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October 31, 2017

Pakistan returns helicopters given by US



Pakistan has returned the five remaining helicopters to the United States that were given to them to monitor its border with Afghanistan.
According to the Geo News, the U.S. gave a total of nine helicopters to Pakistan in 2002, out of which four were returned on October 15.
The Ministry of Interior's air wing had been using the choppers for anti-narcotics operations and combating terrorism, according to sources.
Now, it would be difficult to monitor the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as the Ministry of Interior is left with only three Cessna aircraft in the air wing, the insiders added.

 business-standard

Kamov choppers: India-Russia joint venture may sign contract with government by early next year


An Indo-Russia joint venture is likely to sign a contract with the Indian government early next year for the supply of 200 Kamov light weight multi-role military helicopters to the armed forces under a $1 billion deal.
 An Indo-Russia joint venture is likely to sign a contract with the Indian government early next year for the supply of 200 Kamov light weight multi-role military helicopters to the armed forces under a $1 billion deal. Various aspects of the project to supply the Kamov-226T helicopters were discussed today during a meeting between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrei Boginsky. “We discussed all aspects of the Ka-226T project. (It was) agreed that the contract should be signed in the beginning of 2018,” Boginsky said. 
In October last year, India and Russia had finalised a broad agreement to set up a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and two Russian defence majors — Russian Helicopters and Rosoboronexport. The joint venture will produce the Kamov helicopters. India is procuring Kamov choppers to replace its ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. The JV was registered in India earlier this year. As part of the inter-governmental agreement, ‘Russian Helicopters’ along with Rosoboronexport will supply and localise production of the Ka-226T helicopters in India.

Boginsky said the possibility of supplying 111 multipurpose helicopters to the Indian Navy by the JV was also discussed in his meeting with the defence minister. As per official sources, 60 Kamov-226T helicopters will be supplied to India in fly-away condition, while 140 will be manufactured in India.
The inter-government agreement for the deal was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia in December, 2015.

 financialexpress

MoD aims to buy hi-tech sniper rifles for Army


The Ministry of Defence has launched a global hunt to procure an advanced sniper rifle with thermal imaging night sights and a strike range of 1,200 metres.

A request for information has been sent to international and Indian weapons manufacturers. The new rifle will replace the Indian Army's ailing Soviet-era Dragunov guns.

"As per the Army's field requirements, the MoD has decided to procure about 5,500 advanced sniper rifles with night sights. The procurement will be carried out in phases and the desired quantity must be delivered by the supplier within six to 18 months from the day of signing the contract," a senior official with the MoD told TOI over phone.

Army snipers have been using the obsolete Dragunov since it was first inducted in the Indian Army back in 1990. The weapon's ammunition has become expensive and there have been reliability, ability problems. "The 7.62 mm-calibre Dragunov has been suffering from several problems," a senior army officer with an infantry division, currently posted in the North-East sector, told TOI. Army higher-ups and the ministry know about the gun's problems but procurement has remained pending since 2012, due to various reasons."

Army sources said these rifles fail to "recognise" targets beyond 300 metres at night. Also, the shoulder-fired Dragunov does not possess adequate stability. Pakistani snipers, meanwhile, have been using advanced Austrian rifles against Indian troops along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said.

Every infantry battalion of the Indian Army has about eight to ten snipers. Commenting on the role of snipers, another senior officer, with extensive experience in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir, said snipers are an invaluable part of operations. "Snipers are force multipliers. Their expertise often gives that desired advantage to operations," the officer said.

timesofindia

Indian defence companies may get customs duty relief


In an effort to soothe the nerves of Indian defence firms, the Centre is mulling Customs duty exemption on the import of spare parts under programmes that were rolled out before April 1, 2017.

The exemption will be granted in order to bring the Indian firms on a par with foreign OEMs who are provided tax exemption on the projects they develop. The Customs duty is being paid by the Indian government on behalf of the foreign OEMs, sources in the Ministry of Defence said.

According to current norms, while foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the country are given tax concessions on the items they import into the country to build a certain armament, Indian companies end up paying Customs duty.

“If the government is serious about advancing ‘Make in India’ in defence manufacturing, this tax concession has to be given to private Indian defence companies. For us, the Customs duty becomes a part of our working capital,” a top executive of an Indian defence company told BusinessLine.

The executive also said that moving forward on a project had become more difficult following the GST rollout.

The issue was raised at a meeting between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Indian defence companies last Saturday.

Representatives of the Indian defence industry asked Sitharaman if Customs duty paid at the time of import can be reimbursed immediately upon producing a receipt. This will also boost defence exports from the Indian companies.

The Defence Minister is believed to have assured the Indian defence firms that she would take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance.

However, as per the Budget 2017-18, not all projects rolled out after April 1, 2017 will be liable for Customs duty exemption, regardless of whether it is being executed by an Indian or a foreign OEM.

“Most of the defence manufacturing in the country has been happening in the public sector. Now, with greater private sector participation, it is advisable that a level playing field is created,” said YD Parande, Senior Advisor (GST), Deloitte India.

 thehindubusinessline

Russia & Japan Eye Big Contracts as India Mulls Adopting Amphibious Aircraft





India's SpiceJet is in talks with Japan's Setouchi Holdings Ltd to purchase 100 seaplanes, the trial of which is to begin soon. Russian firm Beriev has also made a similar offer which is awaiting government clearance.

Seeking to reap benefits from the Indian government's amphibious plan to make air travel accessible to its middle-class population, Russian and Japanese manufacturers have offered to sell their seaplanes to India. The amphibious planes would go a long way to solving India's connectivity issues in the hinterlands where existing infrastructure does not support the landing of aircrafts.

The manufacturers have also proposed adopting the 'Make in India' route to locally manufacture the seaplanes in collaboration with Indian manufacturers if the contract value allows them to do so. Meanwhile, India has agreed to a trial of a Japanese seaplane. The trial is scheduled to start by the second week of November in Nagpur in the state of Maharashtra.

The Russian firm Beriev has also expressed interest in supplying 50-seater amphibious planes. India's Minister of Shipping Nitin Gadkari said that the proposal is at the initial the stage and it may take some more time due to various regulatory clearances.

"India has a huge potential in seaplanes that can overhaul connectivity. A Russian firm has approached us to supply 50-seater amphibious planes which have multiple uses, from passenger and cargo transportation to firefighting, rescue and defense operations," Nitin Gadkari said.

India's budget airline SpiceJet is already in talks with Japan's Setouchi Holdings Inc. to buy about 100 amphibious Kodiak planes that can land anywhere, including on water, gravel or in an open field. It is expected that the trial run of the plane will be conducted successfully from Nagpur and if everything goes right, including government clearances, the Japanese firm will able to bag contracts of at least $400 million from SpiceJet.

The Indian government aims to provide air connectivity to the 97% of 1.3 billion people who never travel on an airplane at a cost below a taxi fare per kilometer. Currently, the country has only 72 designated airstrips that handle commercial flights. Narendra Modi's government needs to build more than 350 airports- small & medium size- to cater to the demands of the aviation sector which is growing at a rate of approximately 16 percent and will become the world's third-biggest aviation market by 2036. Airline suppliers expect the country needs at least 200 smaller size airplanes amounting to $5 billion in the next ten years alone. But, sensing the market opportunities at smaller cities across India, the airlines do not want to wait for time-consuming infrastructure development work and want to connect tourist places in hinterland through seaplane having capacities of 15-50 passengers per plane.

"We want to encourage seaplanes. A small nation like the Maldives has a fleet of 47 seaplanes but India, despite vast potential has none. I urge industrialists in the area to come to India. Here there is potential," Gadkari concludes.

