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IN PICS: IAF displays its might with Rafale, Apache, Tejas, and others during the annual Air Force Day airshow

<br /><ul><li>During US President Donald Trump's two-day visit to India a defense deal worth $930 million deal for six new Boeing AH-64 Apache choppers was sealed.</li><li>The new Apache choppers will be inducted into the Indian Army.</li><li>Here's how they measure up against India's own indigenous Light Combat Helicopter being developed by HAL for the Armed Forces.</li></ul>The Boeing AH-64 Apache choppers are some of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-9-best-military-attack-helicopters-in-the-world-2018?IR=T">most advanced in the world</a> and now they will be a part of the Indian Army’s fleet. A $930 million deal was struck between India and the US during President Donald Trump’s 2-day visit to the country. <br /><br />The Apache helicopters will boost the Indian Army’s capabilities of conducting cross-border strikes and provide air support for troops on the ground. It comes armed with an arsenal of weapons like Hellfire Missiles, 70mm rockets and a 30mm automatic cannon. <br /><br />This is a first for the Army that is in dire need of an up-to-date attack helicopter after over a decade of delays with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Light Combat Helicopters (LCH).<br /><br />The LCH, like the AH-64 Apache helicopter, is a multi-role combat helicopter. Derived from the existing HAL Dhruv, the LCH was supposed to have gained initial operating capability (IOC) in December 2010. Ten years down the line, the first chopper is yet to join the Indian Army’s fleet.<br /><br /><strong>Here’s how the two stack up against each other:</strong><br />

Here's how the Boeing AH-64 Apache Helicopter stacks up against India's indigenous HAL Light Combat Helicopter

India’s federal auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), gave the Modi government a comfortable headline — the final cost of Rafale jets as negotiated by the incumbent government was cheaper than the deal struck by the previous Congress government. <br /><br />While the report deftly evaded the questions of alleged corruption, it has certainly exposed a set of serious problems in the way India buys its arms and ammunition, no matter which political party is in power.<br /><br />The issues highlighted by Rajiv Mehrishi, the CAG, not only indicate the room for and possibilities of corruption and kickbacks, it may also compel people to question if the country’s unsuspecting forces are wielding substandard equipment.<br /><br />Here are some of the shocking truths:<br /><br /><strong>1. Requirements are changed to include or exclude specific vendors<br /></strong><strong><br /></strong>The rules mandate that the Indian Air Force must clearly state its needs in verifiable and measurable terms before inviting bids from suppliers. People do that even before buying phones-- have a clear picture of what features they need and a price range-- before going to a shop or a website to buy a phone. Here, we are speaking about defence equipment.<br /><br />But, the CAG report noted, the requirements of the Air Force are changed several times. The Air Force diluted its needs in the purchase of Attack Helicopter and the <keyword id="134615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Doppler-Weather-Radar">Doppler Weather Radar</keyword> as no vendor could meet its requirement.<br /><br />What is worse? The audit noted that in case of acquisition of Apache Attack Helicopters and Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopters, “the Air Staff Qualitiative Requirements (ASQR) were aligned to products of a particular vendor.” <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
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<br /><br />India approved the purchase of Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopters and Apache Attack Helicopters from Boeing in 2015 for $2.5 billion under the Modi government.<br /><br />Boeing’s Chinook was up against Russian MI-26, which offered nearly double the capacity to transport weapons, supplies and soldiers. Suppose, forces have to be transported to a conflict zone, Chinook would take twice as many trips as the MI-26 would have.<br /><br />But the Air Force reduced its requirement which allowed for Boeing's bid to be accepted. Essentially, the needs of the Air Force were tweaked to match Boeing’s offering.<br /><br /><strong>2. The decision to pick a certain aircraft, weapon or a vendor over another is often ad hoc<br /></strong><br />In an ideal situation, the government would have a benchmark price set for a particular purchase, and the bids can be evaluated in relation to the benchmark.<br /><br />However, in many cases, the government changed the benchmark prices after opening the bids and ended up favouring one vendor over the others. <br /><br />In some cases like the procurement of Doppler Weather Radars and Apache Attack Helicopters, technical bids were rejected when the vendors failed to meet the parameters. But in other cases that included MMRCA, Heavy Lift Helicopters and C130 J30 aircraft, bids were technically qualified even when they did not meet critical ASQRs based on the assurance given by the respective vendors. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
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<br /><br /><strong>3. A vendor is allowed to make changes even after placing a bid<br /></strong><br />In the case of the Basic Trainer Aircraft supplied by Pilatus, the Swiss company was allowed to change its offer after the bids were received from all potential vendors. The two other vendors had offered a better price by including certain hardware within their bid that Pilatus hadn’t. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  <div type="image" title="Basic Trainer Pilatus" msid="67982127" hostid="261"></div>













