Indian Army: News and Discussion

[Kunal Biswas]

Well Kalyani group has also jumped in, we can see the momentum clearly

Kalyani Group artillery to be featured

by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 29th May 12

Army chief General V K Singh's leaked letter to defence minister A K Antony, which flagged the country's lack of defence preparedness, casts a shadow over Defexpo India 2012, which kicks off in New Delhi tomorrow. However, the silver linings in the four-day event would be the impressive presence of several Indian private companies and newcomers in developing complex weaponry, with capabilities the defence ministry (MoD) can no longer ignore.

Among the most visible would be the Pune-headquartered Kalyani Group, which would emphatically project its ambition to develop artillery systems for the Indian Army. With foreign artillery procurement stalled for two decades, Baba Kalyani — who has shaped his flagship company, Bharat Forge, into the world's largest forgings manufacturer — has committed the finance, the manpower and the strategic mind space he believes would make the Kalyani Group a full-spectrum developer of artillery systems.

Kalyani intends to start by building a 155 mm, 52-calibre towed howitzer, which the army desperately wants. Several years of user trials of foreign guns have only resulted in vendors being rejected, blacklisted, or withdrawn from the contest. Kalyani is now boldly offering an Indian alternative.

"I will offer to the Indian Army a fully developed artillery gun system, integrating all the command and control elements, before 2015," he asserts.

To this end, the Kalyani Group has imported from Austrian gun manufacturer Maschinenfabrik Liezen (MFL) a service version of its famous 155 mm, 45-calibre, autonomous gun system, which had impressed Indian gunners when they evaluated it in the mid-1980s (though they bought the Bofors gun instead).

The Kalyani Group has also bought, knocked down and transported to India an entire operational artillery gun factory from Swiss company RUAG. Instead of learning the ropes of manufacturing artillery from scratch, Kalyani's designers in Pune intend to absorb foreign technology, thereby leapfrogging an extended development process. Unlike many Indian private companies, Baba Kalyani is investing his own money into building capabilities. Given Bharat Forge's hardcore engineering pedigree, he is confident he has the solution.

Says Kalyani: "There are the DRDO ((Defence Research & Development Organisation), the OFB (Ordnance Factory Board) and other excellent organisations that have design talent and capability. What India lacks is the ability to convert designs into manufactured products. This is where the Kalyani Group comes in. Building an artillery gun system is largely about materials, forgings and manufacturing. We have in our group the capability to be a top-class manufacturer of precision products."

Kalyani Steel would provide the steel and metallurgy. The drives, engine, transmission, etc would be built by Automotive Axles Ltd, the Rs 2,000-crore Kalyani Group company and the largest manufacturer of axles in the region.

Alongside the engineering bravado, there is realism, too, about the Kalyani Group's inexperience in creating the sophisticated software that underpins the gun control, fire correction and command and control systems, about 50 per cent of the overall gun system.

"Our strategy is to collaborate with entities that already have capabilities in electronics and guidance. (For this) we are in constant dialogue with the DRDO and the MoD. But we are confident about the precision engineering needed for the mechanical parts of the gun," says Kalyani.

The only "missing link", as Kalyani puts it, is the reliance on the MoD for testing facilities. Guns under development must be periodically tested through live firing. In India, this can only be conducted in cooperation with the Army. The MoD, rattled by the repeated failures of artillery gun procurement programmes, has already initiated two projects in the public sector to develop an artillery gun. The OFB has been asked to construct two 155 mm, 39-calibre guns from the engineering drawings that came with the Bofors gun in the mid-1980s. The OFB would then try to upgrade these into longer-range 155 mm, 45-calibre guns.

Simultaneously, the MoD has sanctioned Rs 150 crore for the DRDO to develop a 155 mm, 52-calibre gun. The DRDO's Armament R&D Establishment (ARDE), Pune, would soon float a tender for an Indian industrial partner, in which the Kalyani Group intends to bid.

Such is the aggressiveness within the Group that it intends to develop its own gun on a parallel track, even if it becomes an industrial partner to the DRDO for the ARDE's gun. Rajinder Bhatia, who would head this project, says, "We are willing to compete against ourselves. On one track, we will work with the DRDO, funded by the government. On our own track, we will fund ourselves. Baba Kalyani is willing to commit Rs 100 crore for this."

Broadsword: Defexpo 2012: Kalyani Group artillery to be featured

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Need to beat Pak army-ISI-separatist nexus - Rediff.com News

From the article:

Lieutenant General K T Parnaik: We need to beat the nexus of the Pak Army, the ISI and secessionists. This nexus works with a strategy that Pakistan is a two nation theory. The ideology is that J&K is bounded with Pakistan, so our entire effort today has to be to dismantle this theory of secessionism and bring them to a theory of the understanding of integrity.

This is important.

 

[vikaskumar11233]

NEW DELHI: With the Centre taking a number of steps to strengthen National Security Guard (NSG) post 26/11, the home ministry has sanctioned

1,081 additional posts of different ranks "to meet immediate operational requirements" of the elite anti-terror commando force.

These posts -- meant for the Special Action Group of NSG -- will be filled up by taking Army personnel on deputation. All these personnel will be posted at the four new NSG hubs which are to be set up at Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Sources in the home ministry said that more posts would be sanctioned once the new hubs became operational in the four cities. The existing plan was to add nearly 2,000 more personnel for these hubs in a phased manner by increasing the strength of NSG from over 7,500 to nearly 10,000 by the end of this year, they added.

New additions will only be meant for the SAG which is the main anti-terror commando unit of NSG. Meanwhile, the home ministry has asked the defence ministry to spare 1,081 Army personnel quickly for NSG.

Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal in his written response on Wednesday said: "While it is true that there is a shortage of officers in overall terms in the Army, it is expected that this will not be a stumbling block in the creation of the proposed regional hubs of NSG."....

N.S.G. commandos has already shown their valor and patriotism during Mumbai attacks and black cat commandos are also hired from army who act as a bodyguard of our high authorities and officials. The reason behind taking these commandos from army is the N.S.G. commandos are trained in a more tough manner than army men so its better to train already trained troops into a more tough manner.

 

[bhramos]

Indian Army chief Gen VK Singh arrives in Nepal to attend regional seminar - The Economic Times

 

[bhramos]

Plea in SC against Bikram Singh as Army Chief

 

[bhramos]

Truck deals with Army were fair, says Tatra

 

[bhramos]

Making Army unfit for gentlemen : North News - India Today

 

[bhramos]

Armed forces personnel are true patriots: Antony

 

[Anshu Attri]

Army pushes hard for fast-track purchases to regain combat edge

Army pushes hard for fast-track purchases to regain combat edge - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Having jolted the government over the critical operational gaps in its military capabilities, the Army is now pushing hard for fast-track policies and acquisitions to "enhance its combat ratio versus China" as well as "upgrade its combat edge" against Pakistan.

The defence ministry, too, is responding with alacrity for a change. Defence minister AK Antony has called another review meeting with Army chief General VK Singh and his top brass later this month, after holding two such meetings on February 28 and April 2.

It was between the earlier two meetings that the Army chief's confidential letter to the PM, about the "hollowness'' in military preparedness, found its way into the public domain much to the government's consternation.

For starters, the cases for one more regiment of the 300-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, two "troops'' of Israeli medium-altitude, long endurance Heron UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and several types of ammunition ranging from Konkurs anti-tank guided missiles to Invar missiles for T-90S main-battle tanks, will be finalized in this fiscal's first quarter, top sources said.

Interestingly, the new BrahMos regiment will have the missile's Block-III version, which has "steep dive capability'' to take out targets hidden behind a mountain range. After the western front, the government has approved deployment of these missile systems in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China's huge buildup of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control.

Other projects in the pipeline for Army, which has over 100 of them at different stages, include advanced assault rifles, close-quarter battle carbines, bullet-proof jackets, ballistic helmets and light vehicles for the infantry's 359 battalions.

The mechanized forces' list stretches from TIFCS night-vision devices for T-72 tanks, upgrade of BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles and AFV (armoured fighting vehicle) protection to missiles and ammunition for all of them.

Air defence regiments, in turn, want procurement of three surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems - quick-reaction, medium range and man-portable short-range - to replace obsolete Russian-origin Kvadrat, Strela and other systems. Self-propelled air defence gun and missile systems as well as an upgrade of L-70 guns is also on the cards, in addition to the two indigenous Akash SAM regiments already ordered for Rs 14,180 crore.

The over Rs 20,000 crore 155mm artillery programme will get underway with induction of 145 ultra-light howitzers, to be followed by 1,580 towed, 180 self-propelled wheeled and 100 self-propelled tracked guns, as also more Russian Smerch multi-launch rocket systems.

In terms of infrastructure, apart from a new mountain strike corps, the Army wants completion of the earmarked development in the eastern theatre at a cost of Rs 9,243 crore by 2016-2017 as well as the Rs 26,155 crore "capability development in the northern borders'' by 2020-2021.

The force is also pushing for development of 14 strategic railway lines for "troop mobilization and logistics sustenance''. They include Murkongseld-Pasighat-Rupai, Misamari-Tawang and North Lakimpur-Along-Silapathar lines in the eastern sector.

