Sept. 3 – India has inked a US$170 million deal that will send 24 Boeing-manufactured Harpoon Block II air-to-surface anti-ship missiles to bolster the nation’s maritime military capabilities.
The missiles are intended to aid the Indian Air Force’s Jaguar strike aircraft in their aerial guard of the nation’s coast by providing them with littoral-water anti-ship capabilities for targets close to shore.
“The deal was successfully concluded through the Foreign Military Sales route late last month, with Boeing as the prime contractor. The missiles are for the Indian Air Force’s maritime strike squadron,” Vivek Lass, Boeing’s country head of defense, space and security, told the Economic Times.
News of the Harpoon deal comes as tensions seem to be rising between India and China due to reports suggesting the presence of some 11,000 PLA troops in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and as Chinese warships arrived at Yangon’s Thilawa Port in Myanmar for a five day visit last week.
Another, more impressive Indo-American defense deal is also in the works for 10 C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft worth an estimated US$3.5 billion. According to the Times of India, the deal is on the verge of being finalized. A better indication of how well the deal is progressing will no doubt be available after Indian Defense Minister A K Antony’s visit to Washington later this month.
The Indians are putting more money into toys. What happened to providing clean water, feeding, clothing, housing and jobs for their people? Neglect of the regions has caused the tribals to go Maoist.
Its not as simple or as selfish as that. The terrorists that shot up Mumbai came via sea from Karachi. It’s out of the military budget, separate from welfare. India needs to protect its borders and its spending on defense is relatively small.
China is putting pressure to force India spend more resources on toys and that will slow down other important progress like you mentioned The_observer. Interesting thing to note that China has clearly realized that Pakistan is a dead horse(especially after this decade of terrorism, and floods) and no longer can be counted for doing dirty work for China. Pakistan does not have same zeal for direct fight against India which it had 2 decades ago. Hence China itself has to pickup the slack. Thats why so much activity from China and Dalai lama provides good excuse. Apart from that weakness of US and especially Barack Obama’s weakness is not good for India. His dislike of Indians is very open, and infact i have observed that Indians have disadvantage in likeness department as you might be aware living in Australia.
India’s salvation lies in friendship with Israel and Israel only.
China is the mother of all rogue nations. It supports North korea and pakistan two child rogue nations to contain USA and India. China supplied nuclear weapons to pakistan. In one word china is a irresponsible arrogant nation.
@Dteja1135
India is no angel. Seizing Sikkim in 1975 while the King protested. See See Kashmiris protesting and wanting independence from India:
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/student-protester-dead-in-indian-kashmir-20100906-14xxf.html
You have to ask yourself why India is not liked by her surrounding smaller neighbours. A place like Nepal is Hindu by religion and should have a natural affinity for India but instead the former fears her bigger neighbour and would prefer to deal with China.
@The_Observer
Yes its true that India too annexed different states to become what it is today. But, its like saying US snatched New-Mexico, what about Falklands, did UK snatched it? No?. Kashmir is entirely different case from Sikkim.
Kashmir conflict is the result of Jihadists having agenda to make caliphate, which in-turn has major contribution from Pakistan and US. There was no such major trouble in initial days of Kashmir. Once Afghan war(with Russia) was over, those fighters had nobody to fight to, and Pakistan being in unique position with established contacts, directed those fighters into Kashmir declaring Jihad over Hindu India. So there is always something going on in Kashmir but you have to realize that in a conflict like this people will get hurt.
If you note how many millions of innocent has been killed in Iraq by US, UK, Australia etc in a crusade, number killed in Kashmir does not even come close. And yet western publications(ex. economist) are all too ready to publish events as atrocities in Kashmir which actually are self-defense by security forces, but they never do publish about innocent men, children, and women dying from trigger-happy soldiers and drones in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
India did not pick fight with neighbors, they did and they did so on behalf of US and China. US and China did so because they wanted dirty work to be outsourced to our neighbors just like US is doing with China now. In a way Pakistan, Bangladesh were pawns and they thought they were torchbearers of Islam. Nobody can be more stupid than that. Nepal have Maoist problem.
why is that China’s neighbors ex. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam hate China and prefer to deal with US. What about China killing so many Muslims in Sinkiang and using brute force against peaceful protests in Tibet.
why no-one is south america likes US? why Cuba, Venezuela, Russia hate US?
@Dteja1135
But China is too big a market to lose for west. As long as US and European firms get access in China, they wont object (not seriously)to proliferation. It is important to note that Australia does not give uranium to India because India has not signed treaty but it gives uranium to China and puts blind eye on China’s Nuclear bomb exports.