News Story: Sky's the Limit for Joint Russian-Chinese Eurasian Air Defense Zone

A Russian Air Force Su-35 Flanker Fighter (File Photo)

The commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has signaled China's intention to continue the development of full-fledged cooperation with Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces. Russian military analyst Alexander Khrolenko says the signal of intent is the first step on the road to creating a common air defense in the Eurasian space.

Speaking to reporters at the opening ceremony of the Aviadarts-2017 international army games in Changchun, China, PLAAF commander Maj. Gen. Ma Xiaotian said that Beijing was looking to develop full-fledged cooperation with the Russian air force.

Ma emphasized that China and Russia are "friendly neighbors" which "play an important role in the global arena," adding that "in today's complex and volatile situation in the structure of international relations, both countries have common interests and strategic needs." The Chinese air force is looking to enhance cooperation in a number of areas, from joint tactical flight exercises to cooperation in the fields of missile defense and logistics, according to the officer.

Earlier, Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) commander Col-Gen Viktor Bondarev praised the state of Russian-Chinese air force cooperation, pointing out that relations between the two countries' air forces were "excellent."

"The Chinese side knows our planes and helicopters, and buys a great deal. I think that in the field of [military] aviation, we have found a balance and continue to work to our mutual benefit in this direction," Bondarev said.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: India, Russia to iron out defense projects worth $10B

Russian T-50 PAK FA, base design for India's FGFA

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. for his first meeting with President Donald Trump, Arun Jaitley, India's finance minister and defense minister, is visiting Moscow to finalize weapons projects worth $10 billion that are "held up in the last stages." 

Jaitley will "iron out" weapons projects during his talks on with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Defence Minister Gen. Sergey Shoygu at the 17th Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation in Moscow, an Indian Ministry of Defence official said. 

The weapons projects worth over $10 billion that are in the final stages of discussions include the purchase of S-400 air defense systems, the acquisition of four Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates and the acquisition of 200 Kamov 226T light utility helicopters, or LUH, under the Make in India category. In addition, the lease of the second nuclear-powered submarine that is also in the final stages will be discussed. 

The MoD official said one of the major sticking points between India and Russia, which has been affected by U.S. sanctions against Russia pertaining to bank guarantees, has been resolved. 

The sanctions disabled Indian banks from issuing guarantees to tie up with leading Russian banks. 

According to Indian procurement law, Russia has to furnish bank guarantees from an Indian bank, which, in turn, has to tie up with a Russian bank. In addition, the bank guarantee should be made by a leading Russian bank, which are all under U.S. sanctions.

"Jaitely will tell his counterparts (in Russia) that an amendment will be made (here) so that only a sovereign guarantee would be sufficient to execute the purchase orders doing away with the necessity of bank guarantees," an MoD official noted. 

The main defense project that was affected because of the bank guarantee issue was the Oct. 2016 $5 billion deal on Indo-Russian Krivak class frigates. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: India's MoD demands early induction of ballistic missile defense system

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By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — To ensure the early induction of India's homemade ballistic missile defense system, the country's Ministry of Defence has directed the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization to urgently submit a final induction strategy and timeline for the BMD system.

A senior MoD official said the ministry "is even considering to carry out an audit of DRDO claims about the performance of the tests."

Despite tall claims made by DRDO five years ago regarding completion of the first phase, there remains no word from the agency on the project's completion, the MoD official added. DRDO has been developing the indigenous BMD system since 1995. 

It was in the wake of the system's delay that India last year cleared the $5 billion purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia; however, the final contract is yet to be inked.

DRDO had earlier said that by 2012 or 2013, the first phase of the BMD shield would be ready to protect New Delhi from hostile missiles with a 2,000-kilometer range. It also boasted that by 2016, the second phase would be operational, allowing the system to kill hostile missiles with a 5,000-kilometer range. 

Regarding a potential audit of the authenticity of DRDO's BMD system claims based on a variety of tests, Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian Army major general, said: "It is important to know whether the interceptor missile hit the incoming missile during trials because a remote fuze can also detonate the incoming missile, and there is no guarantee whether the incoming missile [was] actually hit by the interceptor missile."

