Hawk eye on Malacca strait

[bhramos]

New Delhi, July 9: India is set to commission its latest military post named Baaz (hawk) on its south-eastern fringe in the Bay of Bengal to oversee a sea lane through which a quarter of the world's trade passes, an Indian Navy source told The Telegraph on Monday.

In April this year, the navy had upgraded its detachment in the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea to the level of a full-fledged base. Named the INS Dweeprakshak, the base is in the island of Kavaratti.

Together, the INS Dweeprakshak and the naval air station, Baaz, are set to be India's western and eastern-most sentinels.

But it is the Baaz that is of greater significance to the world because its location gives it a hawk eye over the Straits of Malacca after US defence secretary Leon Panetta said in Delhi last month that its military was "re-balancing" to the Asia-Pacific.

Campbell Bay, where Baaz has come up, is closer to Indonesia than to the Indian mainland.

To be opened this month-end by the outgoing navy chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma, whose mission it has been, naval air station (NAS) Baaz will be based in Campbell Bay at the southern tip of Great Nicobar island. Spread over nearly 70 hectares, Baaz will eventually be capable of turning around all kind of fighter and transport-troop carrier aircraft.

NAS Baaz sits astride the Six-Degree Channel between Nicobar and the coast of Aceh that is known to sailors around the world as the mouth of the Straits of Malacca. The strait connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the economies of China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are largely dependent on it.

Last month, a Hercules C-130 aircraft, newly acquired by the Indian Air Force, flew non-stop for 10 hours from the base at Hindon, east of Delhi, to Campbell Bay. That was a trial sortie that indicated that operations were about to begin at NAS Baaz.

Battered by the tsunami of 2004, Campbell Bay, with its fragile ecosystem, is now set to become one of India's most strategic forward operating air bases. It now has a 3,000ft runway that is likely to be extended and will eventually be able to handle airlifters like the IL-76 and the larger Globemaster III that the IAF has contracted.

Fighter aircraft can operate from the base even now but, with its commissioning as a full-fledged station, it extends their reach. Indian air surveillance in and around the Bay of Bengal, apart from the coastline, has depended on sorties from Port Blair — about 550 nautical miles north of Campbell Bay, roughly the distance from Delhi to Bhopal — that made it difficult to sustain the watch over longer periods of time.

With the commissioning of Baaz, Indian military aircraft would now be able to spend more time in surveillance of not only the Straits of Malacca but also the Straits of Sunda and Lombok. China's Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) rates its strategic interest in the Straits of Malacca on a par with the importance it gives to Taiwan.

The commissioning of NAS Baaz on the southern tip of Great Nicobar island will be followed by an upgrade of NAS Shibpur at Diglipur on the northern tip of the Andamans.

Hawk eye on Malacca strait

 

[bhramos]

Agatti Airport - Lakshdweep [India]

in war scenarios it can also be turned to Naval Air Station..

 

[Neil]

India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait

In about a fortnight from now, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma will kick start the process of turning a small and sparingly used Indian military outpost at the very southern-most tip of the Andaman Nicobar Islands into a full-fledged "forward operating base." The Naval Air Station (NAS) Campbell Bay overlooking the six degree Channel, one of the most crucial shipping lanes of the world, will soon become India's eye over the Malacca strait and the Bay of Bengal. The new air station will be rechristened the Naval Air Station (NAS) Baaz.

The six degree channel flows into the Malacca Strait which is one of the most crucial maritime choke points. The 900-kilometre long (550 miles) Malacca Strait connects Asia with the Middle East and Europe. About 40 per cent of the world's trade and more than 50,000 merchant ships sail through it every year. It has assumed even greater importance with the stupendous rise of China in the last decade. Nearly 80 per cent of China's crude oil imports from the Middle East and Africa pass through the Malacca strait. And, an estimated 15 million barrels per day of oil flow through the Malacca Strait from the Middle East Gulf and West.

Sources tell NDTV that in the next few years the Campbell air strip will be increased substantially from the present 3000 odd feet to over 6000 feet. Heavy transport aircraft like the C130J have already landed at Campbell Bay air strip early this year. "Our ability to monitor the Bay of Bengal, the Malacca Strait, will go up exponentially," a senior Naval officer told NDTV. The Campbell Bay air field as of now is very thinly used and doesn't have facility to either maintain or refuel aircrafts. But expansion will mean that INS Baaz will soon have full-fledged hangers that will enable India to maintain and repair aircraft. The manpower deployment too will increase manifold.

As of the now India has fully operational air bases at Diglipur, Port Blair and Carnic. However, the distance between Carnic Island and Campbell Bay is over 300 nautical miles – roughly the same between Delhi and Bhopal. The Carnic base is operated by the Indian Air Force. Now, instead of operating out of Carnic Island, Indian assets will be able to operate out of Campbell Bay which will substantially add to its reach in the region.

