Monthly Archives: August 2018

The unusual fanfare surrounding the arrival of five Rafale fighters from France is a cautionary tale at many levels. The first is the context of the border confrontation with China. So long as Beijing refuses to restore status quo ante along the Line of Actual Control, India must retain a degree of military readiness as a bargaining chip or as a contingency for further violence. Two, the Rafales represent the first strategically significant upgrade in India’s air power in decades. While India is also fast-tracking the purchase of Russian MiGs and Sukhois, one has already been pensioned out of the arsenal and the other serves as a second stringer for the Chinese air force. Three, the importance attached to the Rafales and attempts to fast-track the subsequent batches is a reminder of the slowness of India’s procurement system and the question marks over its indigenisation drive.

India had the luxury of putting defence procurement and reforms on the backburner. After all, it enjoyed military superiority against Pakistan, and had a military restraint understanding with China. The Balakot dogfights showed that, at best, India had technological parity with Pakistan. Galwan Valley has shown Beijing no longer feels the need to be constrained by the past 45 years. The Indian political system has been more concerned about accusations of scandals regarding arms purchases than what the weapons meant for national security. It is telling that the Rafales are the first tangible result of a fighter contract that was first unveiled in 2007. To its credit, the Narendra Modi government has implemented several defence reforms. But the gap has been its focus on weapons indigenisation, where the Make in India focus may not be adequate to address the quality needs of the armed forces. But with the changed security environment, the question has to be asked whether, in the case of offensive platforms, this priority makes sense.

The new paradigm means the services also need to relook at their earlier convictions. Networking allows militaries to get more accurate bang for their buck but barely exists in even the most primitive form in the Indian military. A host of new technologies means older formulae need a rethink. The advent of the armed drone, for example, means the original 42-squadron air force goal of the Indian Air Force may be obsolete. The times they are a-changing in dangerous ways and mindsets need to be a-changing as well.

The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance and activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which, it believes, China will “inevitably” try to enter in its quest to become a global power, just as it has laid claim to large portions of the disputed South China Sea, according to a top officer aware of the developments.

It is to deal with this scenario that India reached out to neighbours in IOR — Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Madagascar, to prevent China from expanding its footprint in the region by creating more bases — and like-minded navies, such as those of the United States and Japan, over the last two months, he added.

“It is inevitable that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) will come to IOR if China wants to become a global power. They are opening multiple routes to the Indian Ocean to overcome the Malacca Dilemma (China’s strategic weakness),” the officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The comments come at a time when there are heightened military tensions in eastern Ladakh — where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has turned out to be a challenging process — and China is militarising the South China Sea.

Also read: How the cold will alter the India-China power equation next month in Ladakh

The Malacca Dilemma refers to China’s apprehension of major naval powers controlling the Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia and interdicting vital supply lines. A significant volume (more than 80%) of China’s oil imports pass through the strait connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

The multiple routes that China could be looking at to enter the Indian Ocean are further south of Malacca and include the Sunda, Lombok, Ombai and Wetar straits, said a second Indian Navy officer who asked not to be named.

“It’s a reality that the PLAN will deploy in the Indian Ocean once its power crosses a certain threshold. Right now, it’s good enough for the South China Sea,” said Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), a former navy chief.

India is keeping tabs on China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea and taking steps to ensure that the Chinese navy doesn’t muscle its way into the Indian Ocean where combat-ready Indian warships are carrying out round-the-clock surveillance for any unusual activity, said the first officer.

Over the last one month, the navy has conducted joint drills with a US Navy carrier strike group, led by USS Nimitz, and Indian and Japanese warships have carried out exercises in the Indian Ocean, against the backdrop of the India-China border standoff in Ladakh.

The India-US exercise involving eight Indian and US warships took place a week ago at a time when tensions have mounted over China’s activities in South China Sea, where the US Navy recently conducted a major exercise that involved two carrier strike groups.

