A Good Reason To Cheer

US firm offers `exclusive` F-16s to India

March 27, 2005 14:49 IST


US aviation manufacturer Lockheed Martin has offered to build `exclusive` F-16 fighters for the Indian Air Force, much superior to any existing fighters in service in the world.

``If India`s requirements are beyond any existing fighters, we are prepared to make upgraded F-16s to India`s specifications with complete transfer of technology,`` Mike Kelly, Senior Executive of Lockheed Martin told PTI.

The comments assume importance in the wake of the US administration`s decision on Saturday to clear sales of F-16s to Pakistan and allow American firms to sell sophisticated weapons to India.

``We have in the past taken up the building of such exclusive fighters for the UAE [United Arab Emirates] and are prepared to manufacture F-16s to India`s special requirements,`` he said.

Lockheed Martin currently manufactures two versions of F-16s. While Block 50-52 is being supplied to the US and European air forces, the Block 60 has been developed exclusively for the United Arab Emirates.

``We are ready to develop new Block 70 for the IAF,`` the Lockheed Martin official said.

Besides Lockheed Martin, the US announcement on Saturday has cleared the ground for the other American aviation giant, Boeing, to bid for India`s plans to acquire 126 multi-role combat aircraft.

Boeing would face competition from Dassault, the makers of French Mirage fighters, Swedish Grippen and the Russians.

tahmad

and your accusations on Dr. Qadeer are somehow based on ``objective standard of facts and values`` right. I simply asked what proof do you have and you said go ask any scientist of PAEC. Is this your objective proof? give me a break.

So how am I supposed to approach the PAEC scientists, ``Excuse me Sir, My name is Mr. Lallu Panju and I am a blogger at Chowk dot com, could you please tell me that Dr. Qadeer did not make the bumm``

urstruly: one more thing - your last part about your fascination with qadeer explains a lot: ``To me matter is simple, if Dr. Qadeer has nothing to do with the development of Pakistan`s nuclear arsenal, as you claim, then why neo-colonial powers want his head on a platter``.

That is, if the US says the sun rises from the east, you assume it rises from the west. In other words, you are basing your views not on some objective standards of fact and values, but simply relative to the US position which you believe to be the embodiment of evil.

No wonder your remarks seem so far removed from common sense when it comes to politics.

A lot is said and claimed about Modi , but there is little understanding.

There are many who think Modi would be ashamed of post-Godhra riots. Infact Modi would have been a total nobody today if not for the post-Godhra riots. And he was a nobody before the Godhra incident.


Infact Modi wouldn`t have been re-elected as the chief minister of Gujarat and quite possibly the most popular politician in India today (hated by the minority , admired by the majority)....had he not allowed the hindus to vent their revenge on the muslims for their actions in Godhra. Nobody would even have heard of him. Nobody had heard of Modi before the Gujarat riots.

Modi was just a backroom administration guy from RSS who had never contested an election was given the chief minister`s post because of internal squabbles in the BJP between the 2 top and most powerful aspirants for the CM`s position in Gujarat - Keshubahi Patel and Suresh Mehta. Modi was seen as a compromise candidate as he was considered to be `insignificant` and with no mass base.

But after Gujarat riots , he won 2/3rd majority for his party in the state in what was his very first election. It was an equivalent of a batsman scoring a triple century and taking 10 wickets on test debut.

HP aka Hacked Penis....

As long as Indian courts do not convict Modi of any crime , as long as the electorate continues to vote for him , he will continue to be the chief minister of India`s richest state - a state which is economically more productive than the whole of Pakistan.

It doesn`t matter what foreign governments , NGOs , `human rights` activists etc. say or dont say. Even if Modi personally went and chopped the heads of a few muslims and raped their wives in front of a 1000 witnesses , he is innocent as long as the Indian courts deem him to be. He will continue to be the CM as long as the people of Gujarat - majority of them , want him to be.

I think the folks here missed the real reason why US finally agreed to deliver F-16s to Pakistan >> Because US wants India to buy F-16s and F-18s ..... which it will , out of compulsion to counter Pakistan`s purchase of F-16.

Indian government officials are idiots if they think delivery of F-16s TO Pakistan is an anti-India measure by US. It would have been anti-India if the delivery of F-16s to Pakstan wasn`t accompanied by an offer of the same and the more advanced F-18s to India...

US and the company that manufactures F-16s , F-18s - Lockheed Martin , just wanna make some $$$. Thats it.

urstruly: on Qadeer - I said you were ignorant of Qadeer`s doings, and recommended talking to any scientist of the Pakistan AEC to learn exactly what he contributed. So dont twist my words. The prophet also said something about the truth (I refer to the prophet since obviously what other men claim the prophet said is more important to you than the Quran).

On F-16`s: it is clear your knowledge of intellectual property rights is as dismal as your knowledge of this man you worship (qadeer). Go educate yourself, then talk to me.

tahmad

I did not ignore your post, I just didn`t know what to say; because your post lacks objectivity and truth and ladden with misfed propaganda. But there are two points that I would like to bring in;

1. We did not buy F-16 now. We bought those 21 years ago, and they are only being delivered now sans interest and penalty and that pisses me off immensely. That is the reason I say that we are under no obligation for intellectual property rights and we must replicate these planes in collaboration with Chinese or Russians.

2. Regarding Dr. Qadeer I would advise you to refrain from heresay unless you have an irrefutable case against him. Remember, the Holy Prohet (pbuh) said that slandering a fellow Muslim is like eating the flesh off of the carcass of your own dead brother. To me matter is simple, if Dr. Qadeer has nothing to do with the development of Pakistan`s nuclear arsenal, as you claim, then why neo-colonial powers want his head on a platter; shouldn`t they be asking for the heads for all those of PAEC who are ``really`` behind this as you claim. Please take off your colored glasses of prejudice and hatered of your own people and let them live.

rsridhar: I think for the time being it is clear we have a nuclear stalemate. Dont count on the patriot missiles though. Even the US has been having trouble with anti-missile technology, since that is like firing a bullet to intercept a bullet (as the example goes). So, just as Indians have been waiting for 50 years certain of the imminent collapse of Pakistan, they will be waiting a long time for the imminent neutralization of pakistani missile-nuke technology. And EVEN if this happened - dont underestimate the ingenuity or practical sense of pakistani defense people or their dedication to ensuring the defense of Pakistan (despite their bad habit of ``helping`` civilians run the country when they feel like it): they could switch to mules instead of missiles, and place nukes all over India if necessary (that is EVEN if the miracle of a bullet stopping a bullet ever became reliabe technology).

So, the only solution to this madness is peace. And peace means democratic states in both India and Pakistan.

urstruly: I will generously assume you skipped reading that post i addressed to what i wrote to you about dr. qadeer (and are not merely studiously avoiding it). I also assume that your continued fascination with aeronautical engineering caused you to skip the part i wrote about pakistan being already well equipped for external defense (missiles plus nukes) and F-16s being redundant. That is fine. In time, the truth comes out. Then you will remember my words and feel sorry that you ignored what I wrote while you still had time to reverse your decision to buy F-16`s (btw, the last part is a joke).

here is a little story in the meantime to provide some food for thought: In WWII the japanese built mighty battleships (Yamato I believe was the name of the biggest), and germans built what came to be known as pocket battleships and the royal navy of UK too had its own pride of battleships. In the US meanwhile, someone was using his head and argued that battleships were obsolete - they were sitting ducks for planes. So, the US focussed aircraft carriers. And lo and behold: the battleships (british, japanese, germans) spent the war either hiding from planes or getting sunk.

The same is happening today - the future is pilotless planes. Very convenient. And until they arrive, missiles will do fine. Planes are toys for pilot boys to have fun with. I know some pilot boys who I bet are even now savoring to go up in the sky afterburners blazing in these shiny new F-16s. But poor abdul haq`s son wont go to school because pilot boys are having fun.

Anyway, dont mind me. Carry on with your aeronautical engineering of the F-16.

arjun: you obviously have a reading impediment (in addition to your unfortunate tendancy to lapse into howls of ``pakiland, pakiland`` when you get excited). Re-read what I wrote about your giving fake links and selective googling.

Re: # 140 rs
//..``rejecting India at the altar`` of a new relationship, former Senator Larry Pressler has said...//

Pressler also said this : ``India is in a very subservient position with the US``. And that is the crux of the matter. 60 years gone down the drain and India, ``the great civilization``, is still subservient ..... it` still begging ..... and and it`s still looking for ``friends`` and ``camps`` to attached to. And getting ``rejected at the altar`` in the process.

And commies and fools still rule the roost.

Anybody posting with cr@p in urdu fonts should be spanked 20 times and banned for 7 days. Anything you want to say- say it in English, so that everybody can read it.

#147 by arjun_m on March 27, 2005 6:56am PT

dang...

how does a logic controller replace the embeded driver software?


that`s embeded software or drivers.....

#139 by Urstruly on March 27, 2005 5:31am PT


I am assuming that the customized software that you have mentioned in your post can now be replaced by Progammable lLogic Controllers-PLC. Commercial PLCs exist for the past 25 years or more and they have been standardized ever since. I do not see a big problem as far as control, sensor and mechanical interface is concerned. However, I do accept that avionics is something that we need time to work on and for that I suggested that we use borrowed equipment.


how does a logic controller replace the embeded driver software?

#134 by tahmed32 on March 27, 2005 3:50am PT

prophet tahmed(peace be unto your self righteous left butt cheek)....google is just a tool...It can`t find links for thinks that didn`t happen...

for e.g., If I searched google for a list of Paki army officers who were prosecuted for the genocide in Bangladesh or forcing the taliban down the throats of the afghans, I doubt I`d find anything....

If you are making a claim, it`s not very difficult to google up links that support you claim...assuming your claims are true to beging with...and that you have an IQ above room temperature....