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Lonewolf
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@AlphaMike ,some mki will see GaAs on its nose ,other will get GaN based radar , GaAs is ready , GaN is in advanced stage , high bandwidth is tested so that it can act as a huge jammer too .
But issue is mki have high metal content , compared to composite of new gen fighter , mki will be acting as mainstay till AMCA come ,and tedbf mature , era of mki is this decade only , TEDBF will replace it in each aspect
But issue is mki have high metal content , compared to composite of new gen fighter , mki will be acting as mainstay till AMCA come ,and tedbf mature , era of mki is this decade only , TEDBF will replace it in each aspect
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India, Japan conduct 3-day maritime exercise in Arabian Sea
India and Japan held its fifth edition of JIMEX (India-Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise), that was conducted in the Arabian Sea from October 6 to 8 with focus on maritime security cooperation.
India and Japan held its fifth edition of JIMEX (India-Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise), that was conducted in the Arabian Sea from October 6 to 8 with focus on maritime security cooperation.
The fifth edition of three-day India-Japan maritime bilateral exercise, JIMEX, between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force held in Arabian Sea ended on Friday.
The exercise saw the ships and aircraft of Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and Indian Navy (IN) engaging in a high tempo of operations focused on air, surface and sub-surface dimensions of maritime operations as well as the air domain, a statement said.
Indigenously built Guided Missile Stealth Destroyer Kochi and Guided Missile Frigate Teg, under the command of Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, represented the Indian Navy in the three-day exercise from Wednesday to Friday.
The Indian Navy fielded a P8I, a shore-based maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and MiG 29K fighters. The JMSDF is led by Rear Admiral IkeuchiIzuru, Commander, Escort Flotilla Three comprising of the Izumo Class Helicopter Carrier Kaga and the Guided Missile Destroyer Murasame. Both ships participated with integral SH60K helicopters.
Setting the operational tempo from the start, the units exercised War at Sea scenario with P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft of Indian Navy providing maritime reconnaissance support to both navies. The units practiced Replenishment at Sea approaches and undertook fuel rig connect-up between Kaga and Kochi.
The exercise also involved complex Over the Horizon Targeting exercises and surface gun shoots on an expendable target. An advanced coordinated anti-submarine exercise involving an underwater target deployed by JMSDF saw surface units and Indian Navy's P8I aircraft exercising with seamless coordination. Flag Officers of the two forces also met on the Flight Decks of Kochi and Kaga during flying operations, in keeping with the true spirit of military friendship.
The Air Domain operations included advanced anti-aircraft firing exercises on Expendable Aerial Target launched from the deck of INS Kochi and ship controlled Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat drills by IN's MiG 29K fighters.
The exercise involved a high tempo of flying operations with MiG 29K fighters coming in for multiple simulated air strike on surface units, shepherded by the IN's Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier. The inclement weather could do little to hold back IN and JMSDF helicopters from undertaking cross-deck landings, showcasing a high level of interoperability.
The precision, coordination and the high level of interoperability reflected not only the high standards of professionalism and preparedness the two navies maintain to counter threats at sea, but also the high level of trust and understanding that they have built over the years.
The complex maritime exercises undertaken will enable the two navies to further strengthen their already wide-ranging strategic partnership and, when required, to jointly safeguard their maritime interests and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
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A good read:
thewire.in
Some excerpts:
Technology was a major area of focus during the first in-person summit held in the United States. The Quad has already created a working group on critical and emerging technologies to facilitate cooperation and innovation between the states. Semiconductors and 5G were the areas of focus in the technology sphere with an idea of using alternative 5G technology to create a global communications standard.
A 5G deployment and diversification effort is already in the works with the “support and the critical role of Quad governments in fostering and promoting a diverse, resilient and secure telecommunications ecosystem,” as mentioned by White House officials.
This is where open radio access networks (O-RAN) and the O-RAN alliance come into the picture.
Nokia, which was one of the founding members of the O-RAN alliance, recently decided to temporarily halt its work on the O-RAN system due to fears of sanctions by the United States government. This was in response to the federal government in the United States blacklisting several Chinese companies which were officially part of the alliance.
Nokia, on the other hand, was explicit in its statement about how these firms hold considerable clout in the industry and cannot be excluded from the organisation. The representatives from Nokia have stressed the need to access and use the 5G technology owned by these Chinese firms to develop the open RAN system. However, with the threat of sanctions looming for working with the Chinese firms, Nokia decided to put its commitment to the O-RAN alliance on hold."
One of the founding principles of the O-RAN alliance was to break the oligopoly of the telecom market. While India and Japan have already stated that they wished to work together on 5G, the Quad summit’s focus on technology would help provide better opportunities for the firms located in these states in spearheading the creation of a global O-RAN network for improved communications.
With China maintaining a stranglehold over 5G patents and technical standards through its companies, other states are looking to diversify their telecom supply chains.
O-RAN offers a particularly enticing method for those looking to navigate the complexities of 5G networks. It is aimed at ensuring interoperability and clearing the problems that might persist with using different companies’ equipment for running 5G networks. This, combined with the strategic importance that 5G holds in the technology domain, will help the Quad and its allies to develop a common global communication system. This, in turn, would allow each state to not rely on a single entity’s technology but to set up networks using their trusted local companies and would provide the opportunity to create a worldwide standard for communication.
Will the Quad Tangle with the O-RAN Alliance?
Reduced dependency on the Chinese digital infrastructure, its suppliers and the Chinese-influenced technical standards will serve as common ground for Quad collaboration on O-RAN development.
