Thursday, January 31, 2019

IAF may crunch training for want of planes


The air force is heading into what could be a training crisis with all its plans to acquire new trainer aircraft hitting a roadblock and two indigenous programmes to develop basic and intermediate training planes missing critical internal deadlines.

The air force has painted a grim picture for its trainer aircraft fleet by pointing out that efforts to develop a basic trainer under the HTT 40 program is running five years behind schedule with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd unlikely to even be certified for flight by 2021 even if there are ‘no uncertainties in development testing’.

The air force currently relies of the Pilatus PC 7 turbo trainers for the first stage of training. While 75 of the aircraft were bought under an emergency purchase in 2012, a subsequent plan to acquire 38 more has been on hold as the Swiss manufacturer is facing a probe for alleged corruption in the deal.

The other indigenous program to develop an intermediate jet trainer (IJT) is delayed by over 14 years, with all efforts to prove the aircraft fit for service failing. HAL is believed to be entering into a consultancy with a US based firm to rectify the aircraft at a cost of Rs 90 cr.

Sources said that the redesign would take a long time, given that the aircraft would need to be certified again – a process that can take up to 5 years. The air force is meanwhile retiring its Kiran Mk 2 trainers that were used for intermediate training, given that the aircraft is past its service life. The Kiran Mk 2s were delivered in 1985.

On the third level of training, the air force is currently using the BAE Hawk jet trainers, 123 of which were ordered in 2004 for the air force and Navy. However, an air force projected request for 20 additional planes, along with a possible order for 12 new jets for the Navy has not been able to move forward.

The proposal has been rejected by the defence ministry that has contended that the commercial offer by HAL is much higher that what the planes were manufactured by it here earlier were priced at.

 economictimes

No changes in Tejas jet design: IAF Chief


Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa today countered critics, saying the Indian Air Force had not changed any specification of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and separately ruled out cutting down on the size of his force.

On Tejas, he said: “We have been giving concessions to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) but we will not get any concession from adversary in war.” The IAF was all for indigenisation but the LCA’s production commitment is delayed by over six years.

The IAF Chief was speaking at the opening of the two-day Sqn Leader KK ‘Jumbo’ Majumdar International Conference here. “The IAF has not shifted any goal posts as alleged. The development (of the Tejas) has taken such an incredibly long time that armament and technology has gone obsolete,” the IAF Chief said, slamming media reports that IAF was changing goalposts.

He said: “To encourage HAL in manufacturing the LCA, we have maintained the requirements of the first 20 LCA at standards issued in 1985.” Even though the Squadron was formed in June 2016, it is so equipped with only 10 aircraft.

The IAF Chief said: “Our policy envisages a progressive improvement in scale of indigenisation. Forty LCA Mark-I have been ordered and Request for Proposal has been issued for 83 LCA Mark-IA and will be procuring 12 Squadrons of LCA Mark-2 and then finally the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.” He cited the backlog with HAL due to long overhaul cycle of existing fleet of planes. “To overcome our production delays and the falling number of fighter jets, we had to make emergency purchases as such planes are needed to win the high-end fight.

He predicted that air power would remain a major player in future conflict. “Not only is superior air power needed to win a conflict, it’s required for deterrence too,” he said.


‘No cut in force size’ ::

- Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa ruled out cutting down on the size of his force
- “Some people suggest we need to reduce our manpower and put money in Capital Budget. There is no way we can cut our manpower to pay for our capital acquisitions,” he said
- Reeling out figures, he said the entire salary bill of the IAF is Rs 16,621 crore, while the capital expenditure is Rs 35,407 crore. “We need Rs 8,870 crore for fuel and maintenance,” he said

 tribuneindia

‘Fighting abilities affected’: IAF chief on force’s long association with HAL


The Indian Air Force’s efforts to support the state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has affected its fighting capabilities, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said on Friday.

IAF has only cooperated with HAL; “as a service; we have made concessions for HAL, but will the enemy make any concession for us when we face them in battle?” he questioned.

The air chief was delivering the 10th ‘Jumbo’ Majumdar International Conference at the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) in New Delhi and was responding to criticism about the IAF’s alleged dislike for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, the indigenous fighter made by HAL.

“IAF has not shifted any goal posts as alleged,” ACM Dhanoa said countering allegations that developments of the Tejas fighter suffered because the IAF changed specifications and requirements frequently. On the contrary, the IAF chief said, “We have maintained the Air Staff Quality Requirements (ASQR or specifications) of the first 20 LCA Mk-I at standards issued in 1985.” And even then HAL has been able to manufacture only “10 fighters”, he added.

A HAL spokesperson declined comment on the air chief’s comments which come at a time when the state-owned aircraft maker is in financial distress of some sort and also when it is in the middle of the controversy surrounding the government’s Rafale fighter deal.

A HAL official who spoke on condition of anonymity asked: “Doesn’t IAF allow concessions and modifications to foreign vendors? Concessions are also given to Defence Research Development Organisation and the Aeronautical Development Agency. Why is HAL being singled out?”

Putting HAL on the mat, ACMl Dhanoa said upgrading of one squadron of Jaguar deep strike bombers, nearly two squadrons of Su-30MKi, India’s mainstay fighters, and one squadron of Mirage-2000, a multi-role fighter , all work being done by the state-owned firm, was far behind schedule. “Additional production of Su-30 is delayed by over two years and LCA production commitment (has been delayed) by over six years,” he added.

In addition, the air chief said in its quest for indigenisation, IAF has lost as many as 17 personnel including test pilots and engineers in air accidents. These accidents happened when “testing and evaluation” of the indigenous platforms such as Marut fighters and Kiran trainers.

The National Democratic Alliance’s deal to buy 36 Rafale fighters in a government to government deal from France has become controversial. It replaces a deal by the previous government to buy 126 aircraft of which 108 were to be assembled in India by HAL. The government has said the old deal wasn’t viable. The opposition Congress and others have claimed the new deal is costlier than the old one, that due process wasn’t followed, and that the new deal was done to benefit Reliance Defence, an offset partner of Rafale maker Dassault. Reliance, Dassault and the government have denied this. The government has also said the prices are not comparable because the new deal also includes India-specific customisation and weapons. The Supreme Court recently said it believes due process was followed in the deal and that it wouldn’t go into the pricing of the deal, effectively giving the government a clean chit.

However, the controversy continues to rage on. In the course of this, HAL’s ability to manufacture aircraft has also been called into question.

The IAF chief also said that the force can’t cut down either expenditure or its workforce anymore. “The entire salary bill of the IAF is Rs.16621 crores, while our capital expenditure is Rs 35407 crores. We need Rs 8870 crores for fuel and maintenance.” He added: “There is no way we can cut our manpower to pay for our capital acquisitions.”

Explaining the high cost of operations, the IAF chief explained: “Manning of a Su-30 squadron is nearly twice that of a MiG-21 squadron and the cost of per hour operation is 3.5 times higher.”

 hindustantimes

Defence Ministry clears Rs 40,000 crore project to build six submarines, acquire 5,000 Milan 2T anti-tank guided missiles for Army





In a significant decision, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday cleared a proposal to indigenously build six submarines – in a move which is likely to further strengthen the country's defence apparatus.

According to news agency ANI, the project is likely to cost Rs 40,00o crore to the state exchequer.

The go-ahead to the project was given during a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is Defence Ministry's highest decision-making body on defence procurement.

The project will be implemented under the strategic partnership model which provides for roping in private firm to build select military platforms in India in partnership with foreign defence manufacturers, news agency PTI quoted government officials as saying.

During the DAC meeting, the MoD also cleared a proposal to acquire 5,000 Milan 2T anti-tank guided missiles for the Army.

The development comes in the wake of reports that the Defence Ministry is mulling a proposal for acquiring heavyweight torpedoes for the nuclear submarine INS Arihant.

