tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128984912012-01-16T19:09:47.447-05:00MiG AlleyMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-41992139439285282152011-11-08T08:27:00.000-04:002011-12-22T15:21:36.856-05:00Post on Livefist: F-35: Should India Really Ride The Lightning?
The recent statement by a United States Department of Defence official, that the US would be willing to discuss a possible sale of the F-35 Lightning II to India, or even consider bringing India into the ambitious programme as a partner, has generated a lot of attention in the Indian media. While this is not the first time the F-35 has been offered
to India, the timing of this fresh pitch is Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-41376713484767685022011-09-23T18:39:00.001-04:002011-09-26T23:38:11.626-04:00My Article in The Alpha Stories: Assessing Indian and Pakistani AEW&C Acquisitions
This is an updated draft of my analysis published in the May 2011 issue of The Alpha Stories, a magazine on the Indian Armed Forces. To read the original article, click on the image below.
The motive behind this essay is not to do a one-to-one comparison of Indian and Pakistani Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) options, but to understand the requirements that led to the Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-75364322361369696442011-07-14T09:43:00.014-04:002011-11-04T16:02:05.504-04:00On Terrorism and the Apathetic Mango Indian
A little background on this piece: I wrote a large portion of the post that follows a little more than three years ago, shortly after the blasts in Jaipur that claimed anywhere between sixty and eighty lives. Then, as you no doubt remember, India was being hit by terrorist bombings with alarming regularity, the attacks claiming civilian lives Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and other major cities. Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-63686029529429659302011-06-05T17:34:00.011-04:002011-06-13T11:08:21.247-04:00My Column on Livefist: A Response to Ashley J Tellis’ Assessment of the MMRCA Down-SelectDr. Ashley Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has written a commentary for FORCE Magazine, in an attempt to explain in some detail the reasons why two American aircraft – the Lockheed-Martin F-16IN Super Viper and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet – vying for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract worth an estimated Rs.Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-5716427307297431472011-05-14T19:38:00.012-04:002011-05-17T09:57:57.439-04:00The Demise of Osama bin Laden – Some Observations from an Indian Perspective<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-25410409455380638482008-12-07T23:37:00.014-05:002008-12-09T11:18:31.790-05:00Why the Right to Bear Arms Won't Help During a Terrorist AttackIn the aftermath on the November 26 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, there has been a growing tendency among some quarters to call for a relaxation of gun laws as a method of dealing with future attacks of this kind. These suggestions, howsoever well intentioned, are utterly misplaced. While it is easy for the layman to view the Taj incident as a simple firefight with two sides shooting at each Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-9915959192884732492008-06-26T18:36:00.009-04:002008-06-26T18:59:23.686-04:00R.I.P.Megh, a friend of mine, posted this poem in the "Indian Army" community on orkut.An Ode to Sam ManekshawOn the first bough of IMA did he bloom,Later to weave his name through history’s untiring loom.A “Royal Scot” and the gem of “Frontier Force”,Destiny pampered our Sam as Her favourite horse.At Burma we almost lost him decades ago,It did not please a bit his Benefactress thoughAnd thus She Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-8257525846587563642007-05-20T19:35:00.000-04:002007-07-25T17:56:33.313-04:00Karan Thapar's Hatchet Job on Sam BahadurThe sight of Indian mediawallahs going ga-ga over “flamboyant” and “dashing” Pakistani Generals is hardly anything new. But when Karan Thapar joined the bandwagon, it came as a bit of a surprise to me. Because Thapar is no fool, or so I used to believe. His interviews with politicians and other big wigs are at times, simply brilliant. So when he readily bought into Gohar Ayub Khan’s ludicrous Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-81103552707853363302007-04-23T09:58:00.000-04:002007-04-23T10:17:45.510-04:00Interviews with Admiral Arun PrakashShiv Aroor has published a series of insightful interviews with Admiral Arun Prakash, who he rightly refers to as “one of the most articulate and admired military chiefs of