Indian Defence News

THE INDIAN NAVY: NIGHTMARE OF KARACHI

2014-12-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

Under the dark grey skies and over the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea; radars of some missile boats were scanning the Pakistani coast for targets on that night of December 5, 1971. The time was around 8:30 PM.

Perhaps dinner had been served in the port city of Karachi. And all was well.

The PNS Khaibar was sailing comfortably at 20 knots. Unknown to its crew it had been acquired by a Russian made P-15 Termit anti-ship missile. At 10:45 PM; PNS Khaibar became the first victim of Operation Trident. Two Termits – in rapid succession – struck and sunk PNS Khaibar. The Pakistani Destroyer stood destroyed.

The Termit had a nasty reputation anyway. It had tasted blood. It wanted more. And more it got. Cargo Vessel Venus Challenger accompanied by PNS Shah Jahan, minesweeper PNS Muhafiz and key assets of the port were all gobbled up by the P-15s. Indian Navy’s Operation Trident had rattled Karachi. Pakistan Navy had been served a master class in naval strategy and operational excellence.

There was still more to come.

The night of December 8 wore the same ominous look. There was fear in Karachi - fear of the Indian Navy. Operation Python was rapidly approaching. When the time came; it was delivered swiftly, with precision and forever scarred the cowards and radicals that make up the military of our immediate western neighbour. In a six minute salvo on the Karachi port; the P-15 Termit anti-ship missiles set the night on fire. They consumed an oil tank, British ship Harmattan, Panamanian ship Gulfstar and PNS Dacca. The Pakistani response with anti-aircraft guns only managed to hit and sink a Greek ship, Zoë that was its guest.

Karachi was ours. Pakistan’s sea routes were shut. The curtains were down.

Our political leadership, however, was meek and forever pussyfooting. Our boys were asked to spare Karachi. Of course they were allowed to pick up a few ... Read More

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WAR Cannot be Fought with Obsolete Hardware

2014-02-28T23:04:00.003-08:00

The resignation of the Navy chief over the series of accidents culminating in the explosion in the submarine, INS Sindhuratna, should not lead to side-stepping of the real issues facing our armed forces.

The latest accident underscores, among others, the Navy’s poor submarine rescue capabilities. It is the result of neglect of safety in its operations. At the root of the problem is the government’s failure to understand the needs of the forces and provide them the required support in terms of equipment and facilities for training.

The Navy is not the only force suffering from prolonged neglect. For instance, the Indian Air Force has only 34 squadrons against the required 50 to fight a two-front war, a benchmark set by defence minister A K Antony himself.

What’s worse, six squadrons of ageing MiG-21s and two of MiG-27s are likely to be phased out in 2018. They need replacements which are, alas, not in sight. Similarly, the Army needs howitzers, anti-aircraft missiles, infantry combat vehicles and even assault weapons. The less said about the Army’s plans to increase the number of its armoured vehicles the Read More

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11 things you didn't know about India's LCA fighter jet

2013-12-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

Tejas, India's first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which is all set to replace the MiG-21 series, is a result of several years of design and development work from the DRDO.

What's special about India's own LCA? How does it rate on the global scale? We take a look at some lesser-known salient facts about the Tejas that set it apart from those in its league.

1. Best in its class : According to Ravi Kumar Gupta, the Directorate of Public Interface at DRDO, 'Tejas is the best in its class in the world. It is a four plus generation aircraft.' Gupta said that it is 'not appropriate' to make a direct comparison of the Tejas with its global counterparts. 'It is a beautiful machine, designed for our own people,' he reiterated.

Gupta told that the technology used to manufacture the aircraft is such, that it 'will not go obsolete' for decades.

2. Four versions of the LCA : DRDO is developing four versions of the LCA; namely LCA for Air Force, LCA trainer for Air Force, LCA for Navy and LCA Navy Trainer. DRDO has also developed a special facility in Goa, that mimics the conditions for a Tejas for Navy landing, take-off and manoeuvre from an aircraft carrier.

3. Mark-I type Tejas LCA : While the Indian Air Force will induct Mark-I type Tejas LCA, a demand for Mark-II type Tejas has already been raised, which the DRDO is working on. The Mark-II type Tejas aircraft will have a higher capacity.

4. Features of stealth fighter aircraft : DRDO's Gupta said that the Tejas has many features of stealth fighter aircraft. 'The wings are made entirely of composite structures. The contemporary aircraft has a totally digital fly-by-wire control system,' he said.

5. Unstable configuration : Another feature that is special to Tejas is the 'unstable configuration' technique with which it has been built, said Gupta. 'To explain it in lay-man terms, between a bike and a car, a car is much more stable, but is unable to exhibit the same manoeuvrability as a bike. Combat aircraft need to be highly manoeuvrable.'

Gupta explained, that to strike a balance between the two aspects was a big technological challenge for the DRDO.

6. Unique features : The Tejas also incorporates a 'glass cockpit' in which information is displayed 'real-time' to the pilot. 'Tejas also has open architecture software for avionics. DRDO can update it as and when required,' said Gupta citing the same as a big plus point of the aircraft.

7. Many missiles test-fired : Through the years, DRDO has tested Tejas with different kinds of weaponry. From R-73 air-to-air missile to bomb dropping (including laser guided bombs), various weapons have been successfully test fired from the aircraft.

In future, DRDO also plans test firing of the indigenous Astra missile and guns from the Tejas.

8. Why the delay? Asked about the much-talked about 'delay' in developing of the aircraft, Gupta said, 'It was only in 1993 that the proposal for development of Tejas was submitted. The maiden flight of Tejas took place in 2001. It took a total of 20 years from 1993 to 2013. This time period is the standard required by any country, even the most advanced ones,' he said.

9. Levels of testing : Tejas, which is a single seater, single engine aircraft had to undergo multiple levels of testing, before it was finally declared ready. 'An aircraft has of fly 'n' number of times, in different conditions and environments, and at different angles of attack before it is declared fit,' Gupta said.

In 2013 alone, the Tejas has taken over 450 test flights.

10. Total cost : The Tejas LCA Air Force versions have till date cost the DRDO approximately Rs 7,000 crore. According to Gupta this is a 'very small fraction' compared to the cost of other similar aircrafts in the world.

The production of aircraft is already underway and two aircraft of the production version of Tejas should be ready by the first half of 2014.

11. Future aircraft : With a 'complete' ecosystem to design and build indigenous aircraft in place, the DRDO is now working on making advanced medium combat aircraft with twin engines. Read More

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The MiG that forced Pakistan's surrender

2013-12-19T20:47:00.002-08:00

The MiG-21 may be the only aircraft in aviation history to have forced a nation to surrender. The devastating attack on the Governor’s House in Dhaka in East Pakistan by MiG-21s proved to be a turning point in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

India’s blitzkrieg strategy against the Pakistani military had brought the Indian Army to the outskirts of Dhaka within just nine days. Holed up in the huge building, the puppet government of East Pakistan had declared it would not surrender to the Indians.

At 11am on December 14, 1971, a detachment of four MiG-21 FL fighters spotted the Governor’s House. After circling around it once, they went in for their strafing runs, targeting the massive central dome with rockets and bombs. The Governor became so fear stricken that he promptly resigned and took shelter in the UN’s air raid shelter.

It was the MiG-21 – codenamed Fishbed by NATO – that dealt the most severe blows to the Pakistan Air Force. With their air cover blown away, more than 93,000 Pakistan Army troops and 7,000 civilian aides surrendered unconditionally.

Fishbed fury :

The Russians had designed the aircraft to be a high-altitude “spot interceptor” but India used it for a multitude of roles. Besides air defence, the MiG-21 was used for high-level ground attack, providing top cover to IAF strike aircraft, luring enemy aircraft away from strategic targets, and combat air patrol.

When the war started on December 3, six squadrons of MiG-21FLs were part of the IAF's order-of battle, participating in operations both in the eastern and western sectors. By the time hostilities ended on December 16, the MiGs had downed four F-104 Starfighters, two F-6s, an F-86 Sabre and a C-130 Hercules of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

It was in the western theatre that the MiG-21 was employed in its primary task, that of air defence, escort and interception. Deployed at all the major air bases, from Pathankot in the north to Jamnagar in the south western area, the MiG-21FLs mounted hundreds of ............

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First India-Japan maritime exercise in Bay of Bengal

2013-12-17T22:29:00.002-08:00

India’s indigenously built stealth frigate INS Satpura, the Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvijay and missile corvette INS Kuthar would participate in the four-day first ever Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) to be conducted in waters off the Indian coast in the Bay of Bengal from December 19.

Japan would be participating in the exercise, which would focus on Maritime Security Cooperation, through its Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) that would be bringing in two Guided Missile destroyers, JS Ariake (with Commander Escort Division – 7 embarked), and JS Setogiri.

The exercise will comprise harbour and sea phases of two days each that would strive to enhance interoperability, thereby enabling the two navies to undertake operations in the sphere of maritime security in the future.

During the harbour phase, the ships crews will exchange experiences through professional interactions and will undertake planning for joint operations for the sea phase. The sea phase will include exercises such as VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) drills -- that are frequently undertaken during anti-piracy operations. They would also undertake gun firing, cross deck ............

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India looks to expand strategic footprint in Indian Ocean

2013-12-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

India is expanding its strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean. A trilateral security group of India, Maldives and Sri Lanka will be expanded to include Mauritius and Seychelles. Senior officials of the trilateral group will meet on December 19 to prepare the ground for a formal joining of these countries, where deputy national security advisor Nehchal Sandhu will lead the Indian delegation.

The government hopes that the third trilateral meeting at the NSA level would be able to formalize this arrangement before the general elections. Taking the Indian Ocean more seriously as a target for India's diplomacy, the external affairs ministry is also crafting a new territorial division to take care of Indian Ocean countries.

After the second trilateral meeting, the three countries decided to harmonize identification and tracking services and training in maritime domain awareness while India committed to sharing automatic identification system (AIS) data, coordinate efforts on search and rescue efforts etc. India agreed to share with Sri Lanka and Maldives its long range identification centre (LRIT) and merchant ship information system (MSIS) for tracking merchant vessels.

The three countries also agreed to intensify surveillance of each other's exclusive economic zones (EEZ). India has taken the lead in this, in an effort to tie the other countries in an information and security network where Indian information systems held the key. However, India's recurrent problem appears to be the gap between promise and delivery. Maldives has complained that India has provided very few of the radars promised to ............

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Last batch of Pilots trained on Kiran aircraft commissioned

2013-12-14T00:44:00.002-08:00

The last batch of rookie pilots trained on Kiran aircraft for basic flying training will be commissioned into Indian Air Force at Air Force Academy (AFA), Dundigal here on Saturday.

The ageing fleet of Kiran aircraft has already been taken off the 'ab-initio' flying or basic training.

Basic training is now being provided on the Swiss made Pilatus PC-7 MK II, which was formally inducted into IAF on May 31 this year.

Before Kiran, HPT -32 was the workhorse of basic flying training at AFA. This was a time when fighter training was being carried out on Kiran aircraft.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, IAF was forced to ground its HPT 32 fleet in mid 2009 after a crash killed two more pilots. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited failed to rectify the snag in the single engine aircraft.

The snag is said to have led to more than 100 mid air engine failures resulting in 13 fatal crashes.

There were as many as 19 crashes resulting in complete destruction of the aircraft.

The entire flying task was undertaken by aging fleet of Kiran aircraft which started putting strain on limited resources. IAF struggled hard while cutting down on number of hours of training for ............

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India averse to give 'lethal' weapons to Afghanistan

2013-12-13T22:59:00.002-08:00

India is willing to supply only "non-lethal" military hardware like helicopters, trucks and jeeps to Afghanistan as of now despite President Hamid Karzai's wish list that includes heavy weaponry like artillery guns, tanks and mortars as well. But there are no full-stops as far as training of Afghan military personnel is concerned.

Indian Army alone is executing plans to train as many as 1,050 Afghan National Army (ANA) in its different establishments in 2013-14, double the 574 personnel trained in 2012-13, even as the US-led coalition forces prepare to withdraw from the strategically-located country by next year.

But India is drawing the red-line at the supply of "lethal" weapons like the T-72 tanks or 105mm artillery guns to the ANA — due to fears they could fall into wrong hands like the Taliban — but has left it to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to take the final call on the matter. India and Russia, however, are joining hands to run a maintenance and spares facility near Kabul for the Soviet-era tanks, helicopters and other weapon systems of ANA.

The training outreach has also been cranked up. As many as 52 Afghan "gentlemen cadets (GCs)", for instance, will be commissioned as officers during the passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun on Saturday with defence minister A K Antony and Army chief General Bikram Singh in attendance.

"Moreover, there are also 48 Afghan GCs each in the first and second terms in IMA at present. There are also 20 Afghan cadets in the Officers' Training Academy, and another 18 at National Defence Academy. India-trained personnel in the ANA will be a big asset in the post-2014 era," said an officer.

India is also currently hosting 16 former ANA officers who were trained in the country during 1974-1982 before the bloody conflict between the then Soviet Army and Mujahideens in ............

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Navy Closely Watching Chinese Claims in South China Sea

2013-12-13T07:42:00.004-08:00

China’s unilateral announcement of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in East China Sea hasn’t bothered the Navy much, but the conflict situation unfolding there is ‘under close examination’ if the ADIZ may get extended to South China Sea too, where India has economic interests in Vietnam maritime territory.

Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi had earlier this week said the East China Sea situation was ‘not of immediate application’ to the Navy because its warships, with air element in the form of helicopters or ship-borne aircraft, do not regularly operate there. However, the possibility of a similar scenario in the South China Sea has made the Navy to keep a close watch on how the situation plays out among China, Japan, Taiwan and the US there.

“Yes, we do have units with integral air element and sometimes they do operate (in South China Sea). Therefore, this particular issue (China’s ADIZ in East China Sea) is under close examination,” Joshi said.

China had in late November announced the ADIZ for the East China Sea, half of which overlaps the Japanese ADIZ and parts of South Korea and Taiwan’s ADIZ, leading to a conflict ............

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India To Train Vietnamese Sailors, Beijing Disturbed

2013-12-13T03:07:00.000-08:00

India will train Vietnamese sailors in submarine warfare as part of its effort to reinforce defense ties with countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

The development is expected to disturb Beijing, analysts and officials said, and will be closely watched by Pakistan.

Vietnam has ordered six Kilo-class subs from the Russian Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg to add to its of two South Korean-made Yugo-class midget submarines. India has operated Kilos since 1986.

Like India, Vietnam has fought with China and is fast emerging as an economic power in the region, said an Indian Navy official, who said New Delhi should aid Vietnam in any way it can.

“The Sino-Indian ties are poised in a very delicate phase with many ups and downs,” said Probal Ghosh, a senior fellow with the Observer Research Foundation. “This will definitely affect the ties, even though China is well aware that we are supporting Vietnam for strategic gains against China.

“There is a likelihood that it may prove to be the impetus for China to consider giving Pakistan a nuclear submarine,” Ghosh added. “Such a move will really up the ante and will affect India’s ............

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India focused on building defence capability: President

2013-11-20T08:18:00.003-08:00

President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said India was focused on building capability to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In his address after awarding Presidential Standards to two frontline fighter squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at this Air Force station near Ludhiana in Punjab, the president said the preparedness of the country’s armed forces gives Indians the confidence to face any aggression and safeguard the country’s interests.

