ASIAN DEFENCE

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Indirect Army Involvement in Anti-Maoist Fight

10:23 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

DRDO lets loose 'missiles' at armed forces

9:10 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

After public bickering among Cabinet ministers, here comes the sharp divide in the defence establishment. Defence Research and Development Organisation chief V K Saraswat, speaking at the National Technology Day awards function, tore into the armed forces for failing to overcome their "temptation" to induct the latest weapon systems from abroad. This did not go down well with the forces, represented as they were by Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Admiral Nirmal Verma and General V K Singh as well as other officers in the audience. Some officers told TOI that DRDO "promises too much" but delivers "too little, too late" and the forces are "forced" to push for import of weapon systems to maintain operational readiness.....................................Read More

Venezuela plant to Produce 50 million 7.62-mm Kalashnikov Rounds Annually

12:44 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

An ammunition plant being built by Russia in Venezuela will have the capacity to produce over 50 million rounds for Kalashnikov assault rifles per year, a Russian defense industry official said on Tuesday.The Urals-based Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (IMP) supplied 100,000 AK-103 assault rifles to Venezuela, and signed a new contract in 2007 licensing production of Kalashnikov rifles in the Latin American country.Under the contract, Russia is building an assembly line for AK-103 assault rifles and an ammunition plant to produce 7.62-mm ammunition for the rifle."The ammunition plant will be capable of producing over 50 million rounds annually," said Nikolai Maslyaev, general director of the Izhevsk-based design bureau for automated assembly lines........................Read More

Russian Armed Forces to Receive 1,500 Combat Aircraft and about 200 Air Defense Systems by 2020

12:38 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

A new state arms procurement program for 2011-2020 will be adopted by the Russian government and signed by the president this fall, a deputy prime minister said."The deadline is the third quarter of this year," Sergei Ivanov told reporters in Moscow.The draft program stipulates the upgrade of up to 11% of military equipment annually and will allow Russia to increase the share of modern weaponry to 70% by 2020. According to the draft program, the Russian Armed Forces should receive, in particular, more than 1,500 combat aircraft and about 200 air defense systems by 2020.The Russian military is expected to receive 27 combat jets, over 50 helicopters and five battalions of S-400 air defense systems in 2010 under the current arms procurement program......................................Read More

Russia sends its Moskva Missile Cruiser for drills in Far East

12:35 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Flagships of three Russian fleets have united in Russia's Far East for the large-scale naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in June, a Pacific Fleet spokesman said.The flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, arrived at a naval base near Vladivostok on Wednesday and teamed up with the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser, and the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the Varyag guided-missile cruiser."After the Moskva crew has had a short rest, warships of three Russian fleets will sail to the Sea of Japan to complete combat training tasks and hold naval drills," the official said.During the exercises, warships of the three Russian fleets will conduct live firing at naval and aerial drones and practice combat interoperability and repelling simulated attacks by hostile submarines and aircraft....................................Read More

Russia to Test New AK-200 Kalashnikov Assault Rifle in 2011

12:32 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

State tests of the new model of Kalashnikov automatic rifles will be held in Russia next year, Izhmash Director General Vladimir Grodetsky said on Tuesday.The new model of the legendary assault rifle, the AK-200, is based on the AK-74M and differs in weight (3.8 kilograms/8.4 lbs vs. 3.3 kilograms/7.3 lbs) and the magazine capacity (30, 50, 60 rounds vs. 30).The AK-74, a developed version of the Kalashnikov rifle's first model, the AK-47, was introduced in 1974 and used by the Soviet forces during the Afghanistan conflict................................Read More

USA may not Oppose China-Pak civilian Nuclear Deal

12:24 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

The US has indicated it would not oppose a Sino-Pak civilian nuclear deal but wants it to be in compliance with NSG rules, notwithstanding warnings by top scholars that such an approach would be a high-stakes diplomatic gamble and "short-sighted" move.

"We will seek to make sure that, should this deal go forward, it is in compliance with the rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily press briefing last evening.

Crowley was not sure if the issue specifically came up or would figure in discussions between the US and China during the ongoing Strategic and Economic Dialogue between the two countries in Beijing, for which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in China.

"I don't know if this will come up during the Secretary's meetings in China this week.

PTI

Indian Army orders probe on missing ammunition

12:19 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The Indian Army has ordered a probe into to disappearance of a “small quantity” of small arms ammunition from the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai, while it was being sent from Guwahati to Controllerate of Quality Assurance (CQA) at Kirkee in Pune, for tests. The Army also blamed the Indian Railway for misplacing the consignment. “As per rules, Army authorities have ordered an inquiry for loss of ammunition in transit,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson said in Mumbai on Tuesday. Last Friday, the consignment has gone missing, only noticed when the train stopped at LTT.................................Read More

Indian Army Denies that General V.K. Singh Objected to Arms Deal with US

12:14 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The Indian Army Tuesday denied its chief General V.K. Singh had warned Defence Minister A.K. Antony on government-to-government arms deals with the US. The denial comes as a section of media reported that the army chief had red-flagged defence purchases from the US through the government-to-government route, calling attention to its serious pitfalls. A defence ministry officer said the news report was based on 'hearsay'. 'The article mentions a letter written by the Chief of Army Staff to the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) A.K. Antony on Foreign Military Sales (FMS)..................................Read More

Indian Army wants INSAS rifles replaced

12:12 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

New Delhi, May 25 Gearing up its soldiers for future warfare, the Indian Army feels there is an urgent need to replace the indigenously developed and manufactured the INSAS series of rifles.

“There is an urgent need to develop rifles, carbines and light machine guns of 5.56mm calibre to replace the existing INSAS class of weapons,” it said in the Defence Ministry’s Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap document. The INSAS rifles, designed by the DRDO, were inducted into the Armed forces in the ’90s and have been used in the Kargil war and counter-insurgency operations.

PTI

Indian Air Force has Requirement for 65 Light Combat Helicopters

12:09 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

State-run military plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) plans to build three prototypes of its indigenous light combat helicopter (LCH) and aims to achieve initial operational clearance in two years, a top official of the firm has said.The helicopter gunship would need to register 500 hours of flight for the initial clearance, Ashok Nayak, CMD, HAL, told reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural flight of the first prototype on Sunday. The LCH was dedicated to the nation after the flight.Nayak said the Indian Air Force had a requirement for 65 such helicopters and the Indian Army too has shown interest in the product.The design and development phase of the project cost Rs 376 crore, Nayak said...............................Read More

Indian Air Force to Get its first C‑130J Super Hercules later this year

12:06 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Lockheed Martin is gearing up for the delivery of the first C‑130J Super Hercules to the Indian Air Force later this year. In 2008 the Indian Air Force ordered six C-130J’s for Special Services, with Lockheed Martin is gearing up for the delivery of the first C-130J Super Hercules to the Indian Air Force an option for six more.The order includes six aircraft, three years of initial support, training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test equipment, servicing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo pallets, and a team of technical specialists who will be based in India during the three year initial support period.The C-130J Super Hercules will provide the Indian Air Force with modern and effective airlift to support a wide range of national requirements. Due to the aircraft’s mission flexibility, several other departments in India have shown interest in the C-130J...................................Read More

India to fire over 5000 km range Agni V in 2011

12:04 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India is all set to test fire its first Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, Agni-V, in Mach-April 2011.Agni V is being designed by adding a third composite stage to the two-stage 3,500-km Agni-III, having a range of over 5000 km to carry multiple warheads and will have countermeasures against anti-ballistic missile systems.It is a three-stage solid fuelled missile with composite motor casing in the third stage. Two stages of this missile will be made of composite material. The Agni V will be the first canisterised, road-mobile missile in India. "It will be ready by next year. We hope during March-April next year. It will be an Inter Continental Ballistic Missile."............................Read More

India to Gear up for 'Star Wars' with Countries like China

12:02 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India has no option but to get ready for "star wars" in the future, with countries like China working overtime to develop advanced ASAT (anti-satellite) capabilities with "direct-ascent" missiles, hit-to-kill "kinetic" and directed-energy laser weapons. The defence ministry's spanking new "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap" seems to recognize this overriding necessity, outlining as it does a wide array of high-tech offensive and defensive capabilities Indian armed forces will need over the next 15 years.

Identifying priority areas ranging from space warfare, ballistic missile defence (BMD) and combat drones to electronic warfare, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) defence and submarines equipped with AIP (air-independent propulsion), the roadmap holds that "technological superiority is increasingly going to be the decisive factor in future battles". The 76-page MoD roadmap to "provide the industry with an overview" about military requirements by 2025 does seem ambitious as of now, given the present poor state of the country's defence-industrial production base.......................Read More

China to Provide Pakistan Air Force 4 Trainer Aircrafts

8:26 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

China has agreed to provide four trainers aircrafts for Pakistan Air Force and 60 Million Yuan for training purposes of the Armed Forces of Pakistan. Both countries signed agreements to this effect in Ministry of Defence on Monday. Federal Minister for Defence, Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar, and the Chinese Defence Minister, General Liang Guangile, put signatures on the agreements on behalf of their respective countries.

Indian Army wants its Futuristic Main Battle Tank with Laser-based Weapons

8:25 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Looking to strengthen its armoured capabilities, the Indian Army wants its futuristic Main Battle Tank to be equipped with high-powered lasers for taking on enemy rockets, aircraft and electro-optical sensors. "High/medium-energy level laser is expected to be a lethality option against rockets, air vehicles, light ground vehicles, antennas of armoured vehicles and electro-optical sensors," the Army stated in its long-term technology plans submitted to the Defence Ministry.

Officials said concerned DRDO labs are already working in this direction and developing the capability. They added that these capabilities might be deployed on the Arjun Mk-II project, which was recently cleared by the Defence Ministry after the Army decided to place orders for another 124 Arjun MBTs with the DRDO.

PTI

Maoists attack CRPF patrol

8:23 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Maoists again attacked a CRPF patrol in Jangalmahal area of West Midnapore district in West Bengal yesterday prior to the gunning down of two CPM cadres at nearby Jhargram town. One CRPF personnel was also injured. The bodies were found lying on the main thoroughfare to Jamshedpur today. Maoist posters and literature were also strewn around, with one poster carrying the warning of “more such attacks if the joint action force was not withdrawn and innocent villagers of Lalgarh-Jangalmahal area not released”.

Russia may begin operating domestic drones

8:20 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia may begin using domestic drones after training operators for drones purchased from Israel, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Monday.Russia has bought 15 Israeli spy drones since its domestic hardware has not met Russia's requirements on speed, altitude capacity, or accuracy."Work is underway to train people to operate the Israeli spy drones," Serdyukov said adding that training is due to finish by the middle of summer 2010.Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin earlier said Russia had spent about 5 billion rubles ($160.4 million) on drone development and tests that eventually failed.

Israel offered to sell South Africa nuclear weapons

8:51 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

Secret South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to the apartheid regime, providing the first official documentary evidence of the state's possession of nuclear weapons.The "top secret" minutes of meetings between senior officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, PW Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them "in three sizes". The two men also signed a broad-ranging agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that "the very existence of this agreement" was to remain secret.

The Israeli authorities tried to stop South Africa's post-apartheid government declassifying the documents at Polakow-Suransky's request and the revelations will be an embarrassment, particularly as this week's nuclear non-proliferation talks in New York focus on the Middle East.They will also undermine Israel's attempts to suggest that, if it has nuclear weapons, it is a "responsible" power that would not misuse them, whereas countries such as Iran cannot be trusted.South Africa eventually built its own nuclear bombs, albeit possibly with Israeli assistance. But the collaboration on military technology only grew over the following years. South Africa also provided much of the yellowcake uranium that Israel required to develop its weapons.

South Korea cuts off trade with North over sinking of warship

8:49 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Announcing retaliatory measures for the torpedoing of the Cheonan, South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak, also raised the temperature of the military stand-off on the Korean Peninsular, vowing "immediate" retaliation if the North committed any further provocations.North Korea has continued to deny responsibility for the attack, which killed 46 South Korean sailors, despite the wealth of evidence produced by a multi-national inquiry which recovered parts of the tail section of a North Korean-designed torpedo from the seabed where the Cheonan sank.

India May Soon Get Indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: HAL

8:31 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India is likely to come out with its indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the coming two to three years, a top official of the country's only aircraft manufacturing company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has said.Talking to media persons on the margins of the inaugural test launch of the Light Combat Helicopter, HAL chairman Ashok Nayak disclosed that work is on for developing India's very own UAVs."There are some projects going on in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)," Nayak said."May be after two to three years, the HAL might come out with India's own UAV. We have already developed one, Lakshya, but it was on a smaller scale. Now, we are developing the Lakshya's MAK-II," he said.

Indian Navy get ready to operate N-submarine

8:30 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The navy is firing on all cylinders to get a headstart on operating nuclear submarines, the most complex machines to be ever built. Indian submariners will get a chance to get into the belly of HMS Talent when the British nuclear submarine pulls into Indian waters off the western coast in June.The navy hopes to induct its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, by the end of 2011. Arihant will complete the sea-leg of India’s nuclear triad.The navy is also on the verge of commissioning the K152 Nerpa Akula-II nuclear submarine being leased from Russia for 10 years.

Work on P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to start this year

8:15 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Work on the Indian Navy's latest acquisition, the long-range maritime patrol aircraft that will add strength to its ability in domain awareness and deal with threats below the surface, will get underway later this year.The Boeing Company is developing the long-range patrol aircraft for the U.S. Navy, called P8A, and the Indian Navy is getting the P8I to specifications as provided by it.The contract was signed in January 2009, with the first delivery scheduled 48 months from the date.

“The Indian Navy is the first foreign customer that Boeing is developing for the U.S. Navy,” P8I Programme Manager Leland Wight told a group of journalists from India after a tour of the Renton facility here, where the737 platform, on which the P8 is being developed, is finally assembled.The aircraft has multiple weapon stations armed with anti-submarine Harpoon missiles, torpedoes in weapons bay that can be launched into water up to 1,000 feet and advanced radar and sensors. The plane can travel 1,200 nautical miles. It can stay on for four hours before heading to its base and with mid-air refuelling, it can undertake a mission for longer hours.

Ravi Shankaran sold navy's purchase plans for 20 years

8:13 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Ravi Shankaran, 46, a key accused in the sensational war room leak case, may have sold Indian Navy’s secret equipment purchase plans for the next 20 years, a probe has revealed.“We had received intimation about Shankaran’s arrest on April 29. He was arrested under the Extradition Act, 2003, UK, and produced before a court the same day. We are pressing the UK authorities through the Indian mission in London for assistance in his extradition,” a senior CBI officer said.

HAL Conducted Successful Test Flight of Light Combat Helicopter

8:09 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The successful test flight of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) on Sunday will would go down in the history of Indian combat avionics as a new era in indigenous development of dedicated fighter helicopters in the country.Defence Minister A K Antony, his deputy Pallam Raju and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik were to attend the function, but they cancelled their visit after Saturday's air disaster at Mangalore.

Secretary Defence Production R K Singh, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall P K Barbora, Chairman HAL Ashok Nayak besides many other dignitaries were present on the historic public flight of the LCH.Describing the LCH as the "Tiger Bird", Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall P K Barbora said: " It's a red letter day not only for the HAL but the whole nation. In avionics, the circus must go on," he said while referring about Saturday's tragic incident in Mangalore."