Pakistan is now in a situation where it will do whatever IMF demands to secure a $6-bn bailout package. Also the primary reason for PM Imran Khan to visit Washington was to restart the Financial Aid from the US. Source Link  http://www.defencenews.in/article/Hopeless-Pakistans-Forex-Reserves-Drop-by-$389-mn-to-stand-at-$76-bn-586091

Indian Navy 'to 'carefully' watch Chinese Navy's intentions to grow into global power

With the Chinese Navy expressing its intent to further expand itself into a global power, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday said his Force is watching this carefully and will respond to it within the "budget and constraints" faced by it. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a FICCI seminar on shipbuilding, the Navy Chief informed that by the end of the year, India would be in a position to sign a Rs 17,000 crore contract with the US for buying 24 MH-60 Romeo multirole choppers. "It is not just the Chinese white paper but it has been said in the past before. A lot of resources have been shifted from other arms to the PLA Navy, obviously in-line with their intention to become a global power. We have to watch that carefully and see how we can respond within our budget and constraints we have," he said when asked about the Chinese Navy white paper issued on Wednesday. The Chinese Navy in its white paper has made its intent to expand itself global

Should IAF invest $15 bn in buying the F/A-18 Super Hornet?

From Top Gun fans to IAF enthusiasts, everyone’s talking about the F/A-18 Super Hornet this week. We take a closer look…  Since the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick dropped last week, aviation enthusiasts have been buzzing about the multi-role fighter that the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy could soon fly, courtesy of Boeing and two Indian companies.  In April 2018, Boeing announced a partnership with PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) to manufacture the F/A-18 Super Hornet in India under the ‘Make in India’ programme. Last month, HAL delivered its 150 th gun bay door for the F/A-18 Super Hornet.  A few interesting facts about the fighter aircraft that’s got everyone talking:  1. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine multirole combat jet based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. It was designed primarily for use on aircraft carriers of the US Navy after the US government decided to stop purchases of the F-14 Tomcat in 1991 (the fighte

India-Russia Defence Collaboration Surges

Russia and India have been collaborating on an increasing number of defence deals related to frigates, attack submarines, air defence systems, and avoidance or contravention of United States sanctions. Russia is reportedly preparing to begin work on two guided-missile frigates for the Indian Navy. The ships will be built at Russia’s Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad as soon as India makes its first payment toward the $2.5 billion deal, which, according to the contract, is expected by the end of the month. India is expected to pay for the frigates in euros to avoid U.S. sanctions under the 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. This law requires the U.S. to enforce economic punishment on India for executing a transaction above $15 million with Russia’s defence industry. Despite this risk, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made clear that the U.S. law will not “impact the India-Russia defence cooperation.” He went on to say, “In all our engagements with the U.

How India Plans to Win a War Against China or Pakistan

Commissioned in November 2013, INS Vikramaditya is India’s newest aircraft carrier and the only aircraft carrier that calls the Indian Ocean home. In the event of war, Vikramaditya will be used to blockade Karachi, Pakistan’s largest port, or sever China’s economic lifeline to the Persian Gulf and beyond. India occupies one of the most strategically important locations in the world. A short distance from the Persian Gulf, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, India has been an important hub for ideas, trade and religion for thousands of years. That geographic positioning has its disadvantages. India is faced on two sides by powerful, nuclear-armed countries it has fought wars with—China and Pakistan. India’s most formidable rival is China, with whom it fought a short, sharp border war with in 1962. China’s growing military has transformed it from a mainly ground-based threat to a multifaceted one with powerful assets in the air, at sea and even in space. India’s second most powerful rival i

India acquiring S-400 missile defence system from Russia 'problem' for US : PACOM commander

India acquiring the S-400 missile defence system from Russia is a "problem" for the US, a top American commander has said, asserting that Washington will continue to hold dialogue with New Delhi over the issue.  India inked an agreement with Russia last October to procure a batch of the S-400 missile systems at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore. "India acquiring the S-400. It's a Russian air defense system from Russia. That's a bit of a problem. But we continue dialogue. I think they intend to do that," Admiral Philip Davidson, who is Commander of Indo-Pacific Command, told Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.  Davidson's remarks came response to a question from Nick Burns, a former top American diplomat who played a key role in the India-US civilian nuclear deal.  He said that he is trying to clarify to India that the purchase of Russian air defense systems is unprofitable for it.  US equipment is outperforming on the globe, he asserted.  "India is quite prou

US against any country purchasing S-400 defence system from Russia: Pentagon

The US is keen to make its defence partnership with India stronger, the Pentagon has said, but made it clear that it is against any country purchasing military equipment, including the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, that is designed to counter America's sophisticated fifth-generation aircraft.  The remarks by a top Pentagon official came in response to a question on India going ahead with its decision to purchase the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.  India inked an agreement with Russia last October to procure a batch of the S-400 missile systems at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore.  "Our defence partnership with India I think is strong and we're looking to make it ever stronger," David J Trachtenberg, the deputy under secretary of defence for policy, told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.  When asked if the US can have a major defence partnership with India, which is going ahead with a decision to buy the S-400, Trachtenberg said, "I thin

Tata to start making wings of F-16 soon

Indian company Tata will soon start making the wings of the fighter jet F-16, said a senior executive of US manufacturing giant Lockheed Martin, which makes the jet. The contract has been awarded to Tata and is not dependent on us winning the fighter jet contract here, said Vivek Lall, vice-president of Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Addressing media at an event, Lall said: “Lockheed Martin is fully committed to meeting India’s need for advanced, scalable defence capabilities”. Our partnership with the Indian industry on both the F-21 fighter jets for the IAF and S-76D helicopter for the Indian Navy will put India at the epicentre of world’s largest defence ecosystem and promises export opportunities, he said. The company co-hosted a suppliers conference with Indian partner Tata Advanced Systems. This meeting was to allow US companies — which are suppliers to Lockheed Martin — to discuss partnership opportunities in India. Source Link :  http://www.defe

Deported by the UAE, 14 people arrested by NIA trying to establish Islamic State in India

As many as 14 persons, deported for allegedly raising funds in the UAE for an Islamic State in India, were arrested by the National Investigation Agency. They were brought in a special aircraft to Chennai from New Delhi on Monday and remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a special court for NIA cases in Poonamallee on the city’s outskirts. The arrests were made by the NIA following the registration of an FIR in New Delhi on receipt of credible information by the Central government that the group which called itself Wahdat-e-Islami, along with another called Jarnab Islam Al Jihadya, was trying to establish Islamic rule in India. They had allegedly received training from the Ansarullah Movement in Yemen. Influenced by Al Qaeda and IS' :: According to NIA sources, the group members were influenced by Al Qaeda and IS and were from Melapalayam, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram and Chennai. They were engaged in raising funds for the purpose of committing acts of