China has now deployed more sophisticated , advanced and survivable solid-fuel nuclear capable CSS-5 MRBM missiles against India as a 'deterrent posture', Pentagon has said warning that a high degree of mistrust continues to strain their bilateral ties.
The Chinese Army PLA has replaced liquid-fueled, nuclear-capable CSS-2 IRBMs with more advanced and survivable solid-fueled CSS-5 MRBM systems to strengthen its deterrent posture relative to India, the Pentagon has said in its annual report on Chinese military build up to the Congress.
The report also says that Beijing is pumping in huge investments on border infrastructure developments laying more roads and rail network along the Sino-Indian border.
"Although this construction is primarily aimed at facilitating economic development in western China, improved roads could also support PLA border defense operations," it said.
Pentagon said that New Delhi remains concerned by China's close military ties with Pakistan and its growing footprints in the Indian Ocean, Central Asia and Africa.
The report noted that Pakistan continued to be China's primary customer for conventional weapons and sales to Islamabad included newly rolled out JF-17 fighters with production facilities, F-22P frigates with helicopters, early warning and control aircraft, tanks, K-8 trainers, F-7 fighters, air-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and missile technologies.
On Sino-Indian ties, Pentagon said, that though bilateral dialogue between the two nations increased, border tensions remained an irritant.
"China deepened its ties with India through increased trade and high-level dialogues in 2010, though border tensions remained an irritant in the bilateral relationship. Bilateral trade in 2010 reached nearly $60 billion," Pentagon said.
The two neighbours have held several rounds of dialogue over disputed territorial claims. Sino-Indian defense ties were institutionalised in 2007 with the establishment of an Annual Defense Dialogue, the report said.
"Though India cancelled high-level military exchanges following China's denial of visa to a senior Indian general in 2010, both sides agreed to resume exchanges in April 2011," the Pentagon said.
The US defence department in its assessment said that Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's trip to New Delhi in 2010 attempted to smooth over differences following a year of uneasy relations, but he did not address serious irritants.
"A high degree of mistrust continues to strain the bilateral relationship," it said.
Showing posts with label india defence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label india defence. Show all posts
Ajai Shukla: Building a submarine fleet
The Indian Navy has acted decisively over the years to create the capability and infrastructure needed for building surface battleships, but it has dithered in setting up an industry that could build submarines. Consequently, even as India’s 140-ship surface fleet is an imposing presence across a swathe of the northern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from the Gulf of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca, its 14 diesel-electric submarines hardly provide a matching underwater capability. Meanwhile, China, with at least 53 conventional and seven nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), poses a viable threat to our waters. Even Pakistan is boosting its submarine fleet to 11 vessels, of which nine will have air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that are superior to anything in the Indian Navy.What makes submarines so important? Naval warfare is about gaining “sea control”, or dominating an operationally important tract of water. In a war with China or Pakistan “sea control” would enable the Indian Navy to bottle up enemy warships in their harbours; prevent seaborne operations by the enemy; and block commercial vessels from resupplying those countries. Sea control is a rich man’s game, requiring the deployment of naval assets in multiple dimensions: underwater, surface, aerial and space. India can hope to gain sea control only in its vicinity, ie the northern IOR.
Then there is “sea denial”, a less force-intensive, spoiler’s option in which a navy deploys submarines and lays mines to deny the enemy sea control. For example, three or four Pakistani submarines lurking off India’s west coast would tie up Indian naval assets in locating and neutralising them, diverting those Indian vessels from the task of sea control. The longer a submarine can lurk underwater, ie “remain on patrol”, the longer it ties down enemy assets. Diesel-electric submarines like the Indian Navy’s must resurface periodically to charge their batteries, giving away surprise. In contrast, submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP), and SSNs, can remain submerged far longer.
The Indian Navy, which aspires to “blue water” capability, must be capable of sea control in certain sectors, as well as sea denial further away, for example, at the choke points leading into the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. That requires at least 24 conventional submarines for our coastal waters; and at least five to seven SSNs that can carry out sea denial for extended durations at very long ranges.
Unfortunately, the building of such a submarine force has been beset with blunders. The Indian Navy makes do with 14 old-style, diesel-electric submarines, of which just seven or eight are operational at any time. Six Scorpene submarines are currently being built under Project 75, but when they come on stream by late 2018 an almost equivalent number will have retired from the current fleet.
The ministry of defence (MoD) and the navy are aware of this crisis. In 1999, the Cabinet approved a 30-Year Submarine Construction Plan, for constructing 24 conventional submarines in India. Two simultaneous construction lines were to build six submarines each. One line was to use western technology; and the other Russian know-how. Based on this experience, Indian designers would build the next 12 submarines.
Twenty years after the plan was finalised, in 2019, India will have built just six Scorpene submarines. The reason is as simple as it is astonishing: with Indian shipyards competing to build tens of thousands of crore rupees worth of submarines, the MoD has failed spectacularly to bring any order to this melee. Instead of adjudicating decisively, setting up design and construction partnerships, and placing orders in good time, the MoD has – in typical Antony style – avoided a decision. Instead, it has set up committee after committee to identify which shipyard should get the orders. The latest, the Krishnamurthi Committee, has submitted split findings, setting the stage for Mr Antony to launch a fresh round of doing nothing.
It is time to thin out the crowded field of aspirants. Within the public sector, only Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) has built submarines. Its ongoing Project 75 to build six Scorpene submarines should be extended by another three vessels. Of these nine vessels, the last six must have AIP and the ability to fire missiles, changes that can be made easily. This should be India’s west coast production line.
On the east coast, L&T (which has gained experience building India’s nuclear submarine, the Arihant) should be permitted to join hands with Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), the MoD’s new shipyard in Vishakhapatnam, for building a second line of submarines with Russian technology. The L&T-HSL JV should also be designated the node for developing and building a line of SSNs, which remains a glaring hole in India’s defence capabilities. Every other country with nuclear submarine capability first built SSNs before developing the technology for SSBNs, as nuclear ballistic missile submarines are called. India alone has begun with a complex SSBN (the INS Arihant) and is continuing building more SSBNs without taking on the simpler design challenge of SSNs. Now, having leased the INS Chakra, an Akula class SSN, from Russia for the next ten years, India must integrate these experiences into an indigenous SSN line.
Meanwhile, the MoD must ensure that the expensive (Rs 6,000 crore) technology that it bought for the Scorpene, and will buy for the Russian submarine line, fructifies into a world-class indigenous design. This will require close involvement from the navy’s integral design establishment. A concurrent role must be allocated to NIRDESH, the newly set up National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding.
source : htt p://business-standard. com/india/news/ajai-shukla-buildingsubmarine-fleet/446636/
Then there is “sea denial”, a less force-intensive, spoiler’s option in which a navy deploys submarines and lays mines to deny the enemy sea control. For example, three or four Pakistani submarines lurking off India’s west coast would tie up Indian naval assets in locating and neutralising them, diverting those Indian vessels from the task of sea control. The longer a submarine can lurk underwater, ie “remain on patrol”, the longer it ties down enemy assets. Diesel-electric submarines like the Indian Navy’s must resurface periodically to charge their batteries, giving away surprise. In contrast, submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP), and SSNs, can remain submerged far longer.
The Indian Navy, which aspires to “blue water” capability, must be capable of sea control in certain sectors, as well as sea denial further away, for example, at the choke points leading into the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. That requires at least 24 conventional submarines for our coastal waters; and at least five to seven SSNs that can carry out sea denial for extended durations at very long ranges.
Unfortunately, the building of such a submarine force has been beset with blunders. The Indian Navy makes do with 14 old-style, diesel-electric submarines, of which just seven or eight are operational at any time. Six Scorpene submarines are currently being built under Project 75, but when they come on stream by late 2018 an almost equivalent number will have retired from the current fleet.
The ministry of defence (MoD) and the navy are aware of this crisis. In 1999, the Cabinet approved a 30-Year Submarine Construction Plan, for constructing 24 conventional submarines in India. Two simultaneous construction lines were to build six submarines each. One line was to use western technology; and the other Russian know-how. Based on this experience, Indian designers would build the next 12 submarines.
Twenty years after the plan was finalised, in 2019, India will have built just six Scorpene submarines. The reason is as simple as it is astonishing: with Indian shipyards competing to build tens of thousands of crore rupees worth of submarines, the MoD has failed spectacularly to bring any order to this melee. Instead of adjudicating decisively, setting up design and construction partnerships, and placing orders in good time, the MoD has – in typical Antony style – avoided a decision. Instead, it has set up committee after committee to identify which shipyard should get the orders. The latest, the Krishnamurthi Committee, has submitted split findings, setting the stage for Mr Antony to launch a fresh round of doing nothing.
It is time to thin out the crowded field of aspirants. Within the public sector, only Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) has built submarines. Its ongoing Project 75 to build six Scorpene submarines should be extended by another three vessels. Of these nine vessels, the last six must have AIP and the ability to fire missiles, changes that can be made easily. This should be India’s west coast production line.
On the east coast, L&T (which has gained experience building India’s nuclear submarine, the Arihant) should be permitted to join hands with Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), the MoD’s new shipyard in Vishakhapatnam, for building a second line of submarines with Russian technology. The L&T-HSL JV should also be designated the node for developing and building a line of SSNs, which remains a glaring hole in India’s defence capabilities. Every other country with nuclear submarine capability first built SSNs before developing the technology for SSBNs, as nuclear ballistic missile submarines are called. India alone has begun with a complex SSBN (the INS Arihant) and is continuing building more SSBNs without taking on the simpler design challenge of SSNs. Now, having leased the INS Chakra, an Akula class SSN, from Russia for the next ten years, India must integrate these experiences into an indigenous SSN line.
Meanwhile, the MoD must ensure that the expensive (Rs 6,000 crore) technology that it bought for the Scorpene, and will buy for the Russian submarine line, fructifies into a world-class indigenous design. This will require close involvement from the navy’s integral design establishment. A concurrent role must be allocated to NIRDESH, the newly set up National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding.
source : htt p://business-standard. com/india/news/ajai-shukla-buildingsubmarine-fleet/446636/
Army wants Light Strike Vehicles for Indian Special Forces
The Indian Army is likely to procure light strike vehicles (LSVs) specifically for its Parachute Battalions (Special Forces). An recent RFI issued in this regard says that the LSVs will be used as a fast attack vehicle for the Special Forces. It will also enhance the mobility and reach of the Special Forces in different types of hostile terrains.
The Army is keen to have these LSVs fitted with integral fire power systems. The Army has sought for a stable vehicle which can carry four persons (including the driver) in a full-combat mode, including personal weapon. The LSV must be configured to have stowage space for carrying communication sets, spare ammunition, water and fuel. The specs: 4.7m (length) x 2.1m (width) x 1.65 (height).
The RFI further states that the LSV must have hard points for a suitable weapon mount capable of firing a 7.62mm GPMG from co-driver’s seat (frontal arc). “The rear hard point must enable to mount either a MILAN anti tank guided missile launcher or a .50/12.7 HMG or an Automatic Grenade Launcher. The Army has also sought information on whether the LSV can be air portable\para droppable (AN-32, IL-76, MI17).
T-50 PAK FA Ends MAKS Hot & Low
This sucks. MAKS 2011 ended on a real downer for the PAK FA programme. The video above shows what happened during the take-off roll of the second T-50 prototype -- a starboard engine flameout after two sharp spikes of flame. The take-off was immediately aborted by pilot Sergei Bordan. Sukhoi has apparently put it down to a malfunction in the fuel supply system and the FADEC. Not a pretty way to end your first public show. Damn.
source : htt p://livefist.blogspot. com/2011/08/pak-fa-ends-maks-hot-low.html
Indian ballistic missile Agni5 to be test fired in September 2011
The first nuclear-tipped inter-continental missile would be able to strike even northernmost China if the need arises
India will acquire an inter-continental strike capability as it intends to test-fire the indigenous inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) Agni-V with a range of 6,000 km in September.
The first nuclear-tipped inter-continental missile would add muscle to India's "dissuasive deterrence" posture against China as it would be able to strike even northernmost China if the need arises.
"The Agni-V is test ready and would be tested in September this year. The test is one of the 10 missile tests scheduled this year," a senior official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said, requesting anonymity.
The missile arrives in the backdrop of China developing an anti-satellite missile and anti-aircraft carrier ballistic missile Dong Feng-31A with a strike range of 11,200 km. If launched from close to the Line of Actual Control, the Agni-V can hit Habin, the northernmost city of China.
The Agni-V missile has moved from the drawing board; an evaluation of subsystems is currently on. The ICBM is designed by adding a third composite stage to the two-stage, 3,500-km range Agni-III missile. The 17.5-metre-long Agni-V would be a canister launch missile system to ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be swiftly transported and fired from anywhere.
The DRDO will also be conducting fifth test for its ballistic missile defence system, designed to destroy missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere.
"We have conducted tests for the interceptor missile (the name by which the ballistic missile defence system is known) but this year we will conduct simultaneous test for endo- and exo-atmospheric ballistic defence system," the official added.
source : htt p://www.defence. pk/forums/india-defence/87352-agni-v-test-fired-september-2011-a.html
India will acquire an inter-continental strike capability as it intends to test-fire the indigenous inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) Agni-V with a range of 6,000 km in September.
The first nuclear-tipped inter-continental missile would add muscle to India's "dissuasive deterrence" posture against China as it would be able to strike even northernmost China if the need arises.
