ADA Tejas Mark-II/Medium Weight Fighter

[MonaLazy]

Dr Tessy Thomas claiming the Kaveri is good enough to fly right now aboard a Tejas is similar to what ADA officials speaking at Aero India 2021 claimed about the T/L of the LCA Mk-1 / Mk-1a / Mk-2 & those of the AMCA & TEDBF

See the great circus that is Indian defence R&D- it is a break dance (because the system is broken) between MoD, DRDO & the users- the forces draw up star wars ASQRs and everyone in the service hierarchy gives themselves a pat on the back. 99% chance given the miserable funding and state of India's industry DRDO is going to fail- so they can continue imports & associated perks- life goes on as usual. If somehow in the impossible 1% chance they do deliver after many many many years then time to go back to the board & start drafting new requirements (Tejas Mk2, FMBT,...)!

MoD is highly stingy with funds and will release them only when it is satisfied it has caused enough delay to show who's the boss.

So in the end it is the scientists and industry that carry the weight of the project. With a pittance for funds, an unsupportive user & a country that missed the industrial manufacturing revolution- they take their own sweet time coming up with the solution.

For any long-term observer of the glacial pace of Indian defence R&D you have to appreciate that in this setup timelines will rarely be honoured (recent slew of new missiles is an exception)- but the general direction is consistent & forward and they will get to the end goal- even if they progress at snail's pace.

 

[cannonfodder]

See the great circus that is Indian defence R&D- it is a break dance (because the system is broken) between MoD, DRDO & the users- the forces draw up star wars ASQRs and everyone in the service hierarchy gives themselves a pat on the back. 99% chance given the miserable funding and state of India's industry DRDO is going to fail- so they can continue imports & associated perks- life goes on as usual. If somehow in the impossible 1% chance they do deliver after many many many years then time to go back to the board & start drafting new requirements (Tejas Mk2, FMBT,...)!

MoD is highly stingy with funds and will release them only when it is satisfied it has caused enough delay to show who's the boss.

So in the end it is the scientists and industry that carry the weight of the project. With a pittance for funds, an unsupportive user & a country that missed the industrial manufacturing revolution- they take their own sweet time coming up with the solution.

For any long-term observer of the glacial pace of Indian defence R&D you have to appreciate that in this setup timelines will rarely be honoured (recent slew of new missiles is an exception)- but the general direction is consistent & forward and they will get to the end goal- even if they progress at snail's pace.

We will get there slowly, it is going to be painfully slow as it has been in past. But as financial conditions and economy improves it will have compounding effect if institutional memory in DRDO/ADA/industries persist.

Other than this, political parties also has to make some money to throw in elections (which inevitably requires ways to make commissions in defence deals neglecting homegrown tech).

 

[Whitecollar]

for two decades China used same AL31 in 500+ single engine J10s (now replacing with Ws10 )..

despite iron curtain their should've been a dozen leaks of J10 crashes coming out if AL31 was so bad. Maybe HAL's overhaul division needs better training .

Oops...

 

[Wisemarko]

 

[Wisemarko]

Great read

 

[MirageBlue]

 

[MonaLazy]

swarajyamag.com/defence/india-and-us-discuss-co-production-of-f-414-jet-engines-during-us-secretary-of-defence-lloyd-austins-two-day-visit

India And US Discuss Co-Production Of F-414 Jet Engines During US Secretary Of Defence Lloyd Austin's Two-Day Visit
by Ujjwal Shrotryia - Monday, June 5, 2023 03:04 PM IST

