US trying to Steal India as Customer??

I thought the majority of new Indian Aircraft/systems acquisitions were from Russia. So now Raytheon offers them AESA radars?? What are they going to put them in and how does this change the landscape of their acquisition partners if the sale goes through?

US Firm Offers Sophisticated Radar to India

US is stealing Russia's customer India? I thought that the US decided to limit arm's sales to India because they were too friendly with Russia in the past. India would have wanted the superior arms of the US provided they could afford them.

Maybe the love affair between India and Russia is cooling off now?

It sounds like the cold war all over again...

The US will get that all-mighty dollar any way they can.
Besides, India isn't all Russian. It's Navy is all British, right down to the carrier. In recent years, quite a few companies have been offering western upgrades to Russian equipment. Isreal, for example, make kits to upgrade a MiG-21 to have a digital cockpit with multifuction graphic displays. Heck, the US was going to install new radars in Chinese F-8II's until Tianamen killed the deal.
India has always tried to play neutral so they buy from anyone, from Russia one moment, to Britian, to the US. They buy what works, no matter who it's from.

Not that I'm opposed to the US selling India weapons
systems and that kind of stuff, I really got to think,
what happens thirty years from now, and for some
reason or the other we go to war with them, and they
are just, or even more advanced than we are.

The deal is for F/A-18s with AESA. There was a large fighter competition for the new Indian Air Force fighters and the US entry was the Hornet with AESA.

[edit on 7/30/2006 by Zaphod58]

Originally posted by Zaphod58
The deal is for F/A-18s with AESA. There was a large fighter competition for the new Indian Air Force fighters and the US entry was the Hornet with AESA.

[edit on 7/30/2006 by Zaphod58]

There is also a possible deal pending that would give India the most sophisticated "block" of F-16's in the world, and yes, AESA radar is among the main selling points. This new block would also have upgraded engines and some RAM features.
All of this is in answer to possible sale of F-16's to the Pakistani Air Force.
Give me a while and I can dig up a source...

Err… how can the US not consider the strategic and security risk involved with offering up advanced systems to India. I know WHY we’re doing it, but is it really worth the risk?

Originally posted by intelgurl
All of this is in answer to possible sale of F-16's to the Pakistani Air Force.
Give me a while and I can dig up a source...

here's more Lockheed Martin is working on "next-generation" F-16NG considering Indian requirement

But when it comes to AESA radar, it is being offered by Russia, France and Eurofighter consortium in addition to Sweden. However, only the American AESA is in service presently.

Originally posted by Stealth Spy
when it comes to AESA radar, it is being offered by Russia, France and Eurofighter consortium in addition to Sweden. However, only the American AESA is in service presently.

If I'm not mistakened Stealth Spy, you are from India?
If so, what if anything is your local media saying about the possibility of India purchasing the F-16NG?

From what I understand the F-16, although one of the oldest airframes being considered is supposed to be far superior to it's competition because of the avionics and radar it is supposed to be mated with. That plus engines with considerably more thrust than the Block 60's GE F-110-GE-132 (32,500 lbs thrust), possibly as much as 36-37,000 lbs thrust, sounds like a pretty good package.

Your thoughts?

Originally posted by intelgurl
If so, what if anything is your local media saying about the possibility of India purchasing the F-16NG?

Since the news about the F-16NG is itself pretty recent, i have not seen anything specific about the prospects of buying it. There are only general reports about the trustworthyness of the US and its reliability as a stable arms supplier.

The F-16NG appears to me to be a re-badging of the proposed block-70 F-16 for India that made news in 2005.

block-70 F-16

From what I understand the F-16, although one of the oldest airframes being considered is supposed to be far superior to it's competition because of the avionics and radar it is supposed to be mated with. That plus engines with considerably more thrust than the Block 60's GE F-110-GE-132 (32,500 lbs thrust), possibly as much as 36-37,000 lbs thrust, sounds like a pretty good package.

Your thoughts?

Very very impressive. IMHO if the cost increments of the updgraded specs does not push the pricetag into Eurofighter, Rafale and Super Hornet zone, then it would have good appeal. It seems increasingly likely that it would be an American airplane that would be chosen following the recent developments such as the N-deal among other things.

If this were to be the case, then it would be sad for the Mig-35 which features an AESA radar, 3D Thrust Vectoring, Western avionics&weaponry compatibility, 6000 hrs airframe life.

___

Here are some other US weaponry offers to India :

> AH-64D Apache Longbow for the IAF tender for 80 new attack 'copters
> P-8 MMA, P-3 upg. for the InNavy maritime patrol aircraft tender (12)
> ship-borne E-2C Hawkeye 2000s AWACS for use on the carrier INS Vikramadithya
> Bell 407 for the Indian Army Aviation Corps tender for 197 transport copters
> Patriot-3 for the Indian Aerospace command's tender for ABM systems
> Northrop-Grumman C4I systems for the IAF command center tender

This is being offered as part of a package. The US offering would be up against several other highly capable offerings.

Personally I think India will go Russian or French.

Regards

^^May I ask the reason behind posting this image?

What hell word it used! What does mean steal! India is a biggest democratic nation for demology, US is the most powerful democratic nation for economy, so they do can sale anything each other!

Originally posted by emile
What hell word it used! What does mean steal! India is a biggest democratic nation for demology, US is the most powerful democratic nation for economy, so they do can sale anything each other!

Let's keep this simple discussion on topic rather than flinging political mud and resorting to insulting an entire nation for the freedom of religious affiliation which they (India) have fostered.

Browno's post of that pic was, imho, as inflammatory and insulting as the religious slam quoted above... even if it was meant in jest.

Remember that ATS is an international website and that we are held to higher standards than what has recently been illustrated in this worthwhile thread.

Originally posted by masqua
Browno's post of that pic was, imho, as inflammatory and insulting as the religious slam quoted above... even if it was meant in jest.

I dont get it?

So may I ask the meaning of the image that Browno posted? I can not see anything insulting out of that image
Then why the "steal" without political meaning?

I think everyone is confused and many have misunderstood..

I'm sure the author didn't mean 'steal' in the sense you're taking it to be emile. It was more 'metaphorical' and maybe not literal english. English is a very tricky language

I still don't know why the HF-24 Marut pic was posted..
browno?

Hear is some of the late information to what is hapening with this.

The US Senate overwhelmingly approved a deal to share American nuclear technology with India, steamrolling a meek opposition by 85 to 12 votes.

“I appreciate the Senate's leadership on this important legislation and look forward to signing this bill into law soon,” President George W. Bush said on Friday, hours after the Senate endorsed the bill.

The House of Representatives had approved the bill by an equally overwhelming 359-68 votes in July, a month after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed it by a 16-2 margin.

sorce link

I dont really know if this is a good or bad idea. If I had to make an instinct call I would say any shareing of nuke technology is a bad idea. So for the moment all I can say is I hope the legslitaters have made what will be a good decishen.

[edit on 18-11-2006 by RedGolem]