Prime Minister Putin rebuffed his hosts on terror. He told Delhi that Pakistan has been taking potent steps against the terrorists. Prime Minister Putin obfuscated the truth, when he told his hosts that Russia did not have military ties with Pakistan. This statement is neither technically true, nor factually accurate. Russia has allowed re-export of Migs to Pakistan, approved the sale of tank engines for Islamabad, and sold WD-93 engines for jointly built Pakistani-Chinese jets.
While Putin signed many agreements in Delhi, it is poignant to note What India won’t get from Putin in Delhi
New Delhi: Highlighting the special status accorded by Russia to its ties with India, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday said his country did not have any military cooperation with Pakistan because it understands India’s concerns.
On a visit here, Putin said terror groups operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan were a threat to the entire world and action against these would be in the “best interest” of Pakistan itself.
“Unlike many other countries, Russia does not have any military cooperation with Pakistan because we bear in mind the concerns of our Indian friends,” he said. We don’t have military ties with Pak because of India: Putin, 2010-03-12 22:10:00
Bharat (aka India) is the only country of its size that is still purchasing aircraft from the rest of the planet. It doesn’t have the infrastructure, or the manufacturing expertise to build planes. It has been assembling aircraft and calling them locally manufactured for the past several decades. This was recently admitted by the head of the Indian Air Force, and widely reported in the Bharati press. Abject failure in indigenous arms production forced Delhi to buy weapons without Transfer of Technology
The Delhi Dud Report on Indian Defense: Arms that don’t work.
Bharat will plunk down several billion Dollars for a “joint” FGFA fighter which Russia calls PAKFA. One slight problem with the timeline. While Bharat is advertising a joint design–Russia just tested the PAKFA several weeks ago. While HAL advertises that it will be jointly manufactured, the Russian Ambassador laughed at the suggestion. He wanted to know what value add Bharat will bring to the table for the PAKFA. Thus its simply a sales deal.
Terror outfits in AfPak threat to entire world, says Putin
He made the remarks after his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during which the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues including Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism emanating from these countries.
The two leaders exchanged views on Afghanistan where Taliban are showing signs of resurgence.
Earlier in the day, Putin said at a programme that Russia understood well the concerns of India regarding banned terror outfits operating against it from Pakistan.
“Parts of Afghanistan’s soil continues to be used by terror groups. We understand the concerns of India regarding the activities of banned outfits in Pakistan,” he said.
Russia keen to help India in N-energy sector: Putin
Noting that Pakistan has taken action against those outfits in the last few months, Putin said, “We hope addressing the problem (of terror groups) will be in the best interest of Pakistan. We need to support those efforts.”
Putin said India and Russia were concerned over terror activities and were strategic partners in the fight against terror. We don’t have military ties with Pak because of India: Putin, 2010-03-12 22:10:00
Last Updated: 2010-03-12 22:58:35
It was hard to tell but scratch the surface and the Indo-Russian relationship has turned sour since Delhi began romancing the stones of Washington. The last snub that Bharat received was during the London Conference when Afghanistan was handed on a platter to Pakistan and Delhi was given a seat in the second row. russia was part and parcel of the deal at the London conference, and didn’t even allow Delhi a graceful exit ahead of time or a face saving life-jacket during the conference. Delhi had to take the snub by 61 countries on the chin.
What Delhi wants from Mr. Putin is a sale price on arms. Bharat will pay through the nose, because of its own incompetence in not being able to generate a plane, a tank, a missile or any major artifact which could be passed off as military hardware. It is ironic that a third world country that hosts 75% of the poor, and whose entire population (except for the city dwellers) lives below the standard of living of Sub-Saharan Africa. Hundreds of arms companies will give away free key-chains in a Mumbai while half the population of the city lives on sidewalks–the city host of the world’s largest garbage dump called a slum, and the city embroiled in ethnic and race conflict today.
The jacked up price (three times the original and 60% more than market value) will be reduced by a fraction and Bharat will have to pay hard currency to the tune of $3 Billion for a rust bucket that was obsoleted 20 years ago. Bharat wants to have the prestige of a rusty tub sailing in the ocean with a Tri-colored flag. No matter that it doesn’t have planes for it when it arrives. The squadron will be ostentatiously named “Black Panthers” won’t be ready when the Admiral G arrives.The Air-carft carrier they are supposed already be in the ocean (if Delhi and Moscow are able to agree on a price that is).
The decision will be formally announced a few days before the visit,’ a senior Russian official said here. The visit by Putin, a former president, will be his first to India after becoming prime minister.
Talks are also expected on the final price of Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The price has been finalised and is awaiting the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Putin visit: India may sign for 29 MiG-29K fighters, 2010-02-13 14:40:00, Last Updated: 2010-02-13 15:02:07
Bharat will buy the Mig 29s which will arrive at a later date, while the creeky Admiral G sails naked. Carrier without plans. Planes without ship: Desperate India rebuffed on Su-33s now seeks untested F-35s
- The Indian Navy has recently floated a tender for new aircraft for a yet to be be built Air Craft Carrier.
- Apparently this Navy tender delivers another blow to the the “yet to see daylight”—Kevari based Tejas. Indian Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), continues to falter even after 25 years. The immutable Tejas aircraft development has been n the perennial design phase for the past three decades—with development ending nowhere in sight. Last we heard, it was being retrofitted with a yet to be determined GE engine (after the multi-billion Dollar failed Kevari was finally cancelled last year). Unmitigated failure: Indian Tejas scrapped. New Snecma plane?
- Paleolithic vintage Indian Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat has been mothballed a few times. The first time when the British discarded it decades ago. Then the Indian Navy mothballed it—in anticipation of the arrival of the Admiral Gorshkov (which has not been delivered on time, and may never be delivered to Bharat).
- The INS Viraat has Paleolithic vintage Harrier Aircraft—the squadron strength is down to fifty percent and counting. For all practical purposes, it has no planes.
- The Viraat now has a great looking “ ‘water’ slide” which may work for a third rate water park—but is pretty basic and useless for ensuring modern aircraft to take off from a Aircraft Carrier
- The Admiral Gorshkov ripoff. The Neolithic vintage Russian Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov has also been mothballed, at least once. The Russians mothballed it in the 80s after the demise of he USSR.Aircraft Carrier “Admiral Gorshkov”: Delhi wanted a Lada, & now demands a Mercedes
- Originally, the Admiral Gorshkov was supposed to get the Su-33S (Aircraft Carrier version). The Russians are selling them to the Chinese for the Chinese Aircraft Carrier. The Russians have apparently now refused to sell Delhi the Su-33s (which were the planes originally designed for the Gorshkov).
- It gets better—the 20 Mig 29s (actually stripped down versions of older Migs) were sent to Delhi in “kit format” (knocked down version), so Delhi could assemble the planes and then claim that they were “manufactured” in Bharat. All these have not even been assembled, let alone prepped for any take-off or landing practice. Delhi Duds: The fiasco of the IAFs Mig 29s. The Mig 29s are rusting in crates in an undisclosed location—possibly near Goa.More Flying coffins?
- Desperate for planes, Delhi is doing what Delhi politicians know best—float another tender and spend billions—so that the kickbacks can fill the pockets of the Russia mafia and the indolent leaders of the Congress or the BJP. Not surprisingly the Indian Navy has floated a tender for Aircraft Carrier based planes to adorn the yet to be delivered Admiral Gorshkov (neither the price, nor the schedule of the Air Craft Carrier has been decided upon).
- The new Indian Navy tender bid is for Boeng’s F-18 Superhornet, Eurofighter Typhoon and France’s Dassault Aviation’s Rafale. Amazingly the Indian Navy has now requested a bid from Lockheed for the F-35s (5th gen plane that has been funded my the US and the Europeans).
- The F-35 has not been tested, and initial results are not very positive. The Australians and the Kiwis as well as some of the Europeans are livid at the performance of the plane. Some analysts believe that it may face the fate of the dumped F-111s
- The Indian Navy’s order comes on the heels of the Air Force order of 126 planes that will be delivered in the next decade or so.
- The current Indian Navy’s order for the 20 F-18s etc are not for the Admiral Gorshkov (or INS Vikarm—if it ever gets transferred to Delhi).
- The current INS order will be for India’s old “indigenous” (read Russian kit). Delhi’s Kochi (called IAC for Indigenous Aircraft Carrier) is still a twinkle in the eyes—as the “keel has recently been laid”. Building an Aircraft Carrier is a huge enterprise, and even China with its huge infrastructure and money has been struggling with it. If Kochi ever sees light, it will have brand spanking aircraft ready for its deck—if the planes are delivered on time
Bharat (aka India) has a 50s vintage obsolete aircraft carrier but doesn’t have the planes to carry them. Half of them crashed under the inept leadership of the IAF which has the worst crash record of any Air Force on the planet.
On the other hand the mothballed Russian Aircraft Carrier Gorshkov for which Bharat has paid about $3 Billion still doesn’t have a confirmed delivery date or even a confirmed contract to which both parties (Delhi and Moscow) have agreed upon. The Mig 29s that were supposed to have been carried by Gorshkov have arrived and have no home—they were built to take off and land from Aircraft Carriers. MiG-29Ks are the maritime version of the Migs and their maximum effectiveness emanates from the deck of an aircraft carrier. They cannot land on the Viraat.
The Indian Navy had mothballed the obsolete Viraat (along with the Harriers) with a decommissioning date all set—it was recommissioned because the Gorskov got delayed by several years. The Indian Navy did not want to be left without the prestige of an Aricraft Carrier.
The arcane Viraat does not have a landing strip that can accommodate the Migs landing on it. Only the British-origin Sea Harriers which are specifically designed for Aircraft Carriers can land on the Viraat—and that landing is a “Vertical landing” (like a chopper). The vintage Sea Harriers used to be useful for reconnaissance and search and rescue mission—and have minimal fighter jet capability. The Indian Navy would have liked to fill the decks of the Viraat with the Harriers, but the planes are pretty much useless, so the Navy would rather leave the deck of the Viraat empty then to fill the deck with aircraft that serve no useful purpose.
Bharat is replacing the vintage Viraat with an expired Gorshkov. The Russians are fed up of dealing with the Indians on the Gorshkov, and the Bharatis are fed up of paying more Dollars for the Gorshkov—which is now 60% more than the price of a new Aircraft Carrier (that no body would sell to the Indians).