Some excerpts:
Technology was a major area of focus during the first in-person summit held in the United States. The Quad has already created a working group on critical and emerging technologies to facilitate cooperation and innovation between the states. Semiconductors and 5G were the areas of focus in the technology sphere with an idea of using alternative 5G technology to create a global communications standard.
A 5G deployment and diversification effort is already in the works with the “support and the critical role of Quad governments in fostering and promoting a diverse, resilient and secure telecommunications ecosystem,” as mentioned by White House officials.
This is where open radio access networks (O-RAN) and the O-RAN alliance come into the picture.
Nokia’s exit can be a game-changer
Nokia, which was one of the founding members of the O-RAN alliance, recently decided to temporarily halt its work on the O-RAN system due to fears of sanctions by the United States government. This was in response to the federal government in the United States blacklisting several Chinese companies which were officially part of the alliance.
Nokia, on the other hand, was explicit in its statement about how these firms hold considerable clout in the industry and cannot be excluded from the organisation. The representatives from Nokia have stressed the need to access and use the 5G technology owned by these Chinese firms to develop the open RAN system. However, with the threat of sanctions looming for working with the Chinese firms, Nokia decided to put its commitment to the O-RAN alliance on hold."
One of the founding principles of the O-RAN alliance was to break the oligopoly of the telecom market. While India and Japan have already stated that they wished to work together on 5G, the Quad summit’s focus on technology would help provide better opportunities for the firms located in these states in spearheading the creation of a global O-RAN network for improved communications.
With China maintaining a stranglehold over 5G patents and technical standards through its companies, other states are looking to diversify their telecom supply chains.
O-RAN offers a particularly enticing method for those looking to navigate the complexities of 5G networks. It is aimed at ensuring interoperability and clearing the problems that might persist with using different companies’ equipment for running 5G networks. This, combined with the strategic importance that 5G holds in the technology domain, will help the Quad and its allies to develop a common global communication system. This, in turn, would allow each state to not rely on a single entity’s technology but to set up networks using their trusted local companies and would provide the opportunity to create a worldwide standard for communication.
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A good read:
Will the Quad Tangle with the O-RAN Alliance?
Reduced dependency on the Chinese digital infrastructure, its suppliers and the Chinese-influenced technical standards will serve as common ground for Quad collaboration on O-RAN development.
Some excerpts:
Technology was a major area of focus during the first in-person summit held in the United States. The Quad has already created a working group on critical and emerging technologies to facilitate cooperation and innovation between the states. Semiconductors and 5G were the areas of focus in the technology sphere with an idea of using alternative 5G technology to create a global communications standard.
A 5G deployment and diversification effort is already in the works with the “support and the critical role of Quad governments in fostering and promoting a diverse, resilient and secure telecommunications ecosystem,” as mentioned by White House officials.
This is where open radio access networks (O-RAN) and the O-RAN alliance come into the picture.
Nokia’s exit can be a game-changer
Nokia, which was one of the founding members of the O-RAN alliance, recently decided to temporarily halt its work on the O-RAN system due to fears of sanctions by the United States government. This was in response to the federal government in the United States blacklisting several Chinese companies which were officially part of the alliance.
Nokia, on the other hand, was explicit in its statement about how these firms hold considerable clout in the industry and cannot be excluded from the organisation. The representatives from Nokia have stressed the need to access and use the 5G technology owned by these Chinese firms to develop the open RAN system. However, with the threat of sanctions looming for working with the Chinese firms, Nokia decided to put its commitment to the O-RAN alliance on hold."
One of the founding principles of the O-RAN alliance was to break the oligopoly of the telecom market. While India and Japan have already stated that they wished to work together on 5G, the Quad summit’s focus on technology would help provide better opportunities for the firms located in these states in spearheading the creation of a global O-RAN network for improved communications.
With China maintaining a stranglehold over 5G patents and technical standards through its companies, other states are looking to diversify their telecom supply chains.
O-RAN offers a particularly enticing method for those looking to navigate the complexities of 5G networks. It is aimed at ensuring interoperability and clearing the problems that might persist with using different companies’ equipment for running 5G networks. This, combined with the strategic importance that 5G holds in the technology domain, will help the Quad and its allies to develop a common global communication system. This, in turn, would allow each state to not rely on a single entity’s technology but to set up networks using their trusted local companies and would provide the opportunity to create a worldwide standard for communication.
This will have interesting implications on the 3GPP grouping as well.
4 out of the 7 organizational partners of the 3GPP (majority) are from the 3 QUAD nations of US, India & Japan.
3GPP - Wikipedia
The organizational partners are representatives of the Governments of the major countries involved in Telecom & telecom/internet-related equipment, and set the telecommunication protocols for each successive generation of standards (right now 5G, very soon 6G).
I believe the US & other major countries opposed to China are pretty serious about not letting the CCP set the standards in cutting-edge Tech & chart its own World Order, the damage they've done and the amount of control they've already amassed is bad enough. But in a globalized world, even the Superpower cannot act alone in these matters - and that's where the QUAD comes in.
It's starting with 5G/Telecom....next order of business seems to be Semiconductors. After that, stuff like AI, Machine Learning and Quantum computing...the QUAD would more than likely seek to insert itself into these foundational techs which will shape the world economy for the next century, and try to steer it in a way that's convenient/beneficial for the major 'Democratic' nations.
+++
Even last year, I would never have imagined QUAD would evolve into a platform like this, that seeks to control emergent techs. I thought it would remain the usual Maritime Security grouping that does some posturing & the annual Naval exercise and nothing else. I think we're just beginning to scratch the surface of the potential of this group & its influence over the INDOPAC (...and the world, if these developments are any indication).