The president, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, said India was committed to peace in the region.

Mukherjee awarded Presidential Standards to the 32 Squadron and 220 Squadron of the IAF at a ceremony here. IAF chief Air Chief Marshall N.A.K. Browne and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

“The Standard for 220 Squadron was received by Group Captain Sharad Aneja, commanding officer, 220 Squadron, and the Standard for 32 Squadron was received by Group Captain G.V.N.K. Varma, commanding officer, 32 Squadron,” an IAF spokesman said.

The 220 Squadron is known as “Desert Tigers”. It is the first SU-30 MKI squadron of the Western Air Command. The 32 Squadron is known as “Thunder Birds”. Both the squadrons had played important role during the 1965 and the 1971 wars against Pakistan.

The ceremony saw a spectacular fly-past by various aircraft of the two squadrons.

“The President’s Standards is the highest and most prestigious honour bestowed upon any unit of the armed forces in recognition of its invaluable contribution to the security............

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Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning vs INS Vikramaditya

2013-11-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Liaoning, is the first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy and INS Vikramaditya is the third aircraft carrier commissioned by the Indian navy since independence. India's first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was purchased from the United Kingdom in the year 1957.

INS Vikrant played a key role in enforcing a naval blockade on East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and was also docked in Karachi Harbour on the 4th of December to symbolize ultimate victory and naval supremacy of the Indian Navy in Pakistani waters.

Regarding the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, a Russian expert in an Interview to the Voice of Russia has claimed that the carrier is merely a test platform and does not have the capability to sail in high seas beyond the regional waters of China. Chinese Shipyards took more than 10 years to get the Aircraft carrier Liaoning sea worthy inspite of the fact that the ship never required any major design changes to its hull. On the other hand, complete structural changes were made to the hull and the flight deck of INS Vikramaditya and it took less than 10 years to complete by Russia.

In September 2013, SMN reported that the Liaoning was still unable to operate J-15s with a heavy weapons/fuel load because of the ship's limited size and lack of catapults. The U.S. Department of Defense notes that the J-15 will have below normal range and armament when operating from the carrier, due to limits imposed by the ski-jump takeoff and arrested carrier landings. A Canadian government report casts doubt on Chinese claims that the Liaoning has even tested aircraft operations in anything other than perfect visibility and calm seas.

INS Vikramaditya will boast more than two dozen Mikoyan MiG-29K 'Fulcrum-D' (Product 9.41) including 4 dual-seat MiG-29KUB aircraft, 6 Kamov Ka-31 "Helix" reconnaissance and anti-submarine helicopters, torpedo tubes, missile systems, and artillery units. These fourth generation air superiority fighters will provide a significant fillip for the Indian Navy with a range of over 700 nm (extendable to over 1,900 nm with inflight refueling). It will also be fitted with the state-of-the-art Indo-Israeli Barak-8 Air defence missile system which will be complemented with additional SAM and CIWS (close-in weapon system).

The heart of the operational network that infuses life into the combat systems onboard the ship is the Computer aided Action Information Organisation (CAIO) system, LESORUB-E. LESORUB has the capability to gather data from ship’s sensors and data links and............

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ISRO's Mangalyan and NASA's Maven will complement each other

2013-11-19T06:56:00.002-08:00

ISRO and NASA will coordinate functions of their Mars Orbiters — Mangalyaan and Maven — once both get into orbit of the red planet in September next year. ”If NASA’s orbiter Maven and ISRO’s Mars Orbiter are successful, they will complement each other in findings and help understand the red planet better. We will coordinate with NASA once both our missions get there. Right now our focus is to get the Orbiter there,” ISRO sources said.

Explaining the differences between both missions, they said that unlike the American NASA orbiter, MOM is a “small and modest” attempt by India.

While NASA’s Maven mission is worth 671 million USD, India’s Mars Orbiter mission cost only Rs 450 crore, they said, adding Maven carried eight scientific instruments, while the ISRO mission carried five.

