United States Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer on Saturday said that induction of C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft in the Indian Air Force on time is a win-win situation for both the countries.
The pressure on India to take a hostile attitude towards Russia and China was not subtle, but it was guarded, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan after Monday's 2+2 ministerial meeting in Washington, DC.
'India faces a very peculiar situation where the two most honest men in the Union Cabinet are suddenly facing the charge that massive scams took place in their own departments. Is that just coincidence?'
China's massive military lead over India has never been starker. On Tuesday, amidst fanfare, Defence Minister A K Antony travelled to Bengaluru for a milestone in the development of India's 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft, a fourth-generation fighter that is still two years away from full service. The same day, an advanced, fifth-generation stealth fighter -- so far only speculated about, as the J-20 -- made its first flight in China.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday rejected his cabinet colleague and Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's demand for deployment of army in Maoist-affected areas of West Bengal, saying use of armed forces for internal security was the 'last resort.'
MiG 21s, which have been involved in frequent crashes, will start getting phased out from 2014, setting the stage for giving the Indian Air Force a 'new look' with the induction of modern next generation aircraft. "MiG 21s which constitute around 40 per cent of the IAF fleet will start getting phased out from 2014. With the induction of modern next generation aircraft such as the FGFA and MMRCA, the IAF will be a new look force," Defence Minister AK Antony said.
Accusing Pakistan of not making any serious attempt to dismantle terror infrastructure, India on Wednesday said that this was a cause for 'major worry' and it will examine 'all the available, possible options'. Sending a tough message a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of the involvement of Pakistan's state agencies in the Mumbai terror attack, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "We will do everything to prevent such attacks".
Pakistan has violated Indian airspace 23 times in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. "Indian air space has been violated 29 times by foreign aircraft during the period between December 2007 and November 2010. These include 23 occasions by Pakistan, thrice by China, twice by the United States and once by Bangladesh," Defence Minister A K Antony said in written reply to a query.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh continues to be in the hot soup. The crisis regarding the Indo-Pakistan joint statement simply refuses to blow over with the party now giving charge to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony to diffuse the situation, retrieve the issue with the least damage to the government.
'Anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity'
Indian Army Chief Gen V K Singh seems to have won the first round in the legal battle on the age row with the Supreme Court on Friday saying the manner in which his statutory complaint was rejected by the government "appears to be vitiated".
'Everyone I know has somebody kidnapped or murdered by the terrorists.'
In a bid to help India meet an acute shortage of spares for its armaments, Russia has offered to set up a depot in the country, the first of its kind, to cater to the requirements of the three defence services. The proposal of the Russian government was being examined by the government.
General James Jones (retired), President Barack Obama's national security adviser, announced his decision to step down from his position, which would be taken over by his deputy Tom Donilon.
As India goes ahead with its plan to modernise the armed forces, US has pitched for India to buy defense equipments from American companies. "We think we have the finest military hardware in the world, and if India is upgrading its defense capabilities, they should buy American," State Department spokesman, P J Crowley told reporters.
The figures, placed in Parliament, do not reveal if such a large number have been injured in conflicts the country has had to face since Independence or otherwise.
After Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Congress is caught in a seat sharing tangle with its alliance partners in Kerala, so far the only clear winning state for the ruling party at the Centre. Senior leader and union defence minister AK Antony has landed in Kerala and has begun discussions with alliance partners of the United Democratic Front, on how best to resolve contrary claims.
"The situation in Pakistan is very serious and terrorism is spreading," Defence Minister A K Antony told media-persons in New Delhi when asked to comment on developments in the neighbouring country and Taliban's threat to India and the attack on Iran.
"I did not know that the Australian police is so stupid and are charging on something so senseless," she said in an emotionally-choked voice.
The Barack Obama administration has launched a concerted and aggressive campaign on behalf of United States's fighter aircraft manufacturers to push for the 'mother of all deals'-- the $11 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft deal for 126 fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The deal could give the ailing US economy a major boost in terms of both exports and thousands of jobs.
