[French Barracuda-class SSN]
The mystery of the draft joint communique featuring mention of the deal for three “Scorpene” submarines and 26 navalised Rafale aircraft, which mention went missing from the final document issued at the end of the state visit to France by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is now solved. The reason was that there were too many submarine technology-related points that needed additional technical-level talks to sort out.
Still, President Emmanuel Macron will be exceedingly happy with the sweetheart deal he managed to secure from Modi, and the French ‘Naval Group’ overjoyed. Naval Group is successor to DCNS (Direction des Constructions Navales S).
The French Company on its website welcomed the “announcement regarding the extension of the Indo-French partnership and the objective to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian fleet and its performance. Mazagon Dock Shipbuliders (sic) Limited (MDL) remains our natural partner.” “This decision is a testimony”, it continued, “of the Indian Navy’s trust in the industrial cooperation we have established, and”, without flinching at the irony of it, reaffirmed “the success of the transfer of technology achieved under the P75 programme for six submarines, which were built entirely in India by MDL. The ‘Make in India’ policy in the service of Indian sovereignty (“AatmaNirbhar”) has been at the heart of the P75 programme, as well as other activities developed by Naval Group and its Indian industrial partners to provide the Indian Navy with the most modern naval defence technologies.” The CEO of the Naval Group Pierre Eric Pommellet, on his part, added that the deal would “further strengthen our 15-year submarine building cooperation, which is a major element of the Indo-French strategic partnership developed over the past decades. Naval Group and its partners will be fully mobilised to meet the expectations of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and the Indian industry to fulfil the needs of the Indian Navy”. ( https://www.naval-group.com/en/naval-group-welcomes-announcement-made-indian-and-french-authorities-regarding-extension-indo )
Let’s consider why Paris is elated, Naval Group exultant, and the success claimed for the “transfer of technology” entirely bogus.
At the time of commissioning in January this year of INS Vagir — the fifth and penultimate conventional sub of the Scorpene-class license-produced at the Mazgaon Dockyards Ltd (MDL), the Chief of the Naval Staff , Admiral Hari Kumar, praised the fast paced sub production — Vagir being the third such vessel inducted in the last two years, and referred to this achievement as “the coming of age of India’s shipbuilding industry, and the maturing of our defence ecosystem.” “It is also a shining testimony”, he added “to the expertise and experience of our shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms.”
Not sure what the naval chief was talking about when he brought up the country’s shipbuilding industry and the maturing ecosystem because the Scorpene programme has added mighty little to the industrial capacity — unless the MDL DPSU’s penchant for screwdrivering things together is considered a great advance, and not an iota to the country’s atmanirbharta capability.
One wishes our armed services chiefs were more candid; if that’s not possible, at least not make misleading statements.
Facts:
1) Project 75 Scorpene project has suffered huge time and cost over-runs. It has taken ten more years than planned and cost nearly twice as much.
2) Project 75i — a supposedly indigenous project featuring a creative melding of the best design and operational attributes of Western (German HDW 209, French Scorpene) and Eastern (Russian — Foxtrot, Kilo) submarines the Indian Navy has experience of, is delayed by 10-15 years. The delay is due to the navy’s inability to setttle on specifications — single or double hull, diving depths, etc.
3) With the Scorpene project ending and 75i yet to get going, the navy needed a bridging solution and decided an additional three units of the Scorpene would do.
4) Except, the French Company DCNS it had originally contracted with, now Naval Group, has terminated the Scorpene line, and professed itself unable to provide the SKD/CKD kits for MDL to assemble — NOT MANUFACTURE, the three additional Scorpenes.
5) Instead, the French firm offered, and navy quickly accepted, an adapted, conventional, version of its Barracuda nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN). And the Defence Ministry nominated MDL to assemble the three boats. This despite Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s public commitment that there will be no production contractors by “nomination”. Meaning, for any production contract there will be competition. That’s how much Rajnath Singh’s words matter.
