Iranian S-300 missile systems

The Iranian government has brought a lawsuit against the Russian government to the International Court over Moscow's failure to deliver S-300 missile systems to Tehran. The Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, held a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday to complain to the Russian media and people.

Sajjadi said during the news conference that the S-300 shipment would not be a violation of the UN Security Council's Resolution #1929, that prohibits the sale to Iran of conventional weapons, including missiles, tanks, military helicopters, warplanes and warships.

The Iranian diplomat told the reporters that President Ahdmadinejad ordered the lawsuit in the hope that the court would rule in favor of Iran and thus help Russia carry out the weapons shipment.

Iran and Russia signed the S-300 contract in 2007 during the Bush Administration. Russian leader Vladmir Putin became the de fact arms dealer of the world by selling arms and weapons systems to countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and others.

In September 2010, under pressure from the U.S. and European Union, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement banning shipments to Iran of the weapons and equipment listed in the UN resolution.

China Makes CSS-5 Ballistic Missiles

In the wake of a recent Pentagon report that China is moving advanced CSS-5 ballistic missiles to areas close to the Sino-Indian border, New Delhi is clearly taking no chances.

The government is now ready to induct the nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile — with a range of 3,000-3,500 km and capable of hitting targets in China — into the Indian armed forces. It is also in the process of acquiring 42 more Russian-origin Sukhoi-30 MKI frontline fighters to “populate” airbases at Tezpur and Chabua in Assam to bolster the eastern sector.

The government is also reportedly moving the strategic Agni-II missile inducted earlier to areas near the Chinese border. These have a range of around 2,000 km.

 

Extra land is reportedly being procured in West Bengal and elsewhere to deploy these missiles. India is also developing the Agni-V missile (with a range of 5,000 km) that could hit targets deep within China.
When contacted, Army sources on Tuesday denied that missile units had been moved to the Eastern Command due to the Chinese threat perception.

The government is also taking other steps, including raising two more Army mountain divisions (30,000 troops) that will probably be deployed on the China border.
The Cabinet Committee on Security is considering the proposal for further troops augmentation near the Sino-Indian border.

China has deployed more advanced and survivable solid-fuel nuclear capable

China has deployed more advanced and survivable solid-fuel nuclear capable CSS-5 MRBM missiles against India as a 'deterrent posture', Pentagon has said warning that a high degree of mistrust continues to strain their bilateral ties.

The PLA has replaced liquid-fueled, nuclear-capable CSS-2 IRBMs with more advanced and survivable solid-fueled CSS-5 MRBM systems to strengthen its deterrent posture relative to India, the Pentagon has said in its annual report on Chinese military build up to the Congress.

The report also says that Beijing is pumping in huge investments on border infrastructure developments laying more roads and rail network along the Sino-Indian border.

"Although this construction is primarily aimed at facilitating economic development in western China, improved roads could also support PLA border defense operations," it said.

Pentagon said that New Delhi remains concerned by China's close military ties with Pakistan and its growing footprints in the Indian Ocean, Central Asia and Africa.

Russian military will use new MiG-35D

The Russian military will use new MiG-35D multirole fighters as an equal to the U.S. F-35 fighters, the Air Force chief said on Tuesday.

"We have not given up on the MiG-35D aircraft project, but we will transfer to the T-50 [heavy fighter] in the future," Gen. Alexander Zelin, the Russian Air Force commander, said during his visit to the six-day air show MAKS-2011 that opened near Moscow on Tuesday.

The U.S. Air Force began using the F-22 fifth generation fighter in the 2000s. America is now developing a lighter and less expensive version, the F-35.

The MiG-35 is an advanced derivative of the MiG-29, which uses air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles and the Zhuk A radar (Zhuk AE in exports)

T129 “P6” prototype helicopter has timely and successfully

The first flight, conducted by TAI’s test pilots, of T129 “P6” prototype helicopter has timely and successfully been completed at TAI’s facilities in Akıncı (Ankara).

The ATAK Program was initiated with the aim to meet the Attack/Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter requirements of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLF) by the integration of high-tech avionic equipment, hardware and software which will be developed in Turkey. 

The first flight of the P6 prototype marks an important milestone in the ATAK Program such that; being the first of a total of three T129 prototypes to be assembled in Turkey, it shows the level of technology achieved by Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. 

Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) is the center of technology in design, development, manufacturing, integration of aerospace systems, modernization and after sales support in Turkey. Located in Ankara - Turkey, TAI’s modern aircraft facilities are furnished with high technology machinery and equipment that provide extensive manufacturing capabilities. TAI has a total of 3928 highly motivated employees, 1200 of whom are engineers. 

Turkey’s procurement agency, buy only six CH-FS

Turkey has signed a government-to-government deal with the United States to buy six Boeing-made CH-47 heavy-lift military transport helicopters, the first such weapons in its inventory, a senior procurement official said over the weekend. The deal is worth up to $400 million, the official said.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, the Pentagon’s body coordinating weapons sales, notified the U.S. Congress of a potential sale of a total of 14 CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters for $1.2 billion in December 2009. Congress gave permission for the sale later that month.

Because of financial constraints, however, the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry, or SSM, Turkey’s procurement agency, later wanted to buy only six CH-47Fs, five for the Army and one for the Special Forces Command, leaving a decision on the remaining eight platforms for the future. Contract negotiations between the SSM, the U.S. government and Boeing were launched last year.

“The contract was signed in late July,” the procurement official told the Hürriyet Daily News. “After the helicopters begin to arrive, we plan to make some modifications to them according to our needs.”

The six CH-47F Chinooks will be the first heavy-lift helicopters in the Turkish Army’s inventory. Their deliveries are expected to begin in 2013 and end in 2014.

“These helicopters have incredible capabilities. Three or four of them can transport a company-sized unit and its equipment over long distances in only a few hours,” the procurement official said. The maximum speed of the CH-47F is around 312 kilometers per hour.

Developed in the late 1960s, the Chinooks have been exported to many countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

The Chinook has been successfully operated in combat conditions in several wars and armed conflicts.

Heavy-lift military transport helicopters are much larger versions of utility helicopters. The Chinook is a twin-engine, twin-rotor helicopter. Its counter-rotating rotors eliminate the need for an anti-torque vertical rotor, allowing all power to be used for lift and thrust.

The CH-47F is the upgraded version of the CH-47D, and is the latest model in this helicopter family. It can carry up to 60 troops and personnel.

F-22 stealth fighter

United Aircraft president Mikhail Pogosyan believes there is a market for 600 of the Sukhoi PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter, which finally made its public appearance at MAKS and is due to enter service with the Russian air force in 2015 or 2016.