<br />However, instead of accepting one of the other bids, the government decided to seek a clarification from Pilatus and allowed it to make its bid competitive again. The contract was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the Congress, in May 2012.<br /><br /><strong>4. Vendors can get away giving assurances <br /></strong><br />What’s more unfair than allowing vendors to change bids after submission? At times when the vendor does not meet the requirements still, the government has taken the supplier’s word for future improvements, while either undermining the needs of the forces, or putting lives at risk.<br /><br />Both MI-26 and Chinook were cleared based on the presentation/assurance of the vendor to rectify the ASQR non-compliance before delivery. <br />
  
  
  
  
  
  <div type="image" title="MI26" msid="67982128" hostid="261"></div>













<br /><br />The government does not even maintain proper records of the field trials of the equipments that were considered, making future reviews of such decisions difficult.<br /><br /><strong>5. India could have bought weapons for cheaper prices but...<br /></strong><br />Indians buying cars, or even two wheelers, are notorious for being penny wise. They not only consider the mileage but also the cost of maintenance before making their choice. <br /><br />Similarly, for defence equipment, mid-life upgrades for sustainment of the capabilities, if not for enhancement, should ideally be considered. However, the Indian government is a lot more lax, or selective in enforcing prudence.<br /><br />Out of eight cases, the government did not consider the costs that may be incurred during the life of the product purchased. <br /><br />For example, in 2017, the government decided that it <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2017/07/20/swiss-firm-not-extending-maintenance-deal-for-indias-pc-7-trainers/">cannot</a> continue using Pilatus’ trainer aircraft because the maintenance cost was raised too high. If this had been considered at the time of purchase, some other vendor may beat the Swiss manufacturer.<br /><br /><strong>6. Endless delays<br /></strong><br />The delay in decisions, signing of the contracts,and eventual procurement by the Indian government can be termed ‘proverbial’. “Against three years envisaged in Defence Procurement Process, four cases took more than three years and seven cases took more than five years to reach the contract conclusion stage. Delays in acquisition was essentially due to a complex and multi-level approval process, where objections could be raised at any stage,” the CAG report said.<br /><br />And delays cost money.<br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  <div type="image" title="Doppler Weather Radar" msid="67982119" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The contract for Doppler Weather Radar was signed in 2012 and the actual delivery was in 2016.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>













<br /><strong>7. Unforced errors leading to higher cost </strong><br /><br />India’s bureaucracy has also acted lazy at times. For instance, for all procurements from Russia or CIS countries, India allows for a 5% annual increase in cost, and for European suppliers the cost is allowed to increase by 3.5% every year of delay. The actual increase, going by market rates, would have been less than half.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cag-rajiv-mehrishi-who-tabled-rafale-deal-audit-report-in-parliament/articleshow/67975553.cms">The man who audited the Rafale deal is now the subject of the controversy</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cag-report-on-rafale-deal-tabled-in-parliament-says-jets-cheaper-under-modi-government-than-upa/articleshow/67970948.cms">CAG report on Rafale deal is a blessing for Modi government</a></strong><br />

Seven shocking truths about how India buys arms

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>FORT BLISS, Texas - It was a bright, warm day when I walked onto Biggs Army Airfield, surrounded by desert mountains.</p><p>But it was also loud.&#xa0;</p><p>I saw Chinook, Blackhawk, and Apache helicopters sprawled across the airfield, many of which were on the ground and being worked on, while a few periodically hovered above.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>I then met Chief Warrant Officer Zachary Eichhorn, and he walked me over to the AH-64 Delta Longbow attack chopper pictured above.</p><p>Although I only had about 30 minutes to see everything, Eichhorn gave me a tour of all the weapons systems and even the cockpit.</p><p>Here's what I saw:</p>