 Sputnik

October 30, 2017

Details of Sweden’s 120 mm Mjolner development emerge


Manned firing trials of the prototype/demonstrator of BAE Systems Hagglunds’ CV90 twin 120 mm Mjolner mortar system are now underway and it is expected that the Critical Design Review (CDR) will take place by the end of 2017, which will lead to the design freeze and allow production to commence.
When completed, the Mjolner system will enter Swedish Army service as the GRKPBV90.
Major Nils Carlsson, Future Organisation Mortar Development Officer of the Swedish Army provided additional details of the Mjolner programme at the Defence IQ Future Mortar conference held in London, UK.
Production of the twin 120 mm Mjolner turret systems will start in 2018 with deliveries to run from late 2018 or early 2019 through to 2020.
This work will be undertaken at the BAE Systems Hagglunds facility where the CV90 series platforms are being overhauled.
The turret will be built by BAE Systems Hagglunds with the twin 120 mm smooth bore barrels sourced from Slovakia.
Each of the five CV9040 mechanised battalions of the Swedish Army will be issued with eight CV90 twin 120 mm Mjolner mortar systems.
Each system will be supported by a Bv 206 tracked articulated all terrain load carrier that will carry additional 120 mm mortar ammunition.
The CV90 120 mm Mjolner system will fire the currently deployed 120 mm high-explosive (HE), smoke and illuminating projectiles, although in the longer term a more effective HE round with improved fragmentation effects could be procured.
It can also fire the Strix 120 mm top attack mortar bomb that was developed by the now Saab Dynamics and also sold to Switzerland. This has a maximum range of 7,500 m and is fitted with a nose-mounted infrared seeker and a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead that is designed to penetrate the vulnerable upper surfaces of main battle tanks (MBT) and other armoured fighting vehicles.

 janes

October 29, 2017

French Defence Minister Meets PM Narendra Modi, Talks 'Make in India'


Florence Parly, the French Minister for the Armed Forces, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. Parly, who concluded her three-day visit to India on Saturday, spoke to the Prime Minister about areas of mutual cooperation in the defence sector. The meeting with the PM came a day after Parly met her Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman at the Ministry of Defence in South Block, New Delhi.

“Mrs. Parly briefed the Prime Minister about developments in bilateral defence cooperation. The Prime Minister said that defence cooperation is one of the key pillars of the Strategic Partnership between India and France, and called for greater cooperation in the ‘Make in India’ framework in defence manufacturing and joint research & development,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The PM also told Parly that he hoped to receive French President Emanuel Macron at his earliest continence. On Friday, the defence ministers of the two countries met and discussed areas of mutual cooperation. They, too, discussed defence partnership under the PM’s ‘Make in India’ doctrine. A Defence Ministry statement said, “The two Ministers also comprehensively reviewed developments in defence equipment and industry cooperation, where France is a major partner. They agreed to strongly support projects for defence manufacturing under the Make in India initiative as well as promote defence technology and R&D cooperation.”

Crucially, they discussed Indo-French Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The statement added, “The Ministers reiterated their strong intention to further expand bilateral cooperation on counter- terrorism. Recognising the growing significance of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and the need for greater maritime domain awareness, India and France will further expand information sharing arrangements building upon the Technical Arrangement on Exchange of White Shipping information signed earlier this year,” a Defence Ministry statement said.

This came just hours after the Naval Commanders conference concluded on Friday, where the Indian Navy resolved to step up its presence in the Indian Ocean Region. During the conference, Indian Navy Commanders discussed ‘sustained presence’ and ‘mission based deployment’ of Indian ships in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The move is being seen as a counter to keep Chinese presence in the IOR in check, particularly after tensions between the two nations were high following the Doklam standoff.

 news18

Chinese troops have started withdrawal from Doklam standoff site: Sources





Chinese troops have started withdrawal from the Doklam standoff site even though the process is slow, top Army sources said.
"There is no need to worry for the Doklam area as the Chinese troops have started thinning down and tensions have also subsided. The troops had also exchanged sweets on Diwali," top Army sources said.

Sources added, "There has been a thinning of Chinese troops in the Doklam area. Many of them had come down for exercises and now, very clearly, some are going back. First, there are fewer tents in the area and also, fewer troops moving around. Of course, there are still a considerable number of PLA troops in the general area with heavy weapons like tanks and artillery, but the process of troop-reduction appears to have begun. This is clear from the latest satellite imagery."

Government sources refute any talk of the Chinese reinforcing their positions in recent times. The troops that were there are apart from the numbers being pulled out.

As for the Indian Army, the operation alert issued during the crisis is being lifted and deduction from the India side has started in the Ladakh mountains as troops have started coming back. About two brigades had been moved to Ladakh from the plains.

They are being moved back. A similar thinning out is being planned for the Sikkim area, much closer to Doklam, which is on the China-Bhutan border. It is easier to do that in Sikkim in comparison with Ladakh as there are roads almost right up to the front.
One reason for the de-escalation is the weather. There is already light snow on the ground and the prospect of a confrontation has come down in the wake of diplomatic negotiations.

As part of the lessons of Doklam, the Army and Indian Air Force are pushing for more airfields in the east Ladakh area. If there are more airstrips apart from the Leh field that is also used by civilian aircraft, it will be easier to supply more troops on the ground as opposed to give them fuel, ammunition and food from the air. Several spots have already been identified including Nyoma and BDO. If the airfields are there, troops can even be moved there quickly if there is a need.

 indiatoday

October 28, 2017

India, France Decide To Boost Co-Operation In Indo-Pacific Region


Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her French counterpart Florence Parly held extensive talks covering a range of issues.  India and France today decided to expand their military cooperation in the strategically key Indo-Pacific region besides resolving to further ramp up the overall defence and security ties.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her French counterpart Florence Parly held extensive talks covering a range of issues, including the regional security situation, joint development of defence platforms and expansion of military-to-military ties.

  In their delegation-level talks, the two sides also agreed to expand counter-terror cooperation and felt that a lot more can be done in the maritime sphere, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where China was trying to expand its footprint, official sources said.

Interestingly, the Trump Administration has also been favouring deeper Indo-US collaboration on security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ms Parly described her interaction with Ms Sitharaman as "excellent".

The sources said the French side explored the possibility of a follow on order of additional Rafale fighter jets by India.India had signed a Rs. 58,000 crore deal with France for supply of 36 Rafale jets last year and the IAF was pitching for procuring another fleet of 36 Rafale jets.

In a statement, the defence ministry said the ministers reviewed ongoing initiatives to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

"Recognising the growing significance of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and the need for greater maritime domain awareness, India and France will further expand information sharing arrangements," it said.

It is Ms Parly's first visit to India as French Defence Minister and her trip is expected to lay the ground for French President Emmanuel Macron's upcoming trip to India.

"A range of measures to expand military to military ties, including enhancing the scope of their joint exercises, in particular the Varuna naval exercise scheduled in early 2018, were agreed upon," the Defence Ministry said.It said both countries will also actively explore additional measures to facilitate operational level interactions between their respective armed forces.

In their talks, the two ministers also comprehensively reviewed developments in defence equipment and industry cooperation between the two countries.

France is a major partner for India in developing various key military platforms including the Scorpene submarines.

"They agreed to strongly support projects for defence manufacturing under the Make in India initiative as well as promote defence technology and research and development cooperation," said the ministry.

 After talks with Ms Sitharaman, Ms Parly travelled to Nagpur and attended the foundation laying ceremony of an aerospace park being set up under a joint venture by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Aerospace Ltd.

Ms Parley, during her two-day visit, will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

 ndtv

Pakistan opposes sale of US drones to India, says move can disrupt balance of power


Strongly opposing the sale of US drone system to India, Pakistan today said that the move can potentially disrupt the balance of power in the region.

"International powers must show responsibility before signing such agreements," said Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria in his weekly press briefing.

Zakaria said Pakistan and the US wished to strengthen relations but this should be based on better understanding of each other's concerns.

"During US Secretary Rex Tillerson's visit to (Pakistan) and talks with the Prime Minister, bilateral and regional issues were discussed," he said.

"He was informed about Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations and successes on which Tillerson acknowledged the country's contribution and sacrifices in the fight against terrorists and the country's strategic and economic importance in the region," he added.

Pakistan has raised its concern amid reports that the Trump Administration is "considering" India's request for armed drones for its air force.

"Yes, yes," a senior American official recently told PTI when asked about India's pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces' modernisation drive.

The armed drones, the Indian Air Force (IAF) believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities. Early this year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping USD 8 billion deal.