I'm also kinda surprised at India's presence in this, considering its officially not an Ally of the US. Anyway, I'd rather we be in it, and have a say in how things go & be in a position to take advantage of the evolving situations, than being outside it.
The Chinese Communist dictatorship will last as long as they keep their promise to the Chinese people - surrender your freedoms, and in return gain economic prosperity. If the CCP is to fall, it would do so when it's forced to renege on that promise. When the Chinese people begin to lose what they have gained - if the Democratic form of Government, with all its imperfections, is to survive - that has to happen.
Here's hoping that groups like the QUAD can begin to engineer that fall.
Just my 2 cents.
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(this is an op-ed published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), written by Senior Analyst Malcolm Davis)
NOTE: This article was published in the aftermath of the first 'Virtual' summit held earlier this year in March, not the in-person summit last month. What the author laments as a 'Missed Opportunity' later ended up being included in the agenda after all, something that I'll go over in future posts in this thread...
The QUAD Must Go To Space
7 Apr 2021|Malcolm Davis
NOTE: This article was published in the aftermath of the first 'Virtual' summit held earlier this year in March, not the in-person summit last month. What the author laments as a 'Missed Opportunity' later ended up being included in the agenda after all, something that I'll go over in future posts in this thread...
The QUAD Must Go To Space
7 Apr 2021|Malcolm Davis
A historic first meeting of the leaders of the countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue took place last month, albeit via video link, when Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks. On the agenda were a range of security issues, including how best to respond to an assertive China, the need to work together on responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity of coordinated responses to the long-term challenge posed by climate change.
One item that should have been on the agenda is closer cooperation on space policy. It was a missed opportunity, given that all four countries are space powers and have a mutual interest in security and stability in the space domain. So, what should the Quad states do in space?
- First, the Quad states should support the UK-sponsored resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 7 December. Resolution 75/36 seeks to establish new ‘norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours that reduce the ‘risks of misunderstanding and miscalculations with respect to outer space’.
There are no guarantees that greater effort in elucidating ‘norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviour’ will lead to new legal and regulatory arrangements that all states will follow. China and Russia are moving rapidly to develop a full suite of counter-space capabilities, and India tested an anti-satellite weapon, or ASAT, in 2019. So, there’s a challenge here given that Western democracies are concerned about the threat from adversaries developing ASATs but are seeking to cooperate with India when it’s doing the same thing.
- The best response to the ASAT threat is to strengthen international cooperation to place diplomatic pressure on Beijing and Moscow, and work with New Delhi to find alternative approaches to space security while strengthening credible deterrence in space. The enhanced legal frameworks that resolution 75/36 could bring about are just such an outcome. Quad members should support 75/36 and work together to strengthen the legal basis for space diplomacy and regulatory structures that reduce the risk of misunderstanding and constrain opportunities for malicious activity in space.*
- Second, efforts towards more effective norms of behaviour must be integrated with greater space resilience in the face of emerging threats. Resilience will reinforce deterrence in space, which will make the use of ASATs less likely. This effort must be led with greater cooperation on developing exquisite space domain awareness, or SDA, which seeks awareness of activities in space by states and non-state actors, such as commercial companies, to reduce the risk of misunderstandings, while strengthening attribution and denying anonymity to actors that are behaving irresponsibly. SDA will enhance our ability to manage an increasingly congested and contested space domain.
Australia’s efforts are already well known, with cooperation between Australia and the US focused on the establishment of a C-band radar and an optical space surveillance telescope at Exmouth in Western Australia under Project AIR 3029 Phase 2. Defence project JP 9360 is set to expand that capability, and there are information-sharing arrangements through the 2014 Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative that includes the Five Eyes, as well as France and Germany.
Achieving exquisite SDA—an ability to clearly see activities in space, from low-earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous orbit (GEO), on a 24/7 basis—demands technical capabilities such as networks of ground- and space-based space situational awareness sensors. Data from these sensor networks would be integrated in places such as the Australian Space Operations Centre, or AUSSpOC, which sits at the Australian Defence Force’s Headquarters Joint Operations Command.
A step forward for the Quad in space would be to bring India and Japan into the CSpO initiative**, in the same way that France and Germany are members, even though they’re not Five Eyes countries. Such a move would enable greater information-sharing and strengthen Quad members’ space cooperation with Canada, New Zealand, the UK, France and Germany.
Resilience as a means to strengthen credible space deterrence isn’t just about achieving exquisite SDA. The Quad’s cooperation in space should also focus on developing resilient space architectures that embrace greater use of low-cost small satellites to spread space support across disaggregated constellations. That should be complemented by greater government support for the establishment of low-cost, responsive sovereign space-launch capabilities. Launch centres in Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory and at Whaler’s Way in South Australia would be well positioned to support the space-launch needs of Quad members. Nhulunbuy, for example, is close to the equator and thus able to offer lower cost per kilogram into orbit than other launch sites.***
Finally, looking beyond the immediate ‘LEO to GEO’ near-earth environment, there are opportunities for Quad members to work together on the next great milestone in human space exploration—the return to the moon as a step towards eventual human missions to Mars. Australia already supports NASA’s Project Artemis, which aims to return US astronauts to the moon in this decade, and Japan also has agreed to participate, notably with provision of a module to the Gateway lunar-orbit platform.
Associated with the return to the moon, the Artemis Accords have been established to promote more responsible behaviour in space, and they reinforce the centrality of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. India should sign the Artemis Accords as a first step and then work with Australia, Japan and the US to develop a more ambitious program of lunar exploration.****
The Australian Space Agency’s ‘Moon to Mars’ initiative promotes opportunities for Australia’s commercial space sector to directly support Project Artemis. It’s time to expand these efforts by considering how Australia, Japan, India and the US can engage in closer cooperation on and around the moon. Establishing a regular dialogue on space cooperation would chart a path for the Quad to the moon, Mars and beyond in coming decades.
The Quad must go to space | The Strategist
A historic first meeting of the leaders of the countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue took place last month, albeit via video link, when Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister ...
++++
All in all, a pretty thorough presentation of an Australian perspective on the QUAD's prospects in Space cooperation. Since the March meeting, and following the September in-person summit in Washington, several things have been moving. I will post other articles (along with my observations/commentary) regarding them later on. For now, some comments on the particular topics I've marked with '*'s:
* I tend to agree. Whatever India had to demonstrate in an undeniable way, such as the ability to accurately locate & track objects in Low Earth Orbit moving at a relative speed of approximately 10 km/s (about ~30 Mach). the ability to build a Direct-Ascent missile system capable of reaching the desired altitudes (test was at roughly ~300km altitude, though the missile is theoretically capable of up to ~1,000km altitude) at the desired speeds, the ability to develop a Kinetic Kill Vehicle (KKV) for a hit-to-kill interception, or the ability to develop a IR guidance, course-correction & software system that can guide said KKV on to a blindingly fast-moving target - India has already done so with the 2019 test. No potential adversary like China can afford to not take this into account when coming up with their postures & plans toward Indian assets in space.
I would argue that any further kinetic testing of ASAT weapons on our part is no longer necessary. Any further tests that seek to validate new technologies (such as a Multi-Kill Vehicle rumored to be in development by DRDO) can be done so using Point-In-Space testing like what Russia does, where simulated targets are hit instead of real ones. Four countries (USSR/Russia, US, China & India) have already conducted kinetic destruction of orbiting satellites - and that is already 4 countries too many. The risk of debris posing serious threats to space assets is indeed high and must not be exacerbated to the maximum extent possible.
** Exactly that has happened (at least with regard to India) following the Modi-Biden bilateral meeting in September. The Bangalore-based NEtwork for space object TRacking & Analysis (NETRA) of India's ISRO signed an MoU with the USSPACECOM-led Combined Space Operations Centre (CSPoC), based out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, toward sharing of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data against both natural & man-made threats to assets in space.
It's not known whether India's nascent Defence Space Agency (DSA) will seek to become a full member of the CSPoC initiative at a later stage, however, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat, the head of India's Armed Forces recently visited the Peterson Space Force Base at the invitation of the Joint Chiefs, signaling a likely increased military cooperation in the space domain at the highest levels of command:
India’s Chief of Defense meets key missile defense leadership
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – At the invitation of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, visited military points of interest at Peterson Space Force Base, Sept. 29.
*** I wonder if, given the extreme degree of modularity & cost-effectiveness of India's upcoming SSLV solid-fuel rocket, perhaps an arrangement could be made to build/position some of these rockets (in 'knock-down' kits, shipped to NT) at the Arnhem Space Centre at Nhulunbuy, Australia - in order to get a nice boost to the payload capacity, and perhaps sell some to the Aussies to kick-start their independent launch capability
**** I second that notion. Given ISRO's inherent inefficiencies as a State-run company & the nascent stage of India's Private-sector industry, co-op via Artemis Accords may be beneficial in short term - however, going our own way MAY reap greater benefits in the long term. But will require SERIOUS investment toward the 'colonization' of space on the part of the Indian Government, something which may not be done at least before 2040.
Either way, here's a very good piece written by Chaitanya Giri, Fellow for Space & Ocean Studies Program at the Gateway House:
To sign off, a pretty good video on the potential future of Lunar colonization by the major powers:
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Following up with bits from multiple sources that were released AFTER the September summit, first is a piece from The Diplomat:
...Outer space governance found significant attention, with the joint statement stating that the grouping will explore ways to collaborate as well as share data for a range of peaceful purposes, including tracking changing climate patterns, natural disaster response and preparedness, and sustainable uses of oceans and marine resources. The group also agreed they would work on developing norms, guidelines, rules, and principles that would ensure the sustainable use of outer space.
China’s military space prowess is the key reason for this focus. Ensuring a safe, secure, and sustainable outer space has become critical in the face of growing space competition among a number of space players. On the one hand, it is triggering new competitive dynamics, especially in the context of global governance debates; but on the other, the competitive dynamic in space is pushing for new collaborative partnerships with a focus on a number of technological and normative aspects.
These new competitive dynamics are evident in the development of counterspace capabilities including kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and electronic and cyber warfare capabilities by a number of countries. China, in particular, has made impressive strides in outer space, including its pursuit of counterspace technologies. While the risks from China’s military space program may be directed primarily at the United States, countries like India and Japan cannot afford to ignore the consequences for their national security.
Countries like India and Japan have important stakes in ensuring uninterrupted access to space given the social, economic, and security stakes involved. This would require reviewing the existing international rules governing outer space as well as writing new rules of the road. A second requirement for a stable and secure access to outer space is developing appropriate technological countermeasures that would act as a deterrent in the face of growing counterspace capabilities.
Read the full piece at The Diplomat:
Considering this article from Foreign Policy is behind a paywall, I'm only reproducing a small portion of the full piece (most of it already visible in the preview):
...Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to privatize one of his country’s most zealously guarded governmental monopolies: the space sector. In a major speech at the inauguration of the Indian Space Association, a new industry grouping this week, Modi called for a new approach, where, he said, the private sector is free to innovate and the government becomes an enabler.
The announcement was a significant step in Modi’s efforts to pull private resources into India’s space sector, which has rapidly fallen behind global peers as space competition heats up in telecommunications, resource exploration, planetary expeditions, and defence. What’s more, Modi’s reorientation of India’s space policy is yet another indication of the profound shift in New Delhi’s geostrategic orientation.
Modi’s government has been exploring common ground on space security issues bilaterally with the United States and also plans to work with India’s partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—Australia, Japan, and the United States—to leverage their collective space capabilities. For now, these would include areas like monitoring climate change, managing disasters, and mapping precious natural resources from space. For the first time, New Delhi is also ready to work with Washington and its allies on setting new global norms to manage space, including rules for commercial competition and the use of space for defence.
India’s new space policy began to take shape in June 2020, when Modi announced the first steps to open up India’s space sector to private capital. The new policy mandated that space assets and technologies developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and other government agencies be accessible to the private sector. New Delhi also announced the creation of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (INSPACe) and appointed a former private sector executive to head it.
India’s liberalized space sector at home has been coupled with greater engagement with India’s partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (known as the Quad) on space security, abandoning India’s traditional go-it-alone approach. Bilateral U.S.-Indian conversations on space security cooperation that began under the Trump administration now appear to be close to some concrete steps. When Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden met in Washington last month, the two sides agreed to finalize an agreement on space situational awareness by the end of this year. The agreement is about monitoring and exchanging information on the rapidly growing cloud of objects in near-Earth space, including satellites, disused objects known as “space junk,” and natural bodies. The objective is to keep space navigable as the world’s commercial and military stakes rise.
At the Quad meeting that took place on the same day as the Modi-Biden summit, the four leaders agreed to “consult on rules, norms, guidelines and principles for ensuring the sustainable use of outer space.” Cooperating closely with Washington and the Quad on space is a significant shift in India’s orientation as its traditional inclination has been to address space issues through the United Nations and from the perspective of the global south.
As outer space becomes a geopolitically contested arena, India’s cooperation with its Quad partners in setting new rules could emerge as an important turning point in India’s approach to the global commons. In the 1960s and 1970s, India actively shaped international negotiations on space. Inspiring internationalism drove India toward defining outer space as the “province of mankind.”
Today, however, India might be moving toward a more practical approach to emerging space issues—including regulation of activity on the moon and exploitation of space resources—while retaining the essence of internationalism that defines the current regime on outer space. That, in turn, will demand more intensive Indian cooperation with like-minded countries, not only in the Quad but beyond. In all likelihood, New Delhi’s political cooperation with Washington will soon be reinforced by strong U.S. company participation in growing India’s space capabilities and commerce.
Full piece available at:
foreignpolicy.com
The Quad Commits to Regulating Space
The Quad Commits to Regulating Space
Growing space security threats are proving to be a challenge for existing global governance measures, but consensus on new rules is proving difficult.
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
October 01, 2021
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
October 01, 2021
...Outer space governance found significant attention, with the joint statement stating that the grouping will explore ways to collaborate as well as share data for a range of peaceful purposes, including tracking changing climate patterns, natural disaster response and preparedness, and sustainable uses of oceans and marine resources. The group also agreed they would work on developing norms, guidelines, rules, and principles that would ensure the sustainable use of outer space.
China’s military space prowess is the key reason for this focus. Ensuring a safe, secure, and sustainable outer space has become critical in the face of growing space competition among a number of space players. On the one hand, it is triggering new competitive dynamics, especially in the context of global governance debates; but on the other, the competitive dynamic in space is pushing for new collaborative partnerships with a focus on a number of technological and normative aspects.
These new competitive dynamics are evident in the development of counterspace capabilities including kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and electronic and cyber warfare capabilities by a number of countries. China, in particular, has made impressive strides in outer space, including its pursuit of counterspace technologies. While the risks from China’s military space program may be directed primarily at the United States, countries like India and Japan cannot afford to ignore the consequences for their national security.
Countries like India and Japan have important stakes in ensuring uninterrupted access to space given the social, economic, and security stakes involved. This would require reviewing the existing international rules governing outer space as well as writing new rules of the road. A second requirement for a stable and secure access to outer space is developing appropriate technological countermeasures that would act as a deterrent in the face of growing counterspace capabilities.
Read the full piece at The Diplomat:
The Quad Commits to Regulating Space
Growing space security threats are proving to be a challenge for existing global governance measures, but consensus on new rules is proving difficult.
thediplomat.com
++++
Considering this article from Foreign Policy is behind a paywall, I'm only reproducing a small portion of the full piece (most of it already visible in the preview):
India’s Space Program Inches Closer to America and the Quad
India’s Space Program Inches Closer to America and the Quad
In another strategic shift, Modi has opened space activities to private companies and new allies.
In another strategic shift, Modi has opened space activities to private companies and new allies.
By C. Raja Mohan, a columnist at Foreign Policy and the director of the National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies.
OCTOBER 13, 2021, 1:28 PM
OCTOBER 13, 2021, 1:28 PM
...Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to privatize one of his country’s most zealously guarded governmental monopolies: the space sector. In a major speech at the inauguration of the Indian Space Association, a new industry grouping this week, Modi called for a new approach, where, he said, the private sector is free to innovate and the government becomes an enabler.
The announcement was a significant step in Modi’s efforts to pull private resources into India’s space sector, which has rapidly fallen behind global peers as space competition heats up in telecommunications, resource exploration, planetary expeditions, and defence. What’s more, Modi’s reorientation of India’s space policy is yet another indication of the profound shift in New Delhi’s geostrategic orientation.
Modi’s government has been exploring common ground on space security issues bilaterally with the United States and also plans to work with India’s partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—Australia, Japan, and the United States—to leverage their collective space capabilities. For now, these would include areas like monitoring climate change, managing disasters, and mapping precious natural resources from space. For the first time, New Delhi is also ready to work with Washington and its allies on setting new global norms to manage space, including rules for commercial competition and the use of space for defence.
India’s new space policy began to take shape in June 2020, when Modi announced the first steps to open up India’s space sector to private capital. The new policy mandated that space assets and technologies developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and other government agencies be accessible to the private sector. New Delhi also announced the creation of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (INSPACe) and appointed a former private sector executive to head it.
India’s liberalized space sector at home has been coupled with greater engagement with India’s partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (known as the Quad) on space security, abandoning India’s traditional go-it-alone approach. Bilateral U.S.-Indian conversations on space security cooperation that began under the Trump administration now appear to be close to some concrete steps. When Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden met in Washington last month, the two sides agreed to finalize an agreement on space situational awareness by the end of this year. The agreement is about monitoring and exchanging information on the rapidly growing cloud of objects in near-Earth space, including satellites, disused objects known as “space junk,” and natural bodies. The objective is to keep space navigable as the world’s commercial and military stakes rise.
At the Quad meeting that took place on the same day as the Modi-Biden summit, the four leaders agreed to “consult on rules, norms, guidelines and principles for ensuring the sustainable use of outer space.” Cooperating closely with Washington and the Quad on space is a significant shift in India’s orientation as its traditional inclination has been to address space issues through the United Nations and from the perspective of the global south.
As outer space becomes a geopolitically contested arena, India’s cooperation with its Quad partners in setting new rules could emerge as an important turning point in India’s approach to the global commons. In the 1960s and 1970s, India actively shaped international negotiations on space. Inspiring internationalism drove India toward defining outer space as the “province of mankind.”
Today, however, India might be moving toward a more practical approach to emerging space issues—including regulation of activity on the moon and exploitation of space resources—while retaining the essence of internationalism that defines the current regime on outer space. That, in turn, will demand more intensive Indian cooperation with like-minded countries, not only in the Quad but beyond. In all likelihood, New Delhi’s political cooperation with Washington will soon be reinforced by strong U.S. company participation in growing India’s space capabilities and commerce.
Full piece available at:
India’s Space Program Inches Closer to America and the Quad
In another strategic shift, Modi has opened space activities to private companies and new allies.
foreignpolicy.com
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Keeping all the above developments & growing technological and strategic convergence in mind, this is purely something that I'm proposing of my own accord...
With the QUAD nations cooperating in the three critical domains of Space, Technology & Climate Change - here's something that falls right in between that Venn Diagram:
Currently under construction at a shared development cost of $1.5 billion, the NISAR is one of (if not the) most expensive Earth-Observation satellites ever built.
NISAR is the first satellite mission to collect radar data in two microwave bandwidth regions, called the L-band and the S-band, to measure changes in our planet's surface less than a centimeter across (>0.01m). This allows the mission to observe a wide range of Earth processes, from the flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets to the dynamics of earthquakes and volcanoes.
"...NISAR’s large deployable antenna will be used in a unique operating mode known as SweepSAR to provide wide area coverage and fine spatial resolution at the same time. When it transmits microwaves, the radar’s signal feed is stationary, producing a narrow beam of microwave energy. But when it receives the returning signal echoes, the radar feed sweeps its beam across the antenna’s reflector, thus giving SweepSAR its name.
Because the radar cannot receive echoes when it is transmitting, there would be gaps in the swath if the radar’s pulse rate were fixed. NISAR has the ability to vary the pulse rate of the transmitted signal in order to move the gaps around over time. The data can then be processed to gapless imagery by interpolating across the gaps.
SweepSAR is a novel radar technique and NISAR will be its first space-based use. The L-band and S-band radars are designed to work independently or together. SweepSAR was designed, conceived and refined jointly by JPL and German Space Agency (DLR) engineers during the early mission study phase..."
nisar.jpl.nasa.gov
The work share for the project is broadly divided as the L-band TRM (Transmit-Receive Module) package, the Radar Instrument Structure (the housing for the radar electronics of both bands), GPS & the 12-meter Radar Reflector Antenna being supplied by the American side, and the S-band TRM package, the Star-tracking navigation system, Solar Arrays & the Spacecraft itself (based on ISRO's I-3K Satellite Bus), along with the launch services being provided by the Indian side.
After the radar electronics' intergration is completed probably next year, the module will be shipped to India, where ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) will integrate the payload module with the I-3K Satellite Bus, and perform various integrity tests. The NISAR satellite expected to be launched onboard an Indian GSLV Mk-II rocket in 2023 (planned), from ISRO's launch pads in Southern India.
The NISAR is uniquely designed to study the effects of Climate Change like never before. Considering the QUAD member-states of Japan & Australia are among the countries most likely to be effected by climate change, should the scope of the NISAR program be expanded to include them?
I'd say yes. I'd suggest a "NISAR+" or "QUADSat" series of 2-3 more of these satellites as a key joint program to further build cooperation & to create common solutions for common problems, leveraging the substantial space application capabilities of JAXA and also allowing the Australian Space Agency to work on advanced programs that can directly have a positive effect on the sustainability of their continent-nation.
With the QUAD nations cooperating in the three critical domains of Space, Technology & Climate Change - here's something that falls right in between that Venn Diagram:
The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Satellite Program
A first-of-its-kind Dual Band SweepSAR technology made jointly by the United States & India.
An earlier iteration of the design
A first-of-its-kind Dual Band SweepSAR technology made jointly by the United States & India.
An earlier iteration of the design
Currently under construction at a shared development cost of $1.5 billion, the NISAR is one of (if not the) most expensive Earth-Observation satellites ever built.
NISAR is the first satellite mission to collect radar data in two microwave bandwidth regions, called the L-band and the S-band, to measure changes in our planet's surface less than a centimeter across (>0.01m). This allows the mission to observe a wide range of Earth processes, from the flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets to the dynamics of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Current (and final) iteration of the design
The NISAR obtains this data using a revolutionary new radar imaging technique called SweepSAR, in the words of the official website:
The NISAR obtains this data using a revolutionary new radar imaging technique called SweepSAR, in the words of the official website:
"...NISAR’s large deployable antenna will be used in a unique operating mode known as SweepSAR to provide wide area coverage and fine spatial resolution at the same time. When it transmits microwaves, the radar’s signal feed is stationary, producing a narrow beam of microwave energy. But when it receives the returning signal echoes, the radar feed sweeps its beam across the antenna’s reflector, thus giving SweepSAR its name.
Because the radar cannot receive echoes when it is transmitting, there would be gaps in the swath if the radar’s pulse rate were fixed. NISAR has the ability to vary the pulse rate of the transmitted signal in order to move the gaps around over time. The data can then be processed to gapless imagery by interpolating across the gaps.
SweepSAR is a novel radar technique and NISAR will be its first space-based use. The L-band and S-band radars are designed to work independently or together. SweepSAR was designed, conceived and refined jointly by JPL and German Space Agency (DLR) engineers during the early mission study phase..."
SweepSAR | Get to Know SAR – NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR)
NASA’s first global SAR mission, in partnership with ISRO, providing data for studying hazards, changes in glaciers and ice sheets, and global environmental change.
nisar.jpl.nasa.gov
The work share for the project is broadly divided as the L-band TRM (Transmit-Receive Module) package, the Radar Instrument Structure (the housing for the radar electronics of both bands), GPS & the 12-meter Radar Reflector Antenna being supplied by the American side, and the S-band TRM package, the Star-tracking navigation system, Solar Arrays & the Spacecraft itself (based on ISRO's I-3K Satellite Bus), along with the launch services being provided by the Indian side.
The satellite is currently under construction, earlier this year a shipment of S-band radar electronics from India was received at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
After the radar electronics' intergration is completed probably next year, the module will be shipped to India, where ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) will integrate the payload module with the I-3K Satellite Bus, and perform various integrity tests. The NISAR satellite expected to be launched onboard an Indian GSLV Mk-II rocket in 2023 (planned), from ISRO's launch pads in Southern India.
GSLV Mk-II
The NISAR is uniquely designed to study the effects of Climate Change like never before. Considering the QUAD member-states of Japan & Australia are among the countries most likely to be effected by climate change, should the scope of the NISAR program be expanded to include them?
I'd say yes. I'd suggest a "NISAR+" or "QUADSat" series of 2-3 more of these satellites as a key joint program to further build cooperation & to create common solutions for common problems, leveraging the substantial space application capabilities of JAXA and also allowing the Australian Space Agency to work on advanced programs that can directly have a positive effect on the sustainability of their continent-nation.
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Keeping all the above developments & growing technological and strategic convergence in mind, this is purely something that I'm proposing of my own accord...
With the QUAD nations cooperating in the three critical domains of Space, Technology & Climate Change - here's something that falls right in between that Venn Diagram:
The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Satellite Program
A first-of-its-kind Dual Band SweepSAR technology made jointly by the United States & India.
An earlier iteration of the design
Currently under construction at a shared development cost of $1.5 billion, the NISAR is one of (if not the) most expensive Earth-Observation satellites ever built.
NISAR is the first satellite mission to collect radar data in two microwave bandwidth regions, called the L-band and the S-band, to measure changes in our planet's surface less than a centimeter across (>0.01m). This allows the mission to observe a wide range of Earth processes, from the flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets to the dynamics of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Current (and final) iteration of the design
The NISAR obtains this data using a revolutionary new radar imaging technique called SweepSAR, in the words of the official website:
"...NISAR’s large deployable antenna will be used in a unique operating mode known as SweepSAR to provide wide area coverage and fine spatial resolution at the same time. When it transmits microwaves, the radar’s signal feed is stationary, producing a narrow beam of microwave energy. But when it receives the returning signal echoes, the radar feed sweeps its beam across the antenna’s reflector, thus giving SweepSAR its name.
Because the radar cannot receive echoes when it is transmitting, there would be gaps in the swath if the radar’s pulse rate were fixed. NISAR has the ability to vary the pulse rate of the transmitted signal in order to move the gaps around over time. The data can then be processed to gapless imagery by interpolating across the gaps.
SweepSAR is a novel radar technique and NISAR will be its first space-based use. The L-band and S-band radars are designed to work independently or together. SweepSAR was designed, conceived and refined jointly by JPL and German Space Agency (DLR) engineers during the early mission study phase..."
SweepSAR | Get to Know SAR – NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR)
NASA’s first global SAR mission, in partnership with ISRO, providing data for studying hazards, changes in glaciers and ice sheets, and global environmental change.
The work share for the project is broadly divided as the L-band TRM (Transmit-Receive Module) package, the Radar Instrument Structure (the housing for the radar electronics of both bands), GPS & the 12-meter Radar Reflector Antenna being supplied by the American side, and the S-band TRM package, the Star-tracking navigation system, Solar Arrays & the Spacecraft itself (based on ISRO's I-3K Satellite Bus), along with the launch services being provided by the Indian side.
The satellite is currently under construction, earlier this year a shipment of S-band radar electronics from India was received at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
After the radar electronics' intergration is completed probably next year, the module will be shipped to India, where ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) will integrate the payload module with the I-3K Satellite Bus, and perform various integrity tests. The NISAR satellite expected to be launched onboard an Indian GSLV Mk-II rocket in 2023 (planned), from ISRO's launch pads in Southern India.
View attachment 33834
GSLV Mk-II
The NISAR is uniquely designed to study the effects of Climate Change like never before. Considering the QUAD member-states of Japan & Australia are among the countries most likely to be effected by climate change, should the scope of the NISAR program be expanded to include them?
I'd say yes. I'd suggest a "NISAR+" or "QUADSat" series of 2-3 more of these satellites as a key joint program to further build cooperation & to create common solutions for common problems, leveraging the substantial space application capabilities of JAXA and also allowing the Australian Space Agency to work on advanced programs that can directly have a positive effect on their sustainability of their continent-nation.
This particular race is only just beginning. We are all in for some exciting developments, both technological and others.
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Definitely.
JAXA for example funded the bulk of my friends PhD here (in Canada) as just one example....in a cooling system theory, research and prototyping.
Australia has had notable success in scramjet arena for its size....a conversation that would often come up (with some humour involved) in number of people I was more involved with (in high academia) back in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
There is also a "newer" quad emerging apparently between US-Israel-India and UAE. It will be interesting to follow given what Israel has achieved....and what UAE can fund (and wants to achieve as well).
All of these efforts (When they come to space domain specifically) in the end will help India promote what it has developed in the ecosystem and also stay current as possible with others technology at this high level.
It is important because Space in a way (and aerospace more broadly) is quite the synthesis of every other hitech ecosystem that will help India in this decade and next one to laterally expand into those too as its relevant human resources are cultivated and grown further than they are now.
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India, US, Israel & UAE coming together to form a 2nd Quad? | India News - Times of India
India News: Israel wants India, with its transformed relationship with the Arab world, to play a greater role in the Middle East’s emerging strategic landscape.Ja
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
NEW DELHI: Israel wants India, with its transformed relationship with the Arab world, to play a greater role in the Middle East’s emerging strategic landscape.
On the eve of foreign minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Tel Aviv, Israel’s foreign secretary Alon Ushpiz told TOI in an exclusive chat, “We want very much to look into, how can the new situation in the Middle East have an Indian angle to it? How can we incorporate India into the opportunities that are emerging? Normally this region is flooded with threats and challenges. But in the last year, I have seen the dramatically changed landscape in the Middle East because of the Abraham Accords. This is really a strategic earthquake.”
Jaishankar’s visit will be India’s first high-level engagement with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government, therefore closely watched in Israel.
India, particularly Narendra Modi, enjoyed an unprecedented relationship with former PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The signals from this visit will, therefore, be a pointer to the future of one of India’s closest international relationships. Therefore, Jaishankar’s discussions with his counterpart Yair Lapid discussions will be significant.
Interestingly, Ushpiz said, while no one in the Quad had approached Israel, they would like to engage with “anyone” on the bloc’s focus areas of vaccines, emerging technology, climate change and security. “We will be happy to join any conversation in these areas. I will be very happy to deepen our cooperation with India on all these issues. But... no one from the Quad has knocked on our doors.” he said.
The next frontiers of the bilateral relationship, Ushpiz said, lies in Big Data, technology, healthcare and communications. “There are new frontiers when it comes to technology that we don’t have the luxury of missing. Artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, Big Data — all these things that can be part of our security cooperation and economic prosperity, but also provide security and stability to our people,” Ushpiz said. “We have to be very strict, keep our eyes on the ball when it comes to new fields of technology. There is no doubt in my mind that technology can easily decide the economic fate of nations,” he added.
Iran will remain a challenging spot for both countries. Ushpiz said Iran is “very determined to have nuclear capabilities, which I believe they have not deserted, which I believe they want to take as quickly as possible forward, which we believe they are breaching every promise that they’ve made and every paper that they’ve signed. Unfortunately, in their minds, in the minds of the Iranians, they do not see the robust and stern reaction from the International community.”
India, on the other hand, is doubling down on Iran, particularly in the context of the fresh security challenges emerging from the Afghanistan situation.
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Earlier related bit I made in quad thread:
However this one goes, hopefully they pick a different name to "Quad" again heh...
@500 @Philip the Arab et al.
However this one goes, hopefully they pick a different name to "Quad" again heh...
@500 @Philip the Arab et al.
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Another good piece on the developments following 4 Foreign Ministers' summit:
theprint.in
Why US and India are taking on China with a 'Middle Eastern Quad'
China has been wooing Israel and the UAE. Now they both seem to have been pulled away to be part of a second Quad, or the first murmurings of a new world order.
theprint.in
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This also needs to be looked at through the lens of the proposed Arab-Mediterranean Trade Corridor proposed by India some years ago, but until the Abraham Accords were signed, it didn't seem practical - but now it seems to be the most pragmatic thing around.
https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/...gm-shift-in-strategic-connectivity-to-europe/
Beautifully summarized in detail by Caspian Report in this video, the corridor in question is covered from 8:35 onward:
https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/...gm-shift-in-strategic-connectivity-to-europe/
Beautifully summarized in detail by Caspian Report in this video, the corridor in question is covered from 8:35 onward:
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Negatively. But it was inevitable though.
Iran is firmly in the Chinese fold. They don't have the option of relying on the US/West, so it's not like they had a realistic choice in deciding to join up with China.
That said, Iran had been constantly creating roadblocks for any meaningful Indian investment in the country for the longest time (Chabahar port, Farzad-B gas field etc.), pretty obviously the work of a faction within the Iranian establishment that wants to lean toward China. And that faction clearly won.
Directly or indirectly, the Abraham Accords were the best thing to have happened to Indian foreign policy & trade in the Middle East.
