President to confer Ashok Chakra to three awardees

Major Mohit Sharma of 1 Para (Special Forces), Major D Sreeram Kumar of 30 Assam Rifles and Havildar Rajesh Kumar of 11 Rajputana Rifles will be honoured with Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest peace time gallantry medal, on Republic Day on Tuesday.

President Pratibha Patil will present the medals to the two officers and the jawan during the parade in which South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will be the chief guest.

Maj Mohit Sharma and Hav Rajesh Kumar will receive the medals posthumously.

Apart from the three Ashok Chakras, Ms. Patil will present Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace time gallantry medal, to Ruksana, who shot into limelight after killing a Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist on September 27 last at Kalsian area of Shahdra Shrief in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Ministry officials said on Monday.

Maj Mohit Sharma, born in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and commissioned in 90 Medium Regiment (Artillery) in March 2004, will get the award posthumously as he was killed in a battle with terrorists in the Hafruda forest in Jammu and Kashmir in March last.

Maj D. Sreeram Kumar, serving with 30 Assam Rifles since March 2007, had eliminated 12 terrorists in counter insurgency operations in the northeast.

The two officers were named for Ashok Chakra on the eve of Independence Day on August 15 last.

Wish U all Happy Republic Day... Vande Matram

For India's single-largest defence deal, SAAB offers 'independent choice'

Raghvendra Rao

Inclement weather conditions are set to jeopardise the flight display of a Gripen C fighter aircraft at the Skaraborg Air Force Wing, located near Lidkoping in south central Sweden. Till, the enthusiasm of a rookie pilot of the Swedish Air Force carries the day.

He steps forward, and takes the single-seater machine into the clouds, performs a series of fascinating manoeuvres within a very limited airspace pocket (so that the plane is visible), makes a perfect landing and brings the plane to a halt within 500 metres after touching down, all in a matter of minutes.

The pilot's eagerness to perform is somewhat mirrored in the way the Swedish company SAAB, the manufacturer of the Gripen aircraft, is going about competing for IAF's $10.2 billion (around Rs 48,000 crore) worth tender for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft.

In race with the US's Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the French d'Assault, European consortium EADS and the Russian MiG for what is touted as India's single-largest defence deal ever, SAAB is positioning its Gripen NG (Next Generation) aircraft as an "independent choice" that will offer the IAF a product suited for its needs with enough room for customisation.
"Swedish support provides an 'independent image' given our non-aligned past," SAAB's Deputy Director Jonas Harma says. "What we bring to the table is the freedom of choice. We believe that we have the product. We are not telling the customers what weapons they need to take with the aircraft," says Eddy de la Motte, SAAB's Director India.

The Gripen NG, which will be ready by the end of 2010, is billed as a multi-role combat aircraft that can perform an array of air-to-air and air-to-surface operations, ensuring flight safety and low operating costs at the same time. It is currently under a variety of evaluations and trials at Malmen Air Base in Linkoping.

The Phase I and Phase III trials for the Gripen IN have already been conducted in Sweden with two IAF pilots having flown the Gripen planes in Sweden. The critical Phase II Flight Evaluation Tests, that will involve flying in extreme weather conditions in India, will begin sometime mid-March and continue for a fortnight.

The Machine

With a length of 14.1 metres and a wingspan of 8.6 metres, the Gripen IN, the customised Indian version of the Gripen NG, will boast of a thrust of 10 tonnes and a carrying capacity of 6.5 tonnes of payload and 7 tonnes of fuel. With a super-cruise capability (the ability to fly supersonic without using the afterburner, thus enabling fuel savings and range enhancement) of more than 1.2 Mach, the Gripen IN will also offer manoeuvrability up to 9 G.

Having a maximum flying range of more than 4,000 km, the Gripen IN is being billed as a fighter plane that will require less than 500 metres of landing space, less than an hour for its engine replacement and less than 10 minutes of turnaround time. Most importantly, its cost per flight hour has been estimated to be less than $3,000, thus making it a very cost-effective proposition.

Adding to the plane's capabilities will be second-generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, the Integrated Electronic Warfare System, the Missile Approach Warner, data links and latest generation weapons from all over the world.

(The writer visited Sweden as part of a media group hosted by SAAB)

source:Indian Express

IAF radar spots 'flying object', turns out to be its own

A radar at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Nalia taluka of Kutch district spotted a 'flying object' near Indo-Pakistan border but later found it to be one of its own, defence officials said on Monday.

The incident took place around 18.00 hours yesterday when the radars at the Nalia Air Force base, which is near the Indo-Pak border, picked up signals from a flying object in the Indian air space, they said.

"Following this, personnel on the air base were alerted in anticipation of some hostile activity. However, within a few minutes the flying object was identified as one of our own," the officials added.

Nalia is on high alert following inputs of possible terror strike from air.

Intelligence inputs ahead of the Republic Day, on terror groups working to target Indian interests, had warned about Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) acquiring over 50 para-gliding equipments that could be used to carry out air-borne attacks in the country.


source:Express India

IAF worried about safety of satellites

Defending space-based assets will assume vital importance for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the 21st century when satellites are likely to become vulnerable to attacks, said Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, Chief of the Air Staff.

Delivering the fourth Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre memorial lecture here on Friday, he said the dependence on satellites would naturally increase when space-based systems could accomplish missions in a technically superior manner and more economically than achieved by other means.

Hence, Air Chief Marshal pointed out that the vulnerability of satellites to anti-satellite weapons had become an issue and more so when the development of anti-satellite technologies was taking place in our neighbourhood.

“Networking and assimilation of space, both inter-dependent, are way forward. A quiet space race and even weaponisation to some extent, is becoming a reality. Perhaps more than others, it is air power that is more significantly enhanced by the integration of space enabled capabilities,” he said.
Technology

Admitting that there was a technology gap in the IAF, he said the technology would be core, and assimilating and operationalising the technology was a primary challenge for the IAF.

“Future wars are likely to be short, crisp and intense. Hence logistics and inventory management become crucial as well as critical,” the Air Chief Marshal pointed out.

He said that it was imperative that military and civil aviation integrate, for better efficiency, cost-effectiveness and for offering more options to the leadership.
Indigenisation

Making it clear that the IAF supported the national quest for indigenisation, he said: “There are a number of areas wherein we lack industrial base and simply do not possess the requisite capabilities. We have to accept that we cannot develop capabilities in each and every field.”

“We must therefore identify core technologies which have a promise of maximum potential in indigenisation and pursue them vigorously. Some of these areas, in my view, are critical areas like avionics, simulation, electronic warfare, communication and so on. It is imperative that we identify emerging technologies and concentrate on developing them. We should develop niche capabilities in specific spheres,” Air Chief Marshal said.

He said the IAF would recommend a collaborative and participative approach of partnerships between users, Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Government, the industry and the foreign vendors. “In this collaborative effort, we believe that the user must be the captain,” Air Chief Marshal made it clear.
HAL’s initiative

Apart from producing aircraft and supporting their maintenance through overhauls, spares support and mid-life upgrades, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is now thinking of extending its footprint in the operations at the Squadron level.

“We are now looking at providing a comprehensive performance based logistics solution through 1st and 2nd line maintenance thus increasing the share of value added services to IAF. HAL would make a proposal to IAF shortly in this regard as we consider this will enable IAF to concentrate more on the operations and strategic side of flying rather on the maintenance of its assets,” said HAL chairman Ashok Nayak while speaking on the occasion.

Now India tests laser guided bombs successfully

India on Thursday carried out two successful flight trials of laser-guided bombs (LGBs) for the Indian Air Force to test the effectiveness of the guidance and control systems at the Chandipur integrated test range in Orissa.

"Two flight trials were conducted at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, to test the effectiveness of the guidance and control systems of the LGBs," a Defence Ministry release said in New Delhi.