"The Agni-V is test ready and would be tested in September this year. The test is one of the 10 missile tests scheduled this year," a senior official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said, requesting anonymity.
The missile arrives in the backdrop of China developing an anti-satellite missile and anti-aircraft carrier ballistic missile Dong Feng-31A with a strike range of 11,200 km. If launched from close to the Line of Actual Control, the Agni-V can hit Habin, the northernmost city of China.
The Agni-V missile has moved from the drawing board; an evaluation of subsystems is currently on. The ICBM is designed by adding a third composite stage to the two-stage, 3,500-km range Agni-III missile. The 17.5-metre-long Agni-V would be a canister launch missile system to ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be swiftly transported and fired from anywhere.
The DRDO will also be conducting fifth test for its ballistic missile defence system, designed to destroy missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere.
"We have conducted tests for the interceptor missile (the name by which the ballistic missile defence system is known) but this year we will conduct simultaneous test for endo- and exo-atmospheric ballistic defence system," the official added.
source : htt p://www.defence. pk/forums/india-defence/87352-agni-v-test-fired-september-2011-a.html
India Air Force to upgrade 8 ALGs in Northeast
In the next three years, the IAF will upgrade eight Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the northeast to strengthen its capabilities to carry out aircraft operations in that region.
"We are planning to upgrade eight ALGs in the northeast... By August, we are expected to sign the contract and in next three years, our capabilities would be improved in that region," Air Chief marshal P V Naik told reporters here.
The IAF chief said the upgrading of the ALGs along with the upgrade of the airfields there was the focus area for the force and more such fields were planned under the 12th Plan.
The IAF is strengthening its capabilities in the northeastern sector in view of the increased military presence of China along its border with India.
IAF has already based Sukhoi-30MKI fighters at airbases like Tezpur and Chabua.
ALGs in areas including Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro, Along and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh are also being upgraded now, much like the western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyoma in eastern Ladakh.
An empowered committee (on North-East infrastructure development) under the Chief of Air Staff-designate Air Marshal NAK Browne is continuously monitoring upgradation of the facilities, creation of new infrastructure and induction of assets in this region.
Asked about the gaps in intelligence set up, the IAF chief said, "Gaps in intelligence will exist in many countries as you would want more and more of it.
"There have been lot of moves by the Home Ministry in terms of combining the intelligence inputs of various agencies and it is paying dividends. Things have improved from what they were earlier."
Source : htt p://zeenews. india. com/news/nation/iaf-to-upgrade-8-algs-in-northeast_722295.html
"We are planning to upgrade eight ALGs in the northeast... By August, we are expected to sign the contract and in next three years, our capabilities would be improved in that region," Air Chief marshal P V Naik told reporters here.
The IAF is strengthening its capabilities in the northeastern sector in view of the increased military presence of China along its border with India.
IAF has already based Sukhoi-30MKI fighters at airbases like Tezpur and Chabua.
ALGs in areas including Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro, Along and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh are also being upgraded now, much like the western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyoma in eastern Ladakh.
An empowered committee (on North-East infrastructure development) under the Chief of Air Staff-designate Air Marshal NAK Browne is continuously monitoring upgradation of the facilities, creation of new infrastructure and induction of assets in this region.
Asked about the gaps in intelligence set up, the IAF chief said, "Gaps in intelligence will exist in many countries as you would want more and more of it.
"There have been lot of moves by the Home Ministry in terms of combining the intelligence inputs of various agencies and it is paying dividends. Things have improved from what they were earlier."
Source : htt p://zeenews. india. com/news/nation/iaf-to-upgrade-8-algs-in-northeast_722295.html
Aerospace can help India soar
Good afternoon. I am honoured to address all of you on the occasion of this Foundation Day. It seems to me that in this particular year 2011, your Foundation Day carries an added significance. Firstly because it marks 51 years since you moved to Bangalore in March 1960. Fifty-one years is a good time to look forward and plan for the next 51 years. And secondly, because today it is exactly one-hundred-and-a-half years – to the very day – of the beginning of civil aviation in India. It was on Feb 18, 1911 that the first civil aviation flight in India took off, carrying mail from Delhi to Nainital. Even at that time, this flight created a global first, because not only was it the first civil aviation flight in India, it was also the world’s first air mail flight, carrying 6,400 letters. So one-hundred-and-a-half years later, this is an auspicious time to look ahead and see what other global firsts we can aspire to.And I cannot think of a better occasion and location to do this than right here, because your institution is a visible symbol of India’s technical prowess, independent thinking and ultimately peaceful intentions to the world. Aerospace is a demanding and fascinating field of human endeavour and symbolises the highest aspirations of our civilisation. By shrinking the world, blurring historical and geographic separations, and enabling unimagined levels of connectivity, the science and practice of aeronautics contributes to the development of a sense of unity across cultures and countries.
I am very conscious of this audience’s contributions to our country’s excellent aerospace credentials. Between the pioneering research and development work performed here at CSIR-NAL, the remarkable growth and accomplishments of HAL in the aircraft design and manufacturing space, Isro’s fascinating portfolio of capabilities in remote sensing, communications, satellites and launch vehicles, and the many cutting-edge capabilities developed by the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO), India has much to be proud of in its aerospace accomplishments so far.
But, as in any field of human endeavour, it is never enough to look back with satisfaction. I believe that the aerospace industry in India is one of the most exciting businesses in the world. I am outrageously ambitious to see Indian aerospace take its rightful place in the world. I see great opportunities out there, and the question we should all be asking ourselves – CSIR, NAL as well as industry – is how can we reach out and grab these opportunities with both hands.
Because the world today is a very different place from what it was 51 years ago, or one-hundred-and-a-half years ago. Institutions like yours have, so far, focused on self-sufficiency, which is indeed vital, especially in the defence arena, and especially so in our geopolitical situation. However, weapons today are not confined to warships tanks and fighter planes. Global competitiveness is today, a new weapon of both offence and defence, especially for a young, energetic country like ours, and especially in civilian aerospace. As the world’s largest democracy, with strong economic fundamentals, and a long tradition of excellence in science and mathematics, it is only appropriate that India should seek a place at the forefront of the fascinating high-technology field of aerospace. It is time for us to reach out and embrace the possibilities that a vibrant Indian aerospace industry can offer to our own people as well as the world at large. And that is what I would like to talk about today.
To understand the context in which this ambition must play out, let us examine some key trends in the global aerospace industry.
The first trend is the growing demand for aerospace products and services in developing nations. Setting aside the significant projections for India’s defence needs over the next decade, India’s demand for civilian airliners is projected to exceed that of Australia and Japan combined. The “BRIC” nations – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – together need more passenger aircraft than the United States, which has historically been the biggest market for such aircraft. So it’s a huge market out there. Can we use our joint expertise to get a part of it?
The second trend deals with the industry that provides those products and services. Gone are the days of the “vertically integrated” aerospace powerhouses. Today there are no “do-it-all-ourselves” monolithic aerospace providers. Instead they have been replaced by a widely distributed network of suppliers and partners. From being centralised businesses with a strong geographic identity, the aerospace giants of yore have transformed themselves into integrators, placing increasingly large responsibilities upon a globally dispersed supplier base. This is truly a global network, with goods and services flowing both ways between countries and continents. What can we jointly contribute to this global network?
The third trend is a happy marriage between developing nation’s aspirations to be more than just consumers, and the necessity for the producers to be closer to their key markets. Starting with the need to support their products in new markets, the OEMs of the world increasingly recognise that they must invest significantly in those markets to ensure a fair balance of trade. Current cost structures in developing economies also make it inevitable that the OEMs increase their sourcing from the very countries that want to buy their products. So there is a life and a business beyond offsets – and we should be looking for opportunities in this space.
The fourth trend – one which the Mahindra Group embraces whole-heartedly – is the global realisation that waste and inefficiency are contributing to a rapid deterioration in our quality of life. Pollution is tangibly degrading our forests and waters, while consumption of natural resources without replenishment is rapidly threatening established lifestyles. Hence the pressure to look beyond conventional business metrics to sustainability and green technologies. Can we work together to create green technologies that are relevant and also outrageously affordable?
I am throwing up these ideas and questions because I believe that these four trends will shape the aerospace world of the future, and we in India must determine how we will participate in that future. Each of these trends creates great opportunities, and it is up to us to harness the collective strength of our many institutions to propel our nation to the forefront on the global arena. And while doing so, let us not forget our social imperative. Our rise to the top has to be inclusive, bringing benefits not only to the educated urbanised few, but spreading out to as many sectors of our population as possible.
In our view, there is one area of aerospace endeavourwhere we can be globally differentiated as well as socially inclusive and relevant. That area is general aviation.
Consider some numbers. India’s strong economic fundamentals contribute to an annual GDP growth rate of 7-8%. With 124 million air passengers in 2010, air travel is growing at a rate of about 12%. Tourism is poised to grow at a rate of 9-10% – all remarkable growth projections indeed. However 70% of our country's population lives in rural areas with limited access to the best in education, health care and work opportunities. Yet all of us – corporations as well as high technology institutions – continue to think of ourselves as primarily urban. Almost all our current aerial connectivity is confined to our urban centres, even while our surface connectivity is threatened by major infrastructure challenges. Look at the threat. Without a strong transportation network that reaches beyond the urban centres, we are threatening our continued economic growth, and we are denying our rural brethren equal opportunity to participate in that growth.
That’s the threat. And with the threat comes an opportunity – an opportunity to overcome these threats by leveraging civilian aerospace to connect the rural hinterland to urban centers, providing them with better connectivity, better services and improved access to markets. We may not have thought about it, but many rural folk have. A few years ago a young farmer from a town not far from here approached us at an air show. His current market reach was limited to towns and villages within a short road trip of his farm, since beyond that distance his produce would perish. Being located away from the biggest cities in this region, his ability to grow was stymied not by capital or entrepreneurial spirit but by connectivity, In other words, surface connectivity was limiting the ability of his market segment to expand beyond its borders. He wanted to know how we could help him.
The same aerial connectivity that could solve his problem would also provide a conduit for tourism, health and educational services to extend outward from urban centres to the rural areas. Charter flights from urban airports could make it viable for tourists on a tight schedule to visit parts of the country that are currently unreachable. That connectivity in turn creates revenue for the residents of those outlying areas, allowing them to benefit from India’s strategic attraction as a tourist destination. Healthcare can be dramatically improved by air ambulances that can provide a lifeline for critically ill people in rural areas that are miles away from good medical assistance.
General aviation is hardly a new idea. Even in the USA, with its excellent surface connectivity, the general aviation fleet clocks up nearly as many flying hours annually as the commercial services. In Australia, the “Flying Doctors” have become legendary for their services to people far from urban healthcare. In Papua New Guinea, non-profit operations routinely provide emergency assistance to rural populations far removed from conventional civilisation. The aircraft that perform this role typically have less than a hundred seats (often in the two- to 20-seat range) and are cost-efficient in short hauls with the light loads that these operations demand. But the current fleet is aging, and many of the aircraft in current use were designed to meet much older regulatory standards. Decades of experience distilled into regulatory improvements are thus not incorporated in the majority of the fleet. Further, using older engines, systems and manufacturing processes, the existing fleet is not eco-friendly to operate or maintain.
What we have then, is a unique confluence of opportunities and imperatives. General aviation offers a potential arena where India could propel itself forward, developing a portfolio of aircraft that cater to the current imperatives of eco-friendliness and operational efficiency, while also meeting the latest safety standards. This area of focus could provide India (and much of the rest of the world) a clean, green transportation solution for locations and distances where other solutions are not feasible. In developing these capabilities, we will have to create a design and manufacturing infrastructure that is on par with the best in the world, thereby also aligning ourselves with the other trends identified earlier. All participants benefit – research organisations, industry, users, rural populations. We would love to work together with you on this because if we can help to build an aviation industry that also improves lives, we would be living our corporate “rise” philosophy. We would be living our belief that by accepting no limits, thinking alternatively, and driving positive change we can improve lives and help all our stakeholders and communities to rise.
So what are the key enablers for these ideas to become reality? I believe there are two primary enablers. One: the way we approach aerospace technology acquisition and two: the way we build public-private partnerships.
In technology development, we have historically maintained a strong policy of self-reliance, largely motivated by our strategic defence focus. But we clearly must also acquire new technologies to be globally competitive. In our view, we need to find the middle ground between “home-grown” technologies that are developed in isolation, and “transfer of technology” that carries the flavour of adopting someone else’s existing answers. Our preferred term for this is “technology co-development”, wherein we partner with established entities within and outside India to develop the next new solution.
Why is this important? Let us take the example of general aviation engines. We could adopt the path of license-manufacture within India of engines developed abroad – what we call “technology transfer” – where the benefits are purely financial (through labour cost arbitrage and avoidance of duties). Or we could choose to indigenously develop a complete engine from first principles (“home-grown”) wherein we are destined to repeat all the mistakes made by established entities over decades – and then develop a complete product support capability for the finished product. Instead of either extreme, in today’s globalised world, it could be far better to embrace the idea of a partnership between established players and our own industrial and research expertise to jointly build upon existing knowledge and infrastructure to develop the next generation of products. This attitude shift would enhance our capability to generate future new technologies, and simultaneously make us integral parts of the global supply chain.
