Obama to push for more defence deals with India in 2nd term

[Bang Galore]

Mate, Obama delayed the induction of India's first stealth frigate - INS Shivalik in 2009/10, due to engines provided by GE, even than US-India strategic relations were at an all time high, but this decision delayed the induction by about 5-6 months, so uncle sam can hardly be trusted, especially when all high-tech weapon systems has a lifetime of 30-40 years, at a time when relations changes in a matter of day or two, how can we trust US for 40 years.

Not accurate, that was because of a general review carried out by the incoming Obama administration. The fact that President Obama has been personally encouraging of greater defence cooperation subsequently as has been his secretary of defence proves that the India-US relationship has come a long way.

 

[sancho]

Why do u think v-22 is good for india?
isn't it cosly?
also no export orders till date.

You are right, it is more costly to procure and also costly to maintain it compared to any other helicopter. However, it is more than a helicopter, because it can be used as a fixed wing aircaft with similar advantages. That's why we should get it for roles, where these advantages outweighs the costs.

The CV-22 is a special forces version, which offers more speed, range, or ceilling than any helicopter, while it will be able to land in the same way. That means, IAF could transport special forces all over the country, be it to the mountains in the north at high altitudes, or an island in the costal area, without the need of an airstrip.
It will have a similar specialisation as the C130Js (a Flir and IFR system, or special avionics), which makes them very useful for penetration roles in the border regions.
For our navy the V-22 could be even more important, because of it's unique features!
It can be used on any type of carrier, be it LHDs, STOBAR or CATOBAR carriers,
again it offers more speed, range, or ceilling, than our current AEW and ASW helicopters, which means a huge capability advantage for our CBGs.

In tanker role it could carry more fuel than a fighter with buddy buddy refuelling.

We could use it for long range transports of cargo or crew, while the carrier remains at sea, which is not possible with any other aircraft in our inventory, because either they lack the range, or they can't land on carriers.

In all these specialised roles, the V-22 would be a great choice, because it can use it's capabilities to the max and offer much performance in return.
Where it doesn't pay out, is the utility role in short to medium ranges, because here it hardly can make use of the advantages and the operational costs would be too high. That's why it was never exported so far, since most countries just needed cheaper helicopters for normal roles. However, it is likely that Israel will be the first export customer, because they want to add it as an aircraft for their special forces.

Quick comparison:

I think India should ask for a deeply-refitted USS Enterprise with Rafale-M jets.

First of all, the US won't offer us a carrier without US fighters. Secondly IN rejected the idea of a nuclear carrier when those rumors about the Kitty Hawk came up, because it's operationally too costly.

Personally I think we are fine till 2020 with our 2 x aircraft carriers and the Vikrant for quiet some time. In the mid to long term I think we should go for at least 2 x LHDs / helicopter carriers and 2 or 3 x IAC 2, because these will be the important once to project the our power beyond the Indian Ocean region. In that case a triple rotation with 1 at sea, 1 in reserver and 1 under maintenance, would give us enough offensive capability at all time.

 

[Mitro]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s growth forecast to 4.9 per cent for 2012 due to low business confidence and “sluggish structural reform

The Hindu : Business / Economy : IMF cuts India

 

[MST]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s growth forecast to 4.9 per cent for 2012 due to low business confidence and “sluggish structural reform

The Hindu : Business / Economy : IMF cuts India

Bhaisahab already Chinese and pakistani posters have posted it a hundred times. Everyone knows about it. Post when there is something new. Post when its 4.5%. Tab tak maaf karo.

 

[arp2041]

What Obama's re-election means for Indo-US defence ties


President Barack Obama's re-election on Wednesday may mean different things to different people but for decision makers both in Washington and New Delhi it provides continuity in their quest to take the Indo-US defence and strategic partnership to the next level.

Both have come a long way from their frosty relationship in the immediate aftermath of India’s twin nuclear tests in the summer of 1998 when Washington imposed severe restrictions against Indian defence and scientific entities. A decade and a half later, US have been actively seeking to establish a much deeper defence and strategic partnership with India to fulfil its own vision for Asia over the next half a century. India is now undoubtedly a major player in US calculus designed to recalibrate its own engagement with Asia.

US effort to woo India as a counter-balance to a more assertive and rapidly rising China is multi-pronged but in the past five years, it has mainly concentrated in providing the Indian military more hardware than it did in the previous 60.

