China

Ready to link Silk Road plans with India's 'Mausam': China

BEIJING: Ahead of this week's annual Defence Dialogue, China has expressed its
readiness to work with India to link its ambitious Maritime Silk Road plans with India's
'Mausam' project in a bid to address New Delhi's strategic concerns and derive
"common benefits".
Defence Secretary R K Mathur will lead the Indian defence delegation at the talks due
to be held here on April 8-9 during which the two countries would discuss a wide range
of measures to step up cooperation between army, navy and air force of the two
countries.
Significantly, ahead of the key meeting Chinese Foreign Ministry said China looks
forward to stepping up interaction with India to identify the meeting point for their
strategic interests in South Asia, especially the Indian Ocean region.
"China is ready to work with South Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, to
strengthen policy communication, identify the meeting point of their development
strategies, explore effective ways of mutually beneficial cooperation and common
benefit of the region, countries and the people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Hua Chunying told PTI.
She was responding to a question on China's Ambassador to India Le Yucheng's recent
comments to media that China wants to have communication with India to link the 'Belt
and Road' initiatives with New Delhi's 'Spice Route' and 'Mausam' projects.
During last year's Defence Dialogue, the two sides discussed prospects of joint naval
exercises in addition to the 'Hand in Hand' exercises being held annually between the
two armies to promote military-to-military relations.
Last month, a high-level Air Force delegation from India came here for the first highlevel interaction.
According to officials, the Defence Dialogue covers talks on mutual perspectives on
South Asia, the China-India relationship, bilateral military ties and issues relating to the
borders.

The calls for policy coordination followed Chinese President Xi Jinping formally
launching the multi-billion dollar Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road (MSR) projects.
The projects are also called the 'Belt and Road' initiatives and China has devoted a
USD 40 billion-fund besides finance facility from its Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) being launched with USD 50 billion capital later this year for them.
The 'Belt and Road' projects aim at increasing China's influence in the region besides
reviving its slowing economy. The projects also plan to connect China with Europe
and Africa by road, rail and sea.
The Chinese projects include Bangladesh-China-India- Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor and
Pakistan-China Economic Corridor through Pakistan-Kashmir besides MSR which
raises Beijing's strategic stakes in the Indian Ocean, especially in Sri Lanka and
the Maldives.
While backing the BCIM, India has expressed reservations over Pakistan-China
Corridor as it runs through the Pakistan-Kashmir and over the MSR which clashes with
India's own strategic initiatives in the Indian Ocean.
The Spice Route refers to revival of old links between 31 countries in Asia and Europe
with India, particularly spice- rich Kerala while the 'Mausam' project has taken shape
during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri
Lanka.

J-11 and J-16 can escort PLA's H-6K bombers: Russian expert
China's newly developed J-11B and J-16 heavy fighters may be deployed for escort
missions alongside the PLA Air Force's H-6K strategic bombers operating in the
Western Pacific, according to Russian defense expert Vasil Kashin as cited in the
Moscow-based Sputnik News.
An unknown number of H-6K bombers from the PLA Air Force conducted the first longrange aircraft exercise over the Western Pacific last month. Arriving at their destination
through the Bashi Channel off the southern coast of Taiwan, the bomber proved its
capability of launching aerial offensives against Japan. The photos released by the PLA
Air Force online indicate that China has at least two regiments of H-6K bombers,
according to Kashin.

Since the entire Western Pacific is now within the range of the bombers, the United
States, Japan and Taiwan may develop or purchase heavy fighters to engage them,
Kashin said. The F-14 Tomcat carrier-based fighter was designed for the US Navy to
confront Soviet strategic bombers during the later period of the Cold War. If the US and
its allies are going to intercept Chinese bombers in the future, the PLA Air Force is likely
to deploy heavy fighters to escort them as well.
The state-run Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has already developed heavy fighters such
as the J-11B and J-16, based on the Russian Su-27, Kashin said. When necessary,
both types of aircraft can be deployed to carry out escort missions for H-6K bombers
equipped with CJ-10 cruise missiles.
More aerial refueling aircraft are set to enter service to extend the striking range of the
Chinese strategic bombers.

Indian, Chinese defence officials to hold talks this week

BEIJING: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to China next month,
top defence officials of India and China are set to hold talks here this week in the
backdrop of Beijing's call for linking each others' strategic projects in the Indian Ocean.
A high-power Indian military delegation headed by Defence Secretary R K Mathur will
arrive here tomorrow to take part in the seventh Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) aimed
at improving military ties besides exchanging views on number of regional and global
security issues of mutual concern.

Electronic Weapons: China Climbs the AWACS Ladder

April 6, 2015: Less than two years after being spotted in the air for the first time the new
Chinese KJ-500 AWACS (Air Warning And Control System) aircraft has entered service.
The KJ-500 AWACS can track over 60 aircraft at ranges of up to 470 kilometers. The
KJ-500 aircraft looks more like the American AWACS (with a round radar dome on top)
but is smaller and carried by the Y-9 four engine turboprop aircraft (similar to the U.S. C130). The KJ-200 designs used the smaller Y-8 aircraft and a long box-like radar array
on top of the aircraft. The KJ-500 will supplement and eventually replace the current
eleven KJ-200 (also called the KJ-2000) that has been in service since 2005. There are
also four of the export model (ZDK-03) in Pakistan. Pakistan paid $300 million each for
these KJ-200 variants.

