Category: Military Capability

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436: SU-75 CHECKMATE AIRCRAFT: SHOULD INDIA JUMP INTO IT

 

Query

There has been a recent report that Russia has reduced the price of SU-75. Do you think it will be a good time for India to get the fighter jets?

 

Inputs (in random order)

 

  • It is not a simple issue with a yes or no answer.

 

  • There are many aspects and concerns attached to it.

 

  • The aircraft is not combat-proven and the project has not matured.

 

  • A Cost-benefit analysis needs to be carried out.

 

  • Russia needs funding and development partners for the project.

 

  • Can we extract more of the deal given above?

 

  • How does the project affect the Atmanirbharta?

 

  • Russian capacity to produce and supply because of the Ukraine war and Sanctions.

 

  • How much technology will come into the Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem?

 

  • How does the aircraft stand against the other fifth-generation aircraft, especially the ones with our adversaries?

 

  • To some extent the world geopolitical situation and international cooperation etc. to be considered.

 

  • India had earlier agreed to co-develop of SU-57 but reportedly pulled out due to cost, time delay, work share and technology sharing issues.

 

  • SU 75 seems to be a derivative of SU 57 aircraft.

 

  • Also, the dilemma related to force structure planning about the investment in the new generation aircraft or the modern Drones. Drawing lessons from the recent wars and the success of drones.

 

  • A drop in demand for Russian aircraft due to their perceived sub-par performance during the Ukraine war.

 

Coming Up: Detailed Article on the subject.

 

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References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

 

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433: EXPANDING BOEING IN INDIA

 

 

Prime Minister of India will inaugurate American aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s new state-of-the-art global engineering and technology innovation campus (Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center {BIETC}),  in Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru on 19 Jan 24.

 

The 43-acre campus, built with an investment of Rs 1,600 crore, is said to be the largest such Boeing facility outside the U.S. According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), it will be a cornerstone for partnership with the startup, private, and government ecosystem in India and will help develop next-generation products and services for the global aerospace and defence industry.

 

Additionally, the PM will also launch the Boeing Sukanya programme, which aims to support the entry of more women from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector. The programme will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) fields and train for jobs in the aviation sector. For young girls, the program will create STEM Labs at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. The programme will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots.

 

Boeing

 

Boeing is one of the largest global aerospace manufacturers, with its corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, and it employs approximately 153,000 personnel. The company designs, manufactures and sells aeroplanes, aircraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunication equipment and missiles around the world. Besides military aircraft, it has over ten thousand commercial aircraft operating all over the world.

 

Boeing started 107 years ago when American businessman William E. Boeing started a company named Aero Products for the manufacture of aeroplanes. About a year later, its name was changed to Boeing Airplane Company. The first aircraft was designed in 1917 and the World War I was the biggest turning point for the company. After, WW I Boeing started making commercial aircraft and continued to expand.  The company has taken over 32 other companies so far.

 

Some of the military aircraft/helicopters manufactured by Boeing are:-

      • C-17 Globemaster III
      • CH/MH-47 Chinook
      • V-22 Osprey
      • AH-6 Light Attack Helicopter
      • AH-64D Apache
      • F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Navy fighter aircraft
      • F-15E Strike Eagle tactical fighter
      • Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight (Vertol Aircraft Corp.)
      • Boeing AH-6.
      • Boeing Vertol YUH-61.
      • Boeing Vertol XCH-62.
      • MH-139 Gray Wolf (with Leonardo S.p.A.)

 

India Engagement.

 

Boeing has been a partner of India’s aerospace sector for almost eight decades, both with the commercial and defence aviation sectors. Boeing’s relationship with India goes back to the 1940s when the Indian Air Force inducted the Harvard Advanced Trainer and DC-3 military transport aircraft.

 

Boeing’s India operations include headquarters in Delhi and field service offices in Mumbai, Hindan, and Arkonam.  

 

Military aircraft from Boeing inducted into the Indian Defence forces include:-

      • A fleet of 11 C-17 Globemaster IIIs (India is the biggest operator of these aircraft in the world, outside of the US).
      • 15 CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter.
      • 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
      • Modified Boeing transport aircraft for VIP duties.
      • Poseidon P-8I aircraft for IN (designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions).

 

Besides Military aircraft, various versions of Boeing aircraft (737,747,757,777 and 787) are being used by Indian air carriers (Air India, Vistara, Blue Dart, and Akasa etc.).  Akaasa has recently placed an order for 150 aircraft.

 

Boeing has a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) – The Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL). This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility has been producing aero-structures for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter, including fuselages, secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for customers worldwide. Recently a new production line to manufacture complex vertical fin structures for the 737 family of airplanes has been added.

 

Follow On Support, Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) And Logistics Supply Lines. Various follow-up support, logistics supply lines, training and other services for various platforms purchased by India are being offered by another division of The Boeing Company, viz. Boeing Global Services (BGS). In February 2021, Boeing has signed a strategic collaboration with aviation services provider Air Works for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of its VIP transport aircraft fleet operated by the IAF. This partnership is a first under the newly launched Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub initiative.

 

114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA). Boeing is one of the contenders for the Indian acquisition plan, fielding its F-15 and F-18 aircraft.

 

Advantages

 

Boeing Engineering and Technology campus in Bengaluru, Karnataka will conduct core engineering and research for Boeing’s iconic products as well as future platforms. It will have future avionics manufacturing and assembly capability.

