In the face of fewer and fewer countries supplying arms to Pakistan, the country is resorting to deception. Pakistan intends to obtain torpedoes from the company known as Leonardo, which India banned for seven years during the Augusta Westland helicopter scandal. What was the Augusta Westland helicopter scandal? In February 2010, the Congress-led UPA government signed a contract with UK-based Augusta Westland to purchase 12 aw 101 helicopters for the Indian air force for 3600 rupees. Augusta Westland was an anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo. Leonardo company is an Italian multinational company specializing in aerospace, defense, and security, headquartered in Rome, Italy.
The company had 180 sites worldwide. In 2016, AgustaWestland was merged into Leonardo spa, formerly known as Finn mechanica, where it became the company’s helicopters division under Leonardo helicopters. Brand Augusta Westland no longer exists as a separate entity, having been completely wrapped up into Leonardo. The Augusta Westland scam was exposed in 2013 when the then defense minister, a k Anthony, admitted that bribes were paid in the Congress-led UPA government deal with a UK-based firm, Augusta Westland, which was awarded a contract to supply choppers for vvips. As of now, the Italian Defense company can resume business activities with India on the condition that it doesn’t make monetary claims for previously signed agreements. Currently, Pakistan is looking to purchase torpedoes from this Italian company through turkey’s as fat, a Turkish state-owned defense contractor that was subcontracted to supply the Pakistan navy. With eight a 244 s lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes, according to high-level sources, Pakistan contacted Leonardo prior to India, lifting the ban and a six-member delegation of Pakistan. Navy offices led by rear admiral Abdul Samad visited Leonardo’s torpedo production center to assess the products and watch demonstrations now with India.
Lifting the ban and new Delhi unofficially stating that the transfer of high-grade weaponry to Islamabad will not be tolerated. So now Pakistan may be left out in the cold apart from Leonardo’s a-244-s torpedoes. Pakistan is in contact with china for lie 70 air defense systems and has requested a budget proposal from the manufacturers for a medium range and short-range system. The lie 70 can intercept rockets, cruise missiles, precision, guided bombs and unmanned aerial vehicles. The a244 s are developed and manufactured by the Italian quest firm.
The price tag is 9.5 million euros. It is a lightweight fire and forget torpedo used in anti-submarine warfare. It can be launched from surface vessels or aircraft and uses an acoustic seeker to locate the target. The torpedoes of the a244s series have been designed specifically to counter the threat posed by last-generation submarines, which are equipped with echoic coatings and countermeasures.
These torpedoes have a range of 12 to 13 kilometers and more than 20 navies around the world use this lightweight torpedo. They can be launched not in deep waters but in coastal areas. It can navigate up to useful depths to oppose any conventional threats, reaching speeds. Greater than 35 knots, the torpedo employs a CIA CIO s, seeker which consists of an acoustic homing head containing the transducer assembly, transmitter and related beamforming circuits and a frame housing. All of the remaining electronic components for closing on its target.
The homing head can operate in active, passive or mixed modes. It can also distinguish between decoys and real targets in strong reverberations using especially emitted pulses and signal processing.