China has been developing its own AWACS since the 1990s, ever since the U.S. forced
Israel to back off selling China the Phalcon AWACS (because it used some American
technology). China then bought some AWACS from Russia, while hustling to develop
their own. The Chinese Air Force was not happy with its four IL-76 AWACS (A-50s from
Russia, converted to use Chinese KJ-200 radar systems) and smaller systems carried
in the Chinese made Y-8 aircraft. The Chinese claim that their phased array AWACS is
similar to, and superior in some respects, to the Phalcon radar they tried to buy from the
Israelis. The Chinese were to pay about the same price for each of the four Phalcon
systems they sought to get from Israel that they are charging Pakistan.
The KJ-200 carries a flight crew of five and a mission (AWACS) crew of about a dozen.
The KJ-500 crew is believed to be about the same size. Both aircraft can stay airborne
for about seven hours per sortie. The KJ-200 radar has a range of about 300 kilometers,
and the computer systems are supposed to be able to handle 5-10 fighters at a time
and keep track of several dozen enemy targets. The 54 ton propeller driven Y-8 is
based on the 1950s era Russian An-12 while the Y-9 is a more recent (2001) design.
The AWACS proved to be a key to victory for the United States in the 1991, 2001, and
2003 campaigns. The critical advantage here was knowing where all friendly aircraft
were at all times. Directing a lot of warplanes over enemy territory has long been a
problem. It was elegantly solved with the development of airborne control aircraft like
the E-3. But it took over half a century to perfect this approach.
The ultimate solution came in the form of a four engine jet transport converted to a flying
radar station and control tower. This was the E-3 AWACS, whose development began in
the late 1960s. The first prototypes were flying in the late 1970s and the E-3 entered
service in 1982. Flying far enough inside friendly territory to avoid enemy anti-aircraft
missiles, the AWACS radar has a radar range from between 200 km (for small aircraft or
cruise missiles flying close to the ground) to 600 kilometers (for large aircraft flying at
high altitude). The AWACS tracks several hundred friendly and enemy aircraft at once.
The AWACS acts as an airborne command center for aircraft and friendly planes are
kept out of each other's way. For example, there was not a single friendly air to air
collision during the 1991 Gulf war or in any subsequent operations using the E-3.
Enemy aircraft are spotted, identified, and friendly interceptors assigned to take care of
the hostile planes using the E-3. One or more AWACS is used to control an air
operation and each can stay up 11 hours at a time, or up to 22 hours with refueling and
extra crew on board to man the equipment. Its first wartime workout, during the 1991
Gulf war, was a spectacular success, often in more ways than anticipated. For example,

the use of over a hundred tankers to refuel combat aircraft would not have been
possible without the AWACS being there to efficiently link tankers and aircraft needing
fuel. Forming up the Wild Weasels, and coordinating their use with the bombers they
escorted, was much easier using an AWACS. Just keeping track of who was who and
going where would not have been possible without the AWACS. Its this kind of AWACS
capability that the Chinese are working towards.

China's new early warning aircraft can track 60 targets

China's new KJ-500 early warning aircraft, designed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, is
capable of tracking about 60 aircraft within a range of 470 kilometers, according to the
Washington-based Strategy Page.
With a round radar dome on the top of the fuselage, the KJ-500 looks more like a US
early warning aircraft replica. It is distinguished by a smaller frame and a design based
on the Y-9 four-engine turboprop aircraft.
The KJ-500 will eventually replace the People's Liberation Army Air Force's 11 KJ-200,
carried by the smaller Y-8 aircraft with a long box-like radar.
In addition to the aircraft under Chinese service, three export versions of the KJ-200,
known as the ZDK-03, have been provided to the Pakistan Air Force.
The development of Chinese early warning aircraft began in the 1990s when the United
States stopped Israel from selling the Phalcon, developed with American technology, to
China. Around the same time, Beijing purchased four Russian-built A-50 early warning
aircraft, developed based on Il-76 cargo plane, and converted them to equip radar
systems similar to the KJ-200. China is not satisfied with the technology yet, but claims
that it has a better phased array radar system than Phalcon.

Chinese ASAT Test Was Successful: Lt. Gen. Raymond

COLORADO SPRINGS: Weve known for some time that China conducted an antisatellite test July 23 last year, but we learned today that that test was successful even
if it didnt destroy anything.

China has successfully placed low earth orbit satellites at risk, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jay
Raymond told an overflow audience at the annual Warfighters Lunch at the Space
Symposium here. Soon every satellite in every orbit will be able to be held at risk, the
head of the 14th Air Force said.
China has claimed the test was for missile defense and noted that nothing was
destroyed in the test. Raymond clearly wanted to dispel that impression and make
certain everyone in the space community knew that China had executed another ASAT
test and that it had worked.

China Building Airstrip in Spratly Islands, Satellite Images

Show
BEIJINGFresh satellite imagery released Thursday shows that China has begun
building a concrete runway on reclaimed land around a disputed reef in the South China
Sea, according to the defense intelligence provider IHS Janes.
The airstrip is Chinas first in the disputed Spratly Islands, defense experts say, and it
appears to be big enough for fighter jets, transport planes and surveillance aircraft,
significantly enhancing Beijings capability to patrol the skies in the area.
Chinas island-building in the Spratlys in the last year has raised fresh concerns in the
region and the U.S. that Beijing is trying to enforce its territorial claims in the South
China Sea, which overlap with those of several neighbors, including the Philippines, a
U.S. ally.
Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told a congressional hearing
Wednesday that China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on its new
islands and use them to try to establish an air defense identification zone like the one it
set up in 2013 over the East China Sea.
The Chinese reclamation work is now lending weight to influential figures in Congress
who question how the U.S. and its allies are benefiting from a recent expansion of U.S.
military exchanges with China, especially its navy.
Fiery Cross is one of seven reefs in the Spratlys that are controlled by China and have
in the last year been transformed into artificial islands with helipads, piers and other
facilities that Beijing says are for military and civilian purposes.