The F414-GE-100 engine.
India and the United States (US) Defence Ministers Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh talked about the co-production of US General Electric (GE) F-414 jet engines in India, in a highly anticipated deal which is expected to be signed when Prime Minister Modi visits the United States, this month.
The US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is in India for a two-day visit.
Austin met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh where "they discussed a range of bilateral defence cooperation issues, with particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation," a statement released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
The statement added, "Both sides will identify opportunities for co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing & new systems and facilitate increased collaboration between defence start-up ecosystems of the two countries".
"Delighted to meet my friend, @SecDef Austin in New Delhi. Our talks revolved around enhancing defence cooperation in several areas including convergence of strategic interests and enhanced security cooperation," the Defence Minister tweeted.
Among the various technologies that India and the United States want to co-develop and co-produce, jet engine technology is highest on the list.
Chalking out a broad strategy regarding the co-development of the GE F-414 jet engine in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is, according to various reports, highest on the agenda of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh.
It is reported that the transfer of technology (ToT) for jet engines was the main talking point of the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval's talk with his American counterpart Jack Sullivan in late January this year.
The talks were about the operationalisation of US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging technologies (iCET), under which India will manufacture F414 jet engine in India.
The US-India, iCET, was first announced by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden, in May 2022.
The General Electric (GE) F-414 jet engine is a low-bypass afterburning turbofan engines which produces a maximum thrust of 98 kN. These engines will power the 4++ generation in-development, Tejas Mk-2 fighter jet.
GE's F-404 IN20 jet engines already powers Light Combat Aircraft's (LCA) Tejas and Mk-1A variants.
According to reports, after the signing the agreement, the US government will notify US congress for approval which is expected to be passed with bi-partisan support.
"The two Ministers explored ways of building resilient supply chains," the statement said talking about the creation of shock resistant supply chains to prevent the repetition of the supply chains shocks experienced at the time of Covid.
"Senior officials from Ministry of Defence, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr Samir V Kamat," also participated in the meeting, the statement futher adds.
Turning to India's pursuit of jet engines, despite the extensive efforts over the years, the development of a suitable engine has remained a challenge.
India has been working on the development of jet engines for several decades.
Despite significant investment of time and resources in the GTX Kaveri engine development project, India has been unable to produce an engine suitable for high-performance fighter jets. The Kaveri engine was, in its development trials, only able to produce a maximum sustained wet-thrust of 80 kN, against the requirement of 90-100 kN.
However, the engines were able to reliably produce 51 kN without the use of afterburners (dry thrust), making them suitable for use in Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs).
Gas-Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO's) lab, which was the nodal agency for the GTX Kaveri project is now developing a dry variant of kaveri for application in flying-wing stealth UCAV.
Intern at Swarajya. Writes on Indian Military and Defence.

 

[MonaLazy]

www.theweek.in/news/india/2023/06/02/likely-hal-ge-aero-engine-deal-will-resolve-indias-fighter-aircraft-woes.html

Likely HAL-GE aero-engine deal will resolve India’s fighter aircraft woes
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to meet US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday

HAL | Reuters
Reeling under a compelling shortage of fighter aircraft, India’s woes of scarcity may get resolved when a deal between India’s leading defence public sector undertaking—Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)—and US conglomerate General Electric (GE) is inked later this month, sources told THE WEEK.
PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden on June 22, during the former’s official visit to the US. Much of the groundwork is expected to be cleared during a meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Llyod James Austin at 10am on Monday.
The deal for jointly making the powerful GE F414-INS6 aero-engine on Indian soil, to power an enhanced version of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft—Tejas Mk2—will also open the possibility for fitting the engine into a range of other fighter aircraft that India is planning to develop and produce.
“At the moment, the focus is on aero-engines for the Tejas Mk 2 and our insistence on total Transfer of Technology (ToT), so we are working out the details. It is a definitive development and holds out a lot of potential for manufacturing an entire range of fighter aircraft,” a source familiar with the development told THE WEEK.
The earlier version of the Tejas LCA was also powered by a GE aero-engine—the F404. But the GE F414- INS6 is among the most powerful from the GE stable with the highest thrust.
To fight a simultaneous two-front war against adversaries in the north and west, in terms of sheer numbers, India needs at least 756 fighter aircraft or about 42 squadrons. But at the moment, the Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates only about 560 aircraft with a critical deficit of about 196 odd fighters.
The problem would further worsen in view of the gradual phasing out of Mig-21s, Jaguars, Mirage 2000s, and Mig-29s by 2030. On average, the normal life expectancy of a fighter aircraft is about 40 years and most of these fighters have exceeded that a long time ago.
With ‘Atmanirbharta’ or self-reliance becoming the guiding mantra in defence manufacturing, the emphasis has been on developing indigenous capabilities for aircraft production and focus on collaborations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in developing and producing these combat platforms.
While India needs assured access to aero-engine technology, the US is keen to position India against a rising and more assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

[DumbPilot]

www.theweek.in/news/india/2023/06/02/likely-hal-ge-aero-engine-deal-will-resolve-indias-fighter-aircraft-woes.html

Likely HAL-GE aero-engine deal will resolve India’s fighter aircraft woes
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to meet US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday

HAL | Reuters
Reeling under a compelling shortage of fighter aircraft, India’s woes of scarcity may get resolved when a deal between India’s leading defence public sector undertaking—Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)—and US conglomerate General Electric (GE) is inked later this month, sources told THE WEEK.
PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden on June 22, during the former’s official visit to the US. Much of the groundwork is expected to be cleared during a meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Llyod James Austin at 10am on Monday.
The deal for jointly making the powerful GE F414-INS6 aero-engine on Indian soil, to power an enhanced version of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft—Tejas Mk2—will also open the possibility for fitting the engine into a range of other fighter aircraft that India is planning to develop and produce.
“At the moment, the focus is on aero-engines for the Tejas Mk 2 and our insistence on total Transfer of Technology (ToT), so we are working out the details. It is a definitive development and holds out a lot of potential for manufacturing an entire range of fighter aircraft,” a source familiar with the development told THE WEEK.
The earlier version of the Tejas LCA was also powered by a GE aero-engine—the F404. But the GE F414- INS6 is among the most powerful from the GE stable with the highest thrust.
To fight a simultaneous two-front war against adversaries in the north and west, in terms of sheer numbers, India needs at least 756 fighter aircraft or about 42 squadrons. But at the moment, the Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates only about 560 aircraft with a critical deficit of about 196 odd fighters.
The problem would further worsen in view of the gradual phasing out of Mig-21s, Jaguars, Mirage 2000s, and Mig-29s by 2030. On average, the normal life expectancy of a fighter aircraft is about 40 years and most of these fighters have exceeded that a long time ago.
With ‘Atmanirbharta’ or self-reliance becoming the guiding mantra in defence manufacturing, the emphasis has been on developing indigenous capabilities for aircraft production and focus on collaborations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in developing and producing these combat platforms.
While India needs assured access to aero-engine technology, the US is keen to position India against a rising and more assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region.

This makes me dream of a day when Mk2s are being mass produced like F-16s

 

[silverghost]

This makes me dream of a day when Mk2s are being mass produced like F-16s

Now can India stop wasting money in Kaveri & work with GE to produce not just F414 but other engines which can power other jets?

 

[johnj]

This makes me dream of a day when Mk2s are being mass produced like F-16s

Not happening, max 1000 nos including export

 

[johnj]

Now can India stop wasting money in Kaveri & work with GE to produce not just F414 but other engines which can power other jets?

Can't. India need Kaveri and its further developments for future applicants and need a new JV to catch up with new standers. Our situation is similar Turkey F35/UAE F35 deal, they want something from India and using 2009/2013 deal as a bargaining chip. GTRE/DRDO responsible for R&D of TF engine, HAL only assemble & manufacturing them. and if there is no gtre/drdo involvement then is no real tech, only supply of machinery/permission to produce them, its like Chinese producing US/EU goods like iphone, mac, airbus etc

 

[MonaLazy]

if there is no gtre/drdo involvement then is no real tech, only supply of machinery/permission to produce them, its like Chinese producing US/EU goods like iphone, mac, airbus etc

Deal for F414 is being driven by ADA which will start off exactly like contract manufacturing, but local component will keep going up over time- hopefully in a decade it is fully localised. GTRE will be involved in AMCA Mk 2 engine.

 

[MonaLazy]

GE may manufacture engines for fighter jets in India, deal likely to be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis US visit

New Delhi: After the bilateral defence dialogue between India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the United States&rsq

www.indiasentinels.com

GE may manufacture engines for fighter jets in India, deal likely to be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit
Team India Sentinels Monday 5th of June 2023 07:19 PM

New Delhi: After the bilateral defence dialogue between India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the United States’ defence secretary Llyod Austin in New Delhi, on Monday, it has emerged that the talks were dominated by a possible deal in which US’s General Electric will manufacture engines for fighter planes in India. India has been seeking a foreign partner with expertise in making complex warplane engines to set up a manufacturing plant in the country with an Indian partner with transfer of technology.
India has been in talks with the US for more than a decade now for the same. However, the talks couldn’t move ahead with the US’s reluctance to share critical jet-engine technology with New Delhi. The Cincinnati-headquartered GE Aerospace, which is a subsidiary of GE, manufactures engines for warplanes.
It may be recalled that in March this year, the US Air Force secretary, Frank Kendall, said that the US was willing to share the full technology to manufacture fighter engines with India. According to sources in the defence establishment, an intergovernmental deal between India and the US is highly likely to be signed when the prime minister, Narendra Modi, visits the country between June 21 and June 24.
Currently, India has several indigenous warplane projects lined up, like the Tejas MKII, twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF), and advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). If the deal goes through, all these fighters would have GE engines powering them.
It may be mentioned that in 2021, the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had signed a $716 million deal with GE Aviation for the supply of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines for the LCA MK 1A fighter. Also, the first version of the 40 light combat aircraft, Tejas LCA, is also powered by the F404-GE-IN20 engine.
This was necessitated because India’s indigenous Kaveri engine programme failed to yield desired results. The programme was hit by US sanctions following India’s 1998 nuclear tests and other technical shortcomings. The Kaveri was originally intended to power production models of the HAL Tejas LCA. The Kaveri programme was officially delinked from the Tejas programme in September 2008.
During their meeting, Singh also urged Austin to increase sourcing from India and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India for equipment in use with Indian armed forces as well as friendly nations in the region. Apart from this, the two top defence officials also discussed the rapidly changing global security dynamics, including the developments in the Indo-Pacific.

 

[NoobWannaLearn]

GE may manufacture engines for fighter jets in India, deal likely to be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis US visit

New Delhi: After the bilateral defence dialogue between India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the United States&rsq

www.indiasentinels.com

GE may manufacture engines for fighter jets in India, deal likely to be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit
Team India Sentinels Monday 5th of June 2023 07:19 PM

New Delhi: After the bilateral defence dialogue between India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the United States’ defence secretary Llyod Austin in New Delhi, on Monday, it has emerged that the talks were dominated by a possible deal in which US’s General Electric will manufacture engines for fighter planes in India. India has been seeking a foreign partner with expertise in making complex warplane engines to set up a manufacturing plant in the country with an Indian partner with transfer of technology.
India has been in talks with the US for more than a decade now for the same. However, the talks couldn’t move ahead with the US’s reluctance to share critical jet-engine technology with New Delhi. The Cincinnati-headquartered GE Aerospace, which is a subsidiary of GE, manufactures engines for warplanes.
It may be recalled that in March this year, the US Air Force secretary, Frank Kendall, said that the US was willing to share the full technology to manufacture fighter engines with India. According to sources in the defence establishment, an intergovernmental deal between India and the US is highly likely to be signed when the prime minister, Narendra Modi, visits the country between June 21 and June 24.
Currently, India has several indigenous warplane projects lined up, like the Tejas MKII, twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF), and advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). If the deal goes through, all these fighters would have GE engines powering them.
It may be mentioned that in 2021, the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had signed a $716 million deal with GE Aviation for the supply of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines for the LCA MK 1A fighter. Also, the first version of the 40 light combat aircraft, Tejas LCA, is also powered by the F404-GE-IN20 engine.
This was necessitated because India’s indigenous Kaveri engine programme failed to yield desired results. The programme was hit by US sanctions following India’s 1998 nuclear tests and other technical shortcomings. The Kaveri was originally intended to power production models of the HAL Tejas LCA. The Kaveri programme was officially delinked from the Tejas programme in September 2008.
During their meeting, Singh also urged Austin to increase sourcing from India and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India for equipment in use with Indian armed forces as well as friendly nations in the region. Apart from this, the two top defence officials also discussed the rapidly changing global security dynamics, including the developments in the Indo-Pacific.

When is the meet? It seems like alot lies on that meet predator deal too

 

[MonaLazy]

India, US close in on mega jet engine deal to boost defence ties, counter China - Times of India

Times of India brings the Latest & Top Breaking News on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Cricket, Sports, Business, Bollywood News and Entertainment, Science, Technology, Health & Fitness news & opinions from leading columnists.

m.timesofindia.com

India, US close in on mega jet engine deal to boost defence ties, counter China - Times of India
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Jun 6, 2023, 16:18 IST
India, US close in on mega jet engine deal to boost defence ties, counter China
NEW DELHI: Defence minister

Rajnath Singh
and US defence secretary

Lloyd Austin
on Monday set the stage for clinching a mega jet engine project that will further deepen the growing defence ties between the two countries.

A delegation-level meeting between Rajnath and his US counterpart in Delhi

concluded a new ambitious defence-industrial cooperation roadmap
to fast-track technology collaboration and co-production of existing as well as futuristic weapon systems and platforms.


The roadmap has set the groundwork for a deal to co-produce fighter jet engines, which is expected to be signed during PM Narendra Modi's visit to Washington later this month.


US tech powering Indian jets



It is learnt that during their talks, Singh and Austin touched upon General Electric's proposal to share technology with India for fighter jet engines.


According to the proposed deal, US-based General Electric (GE) and Indian defence

PSU Hindustan Aeronautics
will jointly produce GE-F414 turbofan engines in the 98 Kilonewton thrust class in India.



These engines will be used in the made-in-India Tejas Mark-2 fighter jets.


"There will be virtually 100% ToT (transfer of technology) for the GE-F414 engines, which will power the indigenous Tejas Mark-2 fighters (existing Tejas Mark-1 jets have less powerful GE-F404 engines procured without any ToT). Other projects like the co-production of Stryker armoured fighting vehicles, long-range artillery and ISR systems are in the discussion stage," a source told TOI.


Combat drones



Rajnath and Austin also discussed New Delhi's plan to procure 30 MQ-9B predator armed drones for over $3 billion from US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.


The roadmap is likely to facilitate the ToT and setting up of MRO facilities that India is pushing for under the long-pending deal for the acquisition of drones.


The deal's high cost at $3 billion for 30 drones has led India to cut down the requirement to 18: six each for the Army, Navy and Air Force.


The drones are expected to strengthen India's overall surveillance apparatus along the Line of Actual Control and the Indian Ocean.


Countering China



The deals are expected to boost India's defence capabilities amid increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Ocean region as well as the LAC.


During the meeting, India also briefed US on the "aggressive intent" shown by China along the 3,488-km de-facto border.


India and US have committed to collaborating even more closely in support of their "shared vision" for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.


They also agreed to strengthen operational collaboration across all military services, with the aim to support India's leading role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific.


In a press conference held after the meeting, Austin said, “We see bullying and coercion from the People’s Republic of China, Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders by force and threatens national sovereignty, as well as transnational challenges, such as terrorism and climate change.”


"So democracies must now rally together around not just our common interests but also our shared values," Austin said.


Notably, India and US are both members of the Quad security group along with Australia and Japan. The group, which have been conducting joint drills in the Indo-Pacific, is seen as a counterbalance to China's dominance in the region.


(With inputs from agencies)

 

[Azaad]

JFC , haven't viewed the video. Will do so tomorrow.

 

[silverghost]

Can't. India need Kaveri and its further developments for future applicants and need a new JV to catch up with new standers. Our situation is similar Turkey F35/UAE F35 deal, they want something from India and using 2009/2013 deal as a bargaining chip. GTRE/DRDO responsible for R&D of TF engine, HAL only assemble & manufacturing them. and if there is no gtre/drdo involvement then is no real tech, only supply of machinery/permission to produce them, its like Chinese producing US/EU goods like iphone, mac, airbus etc

We should negotiate a new JV for the engines that we need. Anyway because of the war, nothing is going to come from Russia. India can give enough orders to US & France so that we get the necessary JV in return. It will be very helpful in reducing our dependencies on Russian equipment & at the same time modernizing our military.

 

[MonaLazy]

Get, jet, go: India-US pact to co-produce fighter plane engines has positive spin-offs beyond military capability

In a huge step-up for India-US strategic relations, the two sides have cleared the decks for co-producing fighter jet engines that will power India’s future air combat platforms. The formal signing is likely to happen...

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Get, jet, go: India-US pact to co-produce fighter plane engines has positive spin-offs beyond military capability
June 7, 2023, 8:56 AM IST TOI Edit in TOI Editorials, Edit Page, India, TOI
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email

Times of India’s Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news a ... MORE

In a huge step-up for India-US strategic relations, the two sides have cleared the decks for co-producing fighter jet engines that will power India’s future air combat platforms. The formal signing is likely to happen during PM Modi’s US visit later this month and is said to involve 100% transfer of technology for the GE-F414 engines. To put this into context, only four countries make their own jet engines – the US, the UK, Russia and France – while China has achieved much by reverse engineering Russian jet engines.


India too has had its own indigenous engine development programme – the old Kaveri project. But that failed to meet technical requirements for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. As a result, the current Tejas Mark-1 jets are powered by GE-F404 engines that are procured without any transfer of technology. And given that jet engine manufacturing is in the acme class of technological manufacturing, it will take India decades to get there on its own. (?)

Which is why the jet engine deal with the US along with the new bilateral defence-industrial cooperation roadmap is vital. This should be the first step towards building India’s own American-style military-industrial complex congruent with the goal of Atmanirbhar defence.

India’s geopolitical environment is rapidly changing, New Delhi can’t afford to fall behind on the defence development curve. Since the 2020 Galwan clashes and Chinese PLA incursions along the LAC, it has been clear that Beijing will remain New Delhi’s primary strategic rival for the foreseeable future. While the China-Pakistan axis is already a formidable challenge for India, the Ukraine war and the new China-Russia compact mean that New Delhi has to reorient its relationship with traditional defence supplier Moscow.

Not only has importing defence equipment from Russia become harder due to US-led sanctions against Moscow, there is also now no guarantee of this supply route in the eventuality of a conflict between India and China. Plus, India’s interests align more with the US in East and West Asia, as well as in Africa, where China and Russia are together trying to re-write the rules of the game. So, strengthening the India-US military relationship is not only crucial for New Delhi to meet its immediate strategic-security challenges but also in terms of its necessary ambition to remain a net provider of stability in South Asia and beyond.

This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.

 

[MonaLazy]

Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission depends on success of his US, France visits

India will cement ties with US and France during PM Modi’s upcoming visits to Washington and Paris.

www.hindustantimes.com

Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission depends on success of his US, France visits
By
Jun 06, 2023 09:21 AM IST
India will cement ties with US and France during PM Modi’s upcoming visits to Washington and Paris.
The success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” mission aimed at developing an advanced military-industrial complex in India will depend on his upcoming visits to the US on June 22 and to France on July 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Centre), French President Emmanuel Macron (Left), and US President Joe Biden (Right).
While President Joe Biden has invited him for a state visit with a rare second opportunity to address the Congress, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited him to be part of the Bastille Day celebrations with a tri-services contingent of Indian military participating in the parade. There are some 4000 war memorials in France, which remember the contributions of Indian soldiers in the two great wars last century.
Even though archrival China has tried to belittle Indian military design, development and manufacturing through junior-level military officers briefing media on the sidelines of the recently concluded Shangri La Dialogue, the Modi government has taken significant steps to get its hardware design and manufacturing in order. While these junior PLA officials parrot the line that India is no military threat to China, they also conversely try to pitch the line that New Delhi will not be a loyal partner to Washington. Fact is that they are wrong on both counts as only India can keep more than 80,000 PLA troopers with aircraft, rockets and big guns engaged on its northern borders and distract China from any military adventure on Taiwan, which will draw Japan into military emergency and cause havoc in the South China Sea. This apart, only India has the navy prowess to counter the PLA Navy challenge in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Lastly, the Indian Army stand-offs with belligerent PLA on Doklam plateau in 2017 and in Galwan on June 15, 2020, shows the Modi government’s decisive ability to take on a military challenge and come out without yielding an inch of territory or military pride unlike in the past. Both incidents could have flared into a full-fledged conflict.
Apart from the atmosphere of PM Modi’s visit to US, the content of the visit will reveal the depth of India-US relations today with the Biden government ready to part with top-end military technology for manufacturing in India. Even though the Biden government is still to give approval to General Electric to manufacture F-414 jet engines to power Indian Tejas Mark II fighter, it is now given that GE will manufacture the engine on themaximum transfer of technology with Indian HAL and the partnership will be later upgraded to other engines. The US is also ready to sell top-end armed drones to India and even look at manufacturing surveillance drones at a later day. With China acquiring hybrid warfare capabilities, the US is ready to share cyber-security tools and experts with India in order to firewall critical infrastructure against attacks from Beijing-sponsored hackers.
The visit to France is equally important if not more in terms of Paris ready to manufacture hardware in India and even use these manufacturing and fabrication plants for future military exports to third countries. Today, India and France are looking towards theconstruction of air independent propulsion equipped submarines at Mazagon Dockyards to provide the Indian Navy with six more latest submarines under the Project 75 India category and also using the same facility for building submarines for export to Indonesia and others. As India’s closest military partner, France is even willing to build nuclear-powered and conventionally armed submarines for India this decade to meet the Chinese challenge.
While Airbus is manufacturing C-295 transport aircraft in India, French aircraft engine maker Safran is ready to co-develop and then manufacture a 100-110 Kilo Newton aircraft jet engine which will power DRDO-designed India’s twin-engine fighter. There is also a strong possibility that French Dassault may provide two squadrons of Rafale-Maritime for INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and look towards manufacturing of Rafale fighters in India in the near future.
While all these proposals are under serious consideration and not pipedreams, the decision ultimately lies with India and its manufacturing and financial capacity to accept and absorb the new technology. The Indian decision to stay strategically autonomous is based on its national interest and is today ready to partner with the West to counter the challenge from China and its satellites in the Indian sub-continent.
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