Bangladesh Turns To Russia For Submarines

When it became known to India that Bangladesh is on the hunt for two submarines for its navy, there was some consternation. More so when it came to be known that Bangladesh is negotiating with China for the Ming-class submarines. Something that India can do without at the moment is a spurt in military ties between China and Bangladesh. The level of anxiety has come down somewhat in recent times after information was received that Bangladesh is planning to procure the submarines from Russia. 

India, Russia to export BrahMos to mutually agreeable countries

     The governments of India and Russia have agreed that BrahMos missile will be exported to a list of mutually agreeable countries for defensive purposes. There is also a negative list to which exports are barred.

The missile has been showcased in several countries to apprise the potential customers of its capabilities. “If any country approaches us we will look into it on a case by case basis. BrahMos Aerospace has the production capacity, game plan and skilled labour to supply. I would like to state that we are ready and waiting. It is for the government of India to decide”, Sudhir Mishra, CEO and MD of BrahMos Corporation said on Wednesday.

Mistral Decision Coming Next Month

      French President François Hollande will decide in November whether France will go ahead with a delivery of the Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.

Sources have said previously that a decision was expected in either late October or early November.

“In early September, the president said that if the political conditions did not change, he could not imagine authorizing a delivery,” Le Drian told journalists at the Euronaval trade show.

Why India needs to rethink the Rafale deal

Russia India Report

Fighter planes fall into two categories – the hunters and the hunted. The French are pitching their Rafale as the dogfight duke that is the crème de la crème of jet fighters. But the Russian side disagrees. Alexander Kadakin, Russia's ambassador in India, says Chinese-made Sukhoi-27s would be able to swat the Rafales like “mosquitoes on an August night.”

At this point it’s pointless to deliver the verdict on which aircraft is superior. The Rafale is a largely unknown commodity in aviation circles. Like most French fighters, it is most likely an unassuming, unspectacular but honest aircraft.

China could nuke India from Tibet: Russia

    Want China Times

     After India declared plans to construct a road in the disputed region of Northern Arunachal Pradesh near the Chinese border, the Voice of Russia, a Moscow-based radio broadcasting service, said that Beijing is capable of launching a full scale nuclear strike against New Delhi from Tibet.

     India spent US$7 billion for the construction of a road in northern Arunachal Pradesh state. Due to its proximity to the Chinese border, check points will be established along the road using the most advanced equipment. Meanwhile, India also decided to increase the number of troops stationed in the border region next to China.

Mystery Deepens Over Reported Russian Sub in Sweden

STOCKHOLM — Mystery deepened Sunday over a Swedish military operation triggered by “foreign underwater activity” off the coast of Stockholm, amid an unconfirmed report of a hunt for a damaged Russian submarine.

Late Saturday, Swedish armed forces stepped up an operation — involving more than 200 men, stealth ships, minesweepers and helicopters — in an area about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the Swedish capital. The manuevers were initiated Friday after the armed forces said they had been informed of a “man made object” in the water.

Officials denied they were “submarine hunting,” calling the mobilization — one of the biggest, barring purely training exercises, since the Cold War — an “intelligence operation.”

Russia also denied on Sunday that any of its submarines were involved.

New-generation nuclear-powered missile destroyer under development in Russia

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry has approved the technical design specification for the Leader class destroyers, a high-ranking source in the ministry told TASS on Tuesday.

The destroyer’s nuclear-powered and gas turbine versions are planned. He said there was no clarity yet concerning the weapons, but the new ship will be most likely equipped with the Caliber high-precision cruise missile system and the S-500 antiaircraft defense system.

“The Leader technical design specification prepared by the Navy command has been signed by the Defense Ministry leadership that approved the engineering design for two versions of the destroyer — nuclear-powered and gas turbine,” the source said.

Wait over: INS Vikramaditya set tojoin Indian Navy on Nov 16

Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, will induct the long-delayed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya,
designed to boost India’s maritime capabilities, at a shipyard in Russia on Saturday. Antony will leave for Russia tomorrow with a high-level delegation, including Defence Secretary, R.K. Mathur, on a four-day visit during which, apart from commissioning the aircraft carrier, he will also co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu.

Russia Close to Ink Air Defense Deal With Brazil – Minister

Operational 96K6 Pantsir S1 on parade

Russia and Brazil are at the final stages of talks on the delivery of Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems to the Latin American country, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

A Russian delegation, led by Shoigu, visited Brazil to discuss prospects of bilateral defense and space cooperation, including the sales of Pansir-S1 and Igla missile systems, during the Latin American tour on October 14-17.

“We are moving toward the agreement on Pantsir systems…but drafting the final document needs time,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow on Saturday.

Future Is Cloudy for Russian Carrier Aviation

The future of the Russian navy aircraft carrier component is in doubt after the Russian defense ministry decided to have its nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, the Admiral Nakhimov, rather than its aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov repaired and refitted at Sevmash, the nation’s largest dockyard.

Sevmash had considered taking either the Nakhimov or the Kuznetsov for extended work after its facilities in the port city of Severodvinsk, including a large dry dock, became available following the conversion of the Kiev-class carrier Admiral Gorshkov into the INS Vikramaditya for the Indian Navy. Top Russian and Indian officials are expected to participate in a departure ceremony for the Vikramaditya in mid-November.

India, Russia begin joint military exercise Indra 2013

India and Russia began their joint military exercise, Indra 2013, at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in South Western Command today

The opening ceremony saw the unfurling of the national flags of both countries to the strains of  ”Jana Gana Mana…” and “Russia Sviashennaia Nasha Derzhava… (Russia is our sacred state, Russia is our beloved land)”. 

Indian and Russian soldiers stood side by side, with their tanks and Infantry combat vehicles in the background and gave a ceremonial salute to the two senior most officers of both the Russian and Indian Army reviewing the line-up of combat forces.

Antony to take up issues related to FGFA project with Russia

Source: PTI

Not happy with its share of work in the multi-billion dollar Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project with Russia, India is expected to flag the issue with that country during Defence Minister A K Antony’s visit there next month.

Though India is investing 50 per cent of the cost of the multi-billion dollar programme, its work share in the research and development and other aspects of the programme at the moment is only around 15 per cent, IAF officials said here.

2nd Nuclear Submarine Lease likely to highlight in Indo-Russian Summit

At least half a dozen bilateral agreements, including a big ticket deal on the lease of a nuclear submarine are expected to be signed at the 14th Indo-Russian annual summit in Moscow on October 21, key officials involved in the negotiations (which are still going on) said.

India has been looking to take a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia and talks are believed to have progressed well. The two sides are keeping budget-level secrecy on this subject. The issue is likely to dominate discussions between Singh and Putin during a restricted meeting where the two principals meet with select aides.

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya finishes trials in Russia, delivery to India in mid-November

After a long running saga of hard-nosed negotiations since the late-1990s, cost escalations, refit delays and mishaps, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has finally completed its extensive sea trials in Russia. The 44,570-tonne warship, or the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov, is now all set to be handed over to India in mid-November. 

Anthony to commission MIG-29 K fighter planes into Navy

 Union Defence Minister A K Anthony will commission MIG-29 K fighter planes into the Indian Navy on May 11 in Goa. The squadron, named INAS 303 Black Panthers, will be commissioned on May 11 by the Defence Minister at INS Hansa Naval base in the state, Indian Navy PRO said.