DTN News: JF-17 To Represent Pakistan In Farnborough Air Show

Defense News: DTN News: JF-17 To Represent Pakistan In Farnborough Air Show

Source: DTN News / The News

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - July 17, 2010: Indigenously developed aircraft by Pakistan with the help of China will make its maiden appearance at an international show being held in the United Kingdom.

In line to make their physical appearance in Farnborough Air Show 2010 along with other modern aircraft, being held 19-25 July in the UK, two JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft of PAF on Friday flew into the UK from a PAF Base.

These aircraft are manufactured at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra. The JF-17s would be displayed for the first time in the Farnborough Air Show alongside other modern aircrafts of the world.

The JF-17 Thunder distinguishes PAF as the only air force in the world that manufactures combat aircraft. It is an all-weather, multi-role, combat aircraft that has the potential to be the mainstay of any modern air force.

DTN News: Canada To Buy 65 F-35 Jet Fighters In C$9 Billion Deal

Defense News: DTN News: Canada To Buy 65 F-35 Jet Fighters In C$9 Billion Deal

Source: DTN News / Reuters By David Ljunggren

(NSI News Source Info) OTTAWA, Canada - July 17, 2010: Canada will buy 65 new fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) for C$9 billion ($8.6 billion), one of the biggest arms deals in the nation's history, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday.
The first Joint Strike Fighter should be delivered in 2016. The F-35s will replace Canada's CF-18s, which are due to reach the end of their working lives in about 2020.
MacKay brushed off criticism from opposition legislators who say the planes are too expensive and who question why Lockheed Martin received a sole-source contract.
"This is the best aircraft we can provide our men and women in uniform ... This is one of the largest defense procurement projects in Canadian history," MacKay told a news conference.
The C$9 billion also covers weapons, training and equipment. MacKay said media reports of a separate C$7 billion 20-year maintenance deal were wrong and said an agreement would be concluded once the jets started going into production.
The Joint Strike Fighter program is being funded by the United States, Canada,Turkey, Britain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands. Canada, which was involved from the start, says it has already spent C$168 million.
The JSF is set to be the world's costliest arms acquisition program. The United States alone is scheduled to buy 2,443 of the planes for more than $300 billion.
Industry Minister Tony Clement said Canadian companies would be able to bid for business for all the planes, not just the ones Ottawa will buy.
Don Boitson, vice-president and general manager at Magellan Aerospace Corp (MAL.TO), said the deal should be worth more than C$1 billion to his firm over the life of the program.
"The announcement today gives Canadian companies like ourselves and the other 85 (firms) the opportunity to produce parts, and we have been and will continue for all 3,000 aircraft that are currently on order," he told Reuters.
The opposition Liberal Party promises to freeze the deal if it takes power. But polls show it trails the ruling Conservatives and would have little chance of winning an election now.
In a statement, the left-leaning New Democrats said "there needs to be accountability and some justification for spending this amount of money and we have not seen that".
MacKay dismissed the criticism, saying Lockheed Martin had won an open competition in 2001 to supply the JSF -- a time when Canada's previous Liberal government was in power and already helping to fund the project.
"I am questioning the hypocrisy which seems to soar higher than this aircraft in now criticizing purchasing the very plane that the previous government signaled ... very early on, that they were going to do," he said.
But a former top Canadian defense official involved in the decision to help fund the JSF said Ottawa's development role did not automatically mean Canada had to buy the plane.
"If you sole-source, everybody loses," said Alan Williams, estimating Conservatives had effectively sole-sourced almost C$40 billion worth of defense contracts in recent years.
"We're supposed to buy a product that best meets the military's needs. How do you know that without doing a rigorous comparison? ... Just because we took part in a program does not mean that it's the best one for us," he told Reuters.
($1=$1.05 Canadian)

(Additional reporting by Susan Taylor and John McCrank; editing by Rob Wilson)

DTN News: Boeing, Jacksonville Community Celebrate Arrival Of F-16s For Aerial Target Program

Defense News: DTN News: Boeing, Jacksonville Community Celebrate Arrival Of F-16s For Aerial Target Program

Source: DTN News / Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - July 17, 2010: Boeing [NYSE: BA] employees joined congressional representatives, local government officials and community leaders on July 9 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville to celebrate the arrival of the first F-16s for the QF-16 aerial target program.Boeing received a $69.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force in March to convert up to 126 retired F-16s into QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Targets that can fly either manned or unmanned. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014.
"This is an important program for the Air Force and Boeing," Steve Waltman, Boeing director of Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance, told the audience. "This is a significant off-platform project for our company, and we have confidence that our Cecil Field teammates will deliver the aerial targets to our customer on budget and on time."