Paving and ground preparation for other sections of the runway have also begun further
along Fiery Cross, which is big enough to house an airstrip about 3,000 meters long,
IHS Janes said, adding that most Chinese air force runways are between 2,700 meters
and 4,000 meters long.
The latest images basically show that Chinas not hanging around when it comes to
building these islandsimagery from last August shows Fiery Cross Reef in pristine
condition, and now theres the start of an airstrip and an almost-completed harbor,
said James Hardy, Asia Pacific Editor of IHS Janes Defence Weekly, a publication
specializing in military affairs.
A 3,000-meter runway is capable of taking almost all military aircraft, he said.
Andrew Erickson, an associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, said a runway
of that length could support operations by a wide range of Chinese aircraft, including
fighters, bombers, electronic intercept, airborne early-warning and tanker aircraft.

India
Star Wars: India set to test missile defence shield
This will be DRDO's latest test towards developing an anti-ballistic missile shield, to
protect Indian targets against nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles fired from Pakistan or
China
On Sunday or Monday, in Chandipur, Odisha, the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO)
will test-fire an interceptor missile, whose task is to hit an incoming ballistic missile
target, in this case a Prithvi missile fired a few minutes earlier. The test is akin to striking
a bullet with a bullet.
This will be DRDO's latest test towards developing an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) shield,
to protect Indian targets against nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles fired from Pakistan or
China.
In 2011, former DRDO chief Avinash Chander had told Business Standard that an ABM
shield would protect the national capital within three years ('Delhi could have antimissile shield by 2014', August 29, 2011).
However, the shield's components are still being refined, and the government is not
likely to sanction operational deployment of what will be a highly controversial measure
until after the shield is fully tested.
An ABM shield is controversial because it destabilizes nuclear deterrence, encouraging
a country to believe it can launch a nuclear strike while successfully defending itself
against retaliation. At the height of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union signed an
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty severely restricting defensive measures on both sides, to
preclude this.
Pakistan believes its arsenal of about 100-120 nuclear warheads, and the missiles,
aircraft and other means to deliver them, are sufficient to deter India's military. Were
India to protect cities such as Delhi and Mumbai with ABM shields, the Pakistan Army
would almost certainly build more nukes and plan to fire a larger number at defended
cities, to saturate and overwhelm their ABM defences.
An ABM shield has three functional components: First, a radar network that detects
enemy ballistic missiles soon after they are launched, and then tracks them along their

flight path. The range of a ground-based radar is limited by the earth's curvature, while a
satellite-based radar picks up a missile as soon as it is fired. The second component is
a command and control system that plots and predicts the enemy missile's flight path,
and assigns interceptor missiles to destroy the intruding missile. Third, the ABM shield
has interceptor missiles that a "guidance radar" guides onto the incoming enemy
missile, destroying it before its nuclear warhead can do any damage.
Given the proximity of India and Pakistan, the entire engagement timeframe, from
launch to interception, is between 5 and 10 minutes.
The interceptor missiles are still being refined before being produced in large numbers
for deployment. DRDO sources say Monday's test is a part of this. They are of two
kinds: An exo-atmospheric missile, called the Pradyumna, which intercepts the enemy
missile while it is still in space, i.e., at heights of above 50 kilometres. As a back-up, an
endo-atmospheric missile, called the Ashvin, is launched to strike the incoming missile
in
the
upper
atmosphere,
i.e.,
at
altitudes
of
20-40
kilometres.
While interceptor development continues, two Long Range Tracking Radars (LRTRs) built by the DRDO and Israeli company, ELTA, and with ranges of 800-1,000 kilometres
- were moved to Delhi a year ago, where they are being integrated into the Indian Air
Force (IAF) surveillance network.
"These are not part of an ABM shield, but of the IAF's air defence radar network, which
watches Indian airspace for intruding fighters," says a top DRDO scientist.
Even so, while the LRTR is currently undergoing testing as part of the IAF network,
experts
say
it
could
eventually
form
part
of
an
ABM
shield.
DRDO sources say that satellite surveillance is not yet part of the ABM shield. "That will
be an addition to the system, providing an extra crucial five minutes of warning time by
monitoring enemy territory and picking up the actual launch of a missile," says a DRDO
scientist.
The range from which an incoming missile is fired is a key determinant of whether it can
be intercepted successfully. The further its origin, the higher and faster it must go, and
the more difficult it is to shoot it down. Currently, the Pradyumna and Ashvin have
proven they can strike missiles fired from up to 900-1,000 kilometres away.
Pakistan's longest-range missile, the Shaheen III, which can travel 2,750 kilometres,

cannot be used against, say, New Delhi, which is barely 700 kilometres from Pakistan.
To avoid overshooting Delhi, Pakistan would have to use its shorter range Abdali I and
Shaheen I missiles.
Lieutenant General (Retired) Khalid Kidwai, the advisor to Pakistan's National
Command Authority and for 15 years that country's nuclear czar, told the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace on March 23 that the Shaheen III missile was
developed to bring the Andaman & Nicobar Islands into range and prevent India from
basing nuclear weapons there.
"Pakistan cannot allow any land mass of India to be out of range," said Kidwai.
However, China targets India with the advanced, solid-fuel Dong Feng-21 (NATO
designation: CSS-5) medium range ballistic missile (IRBM), which has a range of 1,7002,000 kilometres. India's current ABM shield would be unable to intercept an incoming
DF-21.

IAF may get Begumpet airport, AAI staff angry

Hyderabad: The old airport at Begumpet is in the eye of a storm following a reported
plan by the Indian Air Force to take control of it. The Airports Authority staff,
Associations and Guilds of AAI, Southern region Chennai, AA Employees union and
other associates, which got a wind of the development, lodged a strong protest. They
requested the Centre, ministry of civil aviation, Union defence ministry, Airports Authority
of India and the Telangana government not to hand over the airport to IAF.
Airport employees became suspicious when a group of senior IAF officials had
inspected the Begumpet airport runway, periphery road, communication tower last
month and certain developments took place in the capital on the issue
subsequently. While the AAI staff lodged a protest over attempts to handover the airport
to air force, IAF authorities refused to comment.
It is reliably understood that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken an unilateral
decision to handover the land and assets of AAI at Begumpet airport to IAF for reasons
best known to them. The action is similar to closing down of commercial operations
here," S.R. Santhanam, president, All India Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU)
told this newspaper here on Tuesday.