The Trump Administration's consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on June 26, during which the US announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add the Indian Navy's surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

"We are at ways to, in terms of Foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and India's quest for high-tech defence equipments and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces' modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.


 indiatvnews

India to ink $4-b contract with Russia for four missile-carrying frigates


Seeking to add power to the Navy’s capabilities, India will soon seal a $4-billion contract with Russia for the purchase of four missile-carrying frigates. Called Project 11356, the four warships will have gas turbine power engines and will be equipped with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

Project 11356 has been in the offing for some years now, sources said. The frigates have a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, speed of up to 30 knots and endurance of 30 days. Three such ships have already been built for the Black Sea Fleet.

Two shipyards ::

Specifying the shipyards to build Project 11356, intended for the Indian as well as the Russian Navy, is the first step towards the purchase of frigates from Russia, sources said, adding that the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad and Goa Shipyard are to be involved in the project.

Official sources said the contract to be signed between the two nations would be based on the “two plus two formula, wherein two frigates will be built in Russia and sent to India, whereas another two will be built at the Goa Shipyard with assistance on technology transfer.”

“Last year in July, the Defence Ministry finalised orders worth 35,500 crore for Goa Shipyard Ltd, in a move that would boost technical know-how and provide employment opportunities to localites,” said an official with the PSU with direct knowledge of the contract. In order to execute the order, the shipyard is investing ₹4,000 crore, he added, and has undergone modification for the construction and integration of warships with stealth capabilities.

The shipyard is already in the process of executing six Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel Project, of which five ships have been delivered all ahead of schedule. The last ship too is progressing ahead of schedule, the official added.

High-level team ::

A high-level delegation from Russia visited the Indian shipyard in March, to “appraise themselves of the specialised field of shipbuilding that is currently on” at the defence public sector undertaking Goa Shipyard. Officials from Russia’s United Ship Building and Yantar Shipyard who visited Goa have helped continue discussions between the shipyards, sources added.

The Indian Navy currently operates six Talwar-class frigates designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau and built at the Baltiysky Zavod and Yantar Shipyards.

 thehindubusinessline

65% funds spent, defence ministry seeks Rs 22,000 cr more for modernisation


Having already spent 65 per cent of its budgetary allocation for capital expenditure, defence ministry is seeking an additional Rs 22,000 crore from the government for defence modernisation at the Revised Estimates (RE) stage. RE allocations are made in December every year, based on the pace of expenditure and future requirements by the ministry.

Sources in the ministry told The Indian Express that by mid-October, the Indian Air Force had already spent 82 per cent of its capital budget, the navy 57 per cent and the army 55 per cent. The overall spending of 65 per cent of capital budget within first six months of the financial year shows a very good pace of expenditure by the ministry, sources added.

Buoyed by this pace of expenditure, the ministry is looking for additional allocation at the RE stage so that more capital acquisition programmes can be signed in this financial year, allowing the armed forces to complete their ongoing modernisation programmes.

Against a projected demand of Rs 1,46,155.54 crore by the defence ministry for the current financial year, the government had allocated Rs 86,488.01 crore under the capital head in the Budget. Out of this, Rs 69,473.41 crore was for capital acquisition, to be used mainly for payments towards procurement of heavy weapons and military platforms. A bulk of this amount goes towards committed liabilities, which is for payments done towards contracts concluded in previous years. The rest of the funds are spent for paying initial installments of contracts signed in the current year.

A higher allocation for capital expenditure of defence ministry in RE would be highly unusual, as every year since FY11-12, government has reduced the budgetary allocations at the RE stage. Last year, an amount of Rs 78,586 crore allocated during the budget was reduced to Rs 71,700 crore during the RE stage.

Due to shortage of funds at RE stage last year, the army told the parliamentary standing committee on defence that it could not make the “initial advance payment of medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) (Rs 1,579 crore) which has been forwarded to Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for approval”. The navy said that it had resulted “in delays in acquiring capability towards modernisation and bridging existing capability gaps”.

By mid-October, the ministry had also spent 59 per cent of its revenue budget which was in keeping with the pattern, as revenue budget gets spent at an even pace over the year. Revenue budget is mainly used for running expenses of the armed forces, which includes salaries, allowances, ammunition, fuel and other such expenditure.

 indianexpress

October 27, 2017

IAF to issue RFI for Single Engine Combat Aircraft within October 2017


New Delhi. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is finally set to issue a Request for Information (RFI) to the US Lockheed Martin for F 16 and to Swedish Saab for Gripen for acquiring 114 single engine combat aircraft.

In an interview with India Strategic and at a press briefing, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said that the RFI should be out within October, and that he expected the capabilities of the aircraft being offered now to be better than those in the 2007 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest. “The procurement is envisaged under the Fighter Aircraft Segment of the Strategic Partnership Model (Chapter VII) of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).
Under this, IAF will acquire 18 aircraft in flyaway condition and the remaining 96 will be progressively manufactured under the Prime Minister’s Make in India programme.
Notably, Lockheed Martin has tied up on its own with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and so has Saab with the Adani Group. After either or both are selected on technical parameters in flight trials, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will approve the winner on the basis of commercial terms and how much Transfer of Technology (ToT) in sophisticated equipment accrues to India.
According to IAF Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal R Nambiar, IAF expected the two companies to respond to the RFI in about three months, the flight trials should take about a year, the contract should be signed shortly thereafter, and the process should wrap up with deliveries of the first lot of flyaway aircraft in less than five years as of now.
As the two companies have already tied up with their Indian partners, the process to set up the factory for the selected aircraft should begin soon after the winner is announced, and just as the winner completes the delivery of the flyaway aircraft, its production in India should also begin simultaneously.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said that IAF was indeed short of combat aircraft, but that the number of squadrons should reach from the present 33 to the required 42 by 2032.
Notably, IAF is fast losing the single engine Soviet vintage aircraft, Mig 21 and Mig 27, and in the coming years, the number of IAF combat squadrons should go down to 28. With the induction of LCAs (40 plus 83), Rafale (36), remaining Su 30 MKIs (32), and possibly 36 more Rafales, the number of combat squadrons would rise again. And then of course, the induction of either F 16 or Gripen would give a tremendous boost to the process.
Air Marshal Nambiar told India Strategic that IAF had a plan ready for 36 more Rafales, in addition to the 36 already ordered, but it would be submitted to MoD only after a commitment for funds is available.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said that twin engine aircraft were important, and that IAF would maintain a ratio of 60:40 between them and the single engine aircraft.
At the moment, both Dassault (for Rafale) and Boeing (for Advanced Super Hornet) have offered their twin engine jets for manufacture in India if the order is sizeable to justify investment in their industrial infrastructure and related ecosystem.
IAF has to go in for single engine jets, as the cheaper. A single engine power pack is 10 percent of an aircraft’s cost, while the twin engine power pack is 30 percent of the cost.
He pointed out that bird hits were a serious hazard to flying, and to minimize peacetime losses, bird surveys and bird management was being conducted, and even Micro light aircraft had been deployed at some airbases in this regard.
The Air Chief said that he was proud of the fact that IAF was now 85.
“In the years gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and it achieved a number of operational milestones. The IAF’s participation in International Exercises demonstrated our growing strategic reach and power projection capabilities. IAF’s swift and prompt response during various contingencies in Aid of Civil Authorities both within India and abroad was indicative of the IAF’s Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities.”
The country’s strategic airlift capability has vastly increased due to the induction of C-17 Globemaster aircraft. The IAF operates the largest fleet of C-17 aircraft outside USA. The production of these ac has stopped. However at present the IAF has a very potent strategic airlift capability with its fleet of C-17 aircraft and IL-76 aircraft.
He also disclosed that the second lot of six Lockheed Martin C 130J Special Operations aircraft had been received and deployed at Air Force Station Arjan Singh, Panagarh in West Bengal.
Both the C 130J and Boeing C 17 Globmaster III strategic lift aircraft had given a tremendous boost to IAF’s transport fleet.
The older Soviet origin IL 76 aircraft, which have been upgraded, also “have sufficient life and are totally airworthy for flying. Then, the An 32 fleet “is undergoing a major avionics upgrade” replacing the original ones of the 1980s vintage. They now have Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS) etc. “The upgrade has ensured continued operability of the aircraft in the dense modern aviation environment.”
About modern capabilities and IAF’s stamina to take on any challenges, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa observed that there are always options to do what is required with what is available. And then of course, the emphasis now is on building and acquiring indigenous capabilities, from AESA radars to Anti Radiation Missiles to neutralise hostile radars.
“Indian Air Force today stands at the threshold of acquiring multi-spectrum strategic capabilities, synonymous with India’s growing regional stature and expanding national interests and is progressively nearing its goal of transforming into a true Network Centric Aerospace Force. The IAF is also focussing on indigenous acquisition of aircraft, radars, missiles and other aviation equipment in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa laid emphasis on the welfare of the air warriors and their families. In a message for them, he said:
“The welfare and well-being of our personnel and their families is of utmost importance. I assure you of IAF’s commitment to improve the quality of life and enhance productivity in our work places.
“Creation and upgradation of infrastructure for sports and games, living accommodation, shopping complexes, schools and auditoriums to enhance the quality of life and standards of living of our personnel is being carried out at all air bases. In addition, we have initiated MoUs recognized the courses conducted by IAF to enhance the educational qualifications of our air warrior.”

