Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

4Tran said:

What in the world is India trying to accomplish by doing this?

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Play both sides again: As is necessary for the 'non alignment' thing india has been doing for ages

gelgoog said:

The Indians might find out that while the French designed the M88 engine the actual manufacturing is outsourced all over the West. And a lot of the subcontractors won't share their IP.

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Does M88 engine also rely on that US company? The news that came from india regarding the AMCA engine pick was saffran, something about m88 v4 engine that will do 120kN and will be co-developed by india and saffran (aka india will pay them to do all the work)
but they also said 100% transfer of tech/ ip rights and everything which seems hella surprising, Havnt seen any news confirming this from french side.

bebops said:

First, they need to bring back the Western educated Indians home to help out.

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Why would (more than a small minority of) Western educated Indians — who are able to reside in FIVEYE countries or even the EU — want to return to what President Trump may soon openly characterize as a "shithole?"

bebops said:

The best thing about being self sufficient like China is they dont need to depend on any countries for the most part. If they need something they will build it on the spot. For countries that are not self-sufficient, they need to buy weapons from another countries which is a hassle. There is a possible that no one will sell to you.

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The problem here is that despite the Indian military being relatively weak vis-a-vis the size of the Indian population, the powers that be in New Delhi feel a constant need to project an image of martial prowess owing to domestic political considerations.

Anyone who've logged onto "Indian Twitter" can tell you just how obnoxiously proud, if not laughably deluded the Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! community is. The Indian public wants, demands and expects to be able to take pride in their military, and the Indian authorities can't say no!

It's the principal reason why Indian military parades, despite significant "differences in aesthetics," are almost as impressive as , and even more frequent than China's:


TBF, at the same time, the Indian military is a source of political legitimacy and a vehicle for national unity for both the nationalist BJP and the broader Indian state.

It's arguably "good politics" for PM Modi and his political cohorts:


However, there's a price — in terms of opportunity cost — for the political legitimacy brought forth by the Indian military, on top of the trillions of rupees spent.

Ironically, domestic programs — that may not bear fruit for a decade or two, if not longer — are neglected so the Indian MoD can afford to buy shiny foreign toys like the Dassault Rafale to help the IAF and BJP flex in public.

To put it succinctly: the Indian military-industrial complex is struggling to become self sufficient because the Indian government prioritizes optics over substance.

Again something to smile




Well, I have to admit, I don't know the author () and, at least to me, he's never struck me as an expert on China... but the fact that he works for Helion and Tom Cooper certainly doesn't speak in his favor!
(But that's just my malice.)

My problem is, there's no comparison! This superstition, based on Indian childlike naivety and Modi's Jai Hind megalomania, that the two are equal rivals is simply a joke! You only have to look at the industry and its products, but also at the numbers of weapons systems... it would be like suggesting a comparison of my school's football team against Bayern Munich would have a chance.

gelgoog said:

You need your own metallurgy, and your own test facilities. Besides the engine design resources.

Russia has all of that.

The Indians think just giving some peanuts to GTRE to make Kaveri is enough.

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They gave peanuts to the Kaveri because it never showed enough promise to warrant the investment.

We are falling for the self-serving Indian narrative that they would be able to be able to build an engine if they had just invested more.

No they couldn't. They have neither the technical ability nor industrial base to realize actual production of a modern turbofan.

India have never built a turbojet or a turboprop. In fact, they had never been able to equip anything, not even a drone, with an indigenous piston. Their main drone programs depend entirely on Rotax.

This is immensely hilarious. India drone programs are dependent on Chinese parts.

We are not talking about quadcopter drones but major military UAV programs .

India’s UAV Development Struggles to Take Off​

By Matthew Stein
01/22/2025



India’s acquisition of the MQ-9B UAVs, instead of a system from India, brought to light ongoing issues with UAV development in India as reported on by the accompanying excerpted article from India’s independent think tank, the Observer Research Foundation. The article notes that Indian officials chose the MQ-9Bs over an equivalent Indian system, the TAPAS, due to numerous issues with the latter’s development and testing. The author points out that TAPAS is being revived by the Indian Air Force despite the MQ-9B purchase, but significant issues remain. One of the most notable challenges is that TAPAS is apparently reliant on Chinese parts like other Indian-developed UAVs. While importing parts for UAVs from China is more cost-effective, it could compromise security, and India’s Ministry of Defense has warned the defense industry about sourcing parts for UAVs from China.

Hi,
we all are trying to find a solution for Indian IAF specific engine technology
but one should keep in mind beside the infrastructure you shouldn’t be riding
in two boats in one go, after 1992 Indian suddenly jumped into the western
side if they would have stuck with Russian side by hook or crook with all the Indian
money they have already developed something more robust or their money might
have enhanced Russian capabilities to develop su57 way before whatever they have
now an of cource Indian will also be getting the fruits of this development
now specific to Putin regime he knows Indian mentality of India want to be a superpower
or at least regional superpower in that case he also trying to milk the cow as like as the
other western powers so at the end indian got themselves hanging in air hopefully they
will learn something in stick within a single ride boat and get the maximum out of it.
thank you,

4Tran said:

What in the world is India trying to accomplish by doing this? Philippines has an insignificant military so cooperating with them confers no benefits. And right now, Modi is trying to butter up to China as a counter to getting knocked around by the US. This plays against that, and it's only going to remind China that India isn't trustworthy.

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India is just doing what India does. Which is: they want to play imperial games, but don't know what the eff they are doing. India wants to warm up with China, yet it also wants to undermine China. How does that work? No it doesn't, and never have worked.

If we observe India long enough, it is a pattern. India will always backstab. When Nehru was still singing about "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai", he was ordering Indian troops to walk into Chinese territories and shoot any PLA troops that come to stop them. When the PLA responded, he then cried to the world, calling it a "betrayal" of "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai".

India's joint naval drills with the Philippines is ultimately just noise. India is never gonna come to the PH's aid when it is fighting with China. India's power projection capability in the SCS is laughable. And I doubt that India truly has the balls to face China in the SCS. Still, if India dares to do so, then they are more than welcomed to send their ships to the SCS to be turned into new artificial reefs.

zyklon said:

having the "shit gouged out of them" as they deserve

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Can you please control your hatred a little bit.
I understand that some level of strong opinion or even animosity is expected in discussions here, but I urge everyone to avoid taking hatred to an extreme. Please keep the exchanges constructive and avoid letting hostility escalate beyond what’s reasonable.
Can mods moderate this type of hate. Thanks in advance

Deino said:

My problem is, there's no comparison! This superstition, based on Indian childlike naivety and Modi's Jai Hind megalomania, that the two are equal rivals is simply a joke! You only have to look at the industry and its products, but also at the numbers of weapons systems... it would be like suggesting a comparison of my school's football team against Bayern Munich would have a chance.

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Viewing Indian defense procurement, and the conversations that happen around India defense procurement, it quickly becomes clear that it (inexplicably) revolves around China. I still remember when the Indians got their first nuclear delivery system with the theoretical range to hit Beijing, and the absurd amount of chest-thumping that came with it.

This is only one example, every single major Indian procurement achievement is without fail talked about with relation to China. Artillery platform enters trials? Immediately bring up Chinese artillery systems. Tank finally exits testing? Immediately bring up the ZTQ-15, and Ladakh. A drone turns on its engine for the first time while strapped to the ground? It's immediately as capable as the WZ-10, and India now has the keys to the Malacca straits.

It's a very unhealthy, and quixotic mindset. China, to the outside observer, is quite clearly ahead of India. And India is always wanting to leapfrog some decades worth of experience to try and quickly match China. If the Indians were simply to let go of constantly comparing everything to China, I think they would find their defense progress much more satisfactory.