From carrying out naval drills with like-minded countries to reaching out to states in the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy is focusing on checking China’s rising ambitions in the region and sending out a strong message that Beijing’s power play in South China Sea cannot be replicated in the Indian Ocean.

“China is claiming almost 90% of the South China Sea. We don’t want that scenario unfolding in the Indian Ocean. We will not allow China to have it easy coming here,” said the second officer.

China’s step-by-step inroads into “territorialising” the South China Sea find echoes in some parts of IOR, not by trumped up claims because that would be blatant neo-colonialism but with more sophistication, said naval affairs expert Rear Admiral Sudarshan Shrikhande (retd)

“Its (China’s) diplomacy and economic influence when combined with port investments, logistics bases, all of which could be for dual-use and their sustained deployments in the IOR, are of serious concern,” Shrikhande said.

The stage is also set for Australia to be part of the next Malabar naval exercise conducted by India with the US and Japan, as reported by Hindustan Times on July 17. The next edition of Malabar, already delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is set to be held by the end of the year.

China has also been wary of the Quadrilateral security dialogue, or Quad, that was revived in late 2017 by India, the US, Australia and Japan, and these suspicions have increased since the four countries upgraded the forum to the ministerial level last year.

“We are already operating with these navies. We don’t need time to put the Quad into effect if the government gives us the go-ahead… It’s not that we are aligning with the US. Our actions are guided by national interest and what you see unfolding is issue-based convergence of interests,” said the first officer.

China began deploying troops to its first overseas naval base at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in July 2017, in what some global experts said was the outcome of Beijing’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’. Mounting debts have led countries such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Pakistan to give control of territories, which are of strategic significance, to China.

The base in Djibouti has shored up China’s capabilities to sustain naval units in the Indian Ocean.

“In recent months, with much of the world preoccupied with the Covid-19 pandemic, China has sharply escalated its coercive activities. In early April, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel sank a Vietnamese fishing boat close to islands claimed by both China and Vietnam. A Chinese marine survey vessel harassed a Malaysian oil exploration vessel off Borneo. This month, the [US] department of defense voiced concern about the Chinese navy’s decision to seal off an area around the Paracel Islands to conduct naval exercises. In response, the United States increased its own naval activities, including joint exercises by two aircraft carrier groups,” the New York Times said in an editorial on Monday.

The Indian Navy has been on an operational alert in the Indian Ocean where scores of warships are ready for any task in the aftermath of the border row. It has positioned warships along critical sea lanes of communications and choke points and the vessels could be diverted for any mission.

Indian warships are deployed from as far as the Persian Gulf to the Malacca Strait and northern Bay of Bengal to the southeast coast of Africa.

While the Indian Navy is keeping a sharp eye on the Indian Ocean, it is also playing a key role in the Ladakh sector.

The navy’s P-8I maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, imported from the US, are being used for surveillance of the Ladakh sector and gathering intelligence on Chinese deployments across the contested LAC.

The primary role of the P-8Is encompasses carrying out anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the oceans.

As the first batch of five Rafale aircraft is all set to arrive in Ambala on Wednesday from France to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet, the Ambala Police have tightened the security and prohibited people from taking photos or videos of the jet planes. People have been asked not to go to their terraces for taking videos or photographs of the aircraft.

The violators will face an immediate arrest and an FIR against them, the police said. Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits congregation of four or more people in an area, has been imposed near the Ambala Air Force Station in Haryana and in adjoining areas like Dhulkot, Baldev Nagar, Garnala and Panjkhora.

The jets took off from France on Monday and will arrive at the Ambala Air Force station after covering a distance of 7,000 kilometres with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates. The fleet comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft, an IAF official said.