The prototype, one of two undergoing flight tests, is Russia's answer to the Lockheed Martin F-22 stealth fighter. The first test flight was in January 2010, and United Aircraft sid a total of 16 flights have been made. Two more aircraft will join the flight test programme this year and a further two in 2012. 

Moscow has a requirement for around 200 of the single-seat aircraft, while India plans to buy around 200 aircraft, which are likely to be slightly larger and be twin-seaters. Its engineers and scientists are working on this programme jointly with the Russians, and contributing towards its development costs. Pogosyan believes another 200 export sales could be added as foreign air forces look to replace or add to legacy Soviet types. "There is a huge pool of MiG and Sukhoi customers that know our aircraft. We have very close relations with these customers," he said in an interview with Flightglobal at MAKS.

The PAK-FA, which is known internally as the T-50, reportedly makes heavy use of composites. It has two Saturn "Item 117" engines and an indigenously designed active electronically scanned array radar.

The delta-wing fighter has a small radar cross-section in radar, optical and infrared range, said Sukhoi, and large deeply-set intakes. It also has small, canted horizontal and vertical tail surfaces to boost stealth, the company added.

Sukhoi also plans to export the aircraft, which has been included in the initial list of types South Korea is considering for its F-X III tender. It could compete against the Boeing F-15K, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35 if it is shortlisted.

Russian Su-34 Fighter Bomber

The Russian air force wants to procure 120 Sukhoi Su-34 strike aircraft, the service's commander has revealed.

Speaking at the MAKS air show in Moscow, Gen Aleksander Zelin said five squadrons will eventually be armed with the two-seat type, with each to have 24 aircraft.

The Russian defence ministry's procurement plan for this year includes 12 Su-34s, and production activities at Sukhoi's NAPO plant in Novosibirsk are gradually picking up.

Orders have been confirmed for 32 Su-34s so far, with seven of these having been accepted into squadron service and a handful more being used by the defence ministry's weapons-assessment units and industry.

The air force is now working with United Aircraft and Sukhoi to firm-up contacts for follow-on batches, and intends to have 70 of the aircraft operational in 2015.

The Su-34 holds a prominent position in Russia's state arms-acquisition programme, which was validated earlier this year and runs until 2020.

It has been developed as a replacement for the air force's Su-24 swing-wing strike aircraft, currently the most numerous type in its combat aircraft inventory and the backbone of its frontal bomber units.

Powered by two AL-31FM engines - developed by NPO Saturn and produced by MMPP Salut - the Su-34 can carry 8,000kg (17,600lb) of weapons on 12 hard points.

In 2010, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev offered Beijing an export version dubbed the Su-32, but there has been no indication so far that China, or any other international customer, is seeking to acquire the aircraft.

Fight Against Terrorism

WASHINGTON: Pakistan is a partner in the fight against terrorism and not a state that sponsors terrorism, said the US State Department while elaborating on a statement by Defence Secretary Leon Panetta who accused Pakistan of having links with terrorist groups.

At a discussion at the US National Defence University here on Tuesday, Mr Panetta said that Pakistan had links with Lashkar-e Taiba and the Haqqani network, which had complicated its relationship with the United States.

Later, Washington-based Indian journalists raised the issue at a State Department briefing, arguing that after Mr Panetta’s statement the US had no option but to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.

“I think Secretary Panetta spoke to our concern about how these two organisations operate and any relationship that they may have with Pakistan, which is a subject that we talk about with Pakistan, which is a different issue than a state being a sponsor of terrorism itself,” said the department’s spokesman Victoria Nuland while explaining the US position on this issue.

“No,” she said when a journalist asked if she believed Secretary Panetta was accusing the government of Pakistan of having ties to the two terrorist groups.

“Why Pakistan maintains a relationship with the terrorist organisation? What level of relations the US has under your own laws against Pakistan and what actions you are taking with it?” asked an Indian journalist.

The State Department official noted that the United States had had a ‘robust dialogue’ with Pakistan on counter-terrorism issues, had continued to strengthen its approach to this subject and had collaborated with Pakistan in fighting terrorism.

“Obviously, these two organisations that Secretary Panetta spoke about are on the list of subjects that we talk about together.

But beyond that, I don’t think I’m going to get into the substance,” she said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed similar views on this issue during the NDU debate where Secretary Panetta accused Pakistan of having ties with Lashkar and the Haqqani network.
“There are certain attitudes or beliefs that the Pakistanis have which are rooted in their own experience, just like we have our own set of such convictions,” she said when asked to comment on Pakistan’s reluctance to follow Washington’s strategy for fighting terrorism.

chief of China’s armed forces visited Israel

The chief of China’s armed forces visited Israel on Sunday in what analysts saw as part of a Middle East reassessment by Beijing following the political upheaval of the “Arab Spring.”

Bingde was scheduled to tour an army base and hear security briefings, the Israeli military spokesman said, describing the unprecedented visit as part of “the development and upkeep of international cooperation as a means of facing mutual challenges.”

Israel and China established ties almost two decades ago, but the relationship has been clouded by US disapproval of Israeli arms sales to the Asian superpower.

The Israelis have also been troubled by Beijing’s past reluctance to back international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Gedaliah Afterman, China expert with the Jewish People Policy Institute, an Israeli think-tank, saw in Chen’s visit a sign of “the growing Chinese interest in the relationship with Israel because of the instability in the surrounding Arab states.”

“They were caught ill-prepared, they didn’t expect the events in the Middle East,” Afterman said, adding that China could try to renew defense deals with Israel.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese embassy.

Israeli officials described Chen’s visit as part of wider bilateral contacts and played down any prospect of defense deals being discussed. China hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in June.

An Israeli defense ministry statement said Barak and Chen discussed “ties with the Palestinians Authority, the situation in Pakistan and Iran and the fight against international terrorism.” 

China has deployed an elite police counter-terrorism

BEIJING — China has deployed an elite police counter-terrorism unit to the restive northwest region of Xinjiang after a series of deadly attacks there, state media reported Saturday.

The Snow Leopard Commando unit is expected to carry out "anti-terrorist missions" in Kashgar and Hotan, which were hit by the recent violence, the China Daily newspaper quoted a spokesman for the region's police force as saying.

The unit is an elite counter-terrorism group under the People's Armed Force whose responsibilities include riot control and bomb disposal as well as reacting to hijacks.

The elite unit's presence in Xinjiang was to secure the region after last month's attacks and ahead of a trade convention next month, the police spokesman added, but did not give details of the size of the deployment.

