<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>'s only <keyword id="42406" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier">aircraft carrier</keyword>, <keyword id="3767269" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Admiral-Kuznetsov">Admiral Kuznetsov</keyword>, has been plagued by breakdowns and mishaps.</li><li>Despite those problems and broader changes to its navy, Russia is committed to Admiral Kuznetsov's future.</li></ul><p>Perhaps no aircraft carrier has been as mocked or as troubled as Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only carrier and the sole ship of it class.</p><p>Meant to usher in a new era for Soviet naval aviation, it was armed to the teeth and featured new fixed-wing aircraft. But it became clear almost immediately that Admiral Kuznetsov would not live up to expectations.</p><p>Constant mechanical issues and breakdowns, combined with a lack of resources and poor facilities, have seriously affected its ability to rival its NATO counterparts, and its only combat deployment was far from perfect.</p><p>All of these issues mean Admiral Kuznetsov is seen more as a spectacle than a genuine threat, but it remains the <keyword id="46942" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russian-Navy">Russian Navy</keyword>'s flagship, and Moscow is determined to hold on to it, with sea trials <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1231271" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set for 2022</a>, according to Russian state media.</p><h2>An interesting history</h2><div type="image" title="admiral Kuznetsov" height="1141" width="1701" msid="82147230" hostid="261"></div><p>Admiral Kuznetsov has an interesting history to say the least.</p><p>Originally named "Riga," it was launched in 1985 as "Leonid Brezhnev," started sea trials as "Tbilisi," and commissioned officially as "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" in 1990.</p><p>In many ways, it was supposed to be the Soviet Union's first real carrier. Previous classes could only carry Ka-27 or Ka-31 helicopters or the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-yak-38-fighter-the-failed-jump-jet-helped-inspire-19320" target="_top">Yak-38</a> vertical take-off and landing fighter. The Kuznetsov, on the other hand, had an air wing of new <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-russias-sukhoi-su-33-fighter-was-failure-171911" target="_top">Sukhoi Su-33</a> fighters and Su-25UTGs, in addition to helicopters.</p><p>The jets would have taken off from a ski-jump ramp, another first for the Soviet Navy. One thing it did have in common with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soviet-union-aircraft-carriers-are-still-influencing-other-navies-2020-12" target="_top">other Soviet carriers was a massive missile armament</a>: 12 radar-guided P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles and 190 anti-aircraft missiles.</p><p>Because of the collapse of the USSR, Admiral Kuznetsov was not fully operational until 1995.</p><p>Its sister ship, Varyag, was <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1779703/unlucky-guy-tasked-buying-chinas-aircraft-carrier-xu" target="_top">sold</a> to a Chinese businessman in 1998 ostensibly to be turned into a casino. That vessel became the <a href="https://chinapower.csis.org/aircraft-carrier/" target="_top">Liaoning</a>, China's first aircraft carrier, and the blueprint for its second, the <a href="https://chinapower.csis.org/china-aircraft-carrier-type-001a/" target="_top">Shandong</a>.</p><h2>Constant breakdowns</h2><div type="image" title="Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov dry dock Murmansk" height="1334" width="2000" msid="82147231" hostid="261"></div><p>Since joining the Northern Fleet in 1991, Admiral Kuznetsov has become known for breakdowns and malfunctions.</p><p>While off the coast of Turkey in January 2009, it <a href="https://twitter.com/ukdefjournal/status/1081864089398398977?lang=en" target="_top">suffered a fire</a> that killed a crew member. A month later it was involved in an <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29433203" target="_top">oil spill</a> off the coast of Ireland that leaked an estimated 300 metric tons of oil into the ocean.</p><p>The carrier has undergone extended repair periods in port multiple times. Breakdowns and accidents happened so often that the carrier had to be followed by a tanker loaded with extra pipes for repairs. It was also known to have an <a href="https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/you-may-puke-watching-this-tug-boat-attempt-to-tow-russ-1742392802" target="_top">ocean-going tug trailing it</a> whenever it set out.</p><p>Despite the numerous pit stops, it was still seen <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/first-sight-massive-russian-aircraft-9094290" target="_top">belching massive clouds of smoke</a> as it sailed to Syria in 2016 for its <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2017/02/10/russias-syrian-naval-deployment-the-unofficial-post-action-report-a57116" target="_top">only combat deployment</a>, during which more mishaps occurred.</p><p>Two jets, an Su-33 and a MiG-29K, crashed into the water because the carrier's arresting cable kept snapping during landings. The problem forced the rest of the carrier's air wing to be <a href="https://www.defenseworld.net/news/17876/Russian_Combat_Jets_To_Operate_From_Syria_Airbase_Following_Carrier_Landing_Malfunction#.YHZciqySk2y" target="_top">transferred</a> to the Hmeymim airbase.</p><p>British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/europe/britain-russia-aircraft-carrier/index.html" target="_top">called</a> the Admiral Kuznetsov "a ship of shame" as it returned to Russia following the deployment.</p><h2>'The unluckiest ship'</h2><div type="image" title="Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov fire" height="1194" width="2000" msid="82147232" hostid="261"></div><p>After returning from Syria, Admiral Kuznetsov began an overhaul and modernization to extend its service life. Unable to use the Ukrainian shipyards where it was built, it is being refit in Murmansk.</p><p>Even in port, Admiral Kuznetsov's troubles have continued. In 2018, the floating drydock holding the carrier <a href="https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2018/10/aircraft-carrier-damaged-dry-dock-sinks" target="_top">sank</a>, sending a 70-ton crane smashing through the flight deck.</p><p>The incident killed one worker, injured four more, and left a large hole on the deck. The loss of the floating drydock <a href="https://rg.ru/2019/05/07/reg-szfo/murmansk-poluchit-samyj-krupnyj-v-rossii-suhoj-dok.html" target="_top">forced</a> the Russians to combine two smaller dry docks into a larger one in order to continue the work.</p><p>A year later, a fire <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/deadly-blaze-hits-admiral-kuznetsov-russias-only-aircraft-carrier/a-51650096" target="_top">broke out</a> while workers were welding in the engine room. Two people were killed and 11 more were injured.</p><p>More recently, the director of the shipyard overseeing the refit was <a href="https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/10952429" target="_top">arrested</a> and accused of stealing some 45 million rubles allocated to the carrier's repair.</p><p>Photos of a snow-covered Admiral Kuznetsov that emerged in January led a Russian think-tank <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38724/russia-should-ditch-its-cursed-aircraft-carrier-and-focus-on-its-two-new-amphibious-assault-ships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to estimate</a> that no progress had been made on the repairs over the past year.</p><p>"It's the unluckiest ship on the face of the planet," Jeffrey Edmonds, a research scientist at the Center for Naval Analysis, told Insider.</p><h2>Russia's future carrier</h2><div type="image" title="Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov Vladimir Putin" height="1333" width="2000" msid="82147233" hostid="261"></div><p>Russia has invested a lot into modernizing Admiral Kuznetsov and maintaining some form of carrier capability.</p><p>The refit has increased the carrier's aircraft capacity to 24 to 26 fighter jets and as many as 12 helicopters. The current modifications will also upgrade the electronics and propulsion system and likely remove the P-700 missiles.</p><p>Russia has also put effort into <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/russias-aircraft-carrier-to-be-upgraded-to-carry-mig-29kkub-fighter-jets/" target="_top">replacing</a> or <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-04-10/su-33-begin-2nd-phase-upgrade-while-russia-mulls-carrier-options" target="_top">modernizing</a> the aging Su-33, as it is really only capable of aerial warfare with limited ground-attack options. The <a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1021" target="_top">MiG-29K</a>, a naval version of the MiG-29, is expected to have larger role in Russia's future carrier air wings. The carrier could also carry the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3wX8Il5NvM" target="_top">Ka-52K Katran</a> attack helicopter.</p><p>The time, effort, and expense show that the Russian Navy is not ready to give up on carriers.</p><p>"The Russians will continue to talk about carriers," Edmonds said, noting that at the very least the current efforts preserve some skills and know-how, "so that in such time when they actually have carriers, they can expand that out rather than reinventing the wheel."</p><p>Talk of building a brand-new carrier <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-set-to-make-final-decision-on-new-heavyweight-aircraft-carrier-design-putin-personally-examins-proposals" target="_top">is common</a>, and <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/02/russia-designs-a-new-class-of-ship-universal-sea-complex-varan/" target="_top">multiple designs</a> have been <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1057234" target="_top">put forward</a>.</p><div type="image" title="Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov" height="1288" width="2000" msid="82147234" hostid="261"></div><p>But there is also debate in Russia over whether it's even worth it, central to which is the fact that Russia just has a poor track record of building carriers.</p><p>In addition to the Kuznetsov debacles, Russia's only other recent work on a carrier, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soviet-union-aircraft-carriers-are-still-influencing-other-navies-2020-12" target="_top">converting</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soviet-union-aircraft-carriers-are-still-influencing-other-navies-2020-12" target="_top"> the Kiev-class Admiral Gorshkov into the INS Vikramaditya</a> for the Indian Navy, was <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/all-reasons-why-india-hates-aircraft-carrier-it-bought-russia-92076" target="_top">marred</a> by cost overruns and missed deadlines.</p><p>While Russia is <a href="https://navalpost.com/zaliv-kerch-project-23900-udc-amphibous-assault-ship/" target="_top">building</a> two amphibious assault ships to replace the two French-built Mistral-class ships it never received, these are smaller than a carrier and will only carry helicopters and drones.</p><p>"The Russians will always have this aspirational talk about having a blue-water navy with carriers and stuff like that," Edmonds said. "But as far as having the capability, the infrastructure, the expertise to build one, that's a ways out."</p><p>Despite the problems, Russian officials have <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1231271" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> that Admiral Kuznetsov will begin sea trials in 2022.</p><p>When fully operational, the carrier, like the Russian Navy's other legacy platforms, will likely be used to show the flag and demonstrate Russia's great naval power status - even as the fleet continues to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-navy-betting-big-on-new-smaller-warships-with-missiles-2021-4" target="_top">shift its focus to small, missile-laden vessels and submarines</a>.</p>