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (18-Apr-2017)

Boeing WC-135 Constant Phoenix (Image: Wiki Commons)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea State

Some worthy new analysis on the future of the US Navy surfaced last week. The crux of the analysis in Foreign Policy is that the three Congress-commissioned proposals for naval force structure—mentioned recently in this feature—‘are all overwhelmingly preoccupied with China’ and only tangentially address the threats posed by Russia and Iran. The author argues that Congress should be advised whether those proposals believe ‘a Navy built for the Spratly Islands will play just as well in the Black Sea.’ And, a Politico piece sets out ‘How Trump Can Build a 350-Ship Navy’. The writers acknowledge that growing the naval fleet will present both industrial and fiscal challenges, but nevertheless argue that taking bold actions now is the only way to meet President Trump’s goal of a highly-capable 350-ship Navy—by the end of his second term…

New research is challenging the traditional “bludgeoning” method of icebreaking, used by Russia in the Arctic to speed up melting and create clear shipping lanes. The research shows that using submarines and ‘flexural gravity-wave resonance’ would offer a faster and more elegant approach. Data demonstrates that, by using this method, a submarine could forge a passage through ice ten times faster than America’s heavy icebreaker, Polar Star. Read all about it in The Economist.

News Story: SPOTTED - Putin 'moves military forces' to North Korean border as world prepares for WAR

S-400 Triumf

By OLI SMITH

VIDEO has been released allegedly showing a mass military mobilisation in Vladivostok, Russia, just eight miles from the border with North Korea, as the world edges towards war.

Russia has reportedly moved military vehicles towards the city, which is within striking distance of North Korea.

The dramatic move, unconfirmed by the Russian government, was spotted by residents in the border city and posted on social media.

This comes as North Korea warned that they are prepared for all-out war with the US, while China pleads for the two powers to back down from escalation.

Since the emergence of the Vladivostok footage, fears have grown that North Korea could become the trigger for a conflict involving the US, China and Russia. 

Read the full story & see the Video at Sunday Express

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (28-Mar-2017)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea State

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s second helicopter carrier, the Kaga, entered service last week. The warship is expected to embark Mitsubishi-Sikorsky SH-60K Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters and AgustaWestland/Kawasaki MCH-101 aircraft for mine-countermeasures. That commission takes Japan’s deployment capability another step forward (see last week’s Sea State). There’s little doubt where the ship’s resources will be directed—Japan’s Vice Minister of Defence said at Kaga’s ceremony that China is ‘raising security concerns,’ and by exerting pressure ‘is altering the status quo’ in the South China Sea. And Japan isn’t the only one setting sail. Last week, the Philippine Navy sent the BRP Ramon Alcaraz to patrol Benham Rise, an underwater plateau in the Philippine’s extended continental shelf, after Chinese survey vessels performed oceanographic research in the area.

There was an interesting read in Foreign Affairs last week on ‘Why Europe is Floating Egypt’s Navy’. Egypt is being increasingly sought out as a military partner against security threats in the Mediterranean, including sea-faring terrorists and migrants.

The US Office of Naval Research posted a video last week, showing a test fire of BAE’s electromagnetic cannon. The Navy’s railgun project has been in the works since 2005, and is reportedly still expected to be in service by 2025. This article from The Drive talks pros and cons of the experimental weapon. (ASPI’s James Mugg has some views too.)

News Report: 'In Russia-China-US Strategic Triangle, US Isn't Looking Very Confident'

A Congressional report released this week warned that Russian-Chinese military-to-military cooperation is moving toward a disturbingly high level. Commenting on the report, Radio Sputnik commentator Ilya Kharlamov suggested that its authors have a pretty superficial understanding of the causes behind the expanded cooperation.

Put out earlier this week, the report, created by the US-China Economic & Security Review Commission, indicates that Russian-Chinese military cooperation, including arms deals, joint war-games and increased contacts, has reached a level which "could pose challenges" to the US and its allies, particularly in the Asia Pacific Region.

The report stresses that as far US interests in the Asia go, the normalization of relations between Moscow and Beijing that started nearly thirty years ago, and which has gone on to include increasingly complex and expansive military exercises, as well as the sale of Russian Su-35 4++ multirole fighters and S-400 SAM systems, is troubling, for several reasons.