IAF officers flew their aircraft and released the LGBs as per prescribed standard operating procedures. "On-board systems in both the trials worked satisfactorily and the mission objectives have been met," the release added.

Bangalore-based Aeronautics Development Establishment (ADE) has developed the guidance kit for 1000-pound LGBs and these are designed to improve accuracy of air-to-ground bombing by IAF.

The ADE has already carried out a number of tests on the LGBs both through simulation and flight tests over the last few years to reach the required performance levels.

"The bomb, once released, by the mother aircraft at appropriate range, will seek the target and home on to it very accurately and with high reliability. All the necessary on-board components are sourced from Indian industry," it said.

Instruments Research and Development Establishment, another DRDO lab in Dehradun, has partnered ADE in the project.

source:reddif
Image Copyrights Bharat-rakshak.com

Indian Navy boosts its air fleet in $1.5 billion deal

The Navy has started a $1.5 billion overhaul of its ageing Soviet-era fleet of aircraft, seeking to boost its air power in an Indian ocean region where a growing China is threatening its traditional dominance.

The investment is one of the biggest the Indian Navy has made in recent years and reflects New Delhi's urgency to modernise its military, a move that rival Pakistan says could spark an arms build-up and destabilise an already roiled South Asia.

India plans to buy 16 new MIG-29 fighter jets, half a dozen light combat aircraft, unmanned patrol planes and multi-role helicopters.

The Indian Navy is also upgrading its Sea Harrier fighter jets, IL-38 maritime anti-submarine warfare planes and acquiring five Kamov KA-31 patrol helicopters.

"We are acquiring new fighters and helicopters to supplement a new aircraft carrier we are getting soon," Commander PVS Satish, the navy spokesman said in New Delhi on Thursday.

Analysts said the upgrade of the Navy was long due.

"It is almost a matter of time before ships from China arrive in India's backyard," said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at New Delhi's Centre for Policy Research.

India and China are locked in a battle to lead Asia. New Delhi fears China is creating an arc of influence in the Indian Ocean region, bolstering claims over what has traditionally been seen as India's backyard.

Indian officials said Pakistan, too, was modernising its navy.

Pakistan's National Command Authority (NCA), which oversees the country's nuclear weapons, said last week India's arms modernisation plans could destabilise the regional balance.

Boeing Gets Initial India Request For 6 Refueling Planes

Boeing Co. (BA) said Monday it has received initial requests for information from India's federal government for supplying six refueling tankers, in what is likely to further expand the U.S. aircraft maker's presence in this burgeoning market for defense equipment.
"We will do a detailed evaluation of the request for interest from the Indian government, study our inventory, and accordingly inform the government," Vivek Lall, vice president and country head of defense and space and security at Boeing India, told reporters.

Lall didn't elaborate on the potential value of the contract.

"We will have to study what we can supply and then only we can talk about the value of the order."

Earlier this month, Boeing said that the U.S. government has received a letter of request from India's defense ministry and the Indian Air Force on the potential acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters.

India, one of the world's top importers of arms, wants to buy the new airlifters to modernize its fleet of Russian-built AN-32 and IL-76 airlifters.

The country is also in the process of acquiring 126 combat planes for an estimated $10 billion.

Boeing is among six companies, including Lockheed Martin Corp. and Dassault Aviation SA, who are vying for the contract--billed as the biggest fighter jet deal since the 1990s.

Boeing has estimated that it could bid for potential defense deals in India worth about $31 billion between 2009 and 2019.

"This number is going to grow as India tries to protect its borders," said Dinesh Keskar, president of Boeing India. "Our estimates are for segments which we can address such as fighter and attack aircrafts, heavy lift cargo aircrafts, missiles, airborne early warning and training systems."

New Plane Repair Center, 787 Dreamliner Delivery

Boeing Co. will start building a $100 million aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul center in a joint venture with state-run carrier, Air India, this year, Keskar said.

"We had deferred the construction of the MRO (center) since delivery of the 787 was being deferred," Keskar said. "Now, we are on track to deliver the first 787 Dreamliner to Air India by the second quarter of 2011."

The Dreamliners were originally scheduled to be delivered in late 2009. Air India has ordered 27 of the twin-aisle, long-haul aircraft.

Keskar said the MRO center, being built in the western Indian city of Nagpur, will primarily service Air India's fleet of 787 and 777 planes.

Keskar said Boeing will take about two to two-and-a-half years to build the repair center. "When Air India gets the plane (787), it won't require maintenance for at least two years, so we are talking about 2013 (when the center will be operational)."


Source:morning star

India, Russia to ink $1.2 bn deal for 29 more MiG-29Ks

Russia is all set to reassert its numero uno status in the Indian defence market with another mega arms deal. The two nations are now poised to ink the around $1.2 billion contract for 29 more MiG-29K fighter jets for Indian Navy.

A Russian team will arrive in New Delhi this week to finetune the contract after it got the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, top defence sources said.

"The defence ministry is also now also seeking CCS approval for the fresh contract for aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov's refit, with the renegotiated price of slightly over $2.3 billion," said a source.

The two new contracts will further consolidate Russia's position as the largest defence supplier to India, having notched defence sales worth over $35 billion since the 1960s.

Though Israel is now nipping at the heels of Russia, and the US too has bagged some big defence deals in recent times, Moscow will continue to retain its lead for the foreseeable future.

India, after all, already has over $15 billion worth of ongoing arms contracts and projects in the pipeline with Russia. Bitter wrangling over the huge cost escalation in Gorshkov's refit had led to a distinct chill between India and Russia.

But with matters resolved now, India is also on course to formally join the $10 billion Russian project to build the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation stealth fighter.

The 29 new MiG-29Ks will be in addition to the 16 jets already contracted in the initial $1.5 billion Gorshkov package deal in January 2004. Incidentally, only $974 million had been earmarked for Gorshkov's refit at that time.

Rechristened INS Vikramaditya, Gorshkov will now be delivered to India by early-2013 or so. But three of the 16 original MiG-29Ks have already arrived at the Goa naval airbase to constitute the 303 `Black Panthers' squadron, with the next three slated to follow shortly.

MiG-29Ks will operate from the 44,570-tonne Gorshkov as well as the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier being built at Cochin Shipyard, which should roll out by 2014-2015.

Armed with eight types of air-to-air missiles, including extended range BVR (beyond visual range) missiles, as well as 25 air-to-surface weapons for land-attack missions, MiG-29Ks will provide Navy with a lethal punch on the high seas.

While 12 of the first 16 fighters will be the single-seat 'K' variants, the other four will be twin-seater 'KUB' trainer versions. Similarly, four of the next 29 jets will be 'KUB' trainer versions.

India's second AWACS to arrive in March

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will get its second Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), called the eye-in-the-sky, in March providing a dramatic boost to its capability to see beyond enemy lines and to detect incoming airborne threats.

“The second AWACS will arrive in March. Though a little delayed than the scheduled delivery, it would enhance IAF’s capabilities tremendously,” a senior IAF official, requesting anonymity, told IANS.

The IAF has purchased three AWACS from Israel to give it a capability beyond conventional ground-based and tethered electromagnetic radars. The first one arrived in May last year.

Like the first one, the cutting-edge technology Phalcon airborne radar is being integrated with the IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft.

“The second AWACS will also be based at Agra air base (home to the IAF’s Il-76 and Il-78 transports and mid-air re-fuellers) only,” the official added.

Agra airbase is one of the largest in the country and has immense strategic importance. It already has an extended runway and an avionics lab. The ground exploitation system that will sift through and disseminate the data transmitted by the AWACS is already in place.

With its ability to detect aircraft, cruise missiles and other flying objects at ranges far greater than is possible through existing systems, the AWACS can also collate surface information about troop movements and missile launches even while “listening-in” to highly confidential communications between the enemy{gt}s front line units.

