Article

2008-06-17 India-Pakistan

France offers Indian Army its best artillery

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Posted by john frum 2008-06-17 15:35|| || Front Page|| [9 views ] Top

#1 is unequalled in strategic mobility and air transportability in a C-130 J transport aircraft'.

Interesting that he didn't compare it to transportability in an Airbus aircraft.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2008-06-17 17:45|| 2008-06-17 17:45|| Front Page Top

#2 The Bofors reference is to Indian's planned purchase of Swedish artillery a few years back that reputably involved the largest bribe in history - $600 million (from memory).

Posted by phil_b 2008-06-17 19:02|| 2008-06-17 19:02|| Front Page Top

#3 Those Bofors guns were used to great effect in Kargil.

According to Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistani Northern Light Infantry were decimated by the barrages. They found decapitated bodies and pieces of bodies later.

And the new Bofors (BAE systems) guns met all the recent tests as well. Yet India continues to hold trials, over and over again. They can't pick the Bofors.

Problem is politics. The Congress party and Sonia Gandhi are terrified of what any new investigation will discover. Their opponents are just waiting.

Ironically, it is the Indian Army which suffered. It didn't get the number of guns in the original contract (which was terminated by India) and the technology transfer for manufacture in India specified in the contract never occurred.

The South African Denel gun turrets were in the lead for being mated with the Arjun chassis to produce tracked howitzers. When Denel was accused of bribing Indian officials, all contracts were halted.

It seems the easiest way to halt Indian defence procurement is to allege corruption.

Except with Russia. That never happens.

The one office who investigated them, a Lt. Cmdr. in the Indian navy, met an untimely death in a "traffic accident"

Posted by john frum 2008-06-17 20:11|| 2008-06-17 20:11|| Front Page Top

#4 TOPIX > THE BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS FRANCE'S NEW DEFENCE STRATEGY, AND SHOULD WE FOLLOW IT?

That sound you hear are whole generations of Anglos + Anglo-Amers collapsing in "shock-and-awe" fear at the thought of NOT being able to make fun of the French anymore.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-06-17 22:00|| 2008-06-17 22:00|| Front Page Top

#5 That would be wonderful, JosephM. I'm sure most English-speakers would rather respect and share burdens than mock.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2008-06-17 22:43|| 2008-06-17 22:43|| Front Page Top

#6 OK

but only this one time, k?

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-06-17 22:55|| 2008-06-17 22:55|| Front Page Top

#7 Look, Taj! French seventy-fives!

Posted by Mike 2008-06-17 23:28|| 2008-06-17 23:28|| Front Page Top

23:52 Old Patriot
23:28 Mike
23:27 OldSpook
23:26 OldSpook
23:07 Procopius2k
23:04 Muggsy Gling
23:00 Besoeker
22:55 Frank G
22:54 Besoeker
22:53 Redneck Jim
22:43 trailing wife
22:41 Redneck Jim
22:41 Besoeker
22:33 Eric Jablow
22:29 Frank G
22:26 Frank G
22:21 trailing wife
22:19 Steve White
22:17 Steve White
22:09 trailing wife
22:00 JosephMendiola
21:47 Barbara Skolaut
21:43 Barbara Skolaut
21:41 ed