“We are more application-specific in our approach. So we don’t spend much on research. But this is one of our efforts in exploratory science… India’s modest contribution to the understanding of science,” they said.

ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan had earlier told reporters that the findings of ISRO’ Mars Orbiter mission and NASA’s Maven would complement each other.

NASA’s Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutionN (MAVEN) was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket in the early hours today from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.

MAVEN is the second mission for NASA’s Mars Scout Program and is likely to obtain critical measurements of the Martian upper atmosphere to help............

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Boeing Delivers 2nd P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft to India

2013-11-15T22:17:00.001-08:00

Boeing delivered the second P-8I aircraft to India today, doubling that country’s long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Boeing is building eight P-8I aircraft for India and delivered the first in-country in May. Based on the company’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the U.S. Navy.“With two aircraft at Naval Station Rajali now, the Indian Navy will get a good feel for the P-8I’s interoperability with other aircraft,” said Leland Wight, Boeing P-8I program manager. “Acceptance trials on the first aircraft are progressing well and its availability for testing has been excellent, in large part due to Boeing’s worldwide 737 support capabilities.”

While the aircraft delivered today will begin flight trials in the coming months, the first P-8I recently completed testing its weapons capabilities, including successfully firing a Boeing Harpoon missile at a target and............

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Indian Navy set to get its largest warship tomorrow

2013-11-15T01:54:00.000-08:00

Ending a nine-year wait, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya will be inducted into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister A K Antony at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Russia on Saturday.

The first aircraft carrier to join the Navy in over two decades, Vikramaditya, the former Gorshkov, will set sail for India after the handing-over ceremony. It is likely to be greeted by a ship that already has a very special place in the Navy. INS Viraat, India's lone aircraft carrier, is said to be heading to Oman to escort the Vikramaditya home.

In a show of strength and capability, the two aircraft carriers are expected to sail together in the Arabian Sea before the Vikramaditya heads for its final berthing place in Karwar. The deployment will be one of the last overseas sailings for INS Viraat that has been in service with the Indian Navy since 1987 and is overdue for retirement, given that the hull is now over five decades old.

For Vikramaditya, the long journey home will be challenging — it will be unarmed, and will sail without weapons or fighter aircraft on board while making the transition from freezing seas to tropical waters. The Navy is planning a five-ship escort.

To provide it protection from aerial attacks, the Navy has chosen the controversial Barak missiles, which will be integrated with the aircraft carrier only after it reaches India.

“The aircraft carrier Vikramaditya does not have its own air defence missile system. We have chosen the Barak missile to be fitted on board once it arrives in India,” a Navy official said in New Delhi. The escort group of warships has been sent to Russia to bring the............

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Defence partnership with India critical to US: US Air Chief

2013-11-15T01:52:00.000-08:00

The India-US defence partnership is not only critical for the United States, but is also beneficial to India, a top US air force general has said.

“I think it is a partnership that is critical to our nation overtime I think it is also very beneficial to India,” the US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Mark Welsh said during a breakfast meeting of Defence Writers Group in his brief comment on India-US defence relationship.

Early this year, Welsh had hosted his Indian counterpart, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne and was very appreciative of him.

“I very much enjoyed meeting the Indian Air Chief. He is a wonderful guy and a very capable guy,” Welsh said, adding that he hopes to............

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India purchases licence to manufacture Invar anti-tank missiles

2013-11-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

India will receive a manufacturing licence to produce 15,000 Russian Invar anti-tank missiles, which were designed for the T-90 tank. New Delhi previously purchased 10,000 of these missiles from Russia (produced directly by the manufacturer). The average cost will be around $2,000 per missile following acquisition of the manufacturing licence.

The characteristics of the Russian Invar 9M119M1 (Invar-M) are as follows:

· It is fired from a 125-mm smoothbore gun with increased accuracy

· It operates like a guided missile

· It weighs 17.2 kg and is 680 mm (26.7 inches) long

· It is fitted with a retractable stabiliser (across a 250 mm / 9 inch range), which helps with aiming (the missile is guided along a laser beam, controlled by the tank gunner).