Xinjiang has seen several outbreaks of ethnic violence in recent years as the mainly Muslim Uighur minority bridles under what it regards as oppression by the government and the unwanted immigration of ethnic Han Chinese.

Tensions boiled over again in July when two knife attacks as well as clashes between Uighurs and police killed more than 30 people in the resource-rich and strategically vital region.

Officials and state media have blamed the unrest on "terrorists" but some experts say the government has produced little evidence of an organised terrorist threat, adding the violence stems more from long-standing local resentment.

Real Story About Drone

With governments like Pakistan's current regime, who needs the strong arm of the CIA? According to Bob Woodward's latest bestseller Obama's Wars, when Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, an obsequiously dangerous man, was notified that the CIA would be launching missile strikes from drones over his country's sovereign territory, he replied,"Kill the seniors. Collateral damage worries you Americans. It doesn't worry me."

Why would he worry? When his wife Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in 2007 to run for prime minister after years of self-imposed exile, she was already pledged to a campaign of pro-American engagement. She promised to hand over nuclear scientist and international bogeyman Dr. A.Q. Khan, the "father" of the Pakistani atomic bomb, to the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

In 2008, for example, Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani enthusiastically told American Ambassador Anne Paterson that he "didn't care" if drone strikes were launched against his country as long as the "right people" were targeted. (They weren't.) "We'll protest in the National Assembly," Gilani added cynically, "and then ignore it."

In fact, protests by the National Assembly have been few and far between and yet Pakistani territory had been targeted by American unmanned Predator and Reaper missile strikes more than 100 times this year alone. CIA drone strikes have, in fact, been a feature of the American war in Pakistan since 2004. In 2008, after Barack Obama won the presidency in the U.S. and Zardari ascended to Pakistan's highest office, the strikes escalated and soon began occurring almost weekly, later nearly daily, and so became a permanent feature of life for those living in the tribal borderlands of northern Pakistan.

While the dead are regularly identified as "militants" or "suspected militants" in newspaper stories and on the TV news, they almost never have names, nor are their identities confirmed or faces shown. Their histories are always vague. The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) took a careful look at nine drone strikes from the last two years and concluded that they had resulted in the deaths of 30 civilians, including 14 women and children. (Perhaps, of course, superior American military intelligence classified them as "militants in training.") Based on this study, an average rate of error can be calculated: 3.33 civilians mistakenly killed in each drone attack. The dead, Pakistanis will assure you, are largely unnamed, faceless, unindicted, and un-convicted civilians.
Pakistanis are considered irrelevant, however, and collateral damage, as it turns out, doesn't seem to worry anyone in the governing elite.

In 2009, in one of the many State Department cables Wikileaks loosed on the world, U.S. Ambassador Anne Paterson confirmed that key player and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani directed his forces to aid those American drone strikes. Various U.S. operations in the country's northern and tribal regions were, the ambassador wrote, "almost certainly [conducted] with the personal consent of… General Kayani."

The Zardari government makes no secret of its gratitude for American support. They have, after all, watched as a foreign power bombs its land, illegally detains or renders its citizens, and turns a blind eye to Pakistan's flagrant censorship and abuse of human rights.

At the height of the devastation wreaked by the summer floods, the Health Secretary of Balochistan and the Deputy Chairman of the Pakistani Senate both alleged that aid could not be airlifted out of an air base in the city of Jacobabad on the border between Sindh and Balochistan, two flood ravaged provinces, because it was being used by the Americans for their drone strikes in Pakistan. The American embassy issued a swift and suitably hurt-sounding denial, but the damage was done -- and the message was clear: the war against Pakistan continues unabated, with its own government at the helm.

Chinese first aircraft carrier Shi Lang

Chinese first aircraft carrier Shi Lang on Wednesday left its shipyard in the country's northeast to start its first sea trial, the state news agency Xinhua said.

The revamped old Soviet ship's sea trial was in line with the schedule of its refitting project and would not take long, the news agency said, quoting military sources.

After returning from the trial, the carrier will continue its refit and test work, the report said, adding that the vessel had set sail from its shipyard in the city of Dalian.

Beijing last month sought to downplay the capability of its first aircraft carrier, saying the vessel would be used for training and "research", amid concerns over the country's military build-up.

The project has added to regional worries over the country's fast military expansion and growing assertiveness on territorial issues.

It also comes amid heightened tensions over a number of maritime territorial disputes involving China, notably in the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas and is claimed by several countries.

The issue has heated up recently with run-ins between China and fellow claimants Vietnam and the Philippines, sparking concern among its neighbouring countries and the United States.

In September, a erupted between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese, located in the East China Sea.

Chen Bingde, the nation's top military official, only provided the first official acknowledgement of the aircraft carrier in a Hong Kong newspaper interview in early June.

But media reports and military analysts have for years said the 300-metre (990-foot) ship was in development.

The ship, once called the Varyag, was originally built for the Soviet navy. Construction was interrupted by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

China reportedly bought the ship's immense armoured hull -- with no engine, electrics or propeller -- in 1998.

China's People's Liberation Army -- the largest armed force in the world -- is extremely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a huge and expanding military budget boosted by the nation's runaway economic growth.

JF-17 Block II

The  JF-17 Block II is believed to have AESA radars similar to those observed on the J-10B. The integrated avionics, sensors and EW suite is entirely Chinese and is believed to be at the level of Europes best planes. The AESA radar is a slightly smaller version of the one being utilized for the J-10B. The radar is highly sophisticated and its installation is beyond the present capacity at PAC Kamra and will thus require the aircraft to take a trip to Nanjing, China.

The Block II will be the standard version to be used in the PAF with the older Block Is to be retired after the end of production for the first 150 aircraft. This suggests that the structural changes needed to convert the Block Is to Block II standard are significant, suggesting considerable changes to the revised edition. The following are believed to be some of the key changes:

1. AESA radar

2. Comprehensive upgrades for low RCS profile including cockpit glass, RAM paint, refined structure, completely new nose structure for AESA, significant increase in the use of composites and retractable refueling probe.

3. Awaited integration of A-Darter missiles from Brazil / South Africa with HOBS capability and Brazilian HMS.

4. The BVR missile is the SD-10B which has been found more than a match for the AMRAAM-120 C5s. An unknown Meteor class missile is in the works beyond the SD-10Bs.

India Mi-17-V5 heavy helicopters

India is expected to start receiving its Mi-17-V5 heavy lift helicopters from March 2011 onwards. The 80 choppers had been ordered from Russia in December 2008 for $1.34 billion, making the single biggest helicopter deal in India.