We climbed into an Apache helicopter's cockpit and saw why it's one of the most difficult aircrafts to fly

<p style="text-align: justify;"><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Alert 5 via Weibo" title_caption="Chinese Z-10 with additional fuel tanks (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51026139ecad04480d000005-960/520dad68gw1e14k0n5pijj1.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://alert5.com/">Alert 5 via Weibo</a></p><p class="caption">Chinese Z-10 with additional fuel tanks (Click to expand)</p></div><a href="http://alert5.com/">Alert 5</a> posts Chinese <keyword id="6359526" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Military">military</keyword> hardware pictures straight from the ground, but they can lack context as PLA troops or brave civilians snap photos of classified military manuevers and <a href="http://weibo.com/z/weibo2012/">post to Weibo</a></p>
<p>Today's featured photo is a Chinese Z-10 attack helicopter saddled with "Ferry Tanks" to fly extra distance and return without refueling. While we can't say where the photo was taken or pinpoint the choppers destination, we <span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;">did </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/live-weapons-involved-china-japanlife-fire-attack-drills-tracers-japan-f-15s-2013-1">report the PLA earlier this week </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/live-weapons-involved-china-japanlife-fire-attack-drills-tracers-japan-f-15s-2013-1">announced</a> its army aviation unit of attack helicopters were shifting from logistics missions to combat status.</p>
<p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-Japan-island-dispute-Beijing-orders-helicopter-units-to-be-combat-ready/articleshow/18100283.cms">The PLA Daily</a>, <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>'s official military newspaper:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The [helicopter] unit will work on major missions such as <em>long-distance tasks, large scale offshore operations, attack coordination with other units and large scale airborne operations,</em> it said, adding that the unit will also aim to improve its operation capability based on IT technologies.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The <a href="http://english.pladaily.com.cn/site2/misc/node_4592.htm">English PLA Daily army section</a> has several announcements related to <a href="http://english.pladaily.com.cn/site2/militarydatabase/2005-12/27/content_373581.htm">its helicopter units</a>, <a href="http://english.pladaily.com.cn/site2/militarydatabase/2006-01/09/content_388995.htm">their accelerated training</a>, and even troops psychological readiness for "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/military%20transportation%20in%20high-tech%20wars">military transportation in high-tech wars</a>".</p>
<p>The Ferry Tanks seen in the picture would be particularly useful in <em>long-distance tasks, large scale offshore operations, attack coordination with other units and large scale airborne operations</em>. </p>
<p><div class="image-container float_left click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Google" title_caption="Naha, Okinawa with bar scale and regional map inset (Click to expand)  " class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/50f13e7c69bedd753800001d-960/screen-shot-2013-01-12-at-4.18.19-am.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source">Google</p><p class="caption">Naha, Okinawa with bar scale and regional map inset (Click to expand)  </p></div></p>
<p>If engaged in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-fighter-jet-flights-diaoyu-senkaku-islands-2013-1">Diaoyu/Senkaku island dispute</a>, the Z-10s could be stationed at Air Base Shuimen to the east. Round trip to the islands is out of reach of the Z-10s, without support ships like the Haixun 21 deployed to the South.</p>
<p>But it's possible China's fleet of <a href="http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2012/12/9th-pla-lh-brigade-39th-group-army.html">48 Z-10s</a>, spread across four attack squadrons of a dozen birds each, could act in some localized support.</p>
<div>
<p>Satellite imagery of the base came to light in 2009, and experts believe it was completed late last year. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/05/28/2003533924">The Taipei Times</a> reported in May 2012 that <a href="http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/fighter/j10.asp">J-10 combat aircraft</a>, <a href="http://www.sukhoi.org/eng/planes/military/su30mk/">Su-30 fighters</a>, and various unmanned drones were arriving at the base.</p>
<p>The Shuimen airbase compliments <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/east-sea.htm">China's nearby East Fleet that maintains 35 ships</a> in the region, including its newest warship the <a href="http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/surface/type054jiangkai.asp">Type 054</a>, seven submarines, and eight additional landing craft.In addition to aircraft, experts  believe Russian made S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles ring the airbase, providing some of the best missile protection in the world. The <a href="http://missilethreat.com/defense-systems/s-300p-sa-10-grumble/">S-300 is comparable to</a> the U.S. made Patriot missile system sent recently to Turkey for its first line of missile <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> against Syria.</p>
<p>Among the subs are four <a href="http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/sub/kilo.asp">Kilo-class diesel-electric</a> Russian made boats capable of the most advanced underwater warfare.</p>
<p>The Z-10 would provide a fine air support element to the fleet with its prototype powered by Canada's Pratt &amp; Whitney engines and software. That's the deal which put that company in hot water for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/business/global/arms-contractor-pleads-guilty-on-china-exports.html?_r=0">violating the Arms Export Control Act</a> last year and incurred a $75 million fine against it.</p>
<p>The Z-10 is an attack helicopter designed for air-to-ground assaults with limited air-to-air abilities, very similar to the U.S. <a href="http://www.army-technology.com/projects/apache/">Apache AH-64</a>.</p>
<p><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Wikimedia Commons" title_caption="AH-64D over Baghdad (Click to expand)" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/510261d6eab8ea0b3c000038-960/ah-64_from_above.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/AH-64_from_above.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><p class="caption">AH-64D over Baghdad (Click to expand)</p></div></p>
<p>From <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/z10.htm">Military Today</a>: </p>
<p>The Z-10 helicopter has a standard gunship configuration with a narrow fuselage and stepped tandem cockpits. Gunner is seated at the front and the pilot is at the rear. The fuselage has sloped sides to reduce radar cross section. All vital areas are believed to be protected by armor plates.</p>
<p>Weapons of the Z-10 may consist of 30-mm cannon, HJ-9 anti-tank guided missiles (comparable to the TOW-2A), newly developed HJ-10 anti-tank missiles (comparable to the AGM-114 Hellfire) and TY-90 air-to-air missiles. It can also carry un-operated rocket pods.</p>
<p>The prototype of the Z-10 is powered by two Canadian Pratt &amp; Whitney PT6C-67C turboshaft engines, delivering 1,531 hp each. However indigenous engines might be used on production helicopters. It might use the same engine of the WZ-9 helicopter, but it is less powerful than Canadian design.</p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em;"><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://fareasternpotato.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-pla-airforce-base-in-fujian-sets.html">Google earth via FarEasternBlogspot</a></p><p class="caption">A satellite view of the Shuimen air base</p></td></tr></table><br /></span></p>
</div>

