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Military & defense stories, news, articles, videos, slideshows, images, and web stories. Business Insider India is providing latest and consolidated news related to the Defense category.

Military & defense Stories, News, Articles, Videos, Slideshows and Web Stories

There is renewed hope in the aviation industry with Swedish defence major Saab offering to manufacture its fifth generation Gripen fighter aircraft under ‘Make in India’ with technology transfer to India, in a renewed bid for a pie in the multi-billion dollar worth IAF modernisation plan. 
 

	Saab is not only offering to set up a base here but also help in the development of aerospace capability for the next 100 years and partner in developing the next version of indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), being developed and designed by Aeronautical Development Agency.
 

	Ulf Nilsson, head of Saab's aeronautics division, told PTI that the company is already doing its homework and identifying partners for collaboration. 
 

	Nilsson said the offer of technology transfer would be real as they are offering India 'full system control' and 'full software control'.
 

	Saab (India) chief Jan Widerstrom said the company is also ready to stick by New Delhi's negative list, as was made clear by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in an interview to PTI last month, when it comes to exporting fighter aircraft from India to other countries. 
 

	"We have almost an identical system back in Sweden when it comes to defence exports. It is decided by the government and we too can't export to specific countries which is almost the same as that of India," Widerstrom said.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: indiatimes)

Saab to manufacture its Gripen fighter aircraft in India

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>On Jul. 14, at 09.50 Moscow Time, a <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/07/07/f-22-and-f-15-intercepted-off-alaska/">Tu-95 bomber</a> crashed in an uninhabited area 80 km from Khabarovsk.According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft was conducting a training mission and it was unarmed. All the crew left the aircraft uninjured.Newsworthy, this is the second incident in little more than one month: on Jun. 9, a <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/06/09/tu-95-incident-at-ukrainka/">Tu-95 skidded off the runway at Ukrainka airbase</a>, in the Amur region, in an incident that resulted in the death of one crew member.Following the incident, all the <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/02/15/bear-contra-rotating-blades/">Tu-95</a> fleet was grounded: a flight ban lifted few days ago and "celebrated" on Jul. 4 with <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/07/07/f-22-and-f-15-intercepted-off-alaska/">missions over the Pacific that caused the interception of four Bears by two F-15s and two F-22s in two different episodes</a>.It's unclear if the Bears will be grounded again. Surely, the latest mishap might be the sign that some quite old Russian warplanes, used to <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/29/tu-95-uk-disruption/">intimidate NATO allies all around the world</a>, are being pushed to their limits, as <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2015/07/12/russian-fleets-crashing-ukraine-nato-fighter-bomber/29962399/">some reports have highlighted</a>.Along with the two Tu-95s, the most recent Russian crashes include <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/06/01/video-su-24-near-uss-ross/">a Su-24</a> Fencer, two <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/05/29/mig-29-edge-of-space-video/">Mig-29 Fulcrums</a> and a <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2015/03/18/su-34-cockpit-videos/">modern Su-34 Fullback.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/21st-century-airplane-innovation-military-2015-6">11 game-changing military planes from the last 15 years</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l5ZzBwdTrzVKpAhnoOODcBc1RJTXkNqa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

The Russian Air Force may be being pushed to its limits

Since the last decade, India has been on a spree of buying modern weapon systems through its ever increasing defence budget. In particular the Indian Air Force is going through a total revamp. India is the only country which has categorised its fighters as heavy, medium and light combat aircrafts. It has assigned specific roles to its fighters however most are multi-role in nature. 
 
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. India has acquired a total of 51 Mirages, which include 41 single-seater Mirage 2000Hs and 10 two-seater Mirage 2000TH trainers. 
 
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Air Force and is playing the nuclear strike role with the Indian Air Force. Similarly MIG 21 and MIG 27 are the interceptors and Ground attack aircrafts. HAL Tejas is a single seater, single engine multirole fighter. Sukhoi SU-30MKI is the pride of the Indian fleet and is one of the best 4++ generation air superiority fighters in the world. 
 
The MMRCA deal, the comparison and what went wrong 
India is planning to decommission its entire fleet of MiG 21s and MiG 27s by the year 2020~2023. Now, the MiG 21 is an Interceptor while the MiG 27 is a Ground attack aircraft. 
 