      

 

 

India’s defence minister A.K. Antony told parliament today that The Mi-17-V5 helicopters will be utilised for Special Heliborne Operations, air-maintenance, transportation of troops and equipment, search and rescue, casualty evacuation and in armed helicopter roles.

      A follow-on order for 59 additional Mi-17 helicopters is expected early next year, according the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief P.V.Naik who was quoted as saying in a magazine interview. The Mi-17-V5 is expected to be a prominent attraction at Aero India 2011. 

Russia and the United States plan military cooperation deals

Russia and the United States plan to sign more military cooperation deals, the deputy chief of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Thursday.

This May, the United States signed a $367.5 million contract with Russia to buy 21 Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters for the Afghan army.

"We plan to sign more deals with the United States very soon, and plan to extend [cooperation] beyond helicopter deals," Vyacheslav Dzirkaln said, adding that the two countries are in search of other mutually beneficial areas of military cooperation.

He also denied media reports that Russia had problems with implementing the helicopter contract and said that the first batch of aircraft would be sent to Afghanistan later this year.

The Mi-17 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip helicopter. Currently in production at two factories in the Russian Volga area city of Kazan and the East Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, it features powerful turboshaft engines and can transport up to 35 troops.

The Mi-17V5 version is equipped with a loading ramp instead of the clam-shell doors, an additional door and a new "dolphin nose".

Vietnam Submarine Fleet

Vietnam will have a submarine fleet within six years, the defense minister confirmed in reports on Thursday, as China's increasing maritime assertiveness causes regional concern. 

Russian media reported in December 2009 that Vietnam had agreed to buy half a dozen diesel-electric submarines for about two billion dollars, but Hanoi had not previously commented on the deal.

“In the coming five to six years, we will have a submarine brigade with six Kilo 636-Class subs,” Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Tuoi Tre newspaper.


Thanh said the fleet was “definitely not meant as a menace to regional nations,” according to Thursday's report.

“Buying submarines, missiles, fighter jets and other equipment is for self-defense,” he was quoted as saying, without specifying how Vietnam was paying for the naval investment.

“It depends on our economic ability. Vietnam has yet to produce modern weapons and military equipment, which are costly to import,” he said.
Economists say the country's economy is in turmoil with galloping inflation, large trade and budget deficits, inefficient state spending, and other woes.
Much of Vietnam's military hardware is antiquated but this week it received the first of three new coastal patrol planes for the marine police, announced the manufacturer, Madrid-based Airbus Military.

When news of the Russian deal first emerged, analysts said the acquisition aimed to bolster Hanoi's claims against Beijing in the South China Sea, where the two sides have a longstanding territorial spat that has recently flared.

Tensions were heightened in May when Vietnam accused Chinese marine surveillance vessels of cutting the exploration cables of an oil survey ship inside the country's exclusive economic zone.

Other nations in the region have accused China in recent months of becoming more aggressive in enforcing its claims to parts of the South China Sea.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to all or parts of the waters, believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.

Russian Defence News

Russia and the United States plan to sign more military cooperation deals, the deputy chief of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Thursday.

This May, the United States signed a $367.5 million contract with Russia to buy 21 Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters for the Afghan army.

"We plan to sign more deals with the United States very soon, and plan to extend [cooperation] beyond helicopter deals," Vyacheslav Dzirkaln said, adding that the two countries are in search of other mutually beneficial areas of military cooperation.

He also denied media reports that Russia had problems with implementing the helicopter contract and said that the first batch of aircraft would be sent to Afghanistan later this year.

The Mi-17 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip helicopter. Currently in production at two factories in the Russian Volga area city of Kazan and the East Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, it features powerful turboshaft engines and can transport up to 35 troops.

The Mi-17V5 version is equipped with a loading ramp instead of the clam-shell doors, an additional door and a new "dolphin nose".

Indian Army TO Test Fire Agni-2

The Indian Army has planned to conduct flight tests of two Agni variant missiles from the missile testing range off the Orissa coast in the next 45 days. These tests are aimed at gauging the effectiveness of the weapons  and  their performance in real time situation. Defence sources  said the        missiles to be testfired are 700km range Agni-I and 2,000km 

range Agni-II. 

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), a contingent specially raised to carry out the user specific tests of the missiles developed by DRDO, will conduct the tests. Both the missiles have been inducted in the Army.The missiles will be launched from the launching complexIV of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) with the logistic support from the DRDO scientists and technical officers. While AgniII has been planned to be tested in the last week of August, the test of AgniI is scheduled for third week of September. 

A defence official said as the missiles have been handed over to the Army for its use during the time of crisis, the military personnel through these userspecific trials get to know how to use the weapon and its capability. Preparation for the tests will soon start at the LCIV in the Wheeler's Island off the Dhamra coast in Bhadrak district. After both the trials, the DRDO has planned to go for the maiden test of 5,000 km range AgniV missile, considered India's first InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Though the missile which has the capability to reach most of the Chinese cities is ready for test, the DRDO is reportedly waiting for the State Government's nod. AgniI missile weighs around 12 tonnes and can carry both conventional and nuclear payload of about 1,000 kg. It is powered by both solid and liquid propellants, which imparts it a speed of 2.5 km a second. The missile can blast off from both road and rail mobile launchers.Similarly, AgniII missile is about 21 metres tall having a diameter of one metre and weighs 17 tonnes. It can carry a payload (both conventional and nuclear) of around one tonne. The twostage solidpropelled AgniII is one of the key weapon systems of the country's nuclear deterrence doctrine.

Air Mule Takes off

The Urban Aeronautics Company is rounding out preparations for the coming demonstration of its UAV “Air Mule” before the IDF high command. “Air Mule” is designed to transport supplies to fighting forces and medevac troops from fire-saturated battlefields. This outstanding aerial vehicle is unmanned but capable of transporting humans.

Development began in 2007, and it its maiden flight was held in 2009. Since then “Air Mule” has performed several hovering flights, accumulating approximately forty flying hours. The next tests will have it flying at 60 to 100 knots without a ground-based connecting cable (as required until now by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority). The Defense Ministry is financing half the outlay of “Air Mule”’s operational technologies. Next year Urban Aeronautics will look for a strategic partner, local or foreign, in order to complete the project and commence industrial production.

The systems are being developed in close cooperation with the air force’s chief medical officer and ground forces command. If the IDF confirms its procurement, “Air Mule” is expected to be operational in 2015.

Although Urban Aeronautics’ initial ideas for a UAV were civilian in nature (flights over congested urban transportation systems), after publication of plans to equip the US marines with UAVs capable of transporting humans, the company’s directors decided to concentrate their efforts on the military arena.

