http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141015/main2.htm
UN snubs Pak on
Kashmir issue
Tribune News
Service
New Delhi, October
14
As Pakistan’s
efforts to seek the United Nations’ intervention on the Jammu & Kashmir
issue came a cropper, India today rejected any third-party mediation even as
senior military officers on either side discussed the state of affairs along
the Line of Control and the International Border.
Reports from the
UN said the issue failed to elicit any response from the world body, which
reiterated that New Delhi and Islamabad resolve differences through dialogue
and find a solution to the dispute.
Referring to the
recent border flare-up and firing, Sartaj Aziz, National Security and Foreign
Affairs Adviser to the Pakistan Prime Minister, wrote to UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon seeking UN intervention. In response to a question on the issue,
deputy spokesperson for Ban was quoted by PTI from the UN, telling
correspondents that the Secretary General had in a statement last week
encouraged India and Pakistan to resolve all differences through dialogue and
engage constructively to find a long-term solution for peace and stability in
Kashmir.
In New Delhi, the
External Affairs Ministry made light of Islamabad’s attempt to reach out the UN
underscoring that there was no place for a third-party intervention in
bilateral relations. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin
said India held the view that all outstanding issues, including Jammu and
Kashmir, would have to be addressed within the agreed framework of 1972 Simla
Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration.
“The road runs from Islamabad
to New Delhi via Lahore…if you divert to New York [United Nations headquarters]
or elsewhere [it] will not serve any purpose…there is no place for third party
in India-Pakistan relations,” Akbaruddin said.
India said if Pakistan was
serious about dialogue, any diversionary tactic would not help and it was for
Islamabad to de-escalate the situation and restore peace and tranquility on the
border and end sponsoring terrorism.
Today, Additional Director
Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan discussed the ceasefire
violations in the last fortnight from across the border in J&K. Every Tuesday,
the DGMOs of the two countries take up the issues faced by the two sides.
India, Pak discuss ceasefire
violations
Top military officials of India and
Pakistan discussed over the hotline the situation along the LoC and
International Border
The
discussion was held by the Additional Director Generals of Military Operations
of India and Pakistan
India has alleged that Pakistan has been
the aggressor in the recent spate of ceasefire violations
Pakistani officials said they had conveyed
their concerns to India over the "unprovoked firing" along the LoC
and IB
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141015/nation.htm#5
Sukhoi crashes near Pune, reignites engine
failure issue
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News
Service
New Delhi, October
14
A Sukhoi-30 MKI,
the IAF frontline fighter jet, crashed 20 km off Pune this evening. Both the
pilots, a Wing Commander and a Flight Lt, bailed out safely. This is the fifth
crash involving Sukhoi, which is facing trouble with its engines. The IAF has
200 such planes in its fleet since it was first inducted in 1997.
The first crash
took place in April 2009 at Pokhran due a problem with its fly-by-wire system.
Another crash occurred in November 2009 at Jaisalmer, killing two pilots. This
was followed by another crash in December 2011 at Pune and one in February 2013
over Pokhran.
The IAF has been
encountering mid-air engine failures in Sukhois for the past two years. India,
in June this year officially flagged the matter to Russia, the planes
manufacturer, seeking a correction. The Tribune was the first to report this on
July 21 this year. One of the previous crashes is attributed to "engine
trouble".
The IAF faced an
unusually high number of mid-air engine failures between 2012 and 2013. The
instances of single-engine Su-30MKI landings were very high during the period.
This was lowering the operational ability of the fleet, besides raising
questions about war readiness.
The Russians have
agreed to modify the engine to fix the mid-air engine trouble in its fleet.
Some engines - the AL-31FP - produced by NPO Saturn of Russia have been
behaving inconsistently over the past two years. Since the engines powering the
jet are still being produced, there is a scope for modification.
The modification
will be carried out on 400 engines of the twin-engine aircraft, besides
installation of some spares for emergencies.
The Russians will
install modified engines on the next lot of 72 jets. They have assured India
that the modifications will eliminate the problem of mid-air engine failure,
sources said.
Russia assures
India
Official sources
say the Russians will install modified engines on the next lot of 72 jets. They
have assured India that the modifications will eliminate the problem of mid-air
engine failure
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141015/nation.htm#10
Tender for 56 copters scrapped
New Delhi, October
14
A tender for
procuring 56 naval helicopters from abroad at an estimated cost of Rs 9,000
crore was today scrapped by the Defence Ministry which decided to get them
manufactured in India by local players with foreign collaboration.
This is the third
helicopter tender in the recent months to have been scrapped by the government
since the cancellation of ~3600 crore VVIP chopper deal with Anglo-Italian firm
AgustaWestland in the wake of bribery allegations on January 1 this year.
The tender to
procure 56 Naval Utility Helicopters has been scrapped and a fresh acquisition
process would be initiated where these choppers would be made in the country
involving Indian manufacturers who will be allowed to partner with foreign
vendors, Defence Ministry sources said.
Two contenders
were in the race for this tender, including European Airbus Helicopters and
AgustaWestland and they have been intimated about the decision, sources said.
The Navy had plans
of using these choppers to replace its fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters,
which have been in service for over 30-35 years.
The tender was
issued two years ago to procure twin-engine choppers and was sent to major
chopper makers, including US firm Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Kamov and Italy's
Agusta Westland. The decision to get the helicopters built in India is in line
with Narendra Modi government's plans to encourage and build the manufacturing
capabilities of the Indian private sector. — PTI
VVIP deal: ED
books own men, grills ex-IAF chief’s cousin
Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered
an FIR against some of its officials on suspicion of ‘internal sabotage’ of
seized evidence in Rs 3,600-cr AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal
Sources said the agency found that a hard
disk, which was seized after searches on arrested businessman and lawyer Gautam
Khaitan, had been tampered with and a forensic examination of the electronic
evidence did not provide the desired results
It also questioned Sanjeev Tyagi, cousin of
former IAF chief SP Tyagi for about 3-4 hours. He was asked questions about his
business associations and financial dealings
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141015/nation.htm#11
Decision today on flights from Vizag naval
base
New Delhi, October
14
With the
Visakhapatnam airport in tatters, the government will take a decision tomorrow
if civil flights can be allowed at INS Dega, the naval air base. Sources said
the INS Dega had the building, but the routine baggage scanners, security check
and announcement systems.