Contact:
Wendy Locklear

Global Services & Support

Office: 210-932-6640

Mobile: 713-201-9534

wendy.j.locklear@boeing.com
Forrest Gossett

Global Services & Support

Office: 314-234-2309

Mobile: 314-363-0650

forrest.s.gossett@boeing.com

DTN News: ITT/Boeing Next Generation Jammer Team Wins $42 Million Navy Award To Mature Technology

Defense News: DTN News: ITT/Boeing Next Generation Jammer Team Wins $42 Million Navy Award To Mature Technology

Source: DTN News / ITT

(NSI News Source Info) CLIFTON, N.J.- July 17, 2010: The team of ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT - News) and The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA -News) today announced an award of $42 million from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to proceed to the Technology Maturation stage of the Next Generation Jammer program, designed to be the world’s most sophisticated airborne electronic attack system.The program, valued at over $2 billion, will replace the current inventory of aging ALQ-99 jamming pods on the Navy’s newest airborne electronic attack aircraft, the Boeing EA-18G Growler. The Next Generation Jammer pod will also be a stepping stone to an F-35, Joint Strike Fighter, Electronic Attack capability.
“Electronic attack capabilities have been integral in maintaining U.S. and allied air superiority in the past four decades,” said Chris Bernhardt, President of ITT Electronic Systems. “And, as the capabilities of potential enemies continue to grow, our own technologies must continue to outpace them.”
The Next Generation Jammer will help ensure that U.S. forces have complete dominance of the electronic spectrum, providing a comprehensive capability to disrupt and disable enemy communications and radars.
“Beyond its superior work in designing and delivering the EA-18G on-time and on-budget, Boeing brings unparalleled experience in pod design and systems integration, both critical aspects of the total NGJ package,” Bernhardt added.
In the NGJ Technology Maturation phase, the ITT and Boeing team will conduct analyses and design of critical technology elements of the system to ensure the proposed solution is affordable, low risk and capable of delivering superior operational effectiveness.
ITT’s solution will be based on significant technological advantages achieved in the critical areas of broadband electronically steerable antenna arrays and advanced digital exciters, providing the U.S. Navy the programmability, scalability, modularity and open systems architecture that will allow the Growler to stay ahead of the ever changing threat for years to come.
One of the most important improvements will be ITT’s advances in broadband electronically steerable antenna arrays and advanced digital exciter technology. The Next Generation Jammer is also being designed with modular open systems architecture (MOSA), enabling simpler upgrades throughout the system’s lifespan.
“ITT is regarded worldwide as an industry leader in successfully transitioning advanced Electronic Warfare technologies from concepts to fielded systems,” said Rick Martin, Director, Electronic Warfare Solutions, Boeing Phantom Works. "The ITT-Boeing team brings together tremendous resources to develop the NGJ and integrate it into the joint electronic attack system of systems.”
The ITT/Boeing effort will be led from ITT Electronic Systems in Clifton, N.J. with work also being performed at Boeing’s Phantom Works facility in St. Louis.
ITT Electronic Systems is a leading supplier of information and electronic warfare (EW) technologies, systems and services that enable mission success and survivability. Key technologies include integrated EW systems for a variety of aircraft, reconnaissance and surveillance systems for air and sea-based applications, force protection and counter-IED systems, precision landing and air traffic systems for military applications, and under sea systems encompassing mine defense, naval command and sonar systems, and acoustic sensors. Integrated structures produces aircraft armament suspension and release equipment, electronic weapons interface systems, and advanced composite structures and subsystems.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
About ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a high-technology engineering and manufacturing company operating on all seven continents in three vital markets: water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. With a heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver extraordinary solutions that create more livable environments, provide protection and safety and connect our world. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated 2009 revenue of $10.9 billion. www.itt.com

DTN News: Russia Pacific Fleet Warships Return From U.S.

Defense News: DTN News: Russia Pacific Fleet Warships Return From U.S.

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - July 16, 2010: A group of Russia's Pacific Fleet warships led by the missile cruiser Varyag on Thursday returned from the United States to the Russian port of Vladivostok.
The group, including the missile cruiser Varyag, the rescue tugboat Foty Krylov and the tanker Boris Butoma commanded by Rear Admiral Vladimir Kasatonov, visited San Francisco, California, on June 21 -July 26.
The voyage to California and back was held as part of an effort to promote U.S.-Russian military cooperation. On June 23, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the missile cruiser Varyag in San Francisco when he was on an official visit to the United States. He met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and visited the Silicon Valley before heading off to Washington, DC, to meet with President Barack Obama.
The sailors were met in Vladivostok by the fleet commander, relatives, friends and military musicians.
"The friendly visit to San Francisco was a success," Adm. Konstantin Sidenko, commander of Russia's Pacific Fleet, said and welcomed the sailors home with the Russian tradition of three roast piglets symbolizing a successful mission.
Russia's Pacific Fleet press service said that mutual friendly visits and joint Russian-U.S. visits have become common.

