Indian Military

[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] Indian Navy's Divers will commence exercises with US Navy divers in a Joint Salvage Exercise off Port Blair in the Andaman Sea. The Salvage Exercises (SALVEX) is being conducted from 05 to 12 Jan 2011. INS Nireekshak, the diving tender of the Indian Navy and USS Safeguard, a specialised Salvage ship are the ships participating in the exercise.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen capability in niche techniques associated with diving and salvage. In the course of the seven day exercise various specialist salvage techniques will be practiced jointly by the IN and USN divers. Amongst the notable salvage techniques being demonstrated are; operation of underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and side scan SONARs being launched from USS Safeguard, and demonstration of Hot Tap Equipment. Hot Tap Equipment is a special equipment used for removal of oil/fuel from tanks of sunken vessels. During the SALVEX the divers will also hone their salvage skills on a 'Mud Monster', a pontoon specially built and sunk to practice salvage and diving exercises.

SYDNEY: Australia's navy scared off pirates who boarded a British tanker in the Arabian sea, the defence department said.
HMAS Melbourne rushed to the rescue of the British-flagged chemical carrier after it came under attack on Monday afternoon, a statement said.
"While steaming to the aid of the MV CPO China, HMAS Melbourne's helicopter launched and on arrival in the vicinity of MV CPO China was able to deter the pirates from attempting to take control of the ship," it said.
"As a result the pirates aborted the attack and left the vessel when HMAS Melbourne arrived on the scene."
The crew had barricaded themselves in the vessel's citadel, where they could control the ship and maintain communications and where the pirates were not able to enter.
"Our men and women aboard HMAS Melbourne deserve recognition for their role in providing maritime security and countering piracy in the Arabian Sea," said Major General John Cantwell.

New Delhi – Israel has decided to extend its aeronautical expertise to India once again on its indigenous ‘Dhruv’ advanced light helicopter (ALH). The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will now be assisting state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to convert the ‘Dhruv’ ALH into an unmanned maritime rotorcraft.

According to sources, the Indian Navy has not been satisfied with earlier versions produced and will be going for an unmanned version of the ‘Dhruv’ helicopter. Apparently, the IAI and HAL have conducted tests on the ‘Chetak’ helicopter but are now concentrating on the ‘Dhruv’. The solution that is currently being envisaged is the development of a “black box” that could replace the aircraft’s pilots for maritime missions.

The unmanned version of the ‘Dhruv’ helicopter is likely to begin initial tests in the current year itself. Since the IAI is already involved in the ‘Dhruv’ ALH project, the cooperation and development with HAL will only become smoother.

[PIB] Safe recovery of a fighter jet despite having sustained critical injuries on the face after a canopy burst while cruising at near supersonic speed at an altitude of 10.5 Kms, has earned Flight Lieutenant Manish Arora, a Shaurya Chakra, for his act of conspicuous courage. The incident happened on February 4, 2010 in a fighter base in the eastern sector.

Flt Lt Arora bore excruciating pain in the right ear even as his mask was flooded with blood. Wind blast severely restricted his mobility and frontal cockpit visibility affected by blood stains made his recovery difficult. Despite feeling faint and weak, Flt Lt Arora displayed grit, fortitude and professionalism and landed the aircraft flawlessly under extremely challenging conditions.

For yet another safe recovery of a fighter jet having also suffered a canopy burst, Squadron Leader Vikas Bhushan has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) (Gallantry). The incident happened on March 8, 2010 in the western sector. Canopy burst is amongst the gravest emergencies encountered in any fighter aircraft.

NASHIK: Two pilots of Army's Cheetah helicopter were feared killed after the chopper crashed near a residential area here this morning.
The helicopter of army aviation crashed around 9.15am, sources said.
More details are awaited.

NASHIK: Two Army majors were killed when a Cheetah helicopter crashed near a residential area adjoining the aviation centre here.
The helicopter of the army aviation corps crashed around 9.15an, Army sources said.
"An army chopper crashed on a shed near the aviation centre. We have information that two persons were killed in the incident. The crash appears to have happened due to some technical fault," Nikhil Gupta, DIG (Police Training) said from Nashik.

New Delhi – The Indian Army can finally boast a stronger helicopter in its fleet with an upgraded version of the ‘Dhruv’ Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) which was handed over to them recently. These new helicopters incorporate a new powerful engine which will enable take-off and landing at a high altitude with ease and help to carry operations in the mountainous terrains of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), five new ‘Dhruv’ ALH developed by them were handed over to the Indian Army. The upgraded ‘Dhruv’ ALH Mark III have a stronger ‘Shakti’ engine developed by HAL and the French firm Turbomeca. The five new helicopters will be used for varied operations in the Siachen area of Jammu and Kashmir. Since the current fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters are being overworked and cannot withstand the altitude and weather posed by Siachen, the ‘Dhruv’ ALH Mark III is the need of the hour for the Indian Army.

The Dhruv ALH is a multi-role helicopter developed and manufactured by HAL and has also been exported to Nepal, Peru, Ecuador and Israel, and is on order by several other countries for both military and commercial uses.

TOKYO: Japan's nuclear crisis appeared to be spinning out of control on Wednesday after workers withdrew briefly from a stricken power plant because of surging radiation levels and a helicopter failed to drop water on the most troubled reactor.
In a sign of desperation, the police will try to cool spent nuclear fuel at one of the facility's reactors with water cannon, which is normally used to quell riots.
Early in the day another fire broke out at the earthquake-crippled facility, which has sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo in the past 24 hours, triggering fear in the capital and international alarm.
Japan's government said radiation levels outside the plant's gates were stable but, in a sign of being overwhelmed, appealed to private companies to help deliver supplies to tens of thousands of people evacuated from around the complex.
"People would not be in immediate danger if they went outside with these levels. I want people to understand this," chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano told a televised news conference, referring to people living outside a 30 km (18 miles) exclusion zone.

YAMAGATA: Smoke billowed from a building at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant Friday as emergency crews worked to reconnect electricity to cooling systems and spray more water on overheating nuclear fuel at the tsunami-ravaged facility. Four of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant's six reactor units have seen fires, explosions or partial meltdowns in the week since the tsunami.
While the reactor cores where energy is generated are a concern, water in the pools used to store used nuclear fuel are also major worries. Water in at least one fuel pool — in the complex's Unit 3 — is believed to be dangerously low, exposing the stored fuel rods. Without enough water, the rods may heat further and spew out radiation. ``We see it as an extremely serious accident,'' Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters Friday just after arriving in Tokyo.
``This is not something that just Japan should deal with, and people of the entire world should cooperate with Japan and the people in the disaster areas.