 indiastrategic

Bahrain buys 16 latest F-16 Combat Aircraft


Manama (Bahrain). Bahrain is buying 16 latest variants of Lockheed Martin F-16 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) as part of a $3.8billion deal which also includes upgrade of the Royal Bahraini Air Force’s existing fleet of some 20-plus older F-16 jets.
 
The Government-to-Government deal was announced October 17 on the second day of the three-day Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC’17) by Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) Commander Maj Gen Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. It includes an option for three more aircraft at the same price.
The new aircraft is designated F-16 Block 70, the same variant which is being offered to India for indigenous production under the Government’s Make in India programme. Lockheed Martin has promised to shift its factory from Fort Worth in Texas to India if the Indian Air Force (IAF) selects it, and then make India the hub for its production and supply chain.
The aircraft for Bahrain are to be delivered from 2021 onwards, should be made in the US only, and will have the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) combat radar, conformal fuel tanks for longer range, and some new sensors. It should also be capable of firing Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Details have not been disclosed.
Every country decides its own requirements, but still, while there should be some differences in details regarding onboard sensors, the Block 70, being the latest variant will be mostly common to India, Bahrain and any other country which buys it in the coming years. It will be the most advanced version to date of the F-16, a 4th generation aircraft made for about 40 years but with everything new except its aerodynamic design and shell.
Company officials told India Strategic (www.indiastrategic.in) that the new variant will have the most formidable of the contemporary weapon systems, and share a few technologies from the F-35, Lockheed Martin’s 5th generation combat jet being made for the US Air Force, Navy and Marines, and several countries.
Notably, Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, had offered F 16s for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition in 2007 to match IAF’s specifications. It was not selected in that but the company is back in the fray to sell 114 of what it now calls F-16 Block 70 under the Indian Government’s Make in India programme, stipulating acquisition of 18 combat jets in flyaway condition and the rest to be progressively made in India in collaboration with the Tata Group.
Sweden’s Saab Gripen is the only aircraft in competition for IAF, and a Request for Information (RFI) on what capabilities and technologies they are offering is just about to be issued to the two companies.
As for the Bahraini deal, RBAF would have factored its own requirements and appropriate modifications. But the platform being the same, there are bound to be many similarities between the onboard technologies of what is being offered to Bahrain and what is being offered India.
Details will differ though, and accordingly, so will their capabilities.IAF is likely to ask for the passive Infra red Search and Track (IRST), a system mentioned in the 2007 MMRCA tender. AESA has a much longer range, but being active, indicates the presence of its own aircraft also in the vicinity.
Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf region to buy about 20 F-16s in 1990 and an additional 10 in 2000. It has been wanting more F-16s, but the US State Department cleared their sale only in September this year after some five years of wait. RBAF pilots have combat experience, first in the 1991 Kuwait Liberation War against Iraq
Bahrain was accused of human rights violations and the Obama administration had declined to accede to the BRAF request. President Donald Trump cleared it in September 2017, and in diplomatic terms, Bahraini leaders have literally heaved a sigh of relief now with the removal of the restrictions.
Shaikh Hamad stated that the new, and upgraded F-16s, would contribute effectively to developing the Royal Bahraini Air Force with powerful, new technologies.
Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) – the state run think tank – and BIDEC’s Official Spokesman, and Richard Ambrose, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Company, attended the press conference where India Strategic was also present at the invitation of the Bahraini Government.
Mr Ambrose affirmed that Bahrain is the first country in the region to sign such a deal with the company, highlighting the great developments witnessed by RBAF, and that the new aircraft will be the most modern in the region.
So far, the distinction of having the most modern F-16 has been held by the UAE Air Force, whose 60 F-16 Block 60 aircraft acquired in 2004 were the first to integrate an AESA combat radar, developed and built by war-tech giant Northrop Grumman.
As some details of the deal are yet to be filled in, company officials say that Lockheed Martin “would continue to support the government-to-government talks between the US and the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
BIDEC 2017 is being held under the auspices of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander and the deal apparently has the necessary approvals.
The F-16 is the largest selling military aircraft in the world, and although its aerodynamic frame was designed some 40 years ago, everything inside from a nut and bolt to engines and avionics are contemporary, and of cutting edge technologies, company officials say.

indiastrategic

October 25, 2017

Navy Sailors Train On 1,900-Crore Rescue Submarines That India Is Buying


Last year, the government signed a 1,900-crore deal with a British firm for the supply of two complete submarine rescue systems and navy personnel have now begun training on the system in Fort William, Scotland before they are delivered to India next year. 
  Twenty four officers and sailors from the navy are now training on the world's most advanced rescue submarines in Scotland with systems that India has sought for decades - state-of-the-art technology and equipment that can be used to save sailors trapped underwater in submarine catastrophes.

Last year, the government signed a 1,900-crore deal with a British firm for the supply of two complete submarine rescue systems and navy personnel have now begun training on the system in Fort William, Scotland before they are delivered to India next year. The submarine rescue kits which include two Deep Search and Rescue Vehicles (DSRV) or mini-submarines will be positioned in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam where the Indian Navy bases its 14 conventional and 2 nuclear powered submarines.So far, the navy has relied on a 1997 contract with the US for help in case an Indian submarine has an accident underwater. 
In the event of such a crisis, the US Navy would fly out its own DSRVs on massive transport aircraft before they are transferred to a ship which would need to sail out to the site of the submarine accident, a time-consuming affair that could cost lives. Now, with its dedicated kit, the Indian Navy will be self-reliant and able to quickly deploy its submarine rescue systems on board ships or fly them out on the Indian Air Force's own C-17 heavy transport jets. According to James Fisher, the manufacturer of the UK submarines that India is buying, "The innovative design and tightly integrated components [of the system being sold to India] will ensure Time-to-First-Rescue - the time measured between deployment of the system and commencement of the rescue itself - is minimised. The systems are heavily optimised for ease of transport and speed of mobilisation to a Vessel of Opportunity."
 The two rescue submarines are designed to dock with the hatches of a submarine in distress at depths upto 650 metres, more than three times the operating depth of the rudimentary rescue "bells" which are containers that can be lowered to the submarine in distress and which the navy can operate from its diving support ship, the INS Nireekshak. This ship was originally meant for offshore oil exploration work but was commissioned in 1989 by the cash-strapped navy for SOS operations.

Each "bell" can rescue only a handful of sailors in each rescue attempt. The new rescue submarines being acquired by the navy function independent of the mothership, can locate and engage in a rescue mission more effectively, and rescue a greater number of sailors in each operation.

In August 2013, the INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian built "Kilo" class submarine, sank at the Naval dockyard after an explosion on-board in which 18 sailors were killed. In February 2014, a pair of Lt. Commanders of the Indian Navy were killed after smoke engulfed a compartment of another Indian Navy "Kilo'' class submarine, the INS Sindhuratna, during a training mission off the coast of Mumbai. This prompted the then Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi to resign while taking responsibility for other accidents in the navy during his watch.

ndtv

US ready to provide best tech for India's military modernisation: Tillerson


Highlights
  • The US on Wednesday backed India's emergence as a "leading power" and promised to provide the "best technology" for its military modernisation
  • In a joint statement, both countries also decisively condemned terrorism and those who provide "safe havens" to terrorists
The US on Wednesday backed India's emergence as a "leading power" and promised to provide the "best technology" for its military modernisation.

