2nd nuclear submarine lease likely to be 'X factor' in Indo-Russian summit

Deals on Kudankulam’s 3 and 4th reactor and the production of SSJ-100 are unlikely to be reached during the talks, according to informed sources

 

At least half a dozen bilateral agreements in spheres like energy, biotechnology, metrology and technical regulations, and a big ticket deal on an undisclosed subject, are expected to be signed at the 14th Indo-Russian annual summit in Moscow on October 21, key Indian officials involved in the negotiations (which are still going on) said. However the X factor that is likely to dominate the summit and the strategic outcome, whether announced or unannounced, is Russia agreeing to lease second nuclear submarine to India.

 

India has been looking to take a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia and talks are believed to have progressed well. The two sides are keeping budget-level secrecy on this subject. The issue is likely to dominate discussions between Singh and Putin during a restricted meeting where the two principals meet with select aides.

 

Normally, sensitive subjects like nuclear submarines are not announced formally. It is yet to be seen whether the subject will find a mention in the Joint Statement to be released after the visit but a broad framework on defence and scientific cooperation is likely to be unveiled after the talks.

 

The only nuclear submarine with the Indian Navy currently, INS Chakra, has also been taken on lease from Russia. The boat joined active service in the Indian Navy in April 2012. The ten-year lease has cost India almost a billion dollars.

 

The Indian Navy personnel are quite satisfied with the leased nuclear submarine as the 80-personnel capacity boat can remain under water as long as human endurance allows. Another operational advantage of the boat is that its noise level is virtually zero which enhances its stealth qualities.

 

The second nuclear submarine lease is likely to cost considerably more. Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is scheduled to hold a press conference on Manmohan Singh’s visit to Russia and China during which she would inevitably be asked questions about the second nuclear submarine lease plans.

 

Defence ties

 

Government-to-government route, comparable to the American Foreign Military Supplies (FMS) programme, is being actively considered to repair the strains in Indo-Russian defence relations from the Russian viewpoint.

 

Russia has been complaining to India for losing out on several defence deals over the past two years largely because of India’s radically changed Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) which puts greater emphasis on indigenization.

 

But despite some recent setbacks, Russia still tops the list of foreign defence suppliers, having secured orders worth $16 billion in orders during the three-year period of April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2013. This amounts to almost 40 percent of the Indian defence imports in this period which totaled $38 billion. Currently Russian arms factories are working on cumulative Indian orders worth $20 billion, enough to keep them busy for years.

 

Energy, trade, investment issues

 

The October 21 summit will be dominated by energy, trade and investment issues.

 

On the energy front, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant’s 3^rd and 4^th units and Indian concerns about ONGC’s loss-making investment in Imperial Energy which is engaged in mineral extraction in western Siberia would be the main talking points at the summit, officials said.

 

It is a work in progress on the tricky issue of KNPP 3 and 4 and no agreements are likely to be signed during the summit. The matter is currently at the technical talk’s stage.

 

The two sides’ prime focus will be on giving a much-needed impetus to the bilateral trade, currently at a below-par $11 billion with a target of taking it to $20 billion by 2015. The leaders will be tightening bolts and screws of a mechanism of deepening cooperation in multiple and diverse sectors such as information technology, fertilizers, infrastructure and aviation.

 

The two leaders are likely to discuss the idea of Russians producing passenger aircraft SSJ-100 and Irkut in India for India to keep the cost of production considerably lower. Again, an agreement is unlikely to be signed during the summit in this context because the matter is being discussed by technical experts from the two sides.

 

Fertilizer sector is another highly important area that promises rich returns as Russia is a leading producer and India a major importer of the commodity. The two sides are likely to agree to intensify their cooperation in this area which can give billions of dollars to Russia in the long run.

Ready to induct MiG squadron in may, India awaits carrier

The Admiral Gorshkov warship will be put on trial on Barents Sea between May and July and commissioned by Sevmash shipyard on White Sea in November 2013.

Government sources said the 2012 “boiler furnace brickwork” problem, encountered in seven of the eight boilers, had been rectified and the Naval Headquarters believes that the ship — modification and refitting of which would cost around $2.3 billion — will be on India’s western seaboard by November-December this year.