Russia's unlucky aircraft carrier is getting ready for its return to action

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.boeing.com/defense/maritime-surveillance/p-8-poseidon/index.page#/gallery">Boeing</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Boeing P-8 Poseidon.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>India has bought 12 advanced sub-hunting planes to beef up its anti-submarine warfare capabilities.</strong></li><li><strong>India is looking to boost its military in response to a growing Chinese presence in the region, particularly under the waters of the Indian Ocean.</strong></li><li><strong>New Delhi is seeking out billions of dollars in foreign military hardware, including subs, ships, planes, and armored vehicles.</strong></li></ul><p><br />India's navy is considering adding to its fleet of P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, as the country shifts its military posture toward its southern approaches out of concern about Chinese naval activity.</p><p>India's Naval Chief Adm. Sunil Lanba <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2018/01/13/indian-navy-looking-at-more-p-8i-submarine-killers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told India Strategic</a> magazine that aerial-surveillance capability was an important part of navy operations, and the country's <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Ministry has said the P-8I is able to provide "a punitive response and maintaining a watch over India's immediate and extended areas of interest."</p><p>New Dehli made its first purchase of the aircraft in 2009, not long after the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, during which attackers <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/27/mumbai.investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrived by boat</a>. India bought eight P-8I aircraft at the time, deploying them in 2013. It followed that with a purchase of four more in 2016, buying them at the 2009 price.</p><p><span>"A number of measures have been taken since '26/11' to strengthen maritime, coastal and offshore security by the concerned agencies in the country," Lanba said, including expanding maritime security forces' capabilities, enhancing surveillance in maritime zones, and streamlining intelligence-sharing.</span></p><p>While Lanba did not say how many long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft like the P-8I the Indian navy would ultimately require, his predecessors have said as many as 30.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/navy%E2%80%99s-long-range-maritime-patrol-aircraft-boeing-p-8i-dedicated-nation">Indian navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">One of India's P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft, dedicated on November 13, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The P-8I, which is India's variant of Boeing's P-8 Poseidon aircraft, has some of the most sophisticated <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2018/01/13/indian-navy-looking-at-more-p-8i-submarine-killers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-submarine-warfare technology</a> available, including Raytheon and Telefonics systems that provide 360-degree radar coverage. The plane also has a magnetic anomaly detector, which searches for shifts in the earth's magnetic field created by a submarine's hull.</p><p>The aircraft can carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles, depth charges, Mk-54 torpedoes, and rockets. The Indian variant <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2018/01/13/indian-navy-looking-at-more-p-8i-submarine-killers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also has</a> specific communications software and Identify Friend or Foe abilities, allowing it to interoperate with Indian naval and air force systems. They can also data-link with Indian submarines to share information about target vessels.</p><h2>'<span>Our Navy is fully capable and ever ready'</span></h2><p>Anti-submarine warfare has become a focal point for the Indian military, and the US and India have <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1940411/us-and-india-discuss-anti-submarine-warfare-latest-move-keep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">held talks</a> about related technology and tactics. Both countries have become increasingly wary of Chinese naval activity, particularly Chinese submarines, in recent years.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney</span></p><p class="caption">US Navy P-8A Poseidon crew members look out over the Indian Ocean during the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, April 8, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>China has also expanded its infrastructure in the region, including a presence at ports in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Djibouti</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-hoping-to-extend-maritime-reach-china-lavishes-aid-on-pakistan-town-2017-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pakistan</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sri Lanka</a>.</span></p><p>India has been <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tracking Chinese submarines</a> entering the Indian Ocean since 2013, and a 2015 US Defense Department report confirmed that Chinese attack and missile submarines were operating there.</p><p><span>In mid-2016, Indian naval officials <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1940411/us-and-india-discuss-anti-submarine-warfare-latest-move-keep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they were sighting Chinese subs four times every three months on average.</span></p><p>"As a professional military force, we constantly evaluate the maritime security environment in our areas of interest. We lay a lot of stress on Maritime Domain Awareness," Landa <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2018/01/13/indian-navy-looking-at-more-p-8i-submarine-killers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> India Strategic when asked about hostile submarines operating in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>"Accordingly, we are fully seized of the presence and likely intentions of all extra-regional forces operating in the Indian Ocean," Landa said. "Our Navy is fully capable and ever ready to meet any challenges that may arise in the maritime domain."</p><h2>'<span>A tectonic shift'</span></h2><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Christopher Woody/Google Maps</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Some sightings of Chinese subs have taken place around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which sit near the Malacca Strait, through which more than 80% of Chinese fuel supplies pass.</span></p><p><span>New Delhi started deploying P-8I aircraft and spy drones to the islands in early 2016, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/To-fight-Chinas-Andaman-and-Nicobar-forays-India-deploys-submarine-hunters/articleshow/50632020.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with plans</a> to develop enough infrastructure and maintenance capabilities there to support a division-level force of about 15,000 troops, a fighter squadron, and some major warships. Other reports <a href="https://amti.csis.org/indias-undersea-wall-eastern-indian-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggest</a> India is considering installing an "undersea wall" of sensors in the eastern Indian Ocean.</span></p><p><span>Growing activity in the Indian Ocean, as well as the ocean's centrality to global trade and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India's own security</a>, have led New Delhi to shift its focus to the country's 4,700-mile southern coastline, where security and energy infrastructure are concentrated.</span></p><p><span>"This is a tectonic shift in India's security calculus, that it has to protect its southern flank," Brahma Chellaney, a strategic-studies professor at the Center for Policy Research, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/world/asia/india-us-japan-war-games-china.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&amp;smtyp=cur&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The New York Times in July 2017, around the time of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malabar-2017-photos-of-us-india-and-japan-war-games-in-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malabar 2017 naval exercises</a> between the US, India, and Japan.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/scorpene-class-submarine-kalvari-set-afloat-naval-dockyard-mumbai">Indian navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">India's first-in-class Kalvari submarine during floating at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in October 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>India <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has done</a> naval patrols and anti-submarine warfare exercises with partners in the region - in November, India, the US, Japan, and Australia <a href="http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2121474/us-japan-india-australia-quad-first-step-asian-nato" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the creation of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, defense partnership. New Delhi has also looked to expand its military, spending <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tens of billions of dollars</a> on foreign fighter jets, armored vehicles, and naval vessels.</span></p><p><span>Subs have become of particular interest for India in light of growing Chinese naval activity in the region, <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2017/12/14/ins-kalvari-commissioned-into-the-indian-navy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to India Strategic.</span></p><p><span>The Kalvari, the first of six diesel-electric attack submarines designed by a French firm and built in India, was commissioned in December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2017/12/14/ins-kalvari-commissioned-into-the-indian-navy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the Kalvari a marquee example of the "Make in India" initiative, which aims to develop India's domestic arms industry through collaboration with foreign firms.</span></p><p><span>India has already contacted foreign shipbuilders about building <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six more nonnuclear subs</a>.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29658019">Indian Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">INS Vikramaditya in the Baltic Sea during sea trials in 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>The navy, citing concerns about China, has called for a third nuclear-powered carrier that incorporates US technology and is <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/indian-navy-plans-to-acquire-its-third-aircraft-carrier-for-a-whopping-rs-1-6-lakh-crore-1144836-2018-01-15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushing ahead</a> with plans to acquire such a carrier at an expected cost of nearly $25 billion.</p><p>The plan includes a component of 57 fighter aircraft, for which US F-18s and French Dassault Rafales are being considered. Aircraft acquisitions may push the price higher.</p><p>The expense of acquiring such a ship has given India's Defense Ministry pause, however, though others have argued that aircraft carriers are the best way to counter threats around the region.</p><p>"<span>As India does not have a policy of overseas basing, a carrier force remains the only suitable alternative for a regional power like India to conduct out-of-area contingencies," retired Indian Vice Adm. Shekhar Sinha <a href="http://www.indiastrategic.in/2016/12/08/relevance-of-aircraft-carriers-for-the-indian-navy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in December 2016.</span></p><p>The Indian navy has one operational carrier, INS Vikramaditya, which is a Russian Kiev-class carrier-cruiser <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2016/07/11/russia-offers-india-nuclear-aircraft-carrier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overhauled</a> by Moscow for the Indian navy between 2004 and 2013. The Vikramaditya <a href="https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/about-ins-vikramaditya-newest-largest-ship-indian-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">operates</a> Russian-made aircraft, including MiG 29K fighters, which India has asked Russia to "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruggedize</a>" for carrier operations. The INS Vikrant, which is India's first domestically built carrier, is under construction.</p><p>In what appears to a sign of the Indian navy's move toward the US and away from Russia, American naval officials from a joint working group were invited aboard the Vikramaditya in late October to assess ways to transition Indian carriers to US naval operational concepts, <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/us-navy-aircraft-carrier-team-to-check-out-russian-built-ins-vikramaditya-117102900589_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to India's Business Standard.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/darpa-submarine-drones-dash-navy-bluefin-2016-12">The Navy is building an autonomous underwater drone to hunt down enemy submarines</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

With an eye on China, India is looking to buy more US-made advanced sub-hunting planes

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Saurabh Das/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The US has been seeking a deeper <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> relationships with India for years.</strong></li><li><strong>But India has longstanding military ties with Russia, and Delhi's Russian-made weapons are an issue.</strong></li><li><strong>The latest hang-up: US officials are disappointed with India's recent purchase of Russia's S-400 air-defense system and that it may hinder future cooperation.</strong></li></ul><p>Lawyers and policy and technical experts from the US Defense Department are in New Delhi this week, meeting with Indian officials to discuss a military-communications agreement that would boost the interoperability of the two countries' armed forces.</p><p>The discussions - part of preparations for the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries' foreign and defense secretaries, to take place in Washington in July - are a step forward, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/two-plus-two-india-us-strategic-military-relationship-modi-trump-5221830/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Indian Express, as Delhi has been reluctant to sign the agreement, known as Comcasa, since it signed a military logistics agreement with the US in 2016, when the US named India a "<a href="https://thediplomat.com/2016/06/5-takeaways-on-us-india-relations-after-modis-meeting-with-obama/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major defense partner</a>."</p><p>India's reservations stem in part from a lingering issue in the growing US-India military relationship: Delhi's use of Russia-made weapons platforms.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">INS Vikramaditya.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russia has long been India's main weapons supplier. Delhi worked with Moscow to develop the BrahMos anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, and India also fields Russia's S-300 air-defense system.</p><p>India's operational aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is a Russian Kiev-class carrier-cruiser <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overhauled by Moscow</a> for the Indian navy that carries Russian-made aircraft. India also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-wants-to-buy-110-fighter-jets-china-growing-tension-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">operates squadrons</a> of Russia-made MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighter aircraft.</p><p>India signed a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-russia-arms-deal-2016-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$6 billion deal</a> with Moscow in late 2016, agreeing to lease a Russian-made nuclear submarine, to buy four Russian frigates, to purchase the advanced S-400 air-defense missile system, and to set up a joint venture with a Russian firm to produce military helicopters.</p><p>India's Defense Ministry is concerned that many of its Russian-made weapons, as well as its indigenous weapons systems, will not be compatible with Comcasa, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/two-plus-two-india-us-strategic-military-relationship-modi-trump-5221830/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Indian Express, which also reports that defense officials are wary of US intrusions into their military communications systems.</p><p>The US has been seeking deeper relations with India for years. Delhi has bought $15 billion worth of US arms since 2008, and the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-renames-pacific-command-to-indo-pacific-command-to-counter-china-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US recently renamed</a> US Pacific Command as US Indo-Pacific Command in recognition of India's growing role in the region.</p><p>India sees the S-400 as a way to <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-to-go-ahead-with-s-400-deal-with-russia-notwithstanding-us-sanctions-1862991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase</a> its air defenses, especially amid its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-with-ports-ships-and-promises-india-asserts-role-in-southeast-asia-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing rivalry with China</a>. But its purchase has been an issue for Washington.</p><p>Delhi has said it will go ahead with the purchase of the missile system, despite the recent Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which aims to deter foreign individuals and entities from doing business with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Russian Ministry of Defense</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>"In all our engagements with the US, we have clearly explained how India and Russia's defence cooperation has been going on for a long time and that it is a time-tested relationship," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-to-go-ahead-with-s-400-deal-with-russia-notwithstanding-us-sanctions-1862991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this month. "We have mentioned that CAATSA cannot impact the India-Russia defence cooperation."</span></p><p>India reportedly wants an exception to CAATSA for its defense deals with Russia and plans to raise the issue during the 2+2 dialogue meeting.</p><p><span>"The S-400 deal has been on for a very long time, and we have reached the final stage of negotiations," Sitharaman added. "That explains it."</span></p><p><span>US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has told Congress that "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mattis-is-asking-for-waivers-so-us-allies-can-buy-russian-weapons-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national security exceptions</a>" must be made to CAATSA, which went into effect in January. </span></p><p><span>Mattis said that while some countries with which the US is seeking stronger ties are looking "to turn away" from Russian-made weapons, those countries also need to keep doing business with Mo</span><span>scow for the time being.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Trump-United-States-India/c635706bb5144bec9386352d86f2a0ea/17/0">Susan Walsh/AP</a></span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hug in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 26, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>"We only need to look at India, Vietnam and some others to recognize that eventually we're going to penalize ourselves" by pursuing strict adherence to CAATSA, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mattis-is-asking-for-waivers-so-us-allies-can-buy-russian-weapons-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mattis told senators</a> in April.</span></p><p><span>"Indonesia, for example, is in the same situation - trying to shift to more of our airplanes, our systems, but they've got to do something to keep their legacy military going," Mattis added.</span></p><p><span>China was the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-russian-s-400-air-defense-system-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first foreign country</a> to receive the S-400, but Turkey has also acquired it, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-to-sell-turkey-4-s-400s-that-wont-work-with-natos-systems-2017-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding to tensions</a> with its NATO partners, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar also reportedly <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2018/06/trump-administration-warns-friends-against-russia-arms-deals/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=ebb%206/19/18&amp;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> purchasing it.</span></p><p><span>Despite India's commitment to the S-400 deal and Mattis' emphasis on logistical considerations, the US is still cautioning India and other US allies about doing business with Russia.</span></p><p><span>US officials have <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/two-plus-two-india-us-strategic-military-relationship-modi-trump-5221830/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> to India that not signing the Comcasa agreement could preclude India from getting high-end military equipment, like Predator drones, the sale of which the US <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/trump-administration-agrees-to-supply-predator-drones-to-india/story-03t9x05AMfohGJEbnm2olM.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> in May.</span></p><p><span>Rep. Mac Thornberry, head of the House Armed Services Committee, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/s-400-missile-deal-us-may-block-sale-of-predator-drones-as-india-is-buying-arms-from-russia-1858958" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Indian broadcaster NDTV</a> in late May that the US was disappointed with India's deals with Moscow, particularly the S-400 purchase, which he said "threatens our ability to work interoperably in the future."</span></p><p><span>While there would be some "flexibility" in the law for countries with traditional defense ties to Moscow and sanctions on Delhi were unlikely, Thornberry said, the "acquisition of this technology will limit, I am afraid, the degree with which the United States will feel comfortable in bringing additional technology into whatever country we are talking about."</span><span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/asia-earth-ice-melted-rising-ocean-coastline-china-india-2015-3">Animated map shows what would happen to Asia if all the Earth's ice melted</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The US is trying to boost its military ties with India, but Russian weapons are getting in the way

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>India and China, the world's two most populous countries, have a long history of conflict.</strong></li><li><strong>In recent years, India has been watching China's navy expand into the Indian Ocean.</strong></li><li><strong>Now New Delhi plans to bolster its fleet in order to keep an edge in the ocean it abuts on two sides.</strong></li></ul><p>India has watched warily as China's navy has ventured into the Indian Ocean, and now New Delhi plans to expand its navy to keep its edge in the ocean with which it shares a name.</p><p>India's navy <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2018/12/04/India-to-add-56-warships-six-submarines-to-naval-fleet/2151543950800/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently</a> has 140 warships and 220 aircraft, and navy chief Adm. Sunil Lanba <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday that there are 32 ships and submarines under construction in Indian shipyards</p><p>Delhi has also approved the construction of another 56 warships and six submarines, part of a 10-year plan. "By 2050, we will also have 200 ships, 500 aircraft and be a world-class navy," Lanba <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba-5477138/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>One of those six submarines will be from Project-75I, a $12 billion initiative to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquire advanced subs</a> equipped with air-independent-propulsion systems that allow nonnuclear subs to operate without atmospheric oxygen, replacing or augmenting diesel-electric systems.</span></p><p><span>Lanba also said that the second of India's Scorpene-class diesel-electric subs had been through the needed trials and would be commissioned soon. The first of the class was inducted in December 2017.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-growing-submarine-force-worrying-pacific-us-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China's growing submarine force is 'armed to the teeth' - and the rest of the Pacific is racing to keep up</a></em></strong></p><p><span>India said in November that is first domestically built nuclear-powered missile sub, INS Arihant, had completed its first deterrence patrol, giving the country the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-says-nuclear-submarine-makes-first-patrol-modi-warns-against-misadventure-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ability to fire nuclear weapons</a> from land, air, and sea. </span></p><p><span>The Arihant was a message to rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the time: "Don't try any misadventure against India."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Lanba also said on Monday that plans to produce India's second domestically built aircraft carrier had "received the necessary impetus," <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Economic Times. The Indian Express <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba-5477138/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the government is wary of the cost of a third carrier but that Lanba had said "the cost is justified in the Combat Battle Group."</span></p><p><span>India's first carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is a modified Kiev-class carrier purchased from Russia. </span><span>The first domestically built aircraft carrier, the second overall, is under construction and is expected to undergo sea trials in three years, Lanba said.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-india-talk-logistics-and-base-sharing-deal-amid-china-tensions-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 of Asia's biggest militaries are working on a deal that could give them an edge over China</a></em></strong></p><p><span>The third carrier will take seven to 10 years to build, Lanba said, but it would allow India to operate two carriers at all times, complementing India's submarine force.</span></p><p><span>"A submarine is for 'sea denial,' while the a carrier battle group is for sea control," Lanba said. "Carrier battle groups will enhance the navy's role in the" Indian Ocean Region.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Delhi's efforts to enhance its position in the Indian Ocean are not limited to ships.</span></p><p><span>A naval air station in the northern Andaman and Nicobar Islands boosts connectivity in the region and improves surveillance in the area. The islands are west of the Malacca Strait, through which much of the shipping between the Indian and Pacific oceans passes - including Chinese subs. </span></p><p><span>India has <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/To-fight-Chinas-Andaman-and-Nicobar-forays-India-deploys-submarine-hunters/articleshow/50632020.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already deployed</a> its variant of the advanced US P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the islands.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">With an eye on China, India is looking to buy more US-made advanced sub-hunting planes</a></em></strong></p><p>Negotiations are <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underway</a> to build a naval base in the Seychelles, at the opposite end of the Indian Ocean. In addition to exercises with partners in the region, the navy is conducting patrols with the Maldives, where India appears to have come out ahead in <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/24b0bb54-c22d-11e8-95b1-d36dfef1b89a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a geopolitical struggle</a> with China.</p><p><span>"In Maldives, there is a government which is favourable to India. We are providing [exclusive economic zone] patrols with Maldives. We continue to do so ... we will move forward in all discussions, not only in maritime," Lanba <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday.</span><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66917971.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Delhi has been<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> tracking Chinese subs</a> entering the Indian Ocean since 2013. Lanba's comments come as China's warships grow increasingly active there.</span></p><p><span>At any time, Lanba said Monday, there are six to eight Chinese navy ships in the region: a three-ship anti-piracy force in the Gulf of Aden and three to four survey vessels. </span><span>"In October, a Chinese submarine was deployed and spent a month in the Indian Ocean," he added. "All this was in 2018."</span><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66917971.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-subs-better-than-chinese-subs-but-it-may-not-matter-in-a-conflict-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US submarines are better than China's 'by far,' but in a war that may not matter</a></em></strong></p><p><span>India's Eastern Fleet commander Rear Adm. D.K. Tripathi said Wednesday that India's navy had over the past year moved to mission-based deployments to maximize their time at sea. </span></p><p><span>"We are monitoring all that is happening in the Indian Ocean," he <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-monitoring-all-happenings-in-indian-ocean/articleshow/66956758.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when asked about the presence of other navies.<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66956758.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>India has a long history of tension with its northern neighbor, including several wars over a disputed boundary in the Himalayas.</span></p><p><span>For now, the land border remains the Indian military's primary focus, as the army is the dominant wing of the armed forces, Faisel Pervaiz, a South Asia expert at the geopolitical-analysis firm Stratfor, told Business Insider in October. </span></p><p><span>But Chinese naval activity, as well as diplomatic overtures through Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, have worried Delhi.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p>"For India, the concern now is that although it maintained this kind of regional hegemony by default, that status is beginning to erode, and that extends to the Indian Ocean," Pervaiz said. "India wants to maintain [its status as] the dominant maritime power in the Indian Ocean, but ... as China's expanding its own presence in the Indian Ocean, this is again becoming another challenge.</p><p><span>On Monday, when asked to compare to the Indian navy to those of China and Pakistan, Lanba <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/second-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-got-necessary-impetus-says-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba/story-DV0HoMadxIxdg65EsNoHAL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Delhi was still on top where it mattered.</span></p><p><span>"As far as the Indian Navy is concerned, we have only one front. And that is the Indian Ocean. We have overwhelming superiority over Pakistan navy in all fields and domains. In the Indian Ocean region, the balance of power rests in our favor compared to China."</span></p>

India is beefing up its navy to counter China's increasingly powerful fleet

<br />
India has finally made its naval strength felt across the globe. The navy has sent frontline warships to almost 40 nations in the last year. This is the first time ever, a record engagement across the world reflecting the foreign policy focus of the government has been pursued through the naval warships.<br />
<br />
The Navy has also pulled off the almost impossible by deploying warships to nations as diverse as Iran and Israel - within ten days of each other - as well as Saudi Arabia and the UK, all within the past month. The Economic Times has spoken to several Navy officers who confirmed that this is the first time that over three dozen nations have been directly engaged, calling it a significant increase in interaction with friendly foreign nations.<br />
<br />
"In the past 12 months, Indian warships have been deployed from the western Pacific in the east to the west coast of South Adriatic and have shown the flag in almost all major ports and interacted with friendly navies in the region," Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan told ET.<br />
<br />
The nations visited is diverse and reflects Indian interests across the world - from Vietnam, Japan, Singapore and Myanmar in the east to Egypt, Turkey, France and Spain in the west. Frontline warships like the indigenously made stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri, have even sailed as far as Hawaii within the past year.<br />
"This unprecedented footprint in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond reflects the role the Navy plays in shaping the maritime environment in our area of interest," Admiral Dhowan told the ET.<br />
<br />
Modi will be addressing top military commanders onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya next month. He has already made it clear that his government's priority is on the maritime domain with most major modernisation projects cleared pertaining to the Navy, including an ambitious Rs 1 lakh crore plan to construct six nuclear powered attack submarines indigenously.<br />