· It has a maximum range of 5,000 m at a speed of 350 m/sec (the maximum speed for a flight of 14 seconds).

It has a tandem warhead, with a dual application in combat: it first penetrates armour up to 900 mm (35 inches) thick, and it then ensures detonation of the............

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Indian Navy to have 200 warships in next 10 years : senior official

2013-11-13T07:49:00.001-08:00

Indian Navy would have 200 warships in another 10 years, with three aircraft carriers in each of the three naval commands, for which orders have already been given to various docks in the country, a senior official said here on Wednesday.

“Right now, we have 136 ships and we are targeting 200 in the next 10 years. All our docks in our country are full of orders,” Rear AdmiralAtul Kumar Jain, flag officer commanding in chief, Eastern Naval Command told reporters here.

The Navy was looking at making destroyers and frigates, he said. “Right now, we have only one landing platform dock (LPD) INS Jalashwa. We are going for four more LPDs.”

He said INS Vikramaditya, which India bought from Russia would be inducted into the Navy later this month.

“Once it comes, INS Vikramaditya would be under the control of INS Karwar in Karnataka. Another aircraft carrier is in the making in Kochi now. Once it is commissioned, we will position it in Visakhapatnam,” he said.

Indian Navy would also engage with the Japanese coast guard for a joint military exercise............

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Indian Defence must not act from a position of weakness

2013-11-13T00:11:00.002-08:00

Endorsing the policy of "military self-restrain" of successive Indian governments in the face of provocation from a weaker Pakistan, a top American analyst has said that henceforth India must ensure that it does not act from a "position of weakness".

“The use of military force to counter terrorism is an especially tempting solution because it can be enacted very quickly. But it also can quickly escalate to overreaction,” George Perkovich said yesterday.

“This is another reason why the Indian tradition of strategic nonviolence, however imperfect, is less risky and more conducive to long-term success than a militaristic strategy to counter terrorism in a nuclearised environment,” Perkovich said. Delivering the ‘Robert McNamara Lecture on War and Peace’, Perkovich who is vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and director of its non-proliferation programme, credited successive Indian governments led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh for not reacting militarily to terrorist attacks inside India emanating from Pakistan.

“To their credit, some Indian leaders, including Prime Ministers Vajpayee and Singh, have understood the relative wisdom of military self-restraint in the face of terror attacks. They have understood that violence, in the words of Hannah Arendt, ‘like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is a more violent world’”, he said. “For a strategy of muscular self-restraint to achieve its full power, India (or any other state) must not be acting from a position of weakness. One must have the real option to act forcefully and effectively, and then withhold that option out of superior self-restraint and moral-strategic wisdom that will............

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LCA back at Jamnagar for weapons trials

2013-11-12T23:49:00.002-08:00

After the Tejas LSP-7 successfully completed several weapons release test points at Jamnagar in July this year, three more limited series airframes (LSP-3, LSP-5 and LSP-8) are now in Jamnagar to bolster the gains made, and notch up more test points necessary for initial operational clearance of the LCA Tejas Mk.1 in December.

The three platforms will undertake a slew of weapons release manoeuvres including releasing bombs and firing the Vympel R-73 missile, the only missile so far deployed on the Tejas.

The IAF has indicated the team testing Tejas is looking to achieve IOC-2 before Christmas, anywhere between Dec 19-24. However, there remain several test points still to clear, placing a great deal of pressure on the team. On November 6, Defence Minister AK Antony ordered the DRDO to ensure that Initial Operational Clearance and Final Operational Clearance of the LCA were............

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India's Mars mission 'a symbolic coup' against China: US media

2013-11-12T23:47:00.001-08:00

India’s successful launch of its Mars mission has been described by the mainstream American media as “technological leap” and “a symbolic coup” against China in this field.

