All stories by Ajai Shukla
Is Modi govt weakening HAL?
Rediff.com16 Jan 2019With no payments coming in, HAL for the first time ever taken a bank loan of Rs 7.81 billion.
What ails Modi regime's defence purchases policy
Rediff.com9 Jan 2019Its 'failure not just affects the military's effectiveness but could also be politically vulnerable for the BJP,' observes Ajai Shukla.
How the Bogibeel Bridge will help the army
Rediff.com26 Dec 2018In the event of a Chinese attack on Arunachal, troops and equipment from mainland India will travel on the existing south bank railway till Bogibeel, cross the Brahmaputra on the new bridge and then head further east on the Strategic Rail-Road Link, once it is ready.
How Mattis resignation will affect India
Rediff.com22 Dec 2018General Mattis has been the most steadfast champion in Trump's cabinet of the US-India defence relationship. If Trump chooses a more pliable successor, the Pentagon's attention could go off India.
It's a record! IAF airlifts 463 tonnes in 6 hours to Ladakh
Rediff.com20 Dec 2018The unstated aim of a well-publicised airlift operation of this kind is to demonstrate India's ability to rapidly move troops and equipment over long distances.
'It is almost as if there is a death wish for the Tejas'
Rediff.com18 Dec 2018The contracts with Israel Aerospace Industries will condemn the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to a marginal presence in the IAF's future fleet.
India will have world's most heavily armed warships
Rediff.com13 Dec 2018The BrahMos systems for the two ships are estimated to cost Rs 25 billion, making it the world's most expensive anti-ship missile.
HAL chopper is now Siachen ready
Rediff.com12 Dec 2018Dhruv and LUH helicopters must supply provisions to, and evacuate casualties from Siachen Glacier posts like Sonam, which, at 20,997 feet, is the highest inhabited spot on the planet.
Why India wanted sovereign guarantee in Rafale deal
Rediff.com6 Dec 2018New Delhi sought a sovereign guarantee to prevent Paris from ever citing the Arms Trade Treaty to interrupt, modify or cease delivery of the Rafale fighter at any stage.
The Rafale Deal: The Real Loss to India
Rediff.com22 Nov 2018'The greatest loss from replacing the 126 Rafale proposal with the 2016 contract for 36 Rafales might not be the extra money paid, but the opportunity that India's aerospace industry lost of obtaining access to critical aviation technologies and manufacturing skills.'
Why the IAF is in crisis
Rediff.com20 Nov 2018The IAF faces a 'fighter gap' of 13 squadrons. The IAF would be caught seriously short in a two-front war -- the worst-case planning contingency in which China and Pakistan attack India simultaneously, points out Ajai Shukla.
From 155 million to 217 million, Rafale cost went up by 40%
Rediff.com16 Nov 2018'It is not clear how the NDA government -- including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, backed by senior IAF officials -- claimed that the 36 Rafale contract with Dassault in 2016 cost the IAF 20% less than Dassault's 126 Rafale offer,' notes Ajai Shukla in the first of a three-part series.
Why did India pay 350 mn euros for the Rafale?
Rediff.com11 Nov 2018The IAF has paid French aerospace firms Dassault and Thales about Euro 350 million for 'performance-based logistics'. This requires the vendors to ensure that 75 per cent of the Rafale fleet is combat-ready at all times, notes Ajai Shukla.
How Japan helps India to keep an eye on China
Rediff.com23 Oct 2018Japan could soon be the second country after the US with which India has a logistics support agreement. Besides the LSA, India and Japan may also sign a maritime domain awareness agreement which would enable the two navies to share information. For example, if a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol aircraft detects a Chinese submarine in the Indian Ocean, it would pass on the information to the Indian Navy, reveals Ajai Shukla.
How the S-400 missiles will protect India
Rediff.com16 Oct 2018With cruise missile and air strikes being India's most likely response to a hypothetical Pakistani terrorist outrage in the future, retaliation from the Pakistan air force is inevitable. That is where the S-400 will come into play, says Ajai Shukla.
How much is Anil Ambani's Rafale deal worth?
Rediff.com14 Oct 2018Is it Rs 300 billion or Rs 66 billion or Rs 33.12 billion?
S-400 deal after Doval's opposition, Modi's approval
Rediff.com6 Oct 2018>Putin's last-minute intervention with PM salvages $5.43 bn pact.
What the S-400 Triumf will do for India's defence
Rediff.com5 Oct 2018An S-400 unit located near Delhi for protecting the capital would be able to shoot down Pakistani aircraft even before they cross the border to India, and Chinese aircraft while they were still in Tibetan or Nepalese air space.
Will defence ministry okay Anil Ambani's Reliance Naval?
Rediff.com28 Sep 2018Warship building projects worth at least Rs 630 billion have ground to a standstill. The defence ministry has halted tendering in wait for a government decision on whether to allow, or to exclude, Anil Ambani's shipbuilding firm from those contracts.
French govt did not contradict Hollande in denial
Rediff.com23 Sep 2018French observers point out that Paris had no choice but to issue a denial given the importance of India's Rafale purchase for France's aerospace industry.