Dr. Rafi Yoeli, company CEO and the guiding light behind the initiative, believes that this type of UAV will be able to fly to designated locations; navigate by means of a pre-fed computerized flight program and GPS systems; and land independently. Supplies will be unloaded at the landing site for troops waiting for the UAV. Wounded can be harnessed to special compartments on the sides of the vehicle and then “launched” to an evacuation point.

The “Air mule” is compact: six meters long and two meters wide. Its Turbomeca Ariel jet engine drives two internally enclosed propellers that vertically lift the vehicle and cargo. Employing more than 200 flaps, the UAV’s flight path can be precisely controlled. Urban Aeronautics is developing a number of UAVs that operate on the principle of internally installed propellers. In addition to “Air Mule”, other models include Centaur, designed to carry three to five passengers without a pilot, and X-Hawk, a two-engine model intended to transport five to eight passengers.

“We’re now able to land and take off from any point”, says Dr. Yoeli. “For the first time this lets us evacuate wounded from almost anywhere. Our UAV, carries a gross weight of close to 400 kilos”. Besides civilian and military uses, Dr. Yoeli notes the wide range of other missions where UAVs will prove invaluable: flying above dangerous zones such as nuclear reactors and areas contaminated by chemical plant leaks.

Urban Aeronautics is in contact with the United States Army and the militaries of other nations, including India and Italy, for possible sale of the “Air Mule”. 

Chinese J-20 J-XX Generation

The emergence of J-20 shook the media in the past ten years have no expectation on the aviation industry in China , J-20 seems to be a major step forward in the Chinese air force signals, it appears that that the PLA Air Force has grown up No longer need to rely on outdated Russian or Israeli fighter design. 

U.S. Defense News article said that the United States in 1990 had a secret test flight of the F-22 and its competitive model F-23 prototype. Five air superiority fighter currently in terms of whether China has caught up with the U.S.? Recently popular Chinese Web sites everywhere in the People's Liberation Army's newest jet fighter J-20 (F 20) obscure the picture. Some people think these pictures are fake; Also some people think that picture is real, and J-20 project has been well under way. Some analysts argue that these images may be the Chinese government has launched a product of information warfare.

The article said that some of the Internet forums in China have reproduced the J-20 picture, picture show that the aircraft has many typical characteristics of the shape of the Five machines, including the distinctive outline of the front nose, irregular triangular wings and a motor upgrade of the tail. Judging from the plane shape, the Chinese J-20 looks more like the U.S. Air Force F-22 fuselage and the front of the latter part of the Russian T-50 airframe combination. 

J-20 has been shaken by the emergence of China's aviation industry more than a decade did not have expectations of the media, J-20 seems to be a major step forward in the Chinese air force signals, it appears that that the PLA Air Force has grown up no longer need to rely on outdated Russian or Israeli fighter design. 

Article analyzed, the question now is, J-20 is the emergence of the United States dominate the world aerospace end? Analysts are still nervous F-22 and will be F-35 as a world-class, but when Russia's newest fighter T-50 flight and the Chinese J-20 appears, analysts knock on the status of the U.S. Air Force sound the alarm. 

The Pentagon delayed production of F-35, but at the same time, China has been significantly accelerated the development of national secrets Five aircraft rate of progress.

Up to now, J-20 has not yet been flight. F-22 from the first flight to enter service with the U.S. military for 15 years, taking into account the high technology of China's quality control problems, J-20 high-volume service may take years or even longer, which will be the balance of power in the Pacific have some impact. From this we can see that the Chinese Air Force, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to judge and assess the possible bias a little, but not a lot of bias. 

China's J10B Fighter To Pakistan Worries India

The recent official offer of the Chinese to raise a squadron of its home-grown advanced multi-role, all-weather fighter aircraft J-10B to Pakistan has worried Indian defence experts. Pakistan will be the only other country apart from China to have this sophisticated fighter aircraft.

Air Commodore (Retd) Jasjit Singh, director, New Delhi-based Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), told DNA: “India now not only faces the possibility of a two-front war but has to also deal with a two-front military modernisation programme with China supplying its latest weaponry to Pakistan.”

He said India faces a 10-year window of vulnerability as the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) present squadron of 34 is way below the sanctioned strength of 39 squadrons. “It will take 10 years for the IAF to get back to its sanctioned strength of 39 squadrons. While Pakistan at present, with 24 squadrons, is raising its strength rapidly with China’s support,” said Singh, who is also the former director of Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis.

Former Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal PK Barbora, however, said China’s offering Pakistan a squadron of the J-10s may not threaten India’s air superiority. “China does not have a great record of producing a world-class aircraft. All they do is reverse engineer and manufacture aircraft. Secondly, by raising just one squadron Pakistan may not benefit much,” he said.

However, Pakistani media reports indicate that it is looking at raising two squadrons of the fourth generation aircraft to counter India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which is still under development. Besides, according to US military and defence technology news website, Defense Update, the Chinese designed Joint Fighter (JF)-17 (commonly known as ‘Thunder’) is already under production in Pakistan and is actively being promoted for export in the world market.

Despite his optimism, Air Marshal Barbora warned that the slow pace of India’s defence indigenisation (read LCA Tejas, in particular) is a cause for worry. “We will be adding 300 more Su-30 MKIs; getting 126 medium multi role combat aircraft; and upgrading the Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and the MiG-29s. The same cannot be said of some pathetic status of indigenous programmes like the Light Combat Aircraft, which has been delayed for years now,” he says.

J-10 The New Pakistani Defense Increment

China and Pakistan have forged a formidable partnership in high-tech defense production. This partnership is born of their ever-deepening military and strategic cooperation that is also reflective of the burgeoning capacity of China's defense industries and the budding Sino-Pakistani defense relationship. The epitome of this bilateralism is the recent revelation that the Chinese have agreed to the sale of 36 J-10B fighter jets to Pakistan (Financial Times, November 10). The J-10 aircrafts are known to be one of the most advanced weapon systems in China’s arsenal, of which Pakistan will be the first recipient. With the delivery of 36 fighter jets, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will raise two fighting squadrons that will further sharpen its combativeness. The J-10 deal was reportedly sealed for a whopping $1.4 billion, which accounts for 70 percent of Chinese average arms sales of $2 billion a year (China Brief, July 9).


The J-10 Sale Epitomizes Strategic Alliance

The deal marks the depth of a strategic alliance between Beijing and Islamabad. Some reports suggest that Pakistan is actually seeking 150 J-10 fighter jets, which go by Chengdu Jian-10 in China and F-10 in Pakistan, for a sum of $6 billion (The Hindu, November 11). The Pakistani government, however, dismisses such reports as inflated (Financial Times, November 10). Although Pakistan has not yet made the deal public, its prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, on November 23, confirmed that “his country is in talks with China for securing the J-10s” [1]. Pakistan turned to China for these aircraft in 2006 after it failed to secure the F-16s from the United States (Dawn, May 1, 2006). General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s former military ruler, who negotiated the deal during his visit to China in 2006, is the real architect of this grand sale (The Hindu, November 11).

