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US President Barack Obama prepares to visit India, a prominent think tank has said that the two countries would build their strong bilateral defence ties based on the new strategic realities of Asia. The defence relationship is one of the many bright spots in the overall bilateral relationship, said the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), a Washington-based think tank. "It is expected that the United States and India will continue to develop a strong bilateral defense relationship, albeit one that looks less like an alliance than a partnership based on shared goals. The US and Indian armed forces will...

Given the global buzz around the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) ongoing $10-billion procurement of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), my suggestion to scrap the process and, instead, go in for a straight buy of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightening II fighters is admittedly radical. But consider this: when the F-35 enters service, a couple of years from now, it will comfortably outclass every one of the six fighters that the IAF is currently evaluating. Thereafter, through the entire 30-40 year service life of the selected MMRCA, the IAF will fly a second-rung fighter when it could have gotten the best....

"I am a contented man. My childhood dream has been fulfilled," gushed President A P J Abdul Kalam after his 30-minute joy ride in the rear cockpit of a fighter aircraft (SU-30 MKI Flanker) on Thursday. This feat has made the President the oldest Indian to fly a fighter aircraft. As he was helped out of the aircraft by "co-pilot" Wing Commander Ajay Rathore, after it touched base at the Lohegaon Air Force station, the President's eyes gleamed with excitement. So affected was Kalam by the experience that he kept smiling with childlike glee. Clad in the flying gear of...

As part an upgrade and to evolve new tactics in aerial warfare, Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) Gwalior-based Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) will for the first time receive frontline fighters Sukhoi-30MKI by the end of this year. Gwalior is essentially a base for French Mirage-2000 fighters. TACDE is an aerial warfare training institution which devises combat tactics for its top 1% fighter pilots. The Sukhois will replace MiG-27s, which will go back to their original bases in Kalaikunda, Hashimara and Bagdogra in the east. A source said the new Sukhois being manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will...

The 1971 Indo-Pak War was over and the Pakistan Air Force did not perform as well as in the 1965 war with India. The American technology which our brave pilots and engineers had absorbed and put to its maximum performance in the previous war let us down in the 71 War. The Korean vintage F-86 Sabers, F104 Star Fighters and B-57 Bombers along with their Missiles and Avionics Suites had out-stretched their operational lives and were now lingering along in our inventories to be counted in numbers. All the smart alecks on the payroll of the PAF in the mid...

F-16 aircraft to the Government of Pakistan from the United States during an induction ceremony today at Shahbaz Air Base near Jacobabad, Pakistan. "The induction of these advanced F-16s is a historic milestone for U.S.-Pakistan relations - both a symbolic and tangible demonstration of our strong partnership and the U.S. intent to stand beside Pakistan over the long-term as an important ally and friend," said Amb. Anne Patterson, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan. "These aircraft underscore the promise made by the United States to support Pakistan to achieve our mutual goals of defeating violent extremists and establishing peace and security." U.S....

President Obama fired his commander in Afghanistan after the general and his staff made intemperate comments about administration officials that appeared in a magazine article. But what was behind the disparaging comments? They may be symptomatic of a deeper frustration with the conduct of the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. By themselves, the comments by General Stanley McChrystal and his aides, made in the presence of a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine, are harsh. One aide calls National Security Advisor General James Jones a clown. Another rude comment is directed at Vice President Biden. General McChrystal himself speaks disparagingly of special...

Adding potency to PAF’s fleet, three most modern F-16 aircraft would be inducted at the newly upgraded base under the Southern Air Command of the country on Sunday.Delivery of Block-52 type of F-16 aircraft, especially designed to ably meet with the country’s present and future needs is a part of goodwill gesture by the United States.Pakistan is the second country after Israel to get these state of the art aircraft from the US. Total 18 aircraft, equipped with Modern Electronic Warfare gadgets like Sniper Pods, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Threat Warning System (TWS), Beyond Visual Range missiles, and Night...

China will reportedly make a statement on its decision to supply two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan during the meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group this week in New Zealand . The Indian government has suggested it will be trying to call Beijing's bluff by exposing the underlying flaws in China's argument in support of such a deal. New Delhi has also made its reservations known to Beijing through diplomatic channels. But should it really come as a surprise that China is trying its best to maintain nuclear parity between India and Pakistan? After all, this is what China has...

India’s military might is expected to take a big leap early next year when it test-fires the over 5,000-km-range nuclear-capable Agni-V missile. Agni-V is the country’s most ambitious strategic missile project, and a successful culmination of the test stage will propel the country into an elite club of ICBM-capable nations. ``Work is progressing satisfactorily on the development of Agni-V, which is expected to become a reality next year. With this, the DRDO would have given India a comprehensive indigenous strategic capability, available with only a few nations of the world,’’ DRDO chief V K Saraswat remarked while speaking at the...

Pakistan's arms supply relationship with North Korea dates back to 1971 when the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then foreign minister under the late General Yahya Khan, visited Pyongyang and sought North Korean arms supplies to strengthen the Pakistani armed forces in the face of a looming war with India. Pakistan then did not have diplomatic relations with North Korea. The visit led to the signing of an agreement on September 18, 1971, 10 weeks before the outbreak of the war with India, for the supply of North Korea-made conventional weapons to Pakistan. Under another agreement signed the same day, the...

With the Indian Air Force embarking on modernisation, the skies over different parts of the country will witness yet another high-profile test with evaluations of attack helicopters due to start this summer. Seeking to get off the mark, Boeing is fielding the AH-64D Apache helicopter for the trials, Dean Millsap, regional director, Asia Pacific International Business Development, told a group of visiting Indian journalists here. Mr. Millisap said an IAF team was due to arrive in the United States and thereafter dates for the trials in different weather conditions would be finalised. Boeing is among the international companies that responded...

A core group of US and Pakistani officials met and reviewed the status of American military equipment deliveries to Pakistan, including the new F-16 fighter aircrafts, aimed at strengthening the country's security capabilities, an official statement has said. The meeting that was held on May 5 in Rawalpindi, was co-chaired by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Thomas M Countryman, Deputy Director of the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency Jeanne Lynn Farmer, and Major General Nasir Mahmood, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defense Production. Among recent developments, the Working Group discussed the April 30 delivery of US P-3C...

India intends to integrate a variant of its Nirbhay long-range cruise missile on the Suhkoi Su-30MKI Flanker strike aircraft, following the weapon’s initial development in the ground-launch configuration. The addition of the Nirbhay to the Flanker’s weapons inventory would give the platform a long-range—and potentially strategic—strike capability. While details on the Nirbhay program remain scant, Indian officials have suggested the weapon will have a range of 800-1,000 km. (500-620 mi.). An air-launched derivative of the Nirbhay would be a candidate platform for the air force element of India’s strategic nuclear triad ambitions. Packaging of a warhead in the constrained space...

India's defence minister cautioned the United States on Friday against military supplies to rival Pakistan, saying the hardware could be diverted to target India. The warning came after the US in March said it would deliver unarmed drones to Pakistan and less than a month after it unveiled plans to transfer 600 million dollars to Islamabad to pay for anti-militant operations. A. K. Antony told reporters in New Delhi that India's concerns had been conveyed to Washington. "Even though the US is giving equipment to Pakistan to fight against the Taliban, we feel there is every possibility of (Pakistan) diverting...

The Pentagon on Thursday said Pakistan would decide when to move against extremists in North Waziristan and that it was not Washington's role to dictate timing of military operations in the country. US officials have long urged Pakistan to take its offensive against Islamist militants to North Waziristan, home to an array of extremists including Al-Qaeda and the so-called Pakistani Taliban. Revelations that a foiled car bomb plot in New York City may have been linked to the Pakistani Taliban have added fresh urgency to US requests for action by Islamabad in North Waziristan. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell repeated...

Eight experienced Pakistan Air Force pilots, who have flown the F-16A/B, recently learned to fly the newer C/D model aircraft at the 162nd Fighter Wings, international F-16 training unit at Tucson International Airport.The graduation ceremony will be held at Pima Air and Space Museum on Tuesday, May 4. Guest speakers include Air Marshal Waseem Ud Din, the Pakistan Air Force deputy chief of staff, and Brig. Gen. Lyn D. Sherlock, the director of regional affairs, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. The pilots are the first to train in the US since the...

The United States appears to have realised the importance of strengthening Pakistan’s conventional defence while also enhancing its capability to fight extremists. In doing so, senior US officials also recognised Pakistan’s concerns about India and conceded that Washington’s growing ties with New Delhi were a cause of concern for Islamabad. “We must continue to reassure Pakistan that as it combats the terrorist threat, it is not exposing itself to increased risk along its eastern border,” said Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy while explaining why the United States needed to strengthen Islamabad’s conventional defence systems as well. “Although...

The Pentagon says the impending sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan is a sign of burgeoning relationship between the two countries, that has clearly been evolving week by week. "The F-16 sale is a sign of this burgeoning relationship between us and increased defense cooperation between our two countries. So the personnel that are going there in advance of the arrival of those planes is to assist the Pakistanis so that they can operate these sophisticated warplanes," said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell. Morrell also noted the "great strides" made over the past few weeks to try to accelerate reimbursement...

The United States will soon transfer 600 million dollars to Pakistan to reimburse the government for military operations against militants, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The move marked an attempt by Washington to address complaints from Pakistan over protracted delays in US payments, press secretary Geoff Morrell said. "There has been some concern on the Pakistanis' part about the rate at which they are reimbursed for coalition support funds for their efforts in the war on terror on our behalf within their borders," Morrell told reporters. "We have made great strides over the past few weeks to try to accelerate...