      • It will provide impetus to the Indian Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.
      • It will provide a boost to “Make in India”, “Skill India” and “Make for the World” initiatives through investments in manufacturing, co-production, skilling, engineering, and innovation.
      • It will help the foray of the Indian defence industry into the world market and by co-development of integrated systems in aerospace and defence not just for India, but for the world.
      • It will generate employment opportunities. Today, Boeing India has 4,000 employees, and more than 7,000 people who work on dedicated supply chain jobs with Indian suppliers across manufacturing, engineering and IT sectors.
      • It will provide much-needed technology infusion into the Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.
      • It will reinforce India’s status as a leading foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) engaged in making, engineering, and sourcing from India.
      • It will improve MRO, training and supply chain facilities.
      • It is a Win-Win situation for both.

 

Coming Up:- Boeing’s Current Woes.

 

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References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

  1. https://www.boeing.co.in/boeing-in-india/about-boeing-in-india.page
  2. ` https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-boeings-largest-facility-outside-the-us-in-bengaluru-on-january-19-12071891.html
  1. https://www.financialexpress.com/business/defence-fe-exclusive-boeings-vision-for-india-a-partner-in-progress-across-sectors-3237450/
  1. https://www.sps-aviation.com/story/?id=3133&h=Boeing-Defense-A-Long-Standing-Journey-in-India

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

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418: NEWS AND VIEWS (INTERNATIONAL)

 

NEWS-1 (ISRAEL HAMAS WAR)

Israel’s military said it had resumed combat against Hamas in Gaza on Friday after accusing the Palestinian militant group of violating a seven-day temporary truce by firing toward Israeli territory.

 

VIEWS

  • The seven-day pause, which began on Nov. 24 and was extended twice.
  • The terms of the cease-fire were in favour of Hamas. It gives some respite to the Israeli government from both domestic (to bring back the hostages safely at the earliest) and international (to regulate the extent of force and to allow humanitarian aid) pressure.
  • The cease-fire facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid into the shattered coastal strip. But deliveries of food, water, medical supplies, and fuel remain far below what is needed.
  • 105 Israeli hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
  • Qatar and Egypt have been making intensive efforts to extend the truce.
  • Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack on 07 Oct. Israel is preparing to turn the focus of its operation to southern Gaza after its seven-week assault to the north.
  • The cease-fire to some extent has reduced the chances of the escalation of the conflict.
  • Military force is not a permanent solution to the complex problem.
  • The two-nation theory needs to be implemented earnestly.

 

NEWS-2: RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu chaired a roundtable meeting with military officials in Moscow on November 21, 2023. He said that Russian troops are advancing on all fronts in Ukraine. They are occupying and expanding their zones of control.

It was announced that Russia has taken control of Khromove, a small village on the outskirts of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

 

VIEWS

  • The war started in Feb 2022. The intensity has been varying.
  • In 2023 the frontline has barely shifted. Both sides keep claiming success.
  • The latest major flashpoint is the war-battered industrial town of Avdiivka.
  • It is likely to be a long-drawn affair. Both sides are adamant and gradually weakening themselves.
  • Israel Israel-Hamas war has taken the spotlight away from it.

 

 

NEWS-3: EUROPE’S DEFENCE SPENDING

 

The Annual Conference of the European Defence Agency (EDA) took place in Belgium in hybrid mode on 30 Nov 23.

Defence companies, militaries and EU chiefs all agreed that Europe is sorely lacking, especially in what is available to support Ukraine.

Many participants pointed to issues from financing to interoperability to research and development.

 

VIEWS

  • Europe is ploughing billions into its defence industry, with record sums being spent since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
  • Military spending in the European Union has hit a record 270 billion euros ($295 billion) this year.
  • Moscow has announced a massive 68 per cent hike in its military spending for 2024 (almost a third of all of Russia’s government outlays).
  • The EU’s 27 member states spend on average 1.5 per cent of their country’s economic output. NATO’s target is two per cent for its members (22 of which are also EU member states).
  • The United States, in contrast, spends 3.5 per cent of its already higher GDP on defence.
  • Out of all this, maximum gainers are the Defence and arms industry.
  • Collective security is valid, and interoperability is very important.

 

NEWS-4: SPACE WARFARE IN KOREAN PENINSULA

A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Seoul’s first domestically made reconnaissance satellite launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:19 a.m today (01 Dec 23).

Seoul’s satellite is set to orbit between 400 and 600 kilometer above the earth and is capable of detecting an object as small as “30 centimetres” (11.8 inches), according to the Yonhap news agency.

 

VIEWS

  • Two weeks back, North Korea had successfully put its own spy satellite into orbit. This launch of the “Malligyong-1” was Pyongyang’s third attempt at putting such a satellite in orbit, after two failures in May and August.
  • Seoul plans to launch four additional spy satellites by the end of 2025 to bolster its reconnaissance capacity over the North.
  • Until now, South Korea relied heavily on US-run spy satellites.
  • While the South has “succeeded in the launch of a military communications satellite, it has taken much longer for a reconnaissance satellite due to higher technological hurdles.
  • Maybe it is the beginning of space race in the Korean peninsula.
  • Space warfare (a natural extension of air warfare) is the new domain of warfare.

 

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

 

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References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

 

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