Mr Santhanam said the employees JAC petitioned to all those concerned in New Delhi
after the visit of IAF officers last month and subsequent developments in Delhi.
We have information that airport is being handed over to IAF. This will deprive the state
of a good airport in the heart of the city. The whole thing is kept a secret. If supersonic
defence aircrafts operate from here, it will create problem for people. We requested the
Central government to drop such a move and resume commercial operations again, he
said. About 20 acres of the airport land, out of 650 acres, is now in possession of the
IAF.
IAF has airports at Dundigal, Hakimpet and Bidar. We request it not to take control of
the airport. The very closure of the commercial operations is violation of law. It displaces
staff and affects many families working for AAI, he added.

Francois Hollande: No Rafale jet sale announcement before

Indian PM Modi trip to France
French President Francois Hollande has said there will be no news on the sale of
Rafale fighter jets to India before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to France
on 9 April.
Hollande, speaking in Paris on 7 April, said: "There will be no announcement on the
Rafale sales before the visit of Prime Minister Modi in France and I do not want the
Indian premier's visit to be put in the context of a contract."
When asked about the stalled sale of 126 Rafale combat jets to the Indian Air Force,
Hollande said: "We are working on it." Modi is travelling to France, Germany and
Canada later in April.
Earlier, a report in the Times of India said New Delhi has asked Dassault Aviation, the
maker of the Rafale, to stick to the original price tag for the fighters or risk losing the
deal.
The newspaper, on 7 April, quoted an unnamed Indian official as saying Dassault
wanted to increase the price to cover the increased cost of local production, and that

any such escalation could be a deal-breaker. Pursued by Reuters, Dassault refused to

comment.
Eurofighter swoops in
In March, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the United Kingdom could offer
Eurofighters to India if France's delayed plan to sell Rafales falls through.
Hammond said that if the opportunity did arise, Eurofighter has a "very competitive
offer" to make, according to reports.
In February, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier told India's PTI news agency the pricing had
remained the same from day one.
Paris and New Delhi have been discussing the contract, potentially worth up to $23bn
(15.4bn, 21.2bn), for more than three years now.
The Rafale deal has reportedly hit two hurdles - the assembly of aircraft in India and
price negotiations - threatening to derail one of the world's biggest defence deals.
Bone of contention
India wants Dassault to take full responsibility for the production of 108 jets at a staterun facility in Bangalore, under the 2012 bid offer.
But France has said it will help Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to deliver the jets on
schedule but it cannot give guarantee for production of aircraft built at a facility over
which it has no control.
New Delhi picked the Rafale fighters over the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, made by EADS
and financed by a four-nation consortium that includes Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy
for the Indian Air Force in 2012.
Dassault also beat US bidders Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Sweden's Saab and the
Russian makers of the MiG-35. Rafale has a naval variant that could interest the Indian
military in the future.

India, China Military Joining Forces? With Border Tensions

High, Indian, Chinese Leaders Discuss New Training
Agreement
Indian and Chinese midlevel military officers could soon train together in an attempt to
foster better understanding between the two forces, reported NDTV. Indian and Chinese
officials were expected to discuss the details next week during the Annual Defense
Dialogue in Bejing. The move would be an effort by the two military forces to better work
alongside one another, with tensions often high along the border between the two
countries.
Indian-Chinese relations are closely watched by the U.S., Japan and Russia. The Indian
military allows midlevel officers of other friendly countries, like the United States, Sri
Lanka, and the Philippines, to train alongside its officers in its academies. India and
China already perform a joint military exercise with one another, called Hand in Hand,
which is reportedly expected to be expanded.
"There is a possibility that the two militaries may exercise looking at different scenarios,
which could involve the navy and air force," a top Defense Ministry official told NDTV,
speaking of the proposed training agreement.
NDTV also reported that four meeting points -- designated areas to quickly resolve
standoffs -- along the India-China border will be discussed. Track Junction, Pangang
Tso Lake, Demchock and Chuma are the four likely spots, according to the report. The
countries will also discuss how to better implement 2013's Border Defense Cooperation
Agreement, which aims to reduce tension along the border.
"There is a huge dispute in the eastern border of China-India border. This is undeniable
fact," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hu Chunying told reporters.
Next month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make his first visit to
China to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Modi Asks France to Supply 36 Dassault Rafale Warplanes to

India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he asked France to supply his nation with 36
Rafale warplanes, leaving open the possibility of a separate order for more of the
Dassault Aviation SA fighters.

Modi said Friday during a visit to Paris that he wants the planes as soon as possible
and that details of the transaction still have to be negotiated. French President Francois
Hollande, speaking alongside Modi, said Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will
travel shortly to New Delhi to hammer out an agreement.
For Dassault, its the second export order for the fighter plane after Egypt ordered 24 in
February.
France has always been a trustworthy supplier for our military, whether its been
submarines or planes, Modi said after meeting Hollande.
India, one of the worlds largest importers of major weapons, has been in discussions to
buy as many as 126 Rafales, which were priced at $11 billion in a 2007 tender, with the
bulk of the planes to be assembled in India by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
An agreement on that order has been delayed by disagreements over Dassault
guarantees for the planes built in India.
In the order Modi proposed Friday; all the planes would be built in France, French
officials said.
The order for the 36 Rafales will be on terms that would be better than conveyed by
Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway, the Indian foreign ministry in
New Delhi said in an statement on its website released just after Modis announcement.