To this extent, the second AWACS, as a potent force-multiplier, will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the IAF’s offensive and defensive operations. Given the intensity and pace of modern-day air warfare, the AWACS will provide an impregnable aerial umbrella to neutralise any incoming threat.

India is in the select club of nations — the US, Russia, Britain, Japan, Australia and Turkey — that operate such a sophisticated system. Other countries — notably Pakistan, Brazil and Greece — too operate AWACS but at a much lower end of the scale in terms of capability.

The AWACS project is a tripartite contract between India, Israel and Russia. The $1.1 billion deal for the three AWACS was signed in 2004.

source:The Hindu

Arjun Tank will be tested against Russian T-90

With the first Arjun tank regiment completing its conversion trials, the Army is readying to test the indigenous MBT's mettle against the proven Russian T-90s in the early half of the year.

"Army is preparing for comparative trials against the Russian T-90s in the early half of this year ... before May," a senior Army officer said on Saturday.

The Army had completed its first regiment's fleet of 40 Arjun MBTs last May when 16 of the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment-built tanks were handed over to it by the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi near Chennai.

However, the Army has placed orders for only 124 Arjuns in all as yet and there have been enough indications that further orders may not come through, as the Army was now looking at a futuristic MBT that could be operational beyond 2020.

It was also felt by the Army's Mechanised Forces circles that Arjuns could serve the Army only for about a decade as the technology and design of the tanks were on the verge of obsolescence already.

Having taken nearly 37 years to have a regiment of the indigenous tanks since the project was approved, the tanks have changed designs from a 40-tonne class vehicle with a 105-mm gun at the conception stage to 50-tonne vehicle with a 201-mm gun during production.

"For such a delay and design changes, Arjun tanks have proved to be a worthy combat vehicle for Indian deserts during the conversion trials and a third-party audit," the officer said.

The Arjun project was approved in 1972 and the first prototype of the tanks was readied in 1982 and publicly displayed in 1995.

However, during its development stages, several structural and design flaws were identified by the DRDO and the Army that were later rectified.

Now that the Army had got delivery of the first 40 tanks to complete its first of the three regiments that would operate Arjuns, the indigenous MBT is likely to be put through comparative summer trials against the 45-tonne T-90s between March and May this year.

Meant to come as replacements for the aging T-72 MBTs of Russian origin, the mainstay of Indian combat vehicle fleet since the 1980s, the delay in Arjun's production made India go in for T-90s from Russia

First, an order for 310 T-90s was placed with Russia and it was followed up with 330-tank order in 2006. Again, in 2007, another order for 1,000 tanks was placed.

While the first 310 were bought directly from Russia, the rest of the orders were for licensed production of the tanks within India.

The licensing issues were only sorted as recently as last year, with Russia agreeing to provide all technical knowhow to India for indigenous production of the tank.

In all, India would have about 35 regiments of T-90s in its armoured fleet by 2020.


sorce:Zee

Army to use solar energy at Siachen glacier

The Indian Army is going in for an eco-friendly windmill and solar panel energy at Siachen glacier, the highest battle field of the world, to save the glacier from pollution, as also to cut down on the cost of the fuel and logistic efforts.
The government has sanctioned Rs 3,000 crore for putting into effect the plan for alternate energy at the strategically crucial glacier, which is in the global attention because of the presence of the Indian and Pakistani armies.
“Our effort is to set up windmills and solar panels at the glacier, and other frontier areas in Ladakh region,” General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command Lt. Gen. BS Jaswal told Hindustan Times in an interview, while outlining the Army’s efforts to save the glacier.
This will help the soldiers stationed at the glacier to heat their huts and posts and lighting. The temperatures at the glacier dip minus 40 degree Celsius.
Till date, the soldiers – a brigade strength at Siachen glacier, have been dependent upon kerosene, diesel for running generators to heat their accommodation and lights.
While acknowledging that human presence does cause pollution. Gen. Jaswal said, what is hidden from the public view is the fact that how Army was saving the glacier.
“It is my hope that this year, we should be able to set up windmills and solar panels at the glacier. It will go a long way in helping protect the glacier from pollutants. It would be clean energy.”
The Northern Army Commander already has discussed the project with the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy.
“The presence of troops here is in the national interest. The phenomenon of the ‘glacier melt’ must be considered in terms of the mass of the glacial systems existing in the region in comparison to the quantum of troops present there. The ratio will indicate that the situation is not alarming,” he said, dispelling the fears that because of the Army’s presence the pace of the melting of glacier has speeded up.
“Glacial melting is part of the phenomenon of global warming. We are however, fully seized of the issue of the fragile ecology of the region and have instituted a number of measures to reduce the footprints. Eco-friendly measures adopted by us include pipeline based transmission of Kerosene - oil, greenhouses to grow vegetables and bio digesters."
“As a vision for the future we are identifying our power requirements in the areas of the Ladakh region which can be met through alternate energy sources, such as solar power and wind. We have instituted measures to further reduce the pollution levels on the glacier and have a structured system of waste disposal.”

Naval version of Tejas stuck in limbo

India’s naval version of the light combat aircraft, Tejas, is in limbo. The project, which is four years behind schedule, is now on the backburner, and Indian Navy is looking to foreign aircraft manufacturers for a new generation multi-role combat aircraft to beef up its naval aviation strength.

The development of the aircraft is getting delayed because, US’s Lockheed Martin, the lowest bidder identified by the LCA’s designer Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), has neither the approval nor the licence by the US government to carry out the “full gambit of work identified”.

The work involves developing a modified LCA to make it compatible with the Indian Navy’s requirements, for which Rs600 crore had been sanctioned.

Despite Lockheed’s problem, no efforts have been made to approach the second lowest bidder. “It's been more than a year since foreign aircraft-makers responded to the request for proposal (RFP) of DRDO's (Defence Research and Development Organisation’s) ADA for the naval variant of Tejas, but ADA has yet to take a decision on selection of one of them,” said an official.

The project is now languishing “due to delays in decisions by the authorities concerned,” he said.

The foreign companies which responded to the ADA’s RFPs include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab, Dassault, Eurofighter and MiG.

DRDO sources said there were many gaps in the proposal submitted by Lockheed Martin. “Additional time (six months) was granted to them (Lockheed) for obtaining the necessary approvals (from the US government) and revising the area of work so as to cover all the aspects,” said the source.

Going slow
That period lapsed in September 2009, but the government has not approached the second lowest bidder as stated in the existing rules.

“Normally, only a period of 60- 90 days is given but in this case, initially a period of two months was granted verbally, followed up by another three months. It is not clear as to what ADA plans to do now or who is bearing the cost of this delay,” said the source.
PS Subramanyam, director, ADA, told DNA he could not provide confidential details on the bidding process but said the RFP was still under consideration.

The Indian Navy is now looking at a proven fighter aircraft rather than an experimental one like the LCA. It is seeking a new generation multi-role fighter aircraft and has floated requests for information (RFI) to global manufacturers to beef up its aircraft carriers, INS Viraat or INS Vikramaditya (formerly Gorshkov from Russia).

Currently, Indian Navy is equipped with Russian MiG-29Ks and the British vintage Sea Harriers.

Rajasthan to allot land for BrahMos Project

Rajasthan government has decided to allot 80 ha for setting up BRAHMOS Missile project in Pilani. Defence Research Development

Organisation chief controller (R&D) Dr A Sivathanu Pillai said that the Rs 200-crore project will be rolled out soon in the state.

"We will hire around 150 technology experts for this project. Most of them would be from Rajasthan," he said.

The BrahMos (an amalgam of Brahmaputra and Moskva) missile programme is a joint venture between India and Russia. It is the fastest operational cruise missile existing in the world today and can be launched from any type of platform - land, sea, and air and precisely reach the targets either on land or at sea with high lethal effect.