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DTN News: Russian Defense Ministry Lukewarm On South Korean Warship Deal

Defense News:

DTN News: Russian Defense Ministry Lukewarm On South Korean Warship Deal

* Russia's purchase of French Mistral-class warship

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 16, 2010: The Russian Defense Ministry has effectively dismissed the idea of buying a South Korean warship in place of a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, a Russian business daily reported on Thursday.
According to Kommersant, the United Shipbuilding Corporation proposed the purchase of a $650 million Dokdo helicopter carrier from South Korea.
In a letter to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, USC CEO Roman Trotsenko said his corporation could buy a license to build a Dokdo-class ship at a Russian shipyard within three years.
The Defense Ministry is skeptical about the ability of Russian shipyards to build such ships in principle or their ability to build them on time, Kommersant wrote.
"The USC's proposal merits attention, but then you can declare just about anything," a ministry spokesman told the paper.
Commenting on the Kommersant report for RIA Novosti, an USC executive who insisted on anonymity confirmed that Trotsenko had indeed sent a letter to Serdyukov.
"I confirm that such letters were sent to Navy chief Vladimir Vysotsky and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov a long time ago, but we have not as of yet received a reply," the executive said.
He said Dokdo-class ships (designed and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries) were a more cost effective proposition than the Mistral.
The USC has complained to the Federal Antitrust Service about the Defense Ministry's reluctance to allow Russian shipyards to compete with foreign shipbuilders on an equal footing, but the service has dismissed its complaints, saying state arms procurements did not fall within its purview.
ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) is the lead ship of the LPX class of amphibious landing ships of the Republic of Korea Navy, commissioned into the ROK Navy in July 2007, with specifications comparable to the French Mistral-class ship Russia is negotiating the purchase of.
The Mistral class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 armored vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 personnel.
Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.

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DTN News: Russia Plans To Seal SSJ 100 Deal At Farnborough Air Show

Defense News: DTN News: Russia Plans To Seal SSJ 100 Deal At Farnborough Air Show

* Sukhoi SuperJet 100

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 16, 2010: The Russian Sukhoi Aircraft Design Bureau plans to conclude a contract with a South-East Asian air company on the delivery of 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100s at the U.K. Farnborough Air Show (FIA), the bureau's press service said on Thursday.
Superjet-100 is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by Sukhoi in cooperation with U.S. and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.
Specific details of the potential deal have not been released.
FIA, one of the most preeminent global aviation events, will be held from July 19 - 25 this year near London. The first five days of the show will be dedicated to concluding deals and the exhibition will then be open to the public over the weekend.
Mikhail Pogosyan, head of the Sukhoi and MiG corporation, said the air show would reassure the global aviation community that the Russian airliners meet global requirements and show potential buyers that the company has the potential to implement the project successfully.
Russia will also showcase its Su-35 Flanker and MiG-35 Fulcrum-F multirole fighters, as well as the Su-32 fighter-bomber (an export version of the Su-34 Fullback aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force) and MiG-29 Fulcrum combat aircraft.

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DTN News: Shebab Threaten More Attacks After Uganda Bombings

Defense News: DTN News: Shebab Threaten More Attacks After Uganda Bombings

Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) KAMPALA, Uganda - July 16, 2010: Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab Thursday vowed further attacks after two deadly bombings in Uganda, as Kampala said it would send more troops to boost the African Union force in Mogadishu.