Timeline: The collapse of Indias largest defence deal

Indias largest defence dealworth $20 billion (Rs1.25 lakh crore)is reportedly being
scrapped.
Three years ago, Dassault Aviation was in the midst of exclusive talks on a multi-billiondollar deal to supply India with 126 planes. It was huge a boost for the France-based
company, which had till then struggled to find an international buyer for Rafale, its
powerful and expensive fighter planes.

But, in those three years, India never signed a formal agreement with the aviation
company. The two camps, reportedly, could not agree on a price.
And on April 10during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to France
India signed another deal to buy 36 ready-to-fly of the Rafale fighter jets from
Dassault.
The decision to buy these 36 aircrafts means that the earlier deal is more or less history.
We will now acquire the 36 new aircrafts and based on the assessment, will then take a
call on future needs, Sitanshu Kar, principal spokesperson for the defence ministry told
Quartz.
But while Kar refused to shed any more light on the future of the deal, Indias defence
minister Manohar Parrikar has been less ambiguous about its fate. On April 13, he said
that a car cannot go on two tracks simultaneouslywhich means the Indian
government wont do both deals.
Here is a timeline of how it unfolded:
2000: The Indian Air Force expresses interest in buying medium multi-role combat
aircraft (MMRCA) to replace Soviet-era MiG-21s. Over the years, the aging MiG-21s
have been involved in multiple accidents.
2001: The Indian Air Force issues requests for information (RFI) for 126 combat
jets. But there is little activity for the next six years.
2007: The Indian government issues tenders for 126 MMRCAs, for an estimated cost
of Rs42,000 crore ($6.7 billion, now). The request for proposal (RFP) is issued to six
vendors: Russias MIG-35 (RAC MiG); Swedens JAS-39 (Saab); French Rafale
(Dassault); American F-16 Falcon (Lockheed Martin); Boeings F/A-18 Super Hornet
and Eurofighter Typhoon (made by a consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian
firms).
2008: US majors Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Russias United Aircraft Corporation,
Frances Dassault, European consortiums European Aeronautic Defense and Space
Company (EADS) and Saab submit their bids.

2011: The defence ministry says it will start discussions with Dassault and EADS. The
ministry tells American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin that their proposals
have been rejected.
2012: India shortlists Dassault, after it submits the lowest bids for the deal. According
to the RFP, the winner of the contract would supply 18 of the 126 aircraft to the Indian
Air Force in 36 months from its facilities, and the remaining would be produced at
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd plant in Bangalore.
2013: Negotiations continue during the year.
2014: India decides to put the deal on hold due to budgetary constraints until 2015.
Dassault remains hopeful.
2015: After three years of negotiations with Dassault, Modi announces on April 10 that
he has ordered 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets from Dassault. A day later, Parrikar
indicates that the move is the right direction, and says that in future India would deal
directly with the French government instead of the aviation company.

India developing its own short-range surface-to-air missiles

for navy
India is working on a short-range surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) which, when
developed, can be used by the country's navy which earlier rejected the indigenous
Akash missiles.
The new indigenous project is at an initial stage and is being developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a source in the know of the project
development told dna.
The new missiles with a range of 25-30 kilometres can be used by the Army and the Air
Force too, the source said.
The project is independent of the DRDO's and the French firm MBDA's joint missile
programme for navy that the government took a decision on recently as reported by dna
on March 31.

Unlike Akash missile, the new missiles will be a canister based and vertically-launched
system suitable for naval ships. They can be placed hidden in the ship's dock and
escape enemy surveillance radars.
"The fact that they will be vertically-launched next-generation quick-reaction missiles will
enable Navy to strike a target in all directions from the ships with much improved
manoeuvering," said the source.
The cannister based SRSAM will also absorb the large part of the flume that emanates
during a missile launch. This will be to the Navy's advantage that have limited space to
operate from the warships.
The new project's cost components and time frame of completion could not be
immediately known.
India already has long range canister based missiles like Brahmos and Agni but navy's
requirement is a short range quick-reaction missile.
The medium-range surface-to-air missile Akash was initially made keeping in view
Army's requirement but later its Air Force version was developed. The Navy, however,
hadn't found it fitting its requirement.
Meanwhile the Indian Navy is also preparing to equip its warships with Israeli Barak-8
air-defence missile system which is to happen by the year end.
Also, the DRDO has recently begun engaging with the French firm MBDA for
development of nine SRSAMs which have 40 missiles each. India recently revived the
$5 billion SRSAM 'Maitri' project - a joint programme between the DRDO and MBDA
whcih had seen no headway since 2007.

N. Korea
Take a look at the North Korean military's deadly array of
weaponry
North Korea's military equipment looks as if it could belong to a 1970s Soviet army
but the country's massive forces could still prove formidable.
The country's missile development and huge stocks of artillery are particularly
threatening to South Korea and the rest of the world.
The US Pentagon's most recent report on the state of the North Korean military sizes
up the country's ground forces, navy, and air force.
It's one of the world's most secretive countries, so the information largely comes from
other sources. But the state's propaganda efforts mean there are plenty of pictures of
the country's colossal military capacity.
The largest part of the military is the Korean People's Army Ground Force, which
includes about 1 million active personnel and millions more civilians who are effectively
reservists
North Korea's ground forces are numerous but equipped mostly with out-of-date Sovietera small arms, or copies produced by North Korea or China.
The air force has some semi-modern fighter jets, like the MiG-29, which was built in the
later years of the Soviet Union, but most of its air force is made up of "less capable" jets
and even biplanes.

Is North Korea eyeing negotiating table?

