Ajay Banerjee

After the United States supplied India cutting-edge, elusive and restricted applied sciences on making aero-engines for fighter jets, armed drones, semiconductors, space-based radars, quantum computing and 6G communications, New Delhi has made a strategic shift — away from being Russia-centric or France-centric — to entry such applied sciences. Aero-engines and armed drones are military-use tools. The different applied sciences are dual-use, which support crucial functions of modern-day militaries throughout peace and battle.

The bilateral assembly between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Washington DC on June 22 had unprecedented bulletins on expertise sharing. From New Delhi’s standpoint, it will be imprudent to time period the shift pro-American, or ‘moving away’ from Russia, its longstanding ally. For now, it’s nearly getting companions for the elusive army expertise as threats from China rise.

In the previous 60 years, India has licensed-produced army tools of Russian/Soviet Union parentage, together with T-90 tanks, Sukhoi 30 MKI and MiG-21 jets. India and Russia co-produced the BrahMos missile. Moscow handheld India within the nuclear submarine programme; it transformed a warship into an plane service, INS Vikramaditya, and provided the S400 air-defence missile system.

Similarly, France joined arms with India to make the Scorpene class submarines in India. It offered the cutting-edge Rafale jets in 2019 and in Nineteen Eighties, supplied the Mirage 2000 jets, the most recent on the time.

Sweden-based suppose tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in March launched its evaluation for a five-year interval (2018-2022). It stated: “Russia remains the largest supplier of major arms and supplied 45 per cent of all Indian imports.” France and the US have been second and third with 29 per cent and 11 per cent share, respectively. The report in contrast the five-year interval with the earlier five-year interval to point out that Russia’s share in India’s market was declining.

New Delhi was formally ‘non-aligned’ throughout the Cold War (1945-1991) however was an ally of the Soviet Union, together with signing in August 1971 the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. It allowed Soviet Union to intervene to stall a doable US strike throughout the 1971 Indo-Pak battle.

The India-US strategic relations took child steps after the Cold War. In 1995, the 2 agreed on having ‘defence relations’. Ten years later, in 2005, the 2 signed a ‘framework of defence relationship’. A buyer-seller relationship emerged. India sourced planes just like the C-17, C-130 and the Boeing P8I maritime reconnaissance planes. Helicopters included the Apache, the Chinook and the submarine-hunting MH 60R. There was no expertise switch concerned.

The India-US expertise shift was described thus by President Biden on the joint press convention: “We have made critical and emerging technologies the pillar of our next-generation partnership.” Biden is just not off the mark, as over the subsequent three many years, US-origin expertise shall be a component and parcel of India’s war-fighting effort.

US-origin engines

US aerospace big General Electric (GE) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will produce the GE-F414 engines for fighter jets in India. The US okaying expertise switch of 80 per cent of the engine means a geo-strategic shift is about to unfold.

US-origin engines might be placed on 440 fighter jets scheduled to be made in India over the subsequent twenty years. This contains the 83 Tejas Mark 1A, the manufacturing of which begins in February utilizing the already contracted General Electric engine F404.

The subsequent lot of Indian jets will get the higher-powered F414 engine with a 98 kilo newton (kN) thrust. The F414 engine is sweet for 130 of the Tejas Mark 2 jets and 100 of the twin-engine deck-based fighters (TEDBF) for the Indian Navy. Besides this, the 126 Indian Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) are deliberate in two phases. The F414 engine is appropriate with the primary lot of 40 AMCAs. For the later model, GE has submitted a proposal of co-developing and co-manufacturing a higher-powered 110 kilo newton thrust engine, it’s learnt.

The Tejas Mark 1 — 40 jets have been inducted within the Indian Air Force — is powered by GE F404. The switch of expertise contains crucial and restricted applied sciences like crystal blade coating, laser drilling and polymers, to call just a few. The US, France, UK and Russia have these elusive applied sciences. “India will get technology never transferred to any country,” stated a prime functionary within the defence institution.

