ASIAN DEFENCE

Sunday, October 17, 2010

“We are prepared to meet any kind of threat from Pakistan and China” — Indian Army Chief

8:29 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Chief of the Army Staff, General Vijay Kumar Singh, is a third generation officer of the Rajput Regiment. He has had an outstanding track record ever since he was commissioned in 1970 and is an expert in counter-insurgency operations. Having taken over as chief in March 2010, General Singh has weathered the criticism of army high-handedness in Kashmir and maintained firmness in dealing with the situation apart from working towards transforming the Army. In an exclusive interview at his office in Delhi’s South Block, he spoke for an hour to Editor-in-Chief Raj Chengappa about his efforts to enhance the Army’s ability to deal with all kinds of threats both current and future.

Excerpts: What are the current and future threats to India? Is the Army ready with a long-term defensive and offensive plan to tackle them? We are preparing ourselves to operate in the entire spectrum. So far as the conventional operations are concerned, whether it is conventional with a nuclear backdrop or low intensity, something which is akin to proxy war border skirmishes, we are prepared for everything. As far as the non-conventional threats are concerned like cyber warfare, meddling with what we term as global commerce, those are areas which are receiving due attention. We are looking at what we can create in terms of organisation which can address them even better than what we are doing today.

Next Bulava missile test postponed until later this year

10:41 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia will not carry out the next test launch of its troubled Bulava ballistic missile in late October, as was previously planned, the chief of Russia's Armed Forces General Staff said on Thursday.The latest test launch of the Bulava missile on October 7 was successful. The missile, which was fired from the Dmitry Donskoy submarine in the White Sea, hit its designated target in the Kura test range in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka region.

Four UAVs for Polish Contingent in Afghanistan

10:39 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The Polish contingent currently serving in Afghanistan is to receive four unmanned aircraft over the coming weeks.In February, Israel’s Aeronautics won a tender from the Polish Ministry of Defence for the aircraft, of which there are to be eight: four delivered in the coming weeks, with the remainder arriving in Poland in 2011.“These are the first such units that will be our own,” deputy defence minister Marcin Idzik told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, adding that “up until now [Polish forces] used unmanned aircraft on loan from the Americans.”

Hike in Indian defence budget not enough Need for long-term modernisation plan

10:30 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

ON the eve of the 78th anniversary of the Indian Air Force last week, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik made several strategic pronouncements, including that the Air Force is to acquire 250 to 300 fifth generation fighter aircraft in a joint development and production arrangement with Russia at a cost of $30 billion. Taken together with other military acquisitions over the next 10 to 15 years, India will be spending nearly $100 billion, the largest spurt in defence modernisation ever. But this alone will not alter the strategic environment to India’s advantage. It will also require new thinking and political will. The principal beneficiaries of the drive are to be the Air Force and the Navy which together have traditionally received less than half of the Army’s share in funding. This belated correction has stemmed not from any rational analysis but classic numerology: maintaining a 1.2 million-strong Army, 39 and a half squadron Air Force and a 100-ship Navy.

India, Vietnam plan joint army training

10:28 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India Wednesday announced a slew of measures to expand its defence ties with Vietnam, including joint training of armies and support to strengthen and upgrade the capabilities of the Vietnamese armed forces. 'New Delhi will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of services in general and navy in particular,' Defence Ministry Spokesman Sitanshu Kar said, after Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who is in Hanoi, met Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Vietnamese counterpart General Phung Quang Thanh. Antony assured the Vietnamese leadership that India 'will help Vietnam in its capacity building for repair and maintenance of its platforms'.

Elite Russia troops to take part in India war games

10:24 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Over 200 elite Russian mountain troops are set to participate with their Indian counterparts in anti-terror 'INDRA-2010' wargames scheduled for October 15-24 in Uttarakhand bordering China, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Indian and Russian armed forces have been carrying out joint wargames since 2003 on biannual basis. The crack troops of the North Caucasus-based 34th Independent Mountain Brigade of the Russian Army will fly to Barelly on board military Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, from where they will proceed by road to Chaubattia near Ranikhet, the base of Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army.

ISAF Helicopter Incident in Eastern Afghanistan

10:18 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Ten people were wounded and two killed after an explosion onboard an International Security Assistance Force helicopter that had just landed in eastern Afghanistan today, according to initial reports.The helicopter was on the ground when an explosion of unknown origin occurred. The wounded servicemembers were evacuated to an ISAF medical facility.

Russia reveals detailed data on defense spending until 2013

10:16 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Russia has made public for the first time in many years a detailed account of its defense spending until 2013, the Vedomosti daily said on Tuesday.State Duma Defense Committee head Viktor Zavarzin said last week that the country's defense spending, including R&D, would total 487 billion rubles ($16.3 bln) in 2010, 574 bln ($19.2 bln) in 2011, 726 bln ($24.3 bln) in 2012, and 1.16 trillion ($38.8 bln) in 2013.The share of spending on R&D will drop from 22 percent in 2010 to 16 percent in 2013, the lawmaker said.

Two Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons spotted in Malta

10:15 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Two Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets were spotted on the runway at Luqa Airport yesterday morning. The jets, which cost approximately €80 million each, can fly at 2,500 km/h and climb 62,000ft in a minute. They are two of the 72 Saudi Arabia ordered in 2005 at a cost of €6.4 billion. The oil-rich nation received its first Eurofighters last year.

India Announces Order For Up to 345 Warplanes

10:13 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony announced on Thursday that his country would make hefty purchases of military aviation produced jointly with Russia.India will buy 45 multipurpose transport planes and 250 to 300 fighter planes, Antony said at a news conference in New Delhi after the 10th meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation, Interfax reported.

“The next decade of military-technical cooperation between Russia and India is tied to these two joint projects,” Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said at the same news conference.The fifth-generation fighter planes will be produced by Russia’s Sukhoi and India’s National Aerospace Laboratories, it was announced. A Russian-drafted contract has already been submitted for India’s approval.

Four special ships for Indian Navy

10:00 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Signalling an important change in the long-term strategic plan of its armed forces, the Defence Ministry has okayed the purchase of four specialised ships that will triple the existing capability of launching offensive sea-borne “out of country operations” by the forces. These ships, called the Landing Platform Docks (LPDs), are essentially a modern-day sea-based version of the Roman epic “Trojan horse”. Each carries in its huge lower deck hundreds of troops with tanks, vehicles and cargo. Such a ship can deliver men and equipment near a sea beach and does not need a berthing dock providing the option for landing thousands of troops near a spot chosen to attack.

India to launch series of military satellites

9:58 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India plans to launch a series of indigenously built military satellites with surveillance, imaging and navigation capabilities to keep a watch on its neighbourhood and help guide cruise missiles, a top defence scientist said today. "There will be a series of (defence) satellites. I cannot give you the numbers because they are classified," V K Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, said here. "Each year, you will find one or two satellites going up," added the Secretary, Defence R & D and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Mostly, these satellites are dedicated to different defence applications and would have payloads which are for surveillance, imaging, navigation and communication.

Omar: 91 civilians killed by security forces’ bullets

9:57 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday revealed that 91 civilians out of 102 killed in the Valley between June 11 and October 2 died of bullets fired by the security forces. He also said 19 FIRs have been registered against security forces for resorting to unprovoked firing and excessive use of force against protesters.

IAF's Aerobatic Team Surya Kirans to Switch from Kiran MkII Aircraft to 'Hawks' AJT

9:54 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

IAF's formation aerobatic team Surya Kirans have taken the first step to switch from the present Kiran MkII aircraft to the 'Hawks' Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) that the Air Force acquired three years ago. "We have initiated the process of changing to the Hawks and we have alreadytried our hands on these aircraft," a senior Surya Kirans officer said here. "The team will take another couple of years or more to completely shift to the Hawks aircraft," he said.The Kiran MkII or HJT-16, an indigenous twin-seater trainer, will be with the Surya Kirans for another five years before which the Hawks would be inducted into the team.

F-16s were not involved in the exercise with PLAAF

9:52 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The air forces of China and Turkey have carried out a joint exercise, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday, in what appeared to be the first such drill involving Beijing and a NATO member country.Turkey assured the United States it would take the "utmost care" to protect sensitive U.S. and NATO technologies, said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Parker, a department spokeswoman.She described Turkey's government as committed to the NATO alliance and the continuation of strong ties to the United States."To the best of our knowledge, U.S.-made F-16s were not involved in the exercise," Parker said. She referred a caller to the Turkish government for details of the maneuvers.The office of the Turkish defense attache in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Indo-Russian joint project Fifth generation fighter will sharpen airpower

6:45 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s recent statement that India and Russia have sorted out all issues pertaining to the joint development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) and that the deal is slated to be signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to India in December is heartening indeed. Considering that the joint development of the multi-role transport aircraft with Russia is also on the anvil and India has decided to go in for long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft from the US, among other equipment, it is refreshing that the need to upgrade India’s air firepower is being addressed after all. Only last week Air Chief P.V. Naik had sent shock-waves across the country when he admitted that 50 per cent of the Indian Air Force equipment, including fighters, radars, transport aircraft and air defence systems, was either obsolete or obsolescent.

3 ITBP jawans killed in Naxal attacks

6:44 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Three ITBP jawans and four civilians, including two tribal students, were killed today in two separate attacks by Maoists in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Three jawans of the ITBP were killed and one was injured when the outlaws blew up their vehicle in a landmine blast in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, the police said. The jawans were returning from Maharashtra, it said. In another incident, the ultras hurled explosives near a tribal school killing two students, a woman cook and a civilian in Sawargaon village along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, the police said. The victims were identified as Sunil Halame (6), Nanco Hitko (13), both students, woman cook BV Kawade and Mangesh Malavi (55), the police added. — PTI

IAF withdraws combat helicopters from UN missions

6:43 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

With the IAF being roped in to provide air support for the anti-Naxal operations, it has completed the withdrawal of its combat helicopters that were deployed overseas on the United Nations peacekeeping missions. Withdrawal of transport and utility helicopters is expected to begin shortly. The IAF had delployed its Mi25/35 helicopter gunships in Congo besides Mi-8 and Mi-17 choppers in Congo and Sudan. The de-induction of the gunships began in mid-September and the last batch was airlifted to Chandigarh from Congo on Wednesday, the IAF sources said. These would be serviced and refurbished at No 3. Base Repair Depot here.

UAE threatens to kick Canada out of covert military base Camp Mirage

6:42 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

It was during a secret meeting in Paris this September that Canada realized there was little room for a compromise that would enable its Afghanistan-bound troops to keep using a covert military base near Dubai.The Canadian government is now preparing to relocate forces from the United Arab Emirates to somewhere such as Cyprus rather than give in to what it considers unreasonable demands from the host country.The prospect of a time-consuming move to a potentially costlier and more distant staging location has Defence officials angry and frustrated. The Forces are already engrossed in complicated logistical preparations to withdraw from Afghanistan next year.

IAI to Unveil Tilt-Rotor UAV 'Panther' for Tactical Missions

10:41 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will unveil its new revolutionary tilt-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for tactical missions, the Panther, at the Latrun Conference in Israel, October 5-7, 2010. The Panther will be exhibited for the first time internationally at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) 2010 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C., October 25-27. This new line of UAVs includes also the "Mini Panther".

Based on extensive research and development and IAI's operational knowledge of the challenges of an advanced ground battlefield, the Panther combines the flight capabilities of an airplane with helicopter-like hovering, a tilt-rotor propeller, and a fixed wing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system, which enable a runway-free takeoff and landing on an unprepared area. The unique concept has been patented by IAI.

An innovative automatic flight control system controls the transitions between the hovering takeoff phase to forward flight and vice versa before landing. The Panther takes off and lands automatically by a simple click of the operator console, thus eliminating the need for an external pilot.

Itzhak Nissan, President and CEO of IAI, said: "The Panther's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, along with its effective use of changing flight dynamics, make it a unique and invaluable asset on the tactical battlefield for the Israel Defense Forces and for foreign customers. We consider the innovative technology used in this system to be ground-breaking."

With its 3 ultra-quiet electrical motors, the Panther, which weighs roughly 65 kg, can loiter for approximately 6 hours, at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet, with a radius of operation of over 60 km. The Panther UAV carries IAI's Mini-POP (Plug-in Optronic Payload) - a day/night stabilized camera with a laser range finder, pointer or laser designator.

The Mini Panther, which weighs up to 12 kg, can loiter for approximately 2 hours, and carries IAI's Micro-POP.

The Panther control station, transported on a midsize vehicle, can store up to three aircraft, as well as the ground data link, the support equipment and spare parts, all of which allow the troops' autonomous operation on the field at a tactical level. Two operators control the mission using two fully redundant identical consoles.

The portable Mini Panther system includes 2 planes and a command and control unit, and is carried in backpacks by two soldiers.

Both platforms, designed to be entirely automatic, can be controlled by one operator, while the command and control station has two operators to control the station and oversee the mission.

Prototypes of the Panther platform have conducted successful flight tests and will be operational by 2011.

Northrop Grumman Might Sell 3 Global Hawks to Japan

10:36 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Northrop Grumman today confirmed that it is negotiating the possible sale of three of its high-altitude, long-endurance Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles to Japan. The company did not disclose the possible sale price of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where are developed in San Diego County."Currently, JMoD has not selected Global Hawk or finalized its operational requirements. Using the U.S. Air Force operations as an example, three to four Global Hawk aircraft provide a longer term operating capability, including the ability to provide long periods of continuous, round-the-clock ISR coverage."

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IAI to Supply TAMAM's TMAPS and ADNAV to Israel Defense Forces

10:34 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was awarded a multi- year contract to supply TAMAM's Modular Azimuth Position System (TMAPS) and the Advanced Navigation System (ADNAV), to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The contract has the potential to reach approximately $30 million (USD).

The systems will be utilized on the "Merkava" tank, and on the "Namer" Merkava-based armored personal carrier (APC), respectively. ADNAV and TMAPS are exhibited at the annual Latrun Conference held these days in Israel, organized by The Institute for Land Warfare Studies, the Israeli Ground Forces, and the Armored Corps Memorial Site and the Latrun Museum Association.

Mr. Shaul Shahar, General Manger of IAI's TAMAM Division, said: " The TMAPS and the ADNAV are part of TAMAM's advanced line of successful land navigation systems, and we are proud hat the IDF has chosen our system for its Merkava tanks and its new Namer APCs."

The inertial navigation systems provide position, heading and orientation data. The TMAPS and the ADNAV are suitable for many types of platforms (tanks, APCs, self propelled guns, towed guns, artillery radars, rocket launchers, and armored, reconnaissance, logistic, command, surveillance, special forces, and other kinds of vehicles) in different battlefield scenarios, including urban areas.

Based on TAMAM's excellent Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) and Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) technologies, the TMAPS and the ADNAV are the most cost-effective advanced inertial navigation systems available, and can operate in GPS-disturbed or jammed battlefield scenarios.

India, Russia to hold anti-terror military drills

10:23 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

ndia and Russia will revive the joint military exercise series that focuses on counter- terrorism training. The 'Indra-2010' will be held in Chaubattia in Uttarakhand between October 15 and 24, Defence Ministry officials said here today. The battalion-level exercise will comprise of infantry troops from both the armies who would work out insurgency and terrorism situations and plan and execute an operation to counter these, particularly in a mountainous terrain, they said. Other elements from both the armies include observers, air elements and representatives from the Defence Ministries of both countries. The Russian complement would include 257 personnel and the Indian side will be represented by an infantry battalion.

India flags delays in delivery of Russian defence systems

10:22 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

India today flagged the delays in delivery of Russian defence systems such as Gorshkov aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine at an inter-governmental meet. Defence Minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, who met here over the last two days, also decided to take forward the joint fifth generation combat jets (FGFA) and mutirole transport aircraft (MTA) projects over the next 10 years, under which India would get about 250 to 300 of FGFAs and 45 MTAs. They signed a protocol for furthering of defence ties between the two nations and continuing till 2020 the military technical commission, a unique arrangement, that the two nations have. "There are some areas of concern such as the delays (in delivery of defence systems).

How India is undoing China's string of pearls

10:21 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

New Delhi's defence establishment has quietly put in place India's own counter-measures to woo and bolster China's neighbours as a long-term strategy, says Nitin Gokhale One of the least understood and less scrutinised facets of India's diplomacy is perhaps New Delhi's 'Look East' policy, now nearly two decades old. Click! Launched during Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's regime primarily to try and integrate India's newly liberalising economy with that of the Asian 'tigers', that policy is now quietly evolving into a more robust military-to-military partnership with important nations in that region. Over the past three months alone, top Indian military leadership has made important trips to key nations in South-East and East Asia -- Vietnam, South Korea, Japan , Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

Indian Army chief General V K Singh was in Vietnam in July, furthering an already strong strategic relationship. General Singh's visit was the first in a decade by an Indian army chief. Apart from meeting his Vietnamese counterpart, Deputy Chief of General Staff Pham Hong Loi, the Indian army chief discussed with Vietnam's National Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh, the road map to implement the 2009 memorandum of understanding between the two ministries of defence. Two areas where India and Vietnam will focus their immediate attention were training of military personnel and dialogue between experts on strategic affairs on both sides. General Singh's visit will be followed by Defence Minister A K Antony's mid-October trip to Hanoi when he will participate in the first-ever regional meeting of political leaders in the defence field. As the current chair of ASEAN.