Experts question whether economically strapped country is willing to talk
nukes
SEOUL, South Korea Famine and economic depression havent been enough in the
last seven years to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table over its weapons
program not as long as its military has enough resources to keep the Kim dynasty in
power.

North Korea sees any threat to songun the reclusive communist countrys militaryfirst system as making the nation vulnerable to invasion. To outside observers,
destabilization of the powerful military threatens the Kim family regimes hold on power.
In 2000 and subsequent years, North Korea agreed to landmark talks with South Korea
and four other allied nations, but only following years of disastrous food shortages and
economic deprivation that United Nations reports say killed hundreds of thousands of
people. In exchange, Pyongyang had international bank accounts unfrozen, gained
foreign cash and received more humanitarian aid.
Explaining North Koreas reasoning for entering those negotiations remains open to
debate, but many analysts believe the regime feared losing its militarys support. The
military is believed to have gotten the lions share of both the outside aid and the
national budget, though that may not have been enough in such a poverty-wracked
country.
Military spending has always been prioritized, even during periods of mass starvation,
according to a 2014 U.N. report on North Korea. Nevertheless, the State still failed to
feed the ordinary soldiers of its disproportionately large army.
Nukes mean life
Today, North Korea faces the prospect of another significant food shortage and a
purported loss of income from China, its largest trading partner and closest among
precious few allies.
But are things so bad right now that Pyongyang will be willing to discuss its nuclear
weapons program?
North Korea says its nuclear program means its life, said Kang Sung Kyu, professor of
North Korea Studies at Korea University in Sejong-shi.
Kang is skeptical that North Korea is serious about negotiations, or that any agreements
would stand a valid concern, given how previous deals have fallen apart as
Pyongyang repeatedly reneged on key points in the past.
Its also unclear what role China might play in North Koreas decision-making.

North Korea knows China is concerned that a unified Korea would mean U.S. troops
closer to its border, and Pyongyang uses that concern to determine its own actions,
Kang said.
Nevertheless, China certainly has influence over Pyongyang. It purchases 84 percent of
North Koreas exports, with coal and iron ore accounting for about half of that, according
to the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Although some reports indicate that Chinas imports of North Korean coal and natural
resources are falling, its unclear if that could create enough economic hardship for
North Korea to return to the negotiating table.
Even if Chinas coal purchases are shrinking, an estimated 20,000 North Koreans
working overseas are bringing the regime hard currency, Kang said. The regime has
also profited for years from institutional currency counterfeiting and drug production,
according to U.S. government reports.
Paik Haksoon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, even doubts the accuracy of
reports of China cutting its North Korean resource purchases. He also cites increased
economic activity in three Chinese provinces near North Koreas northern border a
border in name only for Chinese businessmen willing to cut Pyongyang into their profits.
China has joined Japan and the United States in criticizing North Koreas nuclear
program, but it is willing to let denuclearization drag out for years in negotiations,
according to Paik.
China has been using the de-nuclearization of North Korea as a mechanism to control
the North, he said.
New 6-party talks
Paik and Kang remain skeptical that talks at this point would accomplish much;
Pyongyang agreed to abandon its nuclear program in 2007 after much negotiation, only
to resume testing two years later.
However, it does appear that China and the other members of the six-party talks, a
group of countries that negotiated several now-tattered accords in the 2000s, are ready
to talk to North Korea once again.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry recently posted a photo of Russias deputy foreign
minister and Chinas representative for Korean affairs with the following caption: The
two sides exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and on the
restarting of the six-party talks.
China has not provided details on what those views entail.
South Korea, Japan, the U.S., China and Russia have reached a certain degree of
consensus on how to restart the talks that fell apart in 2008, said Hwang Joon-kook,
South Koreas ambassador to the talks again without providing details, according to
Reuters.
Meanwhile, North Korea has been firing offshore ballistic missiles while threatening
America with final doom in its news releases. In addition to the direct threat of attack,
U.S. officials worry that Pyongyang could be willing to sell weapons and missiles to
other enemies of America, including terrorists.
Still, The Washington Post and others have reported that U.S. and North Korean
officials had been having talks about talks. That would mark something of a turnaround
for President Barack Obamas policy of strategic patience, which has fundamentally
meant no engagement with North Korea.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson believes there is value in talking
with North Korea, he told Foreign Policy recently during an interview.
There are some areas of compromise available on human rights and family exchanges
because North Korea wants access to aid and technology, he said.
Richardson, who has visited the country several times, nevertheless reflected
skepticism of any quick breakthroughs.
Their idea of a concession was theyre not going to budge, but what they will budge on
is they will give you enough time to come to their conclusion, eventually. Richardson
said. Time for them is not of the essence.

North Korea declares no-sail zone, missile launch seen as

possible: reports
(Reuters) - North Korea has declared a no-sail zone for its ships off its east coast, South
Korean media reported on Monday, suggesting more missile launches are possible
before the U.S. defense chief visits Seoul this week.
Pyongyang fired four short-range missiles off its west coast on Friday in what South
Korea called a bid to stoke tension during its annual joint military drills with the United
States.
The two Koreas are locked in a tense standoff, trading harsh rhetoric recently over the
arrest by Pyongyang of two South Korean nationals it accused of espionage.
It was not clear if the latest warning for ships to stay clear of an area off the Korean
peninsula's east coast was a direct indication of an imminent missile launch.
"There are no signs of peculiar movements," South Korean defense ministry deputy
spokesman Na Seung-yong told a briefing. Na said a no-sail warning had not been sent
to Seoul or the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
North Korea has reported to the IMO before previous long-range missile launches,
which it has claimed were rockets to launch satellites. The North is under U.N.
sanctions banning it from developing ballistic missile technologies.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is due to start a three-day visit to South Korea on
Thursday.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted unidentified government officials as saying
the no-sail warning has been in effect since April 1 and could indicate that a launch of a
mid-range Rodong missile was "possible", according to an official quoted by Yonghap.
North Korea last test-fired its mid-range Rodong missile, which has a design range of
1,300 km (800 miles), in March 2014, while the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the
United States were meeting to discuss the threat from the North.
Pyongyang did not issue a no-sail warning before that launch.

