All the world needs is for its most populated country to become a major war industry supplier, as if there weren't enough bombs, guns, and missiles in the world.
From Buyer to Supplier: India’s military
industrial complex is on the rise
India’s defense industry has been witnessing an overhaul in recent years, with an emphasis on domestic manufacturing – ‘Make in India’ – for the nation and the world. Having well-equipped armed forces with homegrown advanced defense systems is seen as crucial for national security. To this end, the ongoing development of a defense industrial corridor in one of India’s poorest and most populous regions, is making steady yet sure strides.
It is an outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), which includes ‘Atmanirbharta’, a goal since the republic’s early years of self-reliance in the defense sector.
Ongoing global conflicts have highlighted the importance of innovative defense techniques and a superiority that offers quick response times, long-range and precise targeting capabilities, efficient resource transportation, and an adaptability to evolving situations. With appropriate governmental efforts India has the potential to become a leading global hub for offsets (industrial compensation practices), supply chain sourcing, software development, and defense research and production.
There is much more on this story on RT at:
Guns, not roses
Assad turned his back on Erdogan’s offer of cooperation – and has now paid a heavy price. In the hours leading up to Assad’s December 8 ouster, as rebels – led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – closed in on the Syrian capital, Erdogan said he made an offer to the longtime Syrian strongman.
“We reached out to Assad, saying, 'Come, let us determine the future of Syria together'. Unfortunately, we did not get a positive response.”
Erdogan, as the main backer of some of the rebel forces then sweeping through Syria, knew his adversary had just sealed his fate.
As Syria plunges into a period of great uncertainty, Turkey could be emerging as the big regional winner after the fall of Assad. And Ankara has a vested interest in what happens in Syria, given that the two countries share a more than 900-kilometre-long border.
Erdogan is determined to keep the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) – which he sees as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) – out of the picture. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Just a day after Assad’s overthrow, Turkish-backed rebels announced they had taken control of the northern Syrian town of Manbij from the US-backed, and predominantly Kurdish, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Meanwhile, Turkey is still hosting almost 3 million Syrian refugees whose presence has become a hot political issue for Erdogan at home.
Didier Billion, deputy director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (Iris) and an expert on Turkey and the Middle East, spoke to FRANCE 24.
More on this story can be found on France24 at:
FRANCE 24: What role did Turkey play in the rebels’ flash offensive?
Made by Bell-Boeing, the V22 Osprey has undoubtedly killed more American soldiers than enemy soldiers. Not to mention allies from other countries. Boeing is being sued for the deaths of some Marines.
Pentagon grounds accident-plagued aircraft
On Tuesday, AP reported that the head of Naval Air Systems Command, Vice Admiral Carl Chebi, made the decision last week “out of an abundance of caution.”
In November, an Osprey aircraft almost crashed at the Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. No one sustained injuries in that latest incident, which was apparently caused by a metal weakness that is believed to have led to a separate deadly crash in Japan last year that left eight people dead.
After that incident, the Pentagon paused all V-22 Osprey flights for three months.
Several months prior, three US Marines perished in a similar incident during drills in Australia.
In March 2022, four crew members died in another crash involving an aircraft that was taking part in drills in Norway.
This November, AP published an extensive investigation into the numerous crashes involving the V-22 Osprey over the past few decades. Drawing on accident reports and flight data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, as well as interviews with current and former crew members and experts, the report indicated that the aircraft has seen a sharp spike in the number of serious incidents and safety issues since 2019.
According to AP, at the heart of many of these problems are features intrinsic to the V-22 Osprey’s design, such as its unorthodox proportions with relatively small propellers. The nature of the hybrid design also means that crews have to monitor a number of factors at once, and the aircraft is unforgiving in case of error, the news outlet said.
But those are all design features always present in the Osprey.
What happened in 2019 that suddenly made those features more dangerous.
Despite the many setbacks, the Marine Corps apparently plans to operate the V-22 Osprey until 2050.
However, following AP’s analysis, several lawmakers urged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to ground the fleet and thoroughly study the safety issues plaguing the aircraft.
It's amazing the effects a lawsuit can have on decisions.
==============================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment