[ NATIONAL ]

Made-in-India stealth fighter project set to take off in 2022

India is now finally getting set to launch its most ambitious indigenous military aviation project to build a fifth-generation fighter or the advanced AMCA with advanced stealth features as well as ‘supercruise’ capabilities.

Irresponsible nations with hegemonic tendencies twisting the definition of UNCLOS, says Rajnath

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is being repeatedly weakened by some nations arbitrarily interpreting its definition.

Grenade blast near Army’s gate in Pathankot, all check-posts put on high alert

A grenade blast took place early morning on Monday at the Indian Army’s Triveni Gate near Pathankot’s Dheerapul. This is a developing story. More details awaited

‘Strongly’ believe there is great potential for more cooperation with India: UN peacekeeping chief

The UN Peacekeeping chief said India has the “capacity to help us” with qualified peacekeepers, both police and military, and the country “obviously” can “help us to further increase the number of women in peacekeeping, both in the military and the police”.

Cryptocurrency is a bogey that the Indian govt needs to ban, not regulate

Investment in crypto products does not benefit the fintech but it does create a parallel unregulated pool of investments, which the RBI governor said can destabilize the macroeconomic environment.

Andhra Pradesh govt withdraws controversial three-capitals bills

The Andhra Pradesh govt on Monday took the surprise decision to go back on its 3 capitals proposal. The cabinet, which met at the assembly complex during the recession, resolved to repeal the 3 bills. The state govt had tabled the 3 bills, decentralizing the administration, in Jan 2020.

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Former CJP Saqib Nisar says leaked audio clip about Nawaz, Maryam’s trial ‘fabricated’

The former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Monday issued a rebuttal — his second in as many weeks — saying that the voice in a leaked audio clip, purportedly of a conversation between him and an unidentified man regarding PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz’s trial, was not his. The audio clip in question was examined by a leading firm in the United States which specializes in multimedia forensics.

‘IMF reaches agreement to revive funding to Pakistan’

“The Pakistani authorities and IMF staff have reached a staff-level agreement on policies and reforms needed to complete the 6^th review,” the IMF stated. Pakistan entered the $6 billion funding program with the IMF in 2019, however, the funding stalled earlier this year due to reforms issues.

Xi says at a summit with ASEAN that China will never seek hegemony

“China was, is, and will always be a good neighbor, good friend, and good partner of ASEAN,” state media quoted Xi as saying.

Taiwanese giant slapped with fines over mainland regulatory violations, Xinhua says

Far Eastern Group subsidiaries in Shanghai and 4 provinces were punished over issues ranging from environmental protection to staff and fire safety rules. The conglomerate, a major election donor, funded a mayoral campaign for one of 3 top Taiwan officials on Beijing’s ‘separatist’ blacklist

8 Chinese citizens kidnapped in DRC gold mine of Bayond Mining, attack

8 Chinese citizens were kidnapped on Sun in the province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while a soldier was killed, according to Congolese media. The gold mine belonged to the Chinese company Bayond Mining in the locality of Mukera. The attack took place in the morning by unknown persons, reported Sputnik.

Chabahar sees increase in traffic as Taliban backs trade via port

The Chabahar port in Iran developed by India seems to be resuming normal operations after assurances by the Taliban that they want good diplomatic and trade ties with India and that they were going to support the role of the port in facilitating regional and global trade. It is now seeing an increase in traffic with Russia emerging as a key contributor to this transit trade surge.

UN warns of ‘Colossal’ collapse of Afghan banking system

The United Nations on Monday pushed for urgent action to prop up Afghanistan’s banks, warning that a spike in people unable to repay loans, lower deposits, and a cash liquidity crunch could cause the financial system to collapse within months.

Made-in-India stealth fighter project set to take off in 2022

TOI-India is now finally getting set to launch its most ambitious indigenous military aviation project to build a 5^th-generation fighter or the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) with advanced stealth features as well as ‘supercruise’ capabilities with an estimated cost of around Rs 15,000 crore.

The case for the full-scale engineering development of the twin-engine AMCA prototypes has been finalized and will be sent for approval to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) by early next year after consultations between the defense and finance ministries, on Sun.

Production of 5^th-generation jets is an extremely complex and expensive affair, with the American F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning-II Joint Strike Fighter, the Chinese Chengdu J-20 (to which Chinese media itself downgraded to 4^th Generation), and Russian Sukhoi-57 being the only operational ones around the globe at present.

• Experts, however, contend the J-20 and Sukhoi-57 fighters are still somewhat short of being true-blue 5^th-generation fighters.
• The 36 Rafales being inducted by IAF, under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in Sept 2016, are 4.5-generation jets.

