Indian Army: News and Discussion

[Oracle]

May your soul R.I.P soldier.

 

[nitesh]

salute, finally his soul rest in peace:

Remains of Indian soldier killed in 1962 war recovered

Shimla, July 9 (IANS) The Indian Army has recovered the remains of a soldier who died during the 1962 Indo-China war from Arunchal Pradesh close to the China border, an official said Friday. The soldier belonged to Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district.

'The remains of soldier Karam Chand Katoch of 4 Dogra Regiment, whose name was listed among the soldiers who died during the 1962 war were recovered in Anjaw district July 1,' an army officer posted at the Yol cantonment near Dharamsala told IANS Friday.

He said the soldier was recognised from his dog tag (3950976) that was recovered by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) during repair of a road close to the China border in Walong area in Arunchal Pradesh.

'One .303 rifle and 47 round of ammunition were also recovered from there,' he said.

Col S.K. Singh, who is posted with the Dogra Regiment at New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, told IANS over phone: 'The soldier has been recognised from his badge.'

He said the family of the soldier, at his native village Agochar near Andretta in Kangra, has been informed.

'The body would reach his native village July 13 and the cremation would take place with full military honours,' Colonel Singh, who is on way to Himachal along with the soldier's remains, said.

Jaswant Singh, the soldier's nephew who is settled in Agochar, said information regarding recovery of the body was received from the army authorities.

'After the war, my grandfather K.S. Katoch got a message from the army that his 21-year-old son had gone missing. Since his name never figured in the list of prisoners of war, his parents kept waiting and hoping that one day he will come back. Finally, they passed away,' he said, adding that the soldier was a bachelor when he died.

He said K.S. Katoch died in 1985 and his wife Gaytri Devi in 1990.

Jaswant Singh said the army authorities informed him that the body was retrieved from a glacier close to the China border.

 

[nandu]

NCC way to become an officer & a gentleman

NCC way to become an officer & a gentleman

LUCKNOW: The Indian forces are hard-pressed due to shortage of officers. The scarcity offers a chance to those enrolled with the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Reason: the parliamentary panel on defence which elaborately examined the shortage of officers in the armed forces suggested increasing the intake of NCC cadets in the three wings.

A second reason to celebrate is an order by the additional director general, NCC directorate, UP, major general Rajiv Verma who has asked his unit heads to give at least one officer to the Indian Army. "This is to be seen as one of the key result areas (KRAs) by each of us," said a spokesperson on Thursday.

As per the parliamentary panel's report, "The army faces a shortage of 11,456 officers, the Navy and the Air Force suffer a gap of 1,439 and 1,343 officers, respectively." Against this, it may be noted that, the strength of the NCC wing of the ministry of defence (MOD) is about 13 lakh young boys and girls.

The Army has a sanctioned strength of 46,614 in the officer cadre, while the existing strength is 35,158 officers. The Navy's sanctioned strength of officers is 9,293 and actual strength 7,854. In the IAF, the sanctioned officer cadre strength is 12,183 and present strength is 10,840.

"The deficit cannot stand if the Indian army gets one officer per unit," said a retired officer. The observation of the veteran appears true knowing that there are 107 units of NCC in Uttar Pradesh alone. Spread across 65 districts and 1,114 educational institutes, these units help over 1.19 lakh teenaged boys and girls build their personalities. Still, the large potential of this massive army is under-utilised. Consider this: figures gathered from the NCC directorate of UP show that some 26 cadets were selected in the Indian army through the UPSC exam for commissioning of officers in the academies in Dehradoon and Chennai.

Experts see the lack of motivation as the reason behind. A recent development underscored what inspiration and encouragement can do. The 64th battalion of NCC — which has Lucknow University and some of the colleges like Lucknow Christian College among others — under its umbrella is a case in point.

In 2008-09 only one of its some 1,200 cadets was able to make it to the officer rank. This year, five have been selected for the National Defence Academy, Dehradoon.

"Despite being in the NCC for so long... I always had doubted my potential... but things changed with the coming of a new team here... I owe my success to the morale boosting by my seniors and officers," said one of the cadets who got selected.

Unit head, major Varun Bajpai who himself was able to make it to the Indian army because of the exposure to NCC says that there is nothing wrong with the system. Ten cadets have been selected in the UP police as constables while four others have been selected in the Railway Recruitment Board as well.

"NCC cadets always stand a better chance when compared with an ordinary applicant... then there are incentives to the cadets as an added advantage... what probably was missing was a will which is no longer a roadblock," he told TOI on being contacted.

To note, the committee was of a firm belief that the manpower crisis in the armed forces can be met through NCC.

"There was an urgent need to give more attention to the NCC, whose main objective is to groom the youth into disciplined and patriotic citizens... NCC training would definitely help the three services in solving the problem of shortage of officers," observed the Parliamentary Committee.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...n-officer-a-gentleman/articleshow/6149819.cms

 

[Rajputana]

Hi friends,
I am a new entry in forum and lucking for help for start thread for army picture gallery.

 

[Rajputana]

Biggest military deal: Six subs for Rs 50,000 crore
Rajat Pandit, TNN, Jul 11, 2010, 01.03am IST
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Tags:A K Antony|Indian Navy|Hindustan Shipyard Ltd|
NEW DELHI: If you thought the Rs 42,000 crore project to procure 126 multi-role fighters for the IAF was the "mother of all defence deals", think again. The stage is now being set for an even bigger project—this one worth over Rs 50,000 crore for six new-generation submarines for the Indian Navy.

The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC), chaired by defence minister A K Antony, has finally decided that three of the six submarines will be constructed at Mazagon Docks (MDL) in Mumbai and one at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, with the help of a foreign collaborator.

"The other two submarines will either be imported from the foreign vendor directly or constructed at a private shipyard in India. Fresh estimates show each of these six diesel-electric submarines will cost almost Rs 8,500 crore," a source said.

Under the programme—called Project-75 India (P-75I)—apart from stealth, land-attack capability and the ability to incorporate futuristic technologies, all the six new submarines will be equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems to boost their operational capabilities.

Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to surface every few days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries. With AIP systems, they can stay submerged for much longer periods, narrowing the gap with nuclear-powered submarines which can operate underwater for virtually unlimited periods.

The selection of the foreign collaborator for P-75I will, of course, take time because a RFP (request for proposal) will first have to be issued to submarine manufacturers like Rosoboronexport (Russian), DCNS/Armaris (French), HDW (German) and Navantia (Spain). Shortlisting and detailed technical and commercial negotiations will follow, before the actual contract can be inked.

Navy has reasons to be worried. By 2015 or so, it will be left with just half of its present fleet of 15 ageing diesel-electric submarines—10 Russian Kilo-class, four German HDW and one Foxtrot. Moreover, it has been hit hard by the almost three-year delay in the ongoing Project-75 for six French Scorpene submarines at MDL, under which the vessels were to roll out one per year from 2012 onwards, with price escalation pushing the total cost beyond Rs 20,000 crore, as was first reported by TOI.

For P-75I, the second line of submarines, the navy was keen on a private domestic shipyard to tie-up with the foreign vendor since it felt MDL was already "overloaded" with orders and quick delivery schedules were "critical".

But the DAC has decided otherwise, holding that the infrastructure and capabilities acquired by MDL in the Scorpene project could not be allowed to go waste. "Let's hope thing go smoothly now, and instead of 10 years, the navy gets its first submarine under P-75I in six to seven years," an official said.

Submarines can be game-changers in any conflict. And if they are armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, they provide the most effective strategic deterrent available around the world at this point of time. The US and Russia, after strategic arms reduction pacts, in fact, plan to retain over 60% of their nuclear weapons in the shape of SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) fitted on nuclear-powered submarines called "boomers", or SSBNs.

Though India does not have nuclear submarines and SLBM capabilities at present to complete its "nuclear triad", it hopes to move forward by inducting the Akula-II class attack submarine K-152 Nerpa on a 10-year lease from Russia in October this year, and then the first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant by early-2012.

Pakistan, incidentally, already has its first Mesma AIP-equipped submarine, PNS Hamza, the third of the French Agosta-90B submarines it has inducted since 1999. It is now looking to induct three advanced Type-214 German submarines with AIP. China, in turn, has 62 submarines, with 10 of them being nuclear-propelled.

 

[nandu]

Army's 126 Light Air Defence Regt Provides Flood Relief In Kurukshetra

http://chhindits.blogspot.com/2010/07/armys-126-light-air-defence-regt.html

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Good news..

 

[Agantrope]

Good news..