Also read: With Rafales’ induction, IAF will have an edge over neighbours. Here’s how

Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria would be visiting Ambala to receive the Rafale combat aircraft. The planes are expected to take off from Al Dhafra in UAE at around 11 am IST and reach Ambala by 2 pm, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

A team of pilots led by Group Captain Harkirat Singh would meet the Air Chief and brief him about their flying and training in France after which the formal induction ceremony of the aircraft would take place.

The agreement for the biggest-ever defence deal by India was signed in 2016 for acquiring 36 Rafale jets for over Rs 60,000 crore.

Five Rafale fighter jets of the 36 ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from France will land at their home base in Haryana’s Ambala on Wednesday.

The new aircraft will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of IAF, which has for long-planned to update its fighter jet force. Defence experts have said the induction of the controversial Rafale fighter jets will be a “game-changer” for India in regional politics of South Asia.

France has expedited the deliveries of Rafale fighters to India and five jets are coming to Ambala instead of four that were originally planned to be delivered in the first batch.

Here’s how the Rafale fighter aircraft will add to IAF power:

* Rafale, categorised as a 4.5 generation aircraft for its radar-evading stealth profile, is important for IAF since most of the aircraft in its fleet, including the Mirage 2000 and the Su-30 MkI, are classified as either third or fourth-generation fighters.

* The Rafale is a twin-jet fighter aircraft able to operate from both an aircraft carrier and a shore base. The manufacturers describe it as a fully versatile aircraft which can carry out all combat aviation missions to achieve air superiority and air defence, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.

* The first Rafale combat aircraft manufactured for India bears the tail number RB-01, the initials of IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The IAF chief had played a crucial role in the signing of India’s biggest-ever defence deal worth about Rs 60,000 crore.

* India had ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a deal worth about Rs 60,000 crore in September 2016. Out of the 36 Rafale aircraft, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.

* The Rafale jets will be a crucial enhancement to India’s Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft fleet.

* The Rafale fighter jets have been tailor-made for the Indian Air Force. India-specific enhancements include helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with enough storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, jammers, cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases and towed decoys to lure incoming missiles away.

* They will be the first imported fighter jet to be inducted into the IAF in 22 years after the Russian Sukhoi-30 fighters. The first Su-30 entered IAF service in June 1997.

* The Rafales will be a part of the IAF’s No 17 Squadron, which is also known as the “Golden Arrows”. The first squadron of the aircraft will be stationed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal.

* The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases.

* India will be the fourth country, after France, Egypt and Qatar, to fly the Rafale.

* The Rafale fighter jet, however, cannot be compared with the J-20, an indigenously developed fifth-generation aircraft of China. The J-20 is soon set to be inducted in large numbers into the People’s Liberation Army Air Force of China after it was successfully developed and displayed.

* The 2016 Rafale deal was an emergency purchase to arrest the worrying slide in the IAF’s combat capabilities. The count of the IAF’s fighter squadrons had been reduced to 31 compared to an optimum strength of 42-plus units required to fight a two-front war with China and Pakistan.

* The first 18 jets, including the four in the first batch, were to be delivered to the IAF by February 2021, with the rest expected by April-May 2022, according to the original delivery schedule.

With the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) concentrated and on the offensive on a barren Tibetan Plateau, the Indian Air Force with Rafale fighter as its spearhead weapon will decide the outcome of the battle in case the red flag goes up, says former Air Chief Marshal B. S Dhanoa. Five Rafale fighters will land at Ambala air base today from France for induction into IAF today .

Talking to Hindustan Times, Dhanoa, the chief architect of February 26, 2019 air strikes on Balakot, said that Rafale with its top of the line electronic warfare suite, Meteor beyond visual range missile and SCALP air to ground weapon with its terrain following capability outguns any threat that the Chinese Air Force produces. Painting a wartime scenario, former top gun said : “ If the IAF is successful in destruction of enemy air defences and suppression of enemy air defences, then the Chinese fighters out in the open at Hotan air base and at Gonggar air base at Lhasa airport are fair targets. Some 70 Chinese aircraft are without protection at Hotan and some 26 aircraft may be parked inside a tunnel which the PLA were building at Lhasa air base,” the former air chief said.