Here’s how Modi has strengthened India’s navy

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jim Bourg</span></p><p class="caption">Indian sailors watch military vehicle on parade during India's Republic Day parade in New Delhi, January 26, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>India is increasingly wary of Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.</strong></li><li><strong>In response, India has worked to boost its military capacity and build partnerships with countries in the region.</strong></li></ul><p><br />A spike in tensions between China and India along their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-chinas-xi-wants-to-put-relations-with-india-on-right-track-xinhua-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shared border</a> in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/video-of-chinese-indian-troops-fighting-with-stones-at-himalaya-border-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Himalayas</a> this summer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-and-china-agree-to-disengagement-along-disputed-frontier-indian-government-statement-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eased</a> in August, but the two Asian powers are still at odds.</p><p>China has grown its influence in the region through commercial and infrastructure deals with countries throughout Asia, including those that border India.</p><p>Beijing's expanding ties have concerned its neighbors, perhaps none more so than India, which regards Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean warily.</p><p>As a result, New Delhi has sought to strengthen its diplomatic ties with neighbors and bolster its military capacity - drawing on longstanding relations with the US and other partners in the region to do so.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">An Indian soldier.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>China has pursued commercial port and infrastructure projects in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka</a>, Myanmar, and Pakistan and has opened facilities in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/22/china-seychelles-indian-fears-encirclement?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seychelles</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Djibouti</a>, the stated purposes of which include humanitarian and anti-piracy efforts, though they appear to have military uses as well.</p><p>India, for its part, has continued its years-long efforts to build security relationships with its neighbors in the region, and it appears to be taking a more <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/17/is-india-starting-to-flex-its-military-muscles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">muscular approach</a> to defending its interests, putting a special focus on its maritime approaches.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/sites/default/files/Indian_Maritime_Security_Strategy_Document_25Jan16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">document</a> released by the Indian navy in late 2015 noted that the country's "prominent peninsular orientation and flanking island chains overlook strategic sea lanes in the Indian Ocean, linking her security and prosperity inextricably to the seas."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco</span></p><p class="caption">Indian sailors aboard INS Kadmatt arrive for a four-day goodwill visit in the Philippines, October 3, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Chinese activity in the seas surrounding India has also led New Delhi to shift its strategic posture.</p><p>After long focusing on the country's northern borders, Indian leaders have turned their attention to the country's nearly 5,000-mile-long southern coastline, where security and energy infrastructure is concentrated.</p><p><span>"This is a tectonic shift in India's security calculus, that it has to protect its southern flank," Brahma Chellaney, a strategic-studies professor at the Center for Policy Research, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/world/asia/india-us-japan-war-games-china.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&amp;smtyp=cur&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The New York Times this summer.</span></p><p><span>In July, Japan, India, and the US took part in the latest iteration of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malabar-2017-photos-of-us-india-and-japan-war-games-in-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Malabar naval exercises</a>, in which anti-submarine warfare was a major component.</span></p><p>Maritime security was <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-japan-begin-anti-submarine-warfare-exercise/articleshow/61322598.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a focus</a> of the Indian <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> minister's bilateral meetings with Japanese officials in September. It was also slated to be a <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/james-mattis-india-visit-aimed-at-taking-indo-us-defence-ties-to-next-level-4858715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">topic of discussion</a> during Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' trip to India in late September.</p><p>In October, India and Indonesia - both democracies and neighbors on the Indian Ocean - carried out <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/india-indonesia-maritime-patrols-kick-off" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">another round</a> of biannual joint naval patrols, aimed at boosting interoperability between their forces.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade/File</span></p><p class="caption">Employees stand in front of the Indian navy's first Scorpene submarine before being undocked from Mazagon Docks, a naval-vessel ship-building yard, in Mumbai, April 6, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>During the last days of October, India and Japan <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-japan-begin-anti-submarine-warfare-exercise/articleshow/61322598.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">carried out</a> intensive anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Indian Ocean, involving naval aircraft from both countries.</p><p>French Defense Minister Florence Parly was also recently in India, where she discussed the strategic situation in South Asia and helped prepare for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit in early December. India and France have also <a href="https://mediaindia.eu/business-politics/india-france-enhance-maritime-cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expanded their joint efforts</a> to monitor activity in the Indian Ocean.</p><p><span>"We are sharing information in all formats - human, satellite and even electromagnetic as both the countries are worried about the implications that the Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean region can mean to the international community," a senior French official reportedly <a href="https://mediaindia.eu/business-politics/india-france-enhance-maritime-cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.</span></p><p><span>Japan is also expected to propose a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-diplomacy-kono/japan-to-propose-strategic-dialogue-with-u-s-india-and-australia-nikkei-idUSKBN1CV03K" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">strategic dialogue</a> between it, the US, India, and Australia to counter Chinese expansion in Asia via its "Belt and Road" policy, which is aimed at establishing trade and transportation networks in the region.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29K#/media/File:A_MiG_29K_aircraft_lands_on_INS_Vikramaditya.jpg">Indian Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">A MiG-29K prepares land aboard Indian aircraft carrier Vikramaditya in 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Alongside those diplomatic efforts, India has worked to improve and expand its military capacity, drawing up a list <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-defence-firms-eye-billion-dollar-chance-for-made-in-india-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tens of billions of dollars</a><span> of foreign fighter jets, armored vehicles, submarines, and helicopters it is looking and pursue a "Made in India" policy in order to develop its domestic defense industry.</span></p><p>The first of six diesel-electric advanced attack submarines - designed by a French firm and built in India - is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/scorpene-class-submarine-likely-to-be-commissioned-by-november-december/articleshow/60839555.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expected</a> to be commissioned in November or December. And this summer, New Delhi contacted foreign shipyards about <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">building six nonnuclear submarines</a>.</p><p>German and French shipbuilders have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-defence-firms-eye-billion-dollar-chance-for-made-in-india-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expressed interest</a> in an Indian submarine contract worth up to $10 billion. India has also talked to Japan about buying advanced subs, but reaching a deal has been <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-13/abe-modi-bromance-may-not-overcome-hurdles-to-submarine-sale" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">difficult</a> for both sides.</p><p>India has agreed to buy US-made drones that could be used to track Chinese maritime activity and to purchase <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/boeing-wins-contract-to-support-indian-navys-new-sub-killer-planes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">P-81 Neptune</a> aircraft, one of the most advanced anti-submarine-warfare planes in the world. (The waters around the Malacca Strait, which connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans, are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malabar-2017-photos-of-us-india-and-japan-war-games-in-indian-ocean-2017-7/#while-indias-navy-is-smaller-than-chinas-new-delhis-control-of-the-andaman-and-nicobar-islands-give-it-advantageous-position-relative-to-the-malacca-strait-which-connects-east-and-southeast-asia-to-the-indian-ocean-in-june-indian-warships-were-assigned-247-patrols-at-the-western-edge-of-the-malacca-strait-to-monitor-maritime-movement-in-the-area-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an area of focus</a> for India.)</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>(US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Preston/Released)</span></p><p class="caption">Lt. Christopher Ground gives a tour to Indian sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>"I believe that the US is ready to help India modernize its military. India has been designated a major defense partner of the US. This is a strategic declaration that's unique to India and the US. It places India on the same level that we have many of our treaty allies," US Navy Adm. Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-ready-to-help-india-modernise-its-military-says-top-us-commander-harry-harris-1737122" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in August.</span></p><p>Prior to Indian <span>Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US this summer, India's defense minister <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/2017/06/22/india-russia-to-iron-out-defense-projects-worth-10b/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">went to Russia</a> to address weapons deals that had been delayed, including the purchase of four frigates and the lease of a nuclear-powered submarine.</span></p><p>The Indian navy has asked Russian aircraft manufacturer MiG to "<a href="https://www.defensenews.com/land/2017/08/04/indian-navy-wants-russian-mig-29k-jets-to-be-ruggedized/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ruggedize</a>" its MiG-29K aircraft to better withstand aircraft-carrier operations. India is also <a href="http://forceindia.net/decks-cleared-contract-signing-s-400-adms-december/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">set to buy</a> Russia's advanced S-400 missile-defense system. Russia also overhauled and updated the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/infrastructure/russian-warship-to-indian-icon-ins-vikramadityas-journey-in-pics/virkamaditya-jpg/slideshow/57651589.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vikramaditya</a> aircraft carrier for India between 2004 and 2013, though New Delhi <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/confirmed-indias-next-aircraft-carrier-will-be-nuclear/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has pursued</a> indigenously built aircraft carriers since.</p><p>India has contracted a South Korean firm to build <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2017/08/17/india-mine-sweeper-program-hits-another-roadblock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minesweepers</a> and with Russia to acquire <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/air/2017/10/20/indian-air-force-wants-out-of-fighter-program-with-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fifth-generation fighters</a> - those projects have foundered, however.</p><p>India imports <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-defence-firms-eye-billion-dollar-chance-for-made-in-india-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">about 90%</a> of defense equipment, and its "Made in India" initiative seeks to bring foreign firms to India to partner with domestic companies - deals that would bring India's homegrown defense contractors up to global standards.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/helima-croft-rbc-commodities-emerging-markets-oil-demand-growth-2017-7">RBC commodity chief: India and China will dictate oil's future</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Amid simmering tensions with China, India is looking to gain an advantage at sea

