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India Defense Sector Booming

The BrahMos missile, which can carry a conventional warhead of up to 660 pounds, has a range of 180 miles.
by Krishnadev Calamur
Washington (UPI) Sep 26, 2007
New BrahMos missile in 5-7 years
Work on a new hypersonic missile by BrahMos, the joint venture between India and Russia, will take between five and seven years, an Indian defense official said.

RIA Novosti quoted the unnamed Indian official as saying the missile will travel at five times the speed of sound and be practically impossible to intercept.

The deal is part of their 1998 joint venture, BrahMos Aerospace, to design, develop, produce and market a supersonic cruise missile, the news agency reported. Land- and sea-based versions of the missile are already in service with the Indian army and navy.

The BrahMos missile, which can carry a conventional warhead of up to 660 pounds, has a range of 180 miles. The company is working on aircraft- and submarine-based versions of the missiles.

IAF eyes new helicopters
In a bid to boost surveillance and air-to-ground fighting skills, the Indian air force plans to buy new attack and heavy-lift utility helicopters.

The Press Trust of India reported that the air force had placed sensors on unmanned aerial vehicles and fixed-wing assets and was training in battles from stand-off distances.

"Post Kargil operations, war maneuvers are being undertaken regularly to validate new concepts in precision attacks, waging aerial campaigns from stand-off distance for a more effective interdiction in military campaigns in the mountains," said Air Marshal P.S. Ahulwalia, who heads the air force's western air command, which is responsible for aerial defense along the China and Pakistan borders.

PTI reported the comments.

In a bid to test these concepts, some 130 frontline fighters of the Indian air force recently participated in a weeklong exercise conducted near the Himalayas and the northern plains, he said, according to PTI.

IAF may replace Chetak, Cheetah with Eurocopter
The Indian air force plans to replace its aging fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters with Eurocopter Fennec AS 550 C3 helicopters, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major told India Strategic, an IANS media partner, indicated the move, but did not specifically name the Eurocopter. But the Indian army has already chosen the Eurocopter over Bell 407, and the air force and coast guard are expected to do the same, India Strategic reported.

Major said it would take about 10 years to complete the program to acquire helicopters for different roles.

"IAF's requirement of helicopters will be met by induction of additional helicopters for various roles in a phased manner during the next two five-year plan periods," he told India Strategic. "This will offset the force-depletion due to phase-outs."

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China Goes Shopping For More Arms Part 1
Moscow (UPI) Sep 26, 2007
Due to the recent reshuffle in Russian corridors of power, it appears the defense minister will have to put off his visit to China, planned for this September, until spring.







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