Lifafa journalism at its best, fellow is peddling a missile without naming it.
BTW the Chief of Royal Air Force was recently pedaling this missile (TAURUS KEPD 350) to IAF couple of weeks days ago. He was then confronted with the fact that it had a Williams P8300 engine that is prime candidate for Unkill to embargo at a momemts notice, the royal AF chief went pale as if hit with a tonne of bricks.
I wish I had time to write a counter point article on Hindu.
Can someone take the gauntlet and put this ret(i)ard to mat?
[size="4"][color="blue"] [url="http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/op/2007/05/06/stories/2007050600021600.htm"]Does India need this expensive missile? (HINDU)[/url][/color][/size]
BTW the Chief of Royal Air Force was recently pedaling this missile (TAURUS KEPD 350) to IAF couple of weeks days ago. He was then confronted with the fact that it had a Williams P8300 engine that is prime candidate for Unkill to embargo at a momemts notice, the royal AF chief went pale as if hit with a tonne of bricks.
I wish I had time to write a counter point article on Hindu.
Can someone take the gauntlet and put this ret(i)ard to mat?
[size="4"][color="blue"] [url="http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/op/2007/05/06/stories/2007050600021600.htm"]Does India need this expensive missile? (HINDU)[/url][/color][/size]
Quote:MAJ-GEN (RETD) JATINDER SINGH
TWO CRUISE missiles, "Babur" and "BrahMos," being manufactured by Pakistan and India, raise the pitch of debate with a generous helping of hyperbole by various government agencies through a reasonably clueless media. Pakistan on March 22, 2007 successfully test fired its radar-avoiding nuclear-capable cruise missile "Babur" (HATF VII) which has a range of 700 km.
India followed with its 14th test flight of the BrahMos on April 22 and the media, including The Hindu, gave it front page coverage with special emphasis on the aspect of manoeuvring by the missile in its terminal stage. The media is not aware of certain basic issues pertaining to cruise missiles namely, what purpose does an expensive (common military sense suggests a price not less than double-digit crores) missile like BrahMos serve for the Army and the Air force.
What is the purpose served by delivering a TNT tonnage of a measly 300 kg on mostly static targets and that too to a distance of maximum 300 km when alternatives are available at one-tenth the cost? That amount of TNT if used on a static target with a CEP [circular error probable] of even 10 metres would cause negligible damage resulting in a waste of crores of rupees; terminal stage manoeuvring has no relevance where missile defence is non-existent.
Cruise missiles fly past any missile defence; India and Pakistan will not have a credible BMD (ballistic missile defence) in place for years (actually decades) to come. Even when/if available on a reduced scale considering the number of high value targets spread over a vast area, the defence will be perfunctory.
Using cruise missiles to deliver nuclear bombs in the South Asian context is stretching things too far considering that the target coordinates and cruise missile mid course guidance will be dependent on use of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)/GLONASS data; data which can be switched off/accuracy altered resulting in inaccuracies and nightmarish situations specially when the missile is supersonic like the BrahMos.
In view of this, can we ask ourselves as to what do we do with this `boys' toy' when we can have much cheaper and better accuracy methods of using other weapon systems to carry out the same tasks?
A number of new long-range air to ground missiles/bombs with precision accuracy can bolster the capabilities. These "launch and leave" weapons can fly at high subsonic speeds to pre-set target coordinates on their own using mid course guidance updates from either GPS/radar and then on autonomous terminal seeker to home in on a specific aim point on a target structure.
Aircraft launching these munitions are well beyond the reach of enemy air defence systems. Non-stealth aircraft need not be accompanied by extensive packages of SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defence) support aircraft. A typical Air To Surface Stand Off Missile (ASSM) could have a range in excess of 350 km with an overall missile weight of nearly 1,000 kg and a warhead of 500 kg plus at a cost of maybe Rs. 1-2 crores.
The missile could have a terminal seeker of Imaging Infra Red (IIR) which would recognise the target from pre-sorted target wire frame image, even in sand, snow or foliage. The seeker guides the missile to a specific aim point on the target.
Pakistan seems to be reasonably clear that if it has to consolidate its strategic capability it can best do so by going in for the option of enhancing its missile capability as a counter to India's increasing superiority in airpower. India needs to ponder whether it should get into a missile race with Pakistan or utilise that portion of capital expenditure in increasing its air delivered weapons which would result in better accuracy and increased quantity.