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian nuclear submarine has caught fire in a shipyard in Russia's northern province of Arkhangelsk, a law enforcement source told Russia's RIA news agency on Tuesday.</p><p>Both the Zvyozdochka shipyard, where wires said the 949 Antei submarine was being repaired, and the<a class="cite">Emergencies Ministry</a> declined to comment.</p><p>There was no word of any casualties.</p><p>Russian news agency Interfax cited a separate source as saying there were no weapons onboard the submarine and other news agencies said the fire had started during welding, causing insulation materials to catch fire.</p><p>TASS news agency cited a source as saying the submarine's nuclear reactor had been shut down prior to the blaze.</p><p>Russian propaganda outlet Russia Today has more <a href="http://rt.com/news/247493-nuclear-submarine-fire-russia/">details</a>.</p><p><span>(Reuters reporting by Thomas Grove and Ludmila Danilova, Writing by Thomas Grove, Editing by Timothy Heritage)</span><span> </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trailer-point-and-shoot-documentary-libyan-revolution-2015-2">This 26-year-old from Baltimore took a 35,000-mile road trip and ended up fighting in the Libyan revolution</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="szNGZoczpV6FOp_YiVp_j5fNW4DvFIZ8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Russian atomic submarine catches fire in shipyard 

<br /> The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the economic ministries to come up with strategies in a bid to revive foreign <keyword id="6362476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="investments">investments</keyword> in the country. The new strategies should be able to change the negative global narrative about India and reposition the country as a viable investment destination.<br />
<br /> Over the weekend, <keyword id="577616" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nripendra-Misra">Nripendra Misra</keyword>, principal secretary in the PMO, chaired a meeting with secretaries from core economic ministries to discuss measures that would revive investment in the country. “The PMO conveyed its concerns about improving the business environment in order to revive investments and stir job creation,” an official said.<br />
<br /> “There was a general brainstorming on some of the immediate steps, such as resolving conflicts between investors and the government,” he added. Although officials did not divulge any information about the specific deliberations at the meeting, it is learnt that <keyword id="44528" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="FDI">FDI</keyword> (foreign direct investment) in defence had been discussed.<br />
<br /> A proposal to amend the FDI policy in the defence sector is likely to be taken up soon as Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has signalled allowing more FDI than the present cap of 26% and 49% (on a case-to-case basis). “Why should we import defence equipment? We dream of an India that is self-sufficient in producing defence equipment, using the latest technology,” Modi had said at the launch of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in Goa. <br />

PMO Asks Economic Ministries To Revive Foreign Investments

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/">REUTERS/ITAR-TASS/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.</p></div><p></p></div></div>After <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-has-muscled-the-us-out-of-syria-2016-10" target="_blank">successfully replacing the US as the best-connected player in the Syrian conflict</a>, Russia's deployment of their sole aircraft carrier and entire Northern Fleet to Syria represents its latest attempt to unseat the US as the premier naval power in the Middle East. </p><p>A successful deployment of a full-blown aircraft carrier represents the kind of sophisticated military task only a first-rate world power can pull off, and that seems to be exactly what Russia hopes for.</p><p>Much like their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-russian-warships-launch-cruise-missiles-against-targets-in-syria-from-the-caspian-sea-2015-10" target="_blank">2015 salvo of cruise missiles</a> fired from the Caspian sea into Syria, the event will likely serve as a commercial for Russian military exports - one of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi8ruS1y5HPAhXG4yYKHUexCacQFggwMAI&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upi.com%2FBusiness_News%2FSecurity-Industry%2F2016%2F07%2F08%2FRussia-has-46B-in-military-exports-in-2016%2F4631467987419%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzVnMzvFVmvWfe5ckfR4u2WWTqKw&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">the few bright spots</a> in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-on-the-state-of-the-russian-economy-2016-5" target="_blank">Russia's ailing economy</a>.</p><p>The deployment will seek to present the best and brightest of Russia's resurgent military. The Kuznetsov, which has suffered from a <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/13/can-putins-aircraft-carrier-stay-afloat-on-its-syria-mission/" target="_blank">litany of mechanical failures</a> and often requires tow boats, will stay tight to Syria's shores due to the limited range of the carrier's air wing.</p><p>The air wing, comprised of only 15 or so Su-33s and MiG-29s and a handful of helicopters, does not even have half of the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwijq-njy5HPAhXDMyYKHejAAAYQFggkMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fus-aircraft-carrier-wing-every-plane-helicopter-2016-5&amp;usg=AFQjCNH_viAl4oY1lBRredkA9svRTFcxxQ&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">US Nimitz class carrier's 60 plus planes</a>. </p><p>Furthermore, the carrier lacks plane launching catapults. Instead, the carrier relies on a ski-jump platform that limits how much fuel and ordnance the Russian jets can carry.</p><p>Even so, the Russian jets aboard will be some of the latest models in Russia's entire inventory, according to Russian state-run media. The bombs they carry will be guided, a sharp departure from <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiPwKz5y5HPAhXC9h4KHaMuBU8QFggjMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fuk.businessinsider.com%2Frussian-us-airstrikes-difference-2016-8&amp;usg=AFQjCNERgkU51PXw4aqrL1wqecLxMWYtEQ&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">Russia's usual indiscriminate use</a> of "dumb" or unguided munitions which can drift unpredictably when dropped from altitude.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Kuznetsov#/media/File:Su27K_(Su33)_DD-SD-99-06153.jpg">Public Domain</a></span></p><p class="caption">An Su-33 on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russian media <a href="https://rbth.com/defence/2016/09/14/russia-to-test-new-missiles-in-syria-later-this-year_629957" target="_blank">quotes</a> a military source as saying that with the new X-38 guided bombs, "we reinforce our aviation group and bring in completely new means of destruction to the region."  The same report states the bombs are accurate to within a few meters, which isn't ideal, but an improvement.</p><p>Indeed, the Kuznetsov's entire flight deck will function as somewhat of a showroom for Russian military goods. China operates a Soviet-designed carrier, as does India. Both of those nations have purchased Russian planes in the past. A solid performance from the jets in Syria would bode well for their prospects as exports, even as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fifth-generation-fighters-russia-2016-7" target="_blank">India struggles</a> to get its current crop of Russian-made jets up to grade.</p><p>"Despite its resemblance to the land-based version of the MiG-29, this is a completely different aircraft," Russian media quotes a defence official as saying of the MiG-29K carrier-based variant.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29K#/media/File:A_MiG_29K_aircraft_lands_on_INS_Vikramaditya.jpg">Indian Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">MiG-29K of INAS 303 prepares to catch the wire aboard the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya in 2014</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"This applies to its stealth technologies, a new system of in-flight refueling, folding wings and mechanisms by which the aircraft has the ability to perform short take-offs and land at low speeds."</p><p>But the Russian jets practice on land bases that simulate the Kuznetsov, and any US Navy pilot will tell you that landing on a bobbing airstrip sailing along at sea is an entirely different beast. </p><p>One thing Russia's upcoming carrier deployment does have going for it will be having the world's premier naval and carrier power, the US, at least nominally aligned with them in a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-benefits-from-syrian-ceasefire-2016-9" target="_blank">recently brokered cease-fire</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-warplanes-us-navy-ship-2016-4">Watch Russian warplanes fly dangerously close by a US Navy ship</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tncjh0MjE65Jq9-p5V-UskLPyQnHS3s1" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Russia is sending its sole aircraft carrier to Syria to mimic US naval power

