Raytheon Gaffes On Indian Ballistic Missile Threat

I love this! Raytheon apparently puts India in the august company of countries like North Korea and Iran as far as ballistic missile threats to the US and its allies (and proliferation of such weapons) are concerned. This, in a 2007 brochure [PDF] for Raytheon’s Standard Missile 3 (SM-3), a component of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence System, an evolution of the Aegis Combat System currently on offer to India. Incidentally, among the many opportunities that Raytheon currently explores in India, the Standard Missile 2 is one. The page above, therefore, boggles.

India has a robust ballistic missile programme, but it’s also a country that takes its reputation as a non-proliferator, non-aggressor (and its avowed no-first use nuclear strike policy) near religiously. To yoke India to the likes of Iran, North Korea, China and Pakistan may actually be pretty flattering to some at one level, but not in any way that South Block would ever appreciate, so it’s obvious that nobody really noticed this brochure. Bit of a faux pas, if you ask me.

Here’s the preamble to the above slide: “Ballistic and cruise missiles present a significant threat to United States and coalition forces overseas, and to the United States and coalition nations. The use of ballistic missiles is attractive to many nations because they can be used against an adversary with a formidable air defense system when an attack with manned aircraft would be impractical or too costly. When armed with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads, the threat becomes even more apparent.” The threat is real and growing, it declares.

Luckily, this brochure has nothing to do with Raytheon’s India campaign. There is no second-guessing how sensitive the Indian government can be about stuff like this.

In India, apart from the SM-2 missile (not sure about SM-3), Raytheon is currently exploring opportunities to supply the Sidewinder and AMRAAM (as part of the MMRCA competition) and TOW anti-armour missiles. The company is also looking to supply its APG-79 AESA radar and EW self-protection systems as part of the MMRCA. The company also has interests in assisting in India’s GAGAN space-based augmentation system, the Indian Army’s Battle Management System (for which Raytheon has pitched its Enhanced Position Location and Reporting System) and supplying additional AN/TPQ-37 weapon locating radars. The company is already working with India on co-production of Paveway LGBs and providing mission support for the Phalanx CIWS. A deal for Javelin man-portable ATGM is the company’s most recent success in India.

28 thoughts on “Raytheon Gaffes On Indian Ballistic Missile Threat”

  1. Well done Shiv,

    You've finally graduated from postman reporting to investigative journalism. Now you can be counted in the hall-of-fame along side Bob Woodward.

    Go man go. Dig out some more old skeletons like this, there is no dearth of them.

  2. I am sure they messed it up !!, we all know they messed up ;), yeah right !!!, the US private sector and the defense sector are two different entities, they have their concers et. al, not everyone out here is a Bratt pitt or Richard gere which the indian media salivates over

  3. We the people of India(became lazy and selfish) cant take any step against our own terrorists (Corrupted ministers of Indian Govt. & Shameless, hopeless DRDO scientists)…

    This country deserves a military rule…
    Its not only my dream, thousands of youth dream for it…

    When a patriotic "General"/"Chief of Defence Staff" will come and bring revolution to my motherland… bring the glory of 1000yrs back…

    Shiv can you please help my country by sending this msg to my Defence-chief???

  4. good find. the yanks see things in black and white, and their moronic perspectives need to be pulled up from time to time. good job.

  5. will the US Ambassador now be summoned and handed a demarche by the MEA? 😀 We are a joke. But jokes apart, such things should be taken very seriously. The nerve of a company wanting to sell us missiles and then underscoring a ballistic missile threat from India. The bloody gall. This is the famous American chutzpah!

  6. This is an age where individual US companies have annual revenues that are greater than the GDPs of some small African republics. Some CEOs wield more power and respect than some ambassadors and Presidents.

    We couldn't bring Union Carbide's CEO, Anderson to India after 25 years.

    You really think Raytheon's executives, really care two hoots about the Republic of India's stance on this issue ? Do they care a fig about what SM Krishna will harp about India's NFU policy ?

  7. Equating India with all others in such matters, either Raytheon's are cutting a joke or they are jokers of the market.

  8. This is no big deal. It is a gaffe and a real stupid one at that. Of all the US defence companies lined up to sell their wares, Raytheon has the most important / interesting ones on display. AMRAAM, TOW, and yes even the SM3 which is the topic of this sorry brochure.