Access to armed drones

Some three years in the past, in August 2020, India, throughout the army standoff with China alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leased two MQ-9A surveillance drones from the US firm General Atomics. The photos and movies beamed dwell to controllers on the bottom supplied inputs at a a lot lesser price than a manned surveillance aircraft.

Now, India is able to induct 31 armed drones, the MQ-9B, made by General Atomics. The US and its allies just like the UK, Japan, Canada or Australia have these.

Former Deputy Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh (retd), says: “The MQ-9A increased our maritime domain awareness. The MQ-9B has better sensors, range, endurance, electronic surveillance and can carry weapons.”

The India-US joint assertion stated: “MQ-9Bs will be assembled in India. General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) facility in India to support India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities”. That means, related drones of different international locations can bear restore and overhaul right here. Indian-origin Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, was main this effort of getting India on board.

The MQ-9B is assessed as a category-1 tools underneath the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). It can be utilized to focus on enemy positions on floor, warships at sea, submarines, airbases and even small targets like planes, apart from offering 24×7 surveillance functionality.

At sea, the drones buttress the Navy’s fleet of P8I surveillance planes. “The drones can pick up signals from existing ‘sonobuoys’ at sea and remain focussed on target for longer periods,” says Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh. On land, the Himalayas create a boundary between India and China. Vast areas which can be bodily inaccessible shall be monitored by the drones.

US warship repairs

In August final yr, US Navy Ship (USNS) Charles Drew arrived at L&T’s shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai, for repairs, the primary ever restore of a US Navy ship in India.

The Ministry of Defence stated it “assumes special significance in the strategic partnership and marks the beginning of a new chapter for deeper engagements”.

Now, aside from L&T, the US Navy is finalising ship restore agreements with Mazagon Docks Limited, Mumbai, and Goa Shipyard. “These will allow mid-voyage US Navy ships to undergo service and repair, facilitating cost-effective and (be) time-saving,” a reality sheet issued by the White House stated. The Indo-US Defence Industrial Roadmap seems to be to work collectively for the creation of logistic, restore and upkeep infrastructure for plane and vessels in India.

Space missions

In April 2024, it is going to be 40 years since Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma’s house flight onboard a Russian spacecraft. The yr will mark a significant transition for India-US house actions. NASA and ISRO have introduced a joint manned mission to the International Space Station. Also, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite tv for pc is to be launched in 2024.

The radar of the satellite tv for pc was delivered to ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru in March this yr. ISRO has recognized a variety of functions of relevance to India, together with monitoring of snow and glacier research, coastal and ocean research. India’s boundary with China and a big a part of the boundary with Pakistan are snow-bound.

India and USA even have a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) association. The India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group spans cutting-edge earth remark capabilities to interplanetary exploration. India is now a signatory to the Artemis Accords and joins 26 international locations dedicated to the peaceable, sustainable and clear exploration of Moon, Mars, and past. Another $318 million funding has been made to assemble a Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in India, which is able to work in tandem with US, Europe and Japan.

Semiconductors, the holy grail

Semiconductors are utilized by the army for avionics on warships, planes, guiding missiles, computing and communications, amongst different functions. SCL-Mohali, BEL and HAL cater to the defence and house sectors. Capacities are restricted and expertise has overtaken these public sector entities.

The Modi-Biden meet introduced a $825 million funding by Micron Technology, one other $400 million by Applied Materials, whereas Lam Research will prepare 60,000 engineers. The new ecosystem is predicted to spill over into the army and strategic domains when it comes to information. Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar termed these “significant and meaningful milestones”.

Crucial data sharing

The US and India are working to strengthen undersea area consciousness cooperation. For the primary time, Indian liaison officers shall be positioned in three US instructions — deepening crucial data sharing. The two sides are in talks for a Security of Supply Arrangement and Reciprocal Defence Procurement Arrangement that can allow the availability of defence items within the occasion of unanticipated provide chain disruptions.

The defence industries are enabled for co-production of superior methods in addition to collaborative analysis, testing and prototyping of the applied sciences that can decide the way forward for army energy.

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