News Report: India Says US Sanctions Won’t Affect S-400 Deal With Russia

S-400 Triumf (Image: Wiki Commons)

Indian Defense Minister has said there is no uncertainty involved in purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia since Moscow has been a long standing and trusted defense partner.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said this in parliament in his reply to a question on the S-400 deal following news reports. Indian newspaper Economic Times and US-based Defensenews reported that the $10 billion defense purchase contract, including stealth frigates and S-400 systems, with Russia would be hampered by US sanctions. Jaitley said that in spite of US imposed sanctions, Russian firms will face no hurdles in furnishing requisite guarantees from Indian banks.

“Capital procurement of defense equipment is carried out as per provisions of the Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP). In accordance with the extant DPP, in cases involving expenditure above $3 million (Rs 20 crore), Indian and foreign vendors are required to sign a Pre-Contract Integrity Pact and have to furnish an Integrity Pact Bank Guarantee (IPBG) for a stipulated amount from an Indian public sector bank, along with the commercial bid. This requirement does not apply to certain categories of capital procurements, including those from certain Russian government agencies,” said Jaitley in his reply.

“India and the Russian Federation enjoy a special and privileged strategic partnership. Russia has been our long standing and trusted defense partner and Government is committed to continuing the relationship to the mutual benefit of both countries,” he said.

The Indian armed forces possess 70 percent equipment of Russian origin. It is widely expected that defense ties will be further improved with the recent commitment made by Russian defense firms, regarding long-term supply contract of spare parts and manufacture of spare parts through joint venture and technology transfer with Indian companies.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: US sanctions are affecting India-Russia defense deals - MoD source

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia are affecting Indian weapons procurement because Moscow is unable to furnish bank guarantees required by Indian law, according to a source in the Ministry of Defence, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Obama administration imposed sanctions against Russia in 2014 in concert with Europe to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his annexation of Crimea.

"Payment for half a dozen defense deals have been stuck (on account of US sanctions against Russia)," the MoD source said.

The source refused to provide details of the affected weapons programs due to the nature of their sensitivity, but the source did warn that additional defense deals between India and Russia could be affected in the future as a result of U.S. sanctions and the inability of Russia to furnish required bank guarantees. 

In making the case for changes to Indian law, Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said: "There are always exceptions from any rules. The question is whether Indian authorities are ready to do it for Russians. 

"To best of my knowledge it is not a problem at all. Europeans and Israelis are ready to integrate their components and sub-systems for all Russian platforms for India. Since India is a biggest democracy in the world. They do it even for countries like Algeria," Pukhov added. 

"As for the situation with banks, India, indeed, fears that the Americans might impose sanctions on them [banks] but I don’t have the slightest doubt that this obstacle can be overcome," he told Russian news agency TASS. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: India Clears $2.6 Billion Air Defense System Purchase From Israel

India is also negotiating with Russia for long range air defense system S-400 which is expected to be finalized next month.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — In a bid to expedite the overhauling of obsolete air defense system, Indian government has approved a budget of $2.6 billion for the acquisition of Medium Range Surface to Air Defense Missile Systems from Israel. Sources told Sputnik that this acquisition for the Indian Army will be in line with ongoing India-Israel LRSAM and MRSAM projects for Indian Navy and Indian Air Force respectively. The system is jointly developed by India and Israel and will intercept aerial threats at range up to 70 Kilometer. According to approved proposal, Indian Army will start receiving the missile system by 2023. A total of 40 firing units and over 200 missiles are proposed for induction in the Indian armed forces.

The project will be completed in India under the guidance of Defense Research Development Organization. Bharat Dynamics is expected to produce the system whereas private sector companies like Tata Power SED and Larson & Turbo are likely to participate for supplying components for the missile system.

News Story: China and Russia have signed contract for the delivery of 6 battalions of S-400 air defense systems

S-400 Triumf (Image: Wiki Commons)

Russia and China reportedly signed the contract on the delivery of up to six battalions of S-400 systems (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) to China in April last year. The details of the contract have not been disclosed.

In April 2015, China has signed an agreement with Russia for the purchase of six Russian-made S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems, according Sergei Chemezov, CEO of ROSTEC.

