EXCLUSIVE: No CISMOA? Here's What They're Pulling From The Indian C-130J

With India still hesitant to sign the contentious Communication Interoperability & Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) with Washington, there's a great deal that's been written and said -- mostly speculative -- about what technology the U
S Government will withhold from equipment already ordered by India. Several commentators have said that the American equipment on order by India -- including the C-130Js and P-8 -- wouldn't be half as useful without the technologies that would come with them if India signs the CISMOA. I've just received the official list of gear that the US Government will NOT provide to the Indian Air Force on its C-130Js. It is important to remember that this is equipment that has specifically been asked for by India. As a result, these items will be kept off the aircraft and only "may" be fitted on the aircraft once the CISMOA is signed. Here's the official list of equipment that India won't get as a direct consequence of the hanging CISMOA:

* AN/ARC-222 Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) - Manufacured by Magnovox and administered by the US Air Force

* KV-119 IFF Digital Transponder (Mode 4 Crypto Applique) - Manufactured by Raytheon and administered by the US Air Force

* TACTERM / ANDVT Secure Voice (HF) Terminal - Administered by the US Air Force

* VINSON KY-58 Secure Voice (UHF/VHF) Module - Administered by the US Air Force

* Finally, the Rockwell-Collins AN/ARC-210(V) SATCOM Transceiver's COMSEC/DAMA embdedded RT is replaced with an RT that has no COMSEC/SINCGARS

Sources say the Indian government has a few specific reservations about the CISMOA (I'm gathering more on this), and is not convinced that there is any particular hurry to conclude the memorandum. Recently, US PACOM chief Admiral Bob Willard said in Delhi that the CISMOA was not a pre-requisite to India accessing a lot of advanced American communications technology, though this pretty much went against the sentiment in all other diplomatic and military visits from the US.

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