- Next-generation aircraft carrier for Indian Navy being created with US collaboration
- US seeks India to counter China’s Gawadar oriented trade projects like 21st Century Maritime Silk Rout, CPEC etc
- India running parallel China specific project with Isreali, Russian collaboration secretly.
- India Missile proliferation nexus with Russia and Iran detected by US, Israeli spy agencies
- India made DRDO Chief Avinash Chandara to avoid immediate US, Israeli wrath
- Double crossing US, India running mega Navy might projects with Russian collaboration
- Russia’s Star War weapons, purchased by India are now being modified for current needs
- US Authorities arrest Private Defense Contractor for smuggling Navy specific Defense secrets to India
- Hanna Robert continued to provide confidential US military data to India from June 2010 to December 2012 by falsifying documents.
From Christina Palmer and Anjali Sharma in New Delhi, Suzan Zhang in Washington and Mira Dmitri In Saint Petersburg
In a sensational development, US and India seem to have join hands to counter China in the water world, particularly via Indian Ocean to block Chinese mega trade projects of 21st Century Maritime Silk Rout and CPEC via Gwadar Port of Pakistan, with India double crossing the Americans and running parallel plans of becoming ultimate Navy power in the region with assistance from Russians, reveal the investigations of The Daily Mail.
According to these investigations, Washington and New Delhi are finalizing a high profile plan to counter China Indian Ocean before it could make any gains out of the yet to go operational the only deep-sea port of Gwadar in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province and for the purpose they have agreed to jointly developing India’s next-generation aircraft carrier.
In a recent article, appearing in Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, an Indian- American writer Ashley J Tellis who works for Carnegie Endowment and who has long been advocating that US should join hands with India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South East Asian Countries like Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand etc and even at times advocated military nuclear cooperative synergy between India and US, suggested that working together to develop India’s next-generation aircraft carrier promises to substantially bolster India’s Naval combat capabilities, fend off the emerging Chinese challenge to India’s control of the Indian Ocean, and cement the evolving strategic bond between the United States and India for many decades to come.
He further claims that during President Barack Obama’s January 2015 visit to India, the two nations agreed to “form a working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, disregarding the reservations of some of his advisers, boldly chose to accept the US offer of partnership.
In so doing, Modi was guided by a clear recognition of the importance of the Indian Ocean for both India’s prosperity and its security—and his conviction that a strong Indian Navy, with the most capable sea-based aviation possible, was essential for the realization of India’s strategic aims. These aims, which include preserving secure maritime frontiers, are on the cusp of challenge by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
The prospect of a major Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean, therefore, promises transform a hitherto secure rear into a springboard from which coercive power can be brought to bear in new directions against the Indian landmass. He further suggests that in this context, the future appearance of a Chinese aircraft carrier and its associated escorts in the Indian Ocean would signal a major shift in the regional balance of power.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Indian Navy plans to lead this effort, which is already underway andits Naval Design Bureau has completed the technology assessment, feasibility studies, and analysis of alternatives, and is now deeply immersed in activities relating to engineering design and there appears to be a quickly closing window of opportunity for a comprehensive partnership with the US Naval Sea Systems Command and, as appropriate, with US private industry.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that on the other side, simply maintaining of its Chanakya mentality of intrigue and mistrust, India is not relying on US alone in this conspiracy against China but has also made its arrangements by utilizing certain relevant procurements from Russia and is also working on a separate plan in this direction for the past few years.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that just last year, India, under a fresh defense deal with Israel Aerospace Industries Limited got Barak-8 anti-missile and anti-aircraft system for subsequent installation of the same on Indian Naval Warships.
The Daily Mail’s findings further indicate that earlier, in one of the largest Indo-Israeli defense deals to date, the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) agreed to provide 2,000 of the latest version of its Barak surface-to-air missile at an estimated price tag of US$1.4 billion.
The Daily Mil’s investigations indicate that in November 2014, The Barak 8 missile system was tested successfully. The test was conducted by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is developing the system with India’s Defense Ministry, DRDO, Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies.
Deployment was delayed by problems in perfecting the missile’s engine, but researchers say the issues are being resolved and the system is expected to be installed on Israel Navy as well as Indian Navy vessels by the end of this year.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further indicate that during the test, the system detected the target and destroyed it with an interceptor missile. “The weapons system and all its components met all the objectives set for it,” Israel Aerospace Industries said in a statement. The system includes a radar system dubbed Barak Adir (Mighty Lightning), whose detection capacity is particularly long-range. The radar is already installed on one warship, but the overall system is still in the testing phase. The missiles have an interception range of around 70 kilometers.
