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Indian offensive capacity is all set to take a huge leap as India and <keyword id="6356806" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Moscow">Moscow</keyword> as they have inked a deal at <keyword id="175259" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Brics">BRICS</keyword> to develop a new generation of <keyword id="42900" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BrahMos">Brahmos</keyword> with a range of more than 600 km to take down protected targets in Pakistan.<br />
<br /> With Indo-Pak tension rising after the surgical strike, these missile can be of great use as the range of the new gen missile have a range that enables India to strike anywhere in Pakistan. <keyword id="6358826" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> can also help in the production of these missiles.<br />
<br />
The present Brahmos has a current range of 300km and this makes it difficult to hit target that are deep onside Pakistan. This new gen Brahmos will enable India to take down specific targets deep inside Pakistan and further making it a game changer in any conflict with Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Brahmos is a cruise missile and this means that it is similar to a pilot-less fighter jet that can be maneuvered in flight, programmed to attack targets from any angle and evade enemy missile defence systems.<br />
<br /> The agreement between India and Russia was signed during the bilateral Summit at Goa and it also included development of missiles with smaller range that can be fired from submarines and aircraft. The deal was not made public at the summit, where other projects like sale of frigates and the S-400 air defence system purchase were announced. However, <keyword id="43440" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vladimir-Putin">Vladimir Putin</keyword> told journalists from his country that the missile deal has also been signed.<br />
<br /> "We have also agreed to improve the Brahmos missile, which will be land, air and sea launched. We will also work to increase its range. And we will work together on a fifth-generation aircraft," <keyword id="6355086" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="putin">Putin</keyword> said.<br />
<br />
Though, it has been confirmed by the Indian officials that India was involved in negotiations. They also confirmed that a pact to double the range of the Brahmos missile was finalised.<br />
(Image:Indiatimes)<br />

India is all set to produce long range missiles that can take down targets deep inside Pakistan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>India sacked three air force officers who accidentally fired a supersonic missile into Pakistan.</li><li>The mishap occurred during routine maintenance due to a "technical malfunction," India said.</li></ul><p>India's Air Force said on Tuesday that it sacked three officers for accidentally firing a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile into neighboring Pakistan in March.</p><p>An official inquiry into the mishap "found that deviation from standard operating procedure by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile," the air force said in a statement, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-fires-three-officers-accidentally-firing-missile-into-pakistan-march-2022-08-23/">per Reuters</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.brahmos.com/content.php?id=10&amp;sid=10">The BrahMos missile</a> is a nuclear-capable cruise missile developed jointly by Russia and India, with a range of 180 miles and Mach 3 speed capability.</p><p>The accident occurred during routine maintenance when a "technical malfunction" caused the missile to fire from the garrison town of Ambala and into Pakistan's Punjab province, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-says-it-accidentally-fired-missile-into-pakistan-during-maintenance-2022-3">Indian Ministry of Defence said on March 11.</a></p><p>No one was reported injured or killed in the incident.</p><p>Pakistan had tracked the missile's flight and prepared for a retaliatory strike, but held off when its assessment flagged that something was amiss, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-24/india-sacks-3-officers-for-firing-accidental-missile-to-pakistan">Bloomberg reported.</a></p><p>The country demanded answers from the Indian government, which responded by saying that it was an accident and calling the incident <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1805148">"deeply regrettable."</a></p><p>The two nations have long been at odds with one another since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, and tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have been heightened as a result of <a href="https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-between-india-and-pakistan">recent border skirmishes</a> over the territory of Kashmir.</p><p>In 2019, Pakistan shot down an <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-marks-anniversary-of-day-it-downed-indian-jet/2159313">Indian warplane</a> in response to <a href="https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ISAS-Insights-No.-542.pdf">airstrikes</a> targeting militants in the Pakistani-controlled town of Balakot. India said it had carried out the strikes in retaliation for a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir.</p><p>Researchers say a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, which together hold 2% of the world's nuclear arsenal, could have devastating global consequences, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-pakistan-nuclear-war-death-famine-2019-10">Insider previously reported.</a> One scenario the researchers posited is that the Earth's temperature would drop by 5 degrees Celsius due to the sheer amount of smoke particles lingering in the stratosphere that would block out sunlight for years.</p>

3 Indian Air Force officers were fired for accidentally launching a supersonic cruise missile into nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="11893746" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indian-air-force" source="Orion">Indian air force</keyword> is in the midst of a massive modernization and expansion effort.</li><li><keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has focused on archrival <keyword id="11893449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword> for decades, but it is now contending with a much larger foe: <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword>.</li></ul><p>Earlier this month, at the end of India's annual Independence Day parade in New Delhi, the Indian Air Force showed off its aircraft inventory in multiple flyovers of the Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard in the capital.</p><p>The flyovers included transport aircraft, helicopter gunships, fighters, and fighter-bombers. It was the latest show of force for a military branch that, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_top">like its naval counterpart</a>, is in the midst of a massive modernization and expansion effort.</p><p>Focused for decades on the threat from archrival Pakistan, India is now preparing its air force to fight another much larger foe: China.</p><p>With roughly 2,000 combat aircraft from its air force and navy, China has the largest aviation force in Asia and the third largest in the world. Worse for India, China's increasingly close relationship with Pakistan is <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/the-china-pakistan-partnership-continues-to-deepen/" target="_top">resulting in closer military cooperation</a>, including joint development of fighter jets.</p><p>Faced with the potential for an air war against two enemies, the IAF is increasing its size and capabilities.</p><h2>A significant inventory</h2><div type="image" title="Indian MiG-29 fighter jet" height="1116" width="2000" msid="85853169" hostid="261"></div><p>With well over 1,000 aircraft itself, the IAF is by no means small. Since India's independence, it has mostly fielded Russian aircraft made entirely in Russia or licensed for local production.</p><p>Even today, the biggest fleets in the IAF inventory are those of the <keyword id="12004876" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mig-21" source="Orion">MiG-21</keyword>, MiG-29, and the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/su-30mki-multirole-fighter-aircraft-india/" target="_top">Su-30MKI</a> - a version of Russia's Su-30 made specifically for and by India. (India signed a contract for the Su-30MKI in the 1990s and has built more than 200 of them domestically since the mid-2000s.)</p><p>The service also has some European models, such as SEPECAT Jaguars and Mirage 2000s, which are the IAF's <a href="https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0912kargil/" target="_top">primary strike platforms</a>. But those aircraft, which were acquired in the 1980s, are showing signs of age, and the IAF plans to retire them by 2030.</p><p>India's MiG-21s, first introduced in the 1960s, are also expected to be retired by 2030 - even the modernized MiG-21 Bison models. The jet has <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/11-down-in-5-yrs-3-in-2021-but-many-in-iaf-still-swear-by-mig-21s-despite-its-safety-record/663813/" target="_top">a poor safety record</a>; as of 2013, more than 480 of India's MiG-21s had been involved in accidents that had caused over 200 deaths.</p><h2>Threats on two fronts</h2><div type="image" title="Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI" height="800" width="1200" msid="85853174" hostid="261"></div><p>The Su-30MKI purchase was more than just a general upgrade. It came after the Pakistan Air Force in 1982 accepted the first of 28 US-made F-16s, which seriously increased the PAF's capabilities a decade after it <a href="http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/1971-air-war-battle-for-air-supremacy/" target="_top">last fought</a> the IAF.</p><p>The US <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/pakistan%E2%80%99s-long-controversial-love-affair-f-16-fighting-falcon-47682" target="_top">paused</a> F-16 deliveries in 1990 because of Pakistan's nuclear program, but they resumed in 2005, and the PAF now has some 75 F-16s. Their use is <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2020/08/how-americas-experience-with-pakistan-can-help-it-deal-with-turkey/" target="_top">conditional and closely monitored</a> by the US, but Pakistan would likely have no qualms about using them in an all-out war.</p><p>In 2019, a <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26836/we-cut-through-the-conflicting-claims-and-misinformation-surrounding-indias-strikes-on-pakistan" target="_top">series of skirmishes</a> between India and Pakistan included airstrikes on each other's territory and resulted in one MiG-21 Bison being shot down by PAF fighters, possibly by an F-16. It was the first time since 1971 that air attacks had been conducted across the Line of Control.</p><p>During the Cold War, China sold Pakistan its J-6 and J-7 fighters, which were Chinese copies of Russia's MiG-19 and MiG-21. The PAF has also benefitted from Pakistan's closer ties with China in recent years.</p><div type="image" title="India Kashmir MiG-21 Bison crash" height="998" width="1400" msid="85853179" hostid="261"></div><p>Their air forces <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/China-and-Pakistan-conduct-joint-air-drills-with-eye-on-India" target="_top">re</a><a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/China-and-Pakistan-conduct-joint-air-drills-with-eye-on-India" target="_top">gularly</a> conduct joint <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202101/1211811.shtml" target="_top">exercises</a>, and they have even jointly developed a fourth-generation multirole combat aircraft, the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/fc1xiaolongjf17thund/" target="_top">JF-17</a>, of which Pakistan has over 100.</p><p>China and Pakistan are now <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-pakistan-upgrading-fighter-aircraft-used-against-indian-air-force-report/story-BS87X5ux3Xaj8QqS6jtssN.html" target="_top">planning</a> upgrades to Pakistan's JF-17 fleet, and China has <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chinese-pla-tries-to-psyche-indian-army-by-supplying-armed-drones-to-pak/story-tySb4UnKimFUYIxJdP3xGL.html" target="_top">announced</a> the sale of 50 <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/wing-loong-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-uav/" target="_top">Wing Loong II combat drones</a> to Pakistan. Pakistan may also <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/is-the-chinese-jh-7-an-answer-to-the-pakistan-air-forces-deep-strike-needs/" target="_top">acquire</a> Chinese strike aircraft.</p><p>China's own air force also poses a threat to the IAF. Particularly worrying for India are the <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/j10.htm" target="_top">J-10</a> and <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/j11.htm" target="_top">J-11</a> fighters and the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2020/08/17/chinese-stealth-fighters-head-west-to-confront-india/?sh=5f36556a1b85" target="_top">J-20</a> stealth fighter.</p><p>The aerial threat from China was abundantly clear after last year's deadly standoff along its disputed border with India.</p><p>India has a longer history of air operations in the area, but China is <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41065/tracking-chinas-sudden-airpower-expansion-along-its-western-border" target="_top">rapidly building and expanding</a> air bases and defenses along its western borders.</p><h2>A major modernization</h2><div type="image" title="Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="85853182" hostid="261"></div><p>Appreciating the threats, the IAF has committed to modernization.</p><p>In 2016, India signed a contract with French firm Dassault Aviation four 36 Rafale multirole fighters. Twenty-six of them have been <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-has-received-26-rafale-aircraft-till-date-govt/article35585665.ece" target="_top">delivered</a> so far, and some have <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/indian-air-force-deploys-first-rafales-in-east-to-counter-china-121072900013_1.html" target="_top">already been deployed</a> to counter possible Chinese aggression.</p><p>The IAF has also purchased 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 22 AH-64 Apache gunships, both of which have also been <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/iaf-deploys-apache-attack-helicopters-and-chinooks-in-ladakh-increases-combat-air-patrols/445072/" target="_top">deployed</a> to the border region.</p><p>India has developed its own lightweight <keyword id="12004878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fighter-jet" source="Orion">fighter jet</keyword>, the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/tejas/" target="_top">HAL Tejas</a>, and has about 20 in service. The original order for 40 fighters was supplemented by <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rs-48000-crore-landmark-deal-india-clears-purchase-of-83-tejas-jets-for-iaf/articleshow/80251469.cms" target="_top">an additional order</a> of 83 improved Tejas Mark 1A variants, with a second production line <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/govt-clears-rs-48000-cr-deal-for-83-tejas-mk-1a-all-you-want-to-know-about-the-aircraft/584743/" target="_top">built</a> to speed up production.</p><p>To meet its needs in the near-term, India is <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/after-tejas-india-moves-ahead-to-procure-more-mig-29s-sukhois/articleshow/80320199.cms" target="_top">buying</a> another 21 MiG-29s and 12 Su-30MKIs. It is also <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1316503" target="_top">upgrading</a> its MiG-29 fleet and modifying its Su-30MKIs to be able to fire Brahmos cruise missiles.</p><div type="image" title="Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet" height="1326" width="2000" msid="85853185" hostid="261"></div><p>The IAF is also seeking 114 medium multirole combat aircraft.</p><p>The US-made F/A-18E/F and F-15, the French-built Rafale, the European-made Eurofighter Typhoon, and Russia's MiG-35 and Su-35 - all twin-engine jets - are in the running, as are the single-engine Swedish-built JAS 39 Gripen and US-built F-21, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lockheed-martin-unveils-f21-fighter-jet-to-compete-for-india-contract-2019-2" target="_top">version of the F-16</a> designed specifically for India.</p><p>India also has a number of high-profile domestic projects in development. It plans to fly a prototype from its own <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/indias-5th-gen-aircraft-iaf-to-model-its-amca-on-us-f-35s-instead-of-j-20-or-su-57-jets-experts/" target="_top">fifth-generation stealth fighter program</a> by 2025 and recently <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/hal-announces-unmanned-fighter-jet-207899" target="_top">unveiled</a> an unmanned fighter jet program.</p><p>India has relied on foreign suppliers for much of its military hardware - especially <a href="https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/07/21/russia-sees-india-as-prospective-buyer-for-checkmate-jet-but-will-iaf-want-it.html" target="_top">Russia</a>, with which it has a longstanding but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-s400-purchase-risks-us-sanctions-amid-competition-with-china-2021-5" target="_top">increasingly fraught</a> relationship - but many of the new acquisition efforts will require some degree of local production as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" program aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing.</p><p>Amid ongoing tensions with China and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china-pakistan-india-jockey-position-afghanistans-new-great-game-2021-08-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewed uncertainty</a> about the future in Afghanistan, India's efforts to expand and modernize its air force show how serious it is about countering the threat from its two most contentious neighbors.</p>