North Korea frequently test fires short-range missiles into the sea, often in what are
seen as a response to the U.S.-South Korean drills, which it denounces as a
preparation for war.
Last month, North Korea tested two short-range missiles off its eastern coast without
designating a no-sail zone, drawing protest from Japan.
North Korea, which has threatened to carry out a fourth nuclear test, could be close to
being able to put a nuclear warhead on a missile, some experts say, with the mid-range
Rodong the most likely to be used.
Its leader, Kim Jong Un, visited one of its navy units, supervising torpedo attack drills,
state media said on Saturday.

Researchers: Hundreds of North Korea missiles threaten

Asia
WASHINGTON Nuclear-armed North Korea already has hundreds of ballistic
missiles that can target its neighbors in Northeast Asia but will need foreign technology
to upgrade its arsenal and pose a more direct threat to the United States, U.S.
researchers said Tuesday.
Those are the latest findings of a research program investigating what secretive North
Korea's nuclear weapons capability will be by 2020.
Unlike Iran, the current focus of international nuclear diplomacy, North Korea has
conducted atomic test explosions. Its blood-curdling rhetoric and periodic missile tests
have set the region on edge and there's no sign of negotiations restarting to coax it into
disarming.
For now, the emphasis is on sanctions and military preparedness. Defense Secretary
Ash Carter visits Japan and South Korea this week amid speculation the U.S. wants to
place a missile defense system in South Korea against North Korean ballistic missiles,
which Seoul is reluctant about as it would alienate China. The U.S. has already
deployed anti-missile radar in Japan.

The North Korean Futures Project a joint effort by the U.S.-Korea Institute at John
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and National Defense University's
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction is trying to shed some light on
what kind of threat Pyongyang poses.
Aerospace engineer John Schilling and a research associate at the institute, Henry Kan,
say Pyongyang's current inventory of about 1,000 missiles, based on old Soviet
technology, can already reach most targets in South Korea and Japan.
"North Korea has already achieved a level of delivery system development that will
allow it to establish itself as a small nuclear power in the coming years," they write in a
paper published Tuesday on the institute's website, 38 North.
But despite the North's 2012 success in launching a rocket into space the clearest
sign yet it has the potential to reach the American mainland Pyongyang faces greater
technical challenges in developing effective intercontinental missiles that could fire a
nuclear weapon across the Pacific at the U.S.
It may already be able to field a limited number of long-range Taepodong missiles in an
emergency but they would be unreliable, vulnerable to pre-emptive strike and
inaccurate, the analysis says.
Foreign assistance could be critical for overcoming the technological and engineering
hurdles it now faces in developing better missiles, including progress on highperformance engines, heat shields, guidance electronics and rocket motors that use
solid fuel instead of liquid fuel, it says.
And that's become tougher as North Korea's international isolation has intensified since
its first nuclear test explosion in 2006.
That hasn't stopped its nuclear program, although it remains unclear whether the North
has been able to miniaturize a nuclear device to mount on a missile. According to a
recent estimate by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International
Security, the North likely has enough fissile material for at least 10 weapons, and that
could increase to between 20 and 100 weapons by 2020.
But whereas the basic designs and production infrastructure are now largely in place for
the nuclear program, technological progress on the missile front has been slower, the
analysis says. North Korea has failed to make the kind of advances that Iran and

Pakistan have made, although both countries relied on North Korean assistance for
missiles in the 1990s.
In North Korea's arsenal, U.S. officials have expressed most concern about an
intercontinental ballistic missile called the KN-08 that has been displayed in military
parades. It is said to be capable of being launched from a road-mobile vehicle and
would therefore be difficult to monitor via satellite.
Last October, the commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, Army Gen. Curtis
Scaparrotti, said North Korea may be capable of fielding a nuclear-armed KN-08 missile
that could reach U.S. soil, but because it has not tested such a weapon the odds of it
being effective were "pretty darn low."

NORAD commander: North Korean KN-08 missile operational

WASHINGTON North Korea has an operational road-mobile missile that could carry
nuclear weapons to the United States, according to the commander of North American
Aerospace Defense Command.
The KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile was first paraded in North Korea in 2012.
Many analysts suspected at the time that the missiles on display were mock-ups and
doubted that the country had actually developed the weapon.
But on Tuesday, Adm. Bill Gortney, the head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command,
told reporters at the Pentagon that he thinks Pyongyang has achieved a breakthrough.
We assess that its operational today, and so we practice to go against that, he said.
Gortney said North Korea has not yet tested the missile, and he declined to explain why
he thinks the missile is ready to go.
The U.S. military does not consider its weapons to be operational until theyve been
tested.
The KN-08, if operationally deployed, would be more difficult to defeat than fixed-site
missiles because it could potentially be moved around secretly by the North Korean
regime to make it more difficult for the U.S. to locate and target preemptively during a
crisis.

Its the relocatable target set that really impedes our ability to find, fix and finish the
threat, a problem which is compounded by the fact that the U.S. military does not have
persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets over North Korea,
Gortney said.
North Korea also has the ability to marry the missile with a nuclear warhead, according
to the NORAD chief.
Our assessment is that they have the ability to put a nuclear weapon on a KN-08 and
shoot it at the [U.S.] homeland, he said.
The U.S. ballistic missile defense system has a spotty test record. Gortney noted the
fits and starts that its experienced, but expressed confidence that it would work in a
crisis.
The U.S. has 30 ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air
Force Base, Calif.
As the leader of NORAD and NORTHCOM, Gortney would be responsible for launching
the interceptors against North Korean missiles if they threatened the homeland.
I own the trigger on this, he said, and I have high confidence that it will work against
North Korea.