“The Barak has been fielded operationally by the Israeli navy for more than 15 years It has been refined over time and it could well be attractive for certain land-based applications, says STRATFOR military analyst Nathan Hughes.
The IAI deal came shortly after an agreement between the Israel Military Industries (IMI) and India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for the building of five munitions factories in the next three years in the Indian state of Bihar. The IMI has pledged to utilize both Israeli and Indian sub-contractors in the fabrication of the artillery munitions plants.
The IMI boasts that it is experienced in the production of both Western and Eastern calibers, of tank and artillery munitions, an important selling point for India given its long-established mass defense procurement relationship with Russia.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that though Israel remains to be one of the biggest defense suppliers to India, New Delhi continues to maintain its close ties with Russians for the defense procurements.
These investigations indicate that Delhi has increased its Defense Budget to the tunes of billions of dollars during the past few years, hiding behind the notions of ‘’Defense Needs’. With latest developments taking place, India is all set to introduce its new Naval Doctrine by announcing final assembling of a powerful electro-accelerating machine i.e. Kilo-Ampere Liner Injector (KALI), that would be South Asia’s first ‘Star Wars’ weapon whose beams could cripple the incoming missiles and aircraft, that would not only be disturbing the military balance in the region but would be a permanent source of threat and deterrence to all the Naval and Air Traffic in the region particularly the future sea traffic to Pakistan’s Gawadar Port, that has emerged as the main hub economic and trade hub of China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, One Belt One Road and China Pakistan Economic Corridor like mega projects.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that when such separate and secret moves of India were detected by American authorities, earlier this year and US Secretary of State John Kerry took up the issue of this move and the Indo-Iran nuclear and missile proliferation issue, the Indian put entire blame on the then DRDO Chief Avinash Chandra and termed the entire exercise as his secret and personal act and making him scapegoat, fired the Agni Man from his post, three years ahead of the expiry of his contract.
A New Delhi-based senior Western diplomat, who remained in touch with a high-profile intelligence agency of his country, disclosed on condition of anonymity that the Indians imported the said technology from Russia a few years back and conducted further research on it at the Bhaba Institute of Nuclear Research (BINR) in Mumbai for a further modification so as to suit their defense requirements and made some major modifications in it over the years.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the KALI is a “soft kill” weapon system, initially developed by both the US and the former USSR during the Cold War era as part of their Star Wars Program.
Bursts of microwaves from KALI, packed with the gigawatts of water could ’soft kill’ the incoming aircraft and missiles by crippling their electronic systems and computer chips, contrary to the laser weapons which destroy the targets by drilling holes in metal.
KALI generates pulses of highly energetic electrons while its other components convert the electrons into the X-Rays or microwaves. According to some reports, India’s Defense Ballistic Institute at Chandigarh has already started using the X-Ray version of KALI to study the speed of projectiles.
The Daily Mail’s findings further indicate that the Indian defense scientists, at secret defense institute established at Bangalore have been found utilizing a micro-wave producing version of KALI to test the vulnerability of electronic systems being installed in certain Navy aircraft under development by the Indian aeronautical development agency in collaboration with the Israeli experts and the engineers of the IAI and IMI.
Sources maintained that KALI would enable India to enhance its electronic systems used in its satellite and missiles against electro-magnetic impulses (EMI), generated by nuclear weapons. The EMI can wreak havoc by creating intense electric fields of several thousand volts per centimeter. According to the defense analysts, the electronic components used in most of the missiles can withstand electric fields of only 300 volts per centimeter.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the Indians are planning to ‘arrange’ a formal test firing of KALI during the next couple of months to complete their current anti-missile and anti-aircraft program. It is believed that the Indians would install KALI initially on its Warships that it has recently deployed in the Persian Gulf.
The Daily Mail’s investigations suggest that Joint development of the MRSAM between IAI and India’s Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) was cleared in July 2007 by the cabinet committee on security (CCS). But the then Defense Minister AK Antony did not give it his final administrative clearance because of the CBI’s continuing investigation into the Barak missile scam. The CBI had by then filed an FIR on the purchase of the Barak missile system in 2000 from IAI and Rafael, naming former defense Minister George Fernandez and the then Indian Navy Chief Sushil Kumar.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further reveal that despite CCS approval, a cautious Antony sought vigilance opinion on the file. The Indian defense Ministry’s vigilance department cited the CBI investigation to suggest that the deal should not go through, according to a DNA report, citing two different sources and adding that is why the defense minister asked the DRDO to keep the file pending.