Achieving this level of partnership on the global stage is not a simple exercise. For us to be successful in such exercises, we need to channel the best of Indian industry as well as research institutions, working together as peers. There is so much scope for equal partnership. As I said earlier, our research organisations such as CSIR-NAL have develop an excellent research capability building on a strong Indian tradition of science and engineering excellence harking back over centuries. They combine a large team of dedicated scientists with specialisations in cutting-edge aerospace domains, and an excellent collection of facilities to design, test, analyse and optimise engineering solutions They have a great deal to offer the world in creating a new generation of efficient, optimised, environmentally-friendly products. But they need to convert these skills into profits.
And their partner in commercialising this capability should be the Indian private sector that has grown up and come into its own on the global arena. Starting with the heady days of the early 1990s, the Indian private sector has spread its wings and learned to soar in global skies. We have learned how to listen to the marketplace, distill explicit and implicit customer desires into product requirements, synthesise a plan to create products that meet those requirements, build a business case for the product, and then proceed with creation and delivery of those products. A combination of the technical prowess of the research institutions and the business savvy and market-driven product development capabilities of the private sector is surely a rich and rewarding recipe for our collective success.
So we have three key ingredients for future achievements in the aerospace domain. Firstly, the recognition that global success is the only acceptable yardstick for our domestic endeavours; secondly, a partnership model leveraging the technical prowess of research organisations and the product definition and development capabilities of industry; and thirdly and most importantly, a willingness to partner domestically and internationally for mutual success. We are proud to have already embarked on this path with CSIR-NAL on the development of the NM5 – a five-seat general aviation multi-purpose aircraft, where we have recently brought onboard our colleagues from GippsAero in Australia as well.
There are two other domains where India’s private sector could participate in the globally networked industry, with benefits for our own domestic industry. One such domain is aerospace manufacturing, where the private sector has been largely inward-focused, and functions at a “Tier-3” level, supplying components for domestic consumption. As identified earlier, two of the key trends in the global aerospace industry are sourcing from target markets, and outsourcing to strategic partners as part of a networked supply chain. With projected US$ 100 billion in relevant procurements over the next decade, coupled with its low manufacturing cost base, India is well positioned to commit to entering this network. By committing to enter this global network, Indian industry will by necessity acquire best-in-class technologies and skills, which will in turn benefit the Indian aerospace industry at large.
The other domain where the private sector could increase its participation in the global aerospace industry is in design engineering services. We already have several largecorporations with a “blue-chip” clientele of aerospace majors. By increasing the level of participation in the programs of the majors, our industry is stepping up from being a service provider to be a design and development partner. Again, this will further accelerate the development of our experience and skill sets, which in turn will benefit Indian aerospace industry.
These growth domains are also synergistic with the strong analysis and development capabilities of our research laboratories and educational institutions. Over time, the combination of the acquired skills and innate capabilities could be the launchpad for creating new solutions for larger global problems – such as green propulsion, alternative fuels, and environmentally sustainable manufacturing techniques.
Before I conclude let me summarise some of the initiatives within the Mahindra Group aimed at contributing to a larger role for Indian industry in the global aerospace industry while at the same time contributing to the development of a vibrant aerospace industry domestically.
On the design engineering side of the business, we have built-up an excellent relationship with multiple global aerospace OEMs. Over time our teams have moved up the value chain from providing design support to taking on responsibility for design packages, and are now getting into certification aspects for the OEMs.
On the manufacturing side of the business, we have acquired Aerostaff Australia, a manufacturer of precision sheet-metal components for several major aerospace and defense OEMs, and are developing an aerostructures manufacturing facility in India, which will go live in 2013.
On the general aviation side of the business, we have already committed our efforts to developing and marketing a portfolio of light aircraft in the 2-20 seat range. The NAL-MAPL joint development, the NM5, is one initiative in this space, as is our acquisition of GippsAero in Australia, producer of the GA8 Airvan, which features the lowest cost-per-seat-mile in its class in the world.
While we are starting with utility aircraft in the two- to 20-seat class, we are eagerly watching the opportunities to bring our efforts to bear in developing the next higher class of civilian aircraft – regional transports. It is our hope and intention to work together with the best minds in the country in defining, developing, innovating, producing and marketing uniquely capable aircraft for the 21st century, thereby laying the foundations for a vibrant aerospace future.
In conclusion let me say that you, in this audience are the new aeronauts, the ones who are constantly pushing new frontiers of air and space. So, in a way are we, because we too are constantly pushing the frontiers of business and growth. But we modern day aeronauts had some distinguished predecessors – the famed Argonauts of Greek mythology. The Argonauts were a band of intrepid adventurers, who, the story goes, journeyed with Jason, in a ship called the Argo, and sailed beyond the edge of the known world, in search of the Golden Fleece. They had many adventures and they ultimately succeeded. But the interesting thing is – why did they go in search of the Golden Fleece? They set out on their quest because finding the Golden Fleece was an impossible task that Jason had to fulfill in order to claim the throne that was rightfully his. And how did they do it? They did it by combining their strengths, by pulling together, by focusing passionately on the greater goal. We too have a throne to claim – a place for India in the global aerospace firmament. For us too, this is a task that may be as tough as finding the Golden Fleece. And we too are the modern Argonauts, with a diversity of strengths that can be synergised for a greater goal. I believe that we too can set forth together, like the Argonauts of old, and I hope that 50 years later, at your foundation day in 2061 we will be able to look back and say: We set out on a joint quest to put India on the global aerospace map, and we fulfilled it successfully.
source : htt p://www.business-standard. com/india/news/aerospace-can-help-india-soar/446365/
I am very conscious of this audience’s contributions to our country’s excellent aerospace credentials. Between the pioneering research and development work performed here at CSIR-NAL, the remarkable growth and accomplishments of HAL in the aircraft design and manufacturing space, Isro’s fascinating portfolio of capabilities in remote sensing, communications, satellites and launch vehicles, and the many cutting-edge capabilities developed by the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO), India has much to be proud of in its aerospace accomplishments so far.
But, as in any field of human endeavour, it is never enough to look back with satisfaction. I believe that the aerospace industry in India is one of the most exciting businesses in the world. I am outrageously ambitious to see Indian aerospace take its rightful place in the world. I see great opportunities out there, and the question we should all be asking ourselves – CSIR, NAL as well as industry – is how can we reach out and grab these opportunities with both hands.
Because the world today is a very different place from what it was 51 years ago, or one-hundred-and-a-half years ago. Institutions like yours have, so far, focused on self-sufficiency, which is indeed vital, especially in the defence arena, and especially so in our geopolitical situation. However, weapons today are not confined to warships tanks and fighter planes. Global competitiveness is today, a new weapon of both offence and defence, especially for a young, energetic country like ours, and especially in civilian aerospace. As the world’s largest democracy, with strong economic fundamentals, and a long tradition of excellence in science and mathematics, it is only appropriate that India should seek a place at the forefront of the fascinating high-technology field of aerospace. It is time for us to reach out and embrace the possibilities that a vibrant Indian aerospace industry can offer to our own people as well as the world at large. And that is what I would like to talk about today.
To understand the context in which this ambition must play out, let us examine some key trends in the global aerospace industry.
The first trend is the growing demand for aerospace products and services in developing nations. Setting aside the significant projections for India’s defence needs over the next decade, India’s demand for civilian airliners is projected to exceed that of Australia and Japan combined. The “BRIC” nations – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – together need more passenger aircraft than the United States, which has historically been the biggest market for such aircraft. So it’s a huge market out there. Can we use our joint expertise to get a part of it?
The second trend deals with the industry that provides those products and services. Gone are the days of the “vertically integrated” aerospace powerhouses. Today there are no “do-it-all-ourselves” monolithic aerospace providers. Instead they have been replaced by a widely distributed network of suppliers and partners. From being centralised businesses with a strong geographic identity, the aerospace giants of yore have transformed themselves into integrators, placing increasingly large responsibilities upon a globally dispersed supplier base. This is truly a global network, with goods and services flowing both ways between countries and continents. What can we jointly contribute to this global network?
The third trend is a happy marriage between developing nation’s aspirations to be more than just consumers, and the necessity for the producers to be closer to their key markets. Starting with the need to support their products in new markets, the OEMs of the world increasingly recognise that they must invest significantly in those markets to ensure a fair balance of trade. Current cost structures in developing economies also make it inevitable that the OEMs increase their sourcing from the very countries that want to buy their products. So there is a life and a business beyond offsets – and we should be looking for opportunities in this space.
The fourth trend – one which the Mahindra Group embraces whole-heartedly – is the global realisation that waste and inefficiency are contributing to a rapid deterioration in our quality of life. Pollution is tangibly degrading our forests and waters, while consumption of natural resources without replenishment is rapidly threatening established lifestyles. Hence the pressure to look beyond conventional business metrics to sustainability and green technologies. Can we work together to create green technologies that are relevant and also outrageously affordable?
I am throwing up these ideas and questions because I believe that these four trends will shape the aerospace world of the future, and we in India must determine how we will participate in that future. Each of these trends creates great opportunities, and it is up to us to harness the collective strength of our many institutions to propel our nation to the forefront on the global arena. And while doing so, let us not forget our social imperative. Our rise to the top has to be inclusive, bringing benefits not only to the educated urbanised few, but spreading out to as many sectors of our population as possible.
In our view, there is one area of aerospace endeavourwhere we can be globally differentiated as well as socially inclusive and relevant. That area is general aviation.
Consider some numbers. India’s strong economic fundamentals contribute to an annual GDP growth rate of 7-8%. With 124 million air passengers in 2010, air travel is growing at a rate of about 12%. Tourism is poised to grow at a rate of 9-10% – all remarkable growth projections indeed. However 70% of our country's population lives in rural areas with limited access to the best in education, health care and work opportunities. Yet all of us – corporations as well as high technology institutions – continue to think of ourselves as primarily urban. Almost all our current aerial connectivity is confined to our urban centres, even while our surface connectivity is threatened by major infrastructure challenges. Look at the threat. Without a strong transportation network that reaches beyond the urban centres, we are threatening our continued economic growth, and we are denying our rural brethren equal opportunity to participate in that growth.
That’s the threat. And with the threat comes an opportunity – an opportunity to overcome these threats by leveraging civilian aerospace to connect the rural hinterland to urban centers, providing them with better connectivity, better services and improved access to markets. We may not have thought about it, but many rural folk have. A few years ago a young farmer from a town not far from here approached us at an air show. His current market reach was limited to towns and villages within a short road trip of his farm, since beyond that distance his produce would perish. Being located away from the biggest cities in this region, his ability to grow was stymied not by capital or entrepreneurial spirit but by connectivity, In other words, surface connectivity was limiting the ability of his market segment to expand beyond its borders. He wanted to know how we could help him.
The same aerial connectivity that could solve his problem would also provide a conduit for tourism, health and educational services to extend outward from urban centres to the rural areas. Charter flights from urban airports could make it viable for tourists on a tight schedule to visit parts of the country that are currently unreachable. That connectivity in turn creates revenue for the residents of those outlying areas, allowing them to benefit from India’s strategic attraction as a tourist destination. Healthcare can be dramatically improved by air ambulances that can provide a lifeline for critically ill people in rural areas that are miles away from good medical assistance.
General aviation is hardly a new idea. Even in the USA, with its excellent surface connectivity, the general aviation fleet clocks up nearly as many flying hours annually as the commercial services. In Australia, the “Flying Doctors” have become legendary for their services to people far from urban healthcare. In Papua New Guinea, non-profit operations routinely provide emergency assistance to rural populations far removed from conventional civilisation. The aircraft that perform this role typically have less than a hundred seats (often in the two- to 20-seat range) and are cost-efficient in short hauls with the light loads that these operations demand. But the current fleet is aging, and many of the aircraft in current use were designed to meet much older regulatory standards. Decades of experience distilled into regulatory improvements are thus not incorporated in the majority of the fleet. Further, using older engines, systems and manufacturing processes, the existing fleet is not eco-friendly to operate or maintain.
What we have then, is a unique confluence of opportunities and imperatives. General aviation offers a potential arena where India could propel itself forward, developing a portfolio of aircraft that cater to the current imperatives of eco-friendliness and operational efficiency, while also meeting the latest safety standards. This area of focus could provide India (and much of the rest of the world) a clean, green transportation solution for locations and distances where other solutions are not feasible. In developing these capabilities, we will have to create a design and manufacturing infrastructure that is on par with the best in the world, thereby also aligning ourselves with the other trends identified earlier. All participants benefit – research organisations, industry, users, rural populations. We would love to work together with you on this because if we can help to build an aviation industry that also improves lives, we would be living our corporate “rise” philosophy. We would be living our belief that by accepting no limits, thinking alternatively, and driving positive change we can improve lives and help all our stakeholders and communities to rise.
So what are the key enablers for these ideas to become reality? I believe there are two primary enablers. One: the way we approach aerospace technology acquisition and two: the way we build public-private partnerships.
In technology development, we have historically maintained a strong policy of self-reliance, largely motivated by our strategic defence focus. But we clearly must also acquire new technologies to be globally competitive. In our view, we need to find the middle ground between “home-grown” technologies that are developed in isolation, and “transfer of technology” that carries the flavour of adopting someone else’s existing answers. Our preferred term for this is “technology co-development”, wherein we partner with established entities within and outside India to develop the next new solution.