6) The Barracuda design could, however, be shrunk only so much. Compared to the Scorpene’s hull diameter of 6.3 metres and displacment of 1,650 tons, the adapted Barracuda’s is 7.2-7.5 metres, and 2,500-2,800 tons respectively. Barracuda SSN displaces some 5,300 tons. In other words, the three new ‘Scorpenes’ contracted for are NOT Scorpenes, only better.
7) That’s fine! Except, this upgrade also means rocketing unit cost. The navy acquired the six original Scorpenes at roughly Rs 6,000 crores each. The new “Scorpene” — adapted Barracuda, will cost Rs 11,000 crores per boat. That is almost double the cost — and this, mind you, is just the ‘base price’. There’s no hint anywhere of progressively lesser cost as would be expected for subsequent submarines after the first one!
7) Because it is a new submarine, the old Scorpene manufacturing jigs and wherewithal at MDL will have to be discarded for far more expensive replacements for conventional Barracuda sub assembly.
8) The French don’t have an operational AIP (Air Independent propulsion) system for increasing the range of submarines. So these conventional Barracudas will have to be equipped with the DRDO-designed and developed AIP which, incidentally, is good to go — what a relief! It will necessitate structural changes and, prospectively, yea, additional tens of millions of Euros in French pockets. (The first of the Scorpene subs, INS Kalvari, is coming in for refit in 2025, and will be equipped with the Indian AIP system.)
9) And, a shocker, really?! There has been NEAR ZERO transfer of submarine technologies over the years by DCNS (Naval Group) to MDL. The sixth and last of the Scorpenes to roll out from MDL assembly line by 2024 will have LESS THAN 3%, yes, THREE PERCENT by value of indigenous technology– relatively trivial stuff like cables, mounting lugs, hatches, and minor electrical equipment.
And all along the Government of India, the Ministry of Defence, and the Indian Navy have been trumpeting the Scorpene programme as furthering the country’s indigenous submarine design and production capability. Who is responsible for drafting such one-sided contracts? Will anybody in the navy and defence procurement loops in the Indian government be held accountable for this fiasco? Of course not. But wait…
10) The deal for three new mislabelled Scorpenes — derated Barracudas, will likewise have ZERO transfer of technology. But worse, why the doubled cost?
11) Well, because, Naval Group has to amortize their costs for developing the Barracuda SSN — absolute imperative now, especially after the Australian navy abruptly cancelled the contract worth 50 billion euros for six of this SSN in September 2021, and ruptured relations with France, an ally. The Aussie navy apparently belatedly realised it preferred the US/UK offer of an AUKUS nuclear sub. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called it “A stab in the back”. Macron recalled the French ambassador from Canberra. The French feathers were unruffled only after the government of Anthony Albanese agreed in June 2022 on a “fair and and equitable settlement” of 555 million euros (US$ 584 million) with Naval Group, that ended the decade-old Australian deal for the Barracuda SSN. That still left much of the invested costs unrecouped because the French Navy indented for only six, with the first joining service in 2022. But there came India to the rescue of foreign defence industries once again!
12) May be, there is some secret understanding that Modi reached with Macron for the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission ( Commissariat a’ l’energie atomique et aux energie alternatives) and Naval Group to part with the technology for the 150MW miniature nuclear reactor powering the Barracuda SSN for our own indigenous SSN project. Is there such a deal? This is something many retired naval persons have been bandying about for a while. Should it actually materialize, then all this expensive farce about submarine tech transfer, etc may be worth it. But knowing the French and how they have dealt with India over the past 65 years from when IAF bought the Fuga-Mysteres in the Fifties, don’t hold your breath! There may be, to mangle metaphors, dross at the end of the tunnel, not gold!