Also Read: In China’s troop movements in Ladakh’s depth areas, a hint about its real plan

While Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Dhanoa recognises the threat presented by Chinese J-20 fifth generation fighter, he is very confident that the IAF with its latest Rafale and Su-30 MKI will be able to counter the best the Chinese throw at India in the worst case scenario. “Chinese Air Threat is mainly from their Surface to Air Missile Systems.”

Also Read: Four sub-killer P-8I craft coming to India next year, then talks for six more

“ If Chinese equipment was so good, then why did the Pakistanis only use F-16 aircraft to attack Nangi Tekri brigade in Rajouri sector on February 27, 2019 with Chinese JF-17 merely giving air defence cover to Mirage 3/5 bombers. The Mirage 3/5 dropped the H 2/4 bombs from a safe distance with the JF 17 in a supportive role providing Air Defence to these aircraft! Why does Pakistan use Swedish early air warning platforms up north and keep Chinese AWACS in the south? Why is Pakistan mounting European radar (Selex Gallelio) and Turkish targeting pod on Chinese JF-17 ? The answer is quite evident,” the former Chief said.

Also Read: Twin naval exercises with US supercarriers signal QUAD has arrived

However, the brilliant air tactician recognizes the Chinese threat in form of surface to air missile batteries and artillery guns, which the PLA has packed in occupied Aksai Chin. But he also makes it very clear that with no tree line cover available to the Chinese platforms, they would be sitting ducks if the air defence cover is blown over. “ The Rafale with its advanced terrain following weapons and level II of Digital Terrain Elevation Data available to the Indian pilot, the error probability of the weapon is reduced to mere 10 metres. As I have said in the past, Rafale is a game changer,” former Air Chief Dhanoa said.

Also Read: US UAV, Israeli loitering bombs as Indian infantry gets lethal

While Dhanoa appreciates the enemy threat, his serving IAF officers make it very clear that the Chinese equipment is not only inferior to the US equipment but also the Russian equipment. “ Why does Chinese Air Force use Russian Su-30 and Su-35 fighters while facing the US threat in South China Sea? The fact is that the Chinese fighters are no match for the American equipment Majority of Chinese equipment is reverse engineering of Russian equipment and fighters have designs of either Su-27 or Su 30 platform. They are even powered by Russian AL 31 F (Su-30) and RD 33 (MiG-29) engines,” a serving air commander told Hindustan Times.

The new Rafale fighters jets will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and prove to be a game-changer with their advanced weaponry, defence experts have said.

The jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions — ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence.

Specially tailored for the IAF, the Rafale jets have cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases including Leh, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, low-band jammers, Israeli helmet-mounted displays and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.

These Rafale jets will be armed with Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, MICA multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles — weapons that will allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap.

The Meteor’s no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium-range air-to-air missiles. The Meteor, with a range estimated to be well above 120 kilometres, outranges any other missile in aerial combat.

The Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

Also read: With Rafales’ induction, IAF will have an edge over neighbours. Here’s how

It is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.

The Scalp is a deep-strike cruise missile known for having pinpoint terminal accuracy through its highly accurate seeker and target recognition system.

The twin-engine fighter jet’s ‘payload fraction’ or its maximum take-off weight vis-a-vis its overall empty weight is unmatched in aircraft of the same class. It can carry almost 10 tonnes of weapons and five tonnes of fuel.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (retd), a former IAF chief, said the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on the Rafale and its weapons package make it a formidable platform.

India is also looking at arming the Rafale fighter jets with an all-weather smart weapon of French origin that will allow combat pilots to engage ground targets from a standoff range of up to 60km.

The IAF is likely to initiate the purchase of HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) using the emergency financial powers granted to the military by the government at a time of border tensions with China.

HAMMER is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran.