Behind all the glitter and glamour of Aero India - 2009

"6 hours in the blistering heat..perched on top of a chair with two friends..stuck in a sea of cameras, lenses and photographic equipment that I have never seen in action before….armed with my own SLR…. hoping to catch some good pics….beating the dreaded traffic back home….Dead tired but satisfied after watching a good air show…."

Aero India 2009 kicked off in the Garden City on February 11, 2009, with firms from 25 countries showcasing their hardware in a quest for the supposed multi-billion dollar contracts that the Indian military is going to hand out in the years ahead. Defense Minister AK Anthony was on site, claiming confidently that there was no question of scaling down the defense budget in times of economic recession. He’s right. There’s no question about it, because scaling down the defense budget is already a foregone conclusion. The fact that a country with the third largest armed forces in the world and a GDP growth of 7.1% amidst global economic downturn would peg its defense budget at a beggarly 1.98% of GDP is a colossal embarrassment. Compare that against China’s defense budget (4.7% of GDP), or even that of Pakistan’s (4.5%), whose revenue consists almost exclusively of dole money from the US, China and Saudi Arabia.

Worse, an inefficient defense procurement mechanism has resulted in a dearth of military hardware and parts.  The procurement bottleneck notwithstanding, this biennial aero-drama in Bangalore continues unabated, with many firms eying that lucrative $9 billion, 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) deal intended to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) backbone MiG-21 “Flying Coffin” aircraft. The only problem being that the Defense Ministry has harped on about this proposed phase-out since 1998. American firms Boeing and Lockheed flaunted their F/A-18s and F-16s respectively in the hopes of hitting the motherload, while Russia rolled out the MiG-35 “Fulcrum-F”. France and Sweden threw their lot into the race with the Dassault Rafale and JAS-39, respectively. However, 11 years, 3 administrations, and 5 defense ministers later, India is still to decide on the vendor, much less enter into price and/or technical negotiations with anyone. Meanwhile, our air force faces critical shortages, most noticeable in the sharp reduction of the number of squadrons from 39.5 to about 30 within a span of seven years.

IAF also faces a shortage of advanced jet trainers (AJTs), with only about 20 of the expected 35 Hawk AJTs being currently operational. The most pressing shortage that can’t be outsourced to foreign service firms is in trained pilots — the headcount is currently 400 below par. About the only (relative) success story has been the (almost) on-time delivery of Israeli Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) last month. 

In conclusion, while the Surya Kiran’s aerobatics may light up the skies of Bangalore with mesmerizing tinges of saffron, white and green, this platform is meaningless if the Defense Ministry isn’t willing to commit to an overhaul of its procurement mechanism, maintain a well trained and motivated yoke of pilots, and put its money where its mouth is with regard to defense budget allocation.

Some sample images are provided hopefully you like them.

JAI HIND !!!

Rhiming Along

The last time Iron Maiden played I was busy doing finance assignments owing to my MBA. To rub it in I had a friend of mine who doesn’t really talk much going on about it.

Amongst all the “wasted years” Maiden did turn up again and even though the F 16’s and the Mig 29;s beckoned from a distant Jakkur the feeling of complete intoxication coming from the brilliance of Steve Harris and company could not be missed. So loaded on beer and meat we arrived at the venue. There was a huge “Q” trying to hide “grass” in their undies but my problems were different.  Armed with my brand new SLR I suddenly realized cameras were a strict no. But I did manage to sneak it in owing to the huge bundle of whatever I carry in my bag.

 

We were greeted by some pretty sad music notably Lauren Harris and Brandon Ashley but luckily they were done by 7 30. Maiden started around 8 and one by one they belted out their timeless classics. But as hard they did come at, there was something missing. They were no doubt great and I will not have words to describe their performance, but something was missing. The feeling was like having bottled beer when you have been promised a pitcher. They did charge but it wasn’t quite like the LIGHT BRIGADE

Feeling’s aside the whole show was quite brilliant. We rhimed along with them for every song not just the staples and very fortunate enough to have them perform Phantom of the Opera and hey we got to see ED.

 Some may feel that it is time enough we moved on to other bands but for me the number of the beast has not yet arrived.

 They say it is after all just rock n roll but we all love it.