"The missile is being assembled at BrahMos Aerospace located in Hyderabad," a government official said.

US offers its latest fighter to India

The US has offered to India yet another sophisticated defence system, this time its fifth generation F-35 Lightning-II fighter aircraft.The “possible sale” of this aircraft, which is still under development, was mentioned in the past “if the Indian Air Force (IAF) purchased the F 16 Super Viper for its Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) requirement.”

But according to a report in the coming issue of India Strategic defence magazine, Lockheed Martin, which manufactures these both aircraft, has now made a presentation without this condition to the Indian Navy for its carrier-borne aircraft requirements in about seven to eight years from now.

India Strategic quoted Orville Prins, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for business development, as saying that the presentation was made after a Request for Information (RFI) for newer generation of aircraft was received from the Indian Navy recently.

Prins pointed out though the company had been authorized by the US Department of Defense (DOD) to make the presentation, its sale could be done only after a bilateral agreement between Washington and New Delhi.

Arms and weapon systems are developed by private companies in the US with government funding, but the DoD controls their sales. Foreign military sales are undertaken after clearance from the Department of State.

The US is steadily emerging as a new supplier of sophisticated arms to India, which urgently needs to replace and augment its mostly outdated Soviet-vintage systems with the high technology weapons of the 21st century.

Only last month, India placed Letters of Request (LoRs), or firm orders, for 10 long-range strategic lift transport Boeing C 17 Globemaster III aircraft for the IAF and 145 Bofors ultra-light M 777 howitzers for mountain operations by the Indian Army.

Originally a Swedish company, Bofors was sold in 2000 to the US United Defense, and later to the US arm of BAE Systems. The Indian army is badly in need of various types of artillery guns and its acquisition process has been mired in one problem or another for years now.

According to Air Marshal Ashok Goel (Retd), India has less than 20 IL 76 heavy lift transport aircraft, and although they have served the IAF well, they would need to be replaced in about ten years or so. In April 2010, the IL squadrons with the IAF will mark their 25 years.

Prins said that Lockheed Martin was also offering the “the world’s most advanced ship-borne anti-missile system, Aegis, to India” and that presentation on this had also been made to the Indian Navy.

Apparently as a technology demonstration, the US had used the Aegis system to shoot down a satellite in February 2008 by firing a Raytheon SM-2 missile.

India to launch first manned spaceship in 2013

India would launch its first manned space flights by sending two astronauts in an orbit in a Russian spaceship in 2013, according to
reports.

For this, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is to finance the acquisition of a Soyuz spaceship and train its astronauts by a Russian commander.

The Russian cosmonaut would lead the two-member crew on an independent space flight lasting several days, 'Voice of Russia' radio reported.

Quoting deputy chief of Russian space agency (Roskosmos) Vitaly Davidov the radio said the flight of Indian astronauts would not involve a mission to the International Space Station.
India has already acquired 12 artillery Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) from Raytheon under a 2002 deal, which was actually the first arms transfer to India by the US after its embargos following India’s 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests.

In 2008, IAF placed orders for six Lockheed Martin C 130J Special Operations aircraft, with an option for six more along with training and infrastructure development package.

Prins said that the necessary transfer of equipment and training was under way and that delivery schedule for the aircraft will be adhered to as per the agreement.

The JSF is a fifth-generation aircraft, to be used by the US Air Force, Navy and Marines, and perhaps will be the last manned aircraft by that country before unmanned, high-powered long-range drones and helicopters fully take over the skies by the middle of this century.

Notably, India has already signed an agreement with Russia to develop a fifth generation fighter aircraft and it is due to be inducted into IAF by 2017. It is not known when and if this aircraft will have a naval variant.

2 Astra missiles successfully test fired In Orissa

Achieving a new milestone, India on Monday successfully test-fired two indigenously developed air-to-air missiles 'Astra' in quick succession from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa.

The beyond visual range (BVR) missiles were test-fired from a ground launcher in the launch pad No. 2 of the ITR complex at about 9.45 am and 12.06 pm, defence sources said.

Describing both the trials as "successful", they said the data of the flight test was being thoroughly analysed. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists said Astra was a futuristic missile and it could intercept targets at supersonic speeds between mach 1.2 to 1.4 (mach one is equivalent to 1236 kmph.)

"The tests on the missile's navigation, control, air frame, propulsion and other sub-system have been validated," they said.

The complex missile system would undergo some more trials before being made fully operational, they said. The single stage, solid fuel 'Astra' missile "is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and it is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets," defence sources said.

Though the exact range of today's trial was not disclosed, scientists are working to ensure that 'Astra' performs effectively at different altitudes - one, cruising at an altitude of 15 km with 90 to 110 km range, another at an altitude up to 30,000 ft having a range of 44 km and the third, at sea level with a range of 30 km. Astra had earlier been test-fired from the ITR at the ground level several times, the sources added.

India has lost 'substantial' land to China: Report

The area along the Line of Actual Control with China has "shrunk" over a period of time and India has lost "substantial" amount of land in the last two decades, says an official report.

At a recent meeting held in Leh which was attended by officials from the Jammu and Kashmir government, Ministry of Home Affairs and Army, it was agreed that there was difference in the maps of various agencies and that there was lack of proper mapping of the area.

The meeting was chaired by Commissioner (Leh) AK Sahu and attended among others by Brigadier General Staff of 14 Corps Brig Sarat Chand and Colonel Inderjit Singh.

While the absence of proper map was agreed upon, the meeting all the same felt, "however, it is clear and be accepted that we are withdrawing from LAC and our area has shrunk over a period of time".

"Though this process if very slow but we have lost substantial amount of land in 20-25 years," it was said at the meeting held last month.

According to the minutes of the meeting, it was also identified that "there is a lack of institutional memory in various agencies as well as clear policy on this issue which in long run has resulted in loss of territory by the India in favour of China".

The meeting was called to ensure proper protection to nomads who move with their cattle to Dokbug area of Nyoma sector during the winter months every year. In December 2008, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had damaged their tents and threatened them to vacate the land.

"They (Chinese) have threatened the nomadic people who had been using Dokbug area (in Ladakh sector) area for grazing since decades long, in a way to snatch our land in inches. A Chinese proverb is famous in the world – “better do in inches than in yards," a report filed by former Sub Divisional Magistrate (Nyoma) Tsering Norboo had said.

Norboo was deputed by the state government to probe complaints of incursion of the Chinese Army in Dokbug area and threats to the local shepherds to leave the land as it belonged to them. The area has been used by the shepherds to graze their livestock as the area is warmer compared to other parts of Ladakh.

The SDM contended that it was another attempt by the Chinese to claim the territory as disputed in the same fashion as they had taken Nag Tsang area opposite to Phuktse airfield in 1984, Nakung in 1991 and Lungma-Serding in 1992.

The area of Dokbug and Doley Tango was frequented by shepherds and nomads from December to March every year during which their young lambs were capable to walk.

The SDM has also highlighted the fact that Army stopped these nomads from vacating the land. The nomads were terrified by the Chinese threats.

Last year, Chinese troops had entered nearly 1.5 km into the Indian territory on July 31 near Mount Gya, recognised as international border by India and China, and painted boulders and rocks with "China" and "Chin9" in red spray paint.

The 22,420 ft Mount Gya, also known as "fair princess of snow" by Army, is located at the tri-junction of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet. Its boundary was marked during the British era and regarded as International border by the two countries.

Before this, Chinese helicopters had violated Indian air space on June 21 along the Line of Actual Control in Chumar region and also helli-dropped some expired food.

The area along the Line of Actual Control with China has "shrunk" over a period of time and India has lost "substantial" amount of land in the last two decades, says an official report.

