Indian Army: News and Discussion

[shuvo@y2k10]

if army wants to improve its infantry firepower in the f-insas programme it needs something similar to multibarrel m134 minigun in each infantry platoon.

 

[Parthy]

Modernisation of artillery has been hampered, says Army Chief

Against the backdrop of the Bofors gun deal controversy, Indian Army Chief General V K Singh Thursday said the modernisation of the artillery has been hampered, for which he blamed both military and civilian authorities.

"There have been faults, some in uniform and some out of uniform. Now we are on track to ensure that this mismatch that has happened over a period of time is amended," Singh told reporters here.

The Army chief was asked if he was concerned about the artillery modernisation against the backdrop of the recent developments after the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal said that kickbacks of Rs 41 crore were paid to late Win Chaddha and Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Howitzer deal in the 1980s.

Despite several attempts, cancellation of tenders due to various reasons has not allowed the Army to induct any new artillery gun in the last 25 years after the controversy surrounding the Bofors guns snow-balled into a big political issue since the late 80s.

Hoping that the Army would shortly do away with the deficiencies, Singh said the country was capable of winning a war even with the artillery guns presently available in its inventory.

The Army presently uses a mix of 105 mm field and 130 and 155 mm medium artillery guns for carrying out its tasks and has plans to acquire over 2000 howitzers of different calibres including ultra-light, self-propelled and towed guns.

Asked about the reports suggesting possibility of arrest of former Army chiefs in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing scam, Singh said, "Whatever the CBI has done, I am not aware of it. But whenever they want somebody, we are giving full support. Army's aim is that no bad hat, if he has done something, should escape."

"Whatever is happening is against a minuscule number and it will not have any impact on the morale of the Army. We are insulated from it," he added.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Modern...-been-hampered-says-Army-Chief/5982/1/13.html

 

[neo29]

Indian Army to purchase 1000 anti-material rifles

Seeking to modernise its infantry, the Indian Army has initiated the process to purchase light weight anti-material rifles capable of busting light armoured vehicles, field fortifications and low flying helicopters from a long distance. The need for anti-material rifles was felt during the Kargil conflict in 1999 when insurgents made concrete bunkers on the frigid heights of the Himalayan range. Anti-material rifles are similar in form and appearance to modern sniper rifles and can often be used in that role, but they are usually chambered for more powerful cartridges and can operate at greater range.

According to the army's Request for Information (RFI), the rifles will be used during "conventional and sub-conventional operations" to engage "lightly armoured vehicles, static defences, field fortifications and low flying helicopters".

"It (the weapon) must be rugged and man portable by a crew of two and be easy to bring into and out of operation. The weapon must function in all terrain and climatic conditions as existing in India," the RFI stipulates.

The army wants that the rifle to weigh not more than 15 kg with a calibre higher than 12.7 mm and a range of more than 1.5 km.

Sources said the order will be for 1000 units and the manufacturers have been asked to respond to the RFI by Jan 31.

After the Kargil conflict, South African firm, Denel was contracted to supply the anti-material rifles. But following the blacklisting of the firm on charges of corruption, the acquisition got delayed. The proposal for these rifles has been pending with the defence ministry since 2006.

Though there is an Indigenous version of such a rifle, Vidhwansak, developed by the Indian ordnance factories, in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), its weight is more than that specified by the Indian Army.

Vidhwansak, however, is cheaper at Rs 10 lakh (about $20,000), than alternatives such as the Denel NTW-20 AMR which costs Rs 23 lakh (more than $45,000).

http://idrw.org/?p=2223

 

[JBH22]

Though there is an Indigenous version of such a rifle, Vidhwansak, developed by the Indian ordnance factories, in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), its weight is more than that specified by the Indian Army.

its heavy?? well most of us know that such rifle are operated by 2 men so this disadvantage should be mitigated..
BUY DESI MAAL

 

[Kunal Biswas]

IA SF already operate Gepard GM Lynx which is small....

IA better chose one and test it under Indian conditions for quick induction otherwise the long process makes present obsolete....

 

[black eagle]

Army to be lethal, agile force with two-front war capability

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The Indian Army Friday said it was going through a transformation to emerge as a 'lethal, agile and networked' force capable of meeting challenges on both the western and eastern fronts with Pakistan and China.

Army Chief General V.K. Singh said it was planning new acquisitions and reforms in its command and control structure that would ensure it 'plugs the gaps' in its operational capability and at the same time be able to take 'quicker, effective decisions' to be responsive to situations.