13) But August 1st is when Defence Ministry will open the bids for Project 75i — and there are two parties in the contest: MDL partnering Naval Group, and the Indian private sector Larsen & Toubro (L&T) partnering Navantia, the Spanish ship building firm. And one can predict that MDL will likely bag the contract. Why? Because of its lower bid. But why will MDL’s bid be lower? Because MDL as a defence public sector unit has had periodic “capacity enhancements” worth thousands of crores of rupees over the years, courtesy Defence Ministry, most recently, for Rs 300 crores. These, as far MDL is concerned, are part of the sunk costs it need not factor into working its bid. MDL-Naval Group, will, in effect, produce the same Barracuda in additional numbers, three already contracted for in Paris by Modi, with six more as Project 75i! Neat, nah?
And because MDL will cross-subsidize, particularly the labour costs which make up 17% of the submarine production cost, and come up with the lower bid to win the Project 75i contract. After all, MDL and Defence Ministry do not have to answer for such investments — it is the people’s, Indian tax payer’s, money. And who gives a damn how it is spent?
On the other hand, a private sector firm’s investment in design and production infrastructure has to be profitable because the management is accountable to its share holders, and it has to be factored into the contract costing before making the bid. Money borrowed by the government on sovereign terms is for MDL free money. For a private sector company credit comes at hefty interest rates. Even so, notwithstanding the institutional hurdles, L&T has made a success of manufacturing the strategic Arihant-class nuclear powered ballistic missile firing submarine. But it may lose a patently unfair contest for Project 75i sub rigged by the government for MDL to win. It is the same MDL, by the way, that has been run by retired Vice Admirals and produced many conventional submarines — German HDW 209s and French Scorpenes, with absolutely nothing to show by way of cumulative capability for design and technology innovation.
How can India become self-sufficient in military hardware if the far more productive and technology-wise innovative private sector is thus deliberately hobbled and frozen out of the competition?
But, why reform the existing procurement system? Carry on as usual, let foreign defence companies — poor rich things! — make money at India’s expense. India is rich and can upkeep a dozen foreign defence industries, as it has been doing over the past 40 years. And, Hey! DPSUs — MDL, et al — carry on screwdrivering and delaying the prospects of an “atmnirbhar Bharat”! And GOI, do continue making the same mistakes!
13) Then again, the CNS at the Vagir commissioning was honest enough to declare that “a fully Aatma Nirbhar” navy will NOT be realised before “2047”! ( https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1893036 )
So, “what me worry”, why the hurry?!
Security Wise 
There you go Professor! The Minister is a duffer, the Indian Navy is full of duffers, the MDL is a place for duffers, and the bureaucracy negotiating the contracts are also duffers. India is full of duffers. Out of this dufferistan will emerge the latest and greatest indigenous weapons! Let’s ban all imports and rely on the duffers to ensure they produce world class weapons.
Amit@ — Rely on the proven and tested non-duffers in the private sector, YES!
Professor, you place too much trust in the Indian private sector. It’s a work in process just like duffers in the rest of India. The private sector is also full of Lalas, who are a different breed altogether. India is not a place for crash and burn type strategies. Or shock and awe in military parlance!
Dr. karnad with all due respect, How do you know that the three new “Scorpenes” are going to be “Barracudas”?But In any case,I cannot agree more with you on the duplicity of the French.https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/iaf-rafale-integration-with-indian-weapons-boosting-make-in-india-programme-2410642-2023-07-23.
The IAF apparently wants to integrate locally developed Astra series BVRAAM’s and long-range guided munitions onto the Rafale after having finally swallowed the bitter fact down their throats that these missiles are not only far cheaper but also superior to imported stuff.Incidentally, this was also confirmed by senior DRDO official Dr. Kurulkar honey-trapped by the ISI.It’s also not going to be a surprise that this “weapons integration” will have a price tag with 8-9 zeroes(in euros, of course).There is also not an iota of doubt that a good percentage of these euro’s will also end up in “uniformed pockets” along with access to French visa’s and women! Modi government’s refusal to crack down on naked corruption prevailing within the top brass of the tribe-services has been one of its most disappointing policy failures, alongside its massive adoption of “slumlord economic policies” initially patented by the INC.