For instance the Indian Navy signed a contract to import the long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) Boeing P8i aircraft; it bought a worn out amphibious ship INS Trenton (since renamed INS Jalashwa). The Indian Air Force has bought the C-130Js medium lift transport aircraft and is awaiting induction of the heavy-duty C-17 aircraft, both from US. US military majors Boeing and Lockheed Martin may have lost the massive 15 billion dollar contract to supply combat jets for the IAF but they are steadily winning substantial orders in India. Chinook and Apache helicopters, the M-777 howitzers are all likely to be inducted into the Indian military in coming years. The Indian armed forces have increasingly undertaken joint exercises with the US military with troops from both sides now even attending several courses in each others’ training institutions.

In President Obama’s second term, Washington may redouble its effort to bring India firmly in the US fold but officials in the strategic and defence establishment are surely aware that such a plan is easier drawn up on paper than implemented in practice given India’s historic reluctance to be seen as a close ally of the United States.

So far New Delhi has adopted a cautious approach to US overtures. India is clearly not in favour of a formal military alliance with the US. That is why US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta on a stopover in Delhi in June during his swing through Asia could not get any commitment out of India’s ultra-cautious defence minister AK Antony.

Panetta had then made a strong pitch for a new beginning for the Indo-US defence partnership. Speaking to an audience at an Indian think-tank, he had said: ““While the U.S. military will remain a global force for security and stability…it will of necessity rebalance towards the Asia-Pacific region. We will also maintain our presence throughout the world. We will do it with innovative rotational deployments that emphasize creation of new partnerships and new alliances.”

As strategic analyst C. Raja Mohan wrote recently: “An alliance with Washington, then, would seem natural for Delhi. But India is concerned about the inconstancy of American policy towards China, the fiscal and political sustainability of the pivot to Asia in Washington. Delhi is acutely aware of the dangers of a potential Sino-U.S. rapprochement that could leave India exposed. It therefore seeks simultaneous expansion of security cooperation with the United States while avoiding a needless provocation of Beijing.”
Apart from unspoken desire in Washington to use India as a counterweight to China, the United States particularly wants New Delhi to get more deeply involved in Afghanistan even as it prepares to draw down from there. India does not mind training more Afghan forces in India but is wary of any military deployment in Afghanistan.

As a result, even as India has agreed to scale up training for Afghanistan’s armed forces, it has refused to openly back the U.S. lines on the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Although India is aware (and wary) of China’s increasing assertiveness in both expanses of water, it prefers to work with smaller countries in the region – such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia – as well as China to resolve regional tensions.

More fundamentally, the Indian establishment continues to have reservations over the United States itself, doubts born largely from India’s perception of the past half a century that Washington has tended to side with India’s arch rival, Pakistan.
And yet, India’s military realises that it needs Washington’s help in acquiring and mastering more modern military platforms as well as reduce its traditional dependence on Russia for most of its weapons supply. Realising India’s dilemma, Washington has worked overtime to keep India engaged at different levels and has shown patience in its dealing with New Delhi.

The new administration is unlikely to alter this fundamental approach but Washington is sure to quicken the pace of engagement in the months to come even as it finds ways to fine tune its rebalance strategy for Asia amid leadership change in Beijing.


NewsWarrior: What Obama's re-election means for Indo-US defence ties

 

[kurup]

Looking to deepen relationship with India: Pentagon

Identifying India as a major player in the region, the Pentagon has said that the United States is looking to deepen its relationship with New Delhi as the Defense Secretary Leon Panetta embarks on his fourth trip to the Asia Pacific region. "With respect to India, he (Panetta) believes
that India is a very important player. As you know, he recently visited the country and had very productive discussions in Delhi with his Indian counterparts," the Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters at a news conference here yesterday.

"India plays a very important role, and we're looking to deepen our relationship with the government of India, including the Deputy Secretary of Defence (Ashton) Carter's efforts to look at streamlining sales between the two countries. So India, the bottom line, is a key player in the region, and we look forward to continuing to build an even stronger defence relationship," Little said.

During his trip to India early this year, Panetta had entrusted Carter with the task of working with Indians to reduce bureaucratic hurdles in defence trade between India and the US.

"He (Carter) has been very active and engaged on this issue. I'm not aware of a specific report per se, but let me assure you that he is working on this matter very hard," the Pentagon spokesperson said.

Looking to deepen relationship with India: Pentagon - Hindustan Times

 

[Hellraiser007]

If US and India relations goes well in the near future, Indian market can offer jobs to US citizens in infrastructure and defense fields.