For that purpose, the army was now thinking aloud on integrating its 'strategic force elements' into a single command, under which its offensive Strike Corps are placed, apart from restructuring its formation headquarters, including the army headquarters.

'The aim of the transformation is to become a more agile, lethal and networked force capable of meeting future challenges. The shift in focus is from being a threat-based force to a capability-based force with effective operational preparedness,' Singh said.

'The capability to fight in both plains and mountains is not country-specific. We are capable of facing any threats on our borders. How we do it is our problem. We will ensure - wherever the threat is, be it on one or two fronts - we will be able to meet the threats,' he said.

On the plans to create a separate strategic command, Singh said the army was trying out a lot of ideas, particularly to bring its strategic capability and assets under one command, but a decision on its headquarters and timing would be decided after a debate.

He clarified that this plan was army specific and had nothing to do with the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) or taking away its assets. SFC, a tri-service command, was set up early this century to handle India's strategic assets including its nuclear arsenal.

Under the transformation plans, Singh said the army was looking at reorganisation and restructuring of its headquarters to 'flatten' the organisation to ensure there was synergy in all of its future theatre battle plans, to enhance optimum operational capability to meet threats, practical training, achieving network centricity, and addressing tri-service jointness.'

That apart, the army would like to ensure all its finances for technological advancements and procurements are used up within the time lines every year and adequately.

For the purpose of effecting this transformation, the army was setting up 'test beds' this year.

Singh said the army intended to induct new artillery guns - four types of artillery guns are being looked at - within this year. The army has already placed orders for about 145 M777 ultralight howitzers from the US last year.

The army also intended to strengthen its air defence through procurements and to ensure its tanks are not night blind by installing devices. It also plans further procurement of deep strike capability weapons such as Pinaka rockets and BrahMos cruise missiles.

To augment its air wing, the army will procure more rotary wing assets, both transport and attack helicopters, and upgrade the existing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs.

On the issue of weapons and equipment being obsolete, Singh said at any point of time, any force globally, had 30 per cent modern systems, 40 percent current technology and 30 percent in some stage of obsolescence.

On the possibility of renewing military exchanges with China, Singh said since it was a diplomacy issue, he would leave it to External Affairs Ministry to take a decision.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=14185

 

[black eagle]

Army Day Photos....

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2011/01/photos-gear-at-army-day-parade.html

 

[Anshu Attri]

 

[black eagle]

More photos of Army Day...

 

[black eagle]

More..........

 

[black eagle]

some more....

 

[black eagle]

Wait there's more.....

 

[black eagle]

What's the rush....

 

[black eagle]

& Lastly.....

 

[Anshu Attri]

Army to get modern bullet-proof jackets


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/129617/army-get-modern-bullet-proof.html

The Army may soon import modular light-weight bullet-proof jackets not only to fill up the critical shortage in stocks, but also to give more agility to soldiers.

Unlike the conventional bullet-proof jackets, these vests can be taken off part by part depending on the task. If a soldier is standing against a wall or sand-bags, he do not require bullet-proofing on his back. In such a case, he can remove the back of the vest and keep it aside.

But when he is going inside a terrorist's den, the soldier not only needs bullet-proofing from all sides but also a helmet with an earphone so that both his both hands are free for the operation. The modular bullet-proof vest would provide just that.

The Army faced sharp criticism from a parliamentary panel for being short of vital bullet-proof jackets. Besides the shortage, the existing jackets are too heavy.
While the Army is authorised to have 3,53,765 jackets in its stock, the shortfall was as much as 1,86,138, according to a 2009 report of parliamentary standing committee on defence. These vests weigh 10.5-11.5 kg, which adversely impact the agility of soldiers, as they need to carry guns and other equipment.

Following the panel's instructions, the Army reworked the General Staff Qualitative Requirements(GSQRs) for six months and zeroed in on expensive modular jackets. It has identified potential foreign suppliers.

"We will now undertake trials at Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, which should be over in a couple of months. Supply can happen next year," a senior Army officer told Deccan Herald.

Crucial change
Not only bullet-proof jackets, the Army will also acquire new artillery guns, night vision, air defence systems and helicopters within a couple of years, as the government has silently made a crucial change in the Army's capital budget. The budgetary change ensures more money will be available with the force for long-term acquisition.

On Friday, Army chief Gen V K Singh said at least one artillery gun should be inducted in 2011, as the artillery is waiting for a long time. No guns were inducted in the artillery since the Bofors guns of 1980s, which came out in flying colours in Kargil conflict.
Till now, close to 70 per cent of the Army's capital budget was under the budgetary head of "new projects" while the rest was available for "contractual liability".

But big-ticket military deals being a long-drawn affair, Army had little resources available for meeting the contractual obligations for a period of time. The budgetary need was to spend most of the money within a year, which was not possible with large military deals.
The scenario was completely reverse in the IAF and Navy because of which they were able to go ahead with many major deals.

Concerned with the lumbering pace in the modernisation of the Army vis-a-vis China, the Centre and the Planning Commission decided to follow the same practice for the Army as in the IAF and Navy from the 2011-2012 fiscal to allow the Army to go ahead with big-ticket purchases.

 

[black eagle]

ARMY modernisation needs a major push


By Brig (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal

New Delhi. Military strength is a pre-requisite for peace and stability on the Indian Sub-continent. India's socio-economic development, and that of its neighbours, can continue unhindered only in a secure environment. No nation can afford to be complacent about and to take unmanageable risks with its security. In the rapidly changing geo-strategic environment, comprehensive national strength hinges around modern armed forces that strive constantly to keep pace with the ongoing technological revolution. The changing nature of warfare, the existential threat from India's nuclear-armed military adversaries and new threats like terrorism spawned by radical extremism, require a quantum jump in the Indian Army's operational capabilities.

Despite all the tensions confronting it, India has maintained its coherence and its GDP is now growing at an annual rate in excess of eight per cent, except for the dip suffered during the financial crisis. Growth at such a rapid rate would not have been possible but for the sustained vigilance maintained by the Indian armed forces and their many sacrifices in the service of the nation over the last six decades. The Indian Army has fulfilled its multifarious roles with admirable valour and in a spirit of sacrifice and selfless devotion to duty.

Modernisation Dilemma

With personnel strength of approximately 1.1 million soldiers, the Indian Army has performed remarkably well to keep the nation together through thick and thin for over six decades since independence. It is a first-rate a Army with large-scale operational commitments on border management and in counter-insurgency operations. However, many of the Army's weapons and equipment are obsolescent and need to be modernised.

In order to successfully defeat future threats and challenges, the Army has to modernise its weapons and equipment and upgrade its combat potential by an order of magnitude. The shape and size of the Indian Army's force structure a few decades hence merits detailed deliberation and quick decisions as capabilities take several decades to create, test and experiment with till they finally mature. It has been well said that there are no prizes for the runners up in war. War is a gruesome affair and, as Napoleon put it so eloquently about two centuries ago, "God is on the side of the battalions with the bigger cannon." To afford the "bigger cannon" there is a need to make adequate budgetary provisions. The present defence budget, which is pegged at less than 2.0 per cent of India's GDP, is grossly inadequate to support genuine modernisation as against the replacement of obsolete equipment.

Lt Gen J P Singh, Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, said in a recent interview with the CLAWS Journal, "The critical capabilities that are being enhanced to meet challenges across the spectrum, include battlefield transparency, battlefield management systems, night-fighting capability, enhanced firepower, including terminally guided munitions, integrated manoeuvre capability to include self-propelled artillery, quick reaction surface-to-air missiles, the latest assault engineer equipment, tactical control systems, integral combat aviation support and network centricity."

While the army has drawn up elaborate plans for modernisation and qualitative upgradation of its capabilities, the pace of modernisation has been rather slow due to the lack of adequate funding support. India's defence budget is pegged at less than 2.0 per cent of the GDP at present.

Notably, according to Defence Minister A K Antony, "New procurements have commenced"¦ but we are still lagging by 15 years."

Unless immediate measures are taken to speed up the pace of modernisation, the present quantitative military gap with China will soon become a qualitative gap as well. Also, the slender conventional edge that the Indian Army enjoys over the Pakistan army will be eroded further as Pakistan is spending considerably large sums of money on its military modernisation under the garb of fighting radical extremism.

Armour Modernisation

Pakistan has acquired 320 T-80 UD tanks and is on course to add Al Khalid tanks that it has co-developed with China to its armour fleet. The Indian armour fleet is also being modernised gradually. The indigenously developed Arjun MBT has entered serial production to equip two regiments. 310 T-90S MBTs have been imported from Russia. In December 2007, a contract was signed for an additional 347 T-90 tanks to be assembled in India.

A programme has been launched to modernise the T-72 M1 Ajeya MBTs that have been the mainstay of the Army's Strike Corps and their armoured divisions since the 1980s. The programme will upgrade the night fighting capabilities and fire control system of the tank. Approximately 1,700 T-72 M1s have been manufactured under license at the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF), Avadi. The BMP-1 and, to a lesser extent, the BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles, which have been the mainstay of the mechanised infantry battalions for long, are now ageing and replacements need to be found soon. The replacement vehicles must be capable of being successfully employed for internals security duties and counter-insurgency operations in addition to their primary role in conventional conflict.