Dr Karnad , There is saying in Israeli diplomatic circles about Palestine that ,Palestine never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity . This also can be said about India vis-a-vis its Atmanirbar Bharat/Self-Reliant India project. Ukraine- Russia Conflict is going on and the Russians are bombing the Ukrainians defence factories . We could have easily headhunted those Ukrainians designers/workers , offered them stipend , accommodation in Goa and in return we could have received the know -how of gas turbines for stealth frigates, and other such mid-technology defence endeavours. Sorry to say Atmanirbhar Bharat/Self Reliant Project seems like Mao Tse-Tung-esque sloganeering at best and a blatant scam at worst.
you forgot to mention Safran deal, was it also part of this visit?
Covered Safran in a previous post. Look it up.
Karnad sir , I am a big admirer of yours ,
Sir one factual correction …. naval grp is
Out of p75i race , it is Germany company
That has tied up with mdl now .
Lnt has tied up with navantia of Spain.
Karnad sir , I am hearing that iaf pushing
For 100 Rafale under make in india in g2g
Deal . Dassault is buying reliance share in
The production line that both set up in nagpur.
I expect 150 rafales make in india deal when
Macron comes for g20 .
What’s the point of buying such expensive toys? There is no political will to fight. Armed forces also keep on making tall claims when China gave them an opportunity to test their mettle both the Indian political leadership as well as the army got their tails between their legs.
Chatur chamaar@ — Why don’t you come here with your real name ?
Hiding ones identity like this is what cowards do
@Batra- Casteist cowards like you judge everything from their narrow mental prism.
Go get a life rather than judging me.
Email from Vice Admiral KN Sushil (Retd), a submariner, former FOCINC, Southern Naval Command, and the navy’s first Director-General, Nuclear Safety (dealing with nuclear powered submarines)
Thu, 27 July at 8:18 am
The bull shit continues. After [the Italian firm] WASS [Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei] were blacklisted, the acquisition of the BlackShark torpedo was shelved. The French said that their contractual obligation was to integrate BlackShark They refused to integrate the SeaHake [fibre-optic wire-guided, heavy torpedo] or other torpedo without further costs.
If we want to integrate a modern torpedo we need to figure out how to integrate or pay the cost. May be its their bargaining chip to sell their torpedo.
Sushil Nair
Ofcourse …they have offered f21 torpedo of
Theirs now.
Karnad sir , if india gets 150 mw reactor tech
For ssn from France and help to make engine
With safran for amca ..then it’s all worth it .
France is more reliable player than usa , france is
not funding regime change ops in india unlike usa
US and France are equally unreliable.
It all started with this;
https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/aishwarya-rai-bachchans-date-with-french-prez-hollande-films-cannes-and-more-305724-2016-01-27
Check out who arranged the aforementioned and you will get to know the main player behind this so called French Indian bromance.
https://theprint.in/defence/no-one-who-fought-2-front-war-has-ever-won-army-ex-chief-naravane-on-importance-of-diplomacy/1691299/.
Gen. Sundarji would have turned in his grave if he discovered that an ex-COAS of 21st-century India had uttered such words. His Operation Brasstacks was the single-largest war exercise in history after the second world war. It rattled both Pak and China to the spine and was directly responsible for the former adopting a tac nuke-heavy deterrence policy. His impetuous, flamboyant response during the Smudorong Chu standoff resulted in the Chinese eventually backing off and directly contributing to border control agreements of the 1990s and 30 years of relative peace. Any officer of any rank in the tri-services is expected to be fully aware of the fact that our two enemies respond to nothing but determined usage of force, understand nothing but action, and listen to nothing but the bang of guns. Speaking of which, it was six months of relentless hammering by the Indian army at the LoC during the summer of 2020 which resulted in GHQ meekly accepting a ceasefire in February next year. That ceasefire has been held only because of the ever-growing fire superiority of the Indian army and the induction of new-age ISR systems. Unsurprisingly ISPR has also been eerily silent on the fatalities which occur now on a near-daily basis at LoC. Force is the only language China and Pakistan understand.
