In a well organised series of comments and links Gessler advised, April 20, 2023:
What can be seen as a QUAD (almost) alliance China containing bilateral air activity, is Exercise Cope India, running from April 13 to 24, 2023.
The US and India have
restarted Exercise Cope India which was cancelled 2020 to 2022 during the peak of the COVID Crisis.
See https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1648306610530553857
[John] Thomas Newdick over at The War Zone wrote a nice report on this.
Gathering from various sources reporting on the on-going events, I find several points of particular interest in this edition of the Exercise:
1) A USAF
brought in a B-1B Lancer to Cope India for the first time. This is a swing wing supersonic long-range heavy
bomber.
2) Other USAF entrants were F-15E Strike Eagles. Both the B-1B and F-15Es focused on Air-to-Ground Strike missions of varying magnitudes.
3) Special Forces units of the two countries have reportedly practiced Forward Air Control missions in the run-up to the Air component of the exercises.
[4) Indian Air Force participants included Su-30 MKIs, Rafales, Tejas and Jaguar fighter aircraft. The exercise is supported by aerial refuellers and Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft.]
5) The locations of the exercises are significant. They are spread across three China-facing Air Force Stations in Eastern India.
6) For the first time is the presence of personnel from the Japanese Air Force in an observer capacity (which is usually a precursor to participation...we'll see)
[7) It is also likely that personnel from the defence section, Australian High Commission, Delhi, also came as observers.]
A similar QUAD activity is naval Exercise Malabar at which the US, India, Japan and increasingly Australia participate.
Exercises are interesting events overall. Expansion in the size, scope and complexity of joint exercises is never a bad thing.
7 comments:
Unrelated update:
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/04/india-initiates-development-of-massive-armed-xluuv/
Cheers
I wonder if Australian aircraft will participate in these
exercises some day?
"Australia launched its biggest defense shakeup in decades Monday,
vowing to turn a military that is “no longer fit for purpose” into
a fighting force that could deter China or any would-be foe.
Defense Minister Richard Marles unveiled a strategic review that
called for a sharp shift toward long-range deterrence — using
missiles, submarines, and cyber tools to keep adversaries at arm’s
length."
See:
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/04/24/australia-defense-reform/
Hi Anonymous at 4/25/2023 4:19 AM
They might.
I'll provide the most Submarine Relevant parts of the public Australian Strategic Defence Review Report (released yesterday) soon.
Cheers Pete
Thanks Gessler at 4/25/2023 2:15 AM
For https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/04/india-initiates-development-of-massive-armed-xluuv/
India and other middle-super powers are certainly thinking big on XLUUV projects. In India's case https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/04/india-initiates-development-of-massive-armed-xluuv/ indicates it plans to develop 12 x huge XLUUVs with possible specs:
- 50m maximum ‘length with payload’
- width up to 5m
- height up to 10 meters, and
- gross weight without ballast under 300 tons.
"An external payload of up to 10 tons of armament is also under consideration, with [India's] MoD probing the feasibility of mounting two 533 mm torpedo tubes and mine laying capability for the XLUUV.
Submerged maximum speed is specified as at least 8 knots with cruising speed of over 4 knots. Propulsion options may include integrated thrusters or propellers using electric motors. The XLUUV is mandated to have a maximum endurance of over 45 days using either Li-Po/Li-ion batteries or a fuel cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system as the power source. A diesel generator may be used to recharge any batteries."
Much more at https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/04/india-initiates-development-of-massive-armed-xluuv/
Cheers Pete
Hi Pete
Another point of data concerning the people/HR issues facing western armies
In 2022 the Japanese Defense Forces could nor reach 50 % (46 %in fact) of its recruiting objectives..
How selective is the process?
In 1943 , the Panther, the seminal type of the modern tank (great optics,advanced vhf radio ,very accurate armor piercing 88 mm rifled gun, armor front protection..) was introduced on the russian front as an answer to the T34, a nasty surprse for the Wehrmacht over powering the PZ IIII.
After Koursk :"Ten times superior.. but there is always an eleventh". Maintenance issues as well
the Technology/ plain brutal mass balance is not new
Hi Anonymous at 4/26/2023 2:31 AM
I take it you are asking "How selective is the [recruitment] process?" for Japanese submariners?
Is your question rhetorical? As you are quoting percentages you know more than me about this Japanese niche matter.
While Germany's WWII Tiger tank had an 88mm gun the Panther had an extra long barreled, high velocity, 75mm gun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_tank#Armament .
But all in all I think Russia's T34/85 was the best tank of the war because it was far cheaper and could be Mass Produced in a shorter time by less skilled labor.
Regards Pete
Hi Pete
from Anon 26/46 at 2.31
My earlier post on that date(did not go thru) was about UUV in fact
The UUV or the XLUUV are on the way to eliminate many of the tasks of the classical (coastal for ease of transmission) subs in the same way as the attack anti armor helo and may be the ground attack plane.This is my opinion.The Ukr experience seems to show that
The added value of a human crew in a platform where they identify threats and targets thru sensors on a display and fire intelligent weapons (torpedoes , missiles..)is low compared to costs that are 5 to 10times + more, serious maintenance issues and mainly people issues (difficult to train , retain crew,)and not "expandable" as easyly for political reasons
Conscription is not the answer even at 3 years..
The western armies with highly trained professional people, rare ressource,rely on technological superiority where the people is the limiting factor..Demography, cultural, economical barriers..
This clearly the case in W Europe (Germany, Italy are acute cases).Italy has more FREMM frigates than France but in unable to operate a number of operationnal days at sea more than 50% that of France .The JDF is getting ou of Attack Helo, the Tiger III future in G. Fr. Esp. is bleak..
I have no info on the quality of JDF Sub crews but when you have a hard time recruiting (less than 50% of the target)people the question is raised immediately..
What are the limits of these technological models? Versus, mass/lower tech armies where people quantity is not an issue.Quality vs quantity ,Russian conscription for instance
This question was already raised in the Russian front in WW2 and I did report the German comment after Koursk
BTW I agree with your comment on the T34 mass effect and the maintenance /availability of the Panther
The superiority of the Panthetr was not really the gun dia but the quality of the optics, the muzzle velocity of the shell (combat distance, 95% success at 1100 meter ,first shot ) and more important excellent VHF FM tactical radio allowing coordinated manoeuver(russians tanks operating with flags)..It was very superior to the US Sherman M4 , but in fact most were destgroyed in Normandy by air launched rockets
Beware of specmanship !..War is the encounter of "systems" limited by their own bottle necks (ammo, people, maintenance, morale;.)
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