India to buy Soyuz spacecraft from Russia by 2013

India plans to buy a Soyuz spacecraft from Russia and to launch its cosmonauts into orbit in 2013, Interfax news agency reported Sunday citing Vitaly Davydov, Deputy Head of Roskosmos.

Davydov said that, by 2013 the Russian space corporation Energia (Energy) is to upgrade its production facilities and will be capable to build 5 Soyuz spacecrafts a year.

Davydov said that besides paying for the spacecraft India will also finance the training of the Russian cosmonaut who is to head the team of Indian cosmonauts. He noted that the project envisages the launch of the Indian cosmonauts into orbit but not the work on the International Space Station.

Roskosmos - is a governmental organization responsible for managing the Russian space program.

India will commission its first indigenous aircraft carrier in 2014.

A dream is being crafted on this dock in Cochin Shipyard. Groups of workers in red and navy blue are shaping a vessel that will make the Indian Navy a truly blue-water force. On the dock, welders are hunched over their torches, plasma cutters are shaping sheet iron and crane operators are guiding huge hull blocks to their slots. These men with calloused hands and half-moons of dirt under their fingernails are erasing a history of hand-me-downs. They are making India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC).

There is a momentary hush as a huge gantry crane hoists a super-lift module to be slotted into the carrier. The crane operator deftly works the controls and gently guides the unit home. As the crane moves off, the welders take over and attach the lift-module to its neighbouring modules. After the lift-module is welded in place, plumbers and electricians hook up the wires and pipes. If all goes well, the Indian Navy will commission the carrier in 2014.

The 22 functional aircraft carriers in the world are owned by nine navies. Only the US, Russia and the UK have built carriers exceeding 40,000 tonnes. India is the fourth country to build a ship in this class. “It was our dream to equip India with an aircraft carrier,” said Commodore M. Jitendran, chairman and MD, Cochin Shipyard.

Work on the IAC started in November 2006 and 70 per cent of the hull blocks are done. Displacement tests, defining the hull form and structure, space analysis and hydrodynamic modelling have also been completed. “The IAC will be launched in 2010 and commissioned in 2014,” said Jitendran. “There will be no delays from our side.” Italian firm Fincantieri is assisting with the integration of the propulsion system and Russia’s Naval Design Bureau is helping with aviation systems.

The indigenous aircraft carrier project signifies not only an attempt to modernise the Navy, but also a shift in strategy. In the past, India had planned only to counter threats from Pakistan and China. But now it is aiming at global reach. International maritime laws recognise aircraft carriers as sovereign territories in almost all of the ocean.

“As long as a carrier does not get too close to a nation’s coast, it does not need permission from host countries for landing or overflight rights,” a Navy officer said. “A forward-deployed Navy provides the country with unique strategic options.” Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma said India’s goal for the next decade was to have a fleet of 160 ships and over 300 aircraft.

India’s naval role becomes more important because of its proximity to two strategic commercial straits—Hormuz and Malacca. Almost 40 per cent of international seaborne oil shipments pass through Hormuz. In 2006, Malacca averaged 1.5 million barrels of crude oil per day. These figures alone highlight the strategic nature of these straits.

“The IAC will be a milestone in the Navy’s history,” said former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash. “It is a symbol of power projection, which will simply resonate in other countries as it resonates in India. It [the IAC project] shows India’s seriousness to become a true blue-water Navy.” An accomplished carrier pilot, Prakash had commanded the INAS 300 when it updated to Sea Harriers in 1983.

Aircraft carriers are designed to support multiple activities. They transport a variety of aircraft, launch and land specific aircraft, serve as a mobile command centre for military operations and house personnel involved in these activities. “We have to fit a ship, an air base and a small housing colony in the carrier,” said a senior officer of the Southern Naval Command.

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND), the IAC will be powered by four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines. The turbines will generate an optimum 88MW, giving the carrier a cruising speed of 28 knots. The LM2500 is licence-built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The carrier will be 260m long and 60m wide with an endurance of 8,000nm.

The 40-year-old DND has designed 40 classes of ships and is the only government organisation worldwide to design ships. Elsewhere, the work is done by public sector companies or private shipbuilders.

Takeoffs and landings on carriers are a tricky business. Commander P.V. Satish, who served on the INS Viraat, said a night landing on a carrier’s flight deck is the most harrowing exercise in military aviation. Seated at the controls of a fighter that could weigh up to 25 tonnes, the pilot approaches the carrier and all he can see are the tiny lights lining the flight deck. “Imagine that! In the middle of the ocean and he has to land on a 200m-long runway,” said Satish.

The IAC’s flight deck will be in STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration with a ski-jump. The ski-jump will give aircraft additional lift during takeoff. All carrier-ready aircraft have a tailhook under their tail. Three arrestor wires fitted on to the flight deck are supposed to snag the tailhook and bring the plane to a stop. If a pilot misses all three wires, he has to take off and attempt another landing.

The IAC will have aircraft elevators before and after the ‘island’, the command and control centre of the carrier. The elevators move aircraft to the flight deck from the hangar deck. Sources said the IAC is designed to support and maintain 30 aircraft including the MiG-29K and the naval variant of Tejas, the indigenous light combat aircraft. The carrier will have two 200m runways, a helicopter deck and a 1,600-strong staff.

The team overseeing the project is currently finalising the carrier’s weapons systems. Obviously, the exact details are top secret. Carriers being ‘runways at sea’, the IAC will have systems capable of stopping attacks from enemy aircraft and missiles. There will also be a long-range surface-to-air missile system with multi-function radars and close-in weapon systems. The carrier will have anti-submarine defence systems. All defence systems on board will be integrated through a combat management system. Sources in the Southern Naval Command said the carrier would have “jamming capabilities over the expected electromagnetic environment.”

The quest for the IAC began in 1989 when the Navy wanted to replace its ageing British-built carriers with two new 28,000-tonne carriers. The first vessel was to replace the INS Vikrant, which was set to be decommissioned in early 1997. French company Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) was contracted to study designs for a 25,000-tonne vessel with a speed of 30 knots.

The plans were dropped in 1991 when the defence ministry shifted focus from conventional-sized carriers to the Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi class. The new class put the carrier at around 17,000 tonnes with capability to support up to 15 aircraft. In 1997, the Navy whittled down DCN’s model to a 24,000-tonne Air Defence Ship (ADS). “But somehow it still did not fit India’s requirement,” said Deba Ranjan Mohanty, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

Finally, in August 2006 the vessel was re-designated from ADS to a 252m-long IAC with a displacement of 37,000 tonnes. Because of design changes, the length was later increased to 260m and the displacement to 40,000 tonnes.

The project’s initial delay was due to the unavailability of high-grade steel. Though there was an initial agreement with Japan, it fell through after Pokhran II. Eventually, the Steel Authority of India Ltd produced the required steel under just about a year.

Senior Navy officials have confirmed that another core issue was the lack of funds. Prakash said the committee on defence expenditure had asked for downsizing to the Garibaldi class because of budgetary constraints. Many Navy officials said the current budget of Rs 3,260 crore was barely sufficient.

The IAC project has had other problems, too. Cochin Shipyard officials said IAC got delayed because of the ‘plan-as-you-build’ attitude. A minor alteration in the contracted design would lead to modifications of dozens of modules. But the Navy blames the shipyard for the “cost growth”. Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, director, National Maritime Foundation, said delays occurred because the shipyard did not have basic equipment to build the carrier. This was solved by a special allocation of Rs 200 crore to Cochin Shipyard by the defence ministry.

Bhaskar said, “There was no clarity at the highest national level what kind of aircraft carrier India needed. There was a lot of confusion within the defence ministry about the nature of the carrier. Moreover, India is lagging behind in shipbuilding. We do not have good dockyard facilities and shipbuilding technology.” Perhaps this is why the IAC project is a matter of pride. Said Mohanty: “It is about achieving a long cherished dream and about a belief that, despite many odds, we can build a world class warship.”