North Korea has 1,000 ballistic missiles that can reach

Japan and South Korea
WASHINGTON A group of U.S.-based researchers warned Tuesday that North Korea
has some 1,000 ballistic missiles that can reach Japan and South Korea.
The potential capability of delivering weapons further makes North Korea appear more
advanced than other countries at a similarly early stage in the development of their
nuclear arsenals, the group said in a report published by Johns Hopkins Universitys
U.S.-Korea Institute.

The current force is more than able to accommodate any future growth in the Norths
nuclear weapons arsenal, including a worst-case projection of 100 nuclear weapons by
2020, the report said.
The ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching Japan and South Korea included
Rodong missiles with a range of 1,200-1,500 kilometers and Scud missiles with a range
of 300-600 km, according to the report posted on the institutes 38 North website.
While the North Korea already has ballistic missiles that can target its neighbors in
Northeast Asia, it will need foreign technology to upgrade its arsenal and pose a more
direct threat to the United States, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.
Unlike Iran, the current focus of international nuclear diplomacy, North Korea has
conducted atomic test explosions. Its blood-curdling rhetoric and periodic missile tests
have set the region on edge and theres no sign of negotiations restarting to coax it into
disarming.
For now, the emphasis is on sanctions and military preparedness. Defense Secretary
Ash Carter visits Japan and South Korea this week amid speculation the U.S. wants to
place a missile defense system in South Korea against North Korean ballistic missiles,
which Seoul is reluctant about as it would alienate China. The U.S. has already
deployed anti-missile radar in Japan.
U.S. military officials have expressed growing concern about North Koreas capabilities.
Navy Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North
American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters Tuesday that it is the U.S.
assessment that North Korea has the ability to miniaturize a warhead to put on an
intercontinental ballistic missile.
U.S. officials are most concerned about a long-range missile called the KN-08 that has
been displayed in military parades. It is said to be capable of being launched from a
road-mobile vehicle and would therefore be difficult to monitor via satellite.
But the research published Tuesday by the North Korean Futures Project stresses that
for now the principal threat from North Korean missiles is to its neighbors in Asia. The
project is conducted by the U.S.-Korea Institute at John Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies and National Defense Universitys Center for the Study of
Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Aerospace engineer John Schilling and a research associate at the institute, Henry Kan,
say Pyongyangs current inventory of about 1,000 missiles, based on old Soviet
technology, can already reach most targets in South Korea and Japan.
North Korea has already achieved a level of delivery system development that will
allow it to establish itself as a small nuclear power in the coming years, they wrote in a
paper published on 38 North.
Despite the Norths 2012 success in launching a rocket into space the clearest sign
yet it has the potential to reach the American mainland Pyongyang faces greater
technical challenges in launching an effective missile across the Pacific at the U.S.
It may already be able to field a limited number of long-range Taepodong missiles in an
emergency but they would be unreliable, vulnerable to pre-emptive strike and
inaccurate, the analysis says. The KN-08 may achieve emergency operational status
by 2020, before or with very limited flight testing, it adds.
The analysis says foreign assistance could be critical for overcoming the technological
and engineering hurdles North Korea now faces in developing better missiles, including
progress on high-performance engines, heat shields, guidance electronics and rocket
motors that use solid fuel instead of liquid fuel, it says.
And thats become tougher as North Koreas international isolation has intensified since
its first nuclear test in 2006.
That hasnt stopped its nuclear program. According to a recent estimate by the
Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, the North likely has
enough fissile material for at least 10 weapons, and that could increase to between 20
and 100 weapons by 2020.
But whereas the basic designs and production infrastructure are now largely in place for
the nuclear program, technological progress on the missile front has been slower, the
analysis says. North Korea has failed to make the kind of advances that Iran and
Pakistan have made, although both countries relied on North Korean assistance for
missiles in the 1990s.
Last October, the commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, Army Gen. Curtis
Scaparrotti, said North Korea may be capable of fielding a nuclear-armed KN-08 missile

that could reach U.S. soil, but because it has not tested such a weapon the odds of it
being effective were pretty darn low.

North Korea fires missiles into sea as U.S. defence chief

visits region
OSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - North Korea has fired two surface-to-air missiles off its
west coast, South Korea said on Thursday, with the latest in a string of short-range
firings by the North coming shortly before the U.S. defence secretary arrived in the
region.
The two short-range missiles were fired on Tuesday, South Korea's defence ministry
said, and followed the launch on Friday of four short-range missiles off the west coast of
North Korea.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter arrived in Japan on Tuesday afternoon and
travelled to South Korea on Thursday, where he was expected to discuss a response to
North Korea's growing missile and nuclear threat.
"It's just a reminder of how tense things are on the Korean peninsula. That's the reason
Im going," Carter told reporters at Yokota air base in Japan before departing for South
Korea.
"If it was a welcoming message to me, Im flattered."
A senior U.S. official described the missile test as a provocative act ahead of Carter's
visit.
"Their missile inventory is growing and their willingness to test those missiles appears to
be growing as we've just seen today," the official said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
U.S. military officials have said a sophisticated air defence system is needed in South
Korea to counter the North's missile threat, although Washington has not made a formal
proposal for deploying THAAD and it is not officially on the agenda for Carter's visit.
"These are missiles launched and it reinforces the missile defence preparations weve
long had on the Korean peninsula and have here, by the way in Japan," Carter said

when asked if the latest North Korean missile launch underscores the need for THAAD
deployment in South Korea.
China and Russia have both spoken out against placing THAAD, or Terminal High
Altitude Area Defence, in South Korea.