If Gen. Narvane had even an iota of the soldier’s honor, he would have committed Seppuku before uttering what he did in a well-known defense forum. Going by his logic, if our nation is incapable of defending itself from its two sworn, implacable enemies, then he is directly responsible for it as ex-COAS! In any case, he bore the ultimate responsibility for the Indian army being caught with its pants down during the initial phase of the LAC standoff (April 2020). It is a standard operating procedure within the Army and air force to find a junior ranking scapegoat(below two stars) for inexcusable blunders of the senior brass. This happened in Kargil as well in the case of a hapless brigadier. In the present scenario, blame as one might, some Colonel ranking staff officer responsible for the LAC at the Intelligence department in the military operations directorate, but that does not, by any means, exonerate Gen. Narvane of ultimate responsibility.
Respected Sir,
The main problem here is nuclear Submarine. Only Russia and France are willing to help us in this field. But in return they will take our pound of flesh.
Why can’t India give up on Nuclear Sub Tech from Russia or France ?
I thing India can make nuclear submarines on its own also. First of all India should buy a conventional sub design from Germany, Spain, Sweden etc. India should completely master everything related to conventional subs. Side by side India should import tech or develop its own Pressurized water reactors. Then we can simply integrate the two and develop our own Nuclear Submarines. Only then will India be truly Aatmanirbhar!!!!
Professor,
When I first watched MG Rajiv Narayanan’s YouTube video on the overstatement of Chinese GDP, I had my doubts about whether China’s GDP could really be $8T instead of $18T. However, I recently discovered this paper published by a University of Chicago professor, which gives some more meat to the argument:
Click to access BFI_WP_2021-78.pdf
A 35% fudge factor applied to overstate gdp! Based on this China’s gdp could actually be in the $5T to $9T range which very much matches with the numbers in Gen Narayanan’s video.
If this is true, the Chinese GDP is a grand deception of the Manchurian kind! Even the dragon’s hot air might be turning cold, forget about fire!
@Amit- Chinese economy is too consumer oriented. They trade with every country on the planet plus their own domestic market itself is quite huge. Btw, Unlike India they don’t have MANREGA, NAREGA type of schemes for their public.
Also if you are applying 35% fudge factor to the Chinese economy. How much will be the fudge factor for the Indian economy?
Amit@ — Thanks for cueing me to the U of Chicago study. Quite interesting!
Professor, I’ve now watched several YouTube videos by economists (including Chinese) who question the size of the Chinese economy. In fact their population is also is said to be around 1B. Gross deception! But an 87 page paper at the Uchicago was surprising to see.
Professor,
While most programs I watch talk about how Chinese government officials fudge numbers at all levels, no one has talked about the implications of such fudging on decision making. There HAS to be a form of truth if one is to make proper decisions, be it by the Chinese or its enemies who make strategic decisions based on economic and military strength. Unless the Chinese have alternate ‘books of account’, like the many Lala businessmen in India, they will likely make poor decisions if data is bad.
China is known to be a corrupt country. Imagine how it would be if data on which decisions are made is also corrupt. It’s not a pretty picture. Maybe in peacetime such fudging can be obfuscated, but in wartime, the consequences can be catastrophic.
The way I look at global military power – the US is a global power, and yet they are sweating their pants thinking about their limited defence manufacturing capabilities. The Russians were supposed to be the second biggest military power but they have taken over a year to make limited gains in Ukraine. Then you have China, a master at deception, who has built many new weapon systems, but has limited trained manpower to operate them. They are also terribly vulnerable in the Indian Ocean.