"US backs India's emergence as a leading power and will continue to help Indian capabilities in providing security for the region. We are ready to provide the best technology for India's military modernisation," said US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in a joint statement with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Tillerson added that he was "looking forward to discussing deals for F16 and F18 fighter jets with India."

Both countries also decisively condemned terrorism and those who provide "safe havens" to terrorists.

"The US and India agree that Pakistan must work to immediately get rid of terror safe havens operating there," said Swaraj.
Tillerson, who is in India as part of his five-nation visit, echoed Swaraj's views and said that "terror safe havens will not be tolerated."

Highlighting the strengthening relationship between the two countries, the top American diplomat said that "India and USA are natural allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder against terror."

Tillerson, who visited Islamabad before New Delhi, warned that if terror groups continue to proliferate in Pakistan, they could threaten the very stability of its government.

"Too many terror groups find safe haven in Pakistan, and these are now threatening the stability of the country's government. We want to work with Pakistan in a positive way as we think this is in their interest in the longer term," he said.

India added that for US President Donald Trump's new South Asia policy to succeed, Pakistan would have to act against all terrorists, without exception.

Tillerson reiterated that India is "crucial" to the US's Afghanistan strategy.

The joint statement covered a range of other issues including economic cooperation and trade, H-1B visas and North Korea.

TOI

Indian Aerospace Behemoth Strongly Advocates FGFA Project With Russia


A high-level committee set up by the Indian government to examine various aspects of the project has recently submitted a report, and the defense ministry is likely to take a call on it soon.

 India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has termed the Indo-Russia Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft project as the best technology offer India has ever received, and that it is a great opportunity for India as a country and for the defense industry as well.
HAL Chairman T Suvarna Raju said he hoped India's Ministry of Defense would soon sanction the project while claiming that the first aircraft would be ready in three years from the date of approval.
"We are still hopeful. It is an opportunity for the industry as well as for the country. This is an opportunity for us to go in for this kind of technology which has not been offered to us by any other country," Raju said.
 The Indo-Russia FGFA project was started in 2007 when both countries signed an intergovernmental pact and completed the preliminary design in 2013. India has spent $240 million to date towards the project, which in India is called the "Perspective Multirole Fighter."
However, delays were caused by New Delhi and Moscow disagreeing over many fundamental aspects of the joint development project, including work and cost share, aircraft technology, as well as the number of aircraft to be ordered.
"Technology-wise, we have done the preliminary design already. It's just one step more to move on to. The fifth generation is an opportunity for India to learn the technologies and I would definitely see this will be the first project, the way the contract has been written, it has lots of benefits and it will definitely have a very positive impact," Raju added.
 Earlier this month, Indian Air Chief BS Dhanoa had said that the ball is in the government's court. "The case is with the Ministry of Defense. The Varthaman committee has submitted its report, which is classified and we have also given our response," Dhanoa told reporters ahead of Air Force Day.
The Russian-Indian Sukhoi/HAL FGFA will be based on the Russian PAK FA T-50 prototype jet. Russia has developed six T-50 prototypes and the second stage of the trial is underway following the completion of the first set of flight tests. It is likely to be completed by 2018, paving the way for the serial production of the aircraft for induction into services starting 2019.

 sputniknews

First Scorpene to be commissioned in December, French firm eyes follow-on order


The first Scorpene submarine is set to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in December even as its French designer is hopeful of a follow-on contract beyond the six that have already been ordered by India.

Playing down concerns that the lack of a modern torpedo on the Scorpene — due to a tainted selection procedure — will blunt its combat edge, Naval Group said that the successful firing of a missile has proven the tremendous new capability it brings to India.

The French company told ThePrint that it wants to continue its partnership with the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), where the six Scorpenes are being manufactured and a follow-on order is needed to ensure that the technology transferred and skilled manpower do not go waste.

Bernard Buisson, managing director of Naval Group in India, said that the company is looking forward to the upcoming Rs 60,000-crore contract for new generation submarines under the 75I project and is open to talks with possible partners in India.


INS Kalvari shows its prowess

About INS Kalvari — the first of the Indian line of Scorpenes that will be commissioned in December — Naval Group said that it has demonstrated its prowess by firing a missile on target and is combat ready with the integration of a torpedo.

“The Kalvari has both a torpedo and a missile. We have fired the SM 39 and it was very successful on target, exactly as planned. We also have fired the torpedo, which is in service with the Indian Navy,” Buisson said.

The Navy has faced problems with procuring a modern torpedo for its submarine fleet after the cancellation of an order for Italian ‘Black Shark’ torpedoes due to allegations of corruption. However, the older SUT torpedoes that are in service with India’s Shishumar-class submarines have been integrated into the Scorpene fleet.


French firm offers new torpedo

Naval Group said that it is offering its new F 21 torpedo to the Indian Navy as part of the latter’s new procurement plans and has answered a request for information on the project. “We are offering a torpedo that will be with the nuclear submarines of the French Navy. The torpedo is designed for a nuclear submarine with multiple safety features. Now, we are recommending it for the Indian Navy as well,” Buisson added.

The firm said that given its current production facility that is operational, it can deliver 20 torpedoes to India within 24 months if needed on an urgent basis.


Additional Scorpenes

On the issue additional Scorpenes beyond the order for six, Naval Group said that its proposal for a ‘Super Scorpene’ with additional features has been received by the Navy and MDL would be moving a formal offering shortly.

“The Navy said that it needed new features to be integrated into the Scorpene. So we have made a proposal and have presented the Super Scorpene to the Navy and they are happy. Now, MDL will make a formal offer to the Navy,” Buisson said.

The French company believes that MDL should get an additional order for “three to six” submarines as it has already invested heavily in equipment and manpower for manufacturing the complex vessels.


Ongoing production

After the first submarine to be commissioned in December, more Scorpenes will be delivered next year. Khanderi that is next in line has already undergone successful dive tests. “Sea trials are progressing well so far and we expect that it will be delivered to the Navy by mid-2018. We should be completing the entire line by 2022,” the executive said.

theprint

Centre mulls building 50 more outposts at India-China border


Highlights
  • Proposal to build 50 more outposts at Indo-China border is being considered
  • Knowledge of basic mandarin language will be made mandatory for ITBP officers to bridge the language gap, the home minister said
Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday the MHA is considering the proposal to build 50 more border outposts at the India-China Border.

The minister said work is going on at a fast pace on 25 roads+ in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to connect the border outposts.

"Arrangements are being made to make sure that every ITBP jawan/officer knows basic Mandarin language at training level so that they don't face language issues at the border during face-offs with PLA," he said.

He also said a model border post is being constructed at Ladakh and if it is successful, the same model will be implemented at all BoPs.

The ministry of home affairs has made Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) the nodal force for use of G-SAT communication and surveillance satellites for monitoring Indian borders from the sky.

The approval of providing a dedicated satellite bandwidth to border security forces will allow BSF, which guards borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, SSB - which guards Indo-Nepal border and ITBP itself, which guards border with China, to have better communication network even at high altitude or remote border outposts and also scan suspected activities at the border through the satellite.

Speaking at ITBP raising day on Tuesday, DG R K Pachnanda said, "We are thankful to MHA for making ITBP the nodal agency for GSAT Centre".

Sources say that recent standoff with China at Doklam forced the government to consider giving satellite bandwidth to security forces at the border for real time monitoring.

TOI had first reported in September first week+ that the government was considering dedicated satellite bandwidth to enable border guarding forces to monitor the movement of Pakistani and Chinese troops in real time, track terrorist infiltration, map terrain and communicate effectively in remote areas, besides assessing the strength of soldiers and artillery deployed by neighbours near the border in case of a stand-off.

Sources say that several rounds of meetings had taken place in MHA alongwith BSF, ITBP, SSB and Isro officials, during which it was discussed whether a single satellite would be enough to monitor activities on the borders or if each force needed to be provided a dedicated satellite bandwidth.

It was felt that command, control, communication, surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance abilities of border security forces -- the first line of border defence -- needed to be made impregnable, they said. The proposal is in the initial stages, but sources said the government was serious about it.

An officer said, "Satellites can play an important role in border management, and India has some of the best ones in Asia. While defence forces already use space technology, border forces depend on intelligence shared by central agencies like IB, RAW and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO). They also faced poor communication issues in areas like Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir Valley. With satellite technology for real-time information, future incidents can be better dealt with."

India shares over 15,000 km of borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. The armed forces currently use 13 Isro satellites to watch land and maritime boundaries.

The Navy has a dedicated military satellite, G-sat 7 or "Rukmini" which monitors the Indian Ocean Region as it has a nearly 2,000 nautical mile "footprint".

The Cartosat-2 series advanced remote sensing satellite, launched on June 23,+ has added teeth to India's military surveillance capabilities as its high-resolution PAN camera can cover a swathe of 9.6 km and its spatial resolution is less than one metre.

The MHA is also providing border forces with modern electronic surveillance equipment like night-vision devices, thermal imagers, battlefield surveillance radars, direction finders, unattended ground sensors and high-powered telescopes.

 timesofindia

October 24, 2017

US Considers Sale of Armed Drones; But Does India Really Need Them?


India is developing its own armed drones which should be available to the armed forces in the next five-seven years. Experts say American drones could be purchased for deep surveillance into Pakistani and Chinese territory. But, there is no pressing need for armed drones as of now.
 Less than a week after citing an array of reasons behind its reluctance to share key defense technology with India, the United States has indicated its willingness to sell its state-of-the-art armed predator drones to the Indian Air Force (IAF). A top official from the Trump administration was quoted by the PTI as saying "yes, yes" to a question about whether the US was considering India's pending request for the purchase of the General Atomics Predator C Avenger unmanned aircraft as part of its armed forces' modernization drive.
"We are always looking into this, in terms of Foreign Military Sales, but really also in terms of broad defense cooperation on how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
On October 18, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson clarified that the US was ready to share technology with India but would not part with some closely guarded defense technologies as it would hurt the country's competitive advantage. Tillerson, in his lengthy speech, however, did not specifically mention armed drones' technology.
"Indeed, he (Tillerson) offered the clearest statement by any US official yet about why India — designated "major defense partner" — can expect no cutting-edge military technology, EVER," Bharat Karnad, India's top defense analyst said.
In June this year, the US had cleared the sale of 22 unarmed MQ-9B Guardian UAVs to India for maritime surveillance. However, the Indian Navy is not keen on taking the deal forward as it is particularly interested in the armed version of the drone, which the US is reluctant to share.
India is developing its own armed drone "Ghatak." However, it is estimated that this will take at least five-seven years, if everything goes according to plan, to be available for the armed forces. Experts are of the view that India does not immediately require armed drones as it is not battling any adversary.
"My understanding is that India does not have a pressing need for armed drones, which are optimized for operations in permissive airspace. India is not fighting any adversary in permissive airspace. Both Chinese and Pakistan airspace is heavily contested. The IAF's interest in the MQ-9B and the Indian Navy's interest in the Heron TP stem from their excellent surveillance capabilities. The IAF wants to look deep into China and Pakistan while operating within the safety of Indian airspace," Vijainder K Thakur, former squadron leader of Indian Air Force told Sputnik.
If America approves the sale of armed drones to India, New Delhi will have to spend $8 billion on acquiring the system without any technology transfer.

 Sputnik

Russia to Upgrade India's Frontline Fighter Jet Su-30MKI Into Super Sukhoi


From new sensors to radars, the fleet will see a major change in the cockpit as well. The two-stage modernization program will cost approximately US $6 billion.
 Indian Air Force's most formidable fleet of fighter jet Su-30MKI is gearing up for a complete overhaul of weapons and avionics which will lend the aircraft unmatched stealth features. The upgrade is being carried out by Russian agencies in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
"We will start the Su-30 MKI upgrade program as soon as possible to bring in new weapons and avionics to make the fleet more potent," T Suvarna Raju, chairman and managing director of HAL said on Monday.
Sources told Sputnik that the entire fleet of 272 fighter jet will be upgraded and equipped with advanced weapon systems such as Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, higher range infrared homing system of R-27P and 100 Kilometers range missile R-77."When it comes to technology transfer, the Russians offer everything without any strings attached. The IAF would look forward to continuing its engagement with the Russian aviation industry for the enhancement of Su-30 upgrades so that it could be more potent," Vice Chief Air Marshal S B Deo, Indian Air Force said at a seminar to celebrate 70 years of India-Russia diplomatic relations.
Earlier this year, Russia's Unique Engine Corporation had offered a whole new engine for the fleet.
"We have developed a better successor to the AL-31F engine based on a new design and has been offered to IAF as part of the upgrade package," Alexander Artyukhov, the director of United Engine Corporation, had told the media at Aero India 2017.
The AL-41F-1S is a brand new engine, which produces 18 percent more thrust than its predecessor.   

 (Sputnik)

October 23, 2017

Metallurgy skills are Kalyani Group's springboard to defence production



Indian engineers, who struggled for decades to design high-tech weaponry like the Tejas fighter and Arjun tank, are enjoying unusually quick success in developing what promises to be a world-class artillery gun. At firing trials on September 4, prominent defence firm, Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division), was cock-a-hoop when its Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) fired three shells to a world-record 47.2 kilometres – three kilometres longer than contemporary guns. But Tata Power (SED)’s record lasted just one day.
The next morning, a second ATAGS gun, which the Kalyani Group has built according to a parallel development strategy, broke that record by achieving a range of just over 48 kilometres. Both guns achieved this record-breaking performance with “high explosive – base bleed” (HE-BB) ammunition, which is optimised for longer ranges.
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), which conceived and designed the 155-millimetre, 52-calibre ATAGS, has fed the design to Tata Power (SED) and the Kalyani Group. Based on those requirements, the two companies have built and are test-firing competing gun prototypes. While Tata Power (SED) has worked with the DRDO earlier, the new partnership with Kalyani Group is proving to be an inspired choice. The Pune-based firm has engineered a barrel and breech so good that the Tatas are using it in their gun as well.
While Kalyani Group is relatively new to modern defence systems that incorporate advanced information technology, its flagship company, Bharat Forge – the world’s largest forgings manufacturer – is a global leader in metallurgy expertise. Metallurgy is fundamental to any defence industry, since it underpins the construction of guns, armoured platforms and warships. The 430-year-old German metals giant, Krupp, spearheaded the emergence of Germany’s defence industry, and leads it even today.
The Kalyani Group believes it can do the same for India. Says the Kalyani Group’s hard charging supremo, Babasaheb (Baba) Kalyani: “Our basic technology competence lies in metallurgy. We make our steel, we forge it, we machine it, we heat treat it. Very few companies in the world can match our skills in products like gun barrels.” Over the years, Kalyani Group has integrated upstream as well as downstream from Bharat Forge. Pune-based Kalyani Carpenter and Kalyani Steels make alloy steel for the ATAGS barrel. Another group company, Mysore-based Automotive Axles, specialises in “drive lines”, on which the gun is mounted. A high-tech fabrication shop in Satara assembles the gun. Business Standard visited the Kalyani Group facility in Pune, where the company is developing several artillery systems at its own cost, in order to develop skills.
The guns are built in an artillery factory bought from Swiss defence firm, RUAG, and shipped in entirety from Austria to Pune. Its produces include the 155-millimetre, 52 calibre Bharat 52, which is undergoing test firing; a 45 calibre version of the same gun; a truck-mounted 105-millimetre gun called the Garuda, which the army found so promising it financed it through the Army Technology Board; and a 155-millimetre, 39 calibre, titanium ultra-light howitzer that Kalyani is pitching against the BAE Systems M777 gun that India has contracted for.
“The Indian Army has already bought 145 M777 guns. But, by March [2018], my indigenous ultra-light howitzer will be ready to compete with the BAE Systems gun”, promises Kalyani. Kalyani Group engineers who work on ATAGS say its exceptional range stems from its larger chamber – 25 litres, compared to 23 litres in similar guns. This allows the gun to be fired with more explosive, propelling the warhead further. To absorb the higher “shock of discharge”, Kalyani Group says it has built its barrel and breech with a complex new metallurgy.
Making ATAGS an easy-to-handle gun is an unprecedented all-electric system, in which machinery does what gun crews do manually in other guns: handling heavy ammunition, ramming it into the chamber and opening and closing the heavy breech. Its one-of-a-kind, six-round “automated magazine” loads and fires a six-round burst in just 30 seconds. Most other guns in service have three-round magazines that must be reloaded after firing three rounds. Firing off six rounds in 30 seconds is an important capability since artillery causes most casualties in the initial burst of fire, which catches enemy soldiers in the open. Once they dive into their trenches, artillery fire is less effective.
“The ATAGS team has created a new benchmark in artillery. For decades, no new artillery gun has been designed anywhere in the world. This is the first gun in 30 years designed afresh, from scratch”, points out Baba Kalyani. The next test for the gun is “cold weather trials” in Sikkim in December. Before then, the gun will undergo some modifications. To expedite trials, Tata Power (SED) and Kalyani Group will start the building of three more ATAGs prototypes.

business-standard

Indian engineers, who struggled for decades to design high-tech weaponry like the Tejas fighter and Arjun tank, are enjoying unusually quick success in developing what promises to be a world-class artillery gun. At firing trials on September 4, prominent defence firm, Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division), was cock-a-hoop when its Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) fired three shells to a world-record 47.2 kilometres – three kilometres longer than contemporary guns. But Tata Power (SED)’s record lasted just one day. The next morning, a second ATAGS gun, which the Kalyani Group has built according to a parallel development strategy, broke that record by achieving a range of just over 48 kilometres. Both guns achieved this record-breaking performance with “high explosive – base bleed” (HE-BB) ammunition, which is optimised for longer ranges. The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), which conceived and designed the 155-millimetre, 52-calibre ATAGS, has fed the design to Tata Power (SED) and the Kalyani Group. Based on those requirements, the two companies have built and are test-firing competing gun prototypes. While Tata Power (SED) has worked with the DRDO earlier, the new partnership with Kalyani Group is proving to be an inspired choice. The Pune-based firm has engineered a barrel and breech so good that the Tatas are using it in their gun as well. While Kalyani Group is relatively new to modern defence systems that incorporate advanced information technology, its flagship company, Bharat Forge – the world’s largest forgings manufacturer – is a global leader in metallurgy expertise. Metallurgy is fundamental to any defence industry, since it underpins the construction of guns, armoured platforms and warships. The 430-year-old German metals giant, Krupp, spearheaded the emergence of Germany’s defence industry, and leads it even today. The Kalyani Group believes it can do the same for India. Says the Kalyani Group’s hard charging supremo, Babasaheb (Baba) Kalyani: “Our basic technology competence lies in metallurgy. We make our steel, we forge it, we machine it, we heat treat it. Very few companies in the world can match our skills in products like gun barrels.” Over the years, Kalyani Group has integrated upstream as well as downstream from Bharat Forge. Pune-based Kalyani Carpenter and Kalyani Steels make alloy steel for the ATAGS barrel. Another group company, Mysore-based Automotive Axles, specialises in “drive lines”, on which the gun is mounted. A high-tech fabrication shop in Satara assembles the gun. Business Standard visited the Kalyani Group facility in Pune, where the company is developing several artillery systems at its own cost, in order to develop skills. The guns are built in an artillery factory bought from Swiss defence firm, RUAG, and shipped in entirety from Austria to Pune. Its produces include the 155-millimetre, 52 calibre Bharat 52, which is undergoing test firing; a 45 calibre version of the same gun; a truck-mounted 105-millimetre gun called the Garuda, which the army found so promising it financed it through the Army Technology Board; and a 155-millimetre, 39 calibre, titanium ultra-light howitzer that Kalyani is pitching against the BAE Systems M777 gun that India has contracted for. “The Indian Army has already bought 145 M777 guns. But, by March [2018], my indigenous ultra-light howitzer will be ready to compete with the BAE Systems gun”, promises Kalyani. Kalyani Group engineers who work on ATAGS say its exceptional range stems from its larger chamber – 25 litres, compared to 23 litres in similar guns. This allows the gun to be fired with more explosive, propelling the warhead further. To absorb the higher “shock of discharge”, Kalyani Group says it has built its barrel and breech with a complex new metallurgy. Making ATAGS an easy-to-handle gun is an unprecedented all-electric system, in which machinery does what gun crews do manually in other guns: handling heavy ammunition, ramming it into the chamber and opening and closing the heavy breech. Its one-of-a-kind, six-round “automated magazine” loads and fires a six-round burst in just 30 seconds. Most other guns in service have three-round magazines that must be reloaded after firing three rounds. Firing off six rounds in 30 seconds is an important capability since artillery causes most casualties in the initial burst of fire, which catches enemy soldiers in the open. Once they dive into their trenches, artillery fire is less effective.

idrw.org .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website http://idrw.org/metallurgy-skills-are-kalyani-groups-springboard-to-defence-production/#more-151478 .

Eyeing more sale of Rafales, French defence minister heads to India next week


French defence minister Florence Parley will be here next week to lay the groundwork to further boost the bilateral strategic partnership ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India in December.

France is very keen to hard-sell additional Rafale fighters to India after the IAF inducts the 36 jets being acquired under the Rs 59,000 crore (7.87 billion) mega deal inked in September last year.

The IAF has itself projected the operational need to go in for another 36 Rafales after the first 36 are inducted at the Hasimara (West Bengal) and Ambala (Haryana) airbases from November 2019 to mid-2022.
 During her visit here on October 27-28, Parley will hold a delegation-level meeting with her counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman on a wide range of issues, including defence projects, maritime security and counter-terrorism, apart from also meeting PM Narendra Modi and others. Parley will also be travelling to Nagpur to lay the foundation stone for a joint venture facility being set up between Rafale-manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Reliance Defence to execute the 50% offsets obligation under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked last year. Sitharaman, however, is unlikely to accompany Parley for the function.
 The Modi government had inked the deal for the 36 Rafales, with their weapon packages, associated supplies and logistics, after scrapping the long-pending and deadlocked $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project for 126 fighters on the ground that they were a "critical operational necessity" for the IAF.

France, of course, is also one of the four remaining contenders for Project-75 (India), under which six advanced stealth submarines are to be built here through a collaboration between a foreign ship-builder and an Indian shipyard for an estimated Rs 70,000 crore ($10.9 billion).

timesofindia

US 'Considering' India's Request For Armed Drones For Air Force: Official





The Trump Administration is "considering" India's request for armed drones for its air force, according to a senior American official. "Yes, yes," the administration official told PTI when asked about India's pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces' modernisation drive.

The armed drones, the Indian Air Force (IAF) believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities. Early this year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping USD 8 billion deal.

The Trump Administration's consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on June 26, during which the US announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add the Indian Navy's surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

"We are at ways to, in terms of Foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and India's quest for high-tech defence equipments and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces' modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.

Previous Obama Administration had designated India as major defence partner and the Trump Administration has accelerated the process of considering Indian requests. "The US Navy and the Indian Navy have been cooperating for many years on counter piracy efforts, on ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the and Red Sea and the Persian Gulf," the official said.


"I think that (defence) cooperation is only going to increase based on the need for it to increase and the kind of trust that we are building through personal relationships and through a fundamental understanding that our interests aligned so clearly," the official said.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said that in keeping with India's status as a major defense partner and their mutual interest in expanding maritime cooperation, the Trump administration has offered a menu of defence options for India's consideration, including the Guardian UAV.

