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DEFENCE:
WEAPONS' PURCHASE
The
Upgradation Search
The
Indian Army is on the look out for much more in the coming months and
not necessarily looking Russia's way. There is a major search on to upgrade
its artillery firepower, with around 450 field guns of 155 mm bore. While
British and French guns are in the race, it is believed the South African
gun is in the frontline with a better price offer and the option of technology
transfer. South Africa is also in the race for supplying about 60 bunker-bursting
rifles with a 6.4 km range, needed for conflicts on the Line of Control
in Kashmir where they can blast away bunkers. After the Kargil experience
the army is also looking for artillery-locating radars similar to the
ones that helped Pakistan pick Indian gun points with far more accuracy.
Here the Israelis too are front runners though the Russians and the Ukrainians
have made a bid too. From Russia, the army is in the process of evaluating
the potent Smearch multi-barrel rocket attack system which will enlarge
its firepower envelope to as much as 80 km.
Meanwhile,
the air force too is delighted that the Su-30 MKI fighter deal, is well,
all sewed up. The current agreement is to go in for licenced production
of 150 aircraft. The earlier deal, signed in 1996, was for the outright
purchase of 50 Sukhois. In all, that would give the air force eight squadrons
of a topranking fighter that is in a class by itself. Its tremendous manoeuvrability
provided by flexible engine nozzles and a formidable arsenal that includes
12 hard points for both long and close-range air-to-air missiles makes
it the Indian Air Force's frontline fighter for the next decade. Air Chief
Marshal A.Y. Tipnis told India Today, "It is a quantum jump for us.
It enlarges our strategic and defence capabilities by several factors."
What Tipnis
will not spell out is that the Su-30 will give the IAF another platform
to carry India's nuclear weapons other than the Mirage 2000. It is also
meant to counter threats China may pose in future. With the purchase of
66 British advanced jet trainers about to be finalised the IAF is looking
far more satisfied than it did a couple of years ago.The army and the
air force are also scouting for the Israeli Heron and Hermes unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of taking pictures and gathering intelligence
on enemy movement.
The navy
too is smiling these days especially with the decision to purchase the
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The Russians are giving the
carrier free but India is to pay $550 million (Rs 2,530 crore) for refitting
by Russian dockyards to make it compatible for Indian fighters. Apart
from that India is expected to purchase around 45 MiG-29K marine fighters
that would be positioned on its deck. At present India has no operational
carrier since the Viraat is in a refit. The idea is to have two carrier-led
fleets-one for the Eastern Command and another for the western theatre-that
could give India a big edge in protecting its maritime interests.
Given the
headaches Russia gave India for spares in the mid-1990s, critics say the
increased dependency on it may be dangerous. But others argue that with
Putin in charge, Russia is showing signs of consolidating. Also, with
most of the equipment being sold to India at half the price available
elsewhere it made tremendous business sense. And with India pushing hard,
Russia has been forced to transfer technology to make these in the country
itself. For Air Commodore (retd) Jasjit Singh, director, Institute for
Defence Studies and Analyses, that is the key. He also argues India can
hardly be complacent and must continue to jack up its defence expenditure
from the current average of 2.4 per cent of GDP to at least 3 per cent
if it was to keep pace with the modernisation plan. But with last week's
bonanza, few in the armed forces are complaining.
-with Ninad D. Sheth
Pg.1
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