With India’s sole aircraft carrier — the 54-year-old INS Viraat — undergoing an overhaul and scheduled to join active duty by mid-2013, there is urgency in the acquisition of Vikramaditya as the Chinese PLA Navy will put its aircraft carrier Liaoning on high sea trial this year.

Acquired as junk named Varyag from Ukraine, Liaoning— refurbished at the Dalian shipyard — is expected to acquire combat capability within two years.

As a first step towards formally acquiring Vikramaditya, 16 aircraft of Russian MiG-29 K fighters will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in Goa on May 11.

While this squadron of multi-role fighters will be christened 303 squadron, the navy will acquire another 29 aircraft for its second squadron.

The new aircraft carrier will be based at Karwar in Karnataka under the Western Naval Command and will give India the much needed long legs in the Indian Ocean region.

“The delivery of INS Vikramaditya figured in summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Delhi on December 24, 2012. We hope that high sea aviation and speed trials of INS Vikramaditya would be smooth,” said a defence ministry official.

With the first squadron of carrier-based fly-by-wire MiG-29 K fighters to be formally inducted into the navy next month, India is now keeping its fingers crossed on Russia delivering the 45,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier by 2013 end, after a delay of over five years.

Rumble Over Russian Aircraft Reliability

The Indian Air Force lost another of its Russian made Su-30MKI jet fighters on February 20th. This is the fourth loss since 2009. Two years ago the commander of the Indian Air Force took an hour-long flight in one of India's Su-30MKI to reassure Indian pilots that the Su-30MKI was safe. Two had crashed in 2009 due to mechanical failures and there were widely publicized reliability problems with the engines and many of the other Russian designed and built components of the aircraft.

 

Indian pilots are understandably nervous about the safety of the many Russian warplanes they fly. The MiG fighters are the most dangerous but the more recent Su-30 models were believed to be a lot safer. Recent problems indicate this may not be the case, thus the 2011 flight by the head of the air force.

 

The MiGs are still crashing, with a MiG-27 going down on February 12th. India has lost so many MiG-21 fighters that it is trying to retire this type of aircraft as quickly as possible. Over the last half century, India has bought 976 MiG-21s and over half are gone, mostly because of accidents. While India was something of an extreme case in this area (other users don't fly their MiG-21s as much), it's been typical of MiG aircraft. All this is part of the decline of the once feared, and admired, MiG reputation. Starting in World War II (the MiG-1 entered service in 1940), through the Korean War (the MiG-15 jet fighter) and the Cold War (the MiG-17/19/21/23/27/29), MiGs comprised the bulk of the jet fighters in communist, and Indian, air forces. But after the Cold War ended in 1991 the flaws of the MiG aircraft (poor quality control and reliability, difficult to fly) caught up with users, in a big way. In the last few years, most of the bad news about military aircraft reliability, accidents, and crashes has involved MiG products. For example all Indian MiG-27s have been grounded several times in the last few years because of suspected mechanical problems. These fears are not new. The MiG-27 and Cold War era Russian warplanes in general, do not age well. 

 

Last year India went public with yet another complaint about the Russian made Su-30 fighters. That was about an unspecified "design flaw" in the electronic flight control system for the aircraft. This bit of information was made public because India found that more discreet communications about these matters results in little or no action from the Russians. For example, India has been pressuring Russia for several years to do something about component failures in the Russian designed AL-31 engines that power the Indian Su-30MKI jet fighters. There have been several AL-31 failures because of this in both Indian and Russian Su-30s. The latest accidents indicate that the problems remain.

BrahMos Aerospace to develop tech for hypersonic missiles

BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture, has initiated efforts to develop technology for hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile which can travel at five to seven times the speed of sound, a top company official has said.

 "The company is roping in academics to develop the requisite technology before going in for designing and developing missiles which can travel at Mach 5 to 7 (five to seven times the speed of sound). It will be BrahMos II version next to the present variants of Mach 2.8 to 3.5," A Sivathanu Pillai MD & CEO of the company told PTI.

He said the IISc, Bangalore, would collaborate with the company with a 20 member scientists' team developing technologies for high temperature material required to build the missile, cram-jet propulsions and energy modules and the requisite algorithms.

A separate centre has been created for this purpose in Indian Institute of Science while its Russian counterpart, the Moscow Institute of Aviation, would produce technologies for propulsion, kinetic energy modules for the hypersonic version.