But somewhere in the last week of March 2008, the DRDO was ordered to move the file again for CCS approval. This happened even though the CBI was still investigating IAI and had, in fact, found more evidence of Israeli firms engaging arms dealers for the 2000 deal with the Indian Navy.
A senior Indian defense ministry official, who defended his government on the contract, said the MRSAM file was sent to the solicitor-general, who felt that the CBI’s FIR was not a bar and the government could go ahead with the deal if it considered the missile essential. Similar, vague opinions favoring the deal were obtained by the ministry from other agencies. The Central Vigilance Commission said the deal could go through if it was in the national interest.
The defense ministry sought the opinion of the law ministry, which said much the same thing: if the equipment was essential to national security, the deal could go ahead.
The Daily Mail’s investigations suggest that the Indians first purchased Phalcon” from Israel, immensely disturbing the military balance and are aiming to further disturb this balance by opting for Russian originate soft kill system KALI coupled with upgrading its submarines. Naval frigates and Jet fighters with the help and assistance of Israeli and Russian partners and is in process of creating the next -generation aircraft carrier with the help of Americans while it has already deployed Warships in the Persian Gulf that are soon to be equipped with KALI, simply with plans to counter China as the game is too big to be assumed as Pakistan specific.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that in a latest episode in this direction, just last month, in April 2015, a US defense contractor was pleaded guilty to secretly providing parts and drawings for nuclear submarines and fighter aircraft to India. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that India is not exercising the traditional Chanakya intrigue policies by double crossing US and having parallel plans with other powers but in fact it is on record to have done the same at many occasions in the past many decades.
Hannah Robert, 49, told a US district judge, Anne Thompson, in New Jersey that she had been exporting military technical drawings to India without prior approval from the US State Department.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further indicate that the two companies she owned; One Source USA and Caldwell Components; secretly sent technical drawings of parts in the torpedo systems for nuclear submarines, military attack helicopters and F-15 fighter aircrafts.
They also falsified documents to sell substandard military hardware to the US Department of Defense. Hanna Robert is charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act.
“She was also charged with manufacturing substandard parts that were not up to specification, in violation of the contracts she signed with the Department of Defense,” New Jersey US Attorney Paul Fishman said in a statement on last month.
The Daily Mail’s research highlights that Hanna Robert continued to provide confidential military data to India from June 2010 to December 2012 by falsifying documents. She also owned and operated a third firm located in India that manufactured defense hardware and spare parts along with an Indian resident, identified in the complaint only as ‘PR’.
In a serious breach of trust, Hanna Robert also sent export-controlled technical data to PR in India so that the two could submit bids to foreign actors.
She transmitted military drawings to India by posting the technical data to the password-protected website of a New Jersey church where she was a volunteer web administrator.
She uploaded thousands of technical drawings to the church website for PR to download in India through the course of the scheme.
Hanna Robert’s two companies, One Source USA and Caldwell Components, also signed deal with the US Defense Department to provide parts that were domestic; that is, more than 50 percent of the cost of the parts’ components are mined, produced and manufactured in the United States.
Federal prosecutors said that the companies had no manufacturing facilities in the United States and outsourced its contracts overseas.
She also used her Church’s website to send aircraft information to her subcontractors.
Some of the materials that Robert’s companies provided were faulty and the material certifications were misleading, media reports said.
As a result of failed wing pins she provided, the Defense Department had to ground 47 F-15 fighter aircraft for inspection and repair.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Indians were running the ‘Hanna Robert operation’ to materialize the above mentioned secret project with the collaboration of Russians and the material provided by Hanna Robert was regularly being sent to Russia’s Saint Petersburg-based Navy research and development facility. Some experts say this Indian move as a bid to revive the Cold War era by smuggling American Defense secrets to Russia but other see the same as a cunning move of Indians to fool Americans and gain their cooperation and assistance for blocking China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and One Belt One Road mega imitative by countering China’s upcoming sea trade \ operations via Pakistan’s Gwadar. However, on the other hand Delhi is making all out efforts to attain the utmost maritime and Navy supremacy in the region with the technical support and assistance of the Russians.