Fully Armed Chinese Z-10 Helicopter With Extra Fuel Tanks On 'Combat Status'

Apart from purchasing Apache and Chinook helicopters from the US, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Indian+Air+Force+%28IAF%29+">Indian Air Force (IAF)</a> is also going to extend its fully-automated air surveillance and defence network in the entire country.<br />
 <br /> The <keyword id="80629" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cabinet-Committee-on-Security">Cabinet Committee on Security</keyword>, apart from the $3 billion purchase of choppers from the US, has also cleared an almost Rs 8,000 crore project for extension of the IAF's defence network.<br />
 <br />
The aim is to ensure any intrusion by a hostile aircraft, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=helicopter%2C+drone+">helicopter, drone</a> or micro-light to be detected and tackled as soon as it takes place.<br />
 <br />
According to a source, the composite air picture would be available in real-time at centralised locations and the national command post.<br />
 <br />
The country will have better surveillance system with the help of  integrating all airborne and ground-based civilian and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=military+radars">military radars</a>.<br />
 <br />
The IAF has already set-up five nodes of the integrated air command and control system (IACCS) in the western sector facing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pakistan+">Pakistan</a> at Barnala (Punjab), Wadsar (Gujarat), Aya Nagar (Delhi), Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Ambala (Haryana) with help from defence <keyword id="437887" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="PSU-Bharat-Electronics">PSU Bharat Electronics</keyword>.<br />
 <br />
There is now a plan to establish four new major nodes and 10 sub-nodes under Phase-II of the IACCS. While three nodes will be in eastern, central and southern India, the fourth is meant for the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago.<br />
 <br />
Some of the new nodes will be located in underground complexes to improve survivability in face of enemy attacks, even as the entire IACCS infrastructure is also being upgraded with advanced early-warning, jam-resistant radars and the like.<br />
<br />
(Image: Indiatimes)  <br />

Rs 8000 cr for the Indian Air Force to get a better radar system to detect hostile aircraft, drone or even micro-light!

