Tick tock and a used boat salesman from Boeing
General Musharaff may resign before the restored judiciary (60 justices and the Chief Justice) are re-instated, which now seems a certainty as members of the PML-Q in the Senate are now forming a "forward block" (split from the party leadership) and joining the PPP+PML-N+ANP. When the justices and the CJ are re-instated, General Musharaff's "re-election" last November will be nullified, leaving him ... in need of a non-governmental job.
Just like the election in Gaza, Bush and Rice have gone overboard to keep Musharaff after 3/4ths of a 40% turn-out voted to dump him.
Robert Gates is in New Delhi, along with 50 of his closest fiends from the DoD and the Iron Triangle. via Dawn:
Speculation is rife that Mr Gates will be offering the Indian Navy the soon-to-be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier if the Indian Navy agrees to purchase 65 of the newest model Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to be operated off of it.The Indian Air Force (IAF) is expecting to purchase almost 130 new fighter aircraft, with Boeing and RSK-MiG both in the field of six contenders. A comment reported from Tuesday's interaction in Delhi saying that Mr Gates "made it clear that India and the US military-to-military ties will continue independent of the civil nuclear agreement" may hold the key to the high pressure parleys between the two sides.
For an intelligent shoppers comparison of the RSK-MiG vs F/A-18E/F, I suggest Venik's Aviation. Venik has prices.
Comments
Why in the world does India need an aircraft carrier with 65 Super Hornets? And I ask this without being too naive about US arms sales. For us, it's more about keeping the FA-18 E/F line moving and paying for the program. But a Forrestal-class carrier with major offensive capability roaming around the Indian Ocean. And don't forget the other planes required to operate it (Hawkeyes, supply planes). They'll need them too.
I guess it's insurance/deterrence against Pakistan, but a small fleet of frigates and destroyers with cruise missiles could do the same job. Okay, okay, throw in a down label cruiser reaching obsolescence. But the Kitty Hawk?
Perhaps China, but it's a long ways around the Straits of Molucca. And I doubt the Chinese would let them get even that close in the event.
This is invention being the mother of necessity. They'll find a mission for it. And I'm pretty sure it will end up on the bottom of the Indian Ocean with several large holes along its waterline.
Madness...
P.S. Once again, always enlightening stopping in. Lots of value added to my day. All the best.
Posted by: Todd | February 27, 2008 12:13 PM
Todd,
You'll want to look at my posts the week after the Boxing Day Tsunami, when I discovered the reason why the Nicobar and Andaman Islands were restricted.
Its not just Pakistan, its also China, and its also sea power parity with extra-regional powers in the Indian Ocean.
Recall, the Iraq armored offensive was stopped by air power -- the Shah's pilots changed a war of movement to a war of attrition, and 60+ assets anywere means a projection capability -- for peace keeping or defense of allies, so some of the calculus can be made without PK or CN, just for flexible long-range regional capability.
Thanks for stopping by again and with a comment.
Posted by: ebw | February 27, 2008 02:20 PM