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.
The bill didn't say that Punjab is sovereign over its water; it said that Punjab is sovereign.
Man! That Great Britan! They are our mortal enemies! They taxed us without representation and burnt down our capital!
Anyhow, your opinion is hilariously narrow cited and ignorant of the current situation.
That was 200 years ago. Teh attempt to form a security alliance with many of the worst countries in the world was just a few years ago. India is not and has never been our friend, despite their best efforts to convince people like you otherwise.
Ah a matter of symantics makes you assume what to feel like about the statement.
LOL whatever makes you happy!
So you are saying Bush isnt doing enough?
In your fantasy world, you might belive that...but the truth is that every Indian state has the right to withold water...state rights...it's a republic thing...
Please...the PM of India a Sikh does not support Khalistan. The Chief of Army JJ Singh, a Sikh does not support Khalistan, your buddy KPS Gill, a Sikh, does not support Khalistan...the list goes on and on...Only Pakistan supports the creation of Khalistan...go figure.
Yes, I think we need to be tougher.
Harry Truman could have ordered a land invasion of Japan, but even accounting for civilian deaths, more Americans and more Japanese would hve died and World War II would have dragged on for another year or so. The quickest, least damaging way was to bomb. We went in big with air power ("Shock and Awe") but have basically not done much ithit since. We know where Sadr and his boys live. We know where the Sunni terrorists hang out. Why don't we go afer them? And if they go hide in a mosque or in a village, our troops are restrained from continuing to fire at them, even though they continue to fire at our guys. These are "Rules of Engagement" that are quite likely to lead to defeat.
We need to change the rules of engagement, change the force mix, and use our air power, and when we do, this war will be over reasonably quickly -- with an American and allied victory. If we don't, there is some likelihood that we wind up with a Vietnam-style withdrawal, with out tail between our legs, at which point we're likely to see a replay of the Cambodia genocide in the Middle East and the terrorists will be emboldened to follow us and likely attack the USA again.
This scenario is preventable; let's do what we have to do to prevent it.
Because you are not allowed to yell "fire" in a theatre...it's the same reasoning. Just like you should not be allowed to burn a US flag...just like no state in the Union is allowed to declare independence from the Union. Same reasoning....
Another piece of disinformation from you. I cited several organizatins and individuals in Punjab who are actively supporting Khalistan. Yet you blithely ignore this and continue to spew false information.
Actually, there is nothing in the Constitution that prohibits or prevents it. It was simply an act of force that stopped it last time.
But as Dr. Walter Williams is fond of pointing out, secession i the ultimate enforcement mechanism. When the governmetn exceeds its Constitutional authority, the states use secession as a last resort measure to enforce those imitations.
Several states have it in their constitutions that they have a right to secede. Similarly, at teh time of independence, Sikhs were supposed to get a sovereign state in Punjab, but they wre promised autonomy to take their share with India instead of becoming independent. India broke its promises to them. Thus, they have a perfect right to be independent should they choose to do so, and they declared independence on October 7, 1987.
By your logic, we had no right to become independent from Briatain.
Did you know that there is a Southern independence mvoement even today? It's even on the Internet.
Anyone can make speeches supporting secession any time and anyone can riase the Confederate flag any time and nobody will get arrested for it. Yet simply make a few speeches and raise a flag in Punjab, and you may well be arrested.
If nobody supports Khalistan, as oyu claim, and if India is the democracy it claims to be, what would be harmed by a simple vote on the matter?
Pakistani talking points no less...spare me...
No, information. Documentable, accurate information about what is going on over there. I don't get talking points from anyone and wouldn't take them anyway.
And spare me your Indian talking points.
If you're trying to say that the Council of Khalsitan is some kind of terrorist organization, you are either horribly misinformed or flat-out lying. The Council is committed to achieving the independence of Khalistan by peaceful, democratic, nonviolent means. Only the Indian government and its stooges regard that as terrorism.
After Khalistan declared its independence on October 7, 1987, the COK was designated to lead that struggle and has done so for 20 years now. It does so by working with teh U.S. Congress, by issuing statements, press releases, letters, etc., and through other kinds f peaceful political pressure and protest. I'm sorry if such tactics offend you.
I'll be happy to read anywhere on the counsil's website the condemnation for the bombing of air india by sikh terrorists from Canada with financial support from both Canada and US...until that happens...they are a terror supporter. notice, you never, ever deny my posts... just keep on going with your talking points...anyway, you won't convince me...so might as well try to work on the sheeple...but it won't...
You are blathering everything else except answering my question.
I am asking, in the present war against terror, do you think Bush, Rumsfield, Condi....... the current administration....... is absolutely useless?
Do you also believe that India also needs to get tougher against terrorism?
Then you hven't been reading it much, because every time the issue comes up, the Council has condemned the bombing.
However, as you know, the accused Sikhs were acquitted. They were found NOT GUILTY. Is COK supposed to condemn them for being not guilty? That makes a whole lot of sense.
Here are some facts about Air India that your Indian cohorts probably forgot to tell you:
"So convinced had CSIS become of the GOI (Government of India) connection that, at one Air-India task force meeting, a CSIS agent had seriously suggested that "if you really want to clear the incidents quickly, take vans down to the Indian High Commission and the consulates in Toronto and Vancouver, load up everybody and take them down for questioning. We know it and they know it that they are involved." Taht is a Canasdian Security Investigative Service investigator saying that.
Furthermore, the Indian conusl general in Toronto, Mr. Malik, was calling the authorities in Canada before the bombing was publicly known, trying to point them to an "L. Singh" whom he said was one of the culprits. (Note that this does not match up with any of the Sikhs accused and tried.) Later, a Lal Sing h emeregd, saying that the Indian government had offered him "two million dollars and settlement in a nice country" to offer false testimony against the accused Sikhs, an offer he turned down.
How did Malik know about the incident before it became public knowledge, and hiow did he know who was on the passenger manifest?
Mr. Malik had also suddenly pulled his wife and daughter off the flight just before it took off, saying his daughter had a school project. A frien of Conmsul General Malik's who was an auto dealer also suddenly cancelled his reservation. How did they know to cancel their reservations on that doomed flight?
Which I have already answered. I thinkk they've done a lot of good; I also think we need to change teh stretegy so we cna achieve victory. That's the only way to end teh war quickly.
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