The MMRCA program was initiated to replace both these specialized aircraft with a Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft. This is the reason IAF floated a global tender for a suitable aircraft. 
 
Out of the 6 aircrafts which reached the last stage of negotiations, Dassault Rafale emerged as the winner. Initially the plan was to buy 126 aircrafts, 18 in flyaway condition and the remaining 108 was to be manufactured domestically under the Transfer of Technology agreement. However after Narendra Modi's France visit in April, air was made clear and India inked the deal for 36 aircrafts in flyaway condition for an undisclosed amount of money which could seriously go over US$ 6 billion. 
 
Much has been said about the escalating cost of the deal and its worthiness to acquire the Rafale jets which was out rightly rejected by many former bidders and a section of experts believe that a SU 35 would be a much better option specially for India. 
 
 Dassault Rafale vs Sukhoi SU-35 
 Overall rating table 
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				CATEGORY</td>
			<td>
				DASSAULT RAFALE</td>
			<td>
				SUKHOI SU-35</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				BVR Rating</td>
			<td>
				90%</td>
			<td>
				80%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Armament</td>
			<td>
				7.8/10</td>
			<td>
				8.1/10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Technology</td>
			<td>
				7.7/10</td>
			<td>
				8.1/10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Avionics</td>
			<td>
				8.0/10</td>
			<td>
				8.2/10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Manoeuvrability</td>
			<td>
				9.5/10</td>
			<td>
				8.4/10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Rate of Climb</td>
			<td>
				max. 300 m/s – 60k ft/min</td>
			<td>
				max. 280 m/s – 55k ft/min</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Thrust/Weight</td>
			<td>
				1.13</td>
			<td>
				1.10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Service Ceiling</td>
			<td>
				17 km – 55k ft</td>
			<td>
				18 km – 59k ft</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Speed</td>
			<td>
				2.00 Mach</td>
			<td>
				2.25 Mach</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Fuel Economy</td>
			<td>
				0.27 km/l – 0.63 NM/gallon</td>
			<td>
				0.19 km/l – 0.44 NM/gallon</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Unit Cost</td>
			<td>
				90.000.000 USD</td>
			<td>
				65.000.000 USD</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Overall Rating</td>
			<td>
				very good</td>
			<td>
				very good</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

	 
	FACTS- Dassault Rafale vs Sukhoi SU-35
 
Sukhoi SU-35 is cheaper. 
Dassault Rafale is more economical. 
Sukhoi SU-35 is faster. 
Sukhoi SU-35 is better armed. 
Dassault Rafale is better dogfighter. 
Dassault Rafale is smaller than Sukhoi SU-35. 
 

	France is a reliable defence partner for India and it is already supplying and upgrading the Mirage 2000 fighters however its credibility in the international defence market was questioned after the Mistral row. Rafale is a good fighter in its class and a better dogfighter but the days of dog fighting are over and this is the era of Net-Centric Warfare. Rafale is smaller in size when you compare it to the SU-30MKI or the SU-35 and possess good ground attack capabilities. India is becoming a regional resource centre for the SU series fighters and should have gone for the SU-35 or the Euro fighter both of which have a lower price tag than the Rafale fighters. However buying 36 Rafale jets was vital for Indo-French geo-political relations. Now is the time to have a complete stop on this and which was also confirmed by the Indian Defence Minister. 
	 
	(Image Courtsey: gripen4canada.blogspot.com) 
	<o:p></o:p>

India's Fighter Aircraft ambitions: Desire and Dilemma

French aerospace and security giant Safran, has entered into a partnership with premier Indian educational institutions for research and development in the field of advanced avionics systems. The defence major will develop next generation aerospace technologies in collaboration with Foundation for Innovation &amp; Technology Transfer, the industrial interface of IIT Delhi and Society for Innovation &amp; Development of IISc, Bengaluru,. 
	 
	The initial phase will include projects that involve development of advanced safe and secure multi-core architectures, and the evolution of advanced machine learning algorithms with low computational requirements. The projects are expected to significantly contribute to advanced avionics and security applications. 
	 