our time” on his blog: Admiral Arun Prakash on the China Threat: “Our dilemma vis-à-vis China is two-fold. On the one hand, we need to moderate the school of thought within the political establishment (encouraged no doubt Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-10015300848193317582007-04-01T03:13:00.002-04:002008-12-07T23:40:56.689-05:00Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder – An AnalysisOn March 23 2007, two JF-17 “Thunder” fighters took to the skies for the first time in Pakistan as a part of the Pakistan Day celebrations. Touted to be Pakistan's first home made fighter, the JF-17 is expected to be the Pakistan Air Force's frontline fighter well into the future. With this article, I’ve made an attempt to examine the JF-17 in the Indo-Pak context. But first, some background Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-78253098031634113452007-01-28T22:11:00.000-05:002007-02-03T15:19:27.176-05:00Enter the Republican GuardThe pictures of the 10th Parachute Regiment jogging down Rajpath while chanting some slogan on Republic Day left me stunned. Till date, such hoo-haa drills were the sole preserve of the Pakistanis and other Middle Eastern riff-raff. Why, oh why, have we decided to emulate the cartoon-like antics of the crappiest of chest-thumping Armies? Armies that have an impeccable combat record only against Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-48933913740313255902007-01-09T16:26:00.000-05:002007-02-05T02:08:27.226-05:002006: The Year Russia Schooled The WestI found the following article on “The eXile”, which is a Moscow based... uhh... "newspaper" (for want of a better word). The views expressed do not necessarily coincide with my own. But the staff at The eXile has done a helluva job! A must read, this article is! This past year was a watershed both for Russia and for Russia's detractors alike. As they used to say after 9/11, "everything's changedMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-41822665305604389192006-12-13T19:23:00.001-05:002008-03-29T14:35:42.131-04:00The "Failure" That is DRDOIt’s official. The DRDO is a DODO. The Arjun tank is a no-show. The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft still is nowhere near completion in spite of being in development since 1983. The Prithvi missile is already obsolete. The Agni-III fell into the sea during its very first test. The air-force wouldn’t touch the Akash with a ten foot pole. India would certainly be better off without the DRDO, which has Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1156995354769144042006-08-30T23:07:00.000-04:002006-09-01T01:34:46.253-04:00Book Review: The Writing on the Wall - India Checkmates America 2017I'm currently reading "The Writing on the Wall - India Checkmates America 2017" by General Padmanabhan (Retd). It would be an understatement to call this book a disappointment. The grammar couldn't be worse, tenses are all wrong in half the paragraphs, spelling mistakes make their presence felt from time to time, there are too many "Given the right chance, Indians are second to none" cliches, andMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1152846540003195922006-07-13T23:07:00.000-04:002006-07-15T01:14:07.793-04:00Disgusting!I am utterly disgusted at the way everyone, including the government and the media, has gone overboard labelling the terrorists responsible for the Mumbai blasts as “cowardly”. I really wonder as to how entering a hostile foreign country, planting bombs in the lifeline of the economic capital, murdering close to two hundred people, and escaping without hardly a trace is a cowardly act. Rather, itMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1151173334901270542006-06-24T14:15:00.000-04:002006-12-13T10:27:15.990-05:00Women in the Armed Forces - Random Thoughts Lt. Sushmita Chakraborty’s tragic suicide a few days ago has raised many questions about the status and treatment of women in the Indian Army. Add to that the Army Vice Chief Lt General Pattabhiraman’s remark which was totally taken out of context and blown out of proportion by the Desi Dork Media, and one has all the ingredients of a full-blown controversy just waiting to explode. My Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1146479096819616182006-05-01T06:20:00.000-04:002007-02-03T15:34:40.330-05:0021st Century... No Fox!On May1, 2006, the Indian Air Force bid farewell to one of its most coveted and hush-hush assets – the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25RB “Foxbat”, known in the Air Force as “Garuda”. With the departure of the Foxbat, the Indian Air Force will not only lose its fastest aircraft, but also its premier spyplane – an aircraft that served it very well