The episode underlines broader delays, sustainment issues flagged in US oversight reports. A large team has been flown in from the UK. to assess & service the grounded fighter.
Last year, US sold record amount of military equipment & hardware, especially among European partners & allies. One of the reasons for this hike is Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Chinese aircraft has uncanny similarities to the American F-35 jet. There are claims that China copied the design. Cyber theft of F-35 design data was reported in 2009.
The companies will also expand C-130J manufacturing & assembly in India to produce aircraft for IAF’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme, if & when they bag the contract.
US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) carries cluster munitions, can be used to strike targets deep behind enemy lines. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says 'ATACMS proved themselves'.
IAF’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft programme acted as a catalyst for making fighters in the country, says William Blair, Lockheed Martin’s India vice-president and chief executive.
Aero India website shows that only 75 foreign companies have booked their spots for the event at Bengaluru as opposed to the over 200 such firms in the 2019 edition.
India’s inability to speed up modernisation of its weaponry to guard the border with arch rivals Pakistan and China shows the Modi govt’s challenge to transform an industry plagued by red tape.
Armenia has procured significant defence equipment from India, including artillery guns, multi-barrel rocket launchers, air defence system, sniper rifles, weapons locating radars, anti-drone weapons.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
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