The signature of a contract on S-400 deliveries to Beijing was announced officially in spring 2015. At the time, Rosoboronexport Director General Anatoly Isaikin did not go into detail on the agreement, omitting the amount and schedule of the deal and the volume of the delivery. According to media reports, China placed a firm order for four S-400 battalions, with two more battalions as options. The contract is valued at $3 billion. 

Read the full story at Army Recognition

News Story: Resurrection of Indo-Russia Ties Seen in $10B Defense Agreement

S-400 Tiumf (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — The defense agreement made between India and Russia on Saturday is being viewed by some analysts as a resurrection of a strategic partnership between the two countries following a four-year gap in defense ties. 

However, this spurt in big-ticket defense programs, worth a total of $10 billion, with Russia after 2012 is not being taken as a course correction by India away from United States, with whom the ruling Modi government warmed up after coming to power in mid-2014. 

"There is no correction away from USA. India has a strong and long-standing defense partnership with Russia, which gets reinforced periodically," said Vivek Rae, the Indian Ministry of Defence's (MoD) former director general of acquisition. "Russia has been a reliable friend and partner for several decades. This is a strategic partnership which has stood the test of time." 

The agreement is for the purchase of $5 billion worth of S-400 Tiumf air defense systems, four stealth frigates for $4 billion and the formation of a joint venture to manufacture Kampov-226T light  

utility helicopters in India worth more than $1 billion. 

An MoD official said most of the negotiations for the S-400 systems are complete and should be among the first contracts to be inked in the near future. The final contracts for the defense programs are likely to be finalized in the next six months, the MoD official added. 

The last major defense deal between India and Russia was signed in 2012, which included a $1.6 billion deal for India to purchase 42 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets and a $1.3 billion contract for the delivery of 71 Mi-17 V5 helicopters. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: India, Russia Sign Defense Intergovernment Agreements

S-400 Tiumf (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI - India and Russia on Saturday signed three defense intergovernmental agreements for the purchase of S-400 Tiumf air defense systems and four stealth frigates, and the formation of a joint venture to manufacture Kampov-226T light utility helicopters in India. 

The formal contracts and delivery schedule will be announced later. 

During the bilateral meeting in Goa, the two sides did not make any announcement on leasing of nuclear submarines, new version of BrahMos cruise missile or joint development and production of a fifth generation fighter aircraft that have also reportedly been a part of discussions between the countries. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: India Deepens Ties with Russia, Highlights Cross-border Terror

Anjana Pasricha

NEW DELHI — India and Russia deepened economic and military cooperation, while New Delhi pressed its concerns about cross-border terrorism at a summit of the BRICS countries in the western Indian city of Goa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with the Russian and Chinese leaders on Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting of the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. 

After India and Russia signed a slew of defense and energy deals worth billions of dollars, Modi said “the highly productive outcomes of our meeting clearly establish the special and privileged nature of our strategic partnership.”

His talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are aimed at rejuvenating a relationship that appeared to have drifted in recent years as India deepened ties with the United States and Russia developed closer links with China and Pakistan. 

The 16 agreements signed by New Delhi and Moscow include joint production of 200 military helicopters. India will also buy stealth frigates for its navy and a state of the art anti-missile air defense system that will strengthen its defenses along the border with Pakistan and China.

News Story: India, Russia to Announce Ka-226T Helicopter Joint Venture

Kamov Ka-226T at MAKS-2009 (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India and Russia are to announce a joint venture agreement to produce the Ka-226T light utility helicopter on Oct. 15, the first day of this weekend's meeting in Goa, India, of the association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, known as BRICS. 

Senior officials with the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) provided some details on the matter, however senior diplomats with the Russian Embassy here remained tight-lipped about the inner workings of the deal.

Senior MoD officials confirmed that India and Russia will sign a shareholders agreement for the joint venture (JV) in manufacturing K-226T helicopters in India. Under the agreement, slated to be inked during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit during the BRICS meeting, Indian state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will own 50.5 percent equity stake, and Russian Helicopters and Rosoboronexport will hold the remaining 49.5 percent equity.

