US Weapons Sales to India

[HindustaniLadka]

America recently agreed to sell Pakistan its F-16 fighters. It has not reached an agreement with India, but it has offered to sell India F-16s as well as the superior F-18s. Do you think India should buy these aircraft?

http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/?action=fullnews&id=90355

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=72391

http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=1802

Personally, i feel that India should buy these aircraft because they will give it a great edge against any nation that could possibly start trouble with it. It will also bring India closer to the United States, which is a good thing in many ways because America has great power in the UN and the WTO.

[jaiganes]

Timely topic to open up. This move is actually to save a big deal of money Bush received from Lockhead Martin to promote sales of jet fighters and other military wares. I find this absolutely strange at this time because all these years the international community had been goading India and Pakistan to stop from entering the arms race and ever since the last air show in Bangalore, the international community has changed its stand, trying to sell dangerous arms and jets to the sub continent. I understand that there is a strategic angle to this proposed arms deal and the whole move is a clever one by Bush administration in trying to give both India and Pakistan the arms that they are desparate to acquire is trying to be a business partner with the two nuclear powers of south asia. But the angle that we need to think about is the arms race that this will trigger in south asia at a time when nations are putting everything behind peace and prosperity.

[blahblah]

Global weapon sales present interesting facts if looked into deeply.More than rarely they are influenced by odd and funny reasons outside the capacity of strategic thinking.

Shekhar Gupta,editor,Indian Express came out with a stunning revelation that Narasimha Rao Govt payed dollars 300 million in advance to the Russian company for the Sukhois when the final price was not even settled!The subsequent Vajpayee and Gowda govts tried to hush up the thing in 'National Interest',when they could have got Rao on the dock for this-Reason?-Russia was going to polls and Yeltsin asked for this personal favor which gave him a boost as the order saved that company in Yeltsin's constituency from closing down!Then it was an example where politicians of this country came together above petty politics and kept a secret in national interest.

I just read that Lockheed Martin,in the state of Bush as about to axe 5000 jobs if there was no immediate orders!What a similarity!
So Americans think from their pockets!So what?We need to equip our forces better and there should be some multilateralism while acquiring arms.It would be a better idea to buy the fighters from the Americans,specially when a strategic defence relationship has already emerged with Israel and when Americans have promised better co-operation in the fields of Nuclear energy,Space research and technology transfer.

My opinion is that we should think beyond Russia/France and buy the fighters.Lockheed Martin has promised to make exclusive advanced version of f-16 according to Indian specifications and conditions.

[jaiganes]

Swedish gripen is another good plane worth considering and when you buy from Sweden, you will not have to dance or sing like you might have to when you buy something from USof A. But getting back to my original point, F-16s and F-18s look quite nice on air shows and R-Day parades, but are dangerous tools of destruction. This move might dampen the mood of friedship and peace that has been developing among two neighbours after a long time.

[Sandeep]

Its better to have wider variety of weopons and to have economic/military relations with multiple countries. BUt one thing to note is that in future US may not find it difficult to place sactions on India for something we do which they dont like. So complete technology transfer and India based manufacturing unit should be given priority.

[jaiganes]

for the next 4 years, India need not worry abt sanctions, NPT and CTBT as the US itself is going to throw these things to the dustbin. The NPT and the CTBT are huge hindrances on the way of Bush's "Star wars" dream. That does not mean that it is a good thing for india. Because All it might do is unchecked proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and in the long run, it will only hurt us.

[blahblah]

If you talk about the possibility of sanctions when we do something they don't like,what I would say is that we are no more the sort of weak country we used to be.Today it is in the national interest of US to have better ties wth India.The concept of 'free countries' over tyranny is gaining strength and democracy is proving to be our greatest asset.Any power,even if it is US can not ignore India as it is one of the largest markets in the world today.As I pointed out earlier,they tend to think from their pockets and that is good for India as it offers us some bargaining power. 8)

We certainly can not depend on a single country like Russia for all our defence needs.The truth remains that today,this is a unipolar world where America rulews.We need to depend on the US for certain things.With a lot of defence co-operation between the US and Israel,and Israel as a common friend it is only wise to have close relationship with US.I agee that the Yankee is the last guy to be trusted on this planet,yet our situation demands that. :?

[HindustaniLadka]

The US seems to be giving India a very good deal. It is offering to give India a version of the F-16 that is more advanced than any other F-16 in the world, including the ones that the USAF flies. It is also willing to co-produce F-18s with India.

[blahblah]

I just heard that the communists are about to shoot down the deal because of their stone age reasons!They probably do not want anything to do with a 'capitalist country' like the US! Then they have been pursuing this sort of untouchability with the congress for a long time.See where they have ended up.

[Sandeep]

Isnt the same communists who are supporting the Patent act. Protest against this act as come from far of countries like kenya, etc.

No party is standing to its ideology.

[Badri]

I just heard that the communists are about to shoot down the deal because of their stone age reasons!They probably do not want anything to do with a 'capitalist country' like the US! Then they have been pursuing this sort of untouchability with the congress for a long time.See where they have ended up.

As far as I can see, the communists have, this time, ended up in the same bed as the congress!! Gotta wait and see what new babies they are going to make this time round! :lol:

[Sandeep]

It is good to see responding to US sale of weapons to Pak by purchasing german and other weapons.

It is said that though the decision was taken long back the time was ment to give a signal to US.

[HindustaniLadka]

That would send a message to the US, but the only problem is that US weapons are superior to most European weapons and India would probaby be better of with the superior weapons. But, before purchasing the weapons, India should make sure it gets all the training and parts taht it needs to maintain the weapons.

[mellon]

We cant make our own weapon and YOU ARE SO PROUD that we got a good deal from US! :? Yeah, sure, we all should be very proud of that we have got a "fair deal". 8)

Now we can kill our enemies much more effectively, and quickly right? :cry:

I dont understand what more you want to talk about here in this thread besides that ? :?

8) May "the God" bless EVERYBODY not just America 8)

[Sandeep]

We are not just getting the weapons we are also getting the technology. This will help us in future weapon manufacturing.

As far as killing enemies is conserned I think that is simply the aim of any military weapon.

Now we can kill our enemies more efficiently and with lesser loss on our side :D

[blahblah]

That would send a message to the US, but the only problem is that US weapons are superior to most European weapons and India would probaby be better of with the superior weapons. But, before purchasing the weapons, India should make sure it gets all the training and parts taht it needs to maintain the weapons.

Nce to see something sensble from you HL,after a long time. :D

Same goes with you Mellon :? ,though it is a bit surprising!

[HindustaniLadka]

After reading into some articles, i now think India should ignore the US and purchase more Su-30MKIs(it is one of the most advanced fighters in the world and India has already purchased 190 of them)and French Mirage 2000 fighters. Based on some articles i read, The F-15 and F-16 are inferior to the Mig-27s, Mig-29s, Mirage and Sukhoi fighters in the IAF and the F-18 is inferior to Mirage 2000-V and Su-30MKI fighters. We'll find out if these articles are correct in the joint excercises between the IAF and USAF in November.