Showdown in Ladakh – The IAF in a Two Front War

          With a Major showdown including loss of life on both sides, things are heating up between India and China around the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Meanwhile the Pakistan DG Inter Services Public Relations (DGISPR) has tweeted that General Nadeem Raza, CJCSC, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, COAS, Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi, CNS, and AirContinue reading “Showdown in Ladakh – The IAF in a Two Front War”

The Iconic MiG-21- Great Design – Most Produced Supersonic Jet – Fearsome Reputation – Glorious Service

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is finally all set to retire its MiG-21 fleet in September 2025 after over 60 years of glorious service.  They protected the Indian skies through all major conflicts. The author honed his combat flying skills on this aircraft starting in 1974. And later was the Team Leader of MiG 21Continue reading “The Iconic MiG-21- Great Design – Most Produced Supersonic Jet – Fearsome Reputation – Glorious Service”

China’s Aviation Industry – Forging Ahead, Yet Critical Technology Challenges

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”– Leonardo DaVinci “The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by theContinue reading “China’s Aviation Industry – Forging Ahead, Yet Critical Technology Challenges”

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”

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”

Authoritarian China Pulling Ahead of Democratic America

The relationship between the two most powerful economies USA and China have been complex, and have fluctuated varying from positive to highly negative. USA and China did not establish relations for 25 years after Korean war and only in 1972, US President Richard Nixon visited China. As China began opening its economy in 1980s, andContinue reading “Authoritarian China Pulling Ahead of Democratic America”

Muscle Flexing Xi? Hong Kong, Taiwan, Ladakh

Chinese army must step up combat readiness, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said, as the country increases defence spending to tackle “security threats from Taiwan independence forces”. Xi told Chinese military officers on the sidelines of  the annual meeting  of the National People’s Congress. Meanwhile China had stunned Hong Kong when it announced it wouldContinue reading “Muscle Flexing Xi? Hong Kong, Taiwan, Ladakh”

Chinese in Ladakh – Revisit Air War Lessons from Kargil War

India is witnessing its worst-ever border tensions since the Kargil battle in 1999. Chinese army has diverted about 5,000 troops, who were carrying out a massive exercise, towards various points of the Line of Actual Control on its side. Transgressions have been reported at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh, in the larger Hot Springs areaContinue reading “Chinese in Ladakh – Revisit Air War Lessons from Kargil War”

China’s Economy Shrinks, Defence Budget 2020 Up 6.6%

Coronavirus hit China’s economy shrank 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020 compared with a year earlier. China’s defence spending in 2020 will rise 6.6% from 2019, according to a report issued at the opening of the country’s annual meeting of parliament on 21 May 2020. The growth is slower than last year, 2019, whenContinue reading “China’s Economy Shrinks, Defence Budget 2020 Up 6.6%”