Indian Military

New Delhi – With the Indian Ocean region becoming very vulnerable to terror threats, the Indian Navy has decided to beef up its security along the Indian shores and has decided to go in for additional surveillance planes as well as spy drones.

The Indian Defence Ministry has floated a global Request for Information (RFI) for the medium range maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRMR) with an operating range of over 350 nautical miles, and HALE (high-altitude, long-endurance) unmanned aerial vehicles or spy drones, with a service ceiling above 40,000 feet and endurance over 25 hours.

According to the Indian Navy, the acquisition of MRMR planes and spy drones can only compliment the surveillance on the Indian shores. The MRMR planes will be equipped with radars as well as anti-ship and submarine warfare capabilities. The Indian Navy has already finalised the acquisition of 12 P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft from Boeing at $3.1 billion. The first P-8I is slated for induction in early-2013.

[Stratpost]

Almost two years after the 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, Swedish defense company Saab has won a contract to supply a coastal surveillance system for the entire Indian coast.

The contract, awarded by India’s Director General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), is worth 116 million Swedish Kronor, around USD 16 million.

A statement issued by the company said the system comprises sensors to be installed along the Indian coast and equipment for regional and national control centers.

The statement adds that the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Directorate General of Shipping will also operate the system.

Saab will begin implementing the project, which includes installation, commissioning, training and support, immediately and expects to complete the execution in around 18 months in partnership with India’s Elcome Marine Services

The statement quoted Gunilla Fransson, head of Saab´s Security and Defense Solutions unit as saying, “Our systems for monitoring sea traffic have been installed on several of the coasts in the world and also along inland waterways in Europe and in China.

[PIB] Indian Air Force (IAF) got a new batch of officers with 171 newly commissioned Flying Officers graduating from the Air Force Academy (AFA), at Dundigal near Hyderabad, today.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik reviewed the combined graduation parade and awarded President’s Commission to the graduating Flight Cadets that included 39 women Flight Cadets.

Four Indian Navy officers and one Indian Coast Guard officer also received their flying brevet (Wings) at the graduation parade from the Air Chief.

Among the senior IAF officials present at the ceremony included Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, Air Marshal D Kukreja and AFA Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Amit Aneja. Civil dignitaries, retired and serving defence officers, parents and relatives of the graduating Flight Cadets were among others who witnessed the parade.

Addressing the newly commissioned IAF officers, the Air Chief impressed upon the technological transformation of the Air Force and exhorted the young officers to acquire full understanding and knowledge of application of new technology to exploit the true potential of aerospace power.

[PIB] The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have been maintaining a vigilant watch West of the Lakshadweep Islands for pirate boats in the last two months. This has been extremely effective and the area has been free of piracy incidents.

During one such aircraft surveillance sortie at 1030 h on 28 Jan 11, a Coast Guard Dornier on routine patrol located two white colour skiffs in the vicinity of a merchant vessel MV CMA CGM Berdi. The aircraft descended and passed over the skiffs and chased them away. A mother vessel Prantalay was also sighted by the Patrol Aircraft in the area. MV CMA Berdi is a Bahamas flag container carrier.

Because of the timely arrival of the Aircraft the merchant vessel is now safe and heading for its next Port of Call in East Asia. The suspicious mother vessel Prantalay continues to be monitored by Navy and Coast Guard units.

Anti Piracy Patrols and surveillance in the East Arabian sea will continue in order to assure merchant vessels using the international shipping lanes in the Arabian sea of their security.

New Delhi — Indian Coast Guard  [CG] Director General Vice Admiral Anil Chopra has announced that a new modernization plan has been approved by the government to  induct state-of-art ships and aircraft  professional manpower

He said Last year, eight ships were commissioned into the service, and three more are expected to be inducted by Mar 2011.
The service is expected to achieve an effective strength of about 200 surface platforms and 100 aircraft by 2018, which is clearly indicative of the emergence of a new, modern and far more capable Coast Guard.

On the infrastructure front too, one District Headquarters, five CG stations and one air enclave have been established during 2010, and two more stations and a Regional Headquarters at Kolkata are being established by Mar 2011, he added. By the end of 2012, there will be a total of 42 CG Stations, 05 Air Stations and 10 Air Enclaves functioning from various locations along the coast.

As far as manpower is concerned, through concerted efforts and planning, the Coast Guard has increased its sanctioned strength by about 1200 personnel during the year gone by.

NEW DELHI: From Sierra Leone and Sudan to Iraq and Afghanistan, the term "child soldier" has been used to denote the conscription of children below the age of 15 into armed conflicts. Now, "child pirate" is likely to gain similar currency.
Indian authorities have been confounded to find that as many as 25 of the 61 pirates, apprehended after a gun-battle with naval warships in Arabian Sea on Saturday, are children below 15.
"At least four of them are just 11 or so. It seems younger and younger children in Somalia are being pushed into piracy, which is proving immensely lucrative in the lawless country...the established pirates, who have got rich, are no longer sailing out on raids," said an official.
Though there were a few youngsters among the 43 pirates nabbed in the earlier two encounters with the Navy on January 28 and February 5, this is the first time so many children below 15 have been apprehended.
With India's legal system is grappling with the absence of a specific provision dealing with piracy in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the presence of "child pirates" will further complicate matters.

[Stratpost]

The MV Full City, with pirate skiff and mothership, alongside.

The Indian Navy, on Thursday, saved a Chinese merchant vessel under pirate attack in the Arabian Sea.

According to naval sources, pirates were attempting to hijack the Panama-flagged MV (Merchant Vessel) Full City, owned and crewed by Chinese nationals, 40 nautical miles (over 830 kilometers) west of the Indian Naval base of Karwar.

An Indian Navy Tu-142 Bear aircraft.

An Indian Naval Tu-142 Bear aircraft, already on an anti-piracy mission, spotted the attempted hijacking and relayed radio warnings to the pirates, who scarpered at the prospect of butting heads with the Indian Navy. The Bear made low passes over the vessel, making the presence of Indian warships in the vicinity clear to the pirates on the skiff, who had already boarded the Full City.

KOLKATA: The coast guard on Saturday launched an operation to trace about 400 fishermen who went missing during monsoon storms in West Bengal, officials said.
About 33 fishing boats went missing on Friday in the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.
"Our team has been able to establish contact with some fishermen but we are yet to trace 25 trawlers," Iqbal Singh Chauhan, coast guard commander stationed in West Bengal, said.
Naval vessels, hovercraft and helicopters have joined the rescue effort but incessant rainfall is hindering the search operation.
Chauhan said they had reports that more than 20 fishing boats had anchored at various isolated islands near the Sundarbans mangrove forest 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Kolkata, capital of West Bengal.
"Preliminary reports suggest that most of the fishermen are safe but we are yet to establish direct contact with them," he said.
During storms in West Bengal, many captains find themselves unable to return to port and take refuge with their boats and crews along the coast.

RAMESWARAM (TN): Five fishermen apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy for reportedly fishing in their territorial waters, were brought back by the Indian Coast Guard on Monday after the island nation's naval personnel handed them over at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
On arrival, the fishermen and their boat were handed over to the Assistant director of fisheries.
The Coast Guard in a statement said the fishermen got stranded off Talaimannar coast on Sunday after their boat ran aground. Sri Lankan navalmen took them to Talaimannar, informed the Indian High Commission about it and requested the ICG to take crew and boat at IMBL.
The fishermen later told reporters that they were treated well by the Sri Lankan navy. They also thanked the Tamil Nadu government for taking steps to secure their release speedily.
Meanwhile, four fishermen who put out to sea from here on Sunday have been reported missing and a search has been launched for them.

NEW DELHI: China is "aggressively" shoring up its military capabilities along the borders with India, defence minister A K Antony said on Tuesday.
"I agree with you on that China is aggressively building its capabilities in its areas. In the past, India was negligent in strengthening its capabilities in the eastern sector, "he told reporters when asked about China strengthening its military set-up along the Line of Actual Control.
Instead of "grumbling" over the issue, India has started modernising it own capabilities by taking steps such as raising new Army divisions and Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) for aircraft operations, he said on the sidelines of the Coast Guard Commanders' Conference here.
Asked about recent incursions taking place from the Chinese side, the minister said this was due to differences in perception of boundary which was not properly demarcated.
He went on to add that the overall situation along the border was "peaceful".