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">An EA-18G Growler launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Gulf</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Despite the appearance of thawing tensions with North Korea, both Washington and Pyongyang have made several steps that suggest things could escalate soon.</strong></li><li><strong>The US has quietly moved heavy firepower like nuclear bombers and aircraft carriers to the region.</strong></li><li><strong>On the sidelines of important diplomatic meetings, talk of military action has been ever present, if not front and center.</strong></li></ul><p><br />While most of the world celebrates the progress from pre-Olympic inter-Korean talks and the apparent thaw in tensions between North Korea and the world, the US has taken steps to move heavy firepower to the region.</p><p>Though the US called off regularly scheduled military drills until the end of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics in March, elsewhere they have trained for scenarios that seem tailor made for fighting North Korea.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/us/politics/military-exercises-north-korea-pentagon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times reports</a> that 48 Apache gunships and Chinook helicopters drilled in Fort Bragg on how to move troops under artillery fire, and that next month soldiers will drill on setting up mobilization centers to quickly send forces over seas.</p><p>Surviving artillery fire and mastering the tricky logistics of an overseas deployment would be key skills needed if conflict broke out with North Korea, as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-preemptive-strike-north-korea-2017-3?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pyongyang maintains a massive range of artillery guns pointing at Seoul</a>, South Korea's capital with 25 million people.</p><p>Besides the drills, the US has positioned both its nuclear-capable bombers in Guam for the second time ever, just a short flight from North Korea.</p><p>In addition to the usual forward-deployed USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in Japan, the <a href="https://news.usni.org/2018/01/18/vinson-strike-group-fills-in-for-reagan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USS Carl Vinson has also headed into the Pacific</a>, while smaller carriers <a href="https://news.usni.org/2018/01/16/usni-news-fleet-marine-tracker-jan-16-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the USS Wasp and the USS Bonhomme Richards</a> also patrol the waters. </p><p>While the US military maintains these exercises are routine and unrelated to North Korea, the increased tensions with Pyongyang bring scrutiny to every move.</p><h2>Quiet, too quiet</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>KCNA via Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a target-striking contest of the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to occupy islands in this undated picture provided by KCNA in Pyongyang on August 25, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended a meeting of 20 ministers this week in Vancouver, Canada to discuss sanctions implementation on North Korea, Secretary of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Jim Mattis joined and briefed the ministers on the US's plan for military strikes.</p><p>When <keyword id="6355005" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="News">news</keyword> of the inter-Korean talks dominated usually bleak headlines about North Korea, Trump's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hr-mcmaster-north-korea-secret-meetings-japan-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed the talks as "diversions."</a></p><p>On the North Korean side, things are also not as they seem. Although the inter-Korean talks <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-south-korea-to-regularize-talks-push-pyongyang-to-talk-to-us-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will now continue regularly and indefinitely</a>, most experts agree that Pyongyang will <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/why-north-korea-is-likely-planning-a-satellite-launch-in-2018/?platform=hootsuite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soon launch a satellite</a>. Additionally, North Korea may hold a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-military-event-before-winter-olympics-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military parade in the days before the Olympics begin</a>.</p><p>Although few expect the US to initiate conflict with North Korea while civilians from around the world gather in Northern South Korea to watch one of the world's most important sporting events, a satellite launch provides a suitable target for a "bloody nose" strike, which the US is reportedly considering.</p><p>After a year in office, President Donald Trump's foreign policy has an established history of upsetting norms. After a successful strike on Syria in April 2017, and a handful of unilateral foreign policy decisions going unpunished by supposedly riled actors, Trump's White House may soon feel emboldened to make a statement. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-bomb-launch-procedure-us-government-president-2017-11">Here's how easy it is for the US president to launch a nuclear weapon</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The US appears to be quietly preparing for nuclear war with North Korea

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">British Royal Marines from 40 Commando Delta Company are transported in a Chinook helicopter over the al-Faw peninsular in Iraq, March 21, 2003.</p></div><p></p></div></div>British troops that fought in the Iraq war between 2003 and 2011 could be prosecuted for war crimes.</p><p>That's according to <span>Mark Warwick, a former police detective in charge of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), in <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-soldiers-could-face-prosecution-for-crimes-committed-during-iraq-conflict-investigators-a6793271.html">an interview with The Independent newspaper</a> who said there are "lots of significant cases" that would warrant a discussion over whether they fell into the war crimes threshold.</span></p><p><span>Currently, l<span>awyers are referring a raft of alleged abuse cases by soldiers to IHAT and the organisation has already </span></span><span><span><span>considered at least 1,515 possible victims. So far, 280 were allegedly unlawfully killed. </span></span></span></p><p>"Over the next 12 to 18 months, we will review all the caseload to better understand the picture and then I think we can say whether 2019 seems realistic," said Warwick. IHAT has budget of £57.2 million ($84.5 million)which only runs until the end of 2019.</p><p>"We would look at the credibility of the allegation in the first instance and, when we've looked at a lot of these extra cases coming to us, some of them are duplicates of cases, some of them we've already identified as part of our own investigation process, and some are multiple allegations, where we would investigate as a single allegation."</p><p>In Britain, two lengthy and expensive public inquiries have already looked at claims against <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> troops' conduct in Iraq during the war.</p><p>On BBC Radio 4's Today Programme this week, cited by The Independent, former army commander in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said the IHAT investigation needed to be completed urgently, but pointedly said that it was "inconceivable" that that number of allegations against British troops could be legitimate.</p><p>"Of course one has to be concerned about these allegations, but the number, the sheer number, thousands of allegations made against British soldiers in Iraq, I just cannot believe that any significant number of them can be valid," he said.</p><p>The revelation comes just months after former <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-11/marine-convicted-of-murder-says-he-has-been-made-a-scapegoat/">Royal Marines </a><span><a href="http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-11/marine-convicted-of-murder-says-he-has-been-made-a-scapegoat/">Sergeant Alexander Blackman </a><span><a href="http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-11/marine-convicted-of-murder-says-he-has-been-made-a-scapegoat/">convicted of murdering an injured Afghan fighter on the battlefield</a> and given a life sentence in which he would have serve a minimum of 10 years in jail. <span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span>Blackman was convicted of the murder after he "</span></span><span><span><span>shot his victim in the chest at close range in Helmand province after the Afghan had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter in July 2011."</span></span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/putin-medvedev-exercise-steak-tea-kremlin-2015-12">Hard to forget this 2015 video of Putin and his prime minister working out for the cameras</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="d4ZTNkdzovnJDSPjqfAeZIQlcI35GpZz" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "apache helicopter pictures" and got 9 results

IN PICS: IAF displays its might with Rafale, Apache, Tejas, and others during the annual Air Force Day airshow

Prabhjote Gill

Here's how the Boeing AH-64 Apache Helicopter stacks up against India's indigenous HAL Light Combat Helicopter

Prabhjote Gill

Seven shocking truths about how India buys arms

Sriram Iyer

We climbed into an Apache helicopter's cockpit and saw why it's one of the most difficult aircrafts to fly

Daniel Brown

Fully Armed Chinese Z-10 Helicopter With Extra Fuel Tanks On 'Combat Status'

Robert Johnson

Rs 8000 cr for the Indian Air Force to get a better radar system to detect hostile aircraft, drone or even micro-light!

BI India Bureau

The US appears to be quietly preparing for nuclear war with North Korea

Alex Lockie

British Iraq War veterans may be prosecuted for war crimes

Lianna Brinded

Full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's first address to the Parliament as the 17th Lok Sabha gets underway

BI India Bureau

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