The J-10s are China’s third generation fighter aircraft that it has indigenously developed (The Hindu, November 11) and manufactured at the Chengdu Aircraft Industry (CAI). Some observers, however, believe that J-10s are China’s fourth generation aircraft. “This aircraft is a cousin to the Israeli Lavi (upon which it is based) and roughly equivalent in capabilities to the U.S. F-16C flown by several air forces around the world” (See "China’s Re-emergence as an Arms Dealer: The Return of the King?" China Brief, July 9). The J-10s started development in the mid-1980s and finally entered production for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) about three or four years ago. Aviation experts rank them below the F-16s, the Swedish Gripen and other smaller combat aircraft (China Brief, July 9). According to a report in The Hindu (November 11), China is working on developing its fourth generation fighter jets as well. The United States, The Hindu report further claims, is the only country that possesses a fourth generation combat aircraft—the F-22s. Yet aviation experts believe the F-22s are fifth generation fighter jets. Chinese Deputy Commander of the PLAAF General He Weirong claimed that “China would operationalize its very own fourth generation aircraft in the next eight or ten years” (The Hindu, November 11). The Chinese official further claimed that the fourth generation planes would “match or exceed the capacity of similar jets in existence today” (The Hindu, November 11).

In anticipation, China is also training Pakistani fighter pilots for flying the fourth generation combat aircraft. On January 16, it delivered eight Karakoram K-8P trainer jets to Pakistan for this purpose. According to an official statement, the K-8P jets had enhanced the basic training of PAF pilots and provided a “potent platform for their smooth transition to more challenging fourth generation fighter aircraft” (The Asian Defence, January 16). The K-8P is an advanced trainer jet that has been jointly developed by China and Pakistan. It is already in service at the PAF Academy. At the handing-over ceremony for the K-8Ps, a visiting Chinese delegation as well as high-ranking PAF officers were in attendance.

China’s sale of the J-10 fighters to Pakistan, however, signals the depth of its strategic alliance with Pakistan. Pakistan will be the first country to receive the most advanced Chinese aircraft, which speaks volumes to Chinese faith in its strategic partnership with Pakistan. Defense analysts, however, believe that the sale sends an important message to the world that China’s “defense capability is growing rapidly” (Financial Times, November 10). China-Pakistan military relations spanned over 43 years, starting in 1966 when China provided Pakistan with F-6s, which were followed by the successive supply of such aircraft as FT5, A5, F-7P, F-7PG and K-8 (Jang, November 22).

These relations continue to grow with high-level exchanges in the defense sector. As recently as October of this year, Chinese Vice-Minister Chen Qiufa, administrator of China’s State Administration for Science, Technology & Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), led a delegation of Chinese defense-companies to Pakistan. He called on Prime Minister Gilani and discussed cooperation in the JF-17 Thunder Project, Al Khalid tank, F-22 frigates, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), and aircraft and naval ships (APP, October 17). The Chinese delegation included representatives from China's missile technology firm Poly Technologies as well as Aviation Industries Corp. of China, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, China Electronics Technology Group and China North Industry Corporation.

Although there is a proliferation of joint defense projects between China and Pakistan, their collaboration in aviation industry has peaked at the turn of the millennium. The mainstay of their joint defense production is the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra (Punjab), which services, assembles and manufactures fighter and trainer aircraft. The PAC is rated as the world’s third largest assembly plant. Initially, it was founded with Chinese assistance to rebuild Chinese aircraft in the PAF fleet, which included Shenyang F-6 (now retired), Nanchang A-5, F-7 combat aircraft, Shenyang FT-5 and FT-6 Jet trainer aircraft. The PAC also houses the Kamra Radar and Avionics Factory (KARF), which is meant to assemble and overhaul airborne as well as ground-based radar systems, electronics, and avionics. The KARF, which is ISO-9002 certified, has upgraded the PAF Chengdu F-7P interceptor fleet. Over time, the PAC has expanded its operation into aircraft manufacturing, and built a specialized manufacturing unit in the 1980s: The Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF). The AMF got noticed in the region when it partnered with the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group of China to design, develop and coproduce the K-8 Karakoram (Hongdu JL-8), which is an advanced jet trainer. The AMF’s flagship project, however, is the Sino-Pakistani joint production and manufacture of the JF-17 Thunder aircraft, which it is producing with the Chengdu Aircraft Industry (CAI).

JF-17 Thunder Makes Over the PAF

In recent history, China and Pakistan set out for the joint production of JF-17 combat aircraft that both countries consider a substitute for U.S. F-16s. Pakistan’s indigenous manufacture of the first JF-17 (which goes by FC-1 in China) came to fruition on November 23, when Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), an arm of the Pakistan Air Force, turned it over to the PAF to the chants of “Long Live Pak-China Friendship” (The News International, November 24).

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Lou Zhaohui, were among the dignitaries who attended the handing-over ceremony. Chinese Ambassador Zhaohui, speaking on the occasion, told his audience: “China wants to further broaden the defense cooperation with Pakistan” (Jang, November 23). The PAF already has 10 JF-17s, which were produced in China, in its fleet. The JF-17 project began in 1992, under which China agreed to transfer technology for the aircraft’s joint production. The project was hampered in 1999, when Pakistan came under proliferation sanctions. It gained momentum in 2001.

On September 3, 2003, its prototype, which was manufactured in China, conducted the first test flight. The PAF claims that the JF-17s, with a glass cockpit and modern avionics, are comparable to any fighter plane (Jang, November 23). It is a lightweight combat jet, fitted with turbofan engine, advanced flight control, and the most advanced weapons delivery system. As a supersonic plane, its speed is 1.6 times the speed of its sound, and its ability to refuel midair makes it a “stand-out” (Jang, November 23). Pakistan intends to raise a squadron of JF-17s by 2010. The Chief of Air Staff of the PAF told a newspaper that JF-17s would help “replace the existing fleet of the PAF comprising F-7s, A-5s and all Mirage aircraft” (The News International, November 8). Eventually, Pakistan will have 350 JF-17s that will completely replace its ageing fleet.

