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Naval equipment: Pak lags far behind India
Dr Manzoor H Khatana
In modern age, technology in general, and military technology in particular, has assigned the act of chivalry, once a paragon of the soldiers strength, to the back pages of certain ancient and/or medieval literature. Today, a soldier just requires a mastery of calibration to release a missile or fire a cannon. Actually, a modern soldiers bravery, and even patriotism, springs directly from the sophistication of his/her military gear. But, many countries are incapable of producing such sophisticated hardware and must rely on foreign suppliers. Not only are the foreign suppliers unreliable, but they are also often subject to certain geo-political pressures, which forces them to stop deliveries, right in the middle of active hostilities, when supplies are needed the most. Nevertheless, whatever the handicap, every country is obligated to protect its sovereignty and safeguard its territorial integrity. Therefore, in order to truly safeguard its territorial integrity, and protect its sovereignty, a country must possess a sufficient manufacturing know-how for producing adequate defense equipment. As such, it would be fair to state that Pakistan does not produce sufficient modern military equipment, in case of actual active hostilities, and that the country depends too heavily on foreign military suppliers.
Pakistan is stuck in time; it is facing monumental challenges, its population growth is out of control, it is faced with chronic illiteracy, and its half-illiterate able-bodied workers have no prospect of any jobs. Despite lofty religious statements and glorification of Islamic virtues, the abominable corruption has penetrated every sphere of the Pakistani society. Furthermore, socio-religious and sectarian extremism has been spreading like wild fire, and Gods wrath often descends in the form of natural disasters, but apart from the military, the land of the pure, in 63 years of its existence, has not succeeded in establishing many truly indigenous defense equipment manufacturing plants. Defense equipment manufacturing should not be left to military alone, it should include a healthy private venture, with the involvement of able and experienced retired military personnel. It is a sheer folly to let the retired officers sit in their spatial homes and glorify their deeds over tea, while they could be helping the country attain self-sufficiency in manufacturing military equipment. These retired officers could also invest their wealth in various manufacturing sectors, beginning with fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, aircraft engines, armored vehicles, industrial and marine engines, military electronics, missiles, naval weapons, ordnance and munitions, space vehicles, unmanned aerial and undersea vehicles, and warships. Investors, whether from government or private sector, should understand that when small contractors and sub-contractors, who supply to the manufacturers of main platforms, are included, their dividends will reach into millions of dollars.
Pakistan must concentrate in those manufacturing sectors that directly strengthen her capabilities for defending certain strategic areas. One does not have to be a great military strategist to know that Pakistans arch rival would attempt to block Pakistani ports in any active theater of war. Therefore, Pakistan would need to attain self-sufficiency in building warships, advanced naval weapons, and anti-submarine related ordnance. Acknowledging funding deficiencies, the navy must continue to remind policymakers in Islamabad the importance of the naval equipment manufacturing infrastructure. Simultaneously, the navy must encourage privatization of certain manufacturing capabilities, while establishing solid manufacturing relationships with China, Turkey and Indonesia. The navy should also continue to master naval equipment manufacturing technologies from such countries as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and numerous European warship and naval weapon builders.
Nonetheless, in terms of military equipment, there is an enormous imbalance between India and Pakistan. In fact, there is not a remotest chance that Pakistan would ever be able to match India in possessing and/or in manufacturing military hardware. And, Pakistan Navy is probably the most vulnerable, since India could, without a doubt succeed in imposing blockade against Pakistani ports. The only alternative open to Pakistan Navy is to develop and manufacture fast and highly maneuverable small-to-medium warships; Pakistan simply cannot compete with India in manufacturing heavy warships. But, the navy and the private manufacturers in Pakistan must churn out these advanced warships in numbers, since many of these would probably be lost on the onset of active hostilities. Therefore, they should be produced in numbers, should be relatively less expansive, capable of deep and shallow water missions, and they should be dedicated to the primary task of hit and run and/or dive and escape. These small-to-medium sized submarines should be capable of playing havoc with naval communications, and at the same time, target surface warships with their lethal attack capabilities.
Pakistan Navy, and the private manufacturers, must build the most modern missile patrol craft, which would not only be fast and agile but also carry the most modern home-made missiles. Beyond possessing sufficient inventories, Pakistan must have fully functioning and diversified facilities for manufacturing advanced anti-warship missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. The location of various manufacturing facilities must be diversified, and there must be certain cooperative manufacturing arrangements with other friendly and brotherly countries. Pakistans ports are vulnerable but do the policymakers in Islamabad fully appreciate the dilemma faced by Pakistan Navy? The navy, on the other hand, is fully aware about the naval equipment imbalance, but can it develop an effective defense strategy that would encourage the country to indigenously produce modern, highly maneuverable, small-to-medium warships and related naval weapons?
Pakistan was able to acquire warship building technology from France, since it had built its second Agosta 90B, Khalid Class submarine at Karachi. The construction of the third submarine was successfully carried out by Pakistanis at Karachi, and the submarine was duly commissioned in 2006. Also, after the acquisition of three F-22P Zulfiquar Class frigates from China, the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard of Shanghai was helping Pakistan to build its fourth and the last frigate at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW). This is a good beginning, but no way does it lend any verifiable credibility for ability to build small-to-medium sized submarines in numbers nor does it reflect capabilities of building naval weapons. Efforts should be made to indigenously manufacture numerous rotary-wing aircraft for Pakistan Navy.
In the meantime, Pakistans arch enemy is in the process of building an aircraft carrier, while construction of another aircraft carrier is expected to follow; it is very close to completing a nuclear-powered submarine. India is likely to build several more nuclear-powered submarines. Indeed, India already possesses warship building capabilities, since it has built Delhi class destroyers, Brahmaputra and Godavari class frigates, and Kora and Khukri class Corvettes. Not only has India cheap and skilled labor readily available, but it also has plenty of experience in building different kind of warships. Besides, its international reserves are building even faster than the downhill speeding monsoon floods. Interestingly, the navy neither owns nor runs all warship building operations in India. Incidentally, the Indian-built Vikrant class aircraft carrier would carry 1,400 navy personnel, 29 MiG-29 Ks and 10 HAL-built helicopters. Although precise completion date is not discernable, the INS Vikrant is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2014.
Unfortunately, the main shipyard, where mastering of the warship-building technologies is taking place, is located in Karachi, the city which has become a hot bed of lawlessness, ethnic rivalries, and target killings. The climate of fear and political mayhem is sending wrong signals to potential investors and foreign warship manufacturing collaborators. But question remains as to why policymakers in Islamabad were slow in developing naval equipment manufacturing capability within Pakistan? The men in uniform may be dedicated Pakistani patriots, but in modern wars, courage and bravery rest entirely on the sophistication of military hardware. So, therefore let us raise the question once again, can the navy of Pakistan endure and survive a lengthy blockade of the powerful navy of India?
The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of an Information Research & analysis company in the United States.
Dr Manzoor H Khatana
In modern age, technology in general, and military technology in particular, has assigned the act of chivalry, once a paragon of the soldiers strength, to the back pages of certain ancient and/or medieval literature. Today, a soldier just requires a mastery of calibration to release a missile or fire a cannon. Actually, a modern soldiers bravery, and even patriotism, springs directly from the sophistication of his/her military gear. But, many countries are incapable of producing such sophisticated hardware and must rely on foreign suppliers. Not only are the foreign suppliers unreliable, but they are also often subject to certain geo-political pressures, which forces them to stop deliveries, right in the middle of active hostilities, when supplies are needed the most. Nevertheless, whatever the handicap, every country is obligated to protect its sovereignty and safeguard its territorial integrity. Therefore, in order to truly safeguard its territorial integrity, and protect its sovereignty, a country must possess a sufficient manufacturing know-how for producing adequate defense equipment. As such, it would be fair to state that Pakistan does not produce sufficient modern military equipment, in case of actual active hostilities, and that the country depends too heavily on foreign military suppliers.
Pakistan is stuck in time; it is facing monumental challenges, its population growth is out of control, it is faced with chronic illiteracy, and its half-illiterate able-bodied workers have no prospect of any jobs. Despite lofty religious statements and glorification of Islamic virtues, the abominable corruption has penetrated every sphere of the Pakistani society. Furthermore, socio-religious and sectarian extremism has been spreading like wild fire, and Gods wrath often descends in the form of natural disasters, but apart from the military, the land of the pure, in 63 years of its existence, has not succeeded in establishing many truly indigenous defense equipment manufacturing plants. Defense equipment manufacturing should not be left to military alone, it should include a healthy private venture, with the involvement of able and experienced retired military personnel. It is a sheer folly to let the retired officers sit in their spatial homes and glorify their deeds over tea, while they could be helping the country attain self-sufficiency in manufacturing military equipment. These retired officers could also invest their wealth in various manufacturing sectors, beginning with fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, aircraft engines, armored vehicles, industrial and marine engines, military electronics, missiles, naval weapons, ordnance and munitions, space vehicles, unmanned aerial and undersea vehicles, and warships. Investors, whether from government or private sector, should understand that when small contractors and sub-contractors, who supply to the manufacturers of main platforms, are included, their dividends will reach into millions of dollars.
