25-Jul-2008

In a contentious move the Bush Administration has confirmed that it will move $230 million in Pakistan's foreign military funding (FMF) package from items to assist in the counter-terrorism fight to upgrading the country's F-16 fighters. The use of the money is set to be discussed when President George W. Bush hosts Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for talks on 28 July.

The move by the white House has Democrats in Washington up in arms. They point out that the FMF should be used primarily to bolster US security and should be used on counter-terrorism equipment and training rather than to assist Pakistan in its continuing military rivalry with India by updating its fighter capability.

However, Bush officials told reporters that the rejected the notion that Pakistan's F-16s were of no use in the counter-terrorism fight and said that the aircraft can be used in counter-terrorism operations. But questions remain over Pakistan's current commitment to the US-led 'Global War on Terrorism.'

The Pakistan Army suffered badly in counter-terrorism operations against Taliban militants in the country's lawless border areas with Afghanistan before a ceasfire was negotiated In April. Since then US and coalition forces have noticed a rise in attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan as the Taliban feels secure continuing to launch attacks from Pakistan.

Terrorism analysts claim that alongside the Taliban Al-Qaeda is also building a base of operation in Pakistan. In that regard the money for the F-16s could be seen as a bribe to try and get Pakistan to re-launch its efforts to clean up its lawless border areas.

24-Jul-2008

According to local news outlets the Indian government released a much anticipated tender for light utility helicopters that could be worth up to $750 million. The tender is for 197 helicopters to replace the army and air force's ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak aircraft.

The tender is expected to request deliveries of the aircraft to begin in 2010 with the army to take 133 aircraft and the Indian Air Force requesting 64 helicopters. The tender is being issued to six companies these are US manufacturers Bell Helicopters, Boeing, Sikorsky as well as Eurocopter, Rosenbroexport and Augusta Westland.

As well as offering the right aircraft all the companies will be expected to offer industrial offsets of at least 50 per cent. The aircraft the companies are being asked to offer are all off the shelf. Ongoing maintenance and support of the helicopters is to be handled by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The helicopters will be expected to operate in the cold high conditions of India's mountainous regions bordering on China and Pakistan. The current fleet is struggling to continue to operate under the conditions at a time when India wants to bolster its defences.

Separately the defence ministry is also looking at a purchase of attack helicopters.

23-Jul-2008

According to local reports, the indigenously developed 'Nag' (Cobra) fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is nearing the successful completion of its trials and will undertake final development tests in the next couple of weeks.

The ATGM is scheduled to conduct a further two days of trials next week in the Pokhran desert according to officials from Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). A total of seven missiles are to be fired against both static and moving targets during the trials on 27-28 July

The ATGM was first conceived over 20 years ago and DRDO has struggled to fully develop the system as requirements were incrementally adapted over that time. However, DRDO is satisfied that the Na, which has a range of four kilometres, is up to the job.

If successful next week DRDO officials said that user trials of Nag by the Indian army would follow closely on the heels of the Pokhran trials. Currently officials are aiming for the first Nag systems to enter service by the end of this year. However, DRDO will have to struggle against the Indian Army's recent acquisitions of some 4,000 ATGMs from Russia and France to fill part of the capability gap that Nag is meant to occupy.

The defence ministry is believed to be about to float new tenders for up to 4,000 more ATGMs in the near future. DRDO officials hope that their indigenous capability will be top of the list.

22-Jul-2008

Buoyed by the remarkable success of supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, India and Russia are now mulling the joint development of a futuristic 'smart' battle tank, featuring higher speed and better firepower.

"We put forward this idea (of developing the tank) at the turn of the 21st century. The Indian side has now come up with a similar proposal," Nikolai Malykh, Director General of Russia's biggest tank producer Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) said.

Malykh said preliminary discussions have already taken place and UVZ experts are now going to India to carry forward the issue on the margins of international seminar on Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT) organised by the Indian Army and CII.

"We will take the first step when our experts go to India to attend a conference on the future tank and prospects for the tank-building industry," Malykh told reporters on the sidelines of a defence expo.

Moscow Defence Brief (MDB) magazine said the new tank featuring higher speed, better firepower, sophisticated armour protection and a smoother ride will mark 'a great step forward in armour technology'.

For the survivability of the highly trained human assets, armour-protected crew compartment will be sealed from the unmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader.

The crew will be networked with a virtual-reality command information system linked to reconnaissance aircraft and satellites.

Quoting sources the MDB said the new tank is likely to have a new main gun of up to 152 mm calibre and a new hunter-killer fire control system with target acquisition in optical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will be accessible both to the gunner and tank commander.

Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis and Technologies Konstantin Makiyenko said the new tank will consolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army.

"If the projects takes off, the new tank will consolidate India's edge over the Pakistani Army armed with Ukraine's potent T-80 MBT and the Al-Khalid MBT built jointly with China and Ukraine," he told the news agency.

Makiyenko noted that with the highest level of political trust and vast experience of interaction between Indian and Russian defence experts and engineers accumulated since the Soviet times, India is the 'ideal' partner for the post-Communist Russia in developing futuristic weapons.

The expert said logically Russia's Uralvagonzavod would be the best partner for India in designing and building the new tank given a long history of its cooperation with Avadi-based heavy vehicles factory in the production of T-72 and T-90S main battle tanks.

22-Jul-2008

Swiss arms exports rose 63 percent in the first half of the year as compared with the same period last year, with Pakistan the leading destination, customs authorities said on Tuesday. Arms exports were valued at 348 million Swiss francs ($341 million), of which Pakistan accounted for 67 million francs, according to the federal customs office. Pakistan's arms purchases from Switzerland came to just 900,000 francs in the first six months of 2007. Denmark accounted for 43 million francs worth of Swiss arms exports, Germany and Belgium 35 million each and Britain 25 million.