DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ukraine On Brink Of Missile Deal With India Reports Media

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ukraine On Brink Of Missile Deal With India Reports Media

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 26, 2012: Ukraine is close to signing one of its biggest ever defense deals for air-to-air missiles with India, according to Russian media reports.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta says the deal for R-27 missiles, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, is in the final stages and is waiting for approval from the Ukrainian leadership.

The Vympel R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) missile is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar to U.S. AIM-7 Sparrow.

The missile comes in infrared-homing (R-27T), semi-active-radar-homing (R-27R), and active-radar-homing (R-27AE) versions. It would be fitted to India’s MiG-29 and Su-30 fighter jets.

While the deal has not been confirmed officially, the paper quotes a source close to Ukraine’s national security and defense council, saying both nations are sensitive to Russian concerns over the deal and want to make sure that it would not irritate Moscow.

Tensions between Kiev and Moscow could arise later because if the deal is successful, India may want to buy other weaponry from Ukraine, entering a market dominated by Russia, defense analysts quoted by the paper said.

Some industry experts believe Moscow would not oppose the deal as the Ukrainian company is the only manufacturer of these missiles, although Russian firms supply some components for R-27.

The R-27 was originally designed by Vympel, a Russian missile design bureau, in the 1980s. Vympel is now part of Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation, which now produces successor weapons to R-27.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-india-defense-news-ukraine-on.html

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Air Force And Army Conducting Joint Military Exercise In NEFA

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS:  Air Force And Army Conducting Joint Military Exercise In NEFA

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: The air force and the army are conducting an exercise across the eastern and northeastern states to test defences and special operations in the event of hostilities with China. This is the largest exercise of its kind.

“This time we are focused on the Brahmaputra Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram to exercise our entire capabilities in all roles in conjunction with the army to disrupt enemy intrusion and take the battle to the adversary,” Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, senior air staff officer of the Shillong-headquartered Eastern Air Command, told The Telegraph.

Codenamed “Pralay”, the exercise was designed by the Calcutta-headquartered Eastern Army Commander, Lt General Bikram Singh, and the Eastern Air Commander, Air Marshal S. Varthaman.

The exercise area is spread over the eight northeastern states and Bengal but action is mostly concentrated along the Brahmaputra Valley and Arunachal.

The air force has also deployed its assets from other commands to the east and northeast for the exercise, which is expected to conclude on March 3. “Pralay” began on February 29 but the mobilisation for it started on February 20.

More than 70 aircraft — including the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) planes, Sukhoi 30MKi, MiG-29, MiG-27 and Mirage 2000 combat planes — have been deployed.

This is the first time that the Israeli Phalcon AWACS are being tested in a simulated combat environment on such a scale. AWACS are designed to detect, acquire and designate targets for other fighter aircraft. Mid-air refuellers have also been deployed to practise long-range strike missions.

“Drills that will help us validate joint operational directives in the valleys and the hills are being emphasised,” Matheswaran said.

The air force spokesperson, Wing Commander Gerard Galway, said the eastern command holds an annual exercise. But the deployment of assets from the western and central air commands to the east shows that the scale this time is much larger.

The war-gamed scenario is of a short but intense conflict. Matheswaran said the AFNET — the air force’s own optic-fibre cable grid — was being used for voice, data and visual communication.

“This exercise is bringing out the net-centric capabilities that we are developing,” he said. The exercise would culminate by concentrating on a few unspecified areas in Assam and Arunachal.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-india-defense-news-air-force.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Revs Up Arms Exports

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Revs Up Arms Exports

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 23, 2012: In 2011,   Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporting agency, fetched $13.2 billion from its arms and military equipment sales, which exceeded the initial goal by $1.6 billion. Russia is the world’s second biggest arms exporter. By 2012, experts predict its turnover to surge even higher, surpassing the $14 billion mark.

The munitions market is one of those few spheres where Russia stands at par with Western powers. It is a considerable success, even though Russia slightly lags behind the US, whose sales revenues have reached $28-34 billion in 2011.

It’s worth noting, however, that the majority of American exports are related to US military aid programs and arms sales within NATO, where the US dominates both R&D and manufacturing. Thus, US-produced arms never fall short of demand, especially among the NATO novice members.  

Over the past five years, Russian has been heavily concentrating on diversification of its weapons export market. Since then, it has witnessed a significant surge in demand and a drop in the shares of its largest contractors. Its reach keeps broadening with time. In 2011, Russia was selling munitions to 57 countries worldwide. But the year 2012 is expected to be pivotal, with major income flows coming from a few large contractors, mainly from India. In 2012, India will receive $7.7 billion worth of Russian arms, which amounts to over 60% of the Russian arms market and almost 80% of Indian imports.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-russia-revs-up.html