Pakistan must concentrate in those manufacturing sectors that directly strengthen her capabilities for defending certain strategic areas. One does not have to be a great military strategist to know that Pakistans arch rival would attempt to block Pakistani ports in any active theater of war. Therefore, Pakistan would need to attain self-sufficiency in building warships, advanced naval weapons, and anti-submarine related ordnance. Acknowledging funding deficiencies, the navy must continue to remind policymakers in Islamabad the importance of the naval equipment manufacturing infrastructure. Simultaneously, the navy must encourage privatization of certain manufacturing capabilities, while establishing solid manufacturing relationships with China, Turkey and Indonesia. The navy should also continue to master naval equipment manufacturing technologies from such countries as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and numerous European warship and naval weapon builders.
Nonetheless, in terms of military equipment, there is an enormous imbalance between India and Pakistan. In fact, there is not a remotest chance that Pakistan would ever be able to match India in possessing and/or in manufacturing military hardware. And, Pakistan Navy is probably the most vulnerable, since India could, without a doubt succeed in imposing blockade against Pakistani ports. The only alternative open to Pakistan Navy is to develop and manufacture fast and highly maneuverable small-to-medium warships; Pakistan simply cannot compete with India in manufacturing heavy warships. But, the navy and the private manufacturers in Pakistan must churn out these advanced warships in numbers, since many of these would probably be lost on the onset of active hostilities. Therefore, they should be produced in numbers, should be relatively less expansive, capable of deep and shallow water missions, and they should be dedicated to the primary task of hit and run and/or dive and escape. These small-to-medium sized submarines should be capable of playing havoc with naval communications, and at the same time, target surface warships with their lethal attack capabilities.
Pakistan Navy, and the private manufacturers, must build the most modern missile patrol craft, which would not only be fast and agile but also carry the most modern home-made missiles. Beyond possessing sufficient inventories, Pakistan must have fully functioning and diversified facilities for manufacturing advanced anti-warship missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. The location of various manufacturing facilities must be diversified, and there must be certain cooperative manufacturing arrangements with other friendly and brotherly countries. Pakistans ports are vulnerable but do the policymakers in Islamabad fully appreciate the dilemma faced by Pakistan Navy? The navy, on the other hand, is fully aware about the naval equipment imbalance, but can it develop an effective defense strategy that would encourage the country to indigenously produce modern, highly maneuverable, small-to-medium warships and related naval weapons?
Pakistan was able to acquire warship building technology from France, since it had built its second Agosta 90B, Khalid Class submarine at Karachi. The construction of the third submarine was successfully carried out by Pakistanis at Karachi, and the submarine was duly commissioned in 2006. Also, after the acquisition of three F-22P Zulfiquar Class frigates from China, the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard of Shanghai was helping Pakistan to build its fourth and the last frigate at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW). This is a good beginning, but no way does it lend any verifiable credibility for ability to build small-to-medium sized submarines in numbers nor does it reflect capabilities of building naval weapons. Efforts should be made to indigenously manufacture numerous rotary-wing aircraft for Pakistan Navy.
In the meantime, Pakistans arch enemy is in the process of building an aircraft carrier, while construction of another aircraft carrier is expected to follow; it is very close to completing a nuclear-powered submarine. India is likely to build several more nuclear-powered submarines. Indeed, India already possesses warship building capabilities, since it has built Delhi class destroyers, Brahmaputra and Godavari class frigates, and Kora and Khukri class Corvettes. Not only has India cheap and skilled labor readily available, but it also has plenty of experience in building different kind of warships. Besides, its international reserves are building even faster than the downhill speeding monsoon floods. Interestingly, the navy neither owns nor runs all warship building operations in India. Incidentally, the Indian-built Vikrant class aircraft carrier would carry 1,400 navy personnel, 29 MiG-29 Ks and 10 HAL-built helicopters. Although precise completion date is not discernable, the INS Vikrant is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2014.
Unfortunately, the main shipyard, where mastering of the warship-building technologies is taking place, is located in Karachi, the city which has become a hot bed of lawlessness, ethnic rivalries, and target killings. The climate of fear and political mayhem is sending wrong signals to potential investors and foreign warship manufacturing collaborators. But question remains as to why policymakers in Islamabad were slow in developing naval equipment manufacturing capability within Pakistan? The men in uniform may be dedicated Pakistani patriots, but in modern wars, courage and bravery rest entirely on the sophistication of military hardware. So, therefore let us raise the question once again, can the navy of Pakistan endure and survive a lengthy blockade of the powerful navy of India?
The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of an Information Research & analysis company in the United States.
