Half of India's defence equipment outdated

[m24]

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/i ... =intopnews

At least half of the country's defence equipment is obsolete and needs urgent upgrade, a report said on Wednesday, underlining gaps in its defence preparedness in a region roiled by Islamist militancy and military rivalries.

Only 15 percent of India's equipment is "state of the art", according to the first comprehensive report on the country's defence sector prepared by global consultancy firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

New Delhi changed its defence procurement policy last year to further open its defence sector to the world and local companies after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, in which 166 people were killed.

The attack revealed glaring holes in the country's security system.

The new report, released by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, says the country will have to focus on improving homeland security after the Mumbai attacks and the government needs to support private firms in manufacturing equipment locally.

The government says it is keen to upgrade its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China with a series of acquisitions and by phasing out old weapons.

The country has lost nearly 200 Russian-made MiG series aircraft in crashes since 1990, blamed by the air force on manufacturing defects.

The country wants to increase its air force squadrons from 34 (612 fighters) to 42 (756 fighters) by 2020 with modern aircraft. The army also needs new weapons urgently, the report said.

Bofors Howitzers were the last major acquisition made by the Army way back in 1986, it said.

"The Kargil conflict of 1999 (with Pakistan-based militants in Kashmir) highlighted the shortcomings of equipment held by the armed forces, highlighting the need to modernise the equipment portfolio," the report says.

Since early 2000, India began to buy weapons from other countries like Israel and the United States to replace Russian-origin defence equipment and is now speeding up deals.

India is currently the 10th largest defence spender in the world with an estimated 2 percent share of global expenditure.

The United States, Britain, China, France and Japan are the leaders in global defence spending, each accounting for 3-5 percent of total global expenditure.

Last August, the country started field trials to buy 126 multi-role fighter jets, defence officials said, moving forward on a $10.4 billion deal, one of the the biggest in play.

India is also seeking heavy lift helicopters, submarines, ships and artillery for its army, valued at millions of dollars, the KPMG report says.

All deals are part of a $100 billion budgetary provision over the next 10 years, Indian officials say.

[nagarifle]

buying outside India, damm traitors! whats wrong with our glorious IOF? do they not make the state of art weapons?

[m24]

buying outside India, damm traitors! whats wrong with our glorious IOF? do they not make the state of art weapons?

IOF handles only modern art. IOF is full of Modern artists, one who throws paint on a canvas, wipes it off with a cloth and sells the cloth.

Regards

[saahil]

[nagarifle]

buying outside India, damm traitors! whats wrong with our glorious IOF? do they not make the state of art weapons?

IOF handles only modern art. IOF is full of Modern artists, one who throws paint on a canvas, wipes it off with a cloth and sells the cloth.

Regards

you mean con artists?

[m24]

You tell me....

Regards

[nagarifle]

looks like it, as they have conned the whole nation. into believing that they are world class.

[m24]

You haven't had your afternoon tea or what?? or is the weather to be blamed for this grouchiness??

Regards

[timmy]

Weren't the Bofors artillery mentioned in the article part of a political scandal back in those days?

Anyway, I'd think that a nation as large and important as India very definitely needs to develop some world-class defense manufacturing capabilities of her own. The electronics outfit in the export versions of combat aircraft, for instance, are seldom available with all the "tricks" that are provided to the US military. With all of India's software resources, there's no reason why a viable defense establishment cannot be made in the area of electronics, and this wouldn't even require heavy industrial capability, as making the aircraft themselves would require.

I can buy the idea that social issues mitigate against large defense outlays, but you are right, it would seem that if there is little to spare for defense, what is spent should not be squandered on poorly made gear.

[mundaire]

Forget about fancy smancy stuff like fighter planes, even the basic clothing & boots issued to our troops would not pass even inspection by any other military in the world. Our boys make do with the worst bloody equipment, this in spite of us spending top dollar on procurement and our domestic industry being capable of producing much much better, all thanks to crooked babus and netas. Like Naga said in an earlier post, these traitorous buggers should be tried for treason and lined up in front of a firing squad!

[nagarifle]

m24 still waiting for the tea and crumpets.

if there's going to be a firing squad, then i am in the front of the Q.

as Sir Winston would have said " never in the Indian history, have so many conned by so few and getting away with it."

[m24]

as Sir Winston would have said " never in the Indian history, have so many conned by so few and getting away with it."

Regards

[darwinmauser]

The country has lost nearly 200 Russian-made MiG series aircraft in crashes since 1990, blamed by the air force on manufacturing defects.


Would this be true ?? manufacturing defects ?? or poor maintenance ? if so I wouldn't blame any pilot for refusing to fly one .I was under the impression the newer Russian built planes such as the Sukhoi were of good quality .

[nagarifle]

manufacturing defects? that means that all the migs which the Russian have also have defects right? so why have they not crushed ? and others which the Russian sold to other country not crushed.

it s more of the case of spare parts and lack of maintenance? or the air force are buying second hand plane, in keeping with the Indian arms market, old junk at high prices.

-- Thu Jan 14, 2010 13:42 --

http://www.morungexpress.com/business/41394.html


New Delhi, January 13 (Agencies): The government on Wednesday released a report that says industry wanted India’s defence order book to be more visible, and that more tenders be issued for domestic companies to bid for military equipment supply. “Feedback from industry reveals that it is seeking clearer definition and enhanced visibility to be given to the government’s order book,” said the report released by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Titled “Opportunities in the Indian Defence Sector —— An Overview”, it said the move would help domestic companies to align business planning with the country’s defence needs, and provide the government “the benefit of greater security of supply”. India, dependent on imports for 70 percent of its defence equipment requirements, is the world’s 10th largest spender in this area, with its payout growing at 9.3 percent annually.
“Companies believe there should be greater participation by industry during the formulation of the RFPs (Request for Proposals),” said the report prepared by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and consultancy KPMG. “There is common consent that the RFI (Request for Information) process is not being used to provide sufficient rationalisation of requirements.”

The report also said that in “single vendor situations”, the government should act with discretion and avoid competition. “Industry also felt that on certain occasions, avoidable expenses are incurred through the use of competition where a particular product or technology was clearly preferred,” it said. “There should be procurement procedures which allow for and dictate the circumstances wherein a single source procurement can be made.” India has doubled its direct capital acquisition budget from Rs. 62 billions in 1999-2004 to Rs.137 billions in 2004—2009.

However, industry believes that to avoid underspending of the defence budget, rolling budgets should be introduced. “A second major source of concern for industry over the procurement process, once commenced, is the lack of predictability and flexibility. A consequence of this is the annual defence underspends.” In this connection, the report noted that the surrendered amount is relocated to the finance ministry and may not be available for the defence sector the following year. “Hence, there has been a demand from industry to introduce the concept of rolling budgets, allotting the ‘underspends’ from prior years to the following year’s annual budget in order to ensure that ongoing procurements are not stopped for lack of funds.”