Sunday's bomb attacks on entertainment spots in Kampala where crowds were watching the World Cup final killed at least 73 people and underscored the risk posed by the Somali rebel movement to the entire region.
"What happened in Kampala is just the beginning," elusive Shebab leader Mohamed Abdi Godane said in an audio message broadcast on several Mogadishu radio stations.
The Shebab -- fighting Somalia's Western-backed transitional government -- said the blasts were in retaliation for the presence of more than 3,000 Ugandan troops in the embattled African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
"We are telling all Muslims and particularly the people of Mogadishu that those martyred in AMISOM shelling will be avenged," he added.
Godane said the Kampala attacks were carried out by a unit named the Saleh Nabhan Brigade after a Kenyan-born Al-Qaeda operative allegedly behind 2002 anti-Israeli attacks in Mombasa and killed in a suspected US air raid last year.
Uganda could provide 2,000 more soldiers for the African Union force, an army spokesman said Thursday, following a decision this month by a regional body to bring AMISOM to its full strength of 8,100.
"We are capable of providing the required force if other countries fail to do so," spokesman Felix Kulayigye told AFP. "I should say, however, that I think it is appropriate that other countries contribute."
The United States welcomed Uganda's decision and pledged to boost its own aid to the force, the main obstacle preventing the Shebab from seizing full control of Mogadishu.
"We have reviewed, since Sunday, the support that we're providing to AMISOM. We are going to beef that up," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
He also said 63 FBI agents assisting in the probe of Sunday's attacks had arrived in the region.
The Kampala attacks, the deadliest in the region since the 1998 bombings against the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, spoiled the continent's World Cup party and drew global condemnation.
Analysts said they further raised the Shebab's jihadist profile but their immediate objective was to force a withdrawal of AMISOM, which also has 2,500 troops from Burundi.
With fewer than 7,000 troops on the ground, AMISOM has enabled the tenuous survival of Somalia's Western-backed President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed but failed to weaken the insurgents.
"We are going to go on the offensive for all those who did this," Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Wednesday of the weekend attacks.
"We can join to build up the strength of that force to 20,000 so that working with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia we can eliminate the terrorists," he said.
"We were just in Mogadishu to guard the port, the airport and the State House. Now they have mobilised us to look for them."
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, whose 2006 invasion of Somalia failed to suppress the Shebab before withdrawing early last year, has said he would not send troops back in but nevertheless advocated a tough approach.
"There is absolutely no hope of engaging in negotiations with this group. There is no option but to work for their total annihilation," Meles told state television Thursday.
Ugandan investigators were meanwhile still trying to determine the exact circumstances of Sunday's attacks in Kampala and identities of all the victims.
A senior official has said that at least one of the blasts was a suicide attack while police said they had already arrested six suspects.

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DTN News: Iran TODAY July 16, 2010 - Two Suicide Attacks On Iran Mosque Kills More Than 20

Defense News: DTN News: Iran TODAY July 16, 2010 - Two Suicide Attacks On Iran Mosque Kills More Than 20

Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - July 16, 2010: Two suicide bombings at a Shiite mosque in heavily Sunni southeast Iran killed more than 20 people Thursday, including worshippers and members of the Revolutionary Guards, state media reported.

The attack came as people celebrated the birthday of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, a day also set apart each year to honour the Revolutionary Guards.
More than 100 people were wounded in the attacks, which came only minutes apart, at the Jamia mosque in the restive city of Zahedan, capital of southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"Two explosions in front of the Zahedan Jamia mosque left more than 100 wounded and more than 20 martyred," Fariborz Rashedi, the head of the emergency services of Sistan-Baluchestan province, told state news agency IRNA.
Zahedan MP Hossein Ali Shahriari told Fars news agency the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, with the first by a man dressed as a woman.
"The attacker, dressed in women's clothing, was trying to get into the mosque, but was prevented," Shahriari said.
"When people came to rescue those hit in that blast, another bomber blew himself up."
IRNA said the first attack was around 9:20 pm (1650 GMT).
Deputy Interior Minister Ali Abdollahi said it was carried out by a suicide bomber where worshippers were being frisked before entering the mosque.
"That attack resulted in the martyrdom of several, including some of the Revolutionary Guards," he said.
Abdollahi said the second attack took more casualties as people rushed to the site of the first bombing.
IRNA said the explosions were powerful because its reporter covering the blasts could see parts of bodies scattered in and around the mosque as medical workers collected them.
Window panes of nearby buildings were shattered from the impact of the explosions and two vehicles close to the mosque were also damaged, the agency said.
The head of Guards political bureau, Yadollah Javani, pointed the finger at United States, Israel and other Western countries as possible planners of Thursday's bombings.
"One cannot rule out the direct intervention of America, Zionists and other Western countries in the explosions at Jamia mosque of Zahedan," he told Fars.
In a joint statement Ayatollah Abbas Ali Sulemani, the local representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the provincial governor general Ali Mohammad Azad urged the residents to be "calm but alert against the enemies who wanted to divide the people," IRNA said.
Zahedan has been repeatedly hit by attacks blamed on Sunni rebel group Jundallah (Soldiers of God), which plays on feelings of resentment among ethnic Baluchis in the province.
The group's leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, was hanged on June 20 after he was captured in a dramatic operation by Iranian agents. Iranian officials maintain he had received support from US and British intelligence services for carrying out attacks against Iran.
Soon after his death, the group vowed to avenge his execution.
Jundallah says it has been fighting for nearly a decade to secure rights for Sunni Baluchis who form a significant proportion of the population in the province.
It claimed a suicide bombing last October that killed at least 42 people, including seven Revolutionary Guards commanders, in the town of Pisheen in Sistan-Baluchestan.
Jundallah also claimed a May 28, 2009 bombing against Shiite Amir al-Momenin mosque in Zahedan in which more than 20 people were killed and 50 wounded.
That attack came in the run-up to Iran's hotly disputed June presidential election which saw hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win a second term.
Jundallah is also accused of a 2007 attack that killed 13 Guards.
Analysts estimate that the group was formed somewhere between 2000 and 2003 and has about 1,000 militants trained in small arms and explosives.
In recent years the Iranian authorities have resorted to increasingly tough measures against the outfit.
In July 2009 they hanged 13 of its members in a mass prison execution, terming them "enemies of God" after convicting them of a string of offences, including kidnapping foreigners.
The Revolutionary Guards were formed shortly after the 1979 revolution to defend the purity of the country's Islamic system. They have since become a major military, political and economic force in Iran.

