Top 15 countries with the highest military expenditure

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double post

 

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=> BRAHMOS - The World's Fastest Cruise Missile :: BrahMos.com

India Is Developing Its First "Real" ICBM
By Zachary Keck

India is beginning to develop a new, longer range nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) local media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

A scientist with the Defense Research and Development Organization, India's military technology agency, told The New Indian Express that DRDO is secretly developing a missile with an initial range of 6,000 km (3,728 miles). Currently, India's longest range ballistic missile is the Agni-V, which has a range of about 5,000 km.

The same source said that the missile that is under development as the Agni-VI, but which will ultimately be called Surya, could eventually be extended to have a range of 10,000 km (6,213 miles).

Earlier this week DRDO chief Avinash Chander had said that India was capable of developing a missile with a range of 10,000 km within two and a half years if necessary. He also suggested that Delhi was not interested in utilizing this capability.

"Range is the least problematic area," Chander said, according to The Times of India. "We have the full capability to go to any range"¦it's just a question of additional propellant and larger motors. But, as of now, we don't see the need for a higher range."

The reports comes just days after DRDO successfully tested the Agni-V for the second time. The first test was back in April of last year. The Agni-V allows India to hold many of China's largest cities under threat from its nuclear arsenal for the first time. As such, it is often called the "China killer" by India's media.

Although the Indian media often refers to the Agni-V as an ICBM, its range of 5,000 km is slightly less than the international standard for an ICBM, which is 5,500 km. Thus, Surya will technically be India's first ICBM.

As previously reported, India has been working on equipping the Agni-V with multiple independent re-entry vehicles (MIRV) that would give it the ability to carry multiple nuclear warheads on a single missile. The scientist who spoke with The New Indian Express on Wednesday said that Surya would be made slightly heavier in order to carry even more nuclear warheads.

"While Agni-V can carry up to three nuclear warheads, the next missile in the series can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, capable of hitting multiple targets," the DRDO scientist said, according to The New Indian Express.

The same report suggested that the Surya will be ready for testing within three years.

This indicates that development of the missile may be encountering difficulties. The first reports of the Agni-VI's existence from earlier this year suggested that development would take just two years. Those initial reports also said that the Agni-VI's initial strike range would be between 8,000 and 10,000 km, instead of the 6,000 km reported on Wednesday. :thumb:

India Is Developing Its First “Real” ICBM | Flashpoints | The Diplomat

 

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Top Ten Countries with Largest Navies

=> Countries with Largest Navies - World Top Ten

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya delivery to India in mid-November
Sep 17, 2013

(India has paid $2.33 billion for INS Vikramadityas refit, instead of the original $974 million earmarked in the January 2004 contract under which the carrier was to be originally delivered by August 2008.)

NEW DELHI: After a long running saga of hard-nosed negotiations since the late-1990s, cost escalations, refit delays and mishaps, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has finally completed its extensive sea trials in Russia. The 44,570-tonne warship, or the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov, is now all set to be handed over to India in mid-November.

Defence ministry sources on Tuesday said INS Vikramaditya has "now successfully" finished its series of "sustained full-power and aviation trials" in the White and Barents seas. "The carrier will now head back to the harbour at Severodvinsk. It will then be made ready for the commissioning on November 15. It will reach Indian shores, with an Indian crew commanded by Captain Suraj Berry, in early-2014," said a source.

India has paid $2.33 billion for Vikramaditya's refit, instead of the original $974 million earmarked in the January 2004 contract under which the carrier was to be originally delivered by August 2008. India is also spending another $2 billion to induct 45 Russian MiG-29K naval fighters to operate from the decks of INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction INS Vikrant, which too has been delayed at the Cochin Shipyard till at least end- 2018. :thumb:

Given the huge delays in both the projects, the Navy will continue to flog its old warhorse, the 54-year-old INS Viraat, which is left with just 11 Sea Harrier jump-jets to operate from its deck, till 2018. The delays have also derailed the Navy's long-stated aim to operate two full-fledged carrier battle groups (CBGs) anytime soon, as was earlier reported by TOI.

INS Vikramaditya was to be inducted into the Indian Navy by last December, as per the then re-revised timeframe, but serious engine and boiler malfunctions during the trials delayed the delivery by another year.

With the Mumbai harbour not capable of handling INS Vikramaditya, the mammoth warship will be based at the newish Karwar naval base in coastal Karnataka, which has undergone its Phase-I development at a cost of Rs 2,629 crore. The government recently also approved the Phase-IIA expansion of Karwar, which gives India both strategic depth and operational flexibility, at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore. :thumb:

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya finishes trials in Russia, delivery to India in mid-November - Times Of India

 

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[jmj_overlord]

so ins vikramaditya will be recieved by indian navy by november 15th or something, right ?

 

[hello_10]

so ins vikramaditya will be recieved by indian navy by november 15th or something, right ?

hopefully, and we have also discussed in my post#5 of the thread as below, that India is still much luckier than its option of BrItish HMS and its home project of aircraft carrier, in terms of cost and delays both, as below :thumb:

=> http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/...iends-indias-strategic-defense-relations.html

 

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double post

 

[jmj_overlord]

Indian navy to induct INS vikramaditya next month........finally

 

[hello_10]

Indian navy to induct INS vikramaditya next month........finally

mig29s are already in service so we may even see the whole AC working by even december

 

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Indian Navy gets second p-8i from boeing in Tamil nadu
16th November 2013

The Indian Navy on Friday received the second of its eight Boeing P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft at the INS Rajali Air Base in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, raising surveillance capabilities that could extend from Gulf of Aden on the West to Malacca Straits on the East. The remaining six P-8Is of the eight-plane order would be delivered over the next one-and-half years.:thumb: "The second P-8I landed at Rajali during the day," Defence officials said here. The aircraft, based on the Boeing 737-800(NG) airframe, is the Indian variant of the US Navy's P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has built.

India is pursuing the option of procuring four more of the P-8Is from Boeing for `4,381 crore, on the basis of its 2009 January contract for delivering eight of these planes for `11,000 crore.

On Monday, the Defence Ministry's acquisition council, chaired by Minister A K Antony, approved Boeing's amended offset proposals for the four-plane order likely to be placed soon. Under the contract, 30 per cent of the deal would be ploughed back into India by Boeing as offsets in the form of purchases from the Indian defence, aerospace and internal security industry or technology transfers or capability building in modern technologies in these sectors.

The P-8Is are fully integrated with state-of-the-art sensors and highly-potent anti-surface and anti-submarine weapons for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine operations and electronic intelligence missions.

The planes are equipped with the Harpoon anti-submarine weapon systems, also from the Boeing stable.

The P-8I not only incorporates India's unique design features, but also India-built subsystems that are tailor-made to fit the country's maritime patrol requirements.

The first P-8I was delivered to India by Boeing in mid-May this year and the plane had carried out its first long distance mission when it flew out of Arakkonam to Emerald Island in Andaman and Nicobar in the first week of August. The plane, with anti-submarine warfare capability, took off from the Naval Air Base INS Rajali then and landed at INS Utkrosh air field.

India is the first international customer of this aircraft, which has provided a quantum leap to its maritime surveillance capabilities and its strategic reach, as it can fly non-stop to reach the eastern or western end of the Indian Ocean in quick time.

Indian Navy gets second p-8i from boeing in Tamil nadu - The New Indian Express

Boeing P-8 Poseidon

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon (formerly the Multimission Maritime Aircraft or MMA) is a military aircraft currently being developed for the United States Navy (USN). The aircraft is being developed by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, modified from the 737-800.

The P-8 is intended to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and shipping interdiction and to engage in an electronic intelligence (ELINT) role. This will involve carrying torpedoes, depth charges, SLAM-ER, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. It will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle. The P-8 has also been ordered by the Indian Navy.

The P-8 is based on a proven airframe design and will at first be equipped with legacy P-3 systems with later upgrades to more advanced technology.

The first production P-8A was handed over to the Navy on 4 March 2012. It flew to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, where it will be used for aircrew training with the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30).[2] On 24 September 2012, Boeing announced it had received a $1.9 billion order for another 11 aircraft. It has delivered the first three P-8As.[22]

On 10 June 2013, a DoD Inspector General (IG) report noted that the Navy should delay full-rate production for the P-8, as they lack critical information necessary about whether the aircraft meets operational requirements to perform primary missions. Additional testing also needs to be completed to guarantee a 25-year lifespan for the airframe.[23] Boeing executives dismissed the report, saying the flight test program is on track.[24]

On 24 June 2013, a P-8 Poseidon successfully fired a live AGM-84D Block IC Harpoon anti-ship missile scoring a direct hit. The test was to validate the weapons' hardware and software integration onto the aircraft.[25]

On 1 July 2013, a U.S. Navy initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) report found that the P-8A Poseidon was "operationally effective, operationally suitable, and ready for fleet introduction." Nine low-rate initial production aircraft have been delivered to the service.[3]

As of September 2013 it is intended to replace all of the Navy's P-3s with 117 P-8As by 2019, but sequestration may delay this by two years.[28]

In January 2008, Boeing proposed the P-8I, a customized export variant of the P-8A, for the Indian Navy.[58] On 4 January 2009, India's Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with Boeing for the supply of eight P-8Is at a total cost of US$2.1 billion. These aircraft would replace Indian Navy's aging Tupolev Tu-142M maritime surveillance turboprops.[59][60][61] Each aircraft has an average cost of about US$220 million.[62] The deal makes India the first international customer of the P-8, and also marks Boeing's first military sale to India.[63] In October 2010, India's Defence Acquisition Council of the Ministry of Defence approved the purchase of four additional P-8Is.[64][65] In March 2011, it was reported that India was to order four additional P-8s from Boeing later in the year.[66] India plans to order another 12 P-8Is at a later time.[67][68]

The Data Link II communications technology for the P-8I was received by Boeing from Bharat Electronics Limited in April 2010. The communications system will enable exchange of tactical data and messages between Indian Navy aircraft, ships and shore establishments. Boeing will install the system during P-8I final assembly.[69][70] The IFF, system from BEL was also handed over to Boeing for integration with P-8I in December 2010.[71] India buying AGM-84L Harpoon Block II Missiles and Mk 54 All-Up-Round Lightweight Torpedoes for the P-8I.[72]

Flight testing of P-8Is began in July 2012,[73] with deliveries planned to start in 2013.[68][74] The first P-8I was handed over to an Indian naval team at the Boeing facility at Seattle on 19 December 2012.[75][76] The Indian Navy is to fly it to India along with the second and third aircraft after they are handed over in May and June 2013.[75] The Indian Navy inducted its first Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft on 15 May 2013.[77] It received a second P-8I on 16 November 2013.[78][79] The aircraft are based at INS Rajali, in Tamil Nadu.[78]

Boeing P-8 Poseidon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia