India rising, and flexing military muscles

Jeypore

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NO CHAMPAGNE bottles were broken at the launch of India’s first homemade nuclear submarine this week.

Instead, the political and military elite gathered in the port city of Vishakapatnam to watch Gursharan Kaur, the wife of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, crack an auspicious coconut on the new boat to mark the occasion.

The submarine – named Arihant, meaning destroyer of enemies in Sanskrit – will not be fully operational for several years but it is symbolic of India’s strategic aspirations.

Military spending has doubled over the past decade to about $US30 billion ($36 million) a year and if military outlays keep up with the country’s anticipated economic growth, analysts say it will be the world’s third largest military power in two decades.

As its military capacity swells, India’s potential to project its growing military might in the Indian Ocean – a region of great strategic importance to Australia – could be relatively unimpeded.

Deba Ranjan Mohanty, a strategic analyst at Delhi’s Observer Research Foundation, says that by about 2025 India is likely to have three to four aircraft carrier battle groups, a fleet of nuclear submarines, an air force with 35 squadrons and sophisticated land-based weapon systems to go with its huge army.

‘‘There is no doubt that India will be a comprehensive military power in the region,’’ he said. ‘‘The larger aspiration is to play a constructive role in the global arena.’’

India is the biggest importer of military hardware in the developing world and its recent acquisitions are a guide to its ambitions. It is purchasing more military hardware that can operate a long way from home, such as aircraft carriers, giant transport planes and airborne refuelling tankers.

‘‘A lot of this new equipment is about power projection,’’ says Rahul Bedi, a Delhi-based correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly. ‘‘As India’s economy grows, India’s ability to extend and display its power away from home is going to increase. It’s entering the big league.’’

Another factor in India’s military build-up is New Delhi’s concern about growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.

On Thursday a senior naval official revealed plans to add almost 100 warships to the navy over the next decade. Captain Alok Bhatnagar, the director of naval plans at the ministry of defence, said 32 warships and submarines were under construction, the Financial Times reported.

However, India will have to overcome some obstacles before it can claim to be the caretaker of the Indian Ocean and beyond.

A lot of its military hardware has reached obsolescence and Mr Mohanty says it will be difficult for India to rapidly acquire and manage the sophisticated weapons systems it wants.

It is also hampered by many perceived threats on its doorstep.

ANU strategic specialist, Professor Sandy Gordon, says India will eventually emerge as a major force in the Indian Ocean but for now it is constrained by internal security challenges and threatening neighbours, such as Pakistan and China.

‘‘India’s strategic attention is still demanded by these continental imperatives,’’ Professor Gordon said.

Because of the perceived threat from its nuclear-armed arch-rival Pakistan, India maintains a huge land force. Its regular army numbers about 1.3 million with a further part-time reserve force of about 1.2 million. In addition, India’s paramilitary forces number about 1.1 million. Only China has more security personnel under arms

India has also devoted huge resources to developing its nuclear arsenal estimated at about 60 to 70 operational nuclear weapons.

Uday Bhaskar, a former naval commander and director of the National Maritime Foundation, said India’s military had one of the most skewed army-to-navy ratios in the world.

‘‘The navy only gets about 15 per cent of the defence budget while the army gets about 60 per cent,’’ he said.

Rory Medcalf, the international security program director at the Lowy Institute, said India would have to devote far more resources to its navy to achieve its strategic aspirations.

‘‘It may not do that until it feels more secure in its own neighbourhood,’’ he said.

The US has encouraged India’s naval expansion and there has been a dramatic increase in joint exercises involving the US and Indian fleets.

Australia and India share interests in stability in the Indian Ocean region, but that has not always guaranteed close co-operation on defence.

In 1998 Australia’s defence attache in New Delhi was thrown out of the country in retaliation for Australia’s strong condemnation of India’s decision to conducted a nuclear weapon test.

Once ties were revived two years later, the Australian Government worked hard to strengthen military engagement with India.

