India - US: Defence and Space Collaboration at ‘Strategic Levels’
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
India, US relations have been propelled to ‘strategic levels’ while staying short of turning treaty allies, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States.
F414 engines
The announcement for potential joint manufacture of General Electric (GE) Aerospace’s F414 engines in India by GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to power India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft MK2 and the twin-engine Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft MK1 as well as the purchase of 31 high-altitude, long-endurance Predator-MQ-9B armed unmanned aerial vehicles, according to The Hindu “take the defence ties between the countries to a new high. Military cooperation between the two nations has been deepening in the recent past. India has bought from the U.S. the C-130 and C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters as well as CH-47 Chinook and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and M777 ultra light howitzers, among others. The U.S. has been aggressively pitching its fighter jets, the F-16 and F/A-18, for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy…."
China’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific is one of drivers of the relationship. “The U.S. also wants to wean India away from its defence partnership with Russia in the long term. From a technological perspective, the newly announced joint initiatives in jet engine production, semiconductors and space technology present an opportunity for India to develop a defence industry of its own, and improve its technological competence across the board. India and the U.S. have already signed the four foundational agreements and regularly conduct joint military exercises. While its embrace with the U.S. is getting stronger, deeper and more comprehensive, India is also cognisant of the need to maintain its strategic autonomy…..”
Deal for 31 MQ-9B drones
The above is for policy strategists to consider. Meanwhile, the stage is also set for the acquisition of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) - 15 SeaGuardians for the Indian Navy and 16 SkyGuardians — eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force.
The India, US joint statement said that the MQ-9Bs, which will be assembled in India, will enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces across domains. ‘As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a Comprehensive Global Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India in support of India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities.’
Capability: The MQ-9B, writes Dinakar Peri (Senior Assistant Editor - Defence, Indian Express) “has two variants — the SkyGuardian and the SeaGuardian, its maritime variant. The MQ-9B is designed to fly over the horizon via satellite for up to 40 hours, depending on configuration, in all types of weather and safely integrate into civil airspace, according to its manufacturer……”
According to General Atomics, the MQ-9B can provide roughly 80% of the capability of a large human-flown maritime patrol aircraft at about 20% of its cost per hour. That, writes Peri “makes it much more economical for navies to, for example, send out SeaGuardians to clear big volumes of air or sea and then, if anything of interest is discovered, vector in a human-crewed aircraft to save it the time, cost, and wear that it otherwise might have expended, the company stated. This is the primary reason the Indian Navy is keen on these UAVs as it significantly reduces the wear and tear on manned aircraft, its fleet of 12 P-8I long range maritime patrol aircraft, as well as reduce crew fatigue in keeping an eye over the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.”
For the Army and Air Force, “the MQ-9Bs can provide round-the-clock surveillance looking far beyond the borders, for instance on the movement of Chinese military buildup and troop movement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deep inside. It also seamlessly integrates with other U.S.-origin platforms that India operates, the P-8Is, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters among others expanding MQ-9B’s multi-domain mission set.”
Space collaboration: India joins Artemis Accords
The other takeaway from the visit is India’s accession to the Artemis Accords. This has been met with great interest within the space community. India has aspirations in outer space and by joining the Accords it has signalled an interest in building a greater relationship with NASA and its partners. This, according to Roshan Menon (candidate in the advanced master’s programme for Air and Space Law at Leiden University. He represented the University at the European rounds for the 2023 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court) “could signal a shifting away from Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine and the reduced scope of Russian activities in space after the fall of the Soviet Union…..”
In the process, India “may be casting its lot with the Americans. The years to come will show the value of this action, with missions already being planned between ISRO and NASA, which may soon see the first Indian aboard the ISS and the first Indian astronaut since Rakesh Sharma, all those decades ago.
India’s space/moon mission & role in Artemis
Suchitra Karthikeyan (Principal Staff Writer, The Hindu) writes India’s space agency ISRO already had two programmes — Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan — before the country signed the Artemis Accords. Under Gaganyaan, ISRO will demonstrate its capability for human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a safe return to the earth. The mission has two unmanned flights and one manned flight planned to the ISS.
While the first unmanned mission was to be launched in 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the schedule by a year. Now, the first unmanned flight will happen at the beginning of next year and the crewed mission is projected to be done by the end of 2024. The four astronauts selected for the mission completed their generic space flight training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, Russia, and since then have been in India undergoing tests and physical training. They will be sent for final training to the Kennedy Space Centre, US, in 2024.
India’s second attempt to ‘soft land’ on the moon — Chandrayaan-3 — is set to launch in mid-July this year. ISRO chief S. Somnath said that the Chandrayaan-3 vessel has been moved from U.R. Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru to Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The initial operation checks of the satellites, launch vehicle, orbiter, lander and rover are ongoing. Similar to Chandrayaan-2, India will attempt to launch an orbiter to the lunar orbit and land a rover on the south pole of the lunar surface.
With India signing the Artemis Accords, Karthikeyan states “it will be a part of the US’ attempt to land humans on the moon by 2025. Moreover, ISRO is likely to collaborate on further Artemis missions including the Lunar Gateway, Mars landing and establishing a permanent lunar base. India also aims to establish its own space station similar to the ISS and China’s Tiangong space station.”
Hailing India’s decision to sign the Artemis Accords, Ashok GV, Director, Legal Affairs of Spaceport Sarabhai, an Indian space think tank, said that it could provide a foundation for more streamlined and liberal exchange of technology and a flow of capital for India’s space program. “It provides impetus to India’s aspirations to be a key influencer in humankind’s efforts to mark its presence in the moon and beyond,” he said.
The fine print of Artemis Accords
Dinesh S. Sharma (Science Commentator) however cautions against euphoria and writes that the space collaboration is not akin to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal signed by predecessor Manmohan Singh in 2008. The reality is far from it.
To begin with, the “Accords is not a bilateral agreement or treaty or pact, nor does it seek inputs or expertise from India or anyone for Artemis — the Moon mission of NASA that envisages the development of a base on the lunar surface. It has no mention of ‘easing restrictions on the import of critical technologies.’ The Accords…. is a statement of general principles of peaceful exploration of outer space….India is the 27th signatory to this non-binding and voluntary Accords.”
The ISS ride is, perhaps, a face-saver: The second part of the ‘space deal’ relates to NASA sending an Indian astronaut to ISS next year. This is equally intriguing, writes Sharma “because India is having its own Human Space Flight programme for which four Indian astronauts have been trained in Russia. If ISRO wanted to send an Indian to ISS, jointly operated by America and Russia, it could have done so long ago. It did not do so because human flights were not its priority. ISS has been operating for two decades and 269 astronauts from 21 countries have flown to it. Besides those from America and European countries, astronauts from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have spent time on ISS. Has India broken new ground in space cooperation with the US or is it trying to catch up with the others? More importantly, why is India rushing into a flight on ISS when it is preparing for its human space mission? The PM had announced in 2018 that an Indian would go into space when India completed 75 years of Independence — a promise that did not materialise. The ISS ride is, perhaps, a face-saver or, at best, a poor substitute for that tall promise made five years ago.”