In all probability, it would take a minimum of five years for these initiatives to crystallise. In the meantime, BrahMos would work out blueprints for setting up a production centre, choice of vendors for supply of necessary components and investment structure, he said.

After these operations, BrahMos Aerospace would take up development of missiles that can come back to the originating mode after destroying the designated target, he said.

Pillai said modernisation and expansion of manufacturing facilities at Hyderabad and Thriuvananthapuram are also on the cards since the domestic market demand is on the increase.

He said the Indian Air Force had also started placing orders for BrahMos and added that the Army and the Navy are regular customers.

Pillai was here to participate in a felicitation function held in his honour on being conferred the Padma Bhushan Award.

Russia sees opportunities in India’s new submarine deal

Rosoboronexport would be high among the competing companies for a $10 billion deal to supply new generation submarines.

India is set to loosen its purse strings for some big ticket arms acquisitions in the coming months. The latest order about to come out from the Indian repertoire is for submarines, which is going to be worth a whopping ten billion US dollars. The Russians will be close competitors for this deal and Rosoboronexport of Russia would be high up among the competing companies. Other serious contenders would be HDW of Germany and Navantia of Spain.

Earlier this year, India had released a 15 billion dollar defence deal which went to the French, much to the chagrin of the Russians and other players in the international arms market. In February 2012, India had awarded the highly lucrative deal worth $15 billion to the French company Dassault Aviation for 126 fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.  The talks with Dassault on fastening the nuts and bolts of the deal are presently going on.

The upcoming defence deal is for the Indian Navy. It is aimed at buying six state-of-the-art submarines, mainly with an eye on China. The deal with Dassault for 126 fighter aircraft too was aimed at developing Indian defence capabilities vis-a-vis

China.

Project 75I

The Indian government is soon going to come up with a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six next generation submarines. Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi has gone on record as saying that the Defence Acquisition Council a high-powered body of the defence ministry, has already given the green signal for buying six submarines under a project codenamed P-75I and a global tender would be floated “very soon”.

This will be a huge opportunity and a challenge for the Russians to bag the deal because the RFP would be a global competitive bid process in which the winner takes all. The Russians and the French are expected to be among the top contenders. Both would have plus and minus points for getting the deal, and needless to say, no country would like to miss the bus.

Russia to Face Stiff Competition from France

Russia will inevitably face a stiff competition from the French for the new submarines deal. The French have an edge because they are already building six Scorpene submarines for India. The argument for them is that since they are already working on a submarine project with India it would be logical to have continuity as the French already have an elaborate infrastructure in place. But the flip side is that the upcoming $10 billion submarine deal would be a global competitive bid. It is like playing an entirely new match on a new turf where it would depend on which players emerge as performers of the day.

The Russian USP would be that India is already operating over a dozen Russian-made submarines and Russia is a tried, tested and trusted arms supplier for India. The latest order, as an when it materialises, is aimed at significantly beefing up the muscle of the Indian Navy whose existing humble submarine fleet comprises of just 10 Russian Kilo-class, four German HDWs and an Akula-2 nuclear-powered attack submarine leased from Russia at $1 billion. This will be in addition to the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India with technology from Dassault under a project codenamed P-75.

A USP of the new to-be-ordered submarines, according to Admiral Joshi, would be that these would be bigger than the Scorpene  and would be equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems to recharge their batteries without having to surface for more than three weeks. Besides, the new boats would also have land attack missile capability.

INS Chakra’s Delimitations

The Indian submarine fleet got a valuable addition when INS Chakra, the nuclear submarine from Russia was finally inducted in April 2012, thus once again heralding the Indian Navy into the nuclear age after an interregnum of two decades. However there is a flip side to INS Chakra, the Akula-2 class submarine given by Russia to India on a lease for ten years. INS Chakra cannot be armed with strategic weapons or nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. Its symbolic importance is that it will certainly help India keep a watchful eye on the vast expanse of Indian Ocean which of late has emerged as the epicentre of global naval activities.

India, a principal littoral state with fourth largest naval fleet in the world, needs to have a robust navy in Indian Ocean and beyond considering the rapid advancements of the Chinese Navy. China is stepping up its naval presence in the Indian Ocean though it is not an Indian Ocean power. China has almost five dozen submarines, including a dozen nuclear submarines, which give them a head start over India in naval terms.