It was also reported that the MoD was deliberating on building six Scorpene-class submarines for the Navy.

"A high-level meeting of the Defence Ministry is expected to discuss the proposal to acquire heavy-weight torpedoes for the INS Arihant nuclear submarine and the submarines of the Kalvari-class of the Indian Navy. The Kalvari class are originally the Scorpene submarines of France built in India at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL)," sources in the Navy had told ANI.

The Defence Ministry is also likely to take a call on the tender to be issued by the Navy for the heavyweight torpedos and also on the number to be acquired.

The Navy had issued a Request for Information more than a year ago and has been in discussion on the formalities with the vendors and the Defence Ministry's acquisition wing.

The DRDO is also developing a heavyweight torpedo as the next version of its light torpedoes for submarines and surface ships.

The proposal for acquisition of the torpedoes has been going on for more than 10 years now as an earlier proposal to acquire it from an Italian firm WASS was scrapped due to its alleged links with the scam-tainted AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica group of companies allegedly involved in the chopper scam.

The heavyweight torpedoes are the main weapons of any submarine operating under-water against both enemy submarines and surface warships.

At the moment, the Kalvari class and the INS Arihant are relying on the old torpedoes in the naval inventory for operations.

INS Arihant is the first indigenously-built and developed nuclear submarine of the Indian Navy, and the vessel completed its maiden operational deployment in the Indian Ocean Region a few months ago.

The strategic submarines are operated by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and as per plans, the Navy will have a fleet of at least five nuclear submarines which can carry long-range ballistic missiles.

The Navy has already inducted one of the Kalvari class boats and is expected to induct the remaining five in the next four years.

 zeenews

Indian Air Force Seeks 18 Additional Sukhoi-30MKI Fighters From Russia; To Be Built At HAL’s Nashik Facility


In a bid to plug the shortfall of fighter aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF), India has asked Russia to help build another squadron of Sukhoi-30MKI (Su-30MKI) fighter jets in India, reports Business Standard. HAL Nashik is already manufacturing 222 of the fighters as part of an existing contract under a Russian license.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approached Russia to supply HAL with the necessary raw materials and sub-systems required to produce 18 more Sukhois.
Production of the additional Sukhoi squadron can be initiated as early as next year. The IAF could have to shell out approximately Rs 5,850 crore for 18 extra fighters considering the current rate of Rs 450 crore per unit.
If the latest request for additional fighters is approved by the Russians, the IAF will eventually end up with a total of 14 Sukhoi squadrons, a total of 290 fighters.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI deal has been a ‘Make in India’ success story even prior to the formal launch of the programme; the Sukhoi-HAL contract was based on an arrangement to incrementally shift production of the fighter to Nashik in four phases.
However, several constraints, including raw material sourcing issues, have kept the indigenisation of the fighter’s manufacturing to just over 50 per cent.
India first purchased the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI in 1996, and since then the aircraft has received constant upgrades. Russia incorporated canards and a thrust-vectoring engine into the aircraft at the instance of the IAF, which demanded improved aerodynamic performance.
In 2014, HAL was able to integrate the BrahMos air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) onto the fighter, enabling it to target enemies up to 295 km away.

 swarajyamag

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

India to buy 2 more AWACS worth Rs 5.7k crore from Israel


Highlights
  • India is finally close to approving the over $800 million (around Rs 5,700 crore) deal for two more “Phalcon” airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Israel
  • Armed forces are also looking to induct additional “Heron” surveillance and armed drones as well as “Harop” killer unmanned aerial vehicles
India is finally close to approving the over $800 million (around Rs 5,700 crore) deal for two more “Phalcon” airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Israel, which comes soon after it inked a Rs 4,577 crore contract for air defence radars with the Jewish state.

Reinforcing Israel’s status as one of the top arms suppliers to India, the armed forces are also looking to induct additional “Heron” surveillance and armed drones as well as “Harop” killer unmanned aerial vehicles, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy radars and other targets, from the country.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keen to visit India in mid-February, Tel Aviv is also pushing for a renewed deal for the “Spike” anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). This comes after India in late-2017 cancelled a proposed Rs 3,200 crore deal for 8,356 medium-range Spike missiles, 321 launchers and 15 simulators after DRDO said it could deliver a more technologically advanced man-portable ATGM within a couple of years, as was reported earlier by TOI.

In another mega contract worth an estimated Rs 12,640 crore, Israeli firm Elbit Systems is also competing with Nexter Systems of France for suppling India with 400 towed 155mm artillery gun systems, which is to be followed by another 1,180 such guns to be made in India.

But that is in the future. For now, India recently inked the Rs 4,577 crore deal with Israeli Aerospace Industries for 66 fire control radars, with maintenance transfer of technology. These 3-D surveillance and tracking radars will replace the aging Flycatcher radar systems present with the Army’s Air Defence Corps.

Then, IAF’s long-pending quest to induct two more AWACS, with Israeli Phalcon early-warning radar systems mounted on Russian Ilyushin-76 heavy-lift aircraft, is now being examined afresh by the finance ministry after being cleared by the defence ministry. “The Cabinet Committee on Security, of course, will have to give the final nod,” said a source.

IAF had inducted the first three Phalcon AWACS in 2009-2011 under a $1.1 billion deal inked by India, Israel and Russia in 2004. But the finance ministry had objected to “the high costs” involved in the new deal for two more AWACS, which have now been “brought down” through extensive negotiations, said sources.

Considered potent “eyes in the sky”, AWACS can detect and track incoming fighters, cruise missiles and drones much before ground-based radars as well as direct friendly fighters during air combat with enemy jets.

But India has lagged in this crucial sector. Compared to its three Phalcon AWACS and two indigenous “Netra” mini-AWACS, China has around 30 such systems, including Kong Jing-2000 “Mainring”, KJ-200 “Moth” and KJ-500 aircraft. Pakistan, in turn, has eight Chinese Karakoram Eagle ZDK-03 AWACS and Swedish Saab-2000 AEW&C, and is on course to get more from China.

 timesofindia

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

India Hunts for Night Sights for Detecting Enemy Tanks 1000m Away in the Dark


Over the last two years, the Indian Army has started to strengthen the infantry’s night fighting capabilities by issuing a tender worth around $1 billion for the purchase of thermal imagers for rifles, machine guns, recoilless rifles/rocket launchers, handheld devices and others.

The Indian Defence Ministry is set to purchase 3,500 night sights for 84mm Carl Gustaf rocket launchers that can detect hostile tanks at a minimum distance of around 1000 metres.

The first interaction with interested vendors has been scheduled for 1 February, before a formal tender is floated in May 2019. The 84mm Carl Gustaf rocket launcher is the Indian Army's standard anti-tank weapon authorized to each infantry platoon. Its effective range varies from 500 to 800 metres.

"The Uncooled Thermal Imaging Sight so desired by the infantry should be a lightweight and ruggedized device to enable accurate engagement of vehicle and human target by use of 84mm rocket launcher at night/hours of darkness/poor visibility", the request for information issued by the Indian Army reads.

The Carl Gustaf rocket launcher has been a crucial part of the Indian Army's inventory since 1974 and it has been used to destroy enemy posts along the western border. The launcher was also used by India's special forces during the much-touted surgical strike on terrorist camps inside Pakistan in 2016. India's Ordnance Factories are currently producing the latest version of the rocket launcher.

"Since modern tanks now have night fighting capability, the movement of mechanized forces (tanks and infantry combat vehicles) will be more and more during the night. To overcome this lacuna in the anti-tank capability of front line units i.e. infantry deployed or moving ahead night fighting capability is required for anti-tank weapons", Brigadier Rumel Dahiya (retired), a defense analyst, told Sputnik.

The Indian Army also wants the night sights to be capable of facilitating the firing of other in-service ammunition, such as 84mm high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) 551 rockets, high-explosive armor penetrating rockets, as well as smoke and illumination shells.

In the past, India has imported thermal imaging (TI) sights for T-72 tanks from Poland. These are also available in some other countries like France, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, USA etc.

 sputniknews

Eyeing major arms deals, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu plans to visit India next month


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning another visit to India to further strengthen its defence ties. As per the initial media reports, Netanyahu could plan an official trip in the second week of February with arms deal dominating the agenda between two countries. Interestingly, Netanyahu became just the second Israeli prime minister to visit India a year ago, after Ariel Sharon who had visited way back in 2003.

Recently, the Isreali National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat visited India and paid a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moreover, Netanyahu also called Modi over the telephone to plan a second meeting. India has shown its interest in the additional security deal with the Israeli arms industry.

Apart from meeting Prime Minister Modi, Ben-Shabbat also met Ajit Doval, director general of the defence ministry and national security adviser and chiefs of tri-services. Stating the meeting with Ben-Shabbat a healthy development between two nations, the Prime Minister's Bureau said that the meeting witnessed "discussions regarding relations between the two countries, promoting security deals, as well as agreements on additional actions to promote security, technological and socio-economical cooperation between Israel and India."

Israel is one of the largest sources of defence equipment for India. Arms trade between the two nations is expected to reach over $6 billion in the coming years. Israel won the largest defence contract in its history from India last year to supply Indian Army and Navy with missile defence systems, a deal worth USD 2 billion. In the recent times, India has purchased Barak I missiles, 3 phalcon AWACS, and Israeli spike anti-tank missiles from Israel. Moreover, Israel is developing Barak 8 missile for Indian Navy and Air force and also plans to purchase 2 more phalcon AWACS are in progress.

Notably, during his last visit to India, Netanyahu had signed a deal to provide India, anti-tank Spike missiles from the Rafael company. As per the data available with the security export wing of the Defence Ministry of Israel for the year 2017, 58 per cent of Israeli arms exports goes out to Asian and Pacific countries in which India was a major buyer of these arms.

On January 29, the two countries celebrated 27 years of diplomatic relations. Ever since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1992 there has cooperation in areas including defence and homeland security, to agriculture and water management, and now education and even outer space.

 ibtimes

China outreach to Bhutan poses fresh challenge to India


As China seeks to intensify engagement with Bhutan, a country it does not have diplomatic relations with, Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui is visiting Thimphu again, starting Tuesday.

China’s Bhutan outreach poses a significant foreign policy challenge for India in the neighbourhood, not least because the new government in Thimphu is likely to look at Beijing more and more as a potential partner in its efforts to diversify its economy.

Luo will be accompanied by a cultural delegation from China which will perform on the occasion of the Chinese Spring Festival.

Bhutan’s new government headed by PM Lotay Tshering of the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) party wants to reduce the mountainous country’s excessive reliance on hydropower which it exports to India. In its election manifesto, the DNT had mentioned the fact that India's share of trade with Bhutan accounted for 80 per cent of Bhutan's total trade.

“We acknowledge the central role of hydropower sector in our economy, however, since it is a climate sensitive sector and considering possible geo-climatic hazards in future, it would be unwise to hinge the country’s economy solely on a single sector,” the DNT manifesto had said, adding that hydropower offered limited employment opportunities to the youth.

China was quick to have sensed an opening last year in terms of more trade opportunities when in July, just before Bhutan’s National Assembly was dissolved, not just Luo but also China's vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou visited Thimphu. Kong had discussed the boundary issue with Bhutan leaders then and also invited Bhutan to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and share China’s “development dividend”. Bhutan is the only Indian neighbour to have resisted the temptation so far to join BRI.

During Tshering's visit to India last month, his first overseas as PM, his counterpart Narendra Modi had announced that India will provide grant assistance of Rs 4500 crore for Bhutan’s 12th Five Year Plan, and a transitional Trade Support Facility of Rs 400 Crore over a period of five years to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages. Tshering had also invited Modi to Bhutan, but the Indian PM is yet to undertake that visit.

India though has to remain mindful of how China’s engagement with Bhutan plays out in the territorial and boundary domain. India’s own ties with China have improved remarkably since the 2017 Doklam dispute with Luo himself declaring that Sino-Indian ties are currently passing through one of the best phases in history.

 timesofindia

Kanpur ordnance unit to supply guns to Army Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/67736252.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst


Under PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, Field Gun Factory and Ordnance Factory Kanpur is all set to roll out an indigenously-designed towed 155 mm/ 45 caliber towed artillery gun ‘Sharang’ to bolster Indian Army’s attacking prowess.

‘Sharang’ will be an answer to the Soltam guns manufactured in Israel for its defence forces. The gun has been successfully upgraded from its earlier version of 130 mm to 155 mm capability. “The upgradation, involving the changing of barrel, would mean an increase in the range of the field gun from 27 km to 38 km,” said general manager, Field Gun Factory, Shailendra Nath adding that ‘Sharang’ is cent per cent indigenous.

“This gun, with a maximum range exceeding 38 km, has proved to be accurate, reliable, and simple to operate and maintain during testing. ‘Sharang’ is designed for operations in all terrains and climatic conditions, and using all existing standard 155-mm ammunition,” he said.

‘Sharang’ emerged as the winning bid during a procurement drive of the Centre after which it was tested at The Proof and Experimental Establishment, a DRDO laboratory in Balasore on January 17, 2019.

 timesofindia

Even after Rafale and other inductions, IAF will have only half of 42-squadron target by 2042


Hemmed in by an ageing fleet of fighter aircraft, low serviceability and a cautious bureaucracy and political leadership, the Indian Air Force is staring at an alarming fall in its muscle.

To make matters worse, even as one squadron after another of the MiG-21s and -27s continue to be phased out, the IAF is being stymied by the slow progress of upgradation work on its existing fleet of Jaguars and Mirage aircraft by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The situation is so bleak that according IAF projections, even if all existing orders for 36 Rafale, six squadrons of Tejas (including Tejas Mark 1A) and two more squadrons of Su30 MKI are taken into account, the squadron strength will reduce to 27 by 2032 and a mere 19 by 2042.

The IAF has a squadron strength of 30 at present.


Target won’t be met even if all goes to plan ::

Even in the best case scenario, sources said, the IAF will not reach its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons by 2042. That is if the force takes into account the Tejas Mark 2, the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and 114 fighter aircraft for which a Request For Proposal (RFP) is still awaited.

The sources said that even if one assumes that all the three futuristic aircraft are inducted as planned, the squadron strength will still only be 37 by 2042. The last time the IAF had 42 squadrons was way back in 2002.

Another concern is the low serviceability of the fighter aircraft. While it is a fact that during Exercise Gagan Shakti last year, the IAF managed to get some impressive numbers, the figures at other times are abysmally poor.

For example, the serviceability ratio of the country’s frontline fighter aircraft is only around 58 per cent. This means that if there are 100 aircraft, only 58 are available for flying at a time with the others in service and maintenance.

This has been a major concern and hence the deal for the 36 Rafale fighter jets comes with a performance-based logistics pact, under which at least 75 per cent of the Rafale aircraft will have to be available for flying at any point of time.


The HAL delays ::

A major troubling aspect is the series of delays by HAL when it comes to its upgradation programmes for the force. The IAF had even written to the government last year detailing the delays.

For instance, HAL was tasked with upgrading 47 Mirage 2000 aircraft, tasked with delivery of nuclear payload, on 29 July, 2011, at a cost of Rs 2,020 crore. The final operating capability (FOC) was scheduled to be completed by July 2017 but was it completed only by March 2018. HAL has revised the contracted production schedule thrice.

So far, HAL has upgraded only six aircraft against a contracted schedule of 21 aircraft, the IAF note says.

It is a similar story with the Jaguar Darin-III upgrade. In December 2009, HAL was handed the contract for upgrade of 61 deep penetration strike Jaguar Darin-I aircraft to Darin-III standard at a cost of Rs 3,113 crore.

The completion date of development activities and series upgrade of all 61 aircraft was December 2017. So far, however, no aircraft has been delivered to the IAF. The series upgrade is now expected to be completed by 2023-24, a delay of six years, the IAF has said.

Another concern is the go-slow approach when it comes to the RFP for the 114 fighter aircraft, especially in the wake of the Rafale contract controversy.

Following the signing of the deal for 36 Rafales, the government and the IAF were working on bringing out a tender for single-engine fighter aircraft, keeping the cost in mind.

The defence ministry, however, sprang a surprise by questioning the need for a single-engine foreign fighter when the indigenous LCA programme was on. This caused the IAF to retune itself and bring out an RFP in April, which did not limit it to single-engine fighters.

Industry experts wonder how this will play out, because one of the primary factors for the selection of aircraft will be cost, besides technical parameters.

 theprint

Democracies, including India, should support Sindh, Balochistan: Ex-Pak diplomat Hussain Haqqani


All democratic countries should support the rights of the people of Sindh and Balochistan, former Pakistan diplomat Hussain Haqqani said on Friday. Speaking on South Asia with former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and economist Prasenjit Basu at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival, Haqqani said India was no exception to this. The former Ambassador of Pakistan to the US and Sri Lanka has been a vocal critique of the state and military.

Speaking on the recently elected Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Haqqani said, “Imran Khan is the creation of military. He has been in politics for the last 30 years and I don’t think he will quit too early.”

He added, “Nawaz Sharif had wide support in spite of being a Punjabi. Maybe Imran Khan would have the same support for confronting the military, but I don’t see him confronting it right now. I don’t think Imran Khan would confront the military.”

Speaking on the future of Pakistan, Hussain Haqqani said, “As far as the future of Pakistan in concerned, I deliberately talk about the future of South Asia because the future as a whole is much better together.” Responding to a question on whether Pakistan was a poorly imagined country, Haqqani said, “Pakistan is a reality now. The focus should be on finding commonality rather than looking out for what divides us.”

Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Advisor to the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was also present as one of the panelists. He spoke about India’s role in South Asia. Menon also advocated for more trade with Pakistan and collaboration of universities to find common problems marring agriculture.

On the Indo-Pakistan relations, Menon advocated a change in the mindset of Indians. He said, “I want the future generation to overcome the hatred and culture that exists between India and Pakistan”. He added that Indian should be able to see the neighbour as a neighbour. There should be more of bridge building and breaking walls.

The focus of the talks was on peace building and more trade in South Asia. On the Kartarpur corridor, which has been recently opened for Sikh pilgrimage to Pakistan, Shivshankar Menon said there should be more travel between India and Pakistan.

 thestatesman

Monday, January 28, 2019

Rafale hangar work hit over pending dues


Construction of hangars for the Rafale fighter jets will be affected if the Defence Ministry does not clear pending dues of ₹2,000 crore, the Military Engineer Services Builders Association of India warned on Monday. The first batch of the jets are scheduled to arrive in September.

“We are making the hangars in Ambala and Hasimara. In the past seven or eight months, the work has slowed down, and in the past two or three months, it has stopped because of a shortage of funds,” Praveen Mahana, president of the association, said at a press conference. “We have been continuing work by taking loans. Now banks are refusing loans.” He said the work was about 40-50% complete, and the project was scheduled to be completed by April or May.

The association, which has nearly 20,000 contractors and employs 50 lakh labourers, functions under the MES and is responsible for construction and maintenance of critical infrastructure such as boundary walls, ammunition dumps, missile sheds, runways and helipads for the three services in forward areas.

The association’s members said payments had been delayed over past few years and totalled ₹1,600 crore as on December 2016. There was little respite despite the issue being raised at different levels — the Engineer-in-Chief of the MES, the Defence Ministry, and the Prime Minister’s Office. After some small payments in between, the dues now stood at approximately ₹2,000 crore.

Last year, before Deepavali, the association members met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who promised to release some funds. Only ₹250 crore was released, of which a lion’s share went to two major projects under the Southern Command, said Azeeaulla Khan, senior vice-president of the association. Its members staged a tools-down strike on December 3 and 4.

On January 16, the Engineer-in-Chief conveyed that ₹250 crore would be released in the next few days. “But on January 18, we were told that the funds were diverted to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.,” Mr. Khan said.

Mr. Mahana said that if they did not receive payment in the next 15 days, they would be forced to stop all essential work across the country and would stage a protest outside Parliament.

 thehindu

16-year-old Ahmedabad boy develops drone that can destroy landmines without human risk


A 16-year-old boy from Gujarat has invented a drone named ‘EAGLE A7’ which he claims can detect and destroy landmines without any human risk. According to Harshwardhansinh Zala, the designer of the drone, this technology is not available anywhere else.

“This tech is not available anywhere else. It has multi-spectral land mine detection technology which can detect mines,” Zala, told ANI about his invention.

Zala has also received many offers from abroad, however, he wishes to help the armed forces through his tech. “I’ve received many offers to go and work abroad but it is my wish to develop this drone and deploy it to serve the Indian Army and CRPF, to save our jawans from being martyred,” he said.

Moreover, flying drones or remotely-piloted aircraft have become legal in India starting from December 1, 2018, with the National Drones Policy drafted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation coming into effect. The policy called “Drone Regulations 1.0” clarifies where, when and how drones can operate within India. The aviation regulator, DGCA, has designed five different categories of drones as Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, and Large.

Under this new policy, Nano drones which weigh less than 250 grams or equal doesn’t need registration or license. However, drones belonging to the remaining categories will need to be registered on the Digital Sky portal, following which a Unique Identification Number (UIN) or Unmanned Aircraft Operator’s Permit (UAOP) will be issued by the DGCA.

 financialexpress

Under fire for ignoring HAL, govt diverts Rs 200 crore meant for MES builders to HAL


Under political fire for overlooking the interests of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in favour of a private defence player, the Narendra Modi government is said to have diverted approximately Rs 200 crore of funds allocated for payment of dues to developers of military-grade infrastructure towards the Bengaluru-based state giant earlier this month.

The decision to divert funds meant for private military contractors to HAL has created resentment among the military builders across the country, who are now threatening to stop operations due to shortage of funds and non-payment of dues to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.

The Military Engineering Service (MES) Builder Association of India (BAI) said at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday that the Union Defence Ministry owes them an approximate Rs 2,000 crore in non-payment of dues. MESBAI looks after the basic infrastructure requirements of all the three wings of the armed forces, besides being involved in maintenance and operations. They also construct runaways and hangars at the IAF bases among other crucial responsibilities entrusted upon them.

The only recognised association under the Ministry of Defence, MESBAI boasts of 10,000 private contractors, collectively employing three lakh staff and 15-20 lakh labourers in the country.

“We have been facing the problem of non-payment of legitimate dues for the last three years. We have been making constant efforts to draw the attention of the government on this issue,” Praveen Mahana, the President of MESBAI, told mediapersons at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday.

“Due to scarcity of the funds, our members are paying to their workers by taking loans and they also buying materials from the market on credit by paying higher cost to keep continue the work. If the amount of Rs. 2,000 Crore is not released soon and the payment is made to the contractors, then they will be compelled to stop all the ongoing construction works, maintenance and operation works for all the wings of Armed Forces,” added Mahana.

MESBAI’s vice-president Azeezulla Khan said that earlier this month, MESBAI was assured of a payment of Rs 230 crore towards fulfilment of their dues, but it didn’t go through the last minute.

“We were happy to know that some of our dues had been cleared on Jan 16. But a few days later, we were informed by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Armed Forces that the funds had been diverted to HAL, since it needed the money more than us,” he says.

“If contractors are not paid soon, thousands of construction workers and due to this the basic infrastructure of armed forces, will be badly affected,” Khan added.

Balbir Singh Vij, the general secretary of the Association, says that repeated assurances from the Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and other officials from the government haven’t been fulfilled yet.

“The defence minister had assured us in person on October 26, 2018, that our funds would be released before Diwali. However, only Rs 250 crore of the total liability was cleared then,” says Vij, adding that they had called off a “tools down” strike scheduled for Oct 29-30 after meeting the Raksha Mantri.The military builders’ association says that the situation is so serious now that they may be forced to stop developments works of "national security” grade infrastructure in coming days if their bills remain unsettled.

The association says that they are also involved in the construction of hangars for Rafale fighter jets at the Indian Air Force bases in Ambala (Punjab) and Hasimara (West Bengal).

“Over the last four to six months, the development there has been going on at snail’s pace. More or less, the activity has come to a standstill since we don’t have the funds to pay to the contractors, who have significantly cut down on their labour,” says Mahana.

“Where would they park the Rafale aircraft, which the government has been selling off as a deal important to national security whenever they are questioned,” the association’s president asks.

Press Trust of India (PTI) reported in July last year that Rs 220 crore had been sanctioned for setting-up hangars, shelters and maintenance facilities at the Ambala air base, where 18 of the total 36 ordered Rafale jets are supposed to be stationed. The remaining 18 fighter jets will be stationed at Hasimara air base in West Bengal. The first batch of jets from the order will reach India by September 2019.

 nationalheraldindia

India to Build Advanced Repair Facility for Scorpene-Class Submarines - Source


Six Scorpene-class submarines are being manufactured at India's Mazgaon Dock Limited facility with the technical support of French naval shipbuilding firm Naval Group, previously known as DCNS. All six submarines are expected to join the Indian Navy by 2022.

With six Scorpene-class submarines expected to join the Indian Navy in the next four years, the country's defence ministry has pushed forward plans to build an advanced repair facility.

The ministry has signed a contract worth $57.59 million with French firm Thales to set up a repair facility at a port off the eastern coast, an Indian Defence Ministry official told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity.

"The ministry signed a contract for setting up an advanced level repair facility for the underwater surveillance system, electronic support measures and external communication system for Scorpene (P-75) submarine for Indian Navy with Thales DMS France," the official said.

Another official told Sputnik that the repair facility will assist in the repair of six Scorpene-class submarines, without delay. The Indian government is also seeking to ensure that the French firm trains Indian technicians working in the repair facility, while promptly making the equipment for repair work available to them.
The Scorpene-class submarines are being manufactured at the Mazgaon Dock Limited facility with technical support from French naval shipbuilding firm Naval Group, earlier known as DCNS. The first boat was scheduled to enter service in 2012, seven years after signing the deal, but India's MDL shipbuilder could deliver the submarine only as early as December 2017.

The two other Scorpene-class submarines are now set to join the Indian Navy in 2019. Subsequently, every year after 2019, one submarine is going to be delivered to the Indian Navy, with the last one entering service in 2022.

By 2022, the Indian Navy expects at least 18 submarines to be in its service, of which eight will be indigenous.

 sputniknews

HAL’s 83 LCA Tejas proposal non-compliant with tender requirements, IAF to take matter to Defence Ministry


In the already long-delayed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas fighter programme, the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) proposal for supplying 83 jets to the Air Force has been repeatedly found non-compliant with its requirements and the matter would now be taken to the Defence Ministry for deciding the future course of action, top IAF officials said.

The IAF had issued a single vendor tender to HAL in December 2017 and HAL submitted its first technical and commercial response to it in March 2018.

“There were three major defects in their response to the RFP. The PSU offer on price and other aspects was valid only for 12 months whereas the procurement procedure mandates it to be minimum 18 months and the delivery schedule offered by the HAL was not in compliance with our requirements,” top IAF officials told ANI.

“The endurance levels or the amount of time for which the aircraft can fly have also not been found to be very optimal. We had told the HAL that the ferry range of the aircraft was not compliant with requirements put in the tender by us,” the officials said.

The top commanders of the force during their commanders’ conference in October last year had told HAL to rectify the problems in the tender proposal and get back with the right response.

However, the IAF officials said it received two responses in last 15 days but the responses are still not in line with its requirements.

“A fresh delivery schedule was submitted on January 16, 2019 while on January 22, HAL submitted that the ferry range of the aircraft is in compliance with RFP requirements. The Technical Evaluation Committee report has been finalised and the delivery schedule now proposed by HAL, however, remains a non-compliance, for which the IAF is approaching Defence Acquisition Council,” they said.

IAF officials said programme had got delayed by more than a year after the acceptance of necessity accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the Rs 50,000 crore programme in November 2016.

“The negotiations for the terms of the plan between HAL and MoD acquisition continued for more than a year as a result of which the AON was revalidated twice that led to a delay in subsequent issue of RFP. The delay was primarily because of the delay in resolving the delivery linked payment terms,” the officials said.

Officials said the case for procurement had to be taken two times more to the DAC, after initial sanction, by the government as the sanction for a programme is valid only for six months.

The Air Force has already placed an order for 40 LCA jets and has issued a tender to the HAL for another 83 Mark 1A LCAs to replace its vintage fleet of MiG-21 and MiG 27 planes but has had to postpone their phasing out in view of the delays in the LCA and other fighter aircraft procurement projects.

 newindianexpress

Sunday, January 27, 2019

India is Building a Deadly Force of Nuclear-Missile Submarines


On November 4, 2018, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the Arihant, the Indian Navy’s first domestically-built nuclear-powered submarine, completed her first deterrence patrol. The Arihant, which means “Slayer of Enemies” in Sanskrit, uses a uranium-fueled pressurized light-water reactor to generate 83-megawatts of electricity, allowing the submarine to swim underwater for months at a time at speeds as high as twenty-four knots.

Even more important than the Arihant’s propulsion system, however, are the weapons presumably stowed in her four vertical launch tubes: up to a dozen K-15 Sagarika (“Oceanic”) nuclear-tipped missiles designed to launch from underwater to annihilate an adversary’s cities and military bases. (Note that the warheads are usually stowed separately from the missiles per Indian doctrine.)

The Arihant is the lead-ship of India’s most expensive defense program ever, valued at $13 billion, with its origins in the secretive Advanced Tactical Vessel program in the 1990s. Indian engineers received substantial Russian assistance designing the Arihant, basing her in part on the Russian Akula-class attack submarine, one of the quietest types operated by the Russian Navy. The Indian Navy’s only other operational nuclear-submarine is the Akula-class Chakra II under lease from Russia through 2022.

However, instead of developing an attack sub for hunting enemy warships and submarines, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) wanted a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN or “boomer”) to complement India’s land- and air-based nuclear forces . Because nuclear-powered submarines can remain submerged for months at a time and deliver their weapons from underwater, they are considered the asset most likely to survive a nuclear “first strike” by an adversary, guaranteeing an apocalyptic second strike in retaliation.

The Arihant was launched in 2009 but underwent seven years of testing and sea trials before finally being discreetly commissioned in August 2016. However, just four months later, a hatch left open in port caused the 6,500-ton submarine to flood with corrosive saltwater. Because of the bizarre mistake, the Indian Navy was forced to delay deployment for 10 months to replace the submarine’s pipes.

Even with completion of Arihant’s first patrol, however, India’s sea-based nuclear deterrence will require years more of work before it becomes fully credible.

To start with, the Arihant’s ten-meter long K-15 missiles have a range of only around 430 miles, meaning that they cannot strike inland Pakistani targets, including the capital Islamabad. Nor could K-15s hit Chinese cities when launched from the Indian Ocean.

The DRDO has developed a twelve-meter tall K-4 Shaurya SLBM with a range of 2,100 miles that is due to enter service in the early 2020s. Though the Arihant successfully test-fired a K-4 in 2016 , technical problems reportedly scrubbed a later test in 2017.

Once the K-4 enters service, the Arihant will finally be able to serve as deterrence against both Pakistan and China. However, the Arihant, which remains in many respects a testbed, can only carry four K-4s—a fraction of the payload carried by most SSBNs around the world.

The Indian Navy will also need more than one SSBN so that at least a few can rotate on patrols, while others undergo repairs or are used for training. Redundancy is also necessary so that the loss of a single boat—whether to enemy action, accidents at sea, or absent-minded maintenance—doesn’t cripple India’s sea-based deterrence.

Towards this end, India has already launched a second Arihant-class submarine, the Arighat, which is expected to be commissioned between 2019-2021. The Arighat has a more powerful reactor and can carry twice the payload: twenty-four K-15 missiles or eight K-4s.


Additionally, the Indian Navy has already begun construction of two to four more Arihant-class boats of progressively larger configurations—dubbed the S4 and S4*—and carry 3,000-mile-range K-5 missiles. By the mid-2020s, the DRDO then plans to begin construction of four larger and more advanced S5 ballistic missile submarines which displace 15,000 tons and are armed with twelve-sixteen launch tubes that can fire K-6 ballistic missiles. These will have a range of 3,700 miles and separate into multiple independent nuclear warheads (MIRVs) when reentering the atmosphere.

The DRDO also intends to apply experience developing the Arihant towards building six Chakra-III nuclear-powered attack submarines. Reportedly, New Delhi’s decision to pursue the 60,000 crore ($8.4 billion) program was prompted by the 2013 patrol of a Chinese Shang-class nuclear submarine in the Indian Ocean. With a speed of thirty knots and indefinite underwater endurance, the Shang-class could potentially hunt down the slower Arihant-class, which has torpedoes for self-defense but is not optimized for such a fight.

However, devising more powerful nuclear reactors remains a stumbling block impeding development of both the S5 SSBN and Chakra III. The former reportedly may require a 190-MW reactor.

By 2022, the Indian Navy will complete a nuclear submarine base called INS Varsha, located on the central-eastern coast of India, southwest of the shipyard at Visakhapatnam. Theoretically, India’s boomers will depart from there on long, quiet patrols within the “bastion” of the eastern Indian Ocean, with friendly air and naval forces close at hand to ward away hostile sub-hunters. The submerged subs would only launch their doomsday weapons upon receiving orders transmitted via extremely-high-frequency radio from a national command authority.

Despite the many milestones ahead for India to bring its SSBN force to maturity, the Indian Navy may possess the missiles and boats to maintain credible submarine nuclear-deterrence by the mid-2020s.

Does this make the world a more dangerous place? India, China and Pakistan between them have a population of 2.92 billion people—nearly 39 percent of all human beings on the planet. A nuclear conflict could easily claim tens, or hundreds of millions of lives.

Fortunately, despite long-running tensions over their Himalayan borders, New Delhi and Beijing both maintain a No-First-Use policy. This means their militaries are authorized only employ their nuclear arsenals in retaliation for an adversary’s nuclear strike. If both states stick to that policy, neither will deploy nuclear weapons against the other.

Of course, adherence to principle is hardly guaranteed in an anarchic international system, particularly if a country believes it is facing an existential threat. Nonetheless, the No-First-Use doctrine profoundly impacts how India and China’s nuclear forces are equipped, trained and organized—as well as how their respective governments signal to each other internationally.

Pakistan, which is allied with China, is a destabilizing factor: it has dispersed dozens of lower-yield tactical nuclear weapons to its forward military units, and claims it is willing to employ them in response to a non-nuclear attack. Unfortunately, simulations suggested that tactical nuclear attacks on battlefield targets are likely to initiate a tit-for-tat exchanges escalating to horrifying strategic attacks targeting enemy populations. Pakistan is also developing a submarine-based nuclear deterrent using simpler diesel electric submarine that can launch nuclear-tipped Babar cruise missiles .

As China is also developing a nuclear-capable stealth bomber , the world’s two most populous nations will soon likely boast full nuclear deterrence triads on air, sea, and land. Hopefully, the destructiveness of those capabilities will serve to make resorting to nuclear arms an even more unattractive option for resolving disputes, because the outcome of a regional nuclear exchange is horrifying to contemplate.

 nationalinterest

India plans to acquire 15 combat drones that can crash into high-value enemy military targets: Report


In a bid to enhance its unmanned warfare capability, the Indian Air Force is planning to acquire around 15 more HAROP attack drones which can crash into high-value enemy military targets to destroy them completely.

The Air Force already has an inventory of these drones which are equipped with electro-optical sensors to loiter over high-value military targets such as surveillance bases and radar stations before exploding them.

“A proposal to acquire these attack drones is expected to be discussed by the Defence Ministry at a high-level meeting in the coming week to strengthen the fleet of such drones in the Air Force,” Defence sources told ANI.

Once approved, the Indian Air Force would be exercising the option clause in the previous deal signed a few years ago with Israel which is the main supplier of all types of drones to the Indian Air Force including the surveillance machines including the Searcher and the Heron.

India is also discussing the Project Cheetah with the Israelis under which almost all the drones of the three services would be turned into high-quality attack drones and their surveillance capabilities would also be enhanced.

The three forces have a fleet of more than 100 of these unmanned aerial vehicles which have been acquired over the years in different batches.

The forces are also working on developing indigenous combat drones which would be deployed on both the China and Pakistan border once the project is complete.

Americans have been using the combat drones to carry out targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan but the relatively slow unmanned vehicles are not known to be very effective in warfare where the opposition also has a strong air force.

 hindustantimes

Eye on China, government finalises Rs 5,000-crore defence plan for Andamans


Highlights
  • Sources say the 10-year infrastructure “roll-on” plan for the Andaman and Nicobar Command has been formulated after prolonged top-level discussions in the defence establishment
  • Parallelly, a comprehensive plan for “force accretion” of the armed forces in phases at the ANC by 2027 is also in the works
India has virtually finalised an exclusive Rs 5,650-crore military infrastructure development plan spread over 10 years for the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar archipelago — which will allow stationing of additional warships, aircraft, drones, missile batteries and infantry soldiers there — against the backdrop of China’s rapidly expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean region.

Sources say the 10-year infrastructure “roll-on” plan for the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is the country’s only theatre command with assets and manpower of the Army, Navy, IAF and Coast Guard under one operational commander, has been formulated after prolonged top-level discussions in the defence establishment.

“The plan has also been reviewed by the defence planning committee (chaired by national security adviser Ajit Doval and includes the three service chiefs, among others). The initial plan was pegged around Rs 10,000 crore but a decision was taken to focus largely on land that was already available or under acquisition by the ANC,” said a source.

Parallelly, a comprehensive plan for “force accretion” of the armed forces in phases at the ANC by 2027 is also in the works. Under it, the proposal for an increase in Army manpower and assets is pegged at about Rs 5,370 crore. This will include upgrade of the existing 108 Mountain Brigade there and a new infantry battalion to add to the three (two infantry and a Territorial Army) battalions already there, apart from new air defence, signals, engineer, supply and other units.

Sources point to the visits of PM Narendra Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the 572-island archipelago in the last 30 days to stress that some plans are already under way. Apart from the two existing major airports at Port Blair and Car Nicobar, for instance, the runways at the naval air stations at Shibpur (commissioned as INS Kohassa by Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Thursday) in the north and Campbell Bay (INS Baaz) in the south will be extended to 10,000 feet to support operations by larger aircraft. Another 10,000-foot runway at Kamorta island is also envisaged as part of the 10-year infrastructure development.

India has already taken to deploying fighter jets like Sukhoi-30MKIs, long-range maritime patrol Poseidon-8I aircraft and Heron-II surveillance drones to the archipelago on a regular basis now. “Additional Dornier-228 patrol aircraft and Mi-17 V5 helicopters will also be based at the ANC soon,” said a source.

Though the ANC was established way back in 2001, internecine turf wars among the Army, the Navy and the IAF and general politico-bureaucratic apathy as well as fund crunches and lack of environmental clearances to build infrastructure have bedevilled the unified command till now.

This when a strong ANC, with requisite military force-levels and infrastructure, can effectively function as a pivot to counter China’s strategic moves in the IOR. “China’s expanding naval forays in the region, which include nuclear submarines, will only grow over time. India needs to seriously bolster its last military outpost in the ANC to keep an eagle eye on the region, and intervene if necessary,” said a senior officer.

 timesofindia

Thursday, January 24, 2019

India tests new anti-radiation missile to take out enemy radar


Highlights
  • The missile is designed to destroy a variety of surveillance and radar targets on the ground after being fired from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter
  • On Thursday, the DRDO-Navy combine also conducted another test of the advanced Barak long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system
India has tested a new indigenous air-launched missile called NGARM, which is designed to destroy a variety of surveillance and radar targets on the ground after being fired from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter.

This new-generation anti-radiation missile (NGARM), with a strike range of around 100-km, is the first indigenous air-to-ground missile to be developed by the DRDO, after the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile developed jointly with Russia.

“The missile was tested from a Sukhoi-30MKI on January 18 at the integrated test range at Balasore. The missile, with all systems functioning properly, hit the designated target with a high degree of accuracy in the Bay of Bengal. The NGARM can be launched from Sukhois from different altitudes and velocities,” said a source.

On Thursday, the DRDO-Navy combine also conducted another test of the advanced Barak long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system, jointly developed by DRDO with Israeli Aerospace Industries and Rafael, from destroyer INS Chennai on the high seas.

The supersonic Barak-8 missile system, whose interception range is 70-100 km, is in the process of being tested from Indian warships. Once fully operational, the LR-SAM will equip all frontline Indian warships as an all-weather “defence shield” against incoming enemy fighters, drones, helicopters, missiles and other munitions.

“It will be the standard LR-SAM or area defence weapon for our warships, much like the 290-km BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles have become the standard precision strike weapon on them. PSU Bharat Dynamics is already gearing up for producing the LR-SAM systems in bulk,” said an official.

The LR-SAM development project was sanctioned for Indian warships in December 2005, with an initial amount of Rs 2,606 crore, but was hit by several delays. Over a dozen Indian warships are currently equipped with the Barak-I system, “a point defence weapon” with an interception range of just 9-km, acquired from Israel after the 1999 Kargil conflict.

The new LR-SAM system with Barak-8 interceptor missiles, which have “active seekers” for terminal guidance, is a much more advanced version with extended interception range. The ground-based version of Barak-8, which was sanctioned in February 2009 for Rs 10,076 crore, will in turn be utilized by the IAF to plug the existing gaps in air defence coverage of the country.

 timesofindia

Chinese Troops Transgress Border With Bhutan, India Fears Another Doklam Style Face-Off


One-and-a-half years after standoff between troops of India and China, over the latter’s perceived intrusion in Bhutanese territory of Doklam, Chinese forces are reported to have transgressed another section of their border with Bhutan near Doklam.

According to sources, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was reported to have transgressed over to the Bhutanese side in the Charithang Valley late last year. The Indian security establishment has conducted a meeting to discuss the consequences of this situation.

It was a similar transgression and construction by PLA troops in Doklam which had prompted the Indian troops stationed in the Himalayan nation to intervene, leading to a 73-day standoff between the two armies.


The reported transgression by PLA has happened at a time when China and Bhutan are engaged in border dispute talks to iron out differences between the two countries over their claims on territories particularly in Western Bhutan in Doklam, Charithang, Dramana and Sinchulun.

Sources told News18 that Indian security agencies held a meeting to discuss the issue in December.

Chinese troops are understood to be aggressively building an ‘all weather’ road connecting Doklam to their network of highways, to allow quick deployment of troops.

News18 had earlier this year, based on a similar intel input, reported about Chinese road construction activity on the 12-km long stretch from Yatung, a forward military base in China to Doklam going on in an area called Merug La.

In a recent interview with a news magazine, the Indian army chief, General Bipin Rawat, when asked about PLA infrastructure work in Doklam, claimed that the Indian forces were also building roads in the area.

“We are also building roads. We could not do it some years ago. But now we have decided to prioritise it. We have enhanced our military-to-military engagement with the PLA. We just had the Hand-in-Hand joint military exercise in China. Things have changed after Doklam in a positive way,” The Week quoted Gen Rawat.

According to sources, a 4.9-km long road has also been constructed from Sinchel La in the direction of Torsa Nala via Assam. Torsa Nala is the base of Doklam plateau. The apparent motive of the Chinese being to construct an ‘all-weather’ road connecting Sinchel La.

Apart from the road, the intelligence inputs clearly mark parking bays, helipads, communication trenches and pre-fab structures that have come up on multiple locations on the Doklam plateau over the past one year.

Approximately 150 tents or pre-fab structures have been put up by the Chinese on the Doklam plateau on which between 60-70 vehicles have been seen.

At other points between Sinchel La to Doklam via Asam, too construction activities have been seen, suggesting that road construction could be going on simultaneously on multiple locations in an effort to build the road quickly.

In January 2018, several media reports had highlighted a massive construction work by Chinese of a full-fledged military complex near the disputed plateau area. These reports went on to state that the Chinese were preparing themselves for another Doklam style face-off.

 news18.

The F-16 Fighters Offered to Bulgaria will be Manufactured in the US, not in India


The U.S. aerospace company Lockheed Martin denied the claims circulating in some media recently that the F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria will be manufactured in India, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

The conclusion that the production of the fighters for which Bulgaria will negotiate could take place in India, derived from the possibility for the U.S. company to relocate its F-16 plant there, if it is awarded a large-scale military order. In India, the U.S. defence company is competing with Boeing’s F/A-18, Saab’s Gripen, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and a Russian fighter, for the supply of 114 combat aircraft to India’s Air Force. The deal is estimated to be worth more than $15 billion.

According to Reuters, citing the vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin, Vivek Lall, the U.S. company would make the Asian country the sole global production center for the F-16 that would meet the requirements for the Indian military and overseas markets.

However, in a press release related to the recent statements, the International Business Development Director for the F-16 Program at Lockheed Martin, James Robinson, specifies that the fighters offered to our country will be manufactured in the company’s facility in Greenville, South Carolina.

Lockheed Martin’s statement, cites Robinson saying that the production of the very latest version of NATO’s benchmark single-engine fighter F-16 Block 70 aircraft for Bulgaria, will be held at the company’s F-16 production line in Greenville, South Carolina, where and the aircraft for Bahrain and Slovakia will also be produced. “We have not planned, nor have we ever suggested having F-16s for Bulgaria manufactured in any other country, including India,” the statement reads and adds that Lockheed Martin is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the U.S., with 100,000 employees around the world.

The company is currently shifting its production line from Fort Worth, Texas to Greenville, South Carolina.

In the middle of the next month, the interstate talks for eight F-16 Block 70 fighters begin, with Bulgaria’s ambition the purchase not to exceed BGN 1.8 billion (with VAT). One of the unclear moments, so far, is when the production of the aircraft will take place.

Initially, Bulgaria wanted to acquire the first fighters within two years after signing the contract, but the U.S. and Lockheed Martin could hardly meet that requirement. However, Parliament has adopted the “deviation” from the requirements and all deadlines are yet to be negotiated. Lockheed Martin says they have already found a way to speed up the delivery process.

 bulgarianmilitary

Army Begins Process To Acquire 360,000 Modern Carbines; Sterling 9mms Set To Go


The Indian Army has initiated a bid to procure 360,000 carbines by issuing a ‘supplementary request for information’, in the wake of the finalisation of a contract for 94,000 units of the close quarter battle (CQB) CAR 816 carbine initiated last year, reports Livefist Defence.

Interestingly, the army intends to pre-condition the purchase of the 360,000 new carbines with a clause that they be manufactured in India. These carbines will replace the Sterling 9mm gun which is being currently used by the army.

The previous order for 94,000 carbines will be delivered over 12 months, as it is a fast-track procurement. The weapon is produced at the Tawazun Industrial Park in Al Ajban close to Abu Dhabi by UAE-based manufacturer Caracal.

The latest contest for the 360,000 carbines will see Caracal having to compete with other notable models like the Thales F90, among others.

During last year’s contest, some major vendors like Beretta backed out from the selection process and others such as Heckler & Koch didn’t even participate, in what is seen as a response to the Ministry of Defence’s “erratic and ad hoc” approach to arms acquisition. The army intends to rectify previous errors and wants maximum possible participation during this round.

Fast-track efforts to procure modern firearms to replace the Indian Army’s ageing weaponry have been initiated under the leadership of current chief General Bipin Rawat. The initiative has also seen the selection of the Sauer SIG 716 for the supply of 72,000 assault rifles which will replace INSAS rifles currently in use.

Moreover, India and Russia are looking to conclude an arrangement for the joint manufacture of around 650,000 AK-103 assault rifles to meet the Infantry’s requirements.

 swarajyamag

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Saab Sweetens The Deal: 96 Gripens To Be Indigenously Manufactured If It Bags IAF’s Mega Fighter Jet Contract


In an attempt to strengthen its chances of clinching the $20 billion Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 114 combat aircraft, Swedish defence giant Saab has proposed to carry out the manufacture of 96 of its Gripen fighters in India, reports Business Standard.
The order calls for commitment from sellers to provide sensitive technologies and to conduct the majority of the manufacturing in India itself.
The IAF had originally sent out a request for information (RFI) in April for the purchase of 114 fighters, most of which were to be manufactured in India through an Indian private entity that would partner with the foreign manufacturer under a technology transfer pact. The IAF is now considering the various responses from vendors, including that of Saab.
“Except the first 18 aircraft, we intend to manufacture everything in India. Saab will look to build an ecosystem of defence manufacturing inside the country,” Chairman and Managing Director of Saab India Ola Rignellsaid stated in an interview.
Saab has partnered with Adani Defence for the prospect of manufacturing the Gripen in India. The company, however, faces stiff competition from competitors like Dassault, Boeing and Lockheed, who have also tied with local partners.

swarajyamag

Slow HAL impacting India's air combat strength : IAF to Govt


Production delays by state run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have seriously impacted air combat strength, particularly when it comes to its Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighter fleets that are currently undergoing upgrades, the air force has informed the government.

Pointing to delays ranging from two to six years, the air force has brought out that HAL has not been able to meet delivery schedules, resulting in both fleets being in a sub optimal state, besides raising questions on the trainer aircraft being developed by the agency.

The Mirage 2000 is India’s cutting edge fighter, tasked with a nuclear weapon delivery role as well. The Jaguar fleet was purchased in the late 1970s but is still a potent ground attack fighter designed for surgical, deep penetration missions.

However, in a review of the aeronautic company late last year, the air force has said that the series upgrade of 47 Mirage 2000 fighters that was signed in July 2011 has seen three production schedule delays already. It has informed the government that as per schedule, HAL should have delivered 21 upgraded jets but has actually been able to send only six.

Sources informed ET that since the review, one more jet has been delivered. HAL has blamed the delay on the non-availability of kits from France but the air force is not impressed by the argument, given that the contract was signed over seven years ago. Officials say this delay has seriously impacted operational preparedness as well as availability rate for the ‘very competent fighter’.

Besides the 47 Mirage fighters, the air force has also red flagged a six year delay in the upgrade of the Jaguar fleet to DARIN III standard. The contract to upgrade 61of these fighters was signed in December 2009, with the understanding that all of them would be ready by December 2017.

However, not a single aircraft has yet been delivered to the air force with HAL struggling to integrate a new radar on the jets. IAF has informed the government that it now expects the upgraded fighters to join service only by 2024.

Sources said the delay has again come at the cost of combat strength as it has pushed down availability of fighters. At present, an entire squadron strength of 20 fighters is not operational, awaiting the upgrade.

HAL’s record on the delivery of Su 30 MKI fighters has also been questioned, with the government being informed that there is an overall delay of three years in the production schedule. While all aircraft were to be delivered by 2017, HAL still has at least 23 of the fighters to deliver to the air force.

On trainer aircraft, the air force has raised questions on the development schedule of the HTT 40 basic trainer. While the timeline for certification of the trainer was February 2015, the air force says the project is running behind time and it is not expected that HAL will manage even to certify the aircraft as fit for service before 2021.

economictimes

IAF worry: In next two years, only 26 fighter squadrons, short by 16


In another two years, the IAF will be left with an alarmingly low 26 squadrons of fighter aircraft against an authorisation of 42 — even if all the scheduled supplies, including of Rafale and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, are completed on time.

Around the same time, the Pakistan Air Force will have 25 fighter squadrons while China’s PLA Air Force is estimated to have the capacity to bear 42 squadrons against India.

The Indian Express has reviewed official documents, which show that while the IAF currently has 30 fighter squadrons, the number will slip to 26 in 2021 and 2022. By then, six squadrons of the old Soviet-era MIG aircraft will be decommissioned, and only one squadron of the French Rafale and another of the HAL-manufactured LCA Tejas will be additionally inducted.

The number is projected to rise to 30 by 2027, with four more squadrons of LCA Tejas. The contract for these 83 LCA Tejas Mark1A is yet to be signed between the IAF and HAL.

At current projections, documents show, the number of fighter squadrons will come down to 21 by 2037 and 19 by 2042. To offset the shortfall, the plan is to have 18 squadrons of LCA Tejas Mark1 and Mark2, and six squadrons of a foreign fighter aircraft for which an initial inquiry was issued last year.

IAF spokesperson, Group Captain Anupam Banerjee, did not respond to an email and text messages from The Indian Express seeking comment.

The IAF last had its full complement of 42 fighter squadrons in 2002 — each squadron generally has 18 aircraft. However, after the Kargil war earlier, it had officially flagged the need to induct seven squadrons of a Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to maintain its combat edge.

The tender for 126 MMRCA was issued in 2007, trials carried out by the IAF, Rafale selected and the contract under negotiation for three years before being scrapped in June 2015.

After the BJP-led NDA government decided to buy 36 Rafale fighters instead in April 2015, then defence minister Manohar Parrikar spoke of plans to get a single-engine foreign fighter — Swedish Gripen or American F-16 — under the strategic partnership model for the Make in India initiative to make up the shortfall.

That plan, however, was not activated and HAL was asked to supply 83 more LCA Tejas Mark1A in December 2017.

The delay in production and supply of the indigenous LCA Tejas has contributed to the depletion of fighter squadrons. Although not complete, IAF currently counts one squadron of LCA Tejas (Initial Operational Clearance version) in its fleet, which has been delayed by nearly eight years.

It is scheduled to get another squadron of LCA Tejas (Final Operational Clearance version) by 2021. The Final Operational Clearance was given only on December 31, 2018.

For 83 LCA Tejas Mark1A, the negotiations between IAF and HAL are expected to conclude in a couple of months. And it will be three years from the date of signing of the contract when the first Mark1A will come into service. HAL is hoping to ramp up its production line to 18 LCA Tejas annually.

 indianexpress