Civil flights
anyway lands at the naval air base, but it has a separate terminal building for
passengers to enter and exit. The ground-based downlink antenna of the Naval
satellite, Rukmini, has been reactivated. The satellite has downlink
capabilities at Kochi, Mumbai and Delhi also.
So far, 120 tonnes
of supplies have been airlifted to Visakhapatnam from Vijayawada and
Rajamundry. Additional engineer units of the Army are being flown to
Visakhapatnam. Four medical teams have been deployed in the region. Naval
Hospital at Visakhapatnam and Army Hospital at Gopalpur have been kept on
standby. Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan reviewed the relief efforts and the
damage to Navy infrastructure in the aftermath of cyclone Hudhud at its
biannual commanders’ conference today. — TNS
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/comments-analysis/indo-pak-border-skirmish-india-needs-to-be-firm-careful-in-its-response/articleshow/44818697.cms
Indo-Pak border
skirmish: India needs to be firm & careful in its response
India's unusually
tough response to Pakistan's border infractions appear to have silenced
Islamabad. At least for now. Much to its own detriment, India has rarely
considered military force as an element in its strategic tool kit. If India's
response now signals a change in how it combines diplomacy and force, it can
only be welcomed. But the harsh political rhetoric that accompanied this apparent
change in strategy has its own pitfalls that New Delhi needs to consider with
care. US President T ..
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20141014/DEFREG03/310140033/Indian-Analysts-Rap-Plan-Buy-Homemade-130mm-Artillery-Gun
Indian Analysts
Rap Plan To Buy Homemade 130mm Artillery Gun
NEW DELHI — Indian
Army officers and defense analysts here criticized as irrational a Defence
Ministry decision to spend nearly as much buying homemade 130mm Arjun Catapult
artillery systems as it would have on advanced 155mm howitzers.
India is buying 40
of the Arjun Catapult systems, which is a hybrid of aging Russian-made 130mm
guns mounted on indigenous Arjun tank chassis. It will cost nearly as much as
purchasing 155mm light howitzers from the US subsidiary of BAE Systems — a deal
the Army has been awaiting since 2010.
India’s Defense
Acquisition Council, which is headed by the defense minister and responsible
for weapon procurement decisions, on Aug. 29 cleared the purchase of 40 Arjun
Catapult guns for $150 million from the Avadhi-based Combat Vehicle Research
and Development Establishment (CVRDE). This is part of the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
A senior Indian
Army officer said it would have been better if MoD had approved the purchase of
145 more capable M777 light howitzers for nearly the same per-unit cost.
“I fail to understand why MoD
finds the light howitzer guns expensive,” the office said.
The M777 is lighter than the
Arjun Catapult and has a firing range of up to 40 kilometers compared with 24
kilometers for Arjun Catapult. In addition, the M777 has advanced digital fire
control systems that Army officers have said is far superior. The M777 also can
be transported by helicopter.
MoD has been withholding a
$650 million contract for the M777 since 2010 because of price considerations,
the officer said.
One Arjun Catapult would cost
$3.75 million compared with $4.48 million for an M777.
The price for the M777
includes training for Army personnel, spares, and the latest electronics
instrumentation. The guns would be procured through the Foreign Military Sales
route, Army officer added
“Ordering the homemade 130mm
guns and holding back the purchase of the much-needed 155mm light howitzer guns
is an economically irrational decision,” said Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian
Army major general. It would have cost $179 million compared to $150 million to
buy 40 units of an advanced 155mm light howitzer in place of what he said was a
“local makeshift arrangement.”
When asked why the MoD has
cleared the purchase of the Arjun Catapult but not the howitzer, another Army
officer said, “this is possibly a precursor to the mounting of the 155mm gun on
Arjun chassis.”
No official of CVRDE would
confirm if there are plans to mount a 155mm gun on the Arjun tank.
An MoD source said the Arjun
Catapult buy is only temporary to meet the operational demands of the Indian
Army.
“Ultimately, the Indian Army
would be buying the 155mm howitzers,” the source added.
“The 130mm guns are old
Russian guns and are no comparison to the capabilities of 155mm howitzers,”
Singh said. “The DRDO is pushing for mounting 130mm guns on Arjun chassis,
which are at present mounted on outdated Vijayanta tank chassis,” Singh added.
The Army has used the 130mm
guns mounted on Vijayanta chassis since the 1980s but there are problems of
maintenance and spares, the second Army officer said.
MoD has not been able to
procure any 155mm howitzers in the last 10 years, and procuring the Arjun
Catapult will take care of immediate operational needs, the second Army officer
said.
The Army needs a variety of
155mm guns that eventually could cost more than $6 billion as it plans to
replace all of its artillery.
The Army has said it urgently
needs the howitzers to deploy on the mountainous terrain along the Chinese
border.
Even as the Army struggles to
buy howitzers on the international market, Pakistan has begun upgrading its
130mm M-46 towed howitzers to the 155mm/45-caliber configuration with the help
of the Chinese, the first Indian Army officer said. Nearly 400 of the M-46 guns
are being upgraded by China’s North Industries Corp. Pakistan has also acquired
M-109 A5 155mm howitzers from the United States, the first Army officer said.
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