Artillery and Air Defence: Lagging behind

Despite the lessons learnt during the Kargil conflict of 1999, where artillery firepower had paved the way for victory, modernisation of the artillery continues to lag behind. The last major acquisition of towed gun-howitzers was that of about 400 pieces of 39-calibre 155 mm FH-77B howitzers from Bofors of Sweden in the mid-1980s. The artillery needs large numbers of 155mm/ 39-calibre light weight howitzers for the mountains and 155mm/52-calibre long-range howitzers for the plains, as well as for self-propelled guns for the desert terrain. The acquisition plan for these has suffered one setback after another. The artillery also must acquire large quantities of precision guided munitions (PGMs) for more accurate targeting in future battles.

A contract for the acquisition of two regiments of the 12-tube, 300 mm Smerch multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) system with 90 km range was signed with Russia's Rosoboronexport in early-2006. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (Mach 2.8 to 3.0), with a precision strike capability, very high kill energy and maximum range of 290 km, was inducted into the army in July 2007. These terrain hugging missiles are virtually immune to counter measures due to their high speed and very low radar cross section. It is also time to now consider the induction of unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) armed with air-to-surface missiles into service for air-to-ground precision attacks.

The Corps of Army Air Defence is also faced with problems of obsolescence. The vintage L-70 40 mm AD gun system, the four-barrelled ZSU-23-4 Schilka (SP) AD gun system, the SAM-6 (Kvadrat) and the SAM-8 OSA-AK need to be replaced by more responsive modern AD systems that are capable of defeating current and future threats. The indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile has not yet been inducted into service. The short-range and medium-range SAM acquisition programmes are also stagnating.

Infantry and Other Combat Arms

The modernisation plans of India's cutting edge infantry battalions, aimed at enhancing their capability for surveillance and target acquisition at night and boosting their firepower for precise retaliation against infiltrating columns and terrorists holed up in built-up areas, are moving forward but at a slow pace. These include the acquisition of shoulder-fired missiles, hand-held battlefield surveillance radars (BFSRs), and hand-held thermal imaging devices (HHTIs) for observation at night. Stand-alone infra-red, seismic and acoustic sensors need to be acquired in large numbers to enable infantrymen to dominate the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and detect infiltration of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.

Similarly, the operational capabilities of army aviation, engineers, signal communications, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) branches need to be substantially enhanced so that the overall combat potential of the army can be improved by an order of magnitude. Modern strategic and tactical level command and control systems need to be acquired on priority basis for better synergies during conventional and sub-conventional conflict. Plans for the acquisition of a Tactical Communications System (TCS) and a Battlefield Management System (BMS) are not making much headway. Despite being the largest user of space, the army does not have a dedicated military satellite to bank on.

Other Modernisation Imperatives

The army must reduce its deployment timings by upgrading the logistics infrastructure for mobilisation so that it can facilitate the execution of its Cold Start doctrine. A modern intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (the 'sensors') system is required to reduce the number of troops needed to man the borders. The army needs to enhance its capabilities for carrying offensive operations into the territories of India's military adversaries so as to deter them from waging war. Firepower assets (the 'shooters') – artillery, missiles, rocket launchers, unmanned combat air vehicles, attack helicopters, ground strike aircraft – must be increased substantially, particularly precision strike capabilities.

Command and control systems should be automated and synchronised with the sensors and shooters to exploit the synergies provided by network centric effects based operations. Rapid reaction and air assault capabilities need to be developed to intervene militarily in India's strategic neighbourhood whenever the national interest so requires. The army's internal security, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities also need to be modernised as most of the emerging challenges will lie in the domain of sub-conventional conflict and operations other than war. The time has come to seriously consider a 'third force' for internal security duties. Doctrinal concepts, organisations structures and training methodologies must keep pace with technological advancements. The army must train its personnel for certainty and educate them for uncertainty.

Re-structuring and modernising the Indian army will require political courage, military astuteness, a non-parochial approach and a singularity of purpose. Only a future-ready army can march into the coming decades with confidence, well prepared to tackle the new challenges looming over the horizon. The Government of India must appoint a bipartisan National Military Commission to go into the whole gamut of re-structuring and modernisation. The commission should comprise eminent political leaders, armed forces veterans, civilian administrators, diplomats and scholars who are capable of dispassionate reasoning and are familiar with the current military discourse. It should be given no more than six months to complete its work so that the re-structuring exercise can begin early and be completed by 2020-25.