The prototype’s “rollout” by 2025-26 (A more realistic timeframe would be around 2035) and production of the Mark-1 jets slated to begin in 2030-31 under the “aggressive timelines” set by DRDO and its Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

• The AMCA project is critical for IAF, which is grappling with just 30-32 fighter squadrons and will not reach its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons even with “planned inductions” over the next 10-15 years.
• The detailed AMCA design, which was sanctioned in Dec 2018, meets IAF’s “preliminary staff qualitative requirements” but the requisite powerful engine remains a major problem.

Consequently, the first 2 squadrons of AMCA Mark-1 will have the existing General Electric-414 after-burning turbofan engine in the 98 KN thrust class, while the next 5 mark-2 squadrons will have a more powerful 110 KN engine.

• The advanced stealth features in the swing-role AMCA will range from “serpentine air-intake” and an internal bay for smart weapons to radar absorbing materials and conformal antenna.
• The fighter will also have the supercruise capability to achieve supersonic cruise speeds without the use of afterburners as well as data fusion and multi-sensor integration with AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars.

In the interim, IAF’s planned inductions include 73 Tejas Mark-1A fighters and 10 trainers, which will be delivered in the 2024-2028 timeframe under the Rs 46,898 crore deal inked with Hindustan Aeronautics in Feb 2021.

Then there is the long-pending “Make in India” project for 114 new 4.5-generation fighters with “some 5^th-generation capabilities” for over Rs 1.25 lakh crore, which has 7 foreign contenders and is likely to get the initial “acceptance of necessity” next year.

There are some discussions also underway about whether India should leapfrog from the Tejas Mark-1A directly to the AMCA.

IAF to start upgrading Rafale fighter fleet from January 2022

ANI – Having already received around 30 Rafale combat aircraft from France, the Indian Air Force (IAF) would start upgrading its fleet of French-origin fighters from Jan 2022, with India-specific enhancements, including integration of highly capable missiles, low band jammers, and satellite communication systems.

ANI (sources)- “A high-level team of IAF officers is in France to evaluate the performance of the testbed aircraft with tail number RB-008 at the Istres Airbase there”.

• Once the enhancements are approved and accepted by the IAF, the upgrade is planned to be started from Jan 2022, onwards making the Indian planes more capable.
• India has already received around 30 of these planes and 3 more would be arriving on Dec 7-8.
• As per the contract schedule, kits would be brought to India from France, and every month, 3-4 rafales would be upgraded to the ISE standards.
• The upgrade of the aircraft would be carried out at the Ambala IAF Station which is the first base of the plane in the country.
• The IAF has also started the training of its pilots on the aircraft within the country itself after training its personnel in France.
• Once inducted fully, the fleet would have 8 twin-seater trainer planes with tail numbers in the RB series while 28 single-seaters with BS tail number series.
• India is now planning to go ahead with the case for acquiring 114 multirole fighter aircraft for which a case is to be moved to the defense ministry by the IAF.

Grenade blast near Army’s gate in Pathankot, all check-posts put on high alert

ANI (sources) – a grenade was hurled near the Army station gate by unknown persons who came on a bike when a marriage procession was passing from the area.

• All police check-posts of Pathankot have been put on alert.
• No injuries have been reported. J&K Police has busted the grenade throwing module of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit and arrested 5 militant associates linked to the network.

The Punjab state Counter Intelligence wing has reached the spot to investigate the grenade blast that took place early morning on Mon at the Indian Army’s Triveni Gate near Pathankot’s Dheerapul.

“Local Police, Counter Intelligence, CID are working together. No arrests made yet, we are collecting evidence and will take action based on the facts. If a grenade has been hurled then there must be some terror angle, we are probing,” AIG- Counter Intelligence Gulneet Singh Khurana said.

Irresponsible nations with hegemonic tendencies twisting the definition of UNCLOS, said Defense Minister

Taking a dig at China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sun, “some irresponsible nations” with their narrow partisan interests and hegemonic tendencies are coming up with wrong definitions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

It is a matter of concern that UNCLOS is being repeatedly weakened by arbitrary interpretation of its definition by some nations, Singh said, after commissioning of Indian Navy’s destroyer Visakhapatnam here.

Indigenously-built stealth guided-missile destroyer Visakhapatnam, packed with an array of missiles and anti-submarine rockets, was commissioned in presence of top naval commanders.

Visakhapatnam’ is equipped with lethal weapons and sensors, including supersonic surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, medium and short-range guns, anti-submarine rockets, and advanced electronic warfare and communication suits, officials said.

‘Occupy even an inch of our land, India will give a fitting reply to it,’ says Rajnath Singh

Minister on Sat said India wants good relations with its neighbors but warned that it will give a fitting reply to any country that attempts to occupy even an inch of its land.

• Singh, a senior BJP leader, was in poll-bound Uttarakhand to launch the second leg of the ‘Shaheed Samman Yatra’ from Jhaulkhet Moonakot in Pithoragarh district.
• Naming Pakistan, Singh said it keeps trying to destabilize India through terrorist activities and a stern message has already been given to it.

