Friday 14 June 2013

How India compares with China in military prowess

How India compares with China in military prowess



General News

INDIA vs CHINA ON MILITARY STRENGTH

By Saheen C Najeeb , XII , B

As two rising Asian powers with high GDP growth and increasing geo-political influence, India and China have been arch rivals in their race to superpowerdom.
We all know about the interest of China over Arunachal Pradesh.We all know what happened in 1962.China won the battle.Now if another war happens over Arunachal Pradesh between these two countries what will be the outcome?.Can we resist the attack of China?.I hope you will get an answer after reading this article.
China’s military expenditure is estimated to be 80 billion US dollars, which put China second only to the USA in global military spending. The actual Chinese military capabilities and budget are shrouded in deep secrecy to prevent foreign countries having an idea of its military might…and perhaps to create the strategic advantage of uncertainty. On the other side, India’s official military expenditure for 2008 is quoted at $30 billion. India however, does not keep a level of secrecy as cloaked as China does, as its democratic government system requires public accountability. By its official 2008 military budget figures, India stands at 10th position in global military spending.
 India’s active military personnel numbered over 13,25,000 while China’s was significantly higher at 2,255,000. In the air defence area, China’s PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Air Force has 9,218 aircrafts of which about 2300 are combat aircrafts, operating from its 489+ air bases. The Indian Air Force has 3382 aircrafts which includes 1335 combat aircraft operating from 334+ land bases and its sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat. The best combat aircrafts in China’s PLAAF are Russian Su-30 MK and indigenously built, 4th generation J-10 fighters. Indian Air Force, on the other hand has French built Dassault Mirage 2000s and Russian Su-30 MKI as the best aircrafts in its combat fleet (no indigenous fighters or aircrafts have been built by India so far). Indian Navy is the world’s eighth largest navy with a fleet of 145 vessels consisting of missile-capable warships, advanced submarines, the latest naval aircrafts and an aircraft carrier in its inventory. It is experienced both in combat and rescue operations during wartime and peace as seen from its wars with Pakistan in 1971, the December 2004 Tsunami, etc. On the other hand, China’s PLA Navy with its 284 fleet is quantitatively larger but primitive in actual experience and training as compared to the Indian Navy. China has no aircraft carriers in its naval fleet at present but is slated to build and induct an aircraft carrier by 2010.
In strategic nuclear defence and delivery systems China’s PLA is miles ahead of India’s nuclear forces. China’s nuclear arsenal which started stockpiling in 1964, contains more than 210 nuclear warheads. The most powerful ones among China’s nuclear arsenal have yields of over 4 megatons. In comparison, India’s strategic nuclear force which started stockpiling after the 1998 Shakti tests, has about 50-70 warheads at present. The most powerful among India’s nuclear warheads has an yield of 0.05 megatons which is minuscule, compared to China. India’s nuclear delivery system consists of bombers, supersonic cruise missiles and medium range ballistics missiles. Agni 2, India’s longest range,deployed ballistic missile is capable of a range of 2500 km, carrying a single nuclear warhead of 1000 kg. In stark contrast, China’s nuclear delivery system is far more advanced than India’s, with multi-warhead MIRV capable ICBMs like DF-5A [12000+ km] and DF-4 [7500+ km]. It also possesses submarine launched SLBMs like JL-1 [4500+ km] and strategic fighter bombers like Su-27 Flanker in its nuclear weapons delivery arsenal.

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