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/">REUTERS/ITAR-TASS/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.</p></div><p></p></div></div>If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the US should be flattered that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-to-deploy-aircraft-carrier-to-support-assad-2016-7" target="_blank">Russia plans to deploy</a> their only aircraft carrier, the 26 year-old Admiral Kuznetsov, off Syria's coast for its first combat deployment.</p><p>A successful deployment of a full-blown aircraft carrier represents the kind of sophisticated military task only a first-rate world power can pull off, and that seems to be exactly what Russia hopes for.</p><p>Much like their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-russian-warships-launch-cruise-missiles-against-targets-in-syria-from-the-caspian-sea-2015-10" target="_blank">2015 salvo of cruise missiles</a> fired from the Caspian sea into Syria, the event will likely serve as a commercial for Russian military exports - one of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi8ruS1y5HPAhXG4yYKHUexCacQFggwMAI&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upi.com%2FBusiness_News%2FSecurity-Industry%2F2016%2F07%2F08%2FRussia-has-46B-in-military-exports-in-2016%2F4631467987419%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzVnMzvFVmvWfe5ckfR4u2WWTqKw&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">the few bright spots</a> in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-on-the-state-of-the-russian-economy-2016-5" target="_blank">Russia's ailing economy</a>.</p><p>The deployment will seek to present the best and brightest of Russia's resurgent military. The Kuznetsov, which has suffered from a <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/13/can-putins-aircraft-carrier-stay-afloat-on-its-syria-mission/" target="_blank">litany of mechanical failures</a> and often requires tow boats, will stay tight to Syria's shores due to the limited range of the carrier's air wing.</p><p>The air wing, comprised of only 15 or so Su-33s and MiG-29s and a handful of helicopters, does not even have half of the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwijq-njy5HPAhXDMyYKHejAAAYQFggkMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fus-aircraft-carrier-wing-every-plane-helicopter-2016-5&amp;usg=AFQjCNH_viAl4oY1lBRredkA9svRTFcxxQ&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">US Nimitz class carrier's 60 plus planes</a>. </p><p>Furthermore, the carrier lacks plane launching catapults. Instead, the carrier relies on a ski-jump platform that limits how much fuel and ordnance the Russian jets can carry.</p><p>Even so, the Russian jets aboard will be some of the latest models in Russia's entire inventory, according to Russian state-run media. The bombs they carry will be guided, a sharp departure from <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiPwKz5y5HPAhXC9h4KHaMuBU8QFggjMAE&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fuk.businessinsider.com%2Frussian-us-airstrikes-difference-2016-8&amp;usg=AFQjCNERgkU51PXw4aqrL1wqecLxMWYtEQ&amp;bvm=bv.132479545,d.eWE" target="_blank">Russia's usual indiscriminate use</a> of "dumb" or unguided munitions which can drift unpredictably when dropped from altitude.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Kuznetsov#/media/File:Su27K_(Su33)_DD-SD-99-06153.jpg">Public Domain</a></span></p><p class="caption">An Su-33 on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russian media <a href="https://rbth.com/defence/2016/09/14/russia-to-test-new-missiles-in-syria-later-this-year_629957" target="_blank">quotes</a> a military source as saying that with the new X-38 guided bombs, "we reinforce our aviation group and bring in completely new means of destruction to the region."  The same report states the bombs are accurate to within a few meters, which isn't ideal, but an improvement.</p><p>Indeed, the Kuznetsov's entire flight deck will function as somewhat of a showroom for Russian military goods. China operates a Soviet-designed carrier, as does India. Both of those nations have purchased Russian planes in the past. A solid performance from the jets in Syria would bode well for their prospects as exports, even as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fifth-generation-fighters-russia-2016-7" target="_blank">India struggles</a> to get its current crop of Russian-made jets up to grade.</p><p>"Despite its resemblance to the land-based version of the MiG-29, this is a completely different aircraft," Russian media quotes a defence official as saying of the MiG-29K carrier-based variant.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29K#/media/File:A_MiG_29K_aircraft_lands_on_INS_Vikramaditya.jpg">Indian Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">MiG-29K of INAS 303 prepares to catch the wire aboard the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya in 2014</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"This applies to its stealth technologies, a new system of in-flight refueling, folding wings and mechanisms by which the aircraft has the ability to perform short take-offs and land at low speeds."</p><p>But the Russian jets practice on land bases that simulate the Kuznetsov, and any US Navy pilot will tell you that landing on a bobbing airstrip sailing along at sea is an entirely different beast. </p><p>One thing Russia's upcoming carrier deployment does have going for it will be having the world's premier naval and carrier power, the US, at least nominally aligned with them in a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-benefits-from-syrian-ceasefire-2016-9" target="_blank">recently brokered cease-fire</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-warplanes-us-navy-ship-2016-4">Watch Russian warplanes fly dangerously close by a US Navy ship</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tncjh0MjE65Jq9-p5V-UskLPyQnHS3s1" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

How Russia plans to imitate US naval power with its aircraft carrier deployment to Syria

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source">REUTERS</p></div></div><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> launched a new indigenous carrier today, marking the steady increase in Asia's burgeoning arms race, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/india-unveils-home-built-aircraft-carrier">reports the</a> Associated Press.</p>
<p>The INS Vikrant displaces 40,000 tons of water, has a length of 262 meters, a max breadth of 62  meters, two runways, and significantly extends India's reach into the Pacific.</p>
<p>"India's first self-made carrier, along with reinforced naval strength, will further disrupt the <keyword id="6359526" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Military">military</keyword> balance in South Asia," <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Senior Captain Zhang Junshe, Vice-President of <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>'s Naval Research Institute <a href="http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-ins-vikrant-enables-india-to-wade-into-chinas-backyard-makes-dragon-nervous-4346225-NOR.html">told state-run</a> CCTV today.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">India has one other operational carrier that it bought from Russia and refurbished, the <span>INS Viraat. It also plans to have another indigenously built carrier, the INS <span>Vikramaditya, built and operational by the end of the year.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span><div class="image-container float_left" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source">REUTERS</p></div></div>The ships not only put India in an elite group of countries capable of building their own carriers — U.S., Russia, France and Britain (possibly <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/japans-giant-new-destroyer-sends-a-clear-message-to-china-the-world-2013-8">depending on what they</a> decide to call their new flat-top ships) — but signal signal of a larger arms race occurring in Asia.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Asia's <a href="http://news.investors.com/business/062513-661310-asia-defense-spending-to-top-us-military-budget-by-2021.htm">defense spending is set to top</a> North America's by 2020, <a href="http://www.dw.de/the-new-arms-race-in-asia/a-16681158">and has already topped</a> Europe's as of last  year.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Just last week Japan unveiled what it called a "destroyer," <a href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/08/10/china-wary-of-japans-new-aircraft-carrier">but what officials called</a> a "carrier in disguise." </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The name of the ship is the "Izumo," the </span><a href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/08/10/china-wary-of-japans-new-aircraft-carrier">same name of the heavy cruiser</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> which kicked off the invasion of China in July 7, 1937.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span><span>Furthermore, the region has seen overall increases in military spending from China and Japan, while the Europe and North American regions have seen recent decreases — this at a time when President Barack Obama pushes his big "Pacific pivot."</span></span></span></span></p>