The Russian Edge

The upcoming RFP for the six submarines is aimed at correcting this anomaly.  India, which at one point of time had 18 submarines, is now down to just 14 submarines, including ten Sindhughosh class Russian Kilo submarines and four Shishumar class German HDW diesel submarines. For 17 years India did not construct indigenous submarines. Further bad news from the Indian perspective is that its submarine fleet is expected to go down to half as the Kilo class submarines acquired in late eighties are facing retirement after two and half  decades  of service.

Under the six-submarine Scorpene deal, India is expecting to get the first two submarines in 2014 and 2015. The delivery schedule for all the six boats is likely to be completed by 2019. But the flip side is that the first two out of six would be simple diesel submarines and the next four would be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology called MESMA in French parlance.

This is where the Russians can smell the kill for the new $10 billion submarine deal. While the Scorpene deal with the French did not focus on the AIP technology, the proposed deal would have all six submarines equipped with AIP technology.  The Russian engineers have already mastered the AIP technology, in vogue for the past one decade. India has retained Russian engineers since 2011 in Vishakhapatnam to understand complex operational aspects of a nuclear powered submarine.

Space Pacts to put Indo-Russian ties in still higher orbit

India and Russia are expected to take their cooperation in the field of space to a new high later this month and a couple of key new agreements are likely to be signed between the two sides when Vladimir Putin visits India.

A major area of opportunity for the two sides to take their cooperation in the fields of space and science and technology further would be GLONASS. The Russians have recently opened a huge door for India when Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced his country’s willingness to offer India joint participation in development of its GLONASS satellite navigation system on an equal basis. This was the first time when Russia made such an offer to India. “We have offered our Indian counterparts not only use of the GLONASS system but also participation in upgrading it. We practically see it as a joint effort. I think our Indian counterparts will be interested in it,” Rogozin, who has been given special responsibility for Russia's military-industrial complex, went on record as saying.

The Indians are understandably enthused by the Russian large-heartedness. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai alluded to this in his major speech in New Delhi on November 22, 2012 when he said: “Access to the whole spectrum of GLONASS signals by Indian agencies is a major component of the Indo-Russian space cooperation. This is matched by robust cooperation on important projects like Chandrayan 2, the Human Space Flight and YOUTHSAT.”

Importance of GLONASS for India

GLONASS, an acronym for Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema or Global Navigation Satellite System, offers India a very important strategic leverage with a vast array of applications in civilian and military spheres. GLONASS, a radio-based satellite navigation system operated for the Russian government by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces, is a valuable alternative to the US-controlled Global Positioning System (GPS).

In December 2011, India and Russia had signed an agreement for receiving precision signals from GLONASS, which will allow missiles, including those fired from nuclear submarine Chakra, to strike within half a meter of distant targets. GLONASS is the only alternative navigational system in operation with global coverage and of comparable precision.

Space is one important sector of Indo-Russian bilateral cooperation where the Indians would be looking forward to working closely with Russia to push some major investment projects during Putin’s upcoming India visit. India is well aware that some Indo-Russian investment episodes in other fields have been mired in controversies and been log-jammed, but the space-related agreements in the pipeline would compensate for glitches in the past.

Russia’s Most Expensive Space Programme

GLONASS is not just a project but also a powerful statement of Indo-Russian synergies. It is the most expensive program of the Russian Federal Space Agency, consuming a third of its budget in 2010. The Russian gesture of inviting India with open arms for this project points to the high orbit the Russians have placed India in.

GLONASS is a Soviet era project that began in 1976. From October 1982 onwards numerous rocket launches added satellites to the system until the ‘constellation’ was completed in 1995. GLONASS achieved 100 percent coverage of Russian territory by 2010. The GLONASS project achieved a major milestone in October 2011 when the full orbital constellation of 24 satellites was restored, enabling full global coverage.

India to Invest Close to $3 Billion in Space by 2017

The expanding Indo-Russian cooperation in space would not have come at a more opportune time as India has a busy calendar for the next five years which would require an investment of almost three billion dollars.

India’s flagship space agency Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has plans to launch its first manned space flight in 2017. The Indians are also eyeing deep space missions to be topped by lunar human landing, possibly by 2020. India’s space budget would be enormous by 2020. The maiden manned space flight of India would ensure that India arrives on the global stage in a big way, having a significant edge over several developed countries.

ISRO’s ambitious programmes include the setting up of several ground facilities like launch pads, the mission control centre, astronaut training centre, all permanent assets on the ground including what goes into the orbit. India and Russia have collaborated on technologies in the space sector which can integrate into platforms that India is developing.

India could not have made such deep forays into space without the Russian cooperation. It was the erstwhile Soviet Union that had launched first Indian satellites - Aryabhatta and Bhaskara from its Baikonur cosmodrome – in the seventies and eighties. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut, travelled to the Soviet Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

The half a century old Indian space programme is now poised for a major leap as it has seamlessly moved beyond practical applications-based thrust to deeper and technologically far more difficult newer areas like India’s first lunar mission (Chandrayaan-1), navigation and joint ventures in space science. Space and Technology is one of the major arenas where India and Russia share a long standing and successful cooperation. Both the countries actively participate together in many fields of exploration and peaceful uses of outer space. Currently it has many operational agreements in the fields of moon exploration, global navigation system, human space flight and spacecraft building for atmospheric studies.

The Indian sense is that while the Indo-Russian collaborating is on the right trajectory there is scope for further improvement. India needs to play catch up with other countries who are investing heavily in research and development. A major challenge is also how to apply these from the laboratory to the assembly line and use them for the greater public good. In this context, Mathai has paid rich compliments to the Russian scientists by remarking thus: “The great record of Russian science (just recall the extraordinary achievements of the Academicians) makes this a partnership of great value.”

Russian experts deny losing Indian arms tender

Media reports that India refused to buy Russian aircraft labelled as “information war”.

Recently, several Indian publications reported that Moscow had lost tenders for heavy combat and transport helicopters and planes. Rosoboronexport dismisses this information saying that the results of both tenders have not been announced yet. 

Information about Russia allegedly having lost the tenders appeared in the Indian press in early-November. The reason mentioned was that Russian aircraft did not meet New Delhi’s requirements. The Russian defence company declared that both the updated version of the MI-26 transport helicopter (MI26T2) and the modernised air refueller Ilyushin-78 (Ilyushin-78MK) fully met India’s technological requirements. Rosoboronexport emphasised that the information about US and European aircraft winning the tender was not true.

This is not the first case of such misinformation, military observer Viktor Baranets tells The Voice of Russia. He says that rumours are usually spread exactly when Russia stands a good chance of winning tenders. “I can’t remember a single time in the countries where we sell weapons when deals with Russia were not preceded by misrepresentations or just blatant lies,” Baranets says. “Sales of weapons are always accompanied by information wars. Rumours are usually run by those who would like to sow the seeds of discord between Russia and India or those who are risking the loss of their own contracts.”

Baranets adds: “Russia is the second largest exporter of weapons in the world after the US. We have managed to preserve this position in spite of the economic crisis and the growing competition on the part of Beijing. New Delhi is Moscow’s main partner in this sphere. Over a quarter of Russian export of weapons falls on India. In addition, there are some joint projects. There are certain contradictions, of course, but they are solved on the partnership basis.”

70 percent of the Indian Army’s tanks are of Russian origin and that the tanks have been tested in all temperatures, according to Baranets. “Where US Abrams tanks started ‘suffocating’ on the second kilometre Russian ones completed shooting successfully and accomplished a long march at a temperature of plus 50 degrees Celsius,” Baranets says. “US experts themselves admit that Russian planes and helicopters excel American ones in some military components.”

Baranets admits that there were minor glitches in the defence relationship between the countries. “Speaking frankly, Indians have certain complaints, for example, about the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier but the main thing is that we enjoy mutual understanding and India continues buying our weapons.”

Naturally, this stable situation does not make Washington happy, political scientist Vladimir Evseyev believes. And India is playing on contradictions so as to obtain the best deal and frequently declares the need for diversifying the deliveries, he says.

Evseyev says: “We have long-term contracts and India means to continue cooperation with Russia in the field of shipbuilding. However, the US defence and industrial complex is interested in taking over these contracts. It is possible that some pressure is exerted on India with the use of both political levers, including the course of building strategic partnership, and the fact that Russia is expanding its contacts with Pakistan.”

Evseyev speaks of another “information scandal” regarding deliveries of Russian military equipment. “Some media reported the failure of a multi-billion contract which Moscow had signed with Baghdad. The allegation was that the contract had been cancelled due to suspicions of corruption,” he said. “Later, the Iraqi authorities announced that the problem sprang up due to some internal difficulties, such as procrastination on the part of Iraq. Now an investigation is being carried out there but it will not affect the fulfilment of the contract.”

BrahMos set to become a “Super Rocket”

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is all set to become a “super rocket” soon, which would beef up India’s tactical defence capability significantly. However, the test launches of the air variant of the BrahMos II hyper-sonic missile, which were supposed to be completed by 2012, are experiencing delays. The realistic date for completion of these tests is now believed to be 2015.

 Sources in the Indian strategic establishment said India has upgraded its BrahMos missiles by “wedding” these with Russia’s advanced satellite navigation systems. The “marriage” of the BrahMos’s navigation systems with Russia's Kh-555 and Kh-101 strategic long-range cruise missiles has made BrahMos a “super rocket”. The word “rocket” here is used in context of a weapon, not a space rocket.

The new avatar of BrahMos will have to undergo tests and field trials before it becomes operational with the Indian defence services. However, this would not take unduly long.

The improved version of BrahMos will be endowed with a sub-strategic capability and would increase its tactical range too. The new version would also be capable of carrying nuclear warheads and can be launched from sea, land and air, like the old version. Its range of hitting targets would now be over 180-300 miles (300-500 km).

The new air-launched version of BrahMos will be carried by Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The Indian Air Force is set to be a far more potent force by 2020 when it is scheduled to deploy 200 advanced Sukhoi fighters, equipped with the new version of BrahMos “super rockets.” This will be a lethal combination and will make the Sukhois strategic bombers.

Another important feature of the upgraded BrahMos missile is that it has added GPS-GLONASS technology to it. This is of vital strategic importance as GLONASS, Russia’s navigation service provider, gives India access to military signals, while the American GPS does not.

BrahMos missile is jointly developed by India and Russia and is named after two major rivers – Brahmaputra of India and Muscova of Russia. The missile is capable of flying at a very high speed at tree-top levels which adds to its tactical utility.

BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. BrahMos is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service and is deployed on INS Rajput since 2005. The missile has 'fire and forget' principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target. Its destructive power is enhanced due to large kinetic energy on impact. Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km (9.3 miles) and terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters.

Compared to existing state-of-the-art subsonic cruise missiles, BrahMos has three times more velocity, 2.5 to 3 times more flight range, 3 to 4 times more seeker range and 9 times more kinetic energy. The missile has identical configuration for land, sea and sub-sea platforms and uses a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation, storage and launch. The missile is universal for multiple platforms and can pin point accuracy with high lethal power aided by large kinetic energy on impact. It has shorter flight times leading to lower target dispersion and quicker engagement.

 So far India has deployed BrahMos missile in the western sector only against Pakistan. However, since the missile is fitted on a mobile launcher it can be transported anywhere in the country and deployed within a short time. The Indian Army is planning to deploy it against China as well in near future. India started a massive war preparedness drill in Arunachal Pradesh in the north-eastern sector codenamed “Pralaya” on February 29, 2012.

BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is about three-and-a-half times faster than the USA's subsonic Harpoon cruise missile and three times faster than USA's subsonic Tomahawk missile. India has also planned an air-launched variant which is expected to come out in 2012 and will make India the only country with supersonic missiles in all the defence forces. However, the 2012 deadline is unlikely to be met.

A hypersonic version of the missile, which is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability, is expected to be ready by 2016. BrahMos has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 meters.

The air launch version and the submarine launch version of the missile system are in progress. The Indian Army has so far placed orders for the BrahMos missile to be deployed by three regiments of the Army and two of them have already been inducted operationally. A hypersonic version of the missile, which is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability, is expected to be ready by 2016.

The army and navy versions of the BrahMos missile weigh three tons or more. The missile is also available for exports whosoever is interested in it as long as they are ready to shell out about $2-3 million apiece. The cost depends on the version. The BrahMos has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

INS Tarkash to anchor at Salalah port

INS Tarkash, the second of the three stealth Frigates under construction at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia, is scheduled for a halt at Salalah from December 22 to 23. The ship will be open for visit by Omani and Indian nationals from 10:00 – 13:00 hours on Sunday, December, 23. The ship was commissioned and inducted into the Indian Navy by vice -admiral Shekhar Kumar Sinha, flag officer commanding-in-chief, Western Naval Command on November 9, 2012 at Kaliningrad, Russia. The occasion was graced by the presence of the ambassador of India to the Russian Federation. The ship is on its maiden passage post commissioning. The induction of this fifth multi-role stealth frigate with an advance combat suite and optimal blend of cutting edge technologies would considerably bolster the Indian Navy. The formidable array of weapons and sensors onboard the ship include the supersonic Brahmos missile system, advanced Surface to Air missile system,

Indian aircraft carrier: More costly, already delayed

The Defence Ministry will soon move the Union Cabinet for an additional Rs. 2000 crore to meet the cost overrun for completing the first phase of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) being constructed at the Cochin Shipyard - on India's western seaboard.

The IAC, which is likely to be named INS Vikrant - after India's first and now decommissioned aircraft carrier - is delayed by at least five years and is expected to be with the Indian Navy only after 2018 as against the scheduled date of delivery of 2014, Defence Minister AK Antony had earlier told Parliament. For the Indian Navy the delay and the cost overrun of the indigenously made aircraft carrier is almost a double whammy as the Russian built Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov, renamed as INS Vikramaditya, is also delayed.

Sources told NDTV that the first phase of the construction of the aircraft carrier, which in 2003 was budget to cost about Rs. 3200 crore, has escalated because of delays. In the first stage of the project the shipyard was expected to piece together some 18,000 tonnes of the hull, however, only 14,000 tonnes have been constructed. The ship is likely to be about 40,000 tonnes and is biggest ship that India has ever built. Till now only USA, Russia, the UK and France have produced such warships. China has re-fitted an old aircraft carrier purchased from Ukraine after the USSR broke up. The construction of the ship has been delayed due several reasons primarily because India was unable to procure special steel from Russia and also because gear boxes produced by a Gujarat-based firm in collaboration with the German partner had been found to be faulty.

Public sector giant, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has come to rescue of the Indian Navy by producing the special quality steel. The first of the two remade gear boxes have reached Kochi a few days ago.

The total cost of the aircraft carrier alone - without its aircraft component - is likely to be between Rs. 14000-to Rs. 18000 crore.

Mr Antony who reviewed the progress of the construction of the ship today directed Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma to constantly monitor the progress of the construction and formed empowered apex committee. Defence Minister Antony has asked Cochin ship yard to come with a "firm date of delivery". Sources said that Mr Antony has also told the shipyard that "we cannot go on hearing excuses. Everybody has to be accountable for the warship which is a national project and responsibilities in case of further slippages will have to be fixed."

The aircraft carrier is critical to India's ambition to emerge as a dominant player in the Indian Ocean region. Although India needs at least two, if not three, aircraft carriers, however, to ensure that it has at least one carrier available at all times, at present it is still pushing the 50 year old British made war horse INS Viraat. The warship has served the Navy for 25 years and should have been decommissioned in 2002. Naval experts say rarely do any Navy use ships which are 50 years old.

With the USA likely to reduce its presence in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Navy desperately needs major assets like Aircraft Carriers to maintain its presence and also shape the developments in the volatile gulf region. "It is because we're uncertain about when we are likely to get the next carrier we have been keeping INS Viraat in the best shape possible," a senior Naval officer told NDTV. INS Viraat which has gone through over a dozen major and minor refits is currently undergoing another refit is likely to be in the docks and out of action till March 2013.

Russia, India in talks over 3 more frigates

Russia and India are in talks over a contract to build three more frigates, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

 “A contract for an additional third triad is possible,” Rogozin said. A contract for the supply of six frigates to the Indian Navy has already been signed. “A total of nine ships could be built for the Indian Navy,” the deputy prime minister said. He explained that contracts for an additional three ships are currently “under negotiation.”

The deputy prime minister added that “negotiations are underway because the Indian side is satisfied with the quality of the ship, which is armed with the jointly made BrahMos missile.” Rogozin also informed the Prime Minister that similar ships were under construction for the Russian Navy in Kaliningrad. “We are building six ships of the same class and of the same project for ourselves,” he said.

Speaking about military and technical cooperation with foreign partners Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, noted that “despite certain difficulties in relations with different countries, we still continue to deliver orders.” The head of the government recalled that the Indian Navy took delivery of yet another frigate on 9 November – the fifth ship that has been built for India

India in talks with Russia to upgrade Sukhoi combat jet fleet

India has opened talks with Russia to upgrade its fleet of air superiority Sukhoi Su-30s with a new radar and avionics to make the fighters more lethal than what they already are. The upgrades are likely to begin in 2015.

