India on track to acquire Russian S-400 missile defence system

India is on track to acquire the S-400 missile defence system, while it examines the US decision to impose sanctions on NATO ally Turkey’s defence industry over the purchase of the Russian system. Persons familiar with the dynamics of India’s global outreach told ET that since New Delhi maintains autonomy in its foreign policy, the US decision won’t affect the Indian deal. Last week, the external affairs ministry had emphasised that it pursued foreign policy based on national interest and hoped that this was appreciated by partners. “Our relations with Russia stand on their own merits, including in the sphere of military-technical cooperation,” MEA spokesperson had said.Diplomatic sources indicated that India’s case is different from that of Turkey as Ankara went ahead with the purchase of S-400 system despite being a NATO member. The MEA had earlier made it clear that India had no plans to scrap its S-400 deal with Russia despite the US nudge. The Ministry of Defence had also expressed similar views. The Indian government has not been comfortable with repeated US attempts to dissuade...

Read More........ → December 24, 2020

India approves procurement of 72,000 assault rifles from US

India's Defence Ministry has approved a proposal to purchase 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles from the United States at a cost of around Rs 780 crore.The Defence Acquisition Council led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday approved proposals for capital acquisition of various equipment required by the Indian armed forces at an approximate cost of Rs 2,290 crore.These include procurement from the domestic industry as well as foreign vendors.To equip the frontline troops of the Army, the council has accorded approval for the procurement of 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles at a cost of around Rs 780 crore.Under the 'Buy Indian' category, the council has approved the procurement of Static HF Tans-receiver sets and smart anti-airfield weapons. The HF radio sets will enable seamless communication for the field units of the Army and the Air Force. They are being procured at a cost of Rs 540 crore.The smart anti-airfield weapons being procured at cost of Rs 970 crore will add to the firepower of the Navy and the Air Force.Earlier, the Indian Army had received the first lot of Sig Sauer...

Read More........ → September 30, 2020

Rafale fleet will be a game-changer for India

On 29 July 2020, India received the delivery of the much-awaited French fighter jets – Dassault Rafale. The first batch of five jets out of the 36 fighter jets arrived in Ambala marking a historic procurement by the Indian defence ministry. The fighter jets are part of an $8.78 billion deal signed with France in 2016. It is said to revolutionize the combat, offensive and defensive strategies of the Indian Air Force. The three single-seater and two twin-seater jets with delta wing have been previously used by the French naval and air force, in addition to being also purchased and tested by Qatar and Egypt and has been deemed as omnirole aircraft that can take up several missions on a single flight. It is a 4.5 generation fighter that is somewhat stealthy, though less so than the fifth-generation US F-35. It can carry weapons such as SCALP/Storm shadow which can engage the targets precisely in any weather conditions during day and night and has a range much over 300 km. It can take out targets with extreme accuracy. METEOR, which is a next-generation, active radar-guided, beyond...

Read More........ → August 25, 2020