Villagers in Ladakh’s Chushul seek infra, 4G, grazing rights to counter salami-slicing at LAC

Villagers from Chushul, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, have sought infrastructure development, 4G connectivity, and permission for nomads to graze their livestock on traditional pastureland from Hot Springs to Pangong Tso, in a representation to the Union government.

On Thursday, Councilor Konchok Stanzin, representing Chushul in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, handed over a three-page letter making the demands to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was in the village to inaugurate the revamped Rezang La War Memorial.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China’s largest marine scientific research, training ship put into operation

China’s largest ‘marine research and training vessel’, named after Sun Yat-sen University, enters its homeport in Zhuhai Gaolan Port, south China’s Guangdong Province, Nov 21, claimed Chinese state media, CGTN.

• Measuring 114.3 m x 19.4 m, the vessel has a displacement of 6,880 tonnes, which is the largest of China’s marine research vessels.
• It can carry 100 crew members and cruise for 15 knot nautical miles.
• With about 720 m² of indoor laboratories and 610 m² of deck operation area, the vessel features a strong comprehensive scientific research capability and multiple innovative designs.

It will embark on the first scientific expedition to the South China Sea next week and is expected to carry out scientific research in 3 fields – atmosphere, ocean, and biology – to provide scientific support for the understanding, protection, and development of the region.

On Aug 8, 2020, in which Xinhua claimed: “China’s largest-ever oceanographic research and training vessel, Zhong Shan Da Xue, named after its developer Sun Yat-sen University, was commissioned in Shanghai on Fri (Aug 8^th, 2020).”

“The Chinese military is extremely cautious about revealing its true intentions. It produces lots of media content, but most of it is fluff. Analysts who spend their days sifting through Chinese sources failed to anticipate Beijing’s decision to build 3 enormous military facilities in the heart of the SCS. One day, China just began dredging sand and coral,” said Ryan D. Martinson, in his book “Deciphering China’s ‘World Class’ Naval Ambitions.”

Xi says at a summit with ASEAN that China will never seek hegemony

Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the 10-country Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit on Monday (Nov 22) that Beijing would not “bully” its smaller regional neighbors amid rising tension over the South China Sea.

• Beijing’s territorial claims over the sea clash with those of several southeast Asian nations and have raised alarm from Washington to Tokyo.
• China would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of its size to coerce smaller countries, and would work with Asean to eliminate “interference”, Xi said.
• China’s assertion of sovereignty over the SCS has set it against Asean members Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan, and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.

The Philippines on Thu condemned “in strongest terms” the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the South China Sea.

The US on Fri called the Chinese actions “dangerous, provocative, and unjustified,” and warned that an armed attack on Philippine vessels would invoke US mutual defense commitments.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told the summit hosted by Xi that he “abhors” the altercation and said the rule of law was the only way out of the dispute.

• ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• China frequently criticizes the US for “Cold War thinking” when Washington engages its regional allies to push back against Beijing’s growing military and economic influence.
• US President Joe Biden joined Asean leaders for a virtual summit in Oct and pledged greater engagement with the region.
• The summit started without a Myanmar representative, according to 2 sources with knowledge of the meeting.
• A spokesman for Myanmar’s military government did not answer calls seeking comment.

Taiwanese giant slapped with fines over mainland regulatory violations, Xinhua Reported

Mainland subsidiaries of a major Taiwanese industrial group have been punished for a range of regulatory and legal violations, including environmental protection rules, state media reported.

The action against the Far Eastern Group comes amid rising cross-strait tensions, as Beijing vows to resolutely crack down on the pro-independence camp in Taiwan while the self-ruled island fosters closer ties with the US and European Union.

The Taipei-based conglomerate is a major donor to the island’s election campaigns, according to Taiwanese media reports.

Far Eastern-invested chemical fiber, textile, and cement companies in the city of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Sichuan were handed penalties over violations related to environmental protection, land use, employee occupational health, production safety and fire protection, taxation, and product quality, Xinhua reported on Monday.

The punishments range from fines, orders to pay tax arrears or rectify the issues concerned within a set time frame, to warnings that idle construction land would be taken back by the state.

• The companies involved had admitted the charges, and investigations were still in progress, Xinhua said.
• The economy minister of Taiwan, Wang Mei-hua, said the company had been punished on the mainland because of environmental protection rules, the island’s United Daily News reported.
• But she could not say whether it was a case of Taiwanese companies being suppressed, as she did not have the details, the report said.
• In a notice filed to the Taiwan stock exchange on Mon, Far Eastern New Century, the group’s textiles arm, said its mainland subsidiaries were inspected by authorities in the second quarter.
• Flaws were found in environmental protection, fire safety, and tax compliance and the firms were fined 36.5 million yuan (US$5.7 mn).
• Taiwanese media reports suggest Far Eastern had been the largest donor in the 3 legislative elections since 2012.
• Its total political donations were estimated at NT$133.4 mn (US$4.8 mn), and it was also the top donor in last year’s legislative elections with NT$58 million.