Why is this important? Let us take the example of general aviation engines. We could adopt the path of license-manufacture within India of engines developed abroad – what we call “technology transfer” – where the benefits are purely financial (through labour cost arbitrage and avoidance of duties). Or we could choose to indigenously develop a complete engine from first principles (“home-grown”) wherein we are destined to repeat all the mistakes made by established entities over decades – and then develop a complete product support capability for the finished product. Instead of either extreme, in today’s globalised world, it could be far better to embrace the idea of a partnership between established players and our own industrial and research expertise to jointly build upon existing knowledge and infrastructure to develop the next generation of products. This attitude shift would enhance our capability to generate future new technologies, and simultaneously make us integral parts of the global supply chain.
Achieving this level of partnership on the global stage is not a simple exercise. For us to be successful in such exercises, we need to channel the best of Indian industry as well as research institutions, working together as peers. There is so much scope for equal partnership. As I said earlier, our research organisations such as CSIR-NAL have develop an excellent research capability building on a strong Indian tradition of science and engineering excellence harking back over centuries. They combine a large team of dedicated scientists with specialisations in cutting-edge aerospace domains, and an excellent collection of facilities to design, test, analyse and optimise engineering solutions They have a great deal to offer the world in creating a new generation of efficient, optimised, environmentally-friendly products. But they need to convert these skills into profits.
And their partner in commercialising this capability should be the Indian private sector that has grown up and come into its own on the global arena. Starting with the heady days of the early 1990s, the Indian private sector has spread its wings and learned to soar in global skies. We have learned how to listen to the marketplace, distill explicit and implicit customer desires into product requirements, synthesise a plan to create products that meet those requirements, build a business case for the product, and then proceed with creation and delivery of those products. A combination of the technical prowess of the research institutions and the business savvy and market-driven product development capabilities of the private sector is surely a rich and rewarding recipe for our collective success.
So we have three key ingredients for future achievements in the aerospace domain. Firstly, the recognition that global success is the only acceptable yardstick for our domestic endeavours; secondly, a partnership model leveraging the technical prowess of research organisations and the product definition and development capabilities of industry; and thirdly and most importantly, a willingness to partner domestically and internationally for mutual success. We are proud to have already embarked on this path with CSIR-NAL on the development of the NM5 – a five-seat general aviation multi-purpose aircraft, where we have recently brought onboard our colleagues from GippsAero in Australia as well.
There are two other domains where India’s private sector could participate in the globally networked industry, with benefits for our own domestic industry. One such domain is aerospace manufacturing, where the private sector has been largely inward-focused, and functions at a “Tier-3” level, supplying components for domestic consumption. As identified earlier, two of the key trends in the global aerospace industry are sourcing from target markets, and outsourcing to strategic partners as part of a networked supply chain. With projected US$ 100 billion in relevant procurements over the next decade, coupled with its low manufacturing cost base, India is well positioned to commit to entering this network. By committing to enter this global network, Indian industry will by necessity acquire best-in-class technologies and skills, which will in turn benefit the Indian aerospace industry at large.
The other domain where the private sector could increase its participation in the global aerospace industry is in design engineering services. We already have several largecorporations with a “blue-chip” clientele of aerospace majors. By increasing the level of participation in the programs of the majors, our industry is stepping up from being a service provider to be a design and development partner. Again, this will further accelerate the development of our experience and skill sets, which in turn will benefit Indian aerospace industry.
These growth domains are also synergistic with the strong analysis and development capabilities of our research laboratories and educational institutions. Over time, the combination of the acquired skills and innate capabilities could be the launchpad for creating new solutions for larger global problems – such as green propulsion, alternative fuels, and environmentally sustainable manufacturing techniques.
Before I conclude let me summarise some of the initiatives within the Mahindra Group aimed at contributing to a larger role for Indian industry in the global aerospace industry while at the same time contributing to the development of a vibrant aerospace industry domestically.
On the design engineering side of the business, we have built-up an excellent relationship with multiple global aerospace OEMs. Over time our teams have moved up the value chain from providing design support to taking on responsibility for design packages, and are now getting into certification aspects for the OEMs.
On the manufacturing side of the business, we have acquired Aerostaff Australia, a manufacturer of precision sheet-metal components for several major aerospace and defense OEMs, and are developing an aerostructures manufacturing facility in India, which will go live in 2013.
On the general aviation side of the business, we have already committed our efforts to developing and marketing a portfolio of light aircraft in the 2-20 seat range. The NAL-MAPL joint development, the NM5, is one initiative in this space, as is our acquisition of GippsAero in Australia, producer of the GA8 Airvan, which features the lowest cost-per-seat-mile in its class in the world.
While we are starting with utility aircraft in the two- to 20-seat class, we are eagerly watching the opportunities to bring our efforts to bear in developing the next higher class of civilian aircraft – regional transports. It is our hope and intention to work together with the best minds in the country in defining, developing, innovating, producing and marketing uniquely capable aircraft for the 21st century, thereby laying the foundations for a vibrant aerospace future.
In conclusion let me say that you, in this audience are the new aeronauts, the ones who are constantly pushing new frontiers of air and space. So, in a way are we, because we too are constantly pushing the frontiers of business and growth. But we modern day aeronauts had some distinguished predecessors – the famed Argonauts of Greek mythology. The Argonauts were a band of intrepid adventurers, who, the story goes, journeyed with Jason, in a ship called the Argo, and sailed beyond the edge of the known world, in search of the Golden Fleece. They had many adventures and they ultimately succeeded. But the interesting thing is – why did they go in search of the Golden Fleece? They set out on their quest because finding the Golden Fleece was an impossible task that Jason had to fulfill in order to claim the throne that was rightfully his. And how did they do it? They did it by combining their strengths, by pulling together, by focusing passionately on the greater goal. We too have a throne to claim – a place for India in the global aerospace firmament. For us too, this is a task that may be as tough as finding the Golden Fleece. And we too are the modern Argonauts, with a diversity of strengths that can be synergised for a greater goal. I believe that we too can set forth together, like the Argonauts of old, and I hope that 50 years later, at your foundation day in 2061 we will be able to look back and say: We set out on a joint quest to put India on the global aerospace map, and we fulfilled it successfully.
source : htt p://www.business-standard. com/india/news/aerospace-can-help-india-soar/446365/
Indian army`s deadly gunbattle with terrorists
Indian troops in Kashmir fought a deadly gunbattle with suspected rebels crossing the military Line of Control from Pakistani-controlled territory Saturday, the army said.One soldier and 11 suspected rebels were killed, army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar said, but only six suspected rebels' bodies were recovered. He said the other five bodies were lost when they fell into a river during the fighting in the disputed Himalayan region.
There was no way to independently confirm the army's report, and no Kashmiri rebel groups have issued any statements.
Since 1989, Muslim militants have been fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir for independence or merger with Pakistan. The uprisings and subsequent Indian crackdowns have left more than 68,000 people dead, most of them civilians.
Attacks by separatists have decreased in recent years, however, and Brar called Saturday's skirmish this year's biggest so far.
He said the shooting erupted after a group of suspected rebels crossed from the Pakistan-controlled territory of Kashmir into the Indian-run sector of Gurez. Two Indian soldiers also were wounded.
India has long accused Pakistan of funding, training and helping militants to slip over to the Indian side — a charge Islamabad denies. Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri struggle.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947
source : htt p://www.google. com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hni8yJDHwa9dIsE39G44OL8n2fDQ?docId=b257b93f69d94f5b8af5afba3cb74ab6
There was no way to independently confirm the army's report, and no Kashmiri rebel groups have issued any statements.
Since 1989, Muslim militants have been fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir for independence or merger with Pakistan. The uprisings and subsequent Indian crackdowns have left more than 68,000 people dead, most of them civilians.
Attacks by separatists have decreased in recent years, however, and Brar called Saturday's skirmish this year's biggest so far.
He said the shooting erupted after a group of suspected rebels crossed from the Pakistan-controlled territory of Kashmir into the Indian-run sector of Gurez. Two Indian soldiers also were wounded.
India has long accused Pakistan of funding, training and helping militants to slip over to the Indian side — a charge Islamabad denies. Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri struggle.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947
source : htt p://www.google. com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hni8yJDHwa9dIsE39G44OL8n2fDQ?docId=b257b93f69d94f5b8af5afba3cb74ab6
Indian Army downplays america warning about terror attacks in india
Asserting that the recent US warning about LeT attacks on India had "no special intelligence value", the Army on Sunday said it had eliminated top commanders of the outfit which has increased "desperation" of militants to infiltrate into Kashmir ahead of winter. "Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are traditionally the major terrorist groups -- Jaish from the year 2000 and Lashkar even before that. It has no special intelligence value that Lashkar or Jaish are planning to increase attacks or their activity," General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Syed Atta Hasnain said. Hasnain said the Army has always known about Lashkar's attempts to target India.
"What is important is what we are doing to counter it. Jointly, security forces are targeting the leadership of Jaish and Lashkar, and our intelligence this year has been extremely good. It is because of this that the desperation has increased (among militants) and they are trying to infiltrate," he told reporters here.
Warning that LeT has the ability to "severely disrupt already delicate" regional relations, the US State Department had said the Pakistan-based terror outfit, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, remained active in Kashmir and continued to target India along with groups like JeM and HuM.
The GOC said infiltration attempts will continue over the next two months. "Infiltration will continue and their (militants') mistakes will also continue and we will take benefit of their mistakes," he said.
source : htt p://zeenews.india. com/news/nation/indian-army-downplays-us-warning-about-let-attacks_727450.html
"What is important is what we are doing to counter it. Jointly, security forces are targeting the leadership of Jaish and Lashkar, and our intelligence this year has been extremely good. It is because of this that the desperation has increased (among militants) and they are trying to infiltrate," he told reporters here.
Warning that LeT has the ability to "severely disrupt already delicate" regional relations, the US State Department had said the Pakistan-based terror outfit, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, remained active in Kashmir and continued to target India along with groups like JeM and HuM.
The GOC said infiltration attempts will continue over the next two months. "Infiltration will continue and their (militants') mistakes will also continue and we will take benefit of their mistakes," he said.
source : htt p://zeenews.india. com/news/nation/indian-army-downplays-us-warning-about-let-attacks_727450.html
India ready to counter China`s border might
With Beijing flexing its muscles by strengthening its military capacity in Tibet, New Delhi has given an in-principle nod to beef up defences along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control. The Indian counter-move includes raising a new army corps at Pannagarh in West Bengal, an armoured
brigade each in eastern Sikkim and eastern Ladakh and an independent infantry brigade in the Barahoti plains in Uttarakhand.While the proposed upgradation of Indian military defences is being processed for final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), it was given an in-principle green signal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony during an army presentation last month.
The strategic step was taken in the light of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) capability to deploy no less than 34 divisions (nearly half-a-million troops) within a month on the LAC due to a huge infrastructure build-up (see graphic) in Tibet. To add to India's discomfort, the PLA has been conducting airborne, para-dropping and artillery firing exercises in Tibet for the past two years.Government sources said the Pannagarh-based corps (around 15,000 combat troops) will include a Ranchi-based formation, which is currently part of the Mathura-based 1 Corps. This means that the army will raise two more divisions in the coming years to replenish the Mathura Corps and another to add to the Pannagarh formation. For this purpose, the army has earmarked 6,000 acres of land in Pannagarh, which has a functioning air force strip and is located 150 km from Kolkata.
Already a battalion and a tank regiment, which will be part of the armoured brigade, have been moved to Sikkim.
At the heart of the proposed Indian defence build-up is the threat assessment that the PLA may become assertive across the Arunachal Pradesh border in the coming years as Beijing still calls its South Tibet and has not given up its stapled visa strategy for residents of Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir.
source : htt p://www.hindustantimes. com/Delhi-ready-to-counter-Beijing-s-border-might/Article1-735945.aspx
brigade each in eastern Sikkim and eastern Ladakh and an independent infantry brigade in the Barahoti plains in Uttarakhand.While the proposed upgradation of Indian military defences is being processed for final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), it was given an in-principle green signal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony during an army presentation last month.
The strategic step was taken in the light of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) capability to deploy no less than 34 divisions (nearly half-a-million troops) within a month on the LAC due to a huge infrastructure build-up (see graphic) in Tibet. To add to India's discomfort, the PLA has been conducting airborne, para-dropping and artillery firing exercises in Tibet for the past two years.Government sources said the Pannagarh-based corps (around 15,000 combat troops) will include a Ranchi-based formation, which is currently part of the Mathura-based 1 Corps. This means that the army will raise two more divisions in the coming years to replenish the Mathura Corps and another to add to the Pannagarh formation. For this purpose, the army has earmarked 6,000 acres of land in Pannagarh, which has a functioning air force strip and is located 150 km from Kolkata.
Already a battalion and a tank regiment, which will be part of the armoured brigade, have been moved to Sikkim.
At the heart of the proposed Indian defence build-up is the threat assessment that the PLA may become assertive across the Arunachal Pradesh border in the coming years as Beijing still calls its South Tibet and has not given up its stapled visa strategy for residents of Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir.
source : htt p://www.hindustantimes. com/Delhi-ready-to-counter-Beijing-s-border-might/Article1-735945.aspx
Coordination enhanced among maritime agencies: India defence Navy
There has been an enhanced coordination among maritime agencies to step up coastal security after the 26/11 terror attacks, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said on Saturday.
"The number of agencies utilised in maritime domain is very large. Earlier, there was no adequate coordination with them. It was virtually non-existent," he said, adding after the sea-borne attacks in the metropolis in November 2008, the coordination has improved.
The Navy chief was talking to reporters here after commissioning Shivalik class stealth frigate 'INS Satpura'.
Asked if he favoured the idea of the Navy having operational control of all maritime agencies to ensure better coastal security, the Admiral said, "I think it would be too huge a task to execute with my own manpower. That is the reason I think that very wisely, the tasking has been given to different agencies who actually deal with the subject."
The responsibilities have been assigned after a great deal of thought, he maintained. "That is the reason why the Navy had been pursuing the proposal for a National Maritime Commission. When that did not happen, we were looking forward to the appointment of a maritime security advisor.
Unfortunately, this also did not happen."
Admiral Verma chief cited these factors as "the reason each one of us was operating in isolation. That could be one of the many factors which led to 26/11."
"Today, fishermen are giving information (on suspicious movements in sea). This information is very accurate in the sense that trawlers and boats always carry GPS with them. When you get such inputs you are able to deploy the forces that Navy and Coast Guard have got."
Technical measures like smart cards for fishermen are progressing well. The coastal belt is well covered by mobile telecom operators and there are toll-free numbers in operation virtually along the entire coast, the Navy chief said.
"With transponders and identification aids to be installed on our fishing craft, there would be an element of identification."
"We have been hearing about the fishermen being the eyes and ears of the (coastal) security network. I have said that this is a very important aspect of the coastal security matrix," Admiral Verma maintained.
The Navy and Coast Guard have put in a tremendous amount of efforts to carry out the coastal security awareness campaign, he said. "The objective being that over a period, you visit each coastal village and every possible landing site and make fishermen aware of the situation that prevails at sea."
On piracy incidents, the Navy chief said the menace was initially contained within 500 to 700 miles off Somalia coast.
"They (pirates) later ventured into areas that came 200 to 300 miles off the Lakshadweep islands."
On China's exploration of a 10,000 sq km polymetallic sulphide ore deposit in an international seabed area in the Indian Ocean region, he said, "Firstly, for whatever reasons, we did not stake claim (to the area), otherwise we could have been owners of that site. There are complex issues involved here because you have to prove that you have the technology to carry out (seabed) mining."
Earlier, addressing the gathering after commissioning INS Satpura, India's latest stealth frigate, the Navy chief said "we have come a step closer towards realisation of our long cherished dream of being self-sufficient in warship production."
"We fully realise and are conscious of our responsibility to the global maritime community to ensure safety of the international shipping lanes that criss-cross our regions of interest. The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring the security of seafarers in our region."
Admiral Verma lauded Mazagon Docks Ltd, where INS Satpura has been built, for "continuing to excel" as the premier defence shipyard of the country.
source : htt p://www.brahmand. com/news/Coordination-enhanced-among-maritime-agencies-Indian-Navy/7806/3/14.html
"The number of agencies utilised in maritime domain is very large. Earlier, there was no adequate coordination with them. It was virtually non-existent," he said, adding after the sea-borne attacks in the metropolis in November 2008, the coordination has improved.
The Navy chief was talking to reporters here after commissioning Shivalik class stealth frigate 'INS Satpura'.
Asked if he favoured the idea of the Navy having operational control of all maritime agencies to ensure better coastal security, the Admiral said, "I think it would be too huge a task to execute with my own manpower. That is the reason I think that very wisely, the tasking has been given to different agencies who actually deal with the subject."
The responsibilities have been assigned after a great deal of thought, he maintained. "That is the reason why the Navy had been pursuing the proposal for a National Maritime Commission. When that did not happen, we were looking forward to the appointment of a maritime security advisor.
Unfortunately, this also did not happen."
Admiral Verma chief cited these factors as "the reason each one of us was operating in isolation. That could be one of the many factors which led to 26/11."
"Today, fishermen are giving information (on suspicious movements in sea). This information is very accurate in the sense that trawlers and boats always carry GPS with them. When you get such inputs you are able to deploy the forces that Navy and Coast Guard have got."
Technical measures like smart cards for fishermen are progressing well. The coastal belt is well covered by mobile telecom operators and there are toll-free numbers in operation virtually along the entire coast, the Navy chief said.
"With transponders and identification aids to be installed on our fishing craft, there would be an element of identification."
"We have been hearing about the fishermen being the eyes and ears of the (coastal) security network. I have said that this is a very important aspect of the coastal security matrix," Admiral Verma maintained.
The Navy and Coast Guard have put in a tremendous amount of efforts to carry out the coastal security awareness campaign, he said. "The objective being that over a period, you visit each coastal village and every possible landing site and make fishermen aware of the situation that prevails at sea."
On piracy incidents, the Navy chief said the menace was initially contained within 500 to 700 miles off Somalia coast.
"They (pirates) later ventured into areas that came 200 to 300 miles off the Lakshadweep islands."
On China's exploration of a 10,000 sq km polymetallic sulphide ore deposit in an international seabed area in the Indian Ocean region, he said, "Firstly, for whatever reasons, we did not stake claim (to the area), otherwise we could have been owners of that site. There are complex issues involved here because you have to prove that you have the technology to carry out (seabed) mining."
Earlier, addressing the gathering after commissioning INS Satpura, India's latest stealth frigate, the Navy chief said "we have come a step closer towards realisation of our long cherished dream of being self-sufficient in warship production."
"We fully realise and are conscious of our responsibility to the global maritime community to ensure safety of the international shipping lanes that criss-cross our regions of interest. The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring the security of seafarers in our region."
Admiral Verma lauded Mazagon Docks Ltd, where INS Satpura has been built, for "continuing to excel" as the premier defence shipyard of the country.
source : htt p://www.brahmand. com/news/Coordination-enhanced-among-maritime-agencies-Indian-Navy/7806/3/14.html
Ajai Shukla: Building a submarine fleet in india
The Indian Navy has acted decisively over the years to create the capability and infrastructure needed for building surface battleships, but it has dithered in setting up an industry that could build submarines. Consequently, even as India’s 140-ship surface fleet is an imposing presence across a swathe of the northern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from the Gulf of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca, its 14 diesel-electric submarines hardly provide a matching underwater capability. Meanwhile, China, with at least 53 conventional and seven nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), poses a viable threat to our waters. Even Pakistan is boosting its submarine fleet to 11 vessels, of which nine will have air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that are superior to anything in the Indian Navy.What makes submarines so important? Naval warfare is about gaining “sea control”, or dominating an operationally important tract of water. In a war with China or Pakistan “sea control” would enable the Indian Navy to bottle up enemy warships in their harbours; prevent seaborne operations by the enemy; and block commercial vessels from resupplying those countries. Sea control is a rich man’s game, requiring the deployment of naval assets in multiple dimensions: underwater, surface, aerial and space. India can hope to gain sea control only in its vicinity, ie the northern IOR. Then there is “sea denial”, a less force-intensive, spoiler’s option in which a navy deploys submarines and lays mines to deny the enemy sea control. For example, three or four Pakistani submarines lurking off India’s west coast would tie up Indian naval assets in locating and neutralising them, diverting those Indian vessels from the task of sea control. The longer a submarine can lurk underwater, ie “remain on patrol”, the longer it ties down enemy assets. Diesel-electric submarines like the Indian Navy’s must resurface periodically to charge their batteries, giving away surprise. In contrast, submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP), and SSNs, can remain submerged far longer.
The Indian Navy, which aspires to “blue water” capability, must be capable of sea control in certain sectors, as well as sea denial further away, for example, at the choke points leading into the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. That requires at least 24 conventional submarines for our coastal waters; and at least five to seven SSNs that can carry out sea denial for extended durations at very long ranges.
Unfortunately, the building of such a submarine force has been beset with blunders. The Indian Navy makes do with 14 old-style, diesel-electric submarines, of which just seven or eight are operational at any time. Six Scorpene submarines are currently being built under Project 75, but when they come on stream by late 2018 an almost equivalent number will have retired from the current fleet.
The ministry of defence (MoD) and the navy are aware of this crisis. In 1999, the Cabinet approved a 30-Year Submarine Construction Plan, for constructing 24 conventional submarines in India. Two simultaneous construction lines were to build six submarines each. One line was to use western technology; and the other Russian know-how. Based on this experience, Indian designers would build the next 12 submarines.
Twenty years after the plan was finalised, in 2019, India will have built just six Scorpene submarines. The reason is as simple as it is astonishing: with Indian shipyards competing to build tens of thousands of crore rupees worth of submarines, the MoD has failed spectacularly to bring any order to this melee. Instead of adjudicating decisively, setting up design and construction partnerships, and placing orders in good time, the MoD has – in typical Antony style – avoided a decision. Instead, it has set up committee after committee to identify which shipyard should get the orders. The latest, the Krishnamurthi Committee, has submitted split findings, setting the stage for Mr Antony to launch a fresh round of doing nothing.
It is time to thin out the crowded field of aspirants. Within the public sector, only Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) has built submarines. Its ongoing Project 75 to build six Scorpene submarines should be extended by another three vessels. Of these nine vessels, the last six must have AIP and the ability to fire missiles, changes that can be made easily. This should be India’s west coast production line.
On the east coast, L&T (which has gained experience building India’s nuclear submarine, the Arihant) should be permitted to join hands with Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), the MoD’s new shipyard in Vishakhapatnam, for building a second line of submarines with Russian technology. The L&T-HSL JV should also be designated the node for developing and building a line of SSNs, which remains a glaring hole in India’s defence capabilities. Every other country with nuclear submarine capability first built SSNs before developing the technology for SSBNs, as nuclear ballistic missile submarines are called. India alone has begun with a complex SSBN (the INS Arihant) and is continuing building more SSBNs without taking on the simpler design challenge of SSNs. Now, having leased the INS Chakra, an Akula class SSN, from Russia for the next ten years, India must integrate these experiences into an indigenous SSN line.
Meanwhile, the MoD must ensure that the expensive (Rs 6,000 crore) technology that it bought for the Scorpene, and will buy for the Russian submarine line, fructifies into a world-class indigenous design. This will require close involvement from the navy’s integral design establishment. A concurrent role must be allocated to NIRDESH, the newly set up National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding.
source : htt p://business-standard. com/india/news/ajai-shukla-buildingsubmarine-fleet/446636/
The Indian Navy, which aspires to “blue water” capability, must be capable of sea control in certain sectors, as well as sea denial further away, for example, at the choke points leading into the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. That requires at least 24 conventional submarines for our coastal waters; and at least five to seven SSNs that can carry out sea denial for extended durations at very long ranges.
Unfortunately, the building of such a submarine force has been beset with blunders. The Indian Navy makes do with 14 old-style, diesel-electric submarines, of which just seven or eight are operational at any time. Six Scorpene submarines are currently being built under Project 75, but when they come on stream by late 2018 an almost equivalent number will have retired from the current fleet.
The ministry of defence (MoD) and the navy are aware of this crisis. In 1999, the Cabinet approved a 30-Year Submarine Construction Plan, for constructing 24 conventional submarines in India. Two simultaneous construction lines were to build six submarines each. One line was to use western technology; and the other Russian know-how. Based on this experience, Indian designers would build the next 12 submarines.
Twenty years after the plan was finalised, in 2019, India will have built just six Scorpene submarines. The reason is as simple as it is astonishing: with Indian shipyards competing to build tens of thousands of crore rupees worth of submarines, the MoD has failed spectacularly to bring any order to this melee. Instead of adjudicating decisively, setting up design and construction partnerships, and placing orders in good time, the MoD has – in typical Antony style – avoided a decision. Instead, it has set up committee after committee to identify which shipyard should get the orders. The latest, the Krishnamurthi Committee, has submitted split findings, setting the stage for Mr Antony to launch a fresh round of doing nothing.
It is time to thin out the crowded field of aspirants. Within the public sector, only Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) has built submarines. Its ongoing Project 75 to build six Scorpene submarines should be extended by another three vessels. Of these nine vessels, the last six must have AIP and the ability to fire missiles, changes that can be made easily. This should be India’s west coast production line.
On the east coast, L&T (which has gained experience building India’s nuclear submarine, the Arihant) should be permitted to join hands with Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), the MoD’s new shipyard in Vishakhapatnam, for building a second line of submarines with Russian technology. The L&T-HSL JV should also be designated the node for developing and building a line of SSNs, which remains a glaring hole in India’s defence capabilities. Every other country with nuclear submarine capability first built SSNs before developing the technology for SSBNs, as nuclear ballistic missile submarines are called. India alone has begun with a complex SSBN (the INS Arihant) and is continuing building more SSBNs without taking on the simpler design challenge of SSNs. Now, having leased the INS Chakra, an Akula class SSN, from Russia for the next ten years, India must integrate these experiences into an indigenous SSN line.
Meanwhile, the MoD must ensure that the expensive (Rs 6,000 crore) technology that it bought for the Scorpene, and will buy for the Russian submarine line, fructifies into a world-class indigenous design. This will require close involvement from the navy’s integral design establishment. A concurrent role must be allocated to NIRDESH, the newly set up National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding.
source : htt p://business-standard. com/india/news/ajai-shukla-buildingsubmarine-fleet/446636/
BrahMos sets the ‘gold standard’ for Russia India defence Technology projects
There has been a lot of talk recently about growing competition on India’s arms market, which is crucial for Russia. In Soviet times, Russia supplied some 75-80 per cent of the weapons for India’s Army, Air Force and Navy but now, as India matures financially, it is opting increasingly for more expensive western armaments. Back in the 1980s, German and French supplies brought India submarines and Mirage 2000 fighters and, in 1990, Israel broke in, making India one of its biggest sales markets, along with the US. Finally, the last ten years have seen a significant boost to Indian-US military and technical ties, with US’s sales of military transport and antisubmarine aircraft nearing $10 billion.
In this situation, the best way for Russia to retain its position in India is to revise the trade paradigm of military and technical cooperation, shifting the focus to joint projects based on risk-sharing partnership, whereby the parties invest jointly in creation, production and promotion of products. Today, Russia and India have two joint defence projects, including the BrahMos programme for designing, producing and marketing supersonic stealth cruise missiles, and a project for building the MTA multirole medium transport aircraft. During Russian President Medvedev’s visit to India in December 2010, a contract was also signed to design India’s version of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), which potentially means yet another joint undertaking.
While the МТА programme has not yet shown any impressive progress, the BrahMos project can be seen as the ‘gold standard’ for joint military manufacturing programmes, effectively combining such factors as commercial profit for Russian and Indian partners, a tangible improvement in the combat ability of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, and development of new technologies, which is particularly important for India. Perhaps the project’s most valuable result is the accumulated experience of resolving difficult legislative, organisational and financial problems. In the future, this experience will be used for new joint programmes, including for the FGFA project.
What makes this programme so unique is that India is, in fact, buying one of its first standardised weapons systems that can be deployed by all three armed services - the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
The Indian Navy was the first customer for the BrahMos missile, which can be carried by a wide range of naval platforms, including most existing and future surface ships. The first ships to be equipped with BrahMos were Project 61ME (Kashin-Mod class) destroyers. Two of them, the Ranvir and the Ranvijay, will also be fitted with 8-missile vertical launch systems. Other ships that will carry BrahMos include three Project 15A (Kolkata class) destroyers, which are currently under construction in India, the future Project 15B destroyers, future Project 17A frigates, and three Project 11356M (Talwar class Batch 2) frigates now being built for India at the Yantar Shipyards in Kaliningrad. The future Talwar class Batch 3 frigates will also be equipped with the new missile, irrespective of where they are built, be it Russia or India.
In addition to surface ships, the Indian Navy plans to deploy BrahMos on submarines and, possibly, on land-based patrol aircraft. The suitable airborne carriers include the Russian Il-38SD ASW aircraft and, in a few years' time, the Boeing P-8I Poseidon ASW, which India has already ordered from the United States. It seems that the Indian Navy wants to make BrahMos its core weapon. The new missile’s long range (up to 280 km), high speed and powerful warhead will give Indian fighters not just a military advantage but absolute dominance over Pakistan’s ship groups, also creating a significant deterrent to China’s fast-growing navy.
Another major customer is India’s land forces, which are buying BrahMos missiles in the mobile land-based configuration. These will be used not only against ships but also as high-precision weapons against land targets, such as command posts and key military, public and economic infrastructure facilities (the Block II LACM version). The Indian Army ordered 134 mobile anti-ship land-based BrahMos Block I missiles in 2006-2009 and another 240 land-attack BrahMos Block II in 2010, to a total of about 3 billion US dollars.
Finally, the Indian Air Force is awaiting completion of research and development for an air-launched version of BrahMos, to be deployed primarily on Su-30 MKI fighters, with first deliveries expected in 2012. The Indian Air Force also plans to buy the BrahMos Block II version, which is designed to engage land targets. Currently, the Sukhoi Design Bureau is carrying out research and development to deploy the air-launched version of the missile on the Su-30 MKI. This will apparently become the focus for modernising the Su-30 MKI under the Super 30 programme. Indeed, the aircraft was designed in the early 1990s and is not due for an upgrade: an active phased array radar will be installed, along with BrahMos missiles.
All this is also of interest to Russian customers. Currently, BrahMos missiles and their Russian analogue, the Yakhont, are arguably the most powerful non-nuclear anti-ship weapons deployed in Russia and India and the Su-30 MKI is the only suitable carrier. The Russian Air Force plans, therefore, to order 28 Su-30 SM fighters, which will be technically similar to the Indian version, the only difference being that the Israeli and some French systems will be replaced by Russian ones. Russia’s Navy is also considering the possibility of buying 12 such aircraft for its own purposes.
In this respect, acquisition of BrahMos missiles would come in very handy. And it is not about Russian-made Yakhont missiles, but about BrahMos. From a military and technical perspective, this would mean acquisition by the Russian armed forces of the hugely effective Su-30 SM-BrahMos system, which would revolutionise the alliance of forces, for example, in the Black Sea region. And politically, it would underline the joint nature of the project. The Indians are extremely concerned about any symbols of their industrial and technological progress and acquisition by Russia of Indian products would be very much appreciated in a country that pays billions of dollars for Russian weapons every year.
Strange as it might seem, the success of the BrahMos programme has boosted Russia’s chances of promoting its air and naval platforms on the Indian market. Normally, is the opposite would be the case: export of platforms opens up opportunities for missile supplies to be deployed on these platforms. But with BrahMos, it is the missiles that have become the driving force. So the Rubin Design Bureau is creating a special version of Russia’s new Project 677 (Аmur class) submarine to carry BrahMos anti-ship missiles as its main weapon system. This raises the submarine’s chance of winning India’s tender for six submarines worth up to $10 billion.
And last but not least, the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture has become a vehicle for further Russian-Indian projects, on an even larger scale and with greater Indian participation. The company is known to be already working on a new hypersonic missile. The unique experience accumulated since 1998 as part of the BrahMos project has paved the way for even more ambitious goals, including new strategic ballistic and cruise missiles.
source : htt p://indrus. in/articles/2011/08/22/brahmos_sets_the_gold_standard_for_russian-indian_defence_projects_12899.html
In this situation, the best way for Russia to retain its position in India is to revise the trade paradigm of military and technical cooperation, shifting the focus to joint projects based on risk-sharing partnership, whereby the parties invest jointly in creation, production and promotion of products. Today, Russia and India have two joint defence projects, including the BrahMos programme for designing, producing and marketing supersonic stealth cruise missiles, and a project for building the MTA multirole medium transport aircraft. During Russian President Medvedev’s visit to India in December 2010, a contract was also signed to design India’s version of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), which potentially means yet another joint undertaking.
While the МТА programme has not yet shown any impressive progress, the BrahMos project can be seen as the ‘gold standard’ for joint military manufacturing programmes, effectively combining such factors as commercial profit for Russian and Indian partners, a tangible improvement in the combat ability of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, and development of new technologies, which is particularly important for India. Perhaps the project’s most valuable result is the accumulated experience of resolving difficult legislative, organisational and financial problems. In the future, this experience will be used for new joint programmes, including for the FGFA project.
What makes this programme so unique is that India is, in fact, buying one of its first standardised weapons systems that can be deployed by all three armed services - the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
The Indian Navy was the first customer for the BrahMos missile, which can be carried by a wide range of naval platforms, including most existing and future surface ships. The first ships to be equipped with BrahMos were Project 61ME (Kashin-Mod class) destroyers. Two of them, the Ranvir and the Ranvijay, will also be fitted with 8-missile vertical launch systems. Other ships that will carry BrahMos include three Project 15A (Kolkata class) destroyers, which are currently under construction in India, the future Project 15B destroyers, future Project 17A frigates, and three Project 11356M (Talwar class Batch 2) frigates now being built for India at the Yantar Shipyards in Kaliningrad. The future Talwar class Batch 3 frigates will also be equipped with the new missile, irrespective of where they are built, be it Russia or India.
In addition to surface ships, the Indian Navy plans to deploy BrahMos on submarines and, possibly, on land-based patrol aircraft. The suitable airborne carriers include the Russian Il-38SD ASW aircraft and, in a few years' time, the Boeing P-8I Poseidon ASW, which India has already ordered from the United States. It seems that the Indian Navy wants to make BrahMos its core weapon. The new missile’s long range (up to 280 km), high speed and powerful warhead will give Indian fighters not just a military advantage but absolute dominance over Pakistan’s ship groups, also creating a significant deterrent to China’s fast-growing navy.
Another major customer is India’s land forces, which are buying BrahMos missiles in the mobile land-based configuration. These will be used not only against ships but also as high-precision weapons against land targets, such as command posts and key military, public and economic infrastructure facilities (the Block II LACM version). The Indian Army ordered 134 mobile anti-ship land-based BrahMos Block I missiles in 2006-2009 and another 240 land-attack BrahMos Block II in 2010, to a total of about 3 billion US dollars.
Finally, the Indian Air Force is awaiting completion of research and development for an air-launched version of BrahMos, to be deployed primarily on Su-30 MKI fighters, with first deliveries expected in 2012. The Indian Air Force also plans to buy the BrahMos Block II version, which is designed to engage land targets. Currently, the Sukhoi Design Bureau is carrying out research and development to deploy the air-launched version of the missile on the Su-30 MKI. This will apparently become the focus for modernising the Su-30 MKI under the Super 30 programme. Indeed, the aircraft was designed in the early 1990s and is not due for an upgrade: an active phased array radar will be installed, along with BrahMos missiles.
All this is also of interest to Russian customers. Currently, BrahMos missiles and their Russian analogue, the Yakhont, are arguably the most powerful non-nuclear anti-ship weapons deployed in Russia and India and the Su-30 MKI is the only suitable carrier. The Russian Air Force plans, therefore, to order 28 Su-30 SM fighters, which will be technically similar to the Indian version, the only difference being that the Israeli and some French systems will be replaced by Russian ones. Russia’s Navy is also considering the possibility of buying 12 such aircraft for its own purposes.
In this respect, acquisition of BrahMos missiles would come in very handy. And it is not about Russian-made Yakhont missiles, but about BrahMos. From a military and technical perspective, this would mean acquisition by the Russian armed forces of the hugely effective Su-30 SM-BrahMos system, which would revolutionise the alliance of forces, for example, in the Black Sea region. And politically, it would underline the joint nature of the project. The Indians are extremely concerned about any symbols of their industrial and technological progress and acquisition by Russia of Indian products would be very much appreciated in a country that pays billions of dollars for Russian weapons every year.
Strange as it might seem, the success of the BrahMos programme has boosted Russia’s chances of promoting its air and naval platforms on the Indian market. Normally, is the opposite would be the case: export of platforms opens up opportunities for missile supplies to be deployed on these platforms. But with BrahMos, it is the missiles that have become the driving force. So the Rubin Design Bureau is creating a special version of Russia’s new Project 677 (Аmur class) submarine to carry BrahMos anti-ship missiles as its main weapon system. This raises the submarine’s chance of winning India’s tender for six submarines worth up to $10 billion.
And last but not least, the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture has become a vehicle for further Russian-Indian projects, on an even larger scale and with greater Indian participation. The company is known to be already working on a new hypersonic missile. The unique experience accumulated since 1998 as part of the BrahMos project has paved the way for even more ambitious goals, including new strategic ballistic and cruise missiles.
source : htt p://indrus. in/articles/2011/08/22/brahmos_sets_the_gold_standard_for_russian-indian_defence_projects_12899.html
Indian Army fears rise in infiltration of terrorists into J&K
The General-officer-in-Command 15 Corps, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain has expressed apprehensions that armed terrorists from across the line of control would step up their efforts to infiltrate in to Jammu and Kashmir in the coming months. General Hasnain said that August and September are generally considered the best time for infiltration but our troops are ready to face the challenge.
"We have so far killed 12 to 13 commanders of Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammad this year. The level of desperation in the militant groups is high as their leadership has been wiped out. When desperation rises mistakes happen and we will exploit those mistakes of militants," Gen Hasnain told reporters at wreath laying ceremony of Lieutenant Navdeep Singh inside Srinagar Army headquarters on Sunday.
General Hasnain said, "There is no intelligence communication with the army from across the border but we have different resources for intelligence."
He said, the Pakistani sponsors frequently change the route of the armed terrorists to keep the Indian troops guessing. "Whenever we get success on certain routes on LoC against infiltration attempts, those routes get blocked and the terrorists are pushed in from other routes," corps commander Hasnain said.
About Saturday encounter at the LOC wherein 12 armed terrorists were killed, he said it was a result of coordinated and synchronized intelligence.
Meanwhile, State Human Right Commission has revealed that 2156 unidentified militant bodies have been buried in unmarked graves at 38 different sites in the Kashmir Valley.
A report released by the SHRC here reveals that there were 21 unmarked graves in Baramulla, three each in Bandipore and Handwara and 11 in Kupwara and others in other districts of Kashmir. It also said that 851 unidentified bodies were found in Baramulla, 14 in Bandipore, 14 in Handwara and 1277 in Kupwara.
All these bodies, according to the SHRC report, were handed over by the police to the local population for burial with bullet injuries and were classified as "unidentified militants."
The report came after a three-year-long inquiry by an 11-member team led by Bashir Ahmad Yatoo, senior superintendent of police of the investigative wing of the commission.
The SHRC probe was the response to a campaign by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, which in March 2008, released a report, "Facts Underground" and pointed out the presence of unmarked graves.
source : htt p://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes. com/2011-08-22/india/29914040_1_infiltration-srinagar-army-kupwara
"We have so far killed 12 to 13 commanders of Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammad this year. The level of desperation in the militant groups is high as their leadership has been wiped out. When desperation rises mistakes happen and we will exploit those mistakes of militants," Gen Hasnain told reporters at wreath laying ceremony of Lieutenant Navdeep Singh inside Srinagar Army headquarters on Sunday.
General Hasnain said, "There is no intelligence communication with the army from across the border but we have different resources for intelligence."
He said, the Pakistani sponsors frequently change the route of the armed terrorists to keep the Indian troops guessing. "Whenever we get success on certain routes on LoC against infiltration attempts, those routes get blocked and the terrorists are pushed in from other routes," corps commander Hasnain said.
About Saturday encounter at the LOC wherein 12 armed terrorists were killed, he said it was a result of coordinated and synchronized intelligence.
Meanwhile, State Human Right Commission has revealed that 2156 unidentified militant bodies have been buried in unmarked graves at 38 different sites in the Kashmir Valley.
A report released by the SHRC here reveals that there were 21 unmarked graves in Baramulla, three each in Bandipore and Handwara and 11 in Kupwara and others in other districts of Kashmir. It also said that 851 unidentified bodies were found in Baramulla, 14 in Bandipore, 14 in Handwara and 1277 in Kupwara.
All these bodies, according to the SHRC report, were handed over by the police to the local population for burial with bullet injuries and were classified as "unidentified militants."
The report came after a three-year-long inquiry by an 11-member team led by Bashir Ahmad Yatoo, senior superintendent of police of the investigative wing of the commission.
The SHRC probe was the response to a campaign by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, which in March 2008, released a report, "Facts Underground" and pointed out the presence of unmarked graves.
source : htt p://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes. com/2011-08-22/india/29914040_1_infiltration-srinagar-army-kupwara
Indian Army plans mountain strike corps to counter China
The Indian Army is planning to set up a mountain strike corps and is talking to various states against the backdrop of a Chinese build up of military infrastructure on its side of boundary. “We are in talks with the governments of states including Assam, West Bengal and Bihar for setting up the Mountain Corps headquarters, which would require at least 4,000 to 5,000 acres of land,” senior army sources said here.
Around 10-12 locations in these states have been identified by the army to set up the formation, they said.
The Mountain Strike Corps is being planned by the army after it established two new Mountain Infantry Divisions for the northeastern region.
The two new divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers, have their headquarters in Zakama in Nagaland and Missamari in Assam.
The army is also looking to deploy ultra-light howitzers and light tanks along the Line of Actual Control in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The IAF, on its part, has already based Sukhoi-30MKI fighters at airbases like Tezpur and Chabua. Eastern sector advanced landing grounds (ALGs) like Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh are also now being upgraded, much like western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyama in eastern Ladakh.
All these developments come against the backdrop of a major build-up of military infrastructure by China all along the border, which includes five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads in Tibet Autonomous Region.
source : htt p://www.firstpost. com/fwire/army-plans-mountain-strike-corps-to-counter-china-66420.html
Around 10-12 locations in these states have been identified by the army to set up the formation, they said.
The Mountain Strike Corps is being planned by the army after it established two new Mountain Infantry Divisions for the northeastern region.
The two new divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers, have their headquarters in Zakama in Nagaland and Missamari in Assam.
The army is also looking to deploy ultra-light howitzers and light tanks along the Line of Actual Control in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The IAF, on its part, has already based Sukhoi-30MKI fighters at airbases like Tezpur and Chabua. Eastern sector advanced landing grounds (ALGs) like Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh are also now being upgraded, much like western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyama in eastern Ladakh.
All these developments come against the backdrop of a major build-up of military infrastructure by China all along the border, which includes five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads in Tibet Autonomous Region.
source : htt p://www.firstpost. com/fwire/army-plans-mountain-strike-corps-to-counter-china-66420.html
India Russia T50-2 PAKFA flame-out at MAKS air show
Flightglobal's Moscow-based correspondent Vladimir Karnozov was at the scene at 13:57 yesterday afternoon when Sukoi's T50-2 prototype experienced a dramatic flame-out at the ends of the MAKS 2011 air show. He files this witness report:
"Two bursts of flames erupted from the right engine and two loud "bumps" were heard. Thanks to the great length of the Ramenskoye runway - 5000 meters - the pilot managed to bring the airplane to a stop well before the aerodrome fence, but had to deploy brake parachute in addition to wheel brakes. The incident happened before eyes of some 200,000 visitors gathered to watch flight display. That day Sukhoi test-pilot Sergei Bogdan was to perform in the second operable PAKFA prototype, referred to as the T-50-2 or Side 52. Sukhoi admitted that the airplane suffered a technical malfunction and said the pilot acted "in accordance with manuals". The airframer ads the T-50-2 did not have any damage, while playing down the earlier media reports that the right NPO Saturn Item 117 engine developed surge. Rather, the company attributed it to "malfunctioning fuel supply system" in one case and "engine's FADEC" in another. The latter is strange since Sukhoi and Saturn claimed earlier the Item-117-powered PAKFA differs from the Su-35 with similar FADEC-equipped Item 117S engines in having a centralized comprehensive control system for flight controls, onboard systems and powerplant, which is a feature of fifth-generation fighters as opposed to fourth generation. Further to Sukhoi embarrassment, immediately after the incident the show organizers promised the public that the PAKFA would fly, calling for the first operable prototype T-50-1 to takeoff. But as the show closed down four hours later, the promise did not materialize. Rumors had it that the T-50-1 had gone to repairs shortly after flat-out flight performance on 17 August before Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin."Source : htt p://www.flightglobal. com/blogs/the-dewline/2011/08/video-witness-report-from-t50-.html
New strike corps for China border
In 2009, New Delhi acted decisively in sanctioning two new army divisions, about 35,000 troops, to strengthen Indian defences in Arunachal, which China claims as a part of Tibet. It can now be revealed that New Delhi has also sanctioned a new mountain strike corps, of an additional 40,000 soldiers, to be permanently located in bases in northeast India. The new corps is to retaliate against any major Chinese ingress into India by launching an offensive into Tibet.
For decades after India’s humiliation at the hands of China in 1962, New Delhi shrank from a robust defence posture on the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control (LAC), fearing it might provoke China. In the aftermath of 1962, through the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Army stayed away from the border, remaining behind a self-imposed ‘Limit of Patrolling (LoP)’. In the 1980s, the army returned to the LAC, but remained entirely defensive in outlook. The sanctioning of a strike corps, therefore, signals a dramatic new assertiveness in New Delhi.Business Standard has been aware of this development since 2009, but has refrained from reporting on it after requests from top Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials. Now, with the outlines of this development emerging in the media, Business Standard no longer feels bound by confidentiality.
The new mountain strike corps will control two divisions, trained and equipped for an attack into Tibet. If China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) captures any Indian territory, by quickly concentrating an attacking force over Tibet’s impressive road network, the Indian Army would not be forced into bloody, Kargil-style counterattacks to recapture that territory.
Instead, the new strike corps would launch its own riposte, advancing into Tibet and capturing a vulnerable chunk of Chinese territory, e.g. the Chumbi Valley that projects into Sikkim and Bhutan. Several such objectives would be identified in advance and detailed preparations made for the offensives. The new strike corps will have its own mountain artillery, combat engineers, anti-aircraft guns and radio equipment. It would also be supported by Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters, operating from newly renovated bases in northeastern India. On July 26, the then IAF chief confirmed that Sukhoi-30 fighters had already been posted to air bases at Tezpur and Chhabua.
On June 25, he told NDTV that Jorhat, Guwahati, Mohanbari, Bagdogra and Hashimara were also being developed as air bases. The IAF is also modernising eight ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds), essential for quickly building up and resupplying a strike corps. These bases would also be crucial for airborne operations, especially heli-lifting forces to key objectives behind the enemy frontlines.
The proposal to raise two additional divisions for the defence of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as a strike corps, dates back to 2007. It began as a decision of the China Study Group, a secretive government body that considers all strategic issues relating to China. Thereafter, the army’s Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) prepared a cabinet note. The decision to raise the additional divisions was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on May 14, 2009.
This was the last major decision taken by the UPA government before the elections of 2009. It was rushed through because top UPA leaders felt if the UPA were not re-elected, the new government would begin the decision-making process afresh, losing another two years. To manage the expenses, it was decided the two defensive mountain divisions would first be raised during the 11th army plan (2007-2012). Next, the strike corps, including its two mountain divisions, would be raised during the 12th Defence Plan (2012-2017). The cost of raising a new Indian Army mountain division is estimated to be Rs 700 crore.
The 4,057-km LAC consists of three sectors. In the western sector in Ladakh, which India’s 14 Corps defends, the PLA already controls most of the area that China claims. The central sector, at the UP-Tibet border, which India’s 6 Mountain Division defends, is relatively insignificant. The most contentious is the eastern sector, which includes Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, where China claims 90,000 sq km of territory that India occupies. It is here, driven by fear of Chinese aggression, that India is strengthening its capabilities by raising new formations.
A mountain strike corps will provide India with strategic capabilities that were badly missed when Mao Zedong marched the PLA into Tibet in 1950. While considering its responses, the Indian government asked the army chief of that time, General (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa, what resources he had to intervene on behalf of Tibet. Cariappa could spare just one battalion (800 soldiers). And, so, New Delhi watched as Tibet was subjugated and the China border advanced all the way to the Himalayas.
source : htt p://www.business-standard. com/india/news/new-strike-corps-for-china-border/446854/
For decades after India’s humiliation at the hands of China in 1962, New Delhi shrank from a robust defence posture on the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control (LAC), fearing it might provoke China. In the aftermath of 1962, through the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Army stayed away from the border, remaining behind a self-imposed ‘Limit of Patrolling (LoP)’. In the 1980s, the army returned to the LAC, but remained entirely defensive in outlook. The sanctioning of a strike corps, therefore, signals a dramatic new assertiveness in New Delhi.Business Standard has been aware of this development since 2009, but has refrained from reporting on it after requests from top Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials. Now, with the outlines of this development emerging in the media, Business Standard no longer feels bound by confidentiality.
The new mountain strike corps will control two divisions, trained and equipped for an attack into Tibet. If China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) captures any Indian territory, by quickly concentrating an attacking force over Tibet’s impressive road network, the Indian Army would not be forced into bloody, Kargil-style counterattacks to recapture that territory.
Instead, the new strike corps would launch its own riposte, advancing into Tibet and capturing a vulnerable chunk of Chinese territory, e.g. the Chumbi Valley that projects into Sikkim and Bhutan. Several such objectives would be identified in advance and detailed preparations made for the offensives. The new strike corps will have its own mountain artillery, combat engineers, anti-aircraft guns and radio equipment. It would also be supported by Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters, operating from newly renovated bases in northeastern India. On July 26, the then IAF chief confirmed that Sukhoi-30 fighters had already been posted to air bases at Tezpur and Chhabua.
On June 25, he told NDTV that Jorhat, Guwahati, Mohanbari, Bagdogra and Hashimara were also being developed as air bases. The IAF is also modernising eight ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds), essential for quickly building up and resupplying a strike corps. These bases would also be crucial for airborne operations, especially heli-lifting forces to key objectives behind the enemy frontlines.
The proposal to raise two additional divisions for the defence of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as a strike corps, dates back to 2007. It began as a decision of the China Study Group, a secretive government body that considers all strategic issues relating to China. Thereafter, the army’s Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) prepared a cabinet note. The decision to raise the additional divisions was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on May 14, 2009.
This was the last major decision taken by the UPA government before the elections of 2009. It was rushed through because top UPA leaders felt if the UPA were not re-elected, the new government would begin the decision-making process afresh, losing another two years. To manage the expenses, it was decided the two defensive mountain divisions would first be raised during the 11th army plan (2007-2012). Next, the strike corps, including its two mountain divisions, would be raised during the 12th Defence Plan (2012-2017). The cost of raising a new Indian Army mountain division is estimated to be Rs 700 crore.
The 4,057-km LAC consists of three sectors. In the western sector in Ladakh, which India’s 14 Corps defends, the PLA already controls most of the area that China claims. The central sector, at the UP-Tibet border, which India’s 6 Mountain Division defends, is relatively insignificant. The most contentious is the eastern sector, which includes Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, where China claims 90,000 sq km of territory that India occupies. It is here, driven by fear of Chinese aggression, that India is strengthening its capabilities by raising new formations.
A mountain strike corps will provide India with strategic capabilities that were badly missed when Mao Zedong marched the PLA into Tibet in 1950. While considering its responses, the Indian government asked the army chief of that time, General (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa, what resources he had to intervene on behalf of Tibet. Cariappa could spare just one battalion (800 soldiers). And, so, New Delhi watched as Tibet was subjugated and the China border advanced all the way to the Himalayas.
source : htt p://www.business-standard. com/india/news/new-strike-corps-for-china-border/446854/
Mazagon Docks launches 2nd Shivalik Class frigate with 60% Indigenisation
Indigenously-built stealth warship, INS Satpura, the second of the three-ship Project-17 Shivalik Class frigates built by the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks (MDL) was commissioned by the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma. Conceived and designed by the Indian Naval design team, Satpura will be among the mainstay frigates of the force for the next few decades.
The next warship of the class INS Sahyadri is also expected to be inducted into the Navy in next six to eight months. Along with the three stealth frigates under Project-17, three Kolkata class destroyers under Project 15 A and six Scorpene class submarines are under construction at MDL. According to reports the total cost of the three Shivalik-class frigates (Project 17A) will be Rs 7,883 crore. Imported components, like the on-board weapons, sensors and radars, engines, transmission etc, account for approximately Rs 2,710 crore - approximately 40 percent.
An agreement with Essar Steel for manufacturing warship-grade steel helped in lowering the cost of imported equipment. Crucial dimensions of design and integration have also been indigenised. Indigenisation levels are expected to rise dramatically in the next two lines of warships that are coming on stream next year, i.e. in Project 15B (four destroyers) and Project 1A (seven frigates).
The ship is powered by 2 US-origin General Electric LM-2500 gas turbine engine and 2 French SEMT Pielstick diesel engine, one on each shaft driving a large diameter controllable pitch propeller.
The LM 2500 Gas Turbine engines enable the ship to generate speeds in excess of 30 knots (or over 55 kmph) and the SEMT Pielstic Diesel Engines are for normal cruising speeds. This is known as CODOG (combined diesel or gas) configuration.
The 142.5-metre-long warship, with 6,200-tonne displacement, has versatile control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features. It has been provided with structural, thermal and acoustic stealth features to augment its potent capability. The Satpura is equipped with a mix of imported and indigenous weapon systems and sensors, including Barak surface-to-air missiles, 'SHTIL' air defence system, rapid fire guns and basic anti-submarine warfare weapons.
The ship’s electric power is provided by four Diesel Alternators, which together produce 4 Mega-Watts of power-enough to light up a small town.The power generation and distribution on board is controlled through an ‘Automated Power Management System’ (APMS).
A stealth warship is designed to have low signatures so that they remain undetected to enemy sensors. Its shape is designed to evade detection by radar; it is engineered to give off minimal infra-red (IR) emissions; and every piece of equipment on board, is designed to work silently to escape the enemy’s sonar and acoustic sensors.
From a small dry dock built to service ships of the British East India Company, Mazagon Dock Limited is today the Country’s premier warship building yard. By next year, MDL would have delivered all three in the series. The Shivalik Class frigates are part of the Project 17 of the Indian Navy under which multi-role frigates with stealth features are being built for the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock Limited. The first ship of the Class INS Shivalik was commissioned on April 29 last year and launched India into the league of countries with the capability of building stealth frigates.
source : htt p://machinist. n/index.php?option= com_content&task=view&id=3658&Itemid=55
The next warship of the class INS Sahyadri is also expected to be inducted into the Navy in next six to eight months. Along with the three stealth frigates under Project-17, three Kolkata class destroyers under Project 15 A and six Scorpene class submarines are under construction at MDL. According to reports the total cost of the three Shivalik-class frigates (Project 17A) will be Rs 7,883 crore. Imported components, like the on-board weapons, sensors and radars, engines, transmission etc, account for approximately Rs 2,710 crore - approximately 40 percent.
An agreement with Essar Steel for manufacturing warship-grade steel helped in lowering the cost of imported equipment. Crucial dimensions of design and integration have also been indigenised. Indigenisation levels are expected to rise dramatically in the next two lines of warships that are coming on stream next year, i.e. in Project 15B (four destroyers) and Project 1A (seven frigates).
The ship is powered by 2 US-origin General Electric LM-2500 gas turbine engine and 2 French SEMT Pielstick diesel engine, one on each shaft driving a large diameter controllable pitch propeller.
The LM 2500 Gas Turbine engines enable the ship to generate speeds in excess of 30 knots (or over 55 kmph) and the SEMT Pielstic Diesel Engines are for normal cruising speeds. This is known as CODOG (combined diesel or gas) configuration.
The 142.5-metre-long warship, with 6,200-tonne displacement, has versatile control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features. It has been provided with structural, thermal and acoustic stealth features to augment its potent capability. The Satpura is equipped with a mix of imported and indigenous weapon systems and sensors, including Barak surface-to-air missiles, 'SHTIL' air defence system, rapid fire guns and basic anti-submarine warfare weapons.
The ship’s electric power is provided by four Diesel Alternators, which together produce 4 Mega-Watts of power-enough to light up a small town.The power generation and distribution on board is controlled through an ‘Automated Power Management System’ (APMS).
A stealth warship is designed to have low signatures so that they remain undetected to enemy sensors. Its shape is designed to evade detection by radar; it is engineered to give off minimal infra-red (IR) emissions; and every piece of equipment on board, is designed to work silently to escape the enemy’s sonar and acoustic sensors.
From a small dry dock built to service ships of the British East India Company, Mazagon Dock Limited is today the Country’s premier warship building yard. By next year, MDL would have delivered all three in the series. The Shivalik Class frigates are part of the Project 17 of the Indian Navy under which multi-role frigates with stealth features are being built for the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock Limited. The first ship of the Class INS Shivalik was commissioned on April 29 last year and launched India into the league of countries with the capability of building stealth frigates.
source : htt p://machinist. n/index.php?option= com_content&task=view&id=3658&Itemid=55
The Dalai Lama's War
IN THE late autumn of 1962, there was a short, intense border war between India and China. It resulted in the complete rout of an underprepared and poorly led Indian Army. For the two rising powers, the battle—and its outcome—was seen in national, civilizational and ideological terms. These nations were, or at least saw themselves as, carriers of ancient civilizations that had produced great literature, philosophy, architecture, science and much else, but whose further evolution had been rudely interrupted by Western imperialists. India became free of British rule in 1947; China was united under Communist auspices in 1949. The recovery of their national independence was viewed as the prelude to the reemergence of China and India as major forces in the world.
Thus, the defeat of 1962 was at once a defeat of the Indian Army by its Chinese counterpart, a defeat of democracy by Communism, a defeat of one large new nation by another and a defeat of one ancient civilization at the hands of another. In India, the defeat was also interpreted in personal terms, as the defeat of Jawaharlal Nehru, who had held the offices of prime minister and foreign minister continuously since independence in 1947.
That debacle at the hands of China still hangs as a huge cloud over Nehru’s reputation. And there is an intriguing comparison to be made here with his fellow Harrovian, Winston Churchill. British historian Robert Rhodes James once wrote a book called Churchill: A Study in Failure, whose narrative stopped at 1939. It excavated, perhaps in excessive detail, its subject’s erratic and undistinguished career before that date. But of course, all Churchill’s failures were redeemed by his heroic leadership in World War II. It is tempting to see Nehru’s career as being Churchill’s in reverse; marked as it was for many decades by achievement and success, these nullified by the one humiliating failure which broke his nation’s morale and broke his own spirit and body. The war began in October 1962; a year and a half later, Nehru was dead.
It is a legacy that still haunts the Sino-Indian relationship.
NEHRU WAS long interested in (and influenced by) China. His prolific writings—books, letters, speeches—reveal much of the man and how he came to be so deeply misled by the threat he (and his country) faced. Nehru saw China at once as peer, comrade and soul mate. His first major book, Glimpses of World History, published in 1934, puts his predilections on full display. It has as many as 134 index references to the Middle Kingdom. These refer to, among other things, different dynasties (the Tang, Han, Qin, etc), corruption, Communism, civil war, agriculture and banditry. Already, the pairing of China and India was strongly imprinted in Nehru’s framework. Thus China is referred to as “the other great country of Asia” and as “India’s old-time friend.” There was a manifest sympathy with its troubles at the hands of foreigners. The British were savaged for forcing humiliating treaties and opium down the throats of the Chinese, this being an illustration of the “growing arrogance and interference by the western Powers.”
In all his pre-1947 writings, Nehru saw China from the lens of a progressive anti-imperialist, from which perspective India and China were akin and alike, simultaneously fighting Western control as well as feudal remnants in their own societies. Chiang Kai-shek and company, like Nehru and company, were at once freedom fighters, national unifiers and social modernizers. It stood to reason that, when finally rid of foreign domination, the two neighbors would be friends and partners.
In the spring of 1947, with India’s freedom imminent, Nehru organized the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi. Representatives of Asian nations already free or struggling for independence from European rulers were in attendance. There, Nehru called China “that great country to which Asia owes so much and from which so much is expected.” The conference itself he characterized as
Even when the Communists took power on the mainland in 1949 and began to voice their reservations about the McMahon Line, the prime minister continued to give Beijing the benefit of the doubt. So did other influential Indians. The ambassador to China, K. M. Panikkar, was greatly impressed by the new ruler, comparing Mao Tse-tung to his own boss, Nehru. Both, he claimed—or fantasized—“are men of action with dreamy, idealistic temperaments,” both “humanists in the broadest sense of the term.”
source : htt p://nationalinterest. org/article/the-dalai-lamas-war-5742
Thus, the defeat of 1962 was at once a defeat of the Indian Army by its Chinese counterpart, a defeat of democracy by Communism, a defeat of one large new nation by another and a defeat of one ancient civilization at the hands of another. In India, the defeat was also interpreted in personal terms, as the defeat of Jawaharlal Nehru, who had held the offices of prime minister and foreign minister continuously since independence in 1947.
That debacle at the hands of China still hangs as a huge cloud over Nehru’s reputation. And there is an intriguing comparison to be made here with his fellow Harrovian, Winston Churchill. British historian Robert Rhodes James once wrote a book called Churchill: A Study in Failure, whose narrative stopped at 1939. It excavated, perhaps in excessive detail, its subject’s erratic and undistinguished career before that date. But of course, all Churchill’s failures were redeemed by his heroic leadership in World War II. It is tempting to see Nehru’s career as being Churchill’s in reverse; marked as it was for many decades by achievement and success, these nullified by the one humiliating failure which broke his nation’s morale and broke his own spirit and body. The war began in October 1962; a year and a half later, Nehru was dead.
It is a legacy that still haunts the Sino-Indian relationship.
NEHRU WAS long interested in (and influenced by) China. His prolific writings—books, letters, speeches—reveal much of the man and how he came to be so deeply misled by the threat he (and his country) faced. Nehru saw China at once as peer, comrade and soul mate. His first major book, Glimpses of World History, published in 1934, puts his predilections on full display. It has as many as 134 index references to the Middle Kingdom. These refer to, among other things, different dynasties (the Tang, Han, Qin, etc), corruption, Communism, civil war, agriculture and banditry. Already, the pairing of China and India was strongly imprinted in Nehru’s framework. Thus China is referred to as “the other great country of Asia” and as “India’s old-time friend.” There was a manifest sympathy with its troubles at the hands of foreigners. The British were savaged for forcing humiliating treaties and opium down the throats of the Chinese, this being an illustration of the “growing arrogance and interference by the western Powers.”
In all his pre-1947 writings, Nehru saw China from the lens of a progressive anti-imperialist, from which perspective India and China were akin and alike, simultaneously fighting Western control as well as feudal remnants in their own societies. Chiang Kai-shek and company, like Nehru and company, were at once freedom fighters, national unifiers and social modernizers. It stood to reason that, when finally rid of foreign domination, the two neighbors would be friends and partners.
In the spring of 1947, with India’s freedom imminent, Nehru organized the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi. Representatives of Asian nations already free or struggling for independence from European rulers were in attendance. There, Nehru called China “that great country to which Asia owes so much and from which so much is expected.” The conference itself he characterized as
an expression of that deeper urge of the mind and spirit of Asia which has persisted in spite of the isolationism which grew up during the years of European domination. As that domination goes, the walls that surrounded us fall down and we look at each other again and meet as old friends long parted.Nehru believed that the fundamental areas of disagreement between India and China could be bridged; in particular, the unresolved detritus of the imperialist era that largely centered on Tibet. For back in 1913–14, a meeting was held in the British imperial summer capital, Shimla, convened by the government of India and attended by Chinese and Tibetan representatives (Tibet was by then enjoying a period of substantial, indeed near-complete, political autonomy from Chinese overlordship). Here the McMahon Line (which sought to demarcate the frontiers of British India) was drawn. When India became independent in 1947 it recognized this boundary, which largely followed the path of the Himalaya, and adopted it as its own. By this, Nehru and his government thought that the border between India and China, determined at the Shimla Conference, had been reaffirmed.
Even when the Communists took power on the mainland in 1949 and began to voice their reservations about the McMahon Line, the prime minister continued to give Beijing the benefit of the doubt. So did other influential Indians. The ambassador to China, K. M. Panikkar, was greatly impressed by the new ruler, comparing Mao Tse-tung to his own boss, Nehru. Both, he claimed—or fantasized—“are men of action with dreamy, idealistic temperaments,” both “humanists in the broadest sense of the term.”
source : htt p://nationalinterest. org/article/the-dalai-lamas-war-5742
IAF lost 46 fighters in 7 years: Govt
Indian Air Force (IAF) has in all lost 46 fighter aircraft in little less than seven years since 2005, government said on Wednesday.
"During 2008 to August 17, 2011, a total of 26 fighter planes of IAF had crashed. During the preceding three-year period of 2005 to 2008, 20 IAF fighter planes had crashed," defence minister A K Antony told the Rajya Sabha.
Replying to a question on crashes involving fighter planes, the minister said, "The makes of these fighter planes were MiGs, Su-30 MKI and Jaguar. Six pilots were killed in these crashes."
Source : htt p://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes. com/2011-08-24/india/29921585_1_indian-air-force-iaf-fighter-aircraft
"During 2008 to August 17, 2011, a total of 26 fighter planes of IAF had crashed. During the preceding three-year period of 2005 to 2008, 20 IAF fighter planes had crashed," defence minister A K Antony told the Rajya Sabha.
Replying to a question on crashes involving fighter planes, the minister said, "The makes of these fighter planes were MiGs, Su-30 MKI and Jaguar. Six pilots were killed in these crashes."
Source : htt p://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes. com/2011-08-24/india/29921585_1_indian-air-force-iaf-fighter-aircraft
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