Finally, the Indian Army of the future must be light, lethal and wired; ready to fight and win India's future wars jointly with the Navy and the Air Force over the full spectrum of conflict, from sub-conventional conflict and operations other than war to all out conventional war; so as to ensure regional stability and internal security. The nation must get a modern force that can fight and win India's future battles with the least number of casualties and minimum collateral damage through surgical strikes. It should be a force capable of carrying the battle into enemy territory. It is the time the bogey of the Panipat Syndrome is laid to rest.

Only then will the nation get a peaceful environment for socio-economic development. The aim should be to ensure peace through conventional deterrence so that India can achieve all round prosperity and join the ranks of the world's developed nations.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories860.htm

 

[Anshu Attri]

rohtang tunnel...Solang nala , Manali

 

[Anshu Attri]

 

[youngindian]

87-yr-old to lead Army veterans

Jan 24, 2011

This Republic Day will see an 87-year-old war veteran as a participant in the parade. War veteran, N.N. Shukla took part in the full-dress rehearsal on Sunday. He will lead the contingent of ex-servicemen.
The Republic Day parade full-dress rehearsal on Sunday saw armed forces and paramilitary forces marching to the tunes of bands and tableaux depicting the country's culture and development passing through eight-kilometre route from Rajpath to Red Fort.
In the parade, led by General Officer Commanding (Delhi) Maj, Gen, Manvendra Singh, DRDO's active phased array radar, ship-borne multi-function radar and naval underwater weapon system will also be on display for the first time.
The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Brahmos Launcher System, T-90 Bhishma tanks, multi-barrel rocket system "Pinaka", Tactical Control Radar Reporter, NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical) Recce Vehicle and Integrated Network Platform will also be displayed in the parade.
The tableaux will provide a kaleidoscopic view of the country's vibrant culture. Rabindranath Tagore, Lord Buddha, Jammu and Kashmir's Bandh Pandher, Tripura's Kharchi festival, Punjab's Mehandi ceremony and Bihar's Maner Sherif will be on focus in the tableaux from the states.
The parade will start with four MIG-17s showering flower petals on the crowd and the first to walk in would be Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra award winners followed by mounted columns of 61 Cavalry and Army's impressive weaponry.
The Army contingents will comprise personnel from Punjab Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, Rajput Regiment, Sikh Light Infantry, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and Gorkha Rifles.

http://www.asianage.com/delhi/87-yr-old-lead-army-veterans-853

 

[youngindian]

India makes ready to match PLA firepower

January 24, 2011

Rahul Datta | New Delhi

In an effort to meet the challenge of growing military might of China, the Government has given the nod to some key projects, including creation of a new artillery division, a special forces unit and purchase of three aircraft for long-range reconnaissance.

The raising of a new artillery division (each division has more than 200 long-range guns) will be completed by the end of 2011 while the special forces unit, also to be raised and trained in the same time span, will aim to perform strategic role behind enemy lines in case of hostility. The three reconnaissance aircraft will be acquired, most probably from Israel, by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), sources said.

The nod for these crucial steps came two weeks back, sources said, adding that the artillery division and the special forces unit will work alongside two mountain divisions which were created last year. Each division has 10,000 soldiers and they are specially trained for mountain warfare on the eastern front.

The process of equipping them with state-of-the-art equipment was in progress, sources said, adding that the new artillery division would also be equipped with ultra-light howitzers.

Incidentally, India has two artillery divisions at present and needs to urgently acquire new long-range guns as the present arsenal is outdated. The artillery needs more than 1,000 guns and it would cost about `20,000 crore. However, the Army has not bought a new artillery gun in the last 20 years in the wake of the Bofors controversy.

As regards the special forces unit, the battalion strength group (1,000 men) will be trained for destroying logistical lines, electricity plants and other war-supporting efforts behind enemy lines.

Explaining the significance of this unit, officials said it would work in close coordination with intelligence agencies and used as a "national asset". The trained commandos of this unit will carry out strategic strikes.

The Army currently has seven special forces battalions and most of these are engaged in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the north-east.

However, their counterparts in the US, UK and Russia are deployed for much more sensitive and crucially important strategic assignments and New Delhi has also decided to go the same way.

The need for the exercise arose after the Chinese Army conducted a military exercise, Stride, in 2009. This exercise showed the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in launching a focused attack using the artillery and special forces unit in mountain warfare.

India, at that point, lacked those capabilities and the Government, therefore, gave the go-ahead for acquiring "matching capabilities", sources said.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/312885/India-makes-ready-to-match-PLA-firepower.html