Kunal sir, any news on the potential problems that will be faced in the high altitude regions, like what it happened to INSAS in Kargil, Leh

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Kunal sir, any news on the potential problems that will be faced in the high altitude regions, like what it happened to INSAS in Kargil, Leh

During Kargil, Insas was new and its 5.56 round, those days in high altitude soldiers were not given the antifreeze lubricant for the gun which cause jamming and unpredictable performance..
Now we use Insas in the highest battlefield in the world with no problems....

 

[nitesh]

Army Major under UN probe attempts suicide

 

[RAM]

Cyber warfare: Indian Army boosts its defences


NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is fighting attacks in the cyber world with electronic warfare capability of the "highest standard", say officials pointing out that virtual strikes have shot up from hostile quarters in both sophistication and frequency.

"The army is cognisant of the threat to its cyber space from various state and non-state actors. But our network is well secured in compliance with the highest standards of cyber security," a senior official in the military headquarters said on condition of anonymity.

The official said the army has established an "impenetrable and secure wide area network exclusively for its functioning".

Officials in the 1.3 million force privately admit they are facing "next generation threats" and are rather worried over the complex world of cyber warfare amid reports of Chinese and Pakistani spies targeting the Indian military establishment via the internet.

Though attacks from hackers - professional or amateur - can come from anywhere in the world, cyber onslaughts have been more frequent from China and Pakistan, which have reportedly been peeking into India's sensitive business, diplomatic and strategic records.

As per reports from the cyber industry, China and Pakistan hackers steal nearly six million files worldwide every day.

A report in the US-based Defence Systems magazine found that there were 25 million new strains of malware created in 2009. That equals a new strain of malware every 0.79 seconds. The report underlines how the current cyber threat environment is dramatically changing and becoming more challenging as the clock ticks.

Howevever, the Indian army is confident.

Revealing that secret information had been secured with unhackable electronic passwords, the official said various "cryptographic controls" have been incorporated in the wake of a significant number of viruses, worms and other forms of malware.

To address cyber defence, which is also under threat from terrorist outfits that have their own trained recruits, officials said the army frequently upgrades its comprehensive cyber security policy to pro-actively deal with and anticipate these threats.

The force has established the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to respond to attacks targeting the army's critical systems and infrastructure.

Another official said the army has its own cyber audit process conducted by cyber security personnel.

"The audit is conducted in accordance with established security standards such as ISO 27001. Audit of the network is a continuous and active process which helps identification and mitigation of vulnerabilities in a network to counter latest threats as also check the network for cyber security policy compliance," he said.

However, the official admitted there was no room for complacency in times of rapid technological change.

"In the area of cyber space, the battle between hackers and defenders is an ongoing process, influenced by latest technological developments. Due to the dynamic nature of threats, the army is constantly upgrading its network," he said.

Technology alone, however, cannot guarantee "fool-proof security", he said, adding the "Indian Army therefore emphasises on the people and the process to achieve compliance of best practices in this field".

"Regular training programmes are being conducted to enhance user awareness and counter threats like social engineering and phishing," he said.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...y-boosts-its-defences/articleshow/6183249.cms

 

[RAM]

A first in 15 years: Indian Army chief to visit Vietnam




Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh will July 26 begin a four-day visit to Vietnam - the first such in the past 15 years - to 'boost' bilateral military ties between the two countries, an army spokesperson said Wednesday.
During the visit, the army chief will call on Vietnam Defence Minister General Phung Quang Than.

The trip, which comes 15 years after then army chief General Shankar Roy Chowdhury's visit to Vietnam in 1995, will take Singh to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities.

Singh will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Colonel-General Nguyen Khac Nghien and interact with various military commanders 'to boost the defence cooperation between the two countries', the spokesperson said.

Vietnam and India share a strategic partnership, including cooperation on enhancing regional security and fighting terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking.

The two countries are members of the six-nation Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative that also includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos and which is meant to enhance close ties between the member nations.

Vietnam has supported India's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.




http://www.defenceforum.in/forum/showthread.php/71-Indian-Army-Minor-News-and-Events/page106

 

[EagleOne]

Army orders 1 million pieces of grenade developed by DRDO's Chandigarh lab

About a decade after being designed, the Army has approved bulk production of lightweight modular hand grenades developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for induction.

An order has been placed with the Ordnance Factory Board for supplying one million hand grenades to the Army. Known as Shivalik, these would replace the existing M-36 HE grenades, the original version of which dates back to the Second World War. Developed by DRDO's Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, the new grenade overcomes the safety hazards posed by the existing grenades. The M-36, according to the DRDO, has a severe reliability problem due to its flawed fusing system and uneven fragmenting pattern, making it unsafe even for the thrower.

Shivalik uses a modular plastic body and pre-formed cylindrical mild steel fragments for uniform distribution of fragments to overcome these deficiencies. Additional features have been incorporated into the fuse's arming mechanism to ensure greater safety during storage, transportation and airdropping. Fragmentation distribution can also be controlled for use in offensive or defensive roles by attachment of a fragmentation sleeve. The use of plastic has also resulted in reduction of the grenade's overall weight. Unlike earlier grenades, it can be para-dropped if urgent re-supplies are needed and can function in temperatures ranging from minus 20 to 55°C.

Besides the Shivalik, the Army has also approved bulk production of the add-on 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) that is attached to rifles for increasing their firepower. The UBGL, which can be mounted on the INSAS as well as AK-47 rifles, was developed keeping in view the global trend in technology for small arms from the concept of point-target capability to area-target capability. Capable of night-firing, it fills the gap between the maximum range achieved by a hand grenade and the minimum range of a mortar while giving better accuracy than both.

Another unique weapon under development by the DRDO is the "chill grenade", which uses extract of Bhut Jolokia, certified as the world's hottest chilli and is native to the northeast. Part of a range of equipment being developed by the DRDO for counter-insurgency and internal security operations, the chilli-grenade is non-toxic and non-lethal and functions like tear-gas used by the security forces. Its pungent fumes can smoke out terrorists or hostile elements from hideouts

http://idrw.org/?p=2607

 

[Yatharth Singh]

Army plans to buy tank busting missiles from US

The Indian Army intends to buy the US-designed Javelin anti-tank guided missile to equip its troops with the capability to defeat enemy armour systems. The defence ministry is expected to issue a letter of request (LOR) to the US government for a potential sale of the weapon system used by the US Marine Corps, the US Army and 11 other militaries.

India plans to buy Javelin under the foreign military sales (FMS) programme, a government-to-government transaction between the US and friendly countries.

Indian soldiers operated the weapon last October during exercise Yudh Abhyas, the annual Indo-US military drill held at the Babina firing ranges near Jhansi.

"It engaged and destroyed targets every time it was fired during the exercise," said an army officer. Javelin was fired nine times, including thrice by Indian soldiers. The fire-and-forget weapon system is a joint venture between US aerospace and defence giants Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin.

Raytheon Asia President Admiral Walter F. Doran told HT at the Farnborough International Airshow that the LOR from India was awaited for a possible sale.

India has taken the FMS route to buy equipment worth billions of dollars from the US. Some recent contracts include the $2.1-billion (around Rs 9,450 crore) deal for eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft and another worth $1 billion (Rs 4,500 crore) for six C-130J Super Hercules military airlifters. India is also negotiating with the US to buy M777 ultra-light howitzers and C-17 military transport aircraft.

The US believes FMS transactions may be complicated in their conception and execution, but are more transparent to financial scrutiny.

Although designed to destroy tanks and armoured vehicles, Javelin provides day/night secondary capability against helicopters and fixed defences such as bunkers and buildings. The imaging infrared system allows the gunner to acquire targets even in darkness and limited visibility.

Javelin's normally engages and destroys a tank in the `top-attack' mode. It also has a direct-attack capability to engage targets with overhead cover or in bunkers. The fire-and-forget capability allows the gunner to acquire another target or move position as soon as the missile is launched. It has a range of 2.5 km.

(The writer is in the UK at the invitation of Raytheon)

 

[wild goose]

Remembering Kargil heroes, 11 years after victory



NEW DELHI: The nation will on Monday remember its soldiers who were killed in the summer of 1999 while protecting the Kargil heights in Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistani raiders and camouflaged regular troops in an audacious invasion attempt that was met with heroic deeds and a decisive military victory.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony and the three service chiefs - Gen V.K. Singh of the army, Admiral Nirmal Verma of the navy and Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik of the air force - will pay homage to the 'Kargil martyrs' at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, as the day is also remembered.

Officers and soldiers as well as families of many of those killed will place wreaths at the war memorial in the capital. More than 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the Kargil war that lasted two long months.