In a bid to boost its blue-water credentials, the Navy is expected to operate three aircraft carriers by 2017. It is acquiring the Kiev-class Admiral Gorshkov (renamed INS Vikramaditya) from Russia and is planning a 50,000-tonne IAC 2 with CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery) capability. CATOBAR will help IAC 2 to launch conventional aircraft. Only three countries have CATOBAR-capable carriers—the US (Nimitz class super-carriers and USS Enterprise), France (Charles de Gaulle) and Brazil (Sao Paulo).

Senior Navy officers said the order for IAC 2 was likely to be placed in 2010, after the launch of the first carrier. “The fate of IAC 2 will be decided by the performance of the first carrier,” said a senior Navy officer. On its part, Cochin Shipyard is using a modular approach to reduce construction time on IAC. If all goes well, after the initial launch the carrier will spend a year in the refit dock where all major components and underwater fittings would be fixed. Then it would be relaunched for outfitting.

The Navy has another external issue on its hands. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Tejas, which has to operate from the IAC, is behind schedule. The DRDO is thinking of installing the indigenous Kaveri engine in Tejas. But the engine has had multiple problems and French company Snecma is currently working on it.

The Navy might be forced to test Tejas with the current General Electric F404 engine. The test will ascertain its flight characteristics and whether its structural strength is sufficient for carrier deployment. When Tejas is fitted with Kaveri, the Navy will start operating it from a carrier. Reports said the Tejas naval variant was supposed to be ready for carrier trials by 2013.

Far away from the military planners, strategists and ‘Eyes Only’ files, the worker on the ground seems to have gauged the project’s significance better. Said a steelworker at the shipyard: “What is important for us is that we are doing something nobody else in India has done.”


source:The week

Indian villages along Punjab border came under attack from Pak

Six rockets were fired from Pakistan into Indian territory shortly past Friday midnight. Two rockets fell inside the Border Security Force's Kangarh border outpost (BOP).

Luckily, the rockets did not explode. The BOP is barely half a kilometre from the Indo-Pakistan border. In retaliation, the BSF opened machine gun and mortar fire targeting Pakistan’s KS Wala BOP area, from which the rockets had come. The location of the rest of the rockets fired from the Pakistani side could not be ascertained because of the thick fog that has enveloped these areas.

This is the third rocket attack within six months from Pakistan targeting Indian villages. The earlier rockets were fired into Indian villages in July and September.

Himmat Singh, the BSF's inspector general (frontier), told TOI that six rockets were fired from Pakistan between 12.10am and12.30am. He said the BSF had retaliated strongly and opened machine gun and mortar fire. Following the rocket attacks, the BSF held a meeting with the Pak Rangers commandant, Sher Jhang, and lodged a strong protest, Singh said, adding that no damage or injury was reported.

He said the Pak Rangers had not mentioned any casualty due to firing from the Indian side. He apprehended the hand of Pakistani terrorist groups behind the attack. However, he did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of the Pak Rangers.

Meanwhile, there is panic in the border villages. Manjit Kaur, a resident of Modhae village, said she had heard the blasts around midnight and came out of her house along with other family members. She said: “We thought Pakistan had attacked us as we heard three to four blasts in a short duration. Luckily, it wasn’t a war.” She said the Indian government must take measures to prevent such incidents and restore confidence.

Boeing says, India keen to acquire 10 C-17 aircraft

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co said on Friday the Indian Air Force is keen to acquire 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, in a deal
which Indian defence ministry officials said is potentially worth more than $2 billion.

"Boeing is very pleased that the Indian government has expressed interest in acquiring the C-17 to modernize its airlift capabilities, and we look forward to working closely with them," Vivek Lall, India country head of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems, said in a statement.

Boeing said the U.S. government has received a letter of request from New Delhi.

"The final (deal) price will change once you take the additional costs, including landing gears and maintenance contract into account," a senior defence ministry official said.

The C-17 is a heavy-lift aircraft, capable of carrying large combat equipment and troops, Lall said.

India is looking to spend more than $50 billion over the next five years to modernise its armed forces and largely Soviet-era equipment, especially after the 2008 November Mumbai attacks revealed security loopholes.

Boeing, which is eyeing the Indian defence market, has already submitted two proposals to the Indian Air Force, offering AH-64D Apache and CH-47F Chinook helicopters in a deal worth $2 billion.


India signed a separate $2.1 billion contract with the company last year to procure eight P-8I aircraft for its navy, which Boeing officials say New Delhi wants to be delivered by 2013.

Last August, New Delhi began field trials to buy 126 fighter jets in a $10.4 billion deal to modernise its air force.

Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, France's Dassault Rafale, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, produced by a consortium of European companies, are in the race for the contract, one of the biggest in play.

Chhattisgarh to have air base soon

The Indian Air Force has decided to build an air base in Chhattisgarh, which they consider useful due to its central location, officials said here today.

Air Marshal S Vardhaman in a meeting with Chief Minister Raman Singh and other senior officials in Mantralya discussed various options about choosing the location for the air base, they said.

About 2,500-3,000 acres of land would be needed to build the air base, the officials said.

Army to procure night vision goggles for chopper pilots

In a bid to strengthen the night-fighting capabilities of its pilots, the Indian Army is planning to procure advanced night vision goggles capable of operating in low ambient light conditions.

In a recently issued Request for Information (RFI), the army has specified that it needs goggles, which should enable the crew in helicopters to operate under "starlit conditions".

The Army operates a fleet of 10 squadrons comprising over 200 choppers including the French-origin Cheetah and Chetak helicopters and the indigenously-built ALH Dhruv helicopters and is carrying out trials for inducting around 135 new light-utility helicopters in the next couple of years.


In the recent past, Indian armed forces have been working towards removing their 'night-blindness' during wars.

INS Savitri returns after anti-piracy missions

After successfully carrying out surveillance and anti-piracy missions in waters of Mauritius and Seychelles for over a month, Indian Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Savitri returned to its base.

The ship was sent to the region after the Mauritian government sent formal requests to India for ships to carry out surveillance and anti-piracy patrols there, officials said.

"INS Savitri with a Chetak helicopter and Marine Commandos effectively sanitised far-flung sea areas of the Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), beyond the reach of Mauritian surveillance assets," they said.

During its deployment there, the ship imparted training to marine commandos of the Mauritian Coast Guard for undertaking operations at sea and acquainted two helicopter pilots of the Mauritian Police Helicopter Squadron in deck landing on board the ship at sea, officials said.

BrahMos missile to be inducted into Air Force in 2012

The country's prestigious 'BrahMos' missile would be inducted into the Air Force in 2012 that would ensure all the three

wings of the military are equipped with the supersonic cruise missile, a top defence official said on Wednesday.

"We have developed the airborne missile part, and process of integrating it with the aircraft 'Sukhoi' was progressing", BrahMos Aerospace Ltd CMD A Shivathanu Pillai said at the BrahMos Aerospace's facility here.

Trial run of airborne BrahMos missile would be held next year and the target was to integrate it with the aircraft in 2012, he said.

As far as integration of the missile was concerned, the original designers of the aircraft were also involved, he said.

"We are working with them (Sukhoi). Some changes are necessary and once the alteration is identified, we will introduce the same in the aircraft," Pillai said.

With that, all the three wings of Indian military -- Air Force, Navy and Army -- would have the supersonic missile 'BrahMos', he said.

Development of a new version of BrahMos missile, involving a technology that would discriminate the target and attack, in 2009 was a major achievement, he added.

Three flights on the new version had proved successful and the army would be inducting two more of this version shortly, Pillai said.

