Month: September 2009

Blog: China on my mind

StratPost’s Saurabh Joshi tries to analyze the fortnight-long controversy over intrusions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army across the Line of Actual Control into India and the larger environment between the two countries from which this flare-up has arisen.

Israel issues highest level warning of terror strikes in India

The Very High Concrete Threat, the highest level of threat perception issued by the Israeli Counter Terrorism Bureau, recommends that Israelis refrain from visiting places known to be frequented by westerners and Israelis and places without visible armed security, and also urges Israelis to avoid visiting the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Brazilian U-Turn: Relief and Confusion for Rivals

The news of the reprieve is greeted with honest bewilderment. “We don’t know what’s happening,” said one official from the Swedish vendor, a rival to Dassault’s Rafale of France for the Brazilian order. Indications are also being drawn from the absence of the Brazilian Air Force chief at the announcement of the deal.

Gripen hardsells new AESA radar, low cost for MMRCA

Saab claims this radar to be unique for its ‘Swashplate’, which allows the face of the radar to be swiveled around allowing for radar coverage up to an angle of a hundred degrees, sideways, also tagging the Gripen with a price that is half of the F-16 and a quarter of the twin-engine contenders in the race.

Rafale wins Brazilian order

This may be significant for the Indian MMRCA contest as five of the original six contenders for the Brazilian order are also vying for Indian Air Force order. “We came up on top in the technical evaluation,” said a source from Dassault, who also indicated the parameters of the two contests to be similar.

F-16 at the MMRCA proving grounds tomorrow

So far, the aircraft was in the week long first phase of trials which consisted of training on the aircraft for Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots comprising academic exercises, cockpit familiarization as well ‘a bit of flying’, as one insider put it.