However, a debate is currently in progress between the two nations on India getting full access to all software and equipment design of the new systems that will be integrated on the upgraded Sukhois, a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer told IANS.

"We have begun talks with Russia on modifying the Sukhois and giving them the latest technologies," the officer said of the combat jets that were first inducted by IAF in 1997.

The planes, considered to be in the heavy category of fighter aircraft, are the most advanced the IAF has and is the frontline plane for all forms of airborne warfare.

"The modified Sukhoi will be an entirely new plane in terms of radar and avionics," said the officer, who is in the know of the discussions with Russia.

"We are currently holding a dialogue with Russia for full access to software and design of equipment to be integrated to the aircraft," he added.

India has raised eight of the 14 planned Sukhoi squadrons till now with the ninth squadron planned for raising in Sirsa, Haryana, in December.

Six months from then, India will raise its 10th Sukhoi squadron in the Punjab sector under the Western Air Command.

This will be the third and fourth Su-30MKI squadron of the IAF to be deployed close to the Pakistan border in two years, after Jodhpur in Rajasthan in October 2011 and Halwara in Punjab in September 2012.

It also plans to raise two more squadrons in the eastern sector, adding to the existing two squadrons there.

Besides, four more Sukhoi squadrons will be raised by 2015, completing the entire 272-plane complement of the fleet.

After the raising of these squadrons, India will start upgrading the fleet beginning with the first 50 Sukhois it had inducted in 1997.

India has till now lost three Sukhoi planes in crashes - the first one in April 2009, the second in November 2009 and the third in December 2011. While two IAF pilots were killed in the first accident, two pilots each bailed out to safety in the second and third crashes.

The twin-seater Sukhois are also being modified for carrying the India-Russia joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

Upgraded Indian Submarine starts Sea Trials in Russia

An Indian Kilo class diesel-electric submarine that has been overhauled at the Zvezdochka shipyard in northern Russia has sailed for two-week sea trials, the company said.

INS Sindhurakshak, which was handed over to the Indian Navy in 1997, has been upgraded under a direct contract between the Zvezdochka shipyard and the Indian defence ministry, signed June 4, 2010.

"The Indian submarine, which has been repaired and modernized at the Zvezdochka shipyard, sailed for sea trials on Monday," the company said in a statement.

The upgrade programme stipulated a complete overhaul of the submarine, including its hull structures, as well as improved control systems, electronic warfare systems, and an integrated weapon control system. The upgrade is reported to cost around $80 million.

The sub is expected to be delivered to India by the end of 2012, following a series of additional tests.

Russia has built ten Kilo class submarines for India and has already overhauled four of them: INS Sindhuvir, INS Sindhuratna, INS Sindhughosh, and INS Sindhuvijay.

The overhauled Indian submarines are equipped with 3M-54 Club-S (SS-N-27) anti-ship cruise missiles, the Indian-developed USHUS sonar, CCS-MK radio communications system and Porpoise radar.

10 facts you should know about India's pride 'BrahMos'

BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.

It is a joint venture between Republic of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

It is the world's fastest cruise missile in operation. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0.

The land launched and ship launched versions are already in service with air launched and submarine launched versions currently under testing phase.

A hypersonic version of the missile is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017.

 1. BrahMos is a joint venture of India and Russia who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

It is jointly developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) of India and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia.

2. It's claimed that BrahMos missiles are the fastest cruise missiles in operation in the world.

3. They can travel close to the surface of the Earth which makes them very difficult to detect. BrahMos claims to have the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 metres in altitude.

4. The supersonic missile is capable of carrying conventional warheads of up to 300 kg for a range of 290 km.

5. BrahMos is four times faster and is twice as heavier than US' Tomahawk missile. BrahMos has 32 times the initial kinetic energy of a Tomahawk missile.

6. Brahmos was first test fired on June 12, 2001 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in a vertical launch configuration.

7. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial.

8.  BrahMos Aerospace is also working to develop the air as well as the submarine launch version of the missile system.

9. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial, a defence official said.

10. India and Russia intend to make 2,000 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles over the next 10 years.