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| India-Pakistan |
| New Delhi Asks U.S. for AESA Radar |
| 2005-12-03 |
| New Delhiâs interest in the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and other sensitive military technologies topped the agenda at the Nov. 23 meeting of the India-U.S. Defense Policy Group in Washington. U.S. officials promised to consider an Indian request to buy the advanced radar, which is more sensitive, reliable and flexible than New Delhiâs current sensors, said sources familiar with the meeting. Chaired by Shekar Dutt, Indiaâs defense secretary, and Eric Edelman, the U.S. defense undersecretary for policy, the meeting marked the seventh gathering of the policy group and the first for its Defense Production and Procurement Group, Indian Embassy officials said Nov. 23. The new groupâs members âdiscussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the field of defense supplies as well as industrial and technological cooperation between USA and India,â the statement said. Washingtonâs AESA decision could guide the Indian Air Force as it contemplates an $8.5 billion purchase of up to 200 multirole combat aircraft, an Air Force official said. New Delhi has issued an international request for information for the contest, which has drawn responses from Lockheed Martin about its F-16 and Boeing about its F/A-18. Both firms cleared their initial submissions with the U.S. government. Franceâs Mirage fighter, Swedenâs Gripen and Russiaâs MiG also are competing. New Delhi is expected to announce a formal request for proposals by late December. U.S. sources said India might buy two different aircraft to fulfill its needs. One version of the AESA radar, made by Raytheon, Waltham, Mass., is just entering the American arsenal aboard U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The F/A-18 radar has not been mass-produced or approved for export, Raytheon spokeswoman Faith Jennings said. But the Pentagon has approved the export of a version of the F-15 that has interested air forces in the Middle East and Asia that fly the fighter, said Raytheon executive Arnie Victor. The discussions followed landmark agreements between New Delhi and Washington. In June, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed a 10-year defense cooperation framework agreement. In July, U.S. President George W. Bush agreed to give U.S. civilian nuclear technology to energy-hungry India. The latter agreement, which would require amending U.S. laws, raised a furor in Congress. But some key lawmakers who once strongly opposed Indian access to nuclear technology and fuel are now signaling their support. Among them is Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., a key member of the U.S. House International Relations Committee and co-chair of the House Pakistan caucus. Burton recently told India Abroad, a weekly newspaper that covers the Indian diaspora in the United States, that he was âleaning very strongly towards supporting the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal right now.â U.S. and Indian officials expect the agreement to be blessed by Congress before Bushâs planned visit to India early next year. Officials at the Pentagon and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees U.S. arms transfers, were unavailable to comment by press time. DSCA officials and Indian Embassy officials in Washington involved in the discussion were away in India. |
| Posted by:john |
| #5 He even points out that hes referring to a plane that is already in production by France's Dassault Bréguet, that leaves only the Rafale Ah.. so the 4000 was an error.. But didn't the IAF reject the Rafale? In any event, it is way too expensive, especially for a 200 plane order. No way that would pass the Indian Finance Minister |
| Posted by: john 2005-12-03 21:40 |
| #4 John a couple of things: 1) The mirage 4000 does not exist except as a one-off prototype that served as the testbed for the Rafale. Every single article I've read about the IAF looking at the Mirage 4000 has been written by the same indian writer working for the Hindustan Times (his article therefore is subject to being in error regarding the planes designation because). He even points out that hes referring to a plane that is already in production by France's Dassault Bréguet, that leaves only the Rafale (which is essentially what the Mirage 4000 is/was/now has become) and the Mirage 2000-9 series (which btw is the candidate France entered into the MRCA contest bid India is having). If Indias MoD has gotten completely raving mad then maybe they did figure a 2 engined Mirage 2000 of its old series is better but with only 1 prototype out there theres almost no modern data on it that isnt over 10 years old. 2) Its not so much the radar sets that are an issue as much as there are issues regarding ITAR waivers with engine tech. India doesn't want to deal with the ITAR restrictions from what I hear and the only way they'd be willing to put up with them is they got some really advanced radar sets for a good pricing. |
| Posted by: Valentine 2005-12-03 20:48 |
| #3 The IAF wants to simply their logistics and maintenance so reducing the number of aircraft they operate is a factor. They are quite pleased with the Mirage 2000 and would prefer 200 of them. This was the original request that the MoD shot down, demanding competitive international bidding. While the Super Hornet is a good aircraft, it is expensive. The goodies on offer are what may sway the contract. India has nothing comparable to the latest AESA radar and the air to ground PGMs the SH can fire are an added bonus. The Chinese factor is important. Pakistan operates the F-16 and has transfered one to China so they would be familiar with this. The Su-30s are also operated by China. F-18s are another matter (especially combined with Israeli Phalcon AWACs and the IL-78 tankers). The Chinese have no experience with these. They would give them something to think about if introduced into the theatre. |
| Posted by: john 2005-12-03 13:17 |
| #2 I'm assuming the AESA is too heavy to fit into the LCA. This order will only be for the Super Hornets if purchased. Reports claim the fighter order will be increased to 200. Speculation is 60/140 mix from two vendors. Say 60 Super Hornets (so 60 AESA radars) with percentage offset contracts given to Indian companies and 140 Mirage 2000-5s to be built in India (with complete transfer of technology from France). Then again, the 140 may go to Mig for an updated Mig 29 with Israeli, French and Indian avionics. Dassault has powerful friends in the Indian MoD however and they have resurrected the Mirage 4000 - a two engine, larger version of the Mirage 2000. They want the order for all 200 aircraft. Saab is bidding with their Gripen. Germany has convinced the Indian Gov't to consider the Eurofighter Typhoon. Don't write off Lockeed Martin, they are pushing hard for the F-16s. |
| Posted by: john 2005-12-03 13:04 |
| #1 I don't like to be too technical, but the real question here is..... How Many? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-12-03 12:06 |