India will acquire 200 of the light utility helicopters (LUH), out of which it will buy 60 helicopters in fly-away condition from Russia while another 40 will be assembled in India and the remaining 100 will be fully built in India, said an MoD official.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Russia says to sign S-400 air defence deal with India

S-400 (Image: Wiki Commons)

Russian President Vladimir Putin will seal a deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an upcoming visit to deliver Moscow's most advanced air defence system, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"An agreement on the delivery of S-400 'Triumph' anti-missile defence systems and other deals will be signed as a result of the talks," Russian news agencies quoted Putin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying, without specifying a timeframe.

Putin will meet Modi in the Indian state of Goa on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit involving the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The Kremlin earlier this week said the talks with Modi would focus on "a wide range of matters of bilateral relations, especially trade and economic ties."

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (11-Oct-2016)

Christopher Cowan, Thulasi Wigneswaran, Elisabeth Buchan and Alexander Vipond

Sea State

The UK announced last week that construction will soon begin on the first vessel of the Successor-class—the Royal Navy’s controversial new nuclear ballistic missile submarines. The Royal Navy awarded BAE Systems over £1.3 billion (AU$2.12 billion) to begin work on the vessel’s auxiliary machine space module, which houses electrical components for the ship’s nuclear reactor. The UK tabloid press is outraged that—sacré bleu!—the subs will be built using French steel.

That announcement comes on the heels of the US Navy awarding a US$101.3 million contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat for the first 22 missiles tubes of the US-UK Common Missile Compartment. The missile tubes will eventually be installed on both the Successor-class and the USN’s upcoming Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

In interesting news for Australia, the Italian Navy received its final anti-submarine warfare variant of the FREMM frigate last week. Fincantieri, the Italian manufacturer of the ships, has proposed an ‘Australianised’ variant for the Royal Australian Navy’s SEA 5000 program to replace its ANZAC frigates.

The USN’s recent changes to its 241-year-old rating system (mentioned last week) have received harsh criticism from affected Navy personnel. Navy commanders have tried to downplay the changes, with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson calling on sailors to focus on plans to make more job fields and skills experience available.

News Report: India to Acquire Advanced Russian S-400 System That Makes F-35’s Stealth Useless

S-400 (Image: Wiki Commons)

The move would provide India a unique ability to secure its airspace against even the most sophisticated next generation stealth fighter jets, but is largely driven by an effort from New Delhi to prevent Russia from drifting into partnership with rival Pakistan.

India and Russia are set to negotiate a major multi-billion dollar defense deal on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit next week as the government of Narendra Modi looks to reestablish its military and defense relationship with Moscow and prevent the Kremlin from drifting into partnership with their primary regional rival Pakistan reports Indian newspaper The Financial Express.

The negotiations would call for India to acquire 5 S-400 'Triumf' long-range air defense missile systems, Kamov-28 helicopters and upgraded models of the Sukhoi 30-MKI elite fighter jet with estimates valuing the possible defense dealing at $6 billion and with the Modi government reportedly looking to expedite the transaction as Russia looks to expand its cooperation with Pakistan.

News Story: Russian S-400 missiles hit high speed targets in drill

S-400 Triumf (Image: Wiki Commons)

MOSCOW, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia's advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles have successfully hit high-speed targets in a military exercise, an aide to the Russian Central Military District commander said Tuesday.

"The units have successfully carried out combat launches as part of a joint exercise of air and air defense forces at the Telemba training range in the Republic of Buryatia," Col. Yaroslav Roshchupkin was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Indian, Russian Leaders To Discuss Big-Ticket Defense Projects

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India has lined up several big-ticket defense projects for discussion between its prime minister, Narendra Modi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit meeting in Goa next month, according to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) official.

The projects include the purchase of S-400 air defense systems worth $6 billion; finalization of the long-pending joint development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) worth more than $20 billion; leasing of a second nuclear-powered submarine worth more than $1 billion; and acquisition of $4 billion worth of stealth frigates to replace the Indian Navy’s Russian-built Rajput-class warships.

The MoD official said that the defense projects, most of which are already at the negotiating stage, were discussed at the 16th India-Russia Military Technical Cooperation Working Group meeting that took place Sept. 7-8 in New Delhi.

It’s likely that some of them could get the "final go ahead" during the Modi-Putin meeting, the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Read the full story at DefenseNews