The Global Eye : Franz-Stefan Gady

Showing posts with label Franz-Stefan Gady. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 December 2016

Obama and War: The Legacy (Franz-Stefan Gady, China US Focus)

http://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/obama-and-war-the-legacy

Friday, 12 February 2016

Confirmed: Thailand’s Military Wants a New Main Battle Tank (Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat)

Thailand announced this week that it is in the process of setting up a procurement committee to evaluate Chinese and Russian tank models in order to select a new main battle tank (MBT) for service in the Royal Thai Army (RTA), the Bangkok Post reports.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/02/confirmed-thailands-military-wants-a-new-main-battle-tank/

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Back From the Dead: India and Russia Revive Talks Over Fifth Generation Fighter Jet (Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat)

New Delhi and Moscow have restarted cost negotiations over the Sukhol/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/02/back-from-the-dead-india-and-russia-revive-talks-over-fifth-generation-fighter-jet/

Monday, 8 February 2016

India Receives Final Batch of Russian Mi-17 Helicopters (Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat)

In late January, the Indian Air Force (IAF) received the last three out of a total order of 48 Russian-made military transport helicopters, The Economic Timesreports, while according to sources with India’s Ministry of Defense, a new contract for an additional 48 aircraft could be signed within weeks.

The recent delivery brings up the total number of Mi-17V-5 helicopters procured by India to 151. (One Mi-17V-5 has been lost in 2013 during rescue operations in the north of India.) In 2008, Rosoboronexport, the Russian state intermediary agency responsible for the import and export of defense technology, signed an initial contract for the delivery of 80 Mi-17V-5 choppers to India. This was followed by the signing of contracts in 2012 and 2013 for an extra 71 Mi-17V-5 helicopters, the last three of which have now been handed over to Indian authorities. ”The helicopters were delivered on Friday, January 29,” a spokesman of Rosoboronexport told Interfax.

Produced by Russian Helicopters–Russia’s sole rotorcraft designer–at its Kazan Helicopter Plant, the Mi-17V-5 is based on the Mi-8 airframe and is one of the most advanced aircraft of the Mi-8/17 helicopter family. Every Mi-17V-5 helicopter is equipped with night vision technology, on-board weather radar, a new PKV-8 autopilot system, and a KNEI-8 avionics suite, which, according to a Russian Helicopters press release, results “in a very clear and intuitive cockpit with four large multi-functional displays that are easy to read and help reduce pilot fatigue.” The system purportedly also helps reduce pre-flight inspection time.

Fitted with powerful engines for “hot and high” conditions, the Mi-17V-5 helicopter boasts a top speed of 250 kilometers (155 miles), and has an operational range of 580 kilometers (360 miles), which can be extended to 1065 kilometers (661 miles) when equipped with two auxiliary fuel tanks. The helicopter’s operational ceiling is 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) and the IAF has repeatedly used the aircraft to supply Indian Army units stationed on the Siachen glacier in the Himalayas.

The Mi-17V-5’s maximum takeoff weight is 13,000 kilogram and the chopper can carry 36 persons or 4,000 kilograms of cargo inside the cabin, with an additional 4,500 kilogram payload attached on an external sling. The aircraft can be employed for a host of different missions including troop and cargo transport, fire support, patrol, and search and rescue missions.

Furthermore, the chopper can be armed with various machine guns, missiles and rockets, but it is unclear whether the last batch of 48 Mi-17V-5s delivered to India have been weaponized. The Indian Air Force is also in the process of equipping its Mi-17V-5 fleet with modern electronic warfare (EW) suites.

The Mi-17V-5 makes up the backbone of the IAF’s transport helicopter fleet, according IAF headquarters. “India is one of the key markets for the company and a major operator of Russian helicopters in Southeast Asia. The country is currently operating over 400 aircraft which have an excellent reputation,” said the head of Russian Helicopters Alexander Mikheev, on the occasion of the recent helicopter delivery.

Afghanistan to Start Peace Talks With Taliban By the End of February (Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat)

High level diplomats from four countries met over the weekend in Islamabad to discuss ending the war in Afghanistan. The meeting, hosted by the Government of Pakistan, was the third time that the so-called Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China convened discussing the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.

According to an Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release, the representatives of the QCG countries—Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai; Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry; U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard G. Olson; and China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Deng Xijun—expect talks between the Afghan government and Taliban groups to take place by the of February 2016.

“[T]he QCG countries agreed to continue joint efforts for setting a date for direct peace talks between the representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban groups expected to take place by the end of February 2016.” However, Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that merely the date for peace talks will be finalized by the end of February 2016.

“Building on the progress made in the last two meetings, the Group explored ways for holding early direct peace talks between the authorized representatives of the Afghan Government and Taliban groups,” according to the press release. ”In this regard, the Group also adopted a roadmap stipulating the stages and steps in the process.”

Abdul Hakim Mujahid of Kabul’s High Peace Council told the Associated Press: “The first step is to formulate a roadmap, the second is to invite the armed opposition to the negotiating table and the last step is the implementation of the peace plan.” Kabul held peace talks with the Taliban in the summer of 2015, but the dialogue collapsed after the announcement of the death of the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

The QCG met for the first time on January 12 in Islamabad, followed by a second round of talks on January 18 in Kabul. The Taliban were not represented at either of the two meetings, nor were they present on Saturday. Afghanistan’s Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah told Reuters that he expects talks with “groups among the Taliban who might be willing to talk and give up violence” within six months. ”It should be sooner than six months,” he said in an interview on February 4 in New Delhi.

A January 2015 Taliban statement on prospective peace talks notes that no discussions will occur until NATO forces have withdrawn from the country: “The invaders should leave the country and give the Afghan people opportunity to determine their fate themselves.” The statement does list “preliminary steps” that should be taken prior to peace including prisoner releases and the removal of Taliban operatives from “blacklist and prize list” (presumably NATO targeting lists). “Peace is viable only when practical ways of peace are identified and assessed,” it says.

The QCG emphasized that “the outcome of the reconciliation process should be a political settlement that results in the cessation of violence, and durable peace in Afghanistan.” The representatives also agreed to reconvene for a follow-up meeting in Kabul on 23 February 2016. Former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai recently urged in an interview that India, Iran and Russia should be included in the peace process, according to Tolo News.