    I am sure that somebody in Raytheon will be pulled up for this gaffe but let us not be short sighted and close our access to technology that China will not get.

  9. @anon 1:20am:
    Why r you posting anonymously, where as I'm posting with my name?
    The only thing to create my own Identity.
    Hope you have a little brain to understand what I want to say next.

  10. Lets buy! Lets buy till the sale is on… Buy up all the junk they want to sell us… After all we are a "Soft power" we are good in "Software" we are muscle less geeks with big glasses on… woooohoooo!

    Before people used to talk about self reliance in the defence industry… Now we have companies lined up to do joint ventures with Indian companies… I would say its one of the best money swindeling schemes I have ever seen!
    Why can't DRDO do some real "off setting" of its own… why can't Indian Companies tie up with DRDO and develop on the technolgy base which DRDO has already developed on its own. I think the growth will be achieved at a much faster pace than with the brand new D-MSS (Defence Money Swindeling Scheme)… You can pronounce it in two ways… "The Mess" or "Dumbass"…

  11. Well there is nothing wrong, everyone out here is to make money but are always cautious of rising power. Future projection beyond 2050 powers are Indonesia, Pakistand and Mexico.. So we have to be cautious too while battling to squeeze into global force, all US has to do is arm these countries to bring us down, just what they did to USSR.

  12. Binay,

    Thats not your real name, your real name is Aliph Ahmed and you post as Buraidaih on defense.pk. You would remain secret with your fake id for a while longer if you didnt brag so much about how you are trolling Indian boards with fake names. Try better next time.

  13. India seems to have rejected the U.S offer which was to halt our programme and our missiles being implemented. The AAD is the best bet for India interms of missile defence in the likes of SM-2/3's whereas with the PDV we have our own THAAD as well. No need for any U.S systems. The usual usually tries to kill any competition in any arena of any nation. It happened with the Canadian aero industry as well. So keep off the U.S stuff and just field out stuff in good numbers and keep improving them over a period of time rather than purchase useless stuff from from the U.S by believing the claims in the brochure.

  14. USA is a friend of none. Raytheon in one hand jumping to supply India PAC-3 and other missiles on the other hand says India as threat. USA govt will even stopped consultation for LCA.

    lol china is not on the list. The next missile to hit USA will be chinese.

  15. "Anonymous said…

    What is india to USA? Think about it. A place full of under nourished people.
    9:16 PM "

    You have no respect for India. We can smell a paki from 1000 km away. Indians are in the highest rank in USA after the americans. Many companies are run by Indian americans. Many top scients in MIT, NASA, Microsoft, IBM, Apple, Google, Intel are Indians.

  16. @anon 11:03

    Yes so were the jews that laid the stones of the pyramids in egypt, or the hindus that laid the bricks of the Taj Mahal. But who built these?
    You get my meaning :-)?

  17. Hmmm… there is NO Red Dragon missile in the advertisement.

    Obviously they are marketing it only for Sino, who need them most.

  18. "@anon 11:03

    Yes so were the jews that laid the stones of the pyramids in egypt, or the hindus that laid the bricks of the Taj Mahal. But who built these?
    You get my meaning :-)? "

    First Shiv, why are you letting such posts in your blog? Isn't it degrading the quality?

    Second, paki…. I was rite. We can smell you from 1000 away. Yes it was the Jews and the hindus built Pyramids and Tajmahal but pakis are only 63 years old they didnot even built a car. all are chinese rejected junks.

  19. Raytheon might be selling some new weaponry to the US armed forces and maybe it thought to it to necessary to amplify the threat..

  20. You missed his point and showed your immaturity, by throwing tantrums and shouting mummy. He meant that the jews and the Hindus were slaves. That they may have laid the stones/bricks but it was the egyptians and muslims that built the above mentioned things (just like IBM is american). It is better to learn to counter these points rather than act the way you did.

  21. John Patterson, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, Raytheon Missile Systems

    "The brochure does not accurately reflect Raytheon’s thinking and we have removed it from our website. We are embarrassed by it and appreciate having it brought to our attention. We greatly value our customer relationships in India and we are proud of our growing number of mutually beneficial partnerships.”

  22. It is good to see that the US considers India to be a threat. Well let them feel threatened, that would make their rapprochement 'ally' China, think twice before provoking India.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Scroll to Top