Indian Military

Images of China's new Jin-class SSBN. The Pentagon says there are significant problems with its Julang-2 missiles






(This is the concluding article of a four-part series on India's critical, yet significantly delayed, submarine programme)
by Ajai ShuklaBusiness Standard, 2nd Sept 10
An increasingly apparent reason for the Ministry of Defence’s slow decision-making on a second submarine production line for the Indian Navy is: the deep divisions within the navy over India’s submarine force. A debate rages between the submarine arm and the surface navy — particularly the dominant aviation wing — on whether the future lies in submarines or aircraft carriers.

New Delhi — The Indian navy will receive a major fillip in its maritime reconnaissance capabilities since the Indian Defence Ministry has cleared the purchase of four long-range surveillance aircraft and four big amphibious assault warships.

The entire project has been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council and the naval projects consisting of the acquisition of warships and surveillance aircraft will amount to the tune of over $4 billion. The four new aircraft will be the P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft besides the four amphibious warfare ships called Landing Platform Docks (LPDs).

The acquisition of P-81 surveillance aircraft will enable the Indian Navy to monitor the Indian Ocean region besides augmenting its anti-warship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The P-81 aircraft will be armed with torpedoes, depth bombs and Harpoon missiles besides long-range radars and sensors.

As for the amphibious warships or LPDs, it will enable the Indian Navy to transport infantry battalions and their equipment to long distances besides helping in disaster management and other relief operations.

New Delhi — The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has revealed that it is seeking funds to the tune of $2 billion from the Indian government for the development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA).

Speaking at the recently concluded Aviation Conclave 2010, PS Subramanyam, programme director (combat aircraft) and director of the ADA, indicated that the $2 billion fund will initially be utilised to develop two technology demonstrators and seven prototypes. The first flight test of the AMCA is expected to take place by 2017. The ADA falls under the Department of Defence and Research and Development of the Indian defence ministry. The work on fifth generation AMCA has already been initiated with the government giving Rs.100 crores and the rest of the $2 billion is expected in the next couple of years.

The AMCAs are aiming to bridge the gap between light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ and Sukhoi heavy weight fighters. The AMCA will be designed with a small radar cross-section and will feature internal weapons and advanced electronic systems.

New Delhi – While the Indian government has announced that it will be acquiring six new submarines in the Project 75 India (P-75 i) project, the French major DCNS has made an offer to India of a bigger version of its Scorpene conventional diesel-electric (SSK) submarine for a $5 billion. The contract will be for six submarines.

According to DCNS, there will be an extension in the design of the existing Scorpene submarine and new sections in the submarine will include the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP). While DCNS has already responded to the Indian Navy’s Request for Information (RFI) last September, it is now awaiting the Indian Navy to issue its Request for Proposals (RFPs).

DCNS has already got a contract for building six Scorpene submarines at the state-owned Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) under a $4 billion contract signed with France in 2005. This also involves transfer of technology and the first submarine from the P-75 project is expected to be with the Indian Navy by 2015 and the last by 2018.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy today successfully test-fired several surface-to-air missiles to assess its air defence capabilities, officials said.
Three surface-to-air missile tests were carried out in Sonmiani area of Sindh province, a navy spokesman said, adding all missiles hit their targets precisely.
Naval chief Admiral Noman Bashir and Air Defence Commander Vice Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar witnessed the drill.
"The successful testing will add to the defence capability of the Pakistan Navy," Bashir said.
A combination of surface-to-air missiles was tested, the navy said in a statement.
The "fire and forget" missiles are equipped with highly sensitive infrared homing heads that can intercept high speed aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
These weapons give the navy the flexibility to operate with various missiles and strengthen the ground-based air defence, the statement said.
The area of responsibility of the navy's Air Defence Battalion stretches from Sir Creek in the east to Jiwani in the west, it added.

New Delhi — The advanced version of the indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be test-fired in February and will enable the manifestation of a fully operational missile shield for vital areas and installations in the country.

The BMD system will be a two-tier system and has been upgraded for greater range. The aim of the two-tier system is to first destroy an incoming missile, at a higher altitude, in the exo-atmosphere and if that fails, the endo-atmospheric interception will take place. The Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) intercepts missiles at altitudes between 50-80 kilometres and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile destroys them at heights between 15-30 kilometres.

According to DRDO, the upgraded BMD system with its missile shield will be able to intercept missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes of 150 kilometres and endo-atmospheric height of 80 kilometres. The need to enhance the BMD system’s exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric altitudes was felt by the DRDO due to the modern warfare scenario where enemy missiles will need to be intercepted with more stealth and capability.

The Tejas LCA, in display colours, rehearses for its aerobatics display at the opening of Aero India 2011 in Bengaluru today
The Sitara trainer being readied by HAL for an air display at Aero India 2011. The aircraft has undergone a major fuselage reinforcement after it cracked during stress testing


The Flying Bulls, a Czech display team, rehearses the day before Aero India, framed here with the tail of a F/A-18 Super Hornet
By Ajai ShuklaYelahanka, BengaluruBusiness Standard, 9th Feb 11
Air shows in this country have traditionally been more Russian than Indian, the skies crowded with the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Sukhoi and MiG fighters, Mil helicopters, and Antonov and Ilyushin transport aircraft.

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.

New Delhi – After the handover of the first  ‘Tejas’ Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in January, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has now made an order of 24 additional F404-GE-IN20 from General Electric Aviation. These 24 after-burning engines would power the first operational squadron of Tejas LCA. These GE 404 IN 20 will be for Tejas Mark -1 LCA only while the 99 engines which were ordered earlier were GE 414-INS6 for Tejas Mark-II.

In January, the Tejas LCA was fitted with the F-404-GE-IN20 engine on a trial basis to conduct the final flight testing evaluation. The F404-GE-IN20 is the highest rated F404 model by General Electric and includes a higher-flow fan, increased thrust, a Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) system, single-crystal turbine blades and a variety of single-engine features. The Tejas LCA has been accorded with the initial operational clearance (IOC) earlier this year.

According to the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the indigenous Kaveri engine maybe ready for installation in 2018.

A test pilot of the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) readies for a test flight. The NFTC is one of the important aerospace organisations established during the Tejas programme.
by Ajai ShuklaBusiness Standard, 22nd Feb 11
The recently concluded Aero India 2011 air show in Bangalore highlighted the growing success of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, or LCA. Stuck for years in a quagmire of funding shortages, international sanctions and the painful accumulation of technologies and infrastructure needed for building a modern fighter, the success of the Tejas provides a positive occasion to reflect on what needs to be done to take India forward towards self-sufficiency in building its combat aircraft.
This is especially so, given the mind-boggling cost of next-generation fighters and India’s growing requirement for more. Adding together the impending purchases of 200-odd medium fighters (the initial tender is for 126 aircraft) for some US $18 billion; another 250 fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) that will be co-developed with Russia and built in India for US $30-35 billion; the fabrication by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) of 200 or so Tejas for US $ 8-10 billion; and the indigenous design and fabrication of another 200 Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for a roughly estimated US $12-15 billion, India will buy an unaffordable US $75-80 billion (Rs 360,000 crores) worth of fighters over the next couple of decades.