On the next generation cruise missile, he said hypersonic BrahMos missile was in design stage

New Fresh Attack in Shrinagar in 2010

As the news coming from the lal Chawlk ,shrinagr The militants attcked on CRPF presonal.


Two lobbed a Blast Graned Before Firing, Eye Witness is Saying.After blasting graned, they are in Now hotel Named 'Panjab Hotel'.And Firing towards security personals.

One police man died and one reporter is also injured in this attack.Two CRPF jawans also injured.@ civilian also injured.


It is said that two militants are in Hotel. And firing from bth side reported.

Centre cancels contract for midair refuellers for fighter aircraft

In a development that could severely hamper the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) ability, the government has cancelled a $1.5-billion contract for midair refuellers for fighter aircraft. Midair refuellers extend the reach and endurance of the aircraft.

Defence ministry sources said the contract was cancelled after the finance ministry raised several objections to the acquisition. The ministry’s objections, sources in the military said, were due to a lingering L1 (lowest item in a contract) syndrome in the government.

The air force pleaded hard with AK Antony to not cancel the contract after a few years of trial and evaluations, but the defence minister decided not to oppose the finance ministry.

Under the norms of contract of government of India, the cheapest item that satisfies the parameters must be bought.

The air force is upset at the cancellation. When it comes to the military, technological capabilities and sophistication make a huge difference, “but that is immaterial if the finance ministry is to be trusted”, a source in the force said. “For every bit of sophistication, we have to pay a price, and that makes a huge difference in the battlefield,” he said.“It would take us a few years now to select a tanker, unless they force us to buy the Russian tanker,” an IAF officer said.

“We need to break the logjam” on opting for the cheapest, another air force officer said. He pointed out that the contract for the purchase of 12 helicopters for transporting VVIPs, such as the president and the prime minister, was also facing resistance from the finance ministry. The ministry has argued that the deal is far more expensive than what was projected. However, since there is no “L1 trouble” in the chopper deal, it may “finally go through”, the officer said.

The finance ministry had also objected to the acquisition of the costlier Airbus 330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft six years after the air force bought the Russia-made Ilyushin-78. But, sources said, the force justified the buy in a detailed written reply, saying Airbus was technologically superior than Ilyushin-78 and that the overall cost of the European product would be competitive. IAF pointed out that Airbus was fuel efficient and most of its civilian parts could be serviced in India.

source:DNA India

Astra air-to-air missile to make its first flight To add punch to IAF’s fleet of Sukhoi, Mig-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas

Veteran fighter pilots lament the end of the dogfight, the evocative name for a twisty, sky-ripping, adrenaline-packed aerial duel, in which the winner gets behind his opponent and shoots him down with a burst of cannon fire.

Today, it is less about flying skill, cold nerve and highly-responsive aircraft; the modern-day dogfighting ace is an airborne video-game expert who uses radar to detect his foe at long ranges, and launch a beyond visual range (BVR) missile even before his victim realises that the engagement has begun.

Just days from now, a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter will take off from an Indian Air Force (IAF) base, an Astra missile fitted on its wing. This will be the first-ever flight of this indigenously developed BVR missile, which the IAF hopes will add punch to its fleet of Sukhoi-30MKI, Mig-29, Mirage-2000 and Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighters.

The Astra, built by the Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, will allow IAF pilots to hit enemy aircraft up to 44 km away, at altitudes up to 20,000 metres. Improving on that will be the Astra Mk II, with a longer range of 80 km.


The Astra incorporates many cutting-edge technologies. Here is how an Astra would take on an enemy fighter: an IAF fighter’s radar picks up the target; the pilot launches an Astra missile. A high-energy propellant quickly boosts the missile to several times the speed of sound. At ranges beyond 15 km, the Astra cannot “see” its target, so the IAF fighter guides the missile, relaying the target’s continually changing position over a secure radio link. Once it is 15 km from the target, the Astra’s onboard seeker picks up the target; after that the Astra homes in on its own.

At this point, the target would start turning and diving to throw off the missile. But the Astra manoeuvres better, and moves much faster, than even the most agile fighters. A radio proximity fuse measures the distance to the target. When the target is within 5 metres, the Astra’s radio proximity fuse detonates its warhead, sending a volley of shrapnel ripping through the enemy fighter.

Most of these technologies have already been proven. The propulsion system, the data link between the aircraft and the Astra, the radio proximity fuse, the onboard computer, the inertial navigation system and other key technologies were developed at the DRDO’s missile complex in Hyderabad.

The Astra’s seeker is still imported from Russia, but the DRDO hopes to develop one.

The forthcoming test with a Sukhoi-30MKI is called a “captive flight trial”; it will evaluate whether the Astra can withstand the physical stresses of supersonic flying and high-speed manoeuvring. Early in 2010, a “captive-II flight trial” will check whether the Astra’s avionics are properly matched with those of the Sukhoi-30MKI. The fighter should receive the missile’s signals; and the Astra should receive the aircraft’s commands.

“Matching an Indian missile with a Russian fighter’s avionics has turned out to be a complex task”, explains Mukesh Chand, one of the Astra’s key developers, “But the Astra will be much better integrated with the Indian Tejas LCA.”

Only in October 2010, after all the Astra’s systems are certified airworthy, will a live Astra be fired from a fighter. But the project scientists are confident; in a September 2008 test in Balasore, Orissa, a ground-launched Astra shot down an electronic target, validating many of the most complex technologies.

A drawback in the Astra remains its high weight; even a heavy fighter like the Sukhoi-30MKI cannot carry the missile on its wingtip stations. In comparison with the Astra’s estimated 150 kg, other BVR missiles like the Israeli Derby weigh around 100 kg only.

BSF foils infiltration bid along Indo-Pak border

The Border Security Force foiled the first infiltration bid of 2010 by armed militants along the India-Pakistan border in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir in the wee hours of Monday.

During the patrolling of the area, the BSF troops noticed some suspicious movement along the international border near Narianpur border out post in Samba district at approximately 1.15 am on Monday, said a senior BSF official.

Troops lit up the area with search lights and later fired on the infiltrating militants, forcing them back to the Pakistan side, even as they fired some rounds on patrol party, he said. "This was the first infiltration bid of this year," the official said.

There was no injury to the BSF troops. However, due to the thick fog, it was not known whether any militants had been injured in the BSF firing, he said, adding that no recovery was made during the search today morning.

India, Russia close to PACT on next generation fighter

Late last year, a defence ministry delegation to Sukhoi’s flagship aircraft facility in Siberia became the first Indians to set eyes upon the next-generation fighter that is slated to form the backbone of the future Indian Air Force (IAF). In that first meeting, carefully choreographed by Sukhoi, the new fighter, standing on the tarmac waved a welcome to the Indians, moving all its control fins simultaneously.


The effect, recounts one member of that delegation, was electric. The senior IAF officer there walked silently up to the aircraft and touched it almost incredulously. This was the Sukhoi T-50, the first technology demonstrator of what India terms the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Senior defence ministry sources tell Business Standard that — after five years of haggling over the FGFA’s form, capabilities and work-share — a detailed contract on joint development is just around the corner.

The contract, which Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will sign with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), will commit to building 250 fighters for the IAF and an equal number for Russia. The option for further orders will be kept open. HAL and UAC will be equal partners in a joint venture company, much like the Brahmos JV, that will develop and manufacture the FGFA.

The cost of developing the FGFA, which would be shared between both countries, will be $8-10 billion (Rs 37,000-45,000 crore). Over and above that, say IAF and defence ministry sources, each FGFA will cost Rs 400-500 crore.

Sukhoi’s FGFA prototype, which is expected to make its first flight within weeks, is a true stealth aircraft, almost invisible to enemy radar. According to a defence ministry official, “It is an amazing looking aircraft. It has a Radar Cross Section (RCS) of just 0.5 square metre as compared to the Su-30MKI’s RCS of about 20 square metres.”