"We value the role India can play in global security and stability and are prepared to ensure they have even greater capabilities," Tillerson had said ahead of his visit to India. He did not mention about armed drones. He, however, said "the proposals the US has put forward, including for Guardian UAVs, aircraft carrier technologies, the Future Vertical Lift program, and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft, are all potential game changers for our commercial and defence cooperation."

 ndtv

October 21, 2017

How delayed acquisition of 2 indigenous weapons systems has sent Indian defence into a tailspin


The Akash Surface to Air Missile (SAM) and Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MLRS) are shining stars on the bleak Indian defence landscape where nearly 70 per cent of defence equipment is imported. This is because these two completely indigenous weapon platforms go even beyond the NDA government's Make in India programme, where equipment can be assembled within the country by a foreign company that owns the designs. Yet, for over a year now, orders worth over Rs 19,000 crore for these indigenously designed developed and manufactured (IDDM) weapon systems have been caught up in South Block's red tape. The armed forces' intent to buy additional Akash and Pinaka systems are yet to translate into contracts.

The armed forces need both vitally. The Indian Air Force needs the Akash - a supersonic, all-weather surface-to-air missile which can shoot down enemy aircraft, helicopters, drones and cruise missiles 30 kilometres away - to protect airfields and vital installations. Its Pechora missiles acquired from Russia over 30 years ago are nearing the end of their lives; the army needs six more Pinaka regiments to augment its firepower. A single salvo from a Pinaka regiment of 18 launchers can saturate an area of one square kilometre, 35 km away.

But it is within Indian industry that these indigenous platforms have delivered their true force multiplier effect. The Akash system is over 96 per cent indigenous and sources its components from 330 Indian industries. The Pinaka, 92 per cent local, supports 43 Indian industries.

These orders are so substantial and the downstream effect on the defence ecosystem so huge that one private sector CEO calls them the equivalent of a stimulus package for Indian industry, a massive booster shot that would create jobs in the high-tech sector, spur innovation and garner huge tax revenues for the government. And it is here that the delays are making their absence felt.

This, particularly since the outlook for three other massive 'Make India' projects for the army-exclusively meant for Indian industry, both public and private sector-is so bleak and the progress on them so slow that industry has stopped bothering about them. The orders for the Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), a Rs 26,100 crore project to replace all of the Indian army's 2,600 BMP Infantry Combat Vehicles, Tactical Communication System (TCS) and the Battlefield Management System (BMS), were meant to seamlessly integrate soldiers with their fighting formations and transform the way the Indian army fought wars when they were mooted a decade ago. They called for consortiums of public and private sector industry working to develop indigenous prototypes that would then be turned into series production.

These projects, collectively worth over Rs 1 lakh crore or one percentage point of India's GDP, would have delivered a substantial long-lasting boost to indigenous industry, particularly the development of indigenous electronics and spurred job creation. One private sector CEO estimates that every Rs 1 crore invested into the Indian industry has the effect of creating 25 jobs-six in the high-tech sector and 20 in the unskilled sector. "In the past 11 years, not one of these projects, FICV, BMS or TCS, has moved to the development stage, forget production," the CEO says.

The DRDO's indigenously developed Advanced Towed Array Gun Systems (ATAGS), a 155x52 mm towed howitzer developed with the private sector, saw one of its prototypes shoot a shell out to 48 km at the Pokharan test ranges on September 15, a world record for a gun of its class. But this gun, too, is still years away from mass production.

The only substantial Make in India programme in the three-and-a-half year term of the NDA government has been a Rs 4,500 crore order for 100 K-9 Vajra-T 155/52 self-propelled artillery guns placed on a consortium of private sector L&T and South Korea's Hanwa Tecwin. L&T undertook to manufacture all 100 guns within the country, effectively converting a 'Buy and Make' project into a Make in India project.

The sole low-hanging fruit for Indian industry in the near term are repeat orders of the Akash and Pinaka. But thanks to bureaucratic delays, it now seems that even these aren't coming in a hurry.

The Union ministry for defence sent out requests for proposals (RFPs) for six regiments of Pinaka MBRLs worth approximately Rs 4,500 crore in March this year. The two firms, Tata Power SED and L&T, submitted their bids in April 2017.

As per the terms of the RFP, the lowest bidder will get four systems and the other bidder, two systems. The rockets, which cost approximately Rs 3,000 crore, are to be ordered separately from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Seven months later, the bids are yet to be opened and a Pinaka order seems unlikely before March 2018.

A similar fate seems to have befallen the Akash. The order for seven squadrons of Akash short range missiles for the IAF worth Rs 6,000 crore is still in the pipeline nearly 15 months after it was mooted by the government.

The IAF is presently conducting a cost audit of the Akash, first of prime contractor Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and later of Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), which manufactures the missiles. Project officials say the meetings have been dragging on endlessly for over a year now and the IAF is believed to have questioned the high price of the Akash. In September, IAF officials at a meeting within Air Headquarters even questioned the utility of the Akash when the IAF was getting five S-400 'Triumf' SAM missiles from Russia which had a range of over 400 km. The comparisons, project officials point out, are unfounded. The Akash is a point-defence missile while the S-400 is an area defence weapon.

Akash, part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) in 1983, cleared its user trials in 2007, nearly 24 years later. The Pinaka had a much shorter development cycle, initiated in 1986, completing its successful trials 12 years later. Bureaucratic delays have also played a part. The IAF placed its first orders for the Akash missile in 2011, nearly four years after the user trials while the army order for the first Pinaka regiment came in 2006, over a decade after field trials had been completed and the army had raised its first regiment.

The two projects are cited as perfect examples of public-private sector partnerships. BEL in Bengaluru is the prime contractor for the Akash while Tata Power SED and L&T are the prime contractors for the Pinaka. Each of them, in turn, engages several other private sector firms down the value chain. Project officials estimate that at least half the cost of the orders will be ploughed back into the country in the form of taxes and salaries. "You're talking of value-addition at the highest level because R&D creates its own multiplier effect in the economy," says a private sector CEO. The huge time lag between repeat orders is illustrative of the dangers of a monopsony (where the government is both the largest maker and the only consumer) which disincentivises the private sector. The stop-start malaise has endured despite the NDA government's commitment to indigenous systems and the fact that all its three defence ministers, Manohar Parrikar, Arun Jaitley and Nirmala Sitharaman, have enthusiastically backed Indian systems.

Defence minister Parrikar firmly backed the Akash and the Pinaka. He cancelled the army's import of two regiments of Quick Reaction surface-to-air missiles and insisted that the army buy the Akash instead, initiating the case for buying 10 regiments of Pinakas in 2016. But with Parrikar's departure from South Block in March this year, both indigenous systems lost a champion, and bureaucratic delays pushed the acquisition cases further down the horizon.

"We need a secretary-level official to monitor indigenous defence products. The job of the MoD's department of defence production has to change from running the department to pushing indigenous industry," says Rahul Chaudhry, chairman of the Defence Innovators and Industry Association (DIIA) and CEO, Tata Power SED.

The Akash has not been without its share of controversy. A CAG report tabled before Parliament in July this year found that the missiles had a 30 per cent failure rate. A senior Indian industry official associated with the project called it part of the 'stabilisation process of an indigenous product'.

Swift orders are essential to continue the pace of production. Red tape has delayed Indian defence orders to a point when original equipment manufacturers have closed down their production lines.

Defence website Stratpost.com reported in 2013 that India's nearly Rs 5,000 crore order for 145 M-777 howitzers saw a 37 per cent cost escalation of roughly Rs 1,200 crore because the manufacturer, BAE Systems, had to restart a production line it had shut down.

This is also the case with the Akash and Pinaka. "The order for the seven squadrons of Akash were to have come in March 2015, over two years ago. But we are now sitting idle on the Akash. Our supply chain is also sitting idle," says the head of a private sector firm who supplies components to the Akash programme. Another contractor for the Pinaka rocket launcher system says he had last sourced components from his supply chain in 2009 soon after completing the last orders. "If I get the Pinaka order today, it would have been nearly a decade and I will have to locate all those old vendors."

Support for indigenous projects ensures advanced versions can come off the line quickly. In January this year, the Armament Research and Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested a modified Pinaka Mark-2 rocket. With the addition of navigation, guidance and control kit, the earlier rocket was converted into a mini missile with fins and a guidance kit capable of hitting targets 55 km away. An Akash-2 missile with an advanced seeker and enhanced 40 km range is in the works. Given the delays in the acquisition process, however, their swift induction is by no means guaranteed.

 indiatoday