Additionally, both the US and China are mired in debt – not the best position to be in to go to war. I don’t think any of the top military powers are really in great shape to fight a great power war today. Any assessment of Indian Military might needs to be made in this context. While the Indian military eco system is plagued with problems, the situation with other top military powers is not that great either.
Vietnam is a totally corrupt nation from top to bottom;
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66340808
They don’t even teach about the Vietnam-China war in their school textbooks.
@Mohammed, read the paper if you can before you respond (or even parts of it). Your question will be answered
Amit@ — I don’t agree with this Professor’s assessment in fact I know for sure that the Chinese economy is undervalued.
I am presently residing in China after living in Europe for 8 years and visiting US numerous times. I would say the current standard of living for ordinary Chinese is , if not better, almost as the same as ordinary European and American .
In the so-called Western “free” world, government is constantly after your ass and try to collect every Penny you have in tax and fines . It makes life for ordinary people miserable and they don’t get any support from their family to start their business or even continue their education.
Once you are poor in the free world, it is much more difficult for your children to turn this around.
In China, you are pretty much invisible in the government system. You get lots of opportunities to grow your own things and accumulate the initial capital required to develop business. The family owned noodle shop downstairs of my apartment earns more than 5000 USDs per month and hardly report any taxes.
The government knows these things all over the country but do nothing, because they know this wealth will come back to the society later.
For ordinary people , the “illegal” income they generate from grey economy, is later spent on better apartment and bigger cars, it’s spent mostly in the domestic market.
While for the super rich, they try immigration to the west, buy mansions in France or Canada, most of their income is transferred abroad because they might want to diversify their financial portfolios. Such
people are Chinese tax department’s real target.
I had small business in both Europe and China. I feel that the system in Europe and US favors the big.
China is much SME-favorable. In Europe my 6-man company had to constantly check in with accountants to file my tax properly and basically you have the feeling that you could face huge amount of fines if you do something wrong. My accountant however suggest that the bigger the company gets, the more ways you can create to evade the tax.
In China , when I registered my company , I asked a regional chief from tax department of the government that how should I report my earnings and tax.
This guy said “ just report zero, we won’t bother you and we do not have that much time for small company like yours, we will talk to you when the time has come.”
You see my point here, smaller one gets more opportunities to thrive in China. So wealth in China really is hidden among the people.
@Andy, your view is contrary to what analysis of data indicates. Even Chinese economists acknowledge that data is fudged and you need other indices to accurately calculate he size and growth of the economy (e.g., the Leqiang index). So while some urban centers in coastal China May actually be doing well (frankly I’ve been to Shanghai a couple of times and have seen first hand the development there), inner China is not so.
The problem with Chinese economic metrics is not an attempt at propaganda by the west, but an attempt to understand reality as this has huge consequences for the world, not just China. There are examples of fake shipments between Shanghai and Hong Kong for example, to inflate exports. Even Chinese politicians acknowledge the difficulty with Chinese data (Le Qiang is a prime example). No one disputes that China has grown dramatically over the last 30 or so years. But not at 12+%; closer to 8+%.
@Amit- I myself live in one of the so called inner provinces of China not in Shanghai or Beijing.
It’s summer time here. All the BBQ restaurants are doing roaring business with people sitting out from early evening till late at night enjoying BBQ and drinking beer with family and friends.
Statistical data is one thing and real life experience another. To each his own. I prefer the latter over the former.