India's New Carrier Joins The Big Asian Arms Race

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>India is fast tracking its project to build an indigenous aircraft carrier, since the country's oldest carrier is scheduled to retire next year, The Times Of India <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-now-puts-aircraft-carrier-plan-on-fast-track/articleshow/46336472.cms">reports</a>. </p><p>India's current INS Viraat aircraft carrier is set to retire next year <span>after 56 years of service in the Indian navy</span>. With a fleet of only 11 aging Harrier jump jets and a host of mechanical and restoration costs, it isn't economically or strategically viable to continue operating the vessel. </p><p>As the retirement will leave the Indian navy with only one other carrier, the INS Vikramaditya. So India has decided to speed up the development of its own aircraft carrier, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-now-puts-aircraft-carrier-plan-on-fast-track/articleshow/46336472.cms">according</a> to The Times of India.</p><p>Although the vessel's exact size and propulsion system are still being proposed, India is planning for the Vishal to be a fully modern aircraft carrier. The Diplomat <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2015/02/indias-new-aircraft-carrier-plans-may-get-a-boost/">reports</a> that the Vishal will displace 65,000 tons and will be constructed with US-provided Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS). This would allow the carrier to launch aircraft at a faster rate with improved ease, compared to previous Indian carriers. </p><p>Aside from EMALS, USNI News <a href="http://news.usni.org/2015/02/23/indian-navy-set-to-accelerate-second-indigenous-carrier-as-u-k-built-viraat-carrier-is-set-to-decommission-next-year">reports</a> THAT the carrier will likely also feature a catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system similar to what's used aboard <a href="http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/nimitz/">US Nimitz-class</a> aircraft carriers. This system would allow the Vishal to launch a range of heavy fighters as well as surveillance planes. </p><p>The Times of India <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-now-puts-aircraft-carrier-plan-on-fast-track/articleshow/46336472.cms">estimates</a> that the Vishal should be complete within 10 to 12 years. The development of the carrier will likely receive significant help from a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/25/us-india-joint-statement-shared-effort-progress-all">bilateral agreement</a> between the US and India that lays the ground for "<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">a working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Aside from the Vishal, India is developing a smaller carrier, the INS Vikrant. Much of that vessel has already been constructed, and it is expected to be ready for induction in 2018 to 2019. Ultimately, India is hoping to field a fleet of five carriers of various sizes to solidify its presence in the Indian Ocean. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">India's drive to create an aircraft carrier fleet is a reflection of the country's ongoing competition with China.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Beijing has been </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">steadily investing</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in port installations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. These ports have allowed for Chinese merchant vessels, in addition to submarines and warships, to have </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-chinas-strategy-for-building-a-military-presence-in-the-indian-ocean-2015-1">safe harbor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> throughout the entirety of the Indian Ocean. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">China recently <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-suspicious-as-Chinese-submarine-docks-in-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/43672064.cms">raised Indian suspicions</a> by docking submarines at the port of Colombo in nearby Sri Lanka, and there is concern that Beijing is trying to construct a "<a href="http://csis.org/publication/pacnet-7-pla-n-chinese-maritime-bases-indian-ocean">string of pearls</a>" through the Indian Ocean in order to establish naval and commercial superiority in India's backyard. China and India also have a number of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">simmering territorial disputes</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">China is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-may-be-developing-a-second-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">expecting</a> to have two operational aircraft carriers by the 2020s. The construction of these carriers, and China's increasing push into the Indian Ocean, could pit these two rising powers against each other for maritime control. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trailer-point-and-shoot-documentary-libyan-revolution-2015-2">This 26-year-old from Baltimore took a 35,000-mile road trip and ended up fighting in the Libyan revolution</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="szNGZoczpV6FOp_YiVp_j5fNW4DvFIZ8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

India is fast-tracking the development of its new aircraft carrier in order to compete with China

<ul><li><keyword id="6354700" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anil-Kapoor">Anil Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="7929" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anurag-Kashyap">Anurag Kashyap</keyword>, who have a long-complicated-history, were seen engaging in a Twitter war. </li><li>Now, these Bollywood stars have placed billboards in Mumbai taking a jibe at each other. </li><li>Here is the marketing ploy behind it. </li></ul>Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap, who were seen engaging in a Twitter war last week, have now taken their feud a step ahead by putting up billboards in Mumbai aiming direct snipes at each other. <br /><br />The veteran actor Kapoor took a dig at filmmaker Kashyap for his ‘dark movies.’ <br /><br />The billboard placed in Juhu read, “<em>Juhu leads to Andheri. Anurag's movies lead to andhera</em> (Anurag's films lead to darkness)."<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="anuragkashyap72" handlename="Anurag Kashyap" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1243277437447868425/z7XwVxE__normal.jpg" favoritecount="5284" retweetcount="261" status="😘 https://t.co/ahR5XE9Lg1 https://t.co/NQkXUtrE2U" createdat="1608530204000" id="1340898981723828225"></div><br />Kashyap also responded with a billboard that read,“<em>Yeh circle gol hai. Anil ki acting lol hai </em>(This circle is round and Anil's acting is to be laughed at)."<br /><br />However, this is all just a creative stunt for Netflix’s upcoming film AK vs AK. <br /><br />To make people stop and take notice, Netflix’s billboards did not feature its logo, film’s title or brand name. And unlike its usual communication pieces, these billboards did not even follow Netflix’s colour scheme. It got rid of the red and just went ahead with plain monochromatic billboards. The de-branding was an effort to make the conversation appear more real and create intrigue. The campaign also seems to have a two-forked aim of retargeting Kashyap and Kapoor’s audience and to attract new ones. It is conceptualised and executed by Zoo Media Network's The Rabbit Hole. <br /><br />Netflix is known for its disruptive approach when it comes to Out-of-Home advertising. To promote its series Ghoul starring Radhika Apte, the OTT platform superimposed the ‘Ghoul symbol’ on the OOH sites where it promoted Sacred Games.<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="netflix ghoul." msid="79838158" hostid="261"></div><br />The OTT giant has been going all out to promote AK vs AK. It smartly announced the launch of its film via Twitter first. The Bollywood stars’ engaged in a Twitter banter and had internet users scratching their heads, again with no mention of the film or brand. Some media organisations even fell for the marketing ploy. After the conversation triggered some buzz on Twitter, Netflix dropped AK vs Ak’s trailer. <br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="anuragkashyap72" handlename="Anurag Kashyap" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1243277437447868425/z7XwVxE__normal.jpg" favoritecount="1859" retweetcount="36" status="My favourite thing about AK is his personality, charm and intelligence. Of course I mean myself. I talk in third pe… https://t.co/vWecDGgmus" createdat="1608112643000" id="1339147602177052672"></div><br /><div type="twitter" handle="anuragkashyap72" handlename="Anurag Kashyap" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1243277437447868425/z7XwVxE__normal.jpg" favoritecount="3158" retweetcount="111" status="Theek hai sir #Goodbye #DontCry https://t.co/F8OK8FIa3o https://t.co/qbzqoxFSDo" createdat="1607258592000" id="1335565453830156292"></div><br /><div type="twitter" handle="anuragkashyap72" handlename="Anurag Kashyap" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1243277437447868425/z7XwVxE__normal.jpg" favoritecount="5618" retweetcount="290" status="Agar gaadi Race 3 ki ho toh it’s better that it stays in the garage only. #havemercy https://t.co/6dJQB0wD4d" createdat="1607255735000" id="1335553469881597952"></div><br />      <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div><br />The recent bullet in this war is a ‘diss-track’ fired by Kashyap. <br /><br />      <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div><br />Kashyap and Kapoor have a long-complicated-history in real life. Before Kashyap made it in the industry, he wanted to make two movies Allwyn Kallicharan and Grant Hotel with Kapoor. However, the projects did not see the light of the day and the two stars drifted apart. <br /><br />In a recent interview with Press Trust of India, the two said that they have left behind their tense history of unfulfilled projects to come together for AK vs AK.<br /><br />Netflix thought of a clever ruse to take advantage of their tense history and translated it into a film. <br /><br />      <div type="Youtube" id="lXZPMb51IQU" title="AK vs AK | Official Trailer | Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane | Netflix India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lXZPMb51IQU/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />AK vs AK, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, will premiere on Netflix on 24 December. <br />

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