| Infantry Modernisation Long Way to a Lethal and Networked Soldier Maj Gen (Retd) RK Arora |
| The infantry soldier today desperately requires to be equipped with a high quality effective personal weapon system, which is accurate, lethal, light, efficient and above all capable of carrying out multiple roles.
In today\'s modern armies worldwide, the infantry soldier continues to play a central role in all kinds of operational scenarios and terrain across a wide spectrum of conflict. His mission is complex; it requires him to have enhanced capabilities, that would to sustain him in high mobility operations in difficult and unfamiliar terrain.
The soldier, who is required to fight in increasingly challenging and demanding environments, with the enemy equipped with high-technology sensors and surveillance devices, must have the means and communications to be able to discern, decide and act in a decisive manner before the enemy gets the better of him. His survivability and molbility needs to be improved through better clothing, better protection of the head and body. He needs to be empowered with better situational awareness. Power, bandwith, energy and sustainability go hand in hand with modern means and devices which will convert the soldier into a lethal system.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Lead Soldier Modernisation Programmes of the World |
| Most of the worldwide infantry soldier modernisation programmes are in the nascent stages of implementation and only some of them are in the stage of advanced planning of design and implementation. The most significant of these programmes are Land Warrior of USA, IdZ-ES of Germany, FIST of UK and Felin of France.
\'Future Soldier\' programmes, started to emerge in late 1990\'s with a view to addressing five essential requirements, as defined by NATO, namely the C4I (command and control, communications, computers and intelligence), lethality, mobility, survivability and sustainability. These capabilities are logical complements to net-centric environment that was forecast for the medium-term future, allowing every single soldier to exchange all necessary information with higher command echelons.
While most the Europeans, for instance, have selected one leading agency responsible for integration, the others, especially the United States, left this task to the military. Various programmes have reached different levels of maturity taking different developmental paths. Indeed, some involve full integration of all the sub systems that have been developed from the ground up, while others chose a more conservative approach, contemplating integration of existing or modified equipment.
The problems common to all systems are weight and power consumption |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Indian Army\'s Current Infantry and Special Forces Weapons |
| The personal weapons of the infantry are outdated in design and performance.
The present INSAS is a family of weapons consisting of an assault rifle, a light machine gun (LMG), and a carbine. Of the three weapons, the assault rifle and LMG are in service with the Army.
The INSAS 5.56mm assault rifles had replaced the FN FAL, 1A1, 1C, AKM and V.58 7.62mm assault rifles. The night-fighting capability is limited in sections, platoons and companies. The support weapons are very heavy and bulky.
The INSAS 5.56mm assault rifle (above) is a gas-operated selective fire weapon with a blend of features culled from a variety of sources: receiver and pistol grip (Kalashnikov); butt, gas regulator and flash-hider (FN FAL); Fore-end (AR-15); cocking handle (H&K). The magazine housing accommodates standard M16 magazines, although the standard magazine is made of semi-transparent plastic and holds 20 rounds; the 30-round magazine for the INSAS LMG can also be used. The selector mechanism allows single shots and 3-round bursts.
Passive night sights or optical sights can be mounted. Accessories include a blank firing attachment, multipurpose bayonet, and a sling.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Defense in 2012: A Look Ahead |
| As tough a year as 2011 was, 2012 promises to be tougher.
In America and Europe, lingering economic woes and worries about future spending will become actual cuts that last longer and hit deeper than most militaries expect.
This era of relative military austerity comes as old challenges linger and new crises await.
America withdrew from Iraq, but remains engaged in Afghanistan, where local forces have yet to prove their ability to assume greater responsibility as Western forces decline.
While the Arab Spring proved inspirational as long-time authoritarian regimes fell, free elections could bring to power pro-Islamist governments that could destabilize the region. Remember, it was free elections in Gaza that brought Hamas to power. The potential collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria could prove a particularly destabilizing domino.
Meanwhile, Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons and its regional meddling continue. While America and Israel have consistently sought to sabotage Iranian military and nuclear progress, that alone may not be enough to stop Tehran.
Israel is increasingly convinced it must act militarily, even if doing so merely delays Iran\'s nuclear programs, but U.S. leaders fear the unintended consequences of military action.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| India-China Annual Defence Dialogue Talks Back on Track |
| India and China took a step forward to bring defence ties back on track on 9 December 2011, by holding the annual defence dialogue, in the backdrop of increasing concern in New Delhi about China\'s massive military infrastructure development programme along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
While China has vastly improved its military logistics through road and railway infrastructure in the restive Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang province, the PLA has placed special emphasis on missile coverage of India through new complexes along the LAC. China\'s growing military capability and the situation on the LAC are among the most asked questions to defence minister AK Antony in Parliament, reflecting the concern among the lawmakers.
At the defence secretary level annual defence dialogue was held in New Delhi, the Chinese delegation was led by deputy chief of general staff Ma Xiaotian, who had attended the last hand-in-hand exercise in Belgaum, Karnataka. Defence secretary Shashikant Sharma, who represented the India government, suggested some measures to ensure that the situation remains peaceful on the LAC as the two sides are yet to resolve the boundary question.
Specifics were not discussed even though India had several proposals on the table. Both sides agreed that the military |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Base in the Seychelles Chinese Inroads in the Indian Ocean An IMR Report |
| China announced, on 12 December 2011, that it would set up its first military base abroad in the Indian Ocean island of Seychelles to \"seek supplies and recuperate\" facilities for its Navy. The naval fleet may seek supplies or recuperate at appropriate harbours in Seychelles or other countries as needed during escort missions, Chinese defence ministry announced. The base in Seychelles is regarded significant as China is about to launch its first aircraft carrier. It is currently undergoing final trials.
Seychelles appreciates China\'s efforts to maintain safe navigation on the Indian Ocean, as well as the support it has granted to Seychelles, the defence ministry said. Seychelles also invited China\'s navy to re-supply and recuperate in the country during escort missions, the statement added.
Playing down its significance, Chinese defence ministry statement said it was international practice for naval fleets to re-supply at the closest port of a nearby state during long-distance missions. It added that Chinese naval fleets have re-supply facilities at harbours in Djibouti, Oman and Yemen since China sent its first convoy to the Gulf of Aden in 2008.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| India, US, Japan Trilateral Dialogue Countering China An IMR Report |
| India, the US and Japan held their first trilateral meeting in Washington on 20-21 December in what was widely seen as a move to coordinate push back against a common competitor - China. All three countries sought to enlarge their respective roles in the Asia-Pacific region, with the US pushing most aggressively. They are members of the East Asia Summit.
While the three countries had a lot of talk about trade, economy and nuclear weapons, China was the big issue on the table.
The official joint statement was a mere 120 words, bland, anodyne and cautious. It spoke of the first ever trilateral dialogue between the US, India and Japan to exchange views on a wide range of regional and global issues of mutual interest and how the discussions mark the beginning of a series of consultations among our three governments, who share common values and interests across the Asia-Pacific and the globe.
Absent from the statement and the talks in Washington was China. There were polite rebuffs to questions as to whether the trilateral engagement was aimed at countering or containing Beijing.
The US (also) supports a meeting between Japan, China and the US, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said a few hours |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Diplomatic Turnaround Uranium Sale Symbolises a New Strategic Relationship |
| Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard proposed, on 15 November 2011, to overturn her country\'s controversial policy of not selling uranium to India since it is not a signatory to the NPT.
Writing in the \'Sydney Morning Herald\' newspaper, she said: \"We must, of course, expect of India the same standards we do of all countries for uranium export-strict adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency arrangements and strong bilateral and transparency measures which will provide assurances that our uranium will be used only for peaceful purposes\'\'.
Gillard followed it up at a news conference in Canberra. The first issue she mentioned was the question of uranium and India. \"The Labour Party\'s current platform prevents us selling uranium to India, because it is not part of the NPT. I believe the time has come for the Labour Party to change this position.”
\"Consequently, given that change in diplomatic circumstances around the world, for us to refuse to budge is all pain with no gain and I believe that our national platform should recognise that reality,\" she added.
She said there was a period of time when an international strategy to bring India under the NPT could work but the Indo-US civil nuclear deal had changed that strategy since it effectively lifted the de-facto international ban on cooperation with India in this area.
The change in her stance appeared to have come following some plain-speaking done in the matter by Prime Minister Manmohan |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Army Coup Fears Civilian Leadership Afraid of Ouster An IMR Assessment |
| Pakistan\'s prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani adopted a collision course on 23 December, accusing the military leadership of hatching conspiracies against the democratic set up in a speech to parliament. At the same time there were reports that the army was trying to bolster opposition parties in a bid to effect a change of government.
Gilani, who is known for his conciliatory approach, stated that a state within state would not be acceptable. It was a direct reference to military\'s domination in political affairs of the country. It was significant that Gilani chose to use the floor of the parliament to attack the military leadership. His message to |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Army Coup Fears Civilian LeadU.S.-Pak Military Relations US Air Strikeson Hold ership Afraid of Ouster An IMR Assessment |
| The deadly Nato cross-border helicopters strikes early on 26 November that left 24 Pakistani soldiers have raised tensions between Islamabad and Washington, already running high after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US special forces in May 2011.
Washington ordered a full inquiry into the strikes and expressed condolences. Nonetheless, hundreds of enraged Pakistanis took to the streets, burnt an effigy of US President Barack Obama and set fire to American flags across the country of 167 million.
Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani did not ruled out closing Pakistan\'s airspace to US and said the blockade of the US supply lines into Afghanistan would stay in place for weeks.
Gilani indicated that Pakistan was working to set a new rules of engagement and operation with the United States. The ban on Nato supply lines would not be lifted until \"new rules of engagement\" were arrived with US.
The Pakistani military was ordered to shoot down any US drone that intruded the country\'s airspace under a new defence policy in which troops have been given greater liberty to respond to incursions by NATO and allied forces in Afghanistan.
Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Kayani issued multiple directives since the November 26 attack. A communiqué gave troops in the field |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| US Aid Frozen Resentment in Washington |
| There is much resentment in Washington against aiding Pakistan, which was actively helping those killing American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The US Congress, on 15 December, passed a defence policy bill that, among other things freezes $700 million in aid to Pakistan unless acts against improvised explosives devices (IEDs). The Senate also passed the bill and sent it to the White House to be signed into law.
The Pakistan freeze is one of the provisions of the bill, not the main or the only one. But the bill demonstrates in stark detail the US\'s growing disappointment with an ally that has failed to align its interests with that of its most generous benefactor.
The bill freezes $700 million aid to Pakistan unless it can prove it is taking steps to stop militants based on its soil from making IEDs that kill American troops in Afghanistan.
US lawmakers have long been demanding aid to Pakistan being linked to its contribution to the fight against terrorism, specially since Osama bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan.
During the last few months, the US had delayed the disbursement of its aid flows to Pakistan that amounted to nearly $20 billion in the previous decade. The Pakistan army was bold in asserting that it could do without US assistance.
As a series of incidents in 2011 - the Raymond Davis affair, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the US cross border attacks on Pakistani posts |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| U.S.\' Iraq Mission Closed An IMR Report |
| The U.S. military formally ended its mission and prepared to leave Iraq after nearly nine years of war and tens of thousands of Iraqi and American casualties on 16 December 2011. At Baghdad International Airport, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, took down the flag that symbolized the American mission and soldiers prepared it for a journey home.
The last of the 4,000 U.S. military personnel still in Iraq will follow the flag and head home -leaving fewer than 200 to serve as part of the diplomatic mission.
The military has largely shut its main base in western Baghdad, Camp Victory - a name that often had a bitterly ironic ring for many service members - and held the final ceremony at Baghdad International Airport.
The U.S. force numbered more than 170,000 at the height of the surge - a mobilization that required grueling 15-month tours for many in the Army and constant trips to the war zone for a generation of Marines. By last year it had dwindled to 50,000, and since President Barack Obama announced in October the U.S. would leave by year-end the military has been engaged in a massive logistics effort, sending home thousands of troops a week, shuttering dozens of U.S. bases and moving millions of pieces of equipment.
Assisting the Iraq\'s leaders to meet the political and security challenges that now confront Iraq will be left to a U.S. diplomatic mission that is the biggest in the world and includes thousands of private security contractors
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Second Bonn Conference on Afghanistan Limited Outcome An IMR Assessment |
| Ten years after the Bonn Conference of 2001, the international community met in Bonn again on 5 December 2011. Together with Afghanistan, the goal was to give concrete shape to the long-term joint engagement and to advance the further political process in the country.
Following the handover of responsibility for Afghanistan\'s security to the Afghan Government and the completion of the withdrawal of all international combat troops in 2014, the aim was to ensure that Afghanistan remains stable and develops economically.
The Bonn Conference focussed on three issues:
• The civil aspects of the process of transferring responsibility to the Government of Afghanistan by 2014,
• The long-term engagement of the international community in Afghanistan after 2014 and
• The political process that is intended to lead to the long-term stabilization of the country.
A decade ago, the world community met at Bonn to define the political order in Kabul and the international role in it after the United States ousted the Taliban from power following the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington that originated from Afghan soil.
Ten years later, Bonn-II is a thinly veiled effort to make the Western retreat from Afghanistan seem responsible. The conference is supposed to lay |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| US Drone Down Iran Claims Electronic Ambush An IMR Report |
| Iran claimed on 4 December 2012 that it shot down an American RQ-170 reconnaissance drone. Iran\'s state television aired footage of a cream-coloured aircraft, which appeared to be an RQ-170 Sentinel aircraft with little visible damage.
Iran also claimed that the high-altitude U.S. stealth drone was brought down 250 kilometres inside Iran\'s air space, in eastern Iran bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan. In a letter of protest to the United Nations, the government of Iran said \"the American RQ-170 spy plane violated 250 kilometres inside Iranian airspace before confronting the reaction of Iran\'s armed forces.”
Iran\'s aerospace unit Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said the drone had been captured through a cyber attack. The U.S. maintains it crashed due to a malfunction.
The unmanned U.S. drone was programmed to automatically return to base even if its data link was lost, one key reason that U.S. officials said it was likely that the drone malfunctioned and was not downed by Iranian electronic warfare. The fact that the plane did not return to its base suggested a \"catastrophic\" technical malfunction. The aircraft is flown remotely by pilots based in the United States, but is also programmed to autonomously fly back to the base it departed from if its data link with U.S.-based pilots is lost.
Iran was also unlikely to have jammed its flight controls because that system is highly encrypted and uses a direct uplink to a U.S. satellite.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Kim Jong-il\'s Death World Waits for Smooth Succession IMR Report |
| Kim Jong-il, the enigmatic North Korean leader, died on 17 December of a heart attack. For South Korea and Washington, indeed the whole world, it was an intelligence failure to have learnt about it well after North Korean state media had already announced it.
Kim Jong-il\'s youngest son and anointed successor, Kim Jong-un, in his late twenties was charged with leading a nuclear-armed state facing dire economic problems
While North Korea mourned the death of its \"Dear Leader\", the world was straining for a glimpse of signs of a leadership transition that some fear could bring regional instability.
The main concern among North Korea\'s neighbours was whether a leadership transition after the death of Kim Jong-il could bring regional instability, either in the form of an assertive new government or as steep economic challenges to the country.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Terrorists Aim to Establish ‘New Somalia’ An IMR Report |
| The Sahel region embracing southern Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, Chad, South Sudan and Darfur in western Sudan, northern Ethiopia and Eritrea presented challenges that western policymakers ignored at their peril. An offshoot of al-Qaeda is working to turn the whole of Africa\'s Sahel region, lying just south of the Sahara, into a \"new Somalia\". Terrorist bases there pose a growing threat to European and pan-African security.
In the absence of a meaningful policy, the 1,000km wide sub-Saharan Sahel area, stretching from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east is a lasting safe haven for jihadists, who are well-disciplined and concentrating wholly on its aim of creating an Islamic caliphate embracing the Muslim lands of Africa and the Middle East.
The terrorist threat to Europe\'s southern flank arose after advanced weapons were plundered by the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AIQM) during the collapse of the Qadhafi regime in Libya.
The region is confronted by rapid population growth, weak and ineffective governance, inter-state tensions, poor access to education and employment, and acute food supply problems exacerbated by climate change and the advance of the Sahara.
AQIM was exploiting the resulting instability spreading its influence south from Algeria and raising the prospect of transcontinental |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Exercise Sudarshan Shakti Validating Capabilities and Integration of New Technologies |
| A large scale exercise with troops was conducted by the Southern Command of the Indian Army in the Barmer-Jaisalmer sector of Rajasthan from mid-November 2011 to early December 2011. The exercise code-named Sudarshan Shakti-2011 aimed to strengthen the war-fighting capabilities of the Command to include 21 Corps (Strike Corps) and the Indian Air Force\'s (IAF) South Western Air Command (SWAC). The huge geographical spread of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pokhran and Pachpadra, covered by the exercise close to Pakistan, was an ideal ground for practicing mechanised manoeuvres and tri-service air-land battle with close to 50,000 troops, 500 main battle tanks (MBTs), 120 artillery guns, arious missiles, rockets and a whole range of aircraft to include AWACS, Aerostats and other recently acquired assets.
The army demonstrated its capability to strike at enemy targets in a swift and quick tank battle in synergy with attack helicopters. It was conducted to demonstrate the absorption of new technologies such as precision munitions, advance surveillance systems, and network-centricity.
One of the objectives of the exercise was to ensure infusion of latest technology with the weapons and troops while providing real-time information of the battle front to the field commanders. The exercise was held to help validate the Southern Command\'s war-fighting concepts based on the Integrated Theatre Concept, wherein the three Services participate as a single |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Presidential Fleet Review Indian Navy Showcases its Might IMR Report |
| India showcased its growing maritime might on 20 December, in all its three-dimensional power with potent warships, lethal submarines and maritime strike supersonic fighters, underlining its intent to safeguard its geo-political interests stretching from Hormuz Strait till Malacca Strait in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.
The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard are faced with a melange of geo-strategic challenges including tackling piracy on high seas, maintaining security of the sea-lanes of communication for cargo-laden ships to pass freely and warding off sea-borne terror attacks
President Pratibha Patil, who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, reviewed a fleet of 81 ships and 44 aircraft sailing in INS Subhadra off the coast of Mumbai . The review is conducted once in the tenure of a President to showcase the naval prowess and its strike capabilities.
Though the Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) held with much fanfarewas largely a ceremonial occasion, the strategic underpinning was all too clear. India does not want to be reduced to playing catch-up with China in IOR, in a repeat of New Delhi\'s ongoing belated attempts to counter Beijing\'s massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Project 75 (I) Navy\'s Submarine Plan Delayed |
| The Indian Navy\'s Project 75 for building six Scorpene submarines is plagued by delays. Scorpene deliveries have been delayed by five years because Mazagon Dock lacks adequate infrastructure. Delivery should have already begun, but the first of the lot will not be ready for induction before 2015. The final one is expected to be finished by 2020.
The submarine fleet is down to 14 from a peak of 16. Over the next few years five more subs will retire, but their replacements may not be inducted in time. This is bound to affect the operational effectiveness of the Indian Navy.
Now, there is further delay in the Project 75 (India) submarines which was to follow with foreign collaboration. The Navy began to think of replacement submarines back in 1999; the plan was to acquire the vessels in two streams. But while the P- 75 project (Scorpene) was chosen in 2005, the Ministry of Defence is likely to take another two or three years to decide on the P- 75I.
What this means is that for now, the Navy will have to make do with its ageing fleet comprising 10 Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW submarines. The government needs to rope in private sector shipyards to push through the projects urgently.
The Navy was counting on foreign help to master technologies such as missile launch capability and air independent propulsion (AIP), among others.
In the arrangement finalised by the defence ministry |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Naval Operations Demonstration |
| Southern Naval Command conducted a demonstration of its operational capabilities for the city of Kochi on 27 November, as part of the impending Navy day celebrations, to include the entire spectrum of operations within the limitations imposed by depth restrictions of the channel and other technical limitations.
The demonstration started with a fly past by various Navy aircraft including the giant Tu-142 from Chennai and an IL-38 from Goa. Thereafter, the marine Commandos carried out a simulated beach reconnaissance and assault. This was followed by a demonstration of water sports and the Indian Navy sky diving team swooping down from a Seaking helicopter.
In a demonstration of a VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seize) operation, the Commandos in fast rigid inflatable boats surrounded a simulated hostile vessel and overpowered it. The helicopter demonstrations included the Seaking helicopter flying past the crowd with an Ambassador car under slung, STIE (small team insertion and extraction) operation where commandos were dropped and withdrawn from a hostile area and helobatics by two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
A Chetak helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard demonstrated landing on the helicopter deck of the missile corvette - INS Karmuk- which was underway. The work horse of the Indian Navy - the Chetak helicopter - also demonstrated its versatile search and rescue capabilities. The Marine Commandos |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Looking for Modern Light Helicopters |
| The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has floated a global tender worth over $200 million to procure 16 light helicopters to be deployed on its warships for preventing any 26/11 type attack. A global Request for Proposal (RfP) for procuring the helicopters was issued on --- . Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky were asked to submit their bids by December 2011.
When the RFI was issued in August 2009, the ICG was looking to procure 14 twin engine helicopters for maritime surveillance, interdiction and SAR with an MTOW not exceeding 12,000 kilograms capable of stage through operations from its Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPVs) with an MTOW reduced to 10000 kilograms.
The RFI also sought to gather information pertaining to the integration of cabin mount guns, both for 7.62mm and 12.7mm (.50 cal) guns. In addition, information on the choppers capability to integrate 20/30mm guns is also sought.
According to the RFP, the Coast Guard wants these choppers to be equipped with surveillance devices to carry out search and rescue roles in coastal areas. The choppers will also have light and medium machine guns on board.
Deployment of the helicopters on offshore patrol vessels and other large-size ships of the Coast Guard will help in expanding its reach in the maritime zone to locate suspicious boats and other vessels.
The procurement is part of Coast Guard\'s efforts to enhance its capabilities to tackle terrorism and other threats emanating from the sea. To revamp the coastal security mechanism post 26/11, the government had sanctioned several fast-track acquisitions of equipment worth thousands |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Third Su-30 MKI Crash Since 1997 An IMR Report |
| A Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft crashed soon after taking off from the Lohegaon airbase on 13 December 2011. The two pilots, Wing Commander GS Sohal and Flight Lieutenant U Nautiyal, ejected safely. This was the third Sukhoi-30 crash since its induction in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1997. The multi-role fighters have had a good safety track-record.
The aircraft, which took off from the Lohegaon airbase on a routine mission, presumably developed a technical snag and crashed at Wade Bholai village, about 20 km from Pune.
The Su-30 MKI that crashed was manufactured in India under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with materials and parts provided by Russia. It had been flying for almost four years.
The crash forced the IAF to temporarily suspend flying of the country\'s advanced fighters till \"precautionary checks\'\' were carried out.
Though the IAF ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the exact reason behind the crash, what accentuated concerns was that preliminary reports held the mishap was due to \"technical problems\'\', possibly due to the failure of \"fly-by-wire (FBW) control system\'\'. There was no engine failure or flame-out. It appeared that the pilots lost the controls of the fighter, leaving them with no option but to eject.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Heli-Teli Project IAF Helicopters for Police Surveillance |
| Two Russian-origin Mi-17 1V helicopters with advanced FLIR (forward-looking infrared) imaging systems and CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors have been deployed at New Delhi and Mumbai to enable \"live streaming video footage\'\' from the scene of an incident to \"command and control centres\'\' on the ground. \'They are basically meant for reconnaissance and surveillance duties during crisis situations like terrorist strikes.
Under \"Project Heli-Teli\'\', the IAF have equipped the specialized helicopter to beam \"live\'\' the action on the ground in the event of \"terror strikes or urban warfare\'\'. Live aerial feeds would make it possible to launch swift and well-directed counter-measures to threats emerging on the ground. Heli-Teli concept is used by several police forces around the globe for airborne patrols, traffic and crowd control, car chases and the like. Indian police forces, however, are not as yet equipped with such technology to keep a hawk-eye on the cities or towns under their jurisdiction.
The Indian Heli-Teli Project is likely to be extended to other major cities in the future. The force, in fact, is already looking to acquire more imaging systems and sensors that can also be fitted on the smaller Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.
During the Commonwealth Games 2010 the IAF had deployed |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Nag Anti-Tank Missile New Seeker Successfully Tested An IMR Report |
| In a breakthrough in indigenous seeker technology for missiles, an RF (radio frequency) seeker, developed by scientists of Research Centre Imarat, was successfully flight-tested in the third generation hit-to-kill anti-tank Nag missile in the Army ranges at Ahmednagar in Rajasthan on 11 December. Research Centre Imarat (RCI) is one of the key laboratories of the DRDO\'s missile complex, Hyderabad.
While the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had so far developed Imaging Infra-red (IIR) seeker, this was the first time that a millimetric Wave (mmW) seeker, having all-weather capability, was tried for a 2,000 metre range in a successful mission.
Very few countries possess the technology to develop mmW seeker. This breakthrough for seeker capability would provide solutions for applications in surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles and air-to-surface missiles. It would also provide the technology base for changing to dual-mode seeker in future.
In the test-flight, the seeker\'s capability to track the target in a \'Lock-on-Before-Launch\' method, right from the missile\'s firing and throughout the trajectory, was successfully demonstrated. In future, the seeker would be used in a system in \'Lock-on-After-Launch\' mode for extension of the range.
|
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Indigenous Airborne Warning and Control System (AEW&C) Maiden Flight in Brazil |
| India is looking forward to join the league of countries capable of developing and delivering complex airborne system of systems. The first fully modified Aircraft for indigenously developed Indian Airborne Warning and Control System (AEW&C) took to skies on 6 December 2011, as part of its first maiden flight in Embraer facilities at Sao Jose dos Campos in Brazil with about 1000 mission system components provided by Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), a research laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). These included the critical item – AESA (Active Electronic Scanning Antenna) Radar Antenna developed by the DRDO and certified by ANAC, International FAR Certification Agency.
While this Aircraft will now undergo full certification process over next two year period, India will receive two aircrafts by middle of next year. Here, the Mission Systems developed by various DRDO laboratories will be integrated with these aircrafts. Currently, these systems are undergoing ground integration and evaluation at CABS (Centre for Airborne Systems), Bangalore.
Two of these systems will be delivered to IAF after detailed test and evaluation by end of 2013. Three aircraft together are expected to cost around Rs 1,800 crore ($385 million) total when fully equipped.
DRDO\'s platform of choice, the Embraer\'s ERJ-145, comes in several variants, including maritime surveillance and electronic intelligence planes. The most common variant, currently operated by Brazil and Greece, is the R-99 Erieye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, using the same Saab Erieye AESA radar that will be mounted on Pakistan\'s new Saab 2000 turboprop |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Lateral Induction of Retirees CAPFs to Take Ex-servicemen An IMR Report |
| Defence Minister AK Antony informed the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence on 15 December 2011, that Jawans who retire from the armed forces will have the option of joining Central Armed Police Forces, such as the CRPF and BSF among others. The Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed to fill 10 per cent of Group \'B\' posts up to the level of inspector in the Central paramilitary forces from ex-servicemen.
It will be like a lateral entry into the paramilitary forces. For long, it has been the opinion of the government that jawans retiring from the forces can be easily used there. The move to absorb them in paramilitary forces will allow optimum use of their talent and skills besides reducing the pension bill of the government.
Antony said that efforts were now being made to persuade public sector undertakings and the private sector to tap this reservoir of talented and disciplined ex-servicemen.
Nearly 60,000 armed forces personnel retire or are released from active service every year and there is a provision for reservation of 10 per cent in Group C and 20 per cent in Group D. The addition of this category would mean opening of the doors to ex-servicemen to work as sub-inspectors and above.
Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju said the Ministry |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Rajya Sabha Committee Report One Rank One Pension to Armed Forces Personnel |
| A petition by K. Sanjay Prabhu, of Bengaluru and others praying for grant of one rank one pension (OROP) to the armed forces personnel was admitted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 15 March, 2011 under the provisions of Chapter X of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States. It was referred to the Committee on Petitions for examination and report.
The Committee invited suggestions from interested individuals/organizations on the subject matter of the petition. More than 200 hundred memoranda were received by the Secretariat.
The Committee heard the petitioner and others, the Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (Ministry of Defence) and Secretaries, Department of Expenditure (Ministry of Finance) and Department of Pensions and Pensioner\'s Welfare (Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions).
The petitioners had contended that various associations/movements and other organizations of Ex-servicemen of the country\'s Armed Forces had time and again pleaded to the Government of India demanding for OROP in order to address the sense of hurt, injustice and dishonour in the armed forces and bring parity in the pensionary benefits for the retired personnel of Armed Forces. They submitted that prior to the Third Central Pay Commission, the pension of Armed Forces personnel was regulated by Pension Regulations exclusively keeping in view the peculiarity and gravity of the service conditions to which the soldier was subjected to in peace, and the danger to which he was exposed in war, the inevitable need to retire a soldier much earlier than the normal age of |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Ministry of Defence Year-end Review Milestones in Indian Defence – 2011 |
| Defence R&D Milestones : Agni-IV and Shourya missiles and Initial Operational Clearance for LCA (Tejas).
Capacity Building : C-130J, INS Satpura, Fleet Tanker Deepak and 3G Network for IAF.
Stepping Stones : New OTA in Gaya and foundation stone laying for Coast Guard Academy and Nirdesh Ship Building Institute.
Event of The Year : President\'s Fleet Review of the Indian Navy
Non-Event of The Year : Army Aviation helicopter strays across LOC and returns hours later
NEW WEAPONS
• 3,500 km range Agni-IV ballistic missile successfully launched on November 15, 2011.
• Sixth successful test launch of Agni-A1 Ballistic Missile from Wheeler Island on December 1, 2011 by the Armed Forces.
• Successful launch of Dhanush and Prithvi missiles by the Strategic Forces Command from Interim Test Range, Chandipur, Orissa and a warship |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Border Roads Hectic Construction in Progress |
| The Government of India has made a comprehensive road development programme to develop many new roads and widen the existing road network along the border states to meet the growing strategic and economic needs of the country. With economic liberalization, new proposals for strategic roads and important road links have been entrusted under National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) and other schemes due to which BRO workload has increased manifold. The organisation is facing new challenges and taking initiatives to meet the expectations of the road users and the funding agencies.
GREF Works
The development of road infrastructure, based on the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) programme, in the North, Western and North Eastern borders, to meet the strategic objectives of the country, is the first priority of the Organisation. GREF also undertakes various diversified infrastructure projects, with road construction and maintenance as |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
| Criticality of United Action Against Piracy Admiral Nirmal Verma |
| An International Seapower Symposium was held in New Port, Rhode Island, USA under the aegis of the US Naval War College . The theme of the 20th edition of the symposium was \"Security and Prosperity through Maritime Partnerships.\" More than 110 nations, with 75 heads of Navy and 22 heads of Coast Guard, attended the Symposium. Admiral Nirmal Verma addressed the symposium in its inaugural session on 19 October 2011.
Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy , Chiefs of Navies and Coast Guards present with us this morning, Admiral Christenson, President of the United States Naval War College- our gracious host, Flag Officers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is always wonderful to be back at the Alma-Mater. From what I remember, Newport weather has always had the reputation of a temperamental lover – warm, wonderful, or, chillingly cold –most definitely, almost always – delightfully unpredictable. Today has been wonderful so far and let us all share our optimism for the rest of the week!
At the outset, I would like to thank Admiral Jonathan Greenert and all the organisers of the International Sea Power Symposium for affording me the opportunity to speak to this august audience on a subject that has affected mariners since times immemorial and yet is very contemporary - maritime piracy.
The difference today is that piracy at sea which was previously primarily |
| |
......................................................................................................... |
|