@Amit,
I both agree and disagree with you and Andy. The University of Chicago study is a typical instance of snobby white Americans expressing contempt toward the perceived development of the “Asian aboriginals”. At the same time, I also agree with you that the Chinese GDP figures are incontrovertibly inflated. However, Andy’s contention is certainly worth merit. The standard of living of the average Han is much better than that of the ordinary Indian, albeit his claims about Europeans and Americans are hyperbolic, in my opinion. Even the average American tech interns earn a minimum of $5000 a month, which is coincidentally equivalent to what Andy’s aforementioned business earns. Life is undoubtedly way better in the US/Europe for elite white-collar workers. If you are very rich, then you can easily buy multi-million dollar mansions/beach-facing apartments in Dubai, get a gold visa, and enjoy the benefit of not paying taxes. Also, most if not all rich Chinese send their kids to study(and then settle) in the US. If China were so bright and glittery why would these people do that? Speaking of which, tech cities along the west coast of the US are swarming with Chinese(like 30-40% of the population), and there are far more Chinese in these tech hubs than Indians.
@Andy, anecdotal evidence is not evidence of macroeconomic heft. If China is at $9T it is still a large economy and I’m sure people inland are having a good time in good weather. But the fact is that Chinese macro numbers are suspect and the gdp may not be as large as it is. It’s not just westerners who say this. Even Chinese economists say it. This cannot be disputed by anecdotal evidence that you present.
@Andy- Excellent analysis. I trust more the judgement of well traveled people like you, who run their own businesses rather than these so called Professors/Academicians with no practical knowledge just theoretical talks.
Try opening a business in India. You will have government employees from twenty departments, local police, area hooligans, eunuchs etc. knocking at your door demanding money. There is no credibility in so called incredible India.
Professor,
Gujjars from China are trying to blow hot air but unfortunately it’s getting cold by the time it reaches Indian plains! 😀
@Munni- You are cent percent right about Vietnam. I read this article about Vietnam a few years back which shows the extent of corruption there;
https://themunicheye.com/Vietnam-Visa-Irregularities-3710
Actually the whole of Southeast region (Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia etc.) comprises of totally corrupt nations. They just seek their pound of flesh from everyone. US and China tensions suit them fine. They will continue to extract their benefits.
Expecting these block of nations to confront China militarily is expecting pigs to fly.
India on the other hand is indulging in needless theatrics;
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202307/1295317.shtml?id=11
Too scared to confront China militarily instead indulging in these useless half baked measures. On one hand India keeps begging about foreign investments and when someone is willing then they start poking them unnecessarily.
This is an excellent news;
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66402140
A few days back this news made my day;
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66229577
This useless commonwealth grouping should be disbanded. All ex colonies of England shamelessly clinging to this obsolete colonial era need a kick up their rear.
With the demise of these so called commonwealth games. This club is gone now
At least three Army personnel were killed in an encounter between militants and security forces in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday evening.
On May 5 five Army personnel were killed in a forested area in Rajouri.
Two weeks earlier, on April 20, five soldiers were killed when their truck was ambushed in Poonch.
May also saw five more soldiers lose their lives in Rajouri when militants, cornered by the troops, triggered an explosion in a densely forested area.
So in total 18 Indian army soldiers have been killed in Kashmir since April of this year.
Where is this so called ‘nationalist’ government now? I guess they are waiting for 2024 elections to pull off a false flag operation like Pulwama.
Forget tackling China. The govt cannot even handle Kashmir properly.
@Ayush- “If China were so bright and glittery why would these people do that?”
Majority of elite Chinese sending their kids abroad to study and settle there has nothing to do with lack of infrastructure or facilities in China.
The primary reason why they do is to have an alternative base and diversify their wealth portfolios by buying real estate and starting businesses abroad.
Another reason is the highly competitive and closed CPC hierarchy. No one knows when the authorities will come after you.
Look at the examples of Jack Ma and Qin Gang. Sending kids abroad is a sort of safety net for the Chinese elites.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/respect-sovereignty-territorial-integrity-states-without-exception-nsa-doval-8879389/
So, the Indian NSA is condemning Russia without naming it. Russians won’t be happy at it anyways a simple rule to understand Indian politicians and bureaucrats is whatever they say the exact opposite of it is what they mean.
Professor,
Here is an article by AM Anil Chopra about options for the IAF regarding the AMCA.