‘‘There is three times as much activity between the two armed services as there was four of five years ago; joint exercise, high-level visits and so on,’’ Australia’s high commissioner to India, John McCarthy, told the Herald.

Mr Medcalf said the rapid improvement in the defence relationship was welcome but believes ‘‘it could still be much better’’.

Strategic analysts in New Delhi agree. Mr Mohanty said the military relationship had a long way to go.

‘‘Australia doesn’t pose a direct threat to India and it makes sense for India to engage countries like Australia to maintain stability in the India Ocean region,’’ he said.

‘‘The scope for further military co-operation is vast.’’

India rising, and flexing military muscles
 
S

SammyCheung

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Well it looks like India has a lot of countries offering it latest generation weapons, with licensed production and limited tech transfer.

It looks like Russia is transferring at least some Akula tech through Nerpa and INS Arihant. It looks like USA is transferring at least some F-18 tech if it wins bid.

I think after 5-7 years, assuming India can keep up with the military spending, it will have at least 50% of late cold war tech. There will still be 50% that it cannot learn just from licensed production and limited tech transfer. Even China only recently resolved the last obstacle to 100% absorption of late cold war tech -- modern turbofan engines. China was probably at 50% of late cold war tech in the late 90's. This means India in 2015 will be roughly where China was in 1999.

This is very impressive for any country to keep pace with China.
 

venom

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China does not even have a plane as capable as Su-30MKI.......We have more advanced tech than china
 

Koji

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China does not even have a plane as capable as Su-30MKI.......We have more advanced tech than china
The Su-30MKI is just one component in an entire military arsenal.
 
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SammyCheung

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J-10B is way ahead of MKI. It's also indigenous, so it can be fielded in numbers.
 

IBM

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J-10B is way ahead of MKI. It's also indigenous, so it can be fielded in numbers.
wat about its engine do J-10 has chinese engine or import from russia.......??????????????
 

shotgunner

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wat about its engine do J-10 has chinese engine or import from russia.......??????????????
J-10 engines are mostly imported from Russia.

What parts of Su-30MKI are imported?
 

shotgunner

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China does not even have a plane as capable as Su-30MKI.......We have more advanced tech than china
The Su-30MKI is just one component in an entire military arsenal.
But Koji, that should be a solid proof to reach a general conclusion on "...We have more advanced tech than china...", so I can share venom's happiness, congratulations & well done!
 

IBM

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J-10 engines are mostly imported from Russia.

What parts of Su-30MKI are imported?
we never said we made and developed su -30mki. Its assembled in India with Isreali radars...
 

shotgunner

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we never said we made and developed su -30mki. Its assembled in India with Isreali radars...
I know you didn't.

Like-wise, Chinese didn't say all J-10 engines are made in China, did they? Yet some blogger asked, so.
 

venom

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J-10B is way ahead of MKI. It's also indigenous, so it can be fielded in numbers.
J-10B is a good fighter but lacks a radar like on a Su-30MKI....& once the MRCA deal is finalized china will be in deep trouble because they are deploying PESA on J-10B as well as J-11B where as India Operates The N011M from 2002 onwards & will be Getting AESA for MRCA & LCA......China is where India was 7 years back....
 

Tamil

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J-10B is way ahead of MKI. It's also indigenous, so it can be fielded in numbers.
But Technically J-10B is not upto the mark Against the Su-30MKI/MRCA/FGFA i thing mostly all of them will get the AESA/Kh-172, Im right?

:india:
 

Singh

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Please keep the discussion focussed this is not a MKI vs J10 thread. Thanks
 

Yusuf

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each and every thread does not have to be converted into ads for J 10s and Chinas manufacturing base. and others don't have to fall for it. All those baiting can consider this as a warning.
 

K Factor

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Frankly, its only the beginning of the muscle flexing. We haven't started in earnest yet. We are on the muscle building diet, and will start training with weights soon. :D

yusuf
wat fighter is in ur profile

Its the SR-71 Blackbird, of the USAF. Its the fastest bird ever. It was retired in the late nineties.
 

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