Posted on 01/28/2007 10:18:55 PM PST by CarrotAndStick
The US is offering India one of the world's most formidable shipboard missile systems that has the potential of being integrated with the country's indigenous missiles.
There was "some interest" in the Indian defence establishment in the Aegis system but neither has the US made an offer nor has India made any formal request for it, says Royce Caplinger, managing director of Lockheed Martin India, whose US parent manufactures the system.
"I am sure though that if you ask for it, you will get it," India Strategic defence magazine quotes him as saying.
The feelers to sell the Aegis are obviously part of the US government's agenda to help India become what the State Department called in its May 2005 policy statement "a global power."
Apparently, it is also part of the steps that are systematically being taken - like the civil nuclear deal - to draw New Delhi closer to Washington.
Aegis is named after the shield of mythological Greek god Zeus. Its sale, like of most military systems, is governed through government-to-government deals under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or other US programmes. It appears, though, that Lockheed Martin, the world's biggest military vendor, has informal clearance to showcase the system to India.
The integrated combat system can track more than 100 missiles through its supercomputers and engage them according to priority, depending upon their velocity and height, including the sea-skimming attackers.
It is designed for multi-pronged, simultaneous warfare to engage and strike targets in the air, on sea, on the surface, as also sub-surface. Aegis has also been successful in half a dozen tests to intercept ballistic missile targets outside the earth's atmosphere.
Caplinger said Aegis had been successively modified and upgraded in technology over the years and that it was "the most advanced shipboard system" in the world to counter a variety of threats, including from aircraft and ballistic missiles.
Asked if it could be integrated with India's indigenous missiles, including the India-Russian BrahMos, he replied: "Theoretically yes." It could even be matched with the new anti-missile missile that India recently tested, "but that would depend entirely on the Indian scientists and India's requirements."
"The MK 41 Vertical Launching System (that is integrated into the Aegis system) is not currently configured to integrate the BrahMos or Agni, but it can be adapted," Caplinger added.
The fact that the Aegis system could manage vertical launch of missiles was important, particularly as the Indian Navy had a long-term plan to build several ships equipped with the facility to meet its projected requirements.
Its sophisticated SPY-I phased array radar and high-speed supercomputers read each oncoming threat 360 degrees, prioritise them according to their threat value, and then automatically launch appropriate missiles to neutralise them.
The latest version of the system is called Aegis BMD 3.6. In June 2006, it successfully intercepted even the separating warhead of a target missile in a test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility.
The system's command and decision-making core is notable. Its computers differentiate between missiles, debris, and friendly aerial vehicles - and attack only what needs to be attacked.
Thus far, Aegis has only been sold to close US allies, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Norway and Australia. It is deployed on 69 US destroyers and cruisers and is being added on 17 more destroyers.
Thus, it is the mainstay "total weapon system" of the US Navy. According to Caplinger, Aegis was a very powerful system and would give an edge like no other to the Indian Navy.
The Aegis programme was launched in 1969 due to the changing nature of warfare that required transition from guns to missiles.
In 1967, a Soviet-built missile had sunk an Israeli destroyer in the Arab-Israeli war while in 1982, Argentina successfully used an Exocet missile to sink a Royal Navy frigate during the Falklands conflict. In 1988, when two Iranian vessels fired on US ships, the US Navy had used Harpoon missiles to neutralise them.
Thanks for the post I helped upgrade Aegis. It is nice to know some results.
Let's not upgrade the ension there. Taht is bad for everyone.
Missile Defense.
As in, if anyone else is bothered (read China, or in your case, Pakistan) let them develop their defense systems.
The Indian navy needs beefing up. It needs to be larger to be an effective ally.
Hey didn't Bill Clinton do the same thing with China about 10 years ago ???
I wonder if we'd get the tech for Brahmos or some of the other neat missiles they have. Although we certainly have the ability to "see" farther at sea, I don't know why we use the Harpoon which is moderately sized and has modest range. Certainly we could do better (although I realize at lot of it is that our air arm would do most of the anti-ship work).
Good. India is one of the U.S.'s most important allies, and we need to make sure they stay our friends and stay strong.
The US could probably make a missile better than the Brahmos in less than a week, if they don't have something similar already!
From what's been said in Indian papers,the chances of the AEGIS/SM-2 combo doesn't seem to bright given that India has opted to codevelop the Barak-2 long-range SAM with Israel for their future ships.They have radar system called the EL/M-2248 MF STAR.
http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/may06-59.php
If one country has missile defense and its enemy doesn't, the first country, especially when it has hegemonic ambitions anyway, will be much more inclined to use its missiles. You provide missile defense to both sides or to no one.
India is not an ally and never has been. It's doen NOTHING to support the War on Terror except give it lip service. It has a long record of anti-Americanism dating from the time when it first became independent. It has tried to organize countries like Red China, Russia, Iraq, Libya, Serbia, and others into a security alliance "to stop the U.S." It has sold heavy water to Iran. Now it tlks a good game about wanting to be an ally, but India cannot be trusted, given its record and given its long history of hegemonic ambitions in the subcontinent.
Ta Da....the Kahalistani Looby is back...how much are they paying you for posting on FR? Your dream of Khalistan are gone, done away with!
First of all, it's not "MY" dream. It doesn't affect me one way or teh other. But I am concerned about my counry cozying up to yours and to other countries that want to play "ally" then stab us in the back for their own ambitions.
Furthermore, your remark that "Khalistan are gone, done away with" fails to aknowledge the major rallies and marches that have taken place in Punjab in support of independence. It fails to take into account the seminars and otehr events in support of Khalistan. It fails to account for the opportunistic Punjab politicians who are moving towards the Khalistani position. The fact is that the Indian regime is so scared of the Khalistan movement that in 2005 and in 2006, people were actually arrested for making speeches in support of Khalistan and raising the Khalistani flag. And the Movement Against State Repression says that over 52,000 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners. In 2005, the Punjab Legislative Assembly explicitly declared Punjab's sovereignty.
Just because you and your firends can't stir up any more of your covert state terrorism to give yourselves an excuse for more bloodshed, it doesn't mean that the movement is dead.
More Khalistani drivel-BURP!!!
Saw it... lol! There's more on the cruise-missile article you posted.
The key country about which Indian military is concerned is Pakistan which happen to be an ally of US for a very long time. In case of Indian/Pakistani conflict one can expect the US deliveries to India be suspended (in the name of neutrality).
Does it make any military sense for India?
Listen you peverted goofball...I was in Punjab a few weeks ago...Not a single Sikh supports Khalistan. There was no rally...show me a news report of even one. I went to a Lhori celebration in Dallas last week, not one Sikh there talked about Khalistan...you are terror supporter...nothing less! You should be banned from this site!
complete the sentence liar. The sovereignty was over the water supply. Haryana, a neighbouring state was asking the central government to force Punjab to release more water for Haryan's farmers.
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