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/china-plans-500-j-20-stealth-jets-by-2035-38-should-iaf-consider/?amp
It is a more sober assessment of the quandary the IAF finds itself in. HAL and DRDO cannot be relied on to deliver advanced weapon systems on time. The Indian government has delayed funding for AMCA. Yet, India needs to invest in the program to project autonomous military power.
Unlike your article which takes a machete and whirls it 360 degrees, one needs to take a more sober look and understand the TRUTH of the situation. Without a truthful assessment, wrong decisions will be made.
What’s the point of all this. There is no political will to fight any war in India. Army leadership also comprise of ‘paper tigers’
@Dr Karnad,
Why on Earth are we not supplying our brand new and state-of-the-art artillery systems and 155 mm shells to either Russia or Ukraine(to the highest bidder)? Our age-old reluctance to act inimical to American and Russian interests has resulted in a self-imposed status of a geopolitical non-entity. Even countries with far inferior overall national strength such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Italy, Germany, etc. play a much more active geopolitical role than we do. I appreciate the thinking which still shapes the GOI thought process: India has no business with power projection until our national strength comes at par with the US and China. However, doing this will easily take another 10-15 years. Are we to stay in self-imposed isolation till then? The Russia-Ukraine War is a god-sent opportunity for our nascent private defense players, many of whom are still awaiting orders from the hopelessly import-infatuated army and air force. This is especially true for the companies that have invested in R&D and production facilities for ground artillery, munitions, and small arms. The most prominent examples of such companies are Kalyani, L&T, Adani, and SSS Defence. Many of these companies risk bankruptcy if orders(either domestic or foreign) are not placed soon(especially SSS Defence). The Indian private sector has some of the largest artillery and 155 mm shell factories in the world, we can very easily tip the scales of the conflict should we get actively involved. Besides, the Kalyani mounted TC-20 gun system is better than almost all western-supplied 155 mm tubes and certainly better than all Russian ones. Most importantly, Kalyani has the manufacturing facility to produce these things in massive quantities, which the West can’t. Adani’s new munitions plant in Kanpur can produce a staggering 2 million shells a year. Tata’s ALS-50 is better than the much-vaunted Lancet-3 as it does not require a launchpad, thanks to its VTOL capability. Similarly, the newer variants of the Swati counter-battery radar have much better performance parameters than anything fielded by either Russia or Ukraine. SSS Defence’s carbine and sniper rifles can easily be purchased by Ukraine in bulk, as they are not only as effective as the Western ones but also cheaper. There are a plethora of more instances that I can provide. The point is that the GOI must muster the guts to tell both the US and Russia to “kiss our rear side” when they object to any foreign arms sales by us. Now, the cliche arguments pushed forward by American and Russian assets in our strategic community is that we are dependent upon the former for Aerospace engines and upon the latter for spare parts of the third-rate crap we had the misfortune of purchasing from the Russians long ago. However, the truth is that the Indian Industry has significantly upgraded and almost completely indigenized the spare part supply chain for most of our imported gear. So, it’s completely a matter of GOI’s willpower.
@Ayush- Why involve the Government in everything? The companies which you mentioned can approach both the the Russian as well as Ukrainian sides and sell their weapons.
I have been told by one of my contacts at customs that they charge 4 Lakh Indian Rupees per container (stuff coming from China) and they don’t even waste their time and energy bothering to check what’s inside.
The aforementioned is happening at every port of India similarly there are fixed rates for sending containers abroad so the companies can easily sell and ship their weapons to Russia and Ukraine both.
Similarly for unemployed youth of India especially the ones who are cribbing about the short tenure of Indian army’s ‘agniveer’ scheme. This Russia-Ukraine war is a golden opportunity.
Such guys just have to approach the Russian and Ukrainian embassies offering to fight in the war and the embassies will tell them of a way to leave India and join their armies.
Indian government (state level as well at the centre) remain busy in minting money 💰 they aren’t bothered about geopolitics.