That crudeness fIt well to replace Mig-21...
Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
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Armenia buys Indian Akash air defense systems. Armenia and India have entered into an agreement to purchase Indian Akash air defense systems; the contract is valued at $720 million. The Akash air defense system began to be developed in 1983 by the Defense Research and Development Laboratory; production of the air defense system began in 2008 by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. At the moment, two types of Akash air defense systems are produced in India - a basic one with a destruction range of up to 30 kilometers and an upgraded one with a destruction range of up to 70 km. Which of these two types of air defense systems Armenia ordered is still unknown. The Akash air defense system can be mounted on a T-72 or BMP-3 wheeled or tracked chassis. The Akash air defense system includes: - a launcher with three anti-aircraft missiles, - a multifunctional radar "Rajendra" capable of detecting targets at a range of up to 60 kilometers, as well as a control point. The complex's radar with a phased array antenna allows simultaneous tracking of up to 64 targets and guidance of up to 12 missiles. The air defense system is equipped with missiles with a warhead weighing about 60 kilograms and a flight speed of 1000 m/s. The air defense system can hit targets at altitudes of up to 19 kilometers.
Having a high target for Kaveri and actually achieving it are two entirely different things. India have a history of setting overambitious targets and not achieving them. The Kaveri engine program actually started in 1986. Even as far back then, it was already envisioned to be an Indian alternative of the GE F404. Yet, here we are at the end of 2023, and the Indians are still having this same conversation. This is the problem with Indian military development programs. When they announce the development of something, they set a very ambitious goals and then superhype that project up. So the Kaveri was hyped up to be this super engine that was supposed to push aside the GE F404, when India still lacked the ability to design and manufacture competitive jet engines. Ambition, and reality didn't match, hence as we enter 2024, that great Kaveri engine is yet to enter service.
Yes, India have a co-development program with Snecma to integrate M88 technology into the Kaveri engine program. But seriously, what technology is Snecma gonna share with India? Would they actually share crucial M88 engine technology to India? I highly doubt that. I'm betting that Snecma is gonna help India to design the Kaveri around the M88 core. A pseudo M88 if you like. Therefore making the Kaveri engine reliant on the imports of M88 cores. Why? Because, Snecma are not idiots, they are a business. If Snecma is gonna help India to develop the Kaveri, its gonna want a profitable deal. That kinda deal is nothing new for India, it has been done for the Su-30MKI, T-90, and various naval vessels.
I have a feeling that ever since Modi took power, India's weapons development program have been becoming increasingly lazy. No matter how "indigenous" a weapon system is designed for India, it is designed with extensive input from foreign vendors who are gonna want to create a captive market for their own products. Even for something as basic as an assault rifle, India still needed ToT from Kalashnikov. So instead of moving towards self-reliance, India is actually making itself even more reliant on foreign vendors. No amount of hype can hide that.
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Armenia had the Buk, Tor, and S-300 systems during the N-K war of 2020. Yet those have largely failed to stop the Azeri drones. Akash is a downgrade over those systems. It's a procurement choice that makes little sense.
So why does Armenia suddenly prefer to buy weapons from India? I suspect that it's because Armenia under Pashinyan today hates Russia, so it won't buy anything from Russia. It is pro-West, but cannot afford expensive NATO weaponry. It won't buy from China, because it is pro-West. It won't buy from South Korea and Israel because they are selling weapons to Azerbaijan and Turkey, the arch enemies. So the only option left for Armenia that is both relatively affordable, and politically acceptable is Indian weaponry. Since tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan is still quite hot, I think Armenia's Indian weaponry could see action sooner than expected. Then we shall see if these weapons can live up to the Jai Hind hype. I do not have high expectations.
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I think they're too late to the party, Azerbaijan has achieved all its political goals.
Indeed Azerbaijan had achieve all of it's political goals. Nevertheless, the bitter animosity between Azerbaijan and Armenia is there. We won't know if Armenia wants to settle some scores later, or Azerbaijan gets a little more greedy one day, because that last war went abit too well for them.
Whatever it is, there is gonna be Indian-origin weapons in a region where tensions are still high.
So by 2033, China will probably have about ~1500 J-20s or more, while India is just starting serial production of a J10C equivalent (maybe not even)
Damn. I knew the Tejas Mk2 was behind but didn't know it was that far behind.
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The Indian Air Force chief BS Dhanoa stated that the J20 isn't a fifth-generation fighter jet, dismissing it as merely a Chinese claim.
India actually declined the Russian FGFA, SU 57, stating it wasn't a genuine fifth-generation fighter jet. That's why India is working on its own AMCA FGFA. Similarly, the French Air Force doesn't possess a FGFA either.
The M88 core generates only 73kN of wet thrust, which is similar to the thrust produced by the Kaveri engine, but the kaveri is heavier. The plan to integrate the M88 into the Kaveri was abandoned a while ago. Presently, the Kaveri engine is undergoing certification for use in the GHATAK UCAV drone and also in one Tejas prototype for testing and technology demonstrations.
So the former IAF chief, BS Dhanoa is qualified to define what a 5th generation fighter is? That same guy who said that his Su-30MKI can detect a J-20 beyond even that of the Su-30MKI's own radar range? That same guy who called the J-20 China's bluff? That same guy who said that the Rafael will outclass the entire PLAAF? You trust this guy? Wokay.
I mean, even the US military respects the J-20 and the PLAAF. But India can simply belittle and dismiss them. That means that even the F-35 is not considered a 5th gen fighter according to Dhanoa's standards. Damn, India is definitely mightier than the US.
So, when India's AMCA FGFA is ready, the Indian Air Force is gonna outclass all the air forces of the entire world! Akhand Bharat could finally be realised with the power of that super duper AMCA FGFA! My god, the Chinese leadership and the PLA must be sweating already. Jai Hind!