The central sector lines are Rishikesh-Karanprayag-Chamoli, Dehradun-Uttarkashi, Tanakpur-Jauljibi and Tanakpur-Bageshwar, while the northern one includes Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch, Pathankot-Leh and Srinagar-Kargil-Leh ones.

Then, the Army wants faster construction of the 73 all-weather roads (totaling 3,808 km) identified for construction along the three sectors of LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) - since only 15 of them have been completed till now.

 

[Neil]

Lt Col Vijay Kumar Singh, Rajput Regt, in the movie Prahar!

wow...its a news to me....anyone can confirm it...??

 

[bhramos]

Army equipment on display for school students

 

[bhramos]

Terror in Kabul: Antony asks armed forces to be vigilant"Ž

 

[bhramos]

Among colleagues, Army Chief’s popularity remains intact | Firstpost

 

[bhramos]

Himachal Govt, Army lock horns over Annandale ground

 

[bhramos]

Training and welfare, focus of Army commanders' meet - Rediff.com India News

 

[bhramos]

India asked to honour `agreement` on Siachen

 

[utubekhiladi]

A testimony to sacrifices of soldiers

(Soldiers march before the war memorial near Marina Beach in Chennai. — file photo.)

The calm and serene atmosphere at the Madras War Cemetery in Nandambakkam does not even give a hint of the ferocious battles the slain Commonwealth soldiers across the world fought.

However, the warm and aesthetically-maintained memorial is testimony to sacrifices made in the two world wars.

Inspector general Satya Prakash Sharma, regional commander, Indian Coast Guard Region (East), was impressed by the cemetery. "It is so well maintained.

The greenery looks excellent," he told DC at a memorial ceremony held at the war cemetery to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day.

Be it the flowers near the tombs or the grass in the lawn, the gardeners and the manager employed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) have kept them as pristine as possible.

"We make sure the place is clean, the grass is trimmed and flowers are nourished. We also show the visitors around the place and answer their questions," said N. Rajarajan, manager, Madras War Cemetery.

Ironically, not many are aware of the existence of the cemetery and it hardly receives three to four visitors a month. "Annually about 10 foreigners visit the cemetery and they would be mostly Britishers," he said.

There are 860 graves of soldiers from countries such as the UK, West Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Burma, Malaya, Poland and India at the cemetery.

This apart, 1,039 names of those who died during the 1914 and 1918 war have also been engraved on the Madras Memorial pillar.

"Sadly, we have only one Anglo-Indian grave in this cemetery, while the rest of the graves mentioned under undivided India belongs to Britishers, who served in the Indian Army.

At the St Mary's cemetery too, we have only one Indian grave, namely Sundari Subramanian, who served as a nurse during the Second World War," said Rajarajan, who manages both the cemetery.

The lack of presence of Indian graves could well be the reason for poor patronage by the local government and public.

However, he noted that the Indians were observing Armistice Day, which signifies the end of the Second World War, on November 11 every year at the cemetery between 1996 and 2001, but the frequent flooding during rainy season led to cancellation of the annual event.

The memorial is open to public between 8 am and 5 pm.

Call to build memorial for Indian martyrs

The war veterans in Chennai feel the government should build a separate memorial for Indian war martyrs and also involve citizens in memorial services to increase awareness about defence services in the country. "We need to popularise the career opportunities in armed forces," they noted.

"I feel, the country should perceive that the armed forces have done a great job, suffered for the nation when the country was in peace and laid down their lives when the country was at war.

To them, we should show our gratitude,' said retired brigadier Mohan K. Barathan, adding that a military memorial in Chennai and modernising the existing war memorial would help cultivate awareness among the present generation.

While the Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains cemeteries at Nandambakkam and St Mary's church, the country's defence forces commemorate important occasions at the War Memorial near Marina Beach.

The national maritime foundation (NMF) also conducts an all faith memorial service in September.

"We conduct the service to commemorate uniformed personnel of Independent India, who laid down their lives, both at war and in peace," said retired commodore S. Shekhar.

Also the president of NMF, commodore Shekhar said, such ceremonies not only pay homage and repay a debt of honour to those who were martyred in the cause of the motherland, but also help kindle the flame of patriotism in the participants, particularly the youth of the country.

Noting that today the youth of TN have no idea about our rich culture and heritage, commodore Shekhar said, the soldiers were respected and glorified in novels in ancient India.

"The novels have also captured the achievements of the Chola Navy that played a vital role in the expansion of the empire including conquest of Sri Lankan islands and SriVijaya," he added.

A testimony to sacrifices of soldiers | Deccan Chronicle

 

[bhramos]

Parliament Panel Concurs With Indian Army Chief on Arms Shortages

 

[bhramos]

Army lacks choppers, tank ammo: Parl Panel

 

[bhramos]

Himachal government toughens stand over Annadale | Voice of Himachal