	“Safran has always been proud of its association with India’s aerospace and defence programs,” said Alain Coutrot, Deputy Director, Research and Technology, Safran. 
	 
	Commenting on the association, Stéphane Lauret, CEO, Safran India said, “These two partnerships are certainly a great step towards the development of future technology options in both aerospace and security domains in India. It also reinforces Safran’s commitment towards India’s education sector. The group employs more than 2,600 highly skilled employees in the country with an average annual workforce growth of 30% in the last decade. Over the past years, Safran has proudly embarked on a series of intensive engineering and manufacturing collaborations in the country. Our strategy is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India philosophy. ” 
	 
	Viewing the association as a milestone for the institute, Prof. Jayant Modak, Chief Executive of Society for Innovation &amp; Development said, “IISc is extremely happy to collaborate with Safran, a leading aerospace company of France. We are indeed pleased that one of our startups, Morphing Machines, is also collaborating with Safran R&amp;D.” 
	 
	French Ambassador François Richier believed that the rising interest of French companies in the Indian education sector, followed by subsequent partnerships with premier Indian institutes, will further cement Indo-French ties.

From France With Love: Safran Ties Up With
Premier Indian Science Institutes For R&D

Bharat Forge, India’s high technology component firm has entered into a partnership with French multinational aerospace and security giant to supply high integrity forged and machined components for commercial aircraft applications of Safran’s global affiliates. 
	 
	The companies have been working together for the past 18 months on a demonstrator phase for trial production of critical forgings in several materials for aerospace. These materials include titanium, nickel-based and steel alloys. The agreement will also facilitate Safran to explore opportunities and expand its reach in Indian aerospace for civil and military sectors. 
	 
	“The partnership highlights our unwavering commitment to add tangible value to the vast opportunities offered by the Indian aerospace sector and confirms our resolve to strengthening our partnership for supplying forged components to Safran’s global affiliate network,” said BN Kalyani, chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge. 
	 
	Commenting on the association, Stephane Lauret, CEO, Safran India Private Limited, “This latest development reflects our two companies’ commitment to expanding our collaboration for the benefit of our customers in India and abroad.” 
	 
	The deal was sealed with Purchase Order being issued by Safran.

Bharat
Forge Inks Deal With French Aerospace Giant Safran

Filmed in Daraa, in southwestern Syria, the following video appears to show a <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2014/05/12/mig-21-drop-bomb-video/">Syrian Arab Air Force Mig-21 Fishbed</a> leaking fuel before fire develops.
It's not clear whether the <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2013/08/18/mig-21-clear-video/">aircraft</a> was leaking because of battle damage to its starboard wing. The video doesn't show whether the pilot was forced to eject - although h emost probably had to abandon the <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2012/09/06/syrian-flag/">Mig-21,</a> since a huge fire is visible at the end of the footage and must have left little room for any other option.

Watch A Syrian MiG Catch Fire In Midair [VIDEO]

<a href="http://www.janetairlines.com/" target="_blank">Al Clark</a> prepared the following exclusive infographic which maps all the unit <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2013/04/09/usaf-sequestration-groundings/" target="_blank" title="The U.S. Air Force as you know it no longer exists: beginning today, 17 combat units grounded">groundings recently ordered by the U.S. Air Force as a consequence of sequestration-related budget cuts</a>.
The color breakdown is: White, for Combat Mission Ready units; Grey, for Basic Mission Capable units; Red for grounded units.
The active-duty units were ordered to stand down starting Apr. 9 to ensure the “survival” of the remaining units supporting worldwide operations through the remainder of the fiscal year. A rough analysis shows that the least impacted command is PACAF (Pacific Air Forces); a sign of the U.S. Pivot to the Pacific, where Washington faces China’s growing military power and <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2013/04/15/nk-propaganda-video/" target="_blank" title="North Korean propaganda video shows nuclear attack on the United States">North Korea’s threats</a>.
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="via The Aviationist" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/516ea02a69bedde013000006-960/sequestration-stand-down-lr%20(1).jpg"></a><a href="http://theaviationist.com/2013/04/16/stand-down-infographic/">via The Aviationist</a></div></div>

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