“If it succeeds, India’s Mars mission would represent a technological leap for the South Asianation, pushing it ahead of space rivals China and Japan in the field of interplanetary exploration,” The Wall Street Journal wrote on Tuesday.

“A successful mission by India’s Mars orbiter would make the country the first Asian nation to reach the Red Planet— and provide a symbolic coup as neighbouring China steps up its ambitions in space,” the CNN reported, adding that this has given further credence to claims of an intensifying space race developing in Asia, with potentially dangerous ramifications.

“I believe India’s leadership sees China’s recent accomplishments in space science as a threat to its status in Asia, and feels the need to respond,” Dr James Clay Moltz, professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School, told the CNN.

The satellite launched by Isro on Tuesday is expected to enter the Mars orbit next September and is at a significantly lower cost than that of other countries like the United States.

The cost of the Mars mission is USD 73 million, less than a sixth of the............

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Pak claims : Indian spy planes violate its airspace

2013-08-22T09:07:00.002-07:00

Indian spy planes allegedly violated Pakistani airspace in the Nakyal sector in Kotli, Azad Kashmir on Wednesday, Express News reported.

The Indian planes continued to fly inside Pakistani air space for several minutes until planes from Pakistan took to the air, leading to a retreat of the Indian planes.

The incident comes amidst a spate of recent cross-border skirmishes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three wars since independence from the British rule in 1947, two over the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.

Previously, two Indian fighter planes had entered Pakistan’s airspace near............

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US plan to station military aircraft in India

2013-08-22T09:05:00.004-07:00

A top US Air Force general has said Washington is preparing to station military aircraft in India as part of its “Asia pivot” policy, and the US it is looking at to base its assets in is Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram.

An Indian defence ministry source said: “We have never discussed any such proposal.”

Defence minister A.K. Antony is from Kerala, where the Opposition Left is mobilising protests against the state government.

The disclosure by the American general, who was part of the policy group on Indo-US military relations, has the potential to stir up trouble for the Manmohan Singh government in the run-up to elections. In Kerala, the Left is particularly strong.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, informed of the US general’s statement, said: “That seems to be the expectation of the Pentagon. It would stem from the Indo-US military framework............

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ISRO plans spy satellite launch by month end

2013-08-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

GSAT-7 has now begun its checkout at the Spaceport of Arianespace, in French Guiana in South America, to confirm the multi-band satellite’s readiness with payloads in the UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-bands. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), it utilises India’s standard I-2K bus – the same as employed for the Indian Insat-3D satellite, which had lifted off on Arianespace’s VA214 mission on July 25.

A senior official from the ISRO said on condition of anonymity: “It is for strategic purposes.” A person in the know of the development, said: “This only means that it is for defence purposes and it is a spy satellite. It is a satellite for a military communication network.”

This is expected to meet the long-pending demand of the defence forces for a satellite exclusively for its use. The spacecraft was earlier meant to be launched on the indigenous GSLV but that programme is not fully ready.

Till now Insat’s transponders were being used for the same after blocking off the transponders for secure communications.

The GSAT-7 spacecraft’s mass at liftoff is estimated at 2,550 kg. After being deployed by the Ariane 5, the satellite will operate from an............

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India needs to build two more Nuclear-submarines quickly

2013-08-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

With its nuclear reactor going “critical” on Friday night, INS Arihant (Sanskrit for Destroyer of enemies), India’s first indigenously developed nuclear-propelled and in the future nuclear-armed submarine has reached a significant landmark. It has certainly taken much longer than desirable.

The project, earlier known as ATV (Advanced Technology Vessel), began way back in 1998 but picked up pace only in mid-2000. In 2009, it was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife, Gursharan Kaur, at a ceremony in Vizag, headquarter of India’s Eastern Naval Command.

Those associated with the project from its inception will be satisfied professionals today. Indian Navy designers, engineers, scientists of the Department of Atomic Energy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and............

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