Pakistan also plans to export these aircraft to developing countries for which, it says, orders have already started pouring in (Jang, November 22). China and Pakistan anticipate an annual export of 40 JF-17s to Asian, African and Middle Eastern nations [2]. At $25 million apiece, the export of 40 aircraft will fetch them $1 billion per year. There are estimates that Asia will purchase 1,000 to 1,500 aircraft over the next 15 years. In this Sino-Pakistani joint venture, Pakistan will have 58 percent of shares, while China will have 42 percent (The News International, November 25). Besides defense aviation, China and Pakistan are closely collaborating on the joint production of naval ships as well.

Chinese Frigates for the Pakistan Navy

China and Pakistan worked out a $750 million loan to help Pakistan build four F-22P frigates (The News International, September 16, 2004). In 2004, Pakistan negotiated this non-commercial (i.e. low-cost) loan with China for the joint manufacture of naval ships. China and Pakistan have since moved fast to begin work on this project. They have now expanded the original deal to build eight F22P frigates respectively at Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, China, and Karachi shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW), Pakistan. The manufacturing cost of each F22P Frigate, which is an improved version of China’s original Type 053H3 Frigate, is $175 million. At this rate, the cost of eight frigates will run at about $1.4 billion.

The first Chinese-built F-22 frigate, named PNS Zulfiqar (Arabic for sword), was delivered to Pakistan on July 30 (The Nation, July 31). A month later, the ship was formally commissioned in the Pakistan Navy fleet in September. Soon after its arrival in July, the ship participated in the Pakistan Navy’s SeaSpark exercises. Of the original four frigates, three were to be built in China and one in Pakistan (Asia Times, July 11, 2007). After the delivery of PNS Zulfiqar, the remaining two ships that are being built in China are expected to be commissioned in the Pakistan Navy fleet by 2010. The fourth ship being built in Pakistan’s Karachi shipyard will be ready by 2013 (Asia Times, July 11, 2007).

The Pakistan Navy describes the F-22P frigate as a Sword Class ship that is equipped with long-range surface-to-surface missiles (SSM) and surface-to-air missiles (SAM), depth charges, torpedoes, the latest 76mm guns, a close-in-weapons system (CIWS), sensors, electronic warfare and an advanced command and control system (The Nation, July 31). The ship has a displacement of 3,000 tons and carries anti-submarine Z9EC helicopters. China has already delivered the first batch of two such helicopters to Pakistan. Although the Pakistan Navy has Sea-King helicopters for anti-submarine operations, it is now acquiring Chinese Z9ECs to enhance its operational capabilities (The Nation, July 31). In addition to building eight frigates, the Sino-Pakistan defense deal includes the upgrading of the Karachi dockyard for indigenous production of a modern surface fleet. The frigates deal is the first of its kind between China and Pakistan, which forges their two navies into a high-level collaboration for boosting their surface fleet.

Conclusion

At the turn of the millennium, China and Pakistan have diversified their defense trade into joint defense production. They have since been collaborating on the production of most advanced weapons systems, such as the JF-17s combat aircraft and F-22P Frigates. Pakistan will receive the transfer of technology for the J-10s as well. China recognizes that Pakistan is rich with human capital in the high-tech defense industry, which serves as a magnet for its investment. Both China and Pakistan look to capture wider defense export markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. At the same time, their growing cooperation in aviation and naval defense systems signals an important shift in Pakistan’s military doctrine that traditionally favored Army (especially ground forces) over its sister services—Navy and Air Force. In the region’s changing strategic environment, in which China has growing stakes, Pakistan has come to recognize the critical importance of air and naval defense. The China-Pakistan collaboration in aviation and naval defense amply embodies this recognition. 

China Reveal Fighter Aircraft

China has stated publicly for the first time its intention to acquire two or more indigenously designed and built aircraft carriers for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

A brief reference to the strategy has appeared in an annual report from the the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). Although it was published in May, the reference was buried at the end of the 570-page document and has only now been picked up by news outlets in the Asia-Pacific region.

A translation of the SOA's 2010Ocean Development Report, published by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on 19 December, stated: "In 2009, China put forward an idea and plan for building aircraft carriers. These indicate China has entered the historical era of building a maritime superpower."

The translation continued: "Building China as a maritime power is the mission of China in the whole 21st century, and 2010 to 2020 is the critical period for accomplishing this strategic mission, with the goal to place China among mid-tier maritime powers."

In addition, unconfirmed reports published by the several newspapers in the region are suggesting that construction of a conventionally powered carrier (CV) may have started.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun stated on 17 December: "Construction has already begun at six military affiliated companies and research institutes in Shanghai and other locations."

New War Ground between India and Pakistan : Cyber Warfare

After sea, land and air warfare, traditional arch rivals India and Pakistan are now facing each other in another arena. With the help of Israelis, Indians have launched another war on a new axis against Pakistan – Cyber Warfare.

In certain aspects, Cyber warfare is complex, more penetrating and detrimental to the national security than conventional warfare. It is fought on the cyberspace using weapons like Cyber espionage, web vandalism, gathering data, Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks (DDOS), equipment disruption, attacking critical infrastructure, compromised counterfeit hardware, virus and worm release. Potential targets include;


1) Emergency services
2) Financial markets and bank systems
3) Power grids Water and fuel pipelines
4) Strategic Weapons systems Communication networks (Military / Civil)
5) Industrial and Engineering Complexes
6) E-Government services (internet based utility services, web servers)

The Internet security company McAfee stated in their 2007 annual report that approximately 120 countries have been developing ways to use the Internet as a weapon and target financial markets, government computer systems and utilities.

Global Cyber Wars

China and US are spearheading cyber war at global level with dozens of cyber attacks on each other’s critical IT infrastructure. Both countries are spending millions every year in order to fight against cyber attacks.

Lethality of cyber warfare become palpable by the fact that till April 2009, Pentagon had spent more than 100 million dollars in just 6 months to fight against cyber attacks on its different systems. Money spent on propaganda operations are apart from this. In October 2010, US army created its first ever US army Cyber Command headed by a 3 star General.



From Pakistan’s perspective, unlike any other conventional threat, cyber warfare is rather a new battle field. Pakistan is not geared nor prepared to respond to this latest threat. India has all the reasons and resources to use this as a weapon against Pakistan. Recently Israel has joined hands with India raising this threat level significantly to be ignored any longer.

Cyber espionage, web vandalism and information gathering are the known cyber weapons and tools to be used against a security establishment and government. Apart from these cyber threats, the cyber world has been also used ruthlessly for the propaganda warfare. As per various media reports one can be sure that Indians and Israelis are taking these known cyber threats to its next level by using money, talent and technology to defame Pakistan and its nuclear program.