In the past 11 years, the day has been marked by emotive gathering as parents and siblings of soldiers assemble at various places for functions to pay homage to their loved ones who perished while fighting Pakistani raiders in the high altitude and inhospitable battleground.

As part of its strategy to reach out to defence and paramilitary personnel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will mark the day by taking out processions, candle-light vigils and paying tributes to the martyrs.

The war took place on the peaks of Kargil near the Line of Control - the de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Like in the better known Tiger Hill and Tololing, heavy fighting took place in 1999 for the strategic hills off Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world located about 60 km from Kargil town.

The entire region falls in Kargil district, giving the 1999 military showdown the name of "Kargil war".

Pakistan-backed Islamist insurgents as well as regular soldiers sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir and quietly took control of the hills until they were first detected by nomads. Their discovery in Indian territory led to full-fledged fighting between Indian forces and the heavily-armed infiltrators, almost triggering the fourth full-scale India-Pakistan war and leading to an intervention by the US.
The battle for Drass was immortalised by the death of Captain Vikram Batra of 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles who helped capture two peaks and then died fighting for the control of Point 4875.

He came under attack while trying to rescue an injured officer. His final words, according to his colleagues, were "Jai Mata Di"!

The intruders, who had come for a long haul, came as close as 300 metres to a key national highway connecting Srinagar with Leh and the border town of Kargil. Drass town suffered heavy damage in the fighting.

The intrusion took place as India was busy celebrating then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's successful Lahore peacemaking visit.

Kargil gave the country many young and fearless champions. Names like Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain Vikram Batra and Lieutenant Manoj Pandey became household heroes.

July 26 is annually celebrated as "Kargil Diwas" or Kargil Day.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...1-years-after-victory/articleshow/6215361.cms

 

[youngindian]

Indian Army orders 788 TATRA Vehilces from BEML worth Rs. 632 crores


http://frontierindia.net/indian-army-orders-788-tatra-vehilces-from-beml-worth-rs-632-crores

 

[nitesh]

this is really good one:

'Ek medal mila, Ma'

 

[Yatharth Singh]

 

[Rahul Singh]

India Chooses U.S.-Built Javelin Anti-Tank Missile

NEW DELHI - The Indian Army has decided to buy the Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), Defence Ministry sources here said.

The decision comes within a month of media reports that Pakistan had included the Javelin on its wish list of U.S. weapons it wants to purchase. Senior Indian Defence Ministry officials had favored buying Israeli-made Spike ATGMs until those reports.

India's Javelin-purchase decision is final, ministry sources said. The missile's sale to India was approved in the U.S. last week, but the amount and cost are not yet known.

The fire-and-forget Javelin weapon system is produced by a joint venture of U.S. companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The anti-armor weapon also has a direct-attack mode for use against buildings or fortifications.

The Indian Army began considering acquiring the Javelin after it rejected the Spike during trials in 2008.

The Army's tests of the Javelin in land exercises last year were satisfactory, a service official said.

The Javelin purchase would be in addition to the Indian Nag ATGM, which already has been ordered. The Army's current ATGM arsenal includes old Milan and Konkours missiles.

 

[SHASH2K2]

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is involved in development of defence technologies and now focusing on customization of certain technologies already developed for military operations to these new emerging security threats and development of new technologies and devices as projected by security forces, both military and para military, during recent interactions with them.

Based on security forces' needs and DRDO capabilities, the requirements have been grouped in various technology heads, like technologies and devices for surveillance and Reconnaissance; Enhancing Day and Night Vision capability; Incapacitation; Arms and Ammunitions; Detection and Diffusion of Explosive and IEDs; Communication and Jamming; Personnel Protection and Support Systems.

A comprehensive mission mode programme with participation of many DRDO labs, security forces and industries is being formulated. Some of the weapons developed by DRDO which are quite useful for LIC Operations are :

* -- INSAS Rifle (Weight with loaded magazine - 4.1 Kg and effective range – 400 m).
* -- Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC) (Weight with loaded magazine – 3.4 Kg and effective range – 200 m).
* -- Oleo-Resin (Chilli) Based Hand Grenade.
* -- CR Based Shells.
* -- Tear Gas Grenades (to incapacitate terrorists and flush them out from their hideouts and for mob dispersal / riot control operations).
* -- Plastic Bullets (Non-lethal & non-poisonous bullets do not expand after penetration and cause only superficial injuries).
http://weapons.technology.youngester.com/2010/07/indias-low-intensity-wepaons.html