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DTN News: Israelis See Obama As Pro-Palestinian: Poll

Defense News: DTN News: Israelis See Obama As Pro-Palestinian: Poll

Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - July 16, 2010: Forty-six percent of Israelis believe US President Barack Obama is more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, according to an opinion poll published by the English-language Jerusalem Post on Friday.

Only 10 percent of the 515 Jewish Israelis interviewed thought Obama was more pro-Israel, 34 percent said he was neutral and 10 percent did not express an opinion.
The poll suggests the July 6 White House meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama did not significantly change Israelis' perceptions of the US president.
A similar survey in March showed that 48 percent thought Obama was more pro-Palestinian and nine percent thought he was more pro-Israeli.
The poll was taken between Monday and Wednesday and has a 4.4 percentage point margin of error.

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DTN News: The Russian-Indian BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

Defense News: DTN News: The Russian-Indian BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

* Russia-India partnership
Source: DTN News - - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 16, 2010: The BrahMos PJ-10 is a short-range, ramjet powered, single warhead, supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed and manufactured by India and Russia. Ship-, air-, ground-, and submarine-launched versions exist. It is currently among the most formidable cruise missiles in development.The BrahMos, which derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moscow rivers in India and Russia, is based on the earlier Russian design for the SS-N-26 (3M55 Oniks) cruise missile. In 1998, a joint venture was set up between the Indian Defense Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia’s Mashinostroyeniye Company. The two entities formed a company now known as Brahmos Aerospace, which would develop and manufacture the BrahMos PJ-10. Sources indicate that by 2006 India and Russia had already invested $300 million in the company.
Also, the BrahMos program has been working extremely well -- a development that may go far to offset the fiasco of the enormous delays and cost overruns on the Admiral Gorshkov carrier renovation project.
Co-production in Indian of Russian weapons systems may well therefore be the way ahead to revitalize the venerable Russian-Indian arms sales relationship for the 21st century. BrahMos cruise missile co-production could therefore prove to be the prototype for further such deals. This could go far in repairing the traditional weakness of Indian high-tech arms development and procurement.
India's Defense Research and Development Organization has a decades-long consistent record of producing prototype missiles and weapons that on paper are as good as any in the world. But it has consistently failed to bring many of them anywhere near operational and production standards. That is why India still has to buy Russian Main Battle Tanks and excellent French Scorpion diesel submarines off the shelf after decades of unsuccessful efforts to manufacture its own.
But the BrahMos program has broken free of those old constraints. It has already entered its production and operational deployment stages with the first mark of these weapons. This achievement is an epochal step forward for the Indian arms industry, and it augurs well for future such Indian-Russian co-production agreements.
Finally, India's achievement in reaching production and operational deployment reliability on the BrahMos cruise missile will change the nature of its strategic relations with the United States -- and possibly with Israel, too. For India is now about to find itself in the novel position of having a military technology far in advance of the comparable U.S. technology.
U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles are subsonic, with a maximum speed of around 700 miles per hour at ground level. But the most advanced marks of the BrahMos, based as they are on a successful, mature Russian cruise missile technology, can go more than 2.5 times as fast as that -- at Mach 2.8 at ground level.
Will India be willing to share this technology with the United States? And if its leaders were willing, would the Kremlin permit it? And if -- as seems likely -- India refuses to share such technology with Washington -- how will that affect future U.S.-Indian relations? Will it signify that technology-sharing agreements in practice will remain a one-way street?
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com