[That means that while a Su-30MKI would be as visible to enemy radar as a metal object 5 metres X 4 metres in dimension, the FGFA’s radar signature would be just 1/40th of that.]

A key strength of the 30-35 tonne FGFA would be data fusion; the myriad inputs from the fighter’s infrared, radar, and visual sensors would be electronically combined and fed to the pilots in easy-to-read form.

The FGFA partnership was conceived a decade ago, in 2000, when Sukhoi’s celebrated chief, Mikhail Pogosyan, invited a visiting Indian Air Force officer out to dinner in Moscow. Boris Yeltsin’s disastrous presidency had just ended, and Russia’s near bankruptcy was reflected in the run-down condition of a once-famous restaurant. But, as the IAF officer recounts, the vodka was flowing and Pogosyan was in his element, a string of jokes translated by a female interpreter.

Late that evening Pogosyan turned serious, switching the conversation to a secret project that, officially, did not even exist. Sukhoi, he confided to the IAF officer, had completed the design of a fifth generation fighter, as advanced as America’s F-22 Raptor, which is still the world’s foremost fighter. Russia’s economy was in tatters, but Sukhoi would develop its new, high-tech fighter if India partnered Russia, sharing the costs of developing the fighter at Sukhoi’s plant, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Organisation (KnAAPO).

Reaching out to India was logical for Russia. During the 1990s — when thousands of Russian military design bureaus starved for funds, and a bankrupt Moscow cancelled 1,149 R&D projects — India’s defence purchases had kept Russia’s defence industry alive, bankrolling the development of the Sukhoi-30 fighter; the Talwar-class stealth frigates; the Uran and Klub ship-borne missiles; and the MiG-21 upgrade.

But co-developing a fifth generation fighter is a different ball game, financially and technologically, and India’s MoD hesitated to sign up. Meanwhile enriched by hydrocarbon revenues, Moscow gave Sukhoi the green light to develop the FGFA, which Russia terms the PAK-FA, the acronym for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsy (literally Prospective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation).

Today, Russia is five years into the development of the FGFA. In November 2007, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement on co-developing the fighter, but it has taken two more years to agree upon common specifications, work shares in development, and in resolving issues like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

The prototype that Sukhoi has built is tailored to Russian Air Force requirements. But the IAF has different specifications and the JV will cater for both air forces, producing two different, but closely related, aircraft. For example, Russia wants a single-seat fighter; the IAF, happy with the Su-30MKI, insists upon a twin-seat fighter with one pilot flying and the other handling the sensors, networks and weaponry.

Negotiations have resolved even this fundamental conflict. India has agreed to buy a mix of about 50 single-seat and 200 twin-seat aircraft. Russia, in turn, will consider buying more twin-seat aircraft to use as trainers. But even as both countries narrow their differences, fresh challenges lie ahead: preparing India’s nascent aerospace industry for the high-tech job of developing and manufacturing a fifth-generation fighter.

(This is the first of a two-part series on the IAF’s fifth-generation fighter)

India is Developing A Weapon to Destroy Enemy Satellites:DRDO

DRDO Chief V.K. Saraswat announced at the 97th Science Congress that India was developing a weapon that can destroy enemy satellites in low-earth orbit and polar orbit, denying enemy access to India's space assets.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is building the technology blocks needed to “neutralise” hostile satellites in low earth and polar orbits, according to V.K. Saraswat, DRDO Director-General and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister.

These blocks are the kill vehicle that will bring down the adversarial satellites, long-range radars, communication systems, laser-based systems and imaging infra-red seekers which will give a complete picture of the satellite. They will be generated as part of the DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, which will reach “maturity in totality” in 2014, Dr. Saraswat said. He was addressing a press conference here on Sunday.

India to Purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers from USA

The government has authorised an outright purchase of 145 ultra-light howitzers from the US, a highly-placed defence ministry source said today.The ultra-light howitzers are for the mountain artillery divisions of the Indian Army to be used in high-altitude frontiers opposite Pakistan and China. They can be transported slung from some helicopters.

The defence acquisitions committee has decided to take the foreign military sales route. Foreign military sales is a US programme of government-to-government sales of military hardware bypassing a lengthy system of competitive bidding. But bidders who lose out to foreign military sales orders allege that the system lacks transparency.“We will also look at other options,” defence secretary Pradeep Kumar said.

The Indian Air Force has taken the foreign military sales route to contract six Lockheed Martin-made Hercules C130J air lifters and the army did the same to buy artillery fire-finding radars.Two brands of ultra-light howitzers were initially in contention for the Indian Army’s estimated $2.5-billion artillery modernisation programme — ST Kinetics’ Pegasus and BAE Land Systems’ M777 made in the US.

BAE Land Systems has bought over the erstwhile Swedish firm Bofors that sold 410 155mm howitzers to India in 1986. The army has not bought a single big gun since the last of the Bofors howitzer was delivered in 1987, 22 years back.ST Kinetics was blacklisted this year after the company figured in investigations into the deals struck by the former director general of the Ordnance Factory Board in Calcutta. The government has lifted the bar on trials in multiple-vendor situations.

If the government takes the foreign military sales route, the order is likely to go to BAE Land Systems. The source said the defence acquisitions council authorised the foreign military sales route before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US last month.The army wants to buy 145 ultra-light howitzers, 158 towed and wheeled, 100 tracked, and 180 wheeled and armoured guns in the first phase as part of its field artillery rationalisation plan, the programme to upgrade its artillery divisions.

Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar said the government has speeded up the buying of military hardware. Between 2007 and 2009, a total of 465 contracts have been signed. These are worth more than Rs 1,35,000 crore.He said in 10 years, the defence ministry had doubled the capital expenditure for new acquisitions. The acquisitions were worth Rs 62,272 crore between 1999 and 2004. They total Rs 1,37,496 crore between 2004 and 2009. In the current year (2009-2010), Rs 41,000 crore was being spent on direct capital acquisitions.The acquisitions have included Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems, Sukhoi 30MKI fighter aircraft, aircraft for VIPs, missiles of different types and tanks.

NSG will Increase its capabilities in new year

Having learnt immensely from the anti-terror operations its men conducted during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the National Security Guard (NSG) plans to take a giant leap in terms of weaponry and equipment in 2010. With the “debriefing” of Operation Black Tornado (the name given to the 26/11 operations) having yielded critical information about the way this elite force operates and the kind of improvements that could be made, the NSG’s focus is clearly on upgrading its firepower and communication systems.

Amongst a variety of sophisticated weapons the force is likely to procure in “significant numbers” are the German-made MP5 submachine guns and the Glock 26 and Glock 17 pistols of Austrian make. The NSG will also procure laser aiming devices for the MP5 guns and tactical lights for the Glock pistols.

The New Year will also see the force procure hands-free communication devices, splinter-proof goggles and bulletproof jackets, providing 360-degree, all-round upper torso body protection.

“Much of 2009 was spent in identifying the kind of weapons and equipment we require and seeking clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Most of the procurements will happen in the New Year,” a top NSG official said.

Also, for the around 1,000 commandos of the NSG, the New Year will ring in some good news when they move into pre-fabricated structures at the four newly-created regional hubs at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

NSG’s tag of being a lean elite force will, however, become redundant in 2010 with the force planning to add 13,000 personnel to it ranks, out of which 10,300 will exclusively be for the two regional centres the force plans to set up at Kolkata and Hyderabad. With 600 acres of land in Hyderabad already identified, the regional centre there is likely to take shape sooner than at Kolkata. On the training front, 2010 may see NSG Black Cats getting training from Germany’s elite counter-terrorism force, the GSG 9 and the French GIGN force.