Cracks in India's missile shield
6/28/2008
The government is known to boast about India's might, but on closer observation one will notice that it is all a veil of deception. India's biggest warships are using defunct missile systems and are not at all ready for battle.
TIMES NOW has gained access to a defence ministry report that reveals that at least four missile systems are malfuctioning.
The warships, which are the pride of the Indian Navy, used to guard thousands of kilometers of India's coastline could find themselves sitting ducks in a battle situation. A Defecne ministry report shows A Defence Ministry report shows that missiles on these ships are not in working condition, putting our coastline in clear and present danger.
India's warships are equipped with various anti ship missiles ranging from the Uran, Klub and others.
The Uran , which is an anti-ship missile is deployed on some of India's biggest warships like the INS Mysore. The missile in question may have a range of about hundred kilometres, but it cannot be relied upon. Its fire control system is faulty.
The Klub, another anti ship missile with a range of 220 km is fitted on the INS Talwar and the INS Trishul. But this missile too does not perform to its specifications.
The anti aircraft missile Shtil used on the Talwar Class frigates has proved unreliable and inconsistent. In fact former Naval chief. Admiral Madhvendra Singh had refused to take delivery of the Shtil.
Even the Harrier aircraft on the INS Viraat have a lot to complain about. The Sea Eagle missile used by the Harriers do not work well. What makes things worse is the fact that the plant that produced these missiles has been shut down.
The fact that India's battleships are not battle worthy due to their lack of defences is worrysome and leaves a big crack in India's naval defence. That Indian navy is woefully short of firepower and this fact has been brought to the notice of Defence Minister A K Antony and top officers of the armed forces.
When quizzed about the Indian Navy's woeful situation, Defence Minister AK Antony said, "See whenever we import certain things from outside, naturally out of these large imports some portion is sometimes defective. That is why I have repeatedly said don't depend always on foreign suppliers."
Indian Navy is in dire need of an upgrade and the problem is urgent. China has already boosted its presence in the Indian Ocean and the Pakistani threat cannot be ingnored. But with its key missile not fighting fit, kinks are showing up in India's naval armour.
Naval sources confirm TIMES NOW's report on faulty missiles
Sources have revealed that the Uran missile system has been facing problems, which are yet to be rectified. TIMES NOW has now got reactions from a Naval spokesperson on the issue. According to the spokesperson, the reports on the defunct missiles are indeed true and the necessary steps are being taken to rectify the issue.
Here are the spokespersons reactions when questioned about the issue.
On the Uran:
"There have been some amount of problems with the Uran. We want them to be rectified and they are being rectified."
On the KLUB Missile System being defective:
"There were problems with some versions of the klub but all klubs are not problematic."
On the Sea Eagle missile system:
"The sea eagle fired from the harrier has had problems. We are phasing out the missile"
On the Shthil missile system:
"While every problem is worrisome, the shtil is not a bad missile"
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