How eagerly the Indians want to gain an edge in cyber warfare technology is evident from what the Indian Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told to Start Post;

“The Indian Armed Forces are increasingly investing in networked operations, both singly and in a joint fashion. We cannot afford to be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Information Technology is our country’s known strength and it would be in our interest to leverage this strength in developing a formidable ‘offensive’ and ‘defensive’ cyber warfare capability. Harnessing the gene pool available in academia, private industry and the younger generation of talented individuals is imperative,”

Statement of the Indian Naval Chief is an endorsement to the media reports that India has offensive cyber warfare plans. Pakistan is the natural target though Indian military establishment and political leadership used Chinese threat as an excuse for introducing this new war theatre in the region.

Indian Endeavour:

In August 2010 the Indian government decided to recruit and form cyber army of software professionals to spy on the classified data of hostile nations (read Pakistan and China) by hacking into their computer systems.

A strategy was drafted for this purpose earlier in a high level security meeting on July 29, 2010, chaired by Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and attended by the director of Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) as well as the senior officials of the telecom department, IT ministry and RAW.

According to the strategy drafted in the meeting, India will recruit IT professionals and hackers who will be assigned to be on the offensive or to launch pre-emptive strikes by breaching the security walls of enemy’s computer systems. The most important factor to note is the involvement of the Indian National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) along with the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) who will be responsible for creating these cyber-offensive capabilities. It is to be noted that NTRO is a key government agency of India that gathers technical intelligence while DIA is tasked with collating inputs from the Navy, Army and the Air Force.

The Indian Army conducted a war game called the Divine Matrix in March 2009. The most interesting aspect of this exercise was that Indian Military simulated a scenario in which China launches a nuclear attack on India somewhere in 2017. The purpose of the exercise was to describe how China will launch a cyber attack on India before the launch of the actual nuclear strike.

Chinese were not amused by this Indian war gaming and simulation. Their Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Qin Gang expressed his views on the Indian cyber warfare exercise. “We are surprised by the report. Leaders of China and India had already reached at consensus that the two countries will not pose a threat to each other but rather treat each other as partners.”

However, recently the Indian Army chief and the ex-chief have clearly threatened that there can be a nuclear war in the region (a veiled threat to both Pakistan and China).

Indo-Israeli Cyber nexus against Pakistan:

Though no large scale cyber attack has been reported as yet in Pakistan, yet a number of limited cyber skirmishes have already taken place between the Indian and Pakistani hackers in the recent years. In 2008 a group of Indian hackers defaced a Pakistani website of the Ministry of Oil and Gas. In a quick and effective retaliation Pakistani hackers attacked and defaced many Indian websites. This year too, many websites were defaced by the hackers on both sides.

This is where the interests of both India and Israel converged. According to reports, Israel has recently established a Cyber Task Force for Cyber Warfare against Islam and Pakistan, besides harming the Palestinian cause. A 15 million dollar budget has been allocated to this force to carry out various digital espionage and information gathering operations against Islam and Pakistan.

Propaganda Warfare and Cyber Space

In a new development, Israel has also setup a huge workforce of writers on the internet and is still increasing its strength. Primary task of this force would also be to wage propaganda war against Pakistan and its nuclear weapons and armed forces. Israelis are waging a net based disinformation and psychological war against Pakistan for quite some time now. Hebrew websites and magazines have been targeting Pakistan by orchestrating near to impossible scenarios about vulnerability of Pakistani nukes and the “possibility” of their falling into Al-Qaeda hands. Israelnationalnews.com, IsraelNN.com, and Arutz-7’s Hebrew newsmagazine are a few to name among these media outfits where Israelis are spiting and spewing venom against Pakistan.

Israeli government first tested these cyber propaganda tools during operation Cast Lead (brutal military operation in Gaza in 2008) when bloggers, surfers and writers were asked by the ministry of foreign affairs of Israel, through GIYUS (Give Israel You United Support), to promote words like “holocaust”, “promised land” and “murder of Jews” on social networking and blogging websites like Face Book, Twitter, MySpace, BlogSpot, wordpress etc. Israeli government went to the extent of giving written messages to be posted on the aforementioned websites as if they were the personal responses or views of the citizens of other countries.

Israeli lobbies have been heavily exploiting their clouts in US and UK to wage propaganda war against Pakistan’s nuclear program through satellite news channels (like BBC, FOX, SkyNews) and news papers (New York Time, Washington Post, etc.). Disinformation campaign was also launched from US and Western media when operation Rah-e-Rast was initiated in Swat and Malakand regions. Taliban threat was so exaggerated that a perception was created as if Islamabad was about to fall to the Taliban! Indian government also took active part in this campaign. Indian Prime Minister took this disinformation war to new heights by saying that some of the Pakistani nuclear installations were already under Taliban control!

Israeli cyber operations were resolutely and admirably countered by the young Palestinian bloggers by posting thousands of pictures and footages of Israeli brutalities in GAZA over the internet.

Final Thoughts:

In Pakistan, as compared to the adequate measures being taken for the upkeep of the conventional forces and the safety and security of the strategic assets, it is alarming to see the absence of any serious threat perception in the theatre of cyber warfare. The government as well as the armed forces seem to have neglected this threat for too long now and are not prepared to readily respond to this new challenge. Pakistan cannot afford any more complacency in this regard and better take immediate steps to respond to this lurking threat on literal war footings.

It would need absolute coordination, planning or understanding within various civil and military organizations and intelligence agencies responsible for the Cyber Warfare and perception management through propaganda wars in the cyber space. The whole existing system and organizations are to be revamped and some restructured to deliver effectively in these times of great crisis and threats in this arena. Reliance on the old fashioned methods of collecting and collating information and processing have to be updated. This should be clearly understood that in the modern world only those nations would have the advantage on the battle field, in both conventional and unconventional wars, which have fought and won the war in the cyber world first. The entire military equation in a war can be changed dramatically without even firing a shot, by controlling the critical infrastructure and perception of the target population through propaganda war in the cyber world.

Weapons like E-bombs have emerged as a new threat to cripple the military communication infrastructure by producing massive electromagnetic pulse. Pakistan must start work on Transient Electro Magnetic Pulse Emanations Standards, known as TEMPEST in military parlance to counter electromagnetic-pulse bombs that can interrupt wireless signals.

Pakistan has already faced interception of its vital secrete data on military operations in FATA by India through its assets in the area. It is, therefore, a must that we should work on TEMPEST and harden it to a degree of zero chances of interception of data transferred by defence agencies.

Pakistan needs urgently to create a centralized, aggressive and pro-active Command for Cyber and Information warfare under the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The unguarded flank of Pakistan defence must be secured at the soonest.