Naval Air Station Baaz becomes operational at a time when India anticipates an increase in military maritime traffic in the region. This follows United States enunciating its new strategy i.e., "Rebalancing of Military Strategy with focus on Asia-Pacific." It envisages major changes in deployment and proposes that at least 60 per cent of US Naval assets would be deployed in Asia-Pacific. India, however, refused, to accept the American line.

In the last few years, China has been become increasingly assertive in the Indian Ocean Region. Piracy along the horn of Africa and Arabian Sea has also, in a way, proved to be a bonanza for China – it has given China a valid reason to position its warships in the region. The development of the Campbell air base into a fully equipped forward operating base appears to be India's means of keep a hold over the area.


India’s Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait | idrw.org

 

[bhramos]

Countering China: India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait | NDTV.com

 

[bhramos]

Re: India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait

Countering China: India’s Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait | BayNews | The New Voice Of Vizag

 

[bhramos]

Re: India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait

ABHILASH NINAN CHALAKUZHY: Countering China: India's Baaz to spy the Malacca Strait.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

India's new naval base - 'Baaz'

India`s new naval base - `Baaz`

New Delhi: To keep an eye on maritime security around the Malacca Straits and to gain strategic supremacy in the area, India will in about a fortnight from now open a new airbase, aptly named as Baaz (Hawk), in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said defence sources.

The new naval base, which will get an upgraded air base too, will soon be operating heavier military planes from the Indian air fleet including the US-made special forces plane, C130Js, that was inducted last year.

INS Baaz will come up at Campbell Bay, India's southeasternmost fringe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain, which is actually closer to Indonesia than the Indian mainland.

It straddles a strategically key location in the Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal overlooking the mouth of Malacca straits, from across Aceh in Indonesia.

This move by India comes even as the US spelt out its future strategy to focus on the Asia-Pacific in in "rebalancing" its military strategy earlier this year, while American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore last month that the US will base at least 60 percent of its naval assets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Malacca Straits is a key maritime chokepoint that acts as a link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, connecting East Asia, Australia and the US with Asia and Africa, which are the key oil resources of the world.

At least a quarter of the world's trade passes through Malacca Straits and more importantly, at least 80 percent of China's oil requirements pass through this choke point.

India already operates naval bases at Port Blair and Car Nicobar in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain.

It also has at least three air strips at Diglipur in north Andamans, Port Blair, and at Carnic in Nicobar Islands.

The new base will significantly increase India's strategic reach in the region, considering that Campbell Bay is about 300 nautical miles from Carnic, till now a major forward operating base of the country's navy in its southeastern fringes.

That's the distance between Delhi to Bhopal and now India's navy and air force will be able to launch its operations from that far away deep inside Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Re: India's new naval base - 'Baaz'

Countering China: India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait | NDTV.com

Countering China: India's Baaz to spy on the Malacca Strait

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Re: India's new naval base - 'Baaz'

http://twocircles.net/2012jul10/india_keep_eye_malacca_straits_new_naval_base.html

India to keep an eye on Malacca Straits with new naval base

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Re: India's new naval base - 'Baaz'

 

[Ray]

Baaz is not to counter China.

China is a peaceloving country with no hostile intention towards anyone.

So, why should India have a Base against a country that is so peace loving?!

You all are being unfair to China and India.

It is merely to give the statistics to the UN regarding pollution and its effect on the ocean life!

 

[afako]

From NAS Baaz,

 

[john70]

India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

Defence News - India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

India will formally open a key naval station on Tuesday, named INS Baaz (Hawk) in the southern part of the Andaman & Nicobar chain of islands. It will boost the Navy's ability to keep an eagle eye on the critical maritime choke-point : the Strait of Malacca.

India will formally open a key naval station on Tuesday, named INS Baaz (Hawk) in the southern part of the Andaman & Nicobar chain of islands. It will boost the Navy's ability to keep an eagle eye on the critical maritime choke-point : the Strait of Malacca.

The southern most islands of India are closer to Indonesia than mainland India and will help India gain strategic supremacy in the region. The new base will also boast of an upgraded air base that will be able to operate the newly inducted Hercules C-130J Super Hercules which are meant for special forces' operations.

INS Baaz clearly overlooks the Strait of Malacca from across the Aceh in Indonesia. With this new addition to the already powerful Indian navy, India can kickstart operations if maritime activities in the region are threatened. The Strait of Malacca were once heavily infected with piravy but now the Indian and Indonesian navies monitor it for criminal activities by jointly patrolling their maritime borders.

 

[agentperry]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

any news on the deployements in the new base

 

[The Messiah]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

now when will we start charging extra tax on chini ships ?

 

[maomao]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

Toll tax in International waters is the key for future revenue generation.....call it govt. level extortion or security money! It has to be implemented especially on CCP, as they have been using our waters for a long time that too without paying any protection money!

 

[The Messiah]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

Toll tax in International waters is the key for future revenue generation.....call it govt. level extortion or security money! It has to be implemented especially on CCP, as they have been using our waters for a long time that too without paying any protection money!

chinis have to pay hafta

 

[maomao]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

chinis have to pay hafta

Yup....Desi Bhasaa me Hafta! Nahi dega to create Piracy and Puncture their ships with Torpedoes!

 

[ani82v]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

Is it that important any more?

Antony sees Chinese shipping bypassing Indian blockade

One morning in 1999, the tiny Canadian village of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean awoke to a surprise. Parked off the coast was a Chinese icebreaker ship, the Xue Long, mocking Ottawa's pretensions of control over its northern waters. China is not even amongst the eight Arctic countries — Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the US (Alaska), Iceland, Denmark (Greenland) and Canada itself — that claim the Arctic's fabled hydrocarbon reserves, and the rapidly opening Arctic shipping lanes. But Beijing knows that global warming is melting the Arctic ice cap; and it is readying to exploit this, both commercially and militarily.

This growing capability threatens Indian strategy in a war with China. Defence analysts point to India's two-fold strategy: defending the land border in the north with the army and the air force; while using the Indian Navy to block China's commercial and military shipping in the Indian Ocean. India's coastal airfields, especially in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and its proximity to the choke points of Malacca and Sunda in southeast Asia and the Straits of Hormuz and Aden in West Asia will allow the Indian Navy to impose a strangling economic blockade on China.

But this is not possible if Chinese shipping transits through the Arctic routes, which bypass the Indian Ocean. On Monday, at an international maritime seminar in New Delhi, Defence Minister A K Antony expressed concern, saying: "The possible melting of the polar ice caps will have tectonic consequences for our understanding of what maritime domains constitute 'navigable' oceans of the world. Specific to Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, there may be a need to reassess concepts like chokepoints and critical sea lines of communication (SLOCs)."


Global warming has created the new SLOCs that Antony refers to. Arctic winter temperatures have risen by more than seven degrees over the last six decades. The resulting thinner ice melts easily during summer. In the unusually warm summer of 2007 the Arctic ice cap shrunk by a million square miles. Advanced scientific models presented at the American Geophysical Union in 2007 anticipated an ice-free Arctic summer by 2013.

Source: China's Quest for Arctic Access & Resources



The melting ice is opening two Arctic sea routes: the Northwest Passage connects the Northern Atlantic, through Canada's northern islands, with the Northern Pacific Ocean. In September, 2008, the MV Camilla Desgagnes became the first commercial ship to traverse the Northwest Passage, with the crew reporting that it "did not see one cube of ice." More relevant to China is the Northern Sea Route, which connects the North Atlantic, passing north of Russia, to the North Pacific and then to the South China Sea. This not just bypasses any Indian ambushes in the Indian Ocean but also reduces the distance from northern Europe to Japan by over 40 per cent, from 21,000 kilometres to just 12,000 kilometres.


In a Financial Times article in January 2008, Professor Robert Wade of the London School of Economics revealed that China "has lately displayed special interest in relations with Iceland, the tiny island in the north Atlantic, which with its strategic location is believed to get a key role in future shipping in the region. China wants to start shipping containers in the north, and sees the deep-sea ports of Iceland as potential port bases."

China is harnessing a global maritime trend. Just as trans-polar routes revolutionised air travel, the melting of Arctic ice caps is revolutionising commercial shipping. Shipping companies worldwide have already built close to 500 ice-class ships and more are on order.

But China also recognises the strategic and military advantage of an alternative route for its commercial shipping. Beijing has set up the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, to oversee polar research and expeditions. This maintains an outpost, the Yellow River Station, in Norway's Spitsbergen Archipelago. It bought the Xue Long, just as it bought its first aircraft carrier, the Varyag, from Ukraine and then spent 31 million Yuan ($5 million) to make it polar-capable. The Xue Long has made four major research trips into the Arctic, the most recent one last year.

With competing claims and counter-claims over waters, the Arctic is seeing a growing military presence. Scott Borgerson revealed in Foreign Affairs magazine that, after the UN rejected Russia's claim to almost half a million square miles of Arctic waters, "the Kremlin dispatched a nuclear-powered ice-breaker and two submarines to plant its flag on the North Pole's sea floor. Days later the Russians provocatively ordered strategic bomber flights over the Arctic Ocean for the first time since the Cold War."

 

[bhramos]

Re: India Now Commands The Strait Of Malacca With Naval Base 'INS Baaz'

please merge both threads

http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/indian-navy/38835-hawk-eye-malacca-strait.html