The makes of these fighter planes were MiGs, Su-30 MKI and Jaguar. Six pilots were killed in these crashes. This includes 2 MiG-21 aircrafts that crashed during take off.
In a feat that came a decade after the multi-role LCA took to the skies, Defence Minister A K Antony handed over the IOC certificate to Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik at the HAL Airport in Bengaluru.
The 143-metre-long warship, with 6,000-tonne displacement, has "versatile control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features."
In a bid to build a blue-water navy capable of operating across oceans, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday commissioned the first of the Shivalik-class multi-role frigate with stealth features.
Ahead of Indo-Pak talks, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said that despite problems with its neighbours, India will continue to engage them in dialogue to find a solution in the long run.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday directed officials to ensure safe evacuation of all Indian citizens from Afghanistan and to provide refuge to Sikhs and Hindus wanting to come to India from there, as he chaired a crucial high-level meeting in the backdrop of the Taliban takeover of the war-torn country, sources said.
The Congress Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh West constituency Takam Sanjay has urged the Centre to focus more on developing the frontier in Arunachal Pradesh after reports of a massive development in China across the border.
Showcasing its precision strike capabilities during day and night, Indian Air Force on Sunday carried out a massive fire power blitzkrieg using its frontline aircraft such as SU-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MIG 27 and MIG 29, at the Pokhran ranges in Rajasthan.
The nuclear-tipped Agni-III has all cities in both Pakistan and China, including Beijing, within its striking range and will be India's second strike deterrent.
India on Thursday said its foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan will 'not be affected' despite increased infiltration by militants from across the border or the neighbouring nation failing to dismantle terror groups operating from its soil.
Earlier this week, Defence Minister A K Antony advised General Kapoor to initiate disciplinary action against Lt General Prakash, as against the Army chief's recommendation to initiate administrative action against his former aide.
The 16th round of India-China border talks will be held in Beijing on June 28 followed by the visit of Defence Minister A K Antony a week later as the two countries are set to resume top level contacts to build on the recent visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to New Delhi.
Recently, former Army chief general J J Singh, before laying down office, had suggested that histories of the conflict with China and Indo-Pak wars should be made available to military strategists and other stakeholders to draw the right lessons from them.
Army headquarters sources told PTI that General Kapoor, who was in the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan yesterday to witness the BrahMos missile test, took the opportunity to go on an unscheduled visit to the forward areas in Bikaner and Bhatinda regions of the two border states.
Amid reports that Pakistan may seek extradition of Malegaon blast accused Lieuteant Colonel Shrikant Purohit in the Samjhauta Express blast case, India on Tuesday virtually rejected the demand, saying Islamabad had no locus standi in the investigations involving the Army officer."The case (Malegaon blast) is under examination by the Anti-Terror Squad (of Maharashtra Police). It is our internal matter. We are investigating it. How can Pakistan be concerned with that,"he said.
India on Saturday asked Pakistan to be "sincere" in acting against terror groups on its soil in its own interest and "not to satisfy India".
Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday said a Navy inquiry has established a senior officer's connections with a Russian woman, but it was yet to be probed whether the link had influenced the price hike of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
Accusing the government of engaging in a 'game of quiet diplomacy' with certain groups in Jammu and Kashmir, a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament on Monday claimed it was playing into their hands by withdrawing 30,000 troops from the state. BJP leader S S Ahluwalia said during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha that a 'game of quiet diplomacy is being played with certain groups'. Without naming the separatists, the BJP leader said, "There are secret meetings held with them."
A total of 234 army personnel have died fighting terrorists in the last four years, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
India on Friday asked the world community to cooperate in its efforts to get Pakistan act against terror outfits operating from its soil. "We expect cooperation from all world communities to get speedy results to our demands," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here to a question on United States President Barack Obama's reference to Pakistan and Afghanistan as the central front in America's war against terrorism.
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