Comments on: I fear Russians, even when they bear gifts

By: tiger

tiger — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:31:05 +0000

For the money the Indians are wasting, they could have bought a USN LHA. That would be a better fit than this Soviet crap bucket. China got hosed on it’s deal too.

By: Shantanu Chatterjee

Shantanu Chatterjee — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:53:27 +0000

hello ppl a couple of points:
1.Russia –India relations go way way back and such relations aren’t made or broken over night.One of the absurdities of the cold war was that the US came very close to bombing the world’s largest democracy in 1971 and the USSR stood by us right till the very end something most Indians are very grateful for.
2.Russia still gives India the kind of technology the US doesn’t give UK/Israel nuclear submarines check,hypersonic cruise missiles check,co producton of fifth generation PAK FA check.
3.Russians usually compensate for such royal f ups in other places like giving us a sweet deal on the Irbis Radar tech transfer,leasing akula class ssn etc etc
4.I am all for a close US-India partnership but the point is that the new strategic partnership with the US is fairly new and still very much in the wait and see phase post George W Bush.It will be a while before we allow american equipment to be our military’s spear tip so to speak if ever since there is also this plan to be self sufficient in most big ticket items in the 2020–2030 timeframe.

By: Valcan

Valcan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:58:20 +0000

Got it in one. The real challenge in operating carriers isnt having one or knowing how to use it.
But keeping a thousand ft long ship with millions of moving parts supplied. The 5k or so personel on it supplied. The aircraft with parts and fuel. and the huge amount of other things nessesary for its operation.
Also you have to provide subs for protection or frigates if you dont have good ASW helo/planes.
And yea lets just say its kinda complicated.
We can do it, thee brits can do it, and maybe the japanese if they had em.
Which i dont see why they dont. I mean seriously your the japs for crying out loud!!!
Posted by: Valcan at August 20, 2009 06:05 AM
lol i was just saying thats my opinion :D

By: Byron Skinner

Byron Skinner — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:22:45 +0000

Good Morning Folks,
To my friend Valcan. Although I can’t disagree with the quote you attributed to me, sorry to say I didn’t say that.
Back to the post. After thing about this post for a while, the burning question is why is this important?
I mean a financial deal between India and Russia is of little concern to the United States. India is not going to buy any retired warships from the United States even if we offer them. The internal politics of India just wouldn’t permit such a transaction.
Considering Mr. Nooan’s connection with Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that contracts both to the defense industry and the DoD for intellectual content, I think the motive behind this post becomes clear. That is to encourage a wedge between the United States, Russia and India, a process that could be quite profitable for industry and would have strong support with in the Pentagon.
Right now the United States has sound if cautious relationships both The Russian Federation and India. Russia is downsizing it’s military and increasing it international transparency and India is opening up it modernization process to the world, we know that India put a Indian built and designed nuclear submarine in the water recently, the first boat of the Severodvinsk Class with an Indian designed reactor and is buying from the United States ballistic missile research with the blessing of the Commerce Department.
The United States has a strong commitment to Pakistan and India is well aware that we are not about to change. The idea that India would let American military technology enter into and corrupt it’s military is unthinkable. Any attempt by the United States to corrupt the Relationship between The Russian Federation and India would only go to strengthen their binds and increase India’s already high level suspension of the motives of the United States.
This nothing but Cold War era legacy defense thinking and should be discarded. It’s time to take defense doctrine out of the grasp of the private foundations, who operate on agendas that represent the interest of their sponsors and not the interest of the American people, and put the burden back on the shoulders of those in uniform. If the goal of the United States is to further destabilize South Asia, this is the thinking that can do it.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

By: The Cenobyte

The Cenobyte — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:55:36 +0000

Doesn’t a WASP class LHD cost less than a billion? Couldn’t we just offer them 3 of them for the same cost. Sure they can only operate AV-8s and Helos for the time, but we can sell them some VTOL JSFs in a few years to help with that.

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:15:01 +0000

Don’t know if the JSDF Navy is big enough to support carriers. They likely have the engineering expertise to build and maintain carriers, but I suppose it’s a matter of teaching carrier doctrine to a navy which was forced back into a self-defense role when it was previously a naval superpower. Though to be honest, even then they didn’t get carriers.
I suppose China and South Korea might not be totally pleased to see the Kaigun return. It wouldn’t spark an arms race, but a lot of civilians in both countries would be upset.

By: Valcan

Valcan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:05:36 +0000

Byron Skinner
Posted by: Byron Skinner at August 19, 2009 09:24 PM
Got it in one. The real challenge in operating carriers isnt having one or knowing how to use it.
But keeping a thousand ft long ship with millions of moving parts supplied. The 5k or so personel on it supplied. The aircraft with parts and fuel. and the huge amount of other things nessesary for its operation.
Also you have to provide subs for protection or frigates if you dont have good ASW helo/planes.
And yea lets just say its kinda complicated.
We can do it, thee brits can do it, and maybe the japanese if they had em.
Which i dont see why they dont. I mean seriously your the japs for crying out loud!!!

By: Byron Skinner

Byron Skinner — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:24:32 +0000

Good Evening Folks,
A question to some of you carrier guys. Could the F-18’s E,F & G’s operate off any carrier other then a U.S. carrier?
The “full deck” carriers being planned or built in the rest of the world are some what smaller then even the long retired U.S.S. Midway. Don’t these high performance aircraft require a rather robust ship with steam driven, to be magnetic after the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, catapults for take offs for take offs and 3 (CV 76 and later) or 4 arresting cables (before CV 76) for landings (traps) as well as a million gallons of jet fuel to support these modern carrier aircraft?
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

By: Doz

Doz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:45:47 +0000

India and Russia have had strong relations for years, and this episode with the carrier isn’t going to drive India into the open arms of the US/NATO arms industry. India favours it’s independence and is not a fan of the strings attached to US arms support, nor are they particularly fond of US relations with Pakistan.
As it is, Boeing has a shot with the F/A-18E/F in the MMRCA tender, Lockheed Martin however has no chance, but if I had to bet on who’s going to win, I’d say the French or the Russians, the traditional suppliers.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:10:39 +0000

I say cut a deal for the sara, ranger or jfk. Then sell em 60 f-18E/F’s 4 E-2’s, couple of COD birds, and some helos.
Without the aegis to defend it, a carrier is a giant target, so we just keep the arleigh burkes to ourselves, and the japs, aussies, RoK’s etc.
Tom Clancy be damned.