for over twenty-five years. Indeed, it would be very Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1134498129767588282005-12-13T14:19:00.000-04:002006-10-12T12:31:37.483-04:00The Laughing Stock of the WorldOn December 8, the 2005 meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference came to an end. The purpose of the summit was purportedly to reject extremism, condemn terrorism, extol the virtues of tolerance and stress the importance of the protection of human rights. Frankly, I find this laughable. Let us see why I find the OIC to be such a big joke:First, let us start with the name of the Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1133681593686562482005-12-04T03:19:00.000-04:002007-03-17T13:17:32.029-04:00Indi-Genius!Before the flight of the Tejas (LCA, for those who choose to keep themselves uninformed) Prototype Vehicle – 2 (PV-2) on 2nd December 2005, quite a few defence enthusiasts, politicians, Air Force officers, and our media had virtually written off the project as a failure. Our newspapers and magazines were full of articles criticizing everyone from the management and the engineers to the sweeper Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1127658285378560212005-09-25T10:19:00.000-04:002005-12-07T12:51:08.076-04:00Playing God... The Nuclear Way!This Article was written by me and Akshay Raut“With great power comes great responsibility.” All Spiderman fans are well aware of this statement. This statement is significant when one talks about the nuclear power dynamics of south Asia.India went nuclear on May 11th, 1998. However, it is popularly believed that India had its first functional tactical fissile device in operational mode since Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1123252053569274542005-08-05T10:27:00.000-04:002005-08-09T10:48:49.526-04:00The Need For An Indo-Japanese AllianceThese days, some people are discussing the feasibility of an Indo-Japanese alliance. Click here for an excellent article by Rajeev Srinivasan on the topic. And here is my take on the whole issue:China does not want Japan (or India, or any other country) to become politically or militarily powerful. Against Japan, it has a good argument - the rape of Nanjing. It will oppose Japan vigorously if itMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1120147859524273592005-06-30T12:07:00.000-04:002005-06-30T14:08:15.646-04:00I Found This In My MailLt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 JAT Regiment of the Indian Army laid down his life at the young age of 22 for the nation while guarding the frontiers at Kargil. His parents, indeed the Indian Army and nation itself, lost a dedicated, honest and brave son. He was the first officer to detect and inform about Pakistani intrusion. Pakistan captured him and his patrol party of 5 brave men alive on May 15, 1999Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1116100854353309262005-05-14T16:00:00.000-04:002005-06-23T10:59:03.416-04:00Punish BangladeshThe Bangladesh Rifles’ torture and killing of a senior BSF officer was absolutely reprehensible. However, the response of the Government of India, which only “lodged a strong protest” with Dhaka, was appalling to say the least. Even in 2001, when Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers killed 16 BSF jawans in Pyridwah village in Meghalaya, the incident was met with the same weak-kneed response that has Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1116100827821393812005-05-14T15:59:00.000-04:002005-12-04T05:01:54.190-04:00Sould India Buy F/A-18s and F-16s from the US?Ever since the US agreed to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, there has been a spate of reports in the media about the alleged proposal by the US to sell the more advanced Boeing F/A-18 E/F "Super Hornet" (left) fighter aircraft to India. However, the deal is not likely to materialise (and shouldn't be allowed to either), for several reasons. Firstly, the F/A-18 E/F and the Russian Su-30MKIMihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898491.post-1116100783082326312005-05-14T15:57:00.000-04:002005-11-21T09:45:50.863-04:00U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan: How Much Should India Worry?In the last few months, there has been a spate of reports in the media about Pakistan acquiring advanced arms from the USA. These include the Lockheed F-16 “Fighting Falcon” multi-role fighters, the Lockheed P-3C “Orion” long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime patrol aircraft, TOW anti-tank missiles, and Mk-15 “Phalanx” Close-In Weapon Systems, which are anti-missile guns mounted on Mihirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836909002135971437noreply@blogger.com1