India is updating its air force for a modern war, and China isn't its only concern

<br /> Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi is all set to embark on a two-nation political tour, starting from Vietnam and followed by China, where he would be taking part in the <keyword id="3619515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="G20-Summit-in-Hangzhou">G20 Summit in Hangzhou</keyword>.<br />
<br />
The recent past has seen a lot of tiffs between the Indian and Chinese government, be it over China’s opposition to India’s NSG application, or the topic of expulsion of Chinese journalists from India and how it was reported in the Chinese media.<br />
<br />
However, since there is always some scope for a healthy discussion, here are five points that PM Modi would be pushing, as per a TNN report:<br />
<br />
<strong>Pakistan</strong><br />
<br />
The recent unrest in Kashmir saw Pakistan openly supporting Kashmiri terrorists and separatists against India, after which, India questioned protests in PoK over rigged elections, stating that PoK PoK belonged to India.<br />
<br />
It was then that PM Modi had warned Pakistan that India would raise its human rights violations in Balochistan in case Islamabad continues to support terrorist activities in Kashmir.<br />
<br />
Since China is a close ally to Pakistan and is seen supporting it, there are high chances that Pakistan would be a topic of discussion between India and China.<br />
<br />
<strong><keyword id="1934950" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="China-Pakistan-economic-corridor">China-Pakistan Economic Corridor</keyword> (CPEC)</strong><br />
<br />
India has been putting a lot of pressure on Islamabad, and this could prove to be harmful to the Chinese economy. CPEC is a $46-billion project, using which China wants to gain direct access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region. It has also invested heavily in the Gwadar Port in Balochistan for this very purpose.<br />
<br />
A critical part of this corridor runs through PoK, and now that India has decided to reinforce its legal claims on PoK, Beijing is bound to be upset. Even though the Chinese government has steered away from commenting on this, some sources say that Chinese think tanks have suggested China-Pakistan taking a joint military action against India so that the CPEC project is unhindered.<br />
<br />
<strong><keyword id="430735" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-China-Sea">South China Sea</keyword> dispute</strong><br />
<br />
This territorial dispute has made China stand against several nations, and this is benefitting India.<br />
<br />
After an international tribunal ruled in favour of India, that Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea were not justified, India had issued a statement in which it made a direct appeal to all nations involved in the conflict to “exercise self-restraint,” so that the dispute is not complicated further.<br />
<br />
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was on his visit to India recently, when he said that it was up to New Delhi to support Beijing on the South China Sea dispute or not, also making sure that New Delhi does not raise the South China Sea issue anywhere.<br />
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<strong>India’s budding friendships with South East Asia countries</strong><br />
<br />
Vietnam is also involved in the South China Sea dispute, and Modi will be visiting it before China, where he would be signing a contract for the supply of four patrol vessels to the Vietnamese military. He could also discuss defence cooperation with Vietnam, much to China’s chagrin. <br />
<br />
India is increasingly getting friendly with other countries in the South East Asia, and China will most likely see these emerging friendships as a not-entirely-friendly alliance.<br />
<br />
<strong>India’s infrastructure development along China border</strong><br />
<br />
Till almost a decade back, India had not built any infrastructure alongside Chinese border, making sure that Chinese be able to advance slowly in case Beijing invades India. However, China built up high-quality roads and rail links along the 3500-km border with India.<br />
<br />
Now that India is also looking to push infrastructure projects there, China has said that these efforts would only escalate tensions between the two countries. It was only recently that Beijing criticized India’s decision to deploy the advanced, supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos on its border with China, claiming that this deployment was “the opposite” of peace and stability. This too could be a topic of discussion, given that China on its part has done heavy military deployment in that area.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="http://img.newsheads.in/images4web/2014/09/18/639043627-India-china1_0.JPG">Image source</a></em><br />

PM Modi is set to visit China, and here is what he’ll be talking about

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A months-long clash between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> on their Himalaya border has dramatically increased tensions.</li><li>But the growing rivalry between the two Asian powers is also likely to play out in the <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword>.</li><li>China's navy is capable and only getting bigger, and India is trying to catch up.</li></ul><p>Last year, an all-out brawl between Chinese and Indian troops along the disputed Sino-Indian border killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers.</p><p>The medieval-style battle in the Himalayas showed that the countries' rivalry is entering a new phase of intensity.</p><p>"China is definitely factoring larger and larger in India's defense strategy today," Timothy Heath, a senior <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank, told Insider.</p><p>The military focus of that rivalry has primarily been on the ground, as reflected by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-india-tanks-armor-could-make-future-war-much-deadlier-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the buildup in the Himalayas</a>, but another <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">area is growing in importance</a>: the Indian Ocean.</p><div type="image" title="India China troops soldiers Pangong Ladakh border" height="1000" width="2000" msid="83204985" hostid="261"></div><p>With some of the world's most <a href="https://lki.lk/publication/the-importance-of-the-indian-ocean-trade-security-and-norms/" target="_top">important</a> trade routes running through it, the Indian Ocean's value is hard to understate, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-is-guarding-against-chinas-big-plans-across-asia-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China has already recognized</a>.</p><p>"Given its importance for China, it's pretty obvious the Chinese are elevating in priority the security needs for the maritime silk road," Heath said. "That means India has to be ready for possible situations involving China."</p><p>But Indian dominance in its home waters is far from assured. While India's navy has some advanced capabilities, China's People's Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-challenged-to-build-balanced-to-compete-with-us-navy-2021-5">substantially larger</a> and more sophisticated.</p><p>With the rivalry entering a new phase, India is trying to catch up.</p><h2>Outnumbered at sea</h2><div type="image" title="Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya" height="1098" width="2000" msid="83204986" hostid="261"></div><p>The <keyword id="6355100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Navy">Indian navy</keyword> isn't small or weak. Its primary combatants include 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, 17 submarines, and one aircraft carrier.</p><p>A number of India's warships, like its <a href="http://www.military-today.com/navy/kolkata_class.htm" target="_top">Kolkata-class destroyers</a> and <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/world-naval-forces/asian-navies-vessels-ships-equipment/india-indian-navy-ins-vessels-ships-equipment/india-indian-navy-destroyers-and-frigates/2492-shivalik-class-frigate-india-indian-navy-ins-guided-missile-frigate-satpura-sahyadri-datasheet-pictures-photos-video-specifications.html" target="_top">Shivalik-class frigates</a>, were commissioned within the last decade and have stealth capabilities.</p><p>Some Indian ships have modern vertical launching systems and are armed with Russian and Israeli anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. India's navy also has the <a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/brahmos/" target="_top">BrahMos</a> supersonic missile, a joint Indian-Russian design that is one of the fastest missiles in the world.</p><p>Two of India's submarines are nuclear-powered: one attack submarine (SSN) on loan from Russia and one <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/arihant-class/" target="_top">Arihant-class</a> domestically designed and built ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) - the first SSBN for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.</p><p>India <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/navy-to-get-aircraft-carrier-vikrant-missile-destroyer-visakhapatnam-in-2021-101619498533809.html" target="_top">expects</a> to commission a second Arihant SSBN and a second aircraft carrier (also domestically designed and built) within the year. But the Indian navy is outnumbered and outclassed by the PLAN.</p><p>Chinese ships are "largely composed of modern multi-role platforms featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine weapons and sensors," according to a <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/01/2002488689/-1/-1/1/2020-DOD-CHINA-MILITARY-POWER-REPORT-FINAL.PDF" target="_top">2020 Pentagon report</a>.</p><p>By comparison, India is "still quite a way behind the Chinese in their warship development," Heath said. "The Chinese have certainly developed some very impressive platforms, and the Indians are really trying to catch up."</p><div type="image" title="Indian Navy Scorpene-class submarine Karanj" height="1287" width="2000" msid="83204988" hostid="261"></div><p>The Indian navy's primary fighting vessels are outnumbered by the PLAN's <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP68058.html" target="_top">South Sea Fleet</a> alone, which has some 11 destroyers, 19 frigates, 22 submarines (including two SSNs and four SSBNs), and one aircraft carrier. The PLAN, now the largest navy in the world, can draw on even more vessels from its two other fleets.</p><p>To address the imbalance, the Indian navy plans on <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/features/future-ships-indian-navy/" target="_top">acquiring</a> a number of new and advanced vessels, especially <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top">nuclear-</a><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top">powered</a><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top"> and diesel-electric submarines</a>.</p><p>Two more Arihant-class SSBNs are in production and are expected to join the fleet by 2025. Three more larger SSBNs from the new <a href="http://www.hisutton.com/S-5_SSBN.html" target="_top">S5-class</a> are also being planned.</p><p>The Indian navy also <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/project-to-build-n-powered-attack-subs-set-to-get-ccs-nod/articleshow/81770216.cms?from=mdr" target="_top">hopes</a> to build six Project-75 Alpha-class SSNs and to <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2019/03/08/india-signs-3-billion-contract-with-russia-for-lease-of-a-nuclear-submarine/" target="_top">replace</a> its leased Russian SSN INS Chakra (which will be returned soon) with another leased Akula-class SSN by 2025.</p><p>Six new <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/p75i-scorpene-class-attack-submarines/" target="_top">Project 75I-class</a> diesel-electric attack submarines have <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/the-wait-for-more-submarines-gets-longer-project-75-i-gets-delayed-further/2209149/" target="_top">been delayed</a> but could start entering Indian service by 2030.</p><p>A third aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, is planned to replace the aging INS Vikramaditya. The new carrier, not expected to be completed before 2030, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-uk-in-talks-to-build-copycat-naval-supercarrier-report/articleshow/69186727.cms" target="_top">may be based on</a> the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class supercarrier.</p><p>Seven brand-new <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/12/indian-navys-2nd-project-17a-frigate-himgiri-launched-by-grse/" target="_top">Nilgiri-Class</a> stealth frigates are also under construction, and four Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, two built by Russia and two by India, are also <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2021/january/9586-india-procures-from-ukraine-gas-turbine-engines-for-admiral-grigorovich-class-frigates-of-indian-navy.html" target="_top">expected</a> to join India's navy before the end of the decade.</p><h2>China's 'string of pearls'</h2><div type="image" title="India navy Malabar" height="1429" width="2000" msid="83204989" hostid="261"></div><p>There is little doubt in India that the new vessels are needed. Although China is relatively far from the Indian Ocean, it has ramped up its activity there.</p><p>Over the last few years, China has taken control of ports across the Indian Ocean that have the potential to support the PLAN - a network that has been called China's "String of Pearls."</p><p>"People have been theorizing about the so-called String of Pearls for years," Heath said. "We are actually starting to see some evidence of the Chinese implementing something along these lines."</p><p>China has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/13/784084567/in-sri-lanka-chinas-building-spree-is-raising-questions-about-sovereignty" target="_top">taken control</a> of a port in Sri Lanka, is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/06/02/chinas-new-high-security-compound-in-pakistan-may-indicate-naval-plans/?sh=2180b3d21020" target="_top">building</a> naval facilities in Pakistan, and is pursuing port projects in <a href="https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/china-signs-deals-myanmar-create-back-door-indian-/" target="_top">Myanmar</a>, <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/china-bangladesh-strategic-linkages/" target="_top">Bangladesh</a>, and <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/falling-apart-a-story-of-the-tanzanian-bagamoyo-port-project/" target="_top">Tanzania</a>.</p><p>China already has a <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/China-adds-carrier-pier-to-Djibouti-base-extending-Indian-Ocean-reach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military base in Djibouti</a>, but other "pearls" appear to be primarily for civilian use.</p><p>That doesn't mean those facilities couldn't be used to support PLAN vessels. A number of Chinese ships and submarines have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-china-submarine/chinese-submarine-docks-in-sri-lanka-despite-indian-concerns-idINKBN0IM0LU20141102" target="_top">already docked</a> at Sri Lanka to refuel and resupply. Sri Lanka has since <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-china-submarine/sri-lanka-rejects-chinese-request-for-submarine-visit-sources-idUSKBN1871P9" target="_top">denied</a> Chinese requests for other warship port visits due to Indian concerns.</p><p>"The Chinese are not interested in building full-fledged bases in the US model," Heath said. "These are facilities that primarily offer refueling, repair, and replenishment to passing warships."</p><div type="image" title="India Australia US Navy P-8" height="1125" width="2000" msid="83204991" hostid="261"></div><p>India does have a few advantages over China. As the region is its backyard, it will always be able to bring more to bear against threatening Chinese vessels, such as land-based aircraft and anti-ship missiles.</p><p>India also has its own overseas outposts. It <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-sets-up-coastal-radars-in-neighbourhood-to-keep-eye-on-china-1744751-2020-11-27" target="_top">has set up</a> radar stations for maritime surveillance in Sri Lanka, Seychelles, and Mauritius; it's <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/agalega-glimpse-india-s-remote-island-military-base" target="_top">constructing</a> facilities on the Mauritian island of North Agalega, and <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/Seychelles-in-crosshairs-of-India-s-maritime-security-axis" target="_top">it's pursuing</a> military facilities elsewhere in the region.</p><p>India also controls the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-navy-set-to-open-third-base-in-strategic-islands-to-counter-china-2019-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically important islands</a> on the Indian Ocean side of the Malacca Strait. India has beefed up its military presence there, and some <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/militarising-andamans-the-costs-and-the-benefits/story-J3mGWFQS3NgLUiPYwIVb2N.html" target="_top">advocate</a> allowing partner countries to have a presence there as well. (A US Navy patrol plane <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has already refueled</a> there.)</p><p>Despite the government's renewed attention, India's navy still has a ways to go. Most of its new ships and submarines will not be fully operational until the end of the decade at the earliest, and its budget is still smaller than that of India's army or air force.</p><p>India's navy will also have to compete with the considerable attention that remains <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused on India's land borders</a>, where New Delhi also has to worry about Pakistan, the rival it has focused on almost exclusively since independence.</p><p>But the rivalry with Pakistan also has a naval element. The Pakistani terrorists who carried out the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai <a href="https://www.stimson.org/wp-content/files/file-attachments/Mumbai-Final_1_1.pdf" target="_top">arrived by sea</a>, and Islamabad, which is a Chinese military partner, is <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top">modernizing its </a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top">own</a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top"> navy</a>, including with Chinese submarines and drones.</p>

A year after a showdown on 'the roof of the world,' India is gearing up to take on China at sea

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/B Mathur</span></p><p class="caption">A surface-to-surface Agni V missile during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, January 26, 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>India successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, giving it strike capabilities currently had by only a few countries.</strong></li><li><strong>The test comes amid a heightened period of tensions with India's nuclear-armed neighbors, Pakistan and China.</strong></li><li><strong>India has been beefing up its military capacities in recent years, buying hardware and developing missiles.</strong></li></ul><p><br />India successful tested the Agni 5 missile on Thursday, moving it closer to joining the small group of countries with access to nuclear-capable intercontinental missiles.</p><p>This is India's first successful test of the Agni 5 at its full range, the Indian Ministry of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> said in a <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=33" target="_blank" rel="noopener">release</a>. The test also marks a significant step in India's military development amid tensions with China and Pakistan.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/agni-5-nuclear-capable-ballistic-missile-successfully-test-fired-1801610">missile test was conducted</a> on an island off India's east coast, flying for 19 minutes and covering more than 3,000 miles. It was the fifth such test and the third consecutive one firing the missile from a canister on a road-mobile launcher, the Indian Ministry of Defense said. All five tests have been successful.</p><p>The ministry said "all objectives" of the latest test were met and it "reaffirms the country's indigenous missile capabilities and further strengthens our credible deterrence."</p><p>The Agni 5 is the most advanced in the Agni series, part of a program that began in the 1980s. It has a range of more than 3,100 miles and puts India <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/world/asia/india-ballistic-missile-icbm.html?smid=tw-share&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">among countries</a> like the US, China, and Russia that have access to intercontinental ballistic missiles. The missile is also set for incorporation into India's Strategic Forces Command, which oversees the country's nuclear-weapons stockpile.</p><p>The three-stage missile is 55 feet long and is capable of carrying a payload of more than 1.5 tons, which is enough to carry "fusion boosted fission warheads with a yield of 200-300 kilotonnes," <a href="http://www.delhidefencereview.com/2018/01/18/successful-pre-induction-trial-of-indias-agni-v-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-takes-it-closer-to-deployment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to an editorial by Saurav Jha, the editor in chief of the Delhi Defense Review.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Indian Defence Research and Development Organization</span></p><p class="caption">A surface-to-surface Agni V missile is launched from Wheeler Island off the eastern Indian state of Odisha, April 19, 2012.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Heightened tensions with India's neighbors</h2><p>India is currently in a tense period of relations with its western neighbor, Pakistan, with which it has long had a contentious relationship. New Delhi <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-test-fires-missile-amid-perceived-threats-from-china-pakistan-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> it faces a threat from Pakistan's development of a nuclear missile program of its own.</p><p>New Delhi and Beijing went through a protracted standoff over a sliver of land in the eastern Himalayas over the summer - the worst border dispute between the two countries in three decades. The <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/surge-in-chinese-transgressions-faceoffs-on-line-of-actual-control-5018330/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">number of faceoffs</a> between Indian and Chinese personnel in disputed areas on their shared border increased considerably in 2017.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://twitter.com/ThePrintIndia/status/898871876813967361">The Print/Twitter</a></span></p><p class="caption">A still image of Indian and Chinese troops clashing on the border in the eastern Himalayas, August 15, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The latest period of border tension was punctuated by a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/video-of-chinese-indian-troops-fighting-with-stones-at-himalaya-border-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brief hand-to-hand, rock-throwing clash</a> in another disputed area in the western Himalayas.</p><p>China has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/world/asia/india-ballistic-missile-icbm.html?smid=tw-share&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> India's development of the Agni 5 and <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-hopes-india-us-australia-japan-quadrilateral-wont-damage-third-party/articleshow/61521305.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed dismay</a> about India's growing defense ties with the US and other countries in the region.</p><p>India has been boosting its military development over the past few years, largely in response to the growing Chinese presence in the region, which is home to heavily trafficked and strategically valuable shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>Beijing now has a presence at ports in <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>, <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>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Djibouti</a>, and has a growing relationship with <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/indias-regional-power-credentials-under-threat-by-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Maldives</a>. China's navy, its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">submarines in particular</a>, is increasingly active in the Indian Ocean, especially around the Malacca Strait, through which the country passes about 80% of its fuel supplies.</p><p>India has expanded its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-submarine-warfare capabilities</a> and its acquisition of military hardware, like warships and fighter jets. It is also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">looking to boost</a> its domestic military industry through partnerships with international firms. Some parts of its missile program, however, have <a href="https://theprint.in/2017/12/24/setback-for-indian-missile-programme-two-failures-in-a-week-submarine-version-stuck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced setbacks</a> in recent weeks.</p><h2>Advances in India's missile technology</h2><p>With the Agni 5, New Delhi is now able to hit targets in most of China - including major cities on the country's east coast. The missile's mobile-deployment capacity also makes it harder to track and boosts India's second-strike capabilities. Its reentry vehicle may also <a href="http://www.delhidefencereview.com/2018/01/18/successful-pre-induction-trial-of-indias-agni-v-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-takes-it-closer-to-deployment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mitigate</a> ballistic-missile defenses being developed by China.</p><p>"If there are hostilities, and if there are contingencies, then India has something which can deter China or at least make China think twice," Nitin A. Gokhale, an independent national-security analyst in India, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/world/asia/india-ballistic-missile-icbm.html?smid=tw-share&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Times.</p><p>India has made other advances in its missile technology in recent months.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Kamal Kishore</span></p><p class="caption">India's Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, mounted on a truck, during a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, January 23, 2006.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In late November, India's air force <a href="https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/23/india-successfully-test-fires-fastest-cruise-missile-from-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it become the first air force in the world to successfully test an air-launched Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=33" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after firing one</a> of the 5,500-pound, two-stage missiles from a modified Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet at a sea target off India's east coast.</p><p>The successful test in November gave India the ability to launch the missile from sea, land, and air.</p><p>The Brahmos, which is based on Russia's P-800 Oniks sea-skimming cruise missile, was <a href="https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/23/india-successfully-test-fires-fastest-cruise-missile-from-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a joint project</a> between New Delhi and Moscow. Russia provided 65% of the missile's components, while India supplied the majority of the rest.</p><p>The Brahmos is reportedly <a href="https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/23/india-successfully-test-fires-fastest-cruise-missile-from-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">able to carry</a> a 660-pound warhead up to 250 miles, traveling at speeds up to Mach 3. That combination of speed, range, and explosive power makes the missile a threat to large surface ships, like aircraft carriers, as well as to fortified targets on land. Its speed and low altitude may also mean that anti-missile defense, especially shipboard ones, <a href="https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/23/india-successfully-test-fires-fastest-cruise-missile-from-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would have trouble</a> intercepting it. There is also <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/india-test-fires-nuclear-capable-cruise-missile-from-fighter-jet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speculation</a> the missile could be modified to carry a nuclear warhead.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-changes-way-see-world-india-greenland-texas-united-states-africa-south-america-2017-4">These 10 maps will change the way you see the world</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

India's latest missile test puts it closer to joining an exclusive club and will 'make China think twice'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A hand-to-hand skirmish high in the Himalayas this month was the deadliest border clash between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> in decades.</li><li>The two sides are working to ease tensions, but the showdown still has the potential to spark a broader war between two of the world's largest and well-equipped militaries — here's how those two forces stack up.</li></ul><p>A medieval-style brawl between Chinese and Indian soldiers on their border in <keyword id="26604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="ladakh">Ladakh</keyword> this month turned a usually bloodless dispute into a potential cause for war between the world's two most populous countries.</p><p>The brawl lasted six hours and killed 20 Indian soldiers. Chinese officials have not said how many of their soldiers were killed or wounded but have <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/jun/22/china-finally-admits-it-lost-less-than-20-soldiers-in-clash-with-india-2159915.html?fbclid=IwAR0pxiHVF-AmAV6iaEW9FKvYDeTejMoMMoSvrvLBvosmhH5R2sFX4svchig">admitted</a> to losing "less than 20" troops after India reportedly handed over 16 bodies.</p><p>The clash is the biggest development in a standoff that began in early May and was the first time <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/forgotten-in-fog-of-war-the-last-firing-on-the-india-china-border/article31827344.ece">since 1975</a> that the two nuclear-armed nations shed blood over their decades-long <keyword id="6417196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="border-dispute">border dispute</keyword>.</p><p>Both sides are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-china/indian-and-chinese-military-agree-to-disengage-on-disputed-himalayan-border-idUSKBN23U115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working to ease tensions</a> in the region, but the days since, both have deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. India and China have also <a href="https://www.opindia.com/2020/06/while-china-builds-new-fortifications-india-moves-its-jets-and-helicopters-to-forward-bases-along-lac-report/">moved</a> advanced air assets to forward operating bases in the region and begun building new fortifications.</p><h2>The world's 2 biggest militaries</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian army soldiers" height="982" width="1500" msid="76580460" hostid="261"></div></p><p>China and India today are giants.</p><p>The two countries together <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/health/india-china-world-population-intl-hnk/index.html#:~:text=China%2520and%2520India%2520currently%2520account,and%2520India%2520to%25201.3%2520billion.&amp;text=That%2520would%2520put%2520China's%2520population,1.5%2520billion%2520forecast%2520for%2520India.dia.">account</a> for about 37% of the world's population and are the second- and fifth-largest <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/the-5-largest-economies-in-the-world-and-their-growth-in-2020-2020-01-22">economies</a>, respectively. They are also the second- and third-largest <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/global-military-expenditure-sees-largest-annual-increase-decade-says-sipri-reaching-1917-billion">spenders</a> on defense and are <a href="https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.asp">ranked</a> fourth and fifth on the Global Firepower Index, which ranks potential military strength.</p><p>China and India also have the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militaries-most-active-duty-soldiers-troops-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two largest active-duty armies</a>, China with about 2.1 million active servicemen and India with roughly 1.4 million.</p><h2>China has a technological advantage</h2><p><div type="image" title="China army base Himalayas" height="1729" width="2500" msid="76580464" hostid="261"></div></p><p>On the whole, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is widely seen as more technologically advanced than India's military.</p><p>In China's arsenal are stealth fighters, a larger number of nuclear submarines, more military <a href="https://ucsusa.org/resources/satellite-database">satellites</a>, and a wider array of modern vehicles and small arms.</p><p>Some of those weapon systems were built with places like the Himalayas in mind, such as the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/type-15-meet-tank-china-could-use-fight-india%25E2%2580%2594or-launch-amphibious-invasion-119781">Type 15</a> light tank and a new 155 mm vehicle-mounted howitzer; both were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EueZdJW_DM">recently featured</a> in televised drills in Tibet.</p><p><div type="image" title="China Chinese troops soldiers Tibet training" height="1809" width="2500" msid="76580474" hostid="261"></div></p><p>This technology gap "owes primarily to the fact that the Chinese have invested more resources into modernizing their military for a long time at a sustained and high level," Timothy Heath, a senior international and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation, told Insider.</p><p>The PLA has gone through a massive modernization and restructuring effort since the 1990s, which has been one of the biggest priorities for its leaders, <a href="https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/stratperspective/china/ChinaPerspectives-10.pdf/">especially</a> President Xi Jinping.</p><p>China has also shifted from buying advanced equipment from foreign suppliers to being able to produce its own domestic designs.</p><p><div type="image" title="India border soldier troops Himalayas" height="1667" width="2500" msid="76580482" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Conversely, India has had to rely on foreign suppliers for advanced equipment, and its domestic industries have not been able to produce the type of equipment in the numbers needed to rival China.</p><p>Until recently, India had not been able to invest the amount of money in defense that countries like China, Russia, and the US do because of its smaller economy. India also needs to send resources to address more immediate threats.</p><p>"Part of the issue with India is that their security problem is much more fragmented," Heath said, noting India's long-time fight with insurgents and the constant challenge from Pakistan.</p><h2>The technology gap is smaller the Himalayas</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian fighter jet Himalayas Ladakh" height="1667" width="2500" msid="76580492" hostid="261"></div></p><p>But none of this means that the <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/india-china-postures/China%2520India%2520Postures.pdf">outcome is preordained</a>. While the PLA has more advanced equipment, most of its best assets and units are focused in eastern and southern China, poised to face off against the US, Japan, or Taiwan.</p><p>A war with India would be fought largely in the tough, mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, landscape that is radically different from what most of the PLA is trained to deal with. Moreover, India's military is a <a href="https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/imbalance-of-power">capable and well-equipped force</a>.</p><p>In particular, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Su-30MKI all-weather multirole air-superiority fighter is regarded as superior to the Chinese J-8, J-11, and Su-27 fighters stationed in the region.</p><p><div type="image" title="India Chinook helicopter Himalayas Ladakh" height="1666" width="2500" msid="76580501" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The IAF also has a number of US-made Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters already deployed, and unlike the Chinese pilots, they have more dedicated experience flying in the region's <a href="https://www.drivespark.com/off-beat/why-planes-dont-fly-over-himayalas-tibet/articlecontent-pf84128-025108.html">very difficult conditions</a>.</p><p>Further, India has more advanced air assets already in the region and closer to potential conflict zones, whereas China's air bases are fewer and further inland.</p><p>India is also expecting its order of S-400 air-defense systems from Russia this fall. This will free up more IAF aircraft for ground-attack roles.</p><h2>India's army is modernizing</h2><p><div type="image" title="India Brahmos cruise missile" height="920" width="1400" msid="76580514" hostid="261"></div></p><p>India's army is going through a modernization process. It's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkxWgZZlHeU">replacing</a> its domestically made INSAS rifle and AK-47s with the modern AK-203 and SIG 716 assault rifles. It is also replacing the World War II-era Sterling submachine gun with Caracal CAR 816s and for the first time introducing dedicated sniper rifles like the Barret M95 and Scorpio TGT.</p><p>In February, the army <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-us-sign-contract-for-additional-apache-attack-choppers/articleshow/74299279.cms">signed</a> a contract for six US-made Apache helicopter gunships and is expected to soon order a number of Indian-made HAL light combat helicopters, which are designed to operate in the Himalayas.</p><p>When it comes to armor, India's T-90 and T-72 tanks should also be worthy adversaries to China's Type 99 and Type 96 tanks.</p><p>India also has the Brahmos ram-jet supersonic cruise missile. Developed in a joint venture between India and Russia, it is capable of reaching Mach 3, making it one of the fastest missiles in the world. It can be launched from ground and naval launchers and was recently <a href="https://swarajyamag.com/insta/amid-mounting-tensions-with-china-iafs-brahmos-a-supersonic-cruise-missile-is-now-ready-for-combat-use">approved</a> for use by the Indian Air Force.</p><h2>Experience is a factor</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian soldiers troops Himalayas Ladakh" height="1666" width="2500" msid="76580525" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The Indian army also has an edge in experience. India has fought numerous wars with Pakistan, most recently the Kargil War in 1999. It has also fought decades-long insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir and was involved in the Sri Lankan Civil War.</p><p>One Chinese analyst <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-has-largest-most-experienced-mountain-army-in-the-world-says-chinese-military-expert/story-4eR8hDrrshV7j59OHvfIYO.html">acknowledged</a> that India is "the world's largest and experienced country with plateau and mountain troops."</p><p>Conversely, China has not fought a major war with anyone since its brief war with Vietnam in 1979 and has used <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/what-motivates-chinese-peacekeeping">UN peacekeeping missions</a> as a way for its troops to gain experience.</p><p><div type="image" title="China Chinese troops soldiers Tibet training" height="1833" width="2500" msid="76580537" hostid="261"></div></p><p>However, as Heath <a href="https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/11/chinas-military-has-no-combat-experience-does-it-matter.html">points out</a>, "combat experience does not automatically translate into military advantage."</p><p>In particular, the Chinese "are in a better position to concentrate and mass force than the Indians," Heath says. "It doesn't matter how good and experienced your troops are if you're outnumbered 10 to one."</p><p>Moreover, China's ability to move forces means it may be able to quickly redeploy some of its best equipment and assets, like stealth fighters and ballistic-missile systems.</p><h2>A naval confrontation</h2><p><div type="image" title="Chinese China navy submarine" height="920" width="1400" msid="76580546" hostid="261"></div></p><p>While China and India don't share a maritime border, they both have vested interests in the Indian Ocean, particularly in the Strait of Malacca, the shipping channel that connects the Indian and Pacific oceans.</p><p>The vast majority of China's oil imports flow through that strait, as does a large percentage of global trade.</p><p>China is <a href="https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2019/08/26/the-malacca-dilemma-a-hindrance-to-chinese-ambitions-in-the-21st-century/">keenly aware</a> of its importance and is determined strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean. China has established <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a naval base in Djibouti</a>, may be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/06/02/chinas-new-high-security-compound-in-pakistan-may-indicate-naval-plans/#7c1ce8631020">building</a> another in Pakistan, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/world/asia/china-sri-lanka-port.html">controls</a> a port in Sri Lanka.</p><p>The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has benefited greatly from investment and reforms. It is now one of the <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a27532437/china-now-has-more-warships-than-the-us/">largest and strongest</a> navies in the world and has advanced vessels like nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, guided-missile frigates and destroyers, and two aircraft carriers with more on the way.</p><p><div type="image" title="India navy Kalvari submarine" height="667" width="1000" msid="76580556" hostid="261"></div></p><p>India too has advanced naval assets and <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/top-story/indian-navy-to-build-24-submarines-including-six-nuclear-warships/story/392809.html">plans</a> to build more. It currently has one active aircraft carrier with another expected to start sea trials next year and has a number of advanced frigates and submarines, including two nuclear ones.</p><p>But the Indian Navy is still outclassed. China's Southern Theater Command alone has more diesel-electric attack submarines and guided-missile frigates than the entire Indian fleet.</p><p>However, India has the same advantage that China enjoys in the East China Sea: proximity to its mainland. Any fight with the PLAN would likely be in India's backyard, which means it can use land-based aircraft and coastal defenses against PLAN ships.</p><h2>Ballistic and nuclear missiles</h2><p><div type="image" title="India missile" height="1454" width="2200" msid="76580563" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The biggest fear, of course, is that any conflict between China and India will turn nuclear. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/nuclear-weapon-modernization-continues-outlook-arms-control-bleak-new-sipri-yearbook-out-now">estimates</a> that China has 320 nuclear warheads while India has 150.</p><p>Though China has more advanced delivery systems and warheads, the proximity of the two countries means that even conventional missiles and aircraft could still deliver massive destruction to Chinese and Indian cities.</p><p>However, most observers don't believe that a conflict stemming from current border disputes will lead to nuclear war. Both countries have a "no first use" policy, meaning they will only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack.</p><p><div type="image" title="China soldiers India border guard" height="1094" width="2300" msid="76580571" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The mass use of ballistic missiles also runs the risk of unintended escalation and prolonging conflict, as they would likely only create stretches of no man's land.</p><p>The disputes in question may not be seen as worth such destruction. As Heath put it: "risking such massive losses over a barren and desolate stretch of land up in the mountains — it's hard to see how that would be justified."</p><p>Any war between China and India, then, will most likely see troops attempting to take and hold land in the harsh Himalayas, where air support will be limited, and Indian efforts to fend Chinese ships off of its mainland.</p>

India and China's deadliest border clash in decades risks war between nuclear-armed rivals — here's how the world's 2 largest militaries stack up

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On display at the lawns of the Parliament's Library Building-- as part of the three-day long exclusive exhibition for the lawmakers, is the massive ARJUN main battle tank (MBT), developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army to fight adversaries along our Western border areas especially the plain and desert areas of Punjab and further South.<br />
<br /> However the reality is a bit bitter. Facing serious issues of weight, unfortunately the <keyword id="183999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-tank">ARJUN tank</keyword> remains largely unsuitable for being operated on border areas except for small stretches in the Barmer-Jaisalmer area.<br />
<br /> While the battle tank’s first variant ARJUN MkI weighed 62 tonnes (and this is the one on display), the second one – or the so called next gen, ARJUN MkII weighs even more at around 68 tonnes. As none of the bridges close to border areas can carry anything more than 60 tons, the usage of <keyword id="3542293" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="arjun-mbt">ARJUN MBT</keyword> to reach the border areas to fight wars remains a big question mark.<br />
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So effectively, the weight of the tank prohibits its use along most of the b0rder areas. Interestingly, a senior defence ministry official sarcastically but rightly commented, “If this tank can’t cross bridges and kill enemies on the border, who is it than aiming at?...Pakistan or the Parliament?”<br />
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Taking note of this deficiency, defence minister Manohar Parrikar has already ordered a study (involving all the stakeholders) to bring down the weight of this tank to 55 tonnes. According to defence ministry sources, Parrikar has openly expressed his unhappiness on the issues crippling the ARJUN MBT.<br />
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While weight is a major issue, other deficiencies of MBT Arjun includes its indigenisation content and also availability of ammunition that remains miniscule. Most of the ammunition that this MBT should fire is unavailable.<br />
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Also while Parrikar is pushing the Make in India program very hard, it is unfortunate that the Arjun MkI has less than 30% of indigenisation content. In ARJUN MkII, instead of the import content going done, it has only gone up, reveal officials. Weight too has gone up to 68 tonnes, a folly DRDO has accepted during an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of the 9th Defence Expo in Goa this March.<br />
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Dr S Christopher DG, DRDO gracefully accepts that the weight of Arjun is on the higher side. "Army says there are bridges where MkII might find it difficult (to move). This is the reason why we have developed the other bridge and made our tank go over it again and again when displayed at DefExpo. We are trying to tell the army that even if we may not be able to use it as it is everywhere, there definitely can be places where it can be used," Christopher was quoted in a news report in its online edition dated March 29.<br />
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The report further noted that the history of indigenous tank building has been an acrimonious affair with the army and DRDO having bitter differences over the road ahead. While the army relies largely on the Russian-made T72 and T90 tanks, the DRDO believes it isn't being a fair opportunity to develop its product. After a protracted struggle, 124 MkI ARJUN tanks were commissioned into the army.<br />
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Time For Some Reality Check: So while we are proud of various inventions by DRDO, BrahMos missile (jointly made with L&amp;T) being one, issues surrounding the ARJUN MBT are serious as a huge amount of public funds have gone into it. So our suggestion to DRDO is to look at reducing the weight of this tank that has been designed to fight wars on the borders and not just be stationed on the beautiful lawns amidst the kota stoned walls of the Parliament.<br />
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This DRDO exhibition, being held at the Parliament Library Building, will display numerous state-of-the-art defence technologies, products and systems developed by various DRDO laboratories indigenously, which includes the BrahMos missile, the ‘Arjun’ main battle tank, AEW&amp;C (Airborne Early Warning and Control System), Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher ‘Pinaka’, Remotely operated vehicle, NBC Recce Vehicle, Wheeled Armoured Platform (WHAP), Laser Ordnance Disposal System (LORDS), Varunastra Torpedo, Mobile Automatic Robotic System (MARS), Various type of Radars and other products. The Speaker of Lok Sabha Smt Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate the three-day long exhibition on the 3rd of August at 1000hrs.<br />
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Through this exclusive exhibition, the Members of Parliament from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are expected to visit the exhibition to get a first-hand account of huge work undertaken by DRDO and their successful implementation.<br />
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During the exhibition, DRDO will also organise a virtual reality display of Arjun Main Battle Tank, BrahMos Missile, AEW&amp;C (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) &amp; LCA-Tejas.<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Arjun_Tank.jpg">Image source</a>

Who is 'ARJUN' -- the overweight battle tank on display in Parliament, aiming at?

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>India has successfully conducted a test-launch of a nuclear-capable cruise missile that has a range of over 620 miles. </p>
<p>The Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile is India's first long-range missile to be built and designed inside the country. India's <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Research and Development Organization (DRDO) claims that the missile launch was a massive success and that the missile will fill a critical role within India's defensive capabilities.</p>
<p>"The missile maintained an accuracy better than 10 metres throughout its path and covered more than 1000 kms," <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-test-fires-indigenously-developed-sub-sonic-cruise-missile-nirbhay/articleshow/44845851.cms">said</a> Avinash Chander, the scientific advisor of the DRDO, in a press release after the launch. "The successful indigenous development of the Nirbhay cruise missile will fill a vital gap in the war-fighting capabilities of our armed forces."</p>
<p>According to NDTV, the Nirbhay will <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/cheat-sheet/india-s-cruise-missile-nirbhay-10-must-know-facts-608102">function</a> as India's answer to America's Tomahawk and Pakistan's Babur missiles. With a range of up to 1,000 km (620 miles), and a capability to carry nuclear warheads, the missile could be used by India as a deterrent against its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan.</p>
<p>The Nirbhay <a href="http://rusnavy.com/news/othernavies/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=13620">can be launched</a> from multiple platforms, and different variants are expected to be adopted by India's Navy, Army, and Air Force. The Nirbhay is <a href="http://rusnavy.com/news/othernavies/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=13620">expected to replace </a>India's previous cruise missile, the Brahmos, which was co-developed with Russia. </p>
<p>India's development of a long-range, nuclear-capable cruise missile comes within the context of ongoing tensions along the country's various disputed borders<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. India and Pakistan have </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/09/india-warns-pakistan-pay-heavy-price-shelling-kashmir">exchanged artillery fire</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> over the disputed region of Kashmir this month, leading to tens of thousands of residents being evacuated and India threatening further measures against its northern neighbor.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">India is also likely worried about <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">Chinese attempts to move into disputed territory in the Himilayas</a>. China, meanwhile, is developing its own advanced missile capabilities, including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hypersonic-weapons-arm-race-2014-9">boost-glide supersonic weapons</a> and ballistic missiles capable of carrying <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-worrying-new-weapons-2014-8">multiple nuclear warheads</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The Nirbhay is just the latest piece of evidence that India is serious about keeping pace with its regional rivals - last year, the country was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-is-the-worlds-largest-arms-importer-2014-6">the largest arms-importer in the world</a>.</span></p>

India Just Successfully Tested A Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missile

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<br />
<br /> Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="969998" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narenda-Modi">Narenda Modi</keyword> is on a two-nation political tour that started from Vietnam and now <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> is in Chinese city, <keyword id="232713" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hangzhou">Hangzhou</keyword> for the crucial G20 summit.<br />
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The recent past has seen a lot of tiffs between the Indian and Chinese government, be it over China's opposition to India's NSG application, or the topic of expulsion of Chinese journalists from India and how it was reported in the Chinese media.<br />
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However, since there is always some scope for a healthy discussion, here are five points that PM Modi would be pushing, as per a TNN report:<br />
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Pakistan<br />
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The recent unrest in Kashmir saw Pakistan openly supporting Kashmiri terrorists and separatists against India, after which, India questioned protests in PoK over rigged elections, stating that PoK PoK belonged to India.<br />
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It was then that PM Modi had warned Pakistan that India would raise its human rights violations in Balochistan in case Islamabad continues to support terrorist activities in Kashmir.<br />
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Since China is a close ally to Pakistan and is seen supporting it, there are high chances that Pakistan would be a topic of discussion between India and China.<br />
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China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)<br />
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India has been putting a lot of pressure on Islamabad, and this could prove to be harmful to the Chinese economy. CPEC is a $46-billion project, using which China wants to gain direct access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region. It has also invested heavily in the Gwadar Port in Balochistan for this very purpose.<br />
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A critical part of this corridor runs through PoK, and now that India has decided to reinforce its legal claims on PoK, Beijing is bound to be upset. Even though the Chinese government has steered away from commenting on this, some sources say that Chinese think tanks have suggested China-Pakistan taking a joint military action against India so that the CPEC project is unhindered.<br />
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South China Sea dispute<br />
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This territorial dispute has made China stand against several nations, and this is benefitting India.<br />
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After an international tribunal ruled in favour of India, that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea were not justified, India had issued a statement in which it made a direct appeal to all nations involved in the conflict to "exercise self-restraint," so that the dispute is not complicated further.<br />
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was on his visit to India recently, when he said that it was up to New Delhi to support Beijing on the South China Sea dispute or not, also making sure that New Delhi does not raise the South China Sea issue anywhere.<br />
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India's budding friendships with South East Asia countries<br />
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Vietnam is also involved in the South China Sea dispute, and Modi will be visiting it before China, where he would be signing a contract for the supply of four patrol vessels to the Vietnamese military. He could also discuss defence cooperation with Vietnam, much to China's chagrin.<br />
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India is increasingly getting friendly with other countries in the South East Asia, and China will most likely see these emerging friendships as a not-entirely-friendly alliance.<br />
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India's infrastructure development along China border<br />
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Till almost a decade back, India had not built any infrastructure alongside Chinese border, making sure that Chinese be able to advance slowly in case Beijing invades India. However, China built up high-quality roads and rail links along the 3500-km border with India.<br />
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Now that India is also looking to push infrastructure projects there, China has said that these efforts would only escalate tensions between the two countries. It was only recently that Beijing criticized India's decision to deploy the advanced, supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos on its border with China, claiming that this deployment was "the opposite" of peace and stability. This too could be a topic of discussion, given that China on its part has done heavy military deployment in that area.<br />
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PM Modi in China for G20 summit, and here is what he’ll be talking about

AP Photo/Manish Swarup<br /><br />Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> with Chinese President <keyword id="191809" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xi-Jinping">Xi Jinping</keyword> in Goa, <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, October 16, 2016.<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>A year after a showdown along their disputed border, India and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> have improved their relationship.</strong></li><li><strong>Despite that renewed cooperation, the strategic issues driving the tension between them are unresolved.</strong></li><li><strong>Persistent issues, along with other moves both sides are making, increase the chances of a future clash.</strong></li></ul>At the end of August 2017, India and China backed away from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-between-china-and-india-continue-year-after-doklam-standoff-2018-8" target="_blank">a 73-day standoff</a> on the Doklam Plateau, high in the eastern Himalayas.<br /><br />In the year since, both sides have sought to mend ties, especially after a summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in the eastern Chinese city of Wuhan in April.<br /><br />The two countries are engaged in a kind of "recalibration" of their relationship, even though deeper-rooted issues that divide them persist, according to Faisel Pervaiz, a South Asia analyst at geopolitical-intelligence firm Stratfor.<br /><br />REUTERS/Desmond Boylan<br /><br />Chinese and Indian border guards at the Nathu La mountain pass, between Tibet and the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, July 6, 2006.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The appointment of Vijay Gokhale, who was ambassador to China during the Doklam crisis and helped resolve the dispute, to foreign secretary was "an indication that India wants to take ... a less confrontational posture," Pervaiz said.<br /><br />China, too, has come to believe it needs "a bit more calm" with its neighbors, including India, in part because of contentious relations with the US, Pervaiz added, though he stressed that Beijing's change in thinking was likely temporary. China has also made overtures to India about a potential partnership in trade disputes with the US.<br /><br />This week, <keyword id="6358777" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword> and Beijing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-china-launch-joint-training-for-afghanistan-plan-more-projects-2018-10" target="_blank">launched</a> a joint program to train Afghan diplomats, and China's ambassador to the country <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-china-launch-joint-training-for-afghanistan-plan-more-projects-2018-10" target="_blank">predicted</a> more cooperation there in the future. Next week, they are to sign a <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-participation-in-global-counterterror-front-high-on-rajnath-singhs-china-visit/article7895845.ece" target="_blank">long-discussed</a> internal-security agreement <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-a-first-india-china-to-sign-internal-security-agreement-next-week-1933038" target="_blank">expected to cover</a> cooperation on intelligence sharing, disaster mitigation, and other issues.<br /><br />Despite the apparent rapprochement, the two countries are keeping a close eye on each other.<br /><br /><br /><br />Reuters<br /><br />Map locating Donglang, or Doklam, a disputed area between China, India, and Bhutan.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />While India has largely pulled back from positions it took during the Doklam standoff, imagery reviewed by Stratfor in January showed that in late 2017 and early 2018, Delhi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-between-china-and-india-continue-year-after-doklam-standoff-2018-8" target="_blank">increased its deployments</a> of combat aircraft to bases near the disputed area.<br /><br />Those images showed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-between-china-and-india-continue-year-after-doklam-standoff-2018-8" target="_blank">even more activity</a> around Chinese bases in Tibet, north of the disputed area, including airfield upgrades and a large aircraft presence. (China puts more assets at those bases because it does not have bases closer to the border area.)<br /><br />This month, officials <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chinese-bunkers-at-lhasa-airport-worry-india/story-B85jNuqEH72jiPk7sPKbcM.html" target="_blank">told Hindustan Times</a> that Delhi was concerned about construction at the Chinese air base in <keyword id="69031" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="lhasa">Lhasa</keyword>, which included bomb-proof bunkers for aircraft and expanded <keyword id="839167" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="surface-to-air-missile">surface-to-air missile</keyword> batteries.<br /><br />"You need blast- or bomb-proof hangars for fighters only if there is a possibility of hostilities," one official said.<br /><br />Any activity with military hardware or other assets that could have military applications around the eastern end of India and China's shared border was likely to attract scrutiny, Pervaiz said.<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri<br /><br />A snow-covered Indian army camp at the India-China trade route at Nathu-La, 34 miles north of Gangtok, capital of India's northeastern state of Sikkim and near the Doklam Plateau, January 17, 2009.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"If you are India or China and you are seeing any sort of moves that either military is making, you view that almost through the lens of paranoia - that if you're making that move, how can that be used against us in a potential conflict?" he told Business Insider.<br /><br />The Doklam Plateau sits at the southern edge of the Himalayan mountain range, where the elevation is on average close to 15,000 feet. High altitudes and rough terrain put considerable limitations on military operations.<br /><br />While the higher elevation gives China an <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/sizing-competition-doklam-plateau" target="_blank">advantage</a> in surveillance and physiological acclimatization, lower air density hinders jet aircraft engines and limits the weaponry and fuel that aircraft can carry. China's air force is larger than India's, but it only has five air bases in Tibet - though upgrades at the Lhasa base described by <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chinese-bunkers-at-lhasa-airport-worry-india/story-B85jNuqEH72jiPk7sPKbcM.html" target="_blank">Hindustan Times</a> include special helicopter bases that allow them to take off and land with full payloads.<br /><br />India's air power in the region would offer it some advantages. Indian air bases, including those that received more aircraft earlier this year, are closer to the area in question than China's bases. India <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/sizing-competition-doklam-plateau" target="_blank">counts 20 air bases</a> within range of the Line of Actual Control, which separates Indian- and Chinese-claimed territory.<br /><br />India has also also practiced with transport planes at forward landing areas in the region.<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/Files<br /><br />An Indian army officer, left, talks with a Chinese soldier at the 14,140-foot high Nathu-la pass on the country's northeastern border with China, April 9, 2005.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But China's air defenses are more <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/sizing-competition-doklam-plateau" target="_blank">effective and reliable</a> than India's. And China has more artillery that can fire farther and is more mobile.<br /><br />Thin air at higher elevations hinders traditional rocket propulsion, but Chinese officials claimed in August they were progressing on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-says-making-progress-with-electromagnetically-launched-rockets-2018-8" target="_blank">a type of electromagnetic propulsion</a> that would give rocket artillery longer range and more accuracy.<br /><br />Both countries can be expected to use land-attack cruise missiles - the Indian Su-30MKI jets deployed to the area are capable of firing India's Brahmos missile. But China has a larger inventory of them, and the paucity of Chinese targets in the area north of the border would likely mean Beijing would have the edge.<br /><br />Much of the fighting in a conflict around Doklam would likely be done on the ground, even though the terrain would limit quick strikes and mass movement of troops.<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Frank Jack Daniel<br /><br />Monpa tribeswomen employed by the Indian army work on India's Tezpur-Tawang highway, which runs to the Chinese border in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, May 28, 2012.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Both countries are among <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-powerful-militaries-in-the-world-ranked-2018-2" target="_blank">the most largest militaries</a> in the world. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militaries-most-active-duty-soldiers-troops-2018-5#2-india-1362500-active-personnel-14" target="_blank">China's 2.1 million active-duty troops</a> are far more than India's 1.3 million, though Indian troops may bring more experience to bear.<br /><br />Indian fought its last war, with Pakistan, in 1999 and has been involved in sporatic clashes with Pakistan, as well as counterterror and counter-insurgency operations for years. (Delhi was developing a special Mountain Strike Corps for the northern border, but it <a href="https://www.janes.com/article/81837/indian-army-shelves-plans-for-new-fighting-corps" target="_blank">was shelved</a> this summer.)<br /><br />China fought its last war in 1979 - a three-week incursion into Vietnam that ended with China's withdrawal, though both sides claimed victory. Xi has <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2153579/chinas-army-infiltrated-peace-disease-after-years" target="_blank">ordered</a> China's military to increase readiness and launched reforms to the force.<br /><br />Along the Line of Actual Control, however, China may gain an edge through <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/sizing-competition-doklam-plateau" target="_blank">superior</a> command, control, and communications and through its unified command structure in the region, whereas India divides the region among three combatant commands.<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Frank Jack Daniel<br /><br />An Indian army truck drives along India's Tezpur-Tawang highway, which runs to the Chinese border, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, May 28, 2012.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />India is aware that it would likely lose a military confrontation with China, Pervaiz said, as it did in 1962. (Mao later said China invaded essentially <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-how-it-could-go-down-if-china-and-india-went-to-war-2017-8" target="_blank">to teach India a lesson</a>.)<br /><br />A conflict now is not in the interest of either country, he added, but "they both are going to continue to sharpen their capabilities in the event that there ever is a conflict [in order] to be able to fight and execute on that conflict, no doubt about it."<br /><br />Since the end of the Doklam standoff, China has kept the assets it deployed there - tents, bunkers, and vehicles, Pervaiz said - in place, even as Indian forces withdrew.<br /><br />Questioned about that change in parliament earlier this year, the Indian <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> Ministry tacitly admitted "China has actually altered those facts on the ground" and India had to accept the change, Pervaiz said.<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri<br /><br />Indian soldiers play a friendly volleyball match with Chinese soldiers at the Indo-China border at Nathula in Sikkim state, about 109 miles from the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri, September 15, 2005.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />India too has pursued a longer-term shift in its strategy toward the disputed border.<br /><br />Delhi tried to minimize the number of roads in the border area after the 1962 war in order to deprive future enemies of transportation routes.<br /><br />Since the 1990s, however, India has switched to what Pervaiz called "an offensive-defense posture, meaning that we're not just going to deny the Chinese access to roads in our region. We're actually going to start building more roads and infrastructure so that our military can be better positioned."<br /><br /><br /><br />REUTERS/Adnan Abidi<br /><br />A signboard on the Indian side of the Indo-China border at Bumla, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, November 11, 2009.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Amid the recalibration, the broader strategic issues driving tensions between India and China - the border dispute or China's partnership with India's rival, Pakistan - have not dissipated, suggesting the current period is one in which both sides are trying to manage their disputes, which Pervaiz analogized to treating a chronic illness.<br /><br />"It may be that the physician says that you're not going to get rid of this," he said. "This is something you're going to have to live with for the rest of your life, but we can manage it ... and then the symptoms can stay under control."<br /><br />Even though neither side sees conflict as in their interest, deep-seated disputes that persist raise the chances one may occur.<br /><br />"In the long run, because the strategic drivers are still there, and they're building up their assets, the roads, the bunkers," Pervaiz said, "that that does mean in the future, there's actually a heightened probability there's going to be some sort of confrontation, even if it's a small one."<br /><br />            <br /><br /><h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://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>        <pre style="display: none;">function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</pre>        <br />

The world's 2 biggest countries are playing nice a year after a showdown, but a future clash may be unavoidable

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">India's Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles during a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, January 23, 2006.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In 2015, arms-transfer agreements reached a total value of $79.9 billion, down from the 2014 total of $89 billion, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.</p><p>The US dominated the trade, making agreements valued at $40.2 billion, which was 50.29% of all such agreements.</p><p>That number was up from $36.1 billion in 2014 and was well ahead of second-place France, which made agreements worth $15.3 billion, 19.16% of agreements made globally in 2015.</p><p>The total value of <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> arms-transfer agreements during the 2012-2015 period was up significantly over the previous three years, going from $266.6 billion between 2008 and 2011 to $317 billion.</p><p>The developing-developed-world breakdown held steady over those two three-year periods as well. Developing-world countries were involved in 80.92% of arms-transfer agreements made around the world between 2012 and 2015, up only slightly from the 80.39% share recorded between 2008 and 2011.</p><p>The US was first in the value of all arms deliveries made around the world, at a value of $16.9 billion or 36.62% of the total. Russia was second last year, making $7.2 billion in such deliveries. France was third, at $7 billion in deliveries.</p><p>2015 was the eighth year in a row that the US was first in this category, and Russia was second in each of those eight years.</p><p>"These three suppliers of arms in 2015 collectively delivered approximately $31.3 billion, or 67.77% of all arms delivered worldwide by all suppliers in that year," wrote Catherine A. Theohary, a national-security policy specialist at the CRS and the author of the report.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US government/Congressional Research Service</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Many major weapons suppliers saw increases in sales in 2015. In addition to the US's market share, which grew from 40.5% in 2014 to 50.3% last year, the four major Western European suppliers - France, the UK, Germany, and Italy - held about 22% of worldwide arms agreements last year.</p><p>While 2015 saw an increase in total weapons sales, "the international arms market is not likely growing overall," Theohary writes, adding:</p><p>As the expansion of the global weapons market appears to have halted, competition among suppliers has increased, with arms producers vying to satisfy traditional partner countries as well as to attract new customers.</p><p>European sellers and the US have been competing to make sales to India and to oil-rich Persian Gulf states, particularly of combat aircraft. In turn, developing countries with cash to spend have leveraged competition among arms suppliers to secure better deal terms and the transfer of more advanced technology.</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/Category:Army_of_Qatar#/media/File:Eagle_Resolve_130428-M-HF949-002.jpg">US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Juanenrique Owings</a></span></p><p class="caption">Tanks assigned the Qatar Emiri Land Forces roll through Al Galail, Qatar, during Eagle Resolve 2013, an annual multilateral exercise designed to enhance regional cooperative <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> efforts in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and US Central Command.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>It should be noted that all arms-transfer agreements to developing countries in 2015 were down in value from the previous year, falling from $79.3 billion to $65.2 billion. The value of arms deliveries to developing countries also ticked down, from $36.2 billion in 2014 to $33.6 billion in 2015.</p><p>Between 2012 and 2015, the US and Russia made up just over half of all arms-transfer agreements to developing-world countries. Each year between 2008 and 2015, two or three major suppliers made most of the arms transfers to the developing world.</p><p>The US market share, as a percentage, of arms-transfer agreements with developing-world countries rose slightly in 2015 from the previous year, even as the total dollar value fell.</p><p>Most of those agreements were made with countries in the Middle East and Asia, including deals to sell Patriot missiles and other munitions to Saudi Arabia; Patriot missiles, Javelin missiles, and Apache helicopters to Qatar; and aircraft upgrades and the Aegis Shipboard Combat System to South Korea.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US government/Congressional Research Service</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russia saw a slight decline in the value of global arms-transfer agreements, falling from $11.2 billion in 2014 to $11.1 billion last year, but the value of its deals with developing countries rose from $10.2 billion in 2014 to $11 billion.</p><p>Russia is able to offer a variety of munitions, from low-tech gear to advanced weapons systems. Those offerings have helped it remain competitive in some markets, even as other suppliers outstrip Moscow's research and development efforts.</p><p>Russia has sold combat aircraft and main battle tanks to China and India and made arms deals with the likes of Malaysia, Burma, and Algeria.</p><p>Moscow has focused its recent arms-sales efforts on Latin America, where Venezuela has been a principal buyer. Russia has also worked to make its weapons-deal terms more flexible and to improve its follow-on services to clients.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Grigory Dukor</span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 Triumph medium-range and long-range surface-to-air-missile systems drive during the Victory Day parade, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Among Western European powers, France and the UK have had the most success making deals with developing countries between 2008 and 2015, but Germany has had success selling naval systems customized for developing countries, as has the UK with aircraft sales.</p><p>European powers have made a variety of lucrative deals with Middle Eastern states, including French deals for frigates with Egypt and Rafale fighter jet and missile sales to Qatar, as well as the UK's sale of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.</p><p>"The major West European suppliers, individually, have enhanced their competitive position in weapons exports through strong government marketing support for their foreign arms sales," Theohary writes. </p><p>"All of them can produce both advanced and basic air, ground, and naval weapon systems," she added, noting that the US's largest customer base and ongoing demand for US weaponry are challenges to European suppliers.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Phil Noble</span></p><p class="caption">A worker crosses the floor of the Eurofighter Typhoon production line at BAE systems Warton plant near Preston, northern England, September 7, 2012.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>China has also emerged as an influential arms supplier since the 1980s, when Beijing proved willing to provide weaponry to Iran and Iraq during their brutal war that lasted most of that decade.</p><p>From 2012 to 2015, China's arms-transfer agreements to developing countries averaged more than $4 billion annually, with 2015 as the highest year, when the country made $6 billion in deals. Those sales can be attributed to an ongoing relationship with Pakistan, as well as to deals with smaller values made with countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.</p><p>While Beijing has provided small arms and light weapons to many African states and sold missiles to ther countries, few developing countries with large financial resources have turned to China, as the countries weaponry lags behind that of Russia and the West in terms of sophistication.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andy Wong/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-21D antiship ballistic missiles, potentially capable of sinking a US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike, travel past Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, September 3, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The US, with a diverse stable of buyers developed in the decades since the Cold War, has been able to conclude a series of deals each year, providing follow-on products like upgrades, spare parts, and ordnance for those deals in the years afterward.</p><p>This means Washington is likely to retain its spot as a main weapons supplier to developing countries, as it "provides a steady stream of orders from year to year, even when the United States does not conclude major new arms agreements for major weapon systems," Theohary writes.</p><p>"It also makes the United States a logical supplier for newer- generation military equipment to these traditional purchasers," she adds.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nukes-tweet-arms-race-nuclear-weapons-putin-russia-morning-joe-2016-12">'Let it be an arms race': Trump doubles down on nuclear weapons tweet</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tlb2ZqODE6MPwuZGfJnziqgTbYIlVD_s" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "pakistan brahmos" and got 12 results

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