The latest Block III variant of Chinese ‘designed for Pakistan’ multirole fighter aircraft JF-17 ‘Thunder’ reportedly flew its maiden flight on December 15, 2019 in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan. The world has been closely watching China’s fast emerging military aircraft industry. JF-17 whose development began much later than India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’Continue reading “China Designed and Substantially Produced JF-17 Thunder Fighter – Crown Jewel of Sino-Pak Aviation Relations”
Author Archives: Anil Chopra
Growing Big – Know About Chinese Airborne Forces
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently carried out a large-scale exercise involving thousands of paratroopers to check its preparedness in transporting soldiers and armoured vehicles from a central Chinese province to border areas near India in China’s northwest. They deployed latest weapons including the Type 15 light battle tank and the new 155-MM vehicle-mountedContinue reading “Growing Big – Know About Chinese Airborne Forces”
Understanding India-China Standoff – A Basic Primer
India has thus far, politically, and as a nation, been very diffident about dealing with China possibly haunted by the ghosts of our defeat in 1962, when China regularised its encroachments into Indian territory, and converted these into the present day Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Aksai Chin area, an area the sizeContinue reading “Understanding India-China Standoff – A Basic Primer”
German Ace – General Adolf Galland – 104 Aerial Victories – all against the Western Allies
Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout the WW II in Europe. Flew 705 combat missions. On four occasions, he survived being shot down, and was credited with 104 aerial victories, all against the Western Allies. He became a glider pilot in 1929. In 1932, he graduated asContinue reading “German Ace – General Adolf Galland – 104 Aerial Victories – all against the Western Allies”
Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft – Time To Get Act Right India
The Indian government just cleared the development of the twin engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF) for Indian Navy. The development phase is expected to cost between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000 Crore. First Flight is tasked to be done in six years. Indigenisation is clearly the focus, and rightly so. Meanwhile just last year the airContinue reading “Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft – Time To Get Act Right India”
Advantage The Woman Terrorist
Thenmozhi “Gayatri” Rajaratnam more famously known as ‘Dhanu’ blew herself on 21 May 1991 in a suicide bombing attack to assassinate former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. 14 others were also killed in the south Indian town of Sriperumbudur near Chennai. She was known to have been a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil EalamContinue reading “Advantage The Woman Terrorist”
Chinese Incursion of April 2013 – Assessment Still Relevant – Stance Stronger
No international conference, be it in the Western hemisphere or in Asia, is complete without a discussion on the expanding Chinese economy, its belligerent attitude towards its Asian neighbours, and what it would mean for the region and the rest of the world. In India, however, it is only the analysts and strategists that discussContinue reading “Chinese Incursion of April 2013 – Assessment Still Relevant – Stance Stronger”
Cyber Warfare a Key Element of Multi Domain Wars – Time to Push India
War is both timeless and ever changing. While the basic nature of war is constant, the means and methods we use evolve continuously. Actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation’s computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption can be termed as cyber warfare. Strategic cyber-attacks could be on a nationsContinue reading “Cyber Warfare a Key Element of Multi Domain Wars – Time to Push India”
What Holds Back Indian Military Aviation Development – Historic Perspective By a Retired Surgeon
When the then defence minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman released a list of defence related items to be sourced from Indian industry alone. I saw some amused or sarcastic comments on social media about the low technological level needed for those items. Many educated Indians sneer at products of Indian industry, thinking that it would beContinue reading “What Holds Back Indian Military Aviation Development – Historic Perspective By a Retired Surgeon”
Flight Safety Locust Swarm Could Be Worse than a Bird Strike
A massive Locust swarm, called tiddi dal in India, hit the city of Jaipur on Monday, 25 May 2020, as urban residents panicked as if it was the “last year for humankind”. In January this year, an Ethiopian Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing after it flew into a swarm of locusts thatContinue reading “Flight Safety Locust Swarm Could Be Worse than a Bird Strike”
Air Power Asia 