Indian Navy Developments & Discussions

[venom]

India sets up Joint operations centre for coastal defence in south

The Southern Naval Command has established the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) at the Naval Base, Kochi. The JOC was inaugurated formally by Admiral Sureesh Mehta Chief of the Naval Staff earlier this week at a simple ceremony.

The JOC, set up on directives from the Government of India is expected to be the nerve center for all Operations pertaining to Coastal Defence for the State of Kerala. There are multiple agencies that have a stake in Coastal Security besides the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. These are the State Police, the Port Trusts, Fisheries Department, the Customs Department, Light House Authorities and Intelligence Agencies. The Joint Operations Center is expected to co ordinate and channelise the activities of all these agencies during operations to achieve synergy and uniformity of purpose.

The JOC operating from within the Naval Base has a central Operation cum Briefing Room from where communication with all agencies is possible. There are earmarked individual work centers for each agency too. The Centre has the facility to receive real time feed from the surveillance assets of Navy and Coast Guard as also from the Vessel Traffic Management System of the Cochin Port Trust. The JOC would be manned by personnel of the Navy and Coast Guard at all times. However during operations and other emergent situations, personnel from other Agencies would also be co opted to man JOC.

India sets up Joint operations centre for coastal defence in south | Frontier India Strategic and Defence - News, Analysis, Opinion - Aviation, Military, Commodity, Energy, Transportation, Conflict, Environment, Intelligence, Internal Security

 

[p2prada]

Too expensive to operate. Its a maintenance nightmare. Rather use LPDs, cheaper and better.

 

[Supersallu]

Or this.

India could have developed one of those if our first Hovercraft-Nandi had got clearance for more fund decades ago.

Dr. Kalam was the head of this project.

 

[pyromaniac]

Naval chief: Indian Navy to undergo infra development by 2013

The Indian Navy is to undergo a sea change in infrastructural development by 2013, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta announced Tuesday.

"The Indian Navy is getting the much needed boost in terms of advanced ships, submarines and aircraft. The Navy has taken steps for the procurement of an aircraft carrier, new helicopters and the Mig-29, which would be inducted into the force within four years," Mehta said at a ceremonial parade at a Naval Base in the southern Indian city of Kochi.

Moreover, the Navy is setting up a Naval Academy in the southern state of Kerala and a Naval base in the neighboring state of Karnataka, he said.

The Indian Navy currently has approximately 55,000 personnel on active duty, including 5,000 members of the naval aviation branch and 2,000 marine commandos, making it the world's fifth largest navy.

The Indian Navy currently operates more than 155 vessels, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, along with operational jet fighters.


Naval chief: Indian Navy to undergo infra development by 2013_English_Xinhua

 

[pyromaniac]

India Holds North Korean Ship on Nuclear Suspicions

India has detained a North Korean freighter on suspicion that it might be carrying nuclear materials, Reuters reported today

As punishment for North Korea's May nuclear test, the U.N. Security Council in June approved a round of sanctions that included an embargo on North Korean arms exports. The U.N. resolution encouraged member nations to interdict suspicious ships and inspect them for illicit cargo.

Scientists so far have found no nuclear materials aboard the ship, according to Indian police officer Ashok Chand. However, "there will be more checking today and we will open the hatch to check the entire consignment for any radioactive material," Chand said.

If any is found, the U.N. resolution enables Indian authorities to confiscate and destroy the material.

The freighter, called the MV Mu San, was chased down by the Indian coast guard and escorted to a port in the Bay of Bengal after anchoring in Indian waters without authorization last week.

"India is strictly following the rules and has the right to ask ships to be inspected to ensure that they are in compliance with the U.N. resolution," said Uday Bhaskar, head of an Indian maritime think tank.

New Delhi's enthusiastic enforcement of the sanctions could be related to suspicions that North Korea might be building infrastructure for a nuclear-weapons program for Myanmar, a military state located east of India, near where the MV Mu San was picked up.

"With increased reports of North Korea helping Myanmar build a nuclear reactor, any vessel floating in Indian waters without a possible reason will be checked and India is rightly concerned," said Indian diplomat Naresh Chandra.

"North Korea is realizing that the eyes of the world are on them and they are feeling the blows from U.N. sanctions," said South Korean analyst Lee Sang-hyun. "They will have to be careful because this incident shows they are feeling more pressure from countries around the world."

A Korean interpreter is scheduled to arrive today to assist authorities in questioning the ship's 39-member crew. In the meantime, "we are not getting any cooperation from their side," said a member of the team investigating the case.

In Washington, the White House yesterday said it would be willing to engage Pyongyang in direct negotiations if it first agrees to rejoin the six-party denuclearization talks, the Associated Press reported. "If they come back to the talks, we will talk to them bilaterally within those talks," said national security adviser Gen. James Jones.

"We have coordinated all of this, by the way, with other allies the Chinese, the Russians, the South Koreans, the Japanese," Jones said. "So the path is clear, and President Clinton is a very convincing gentleman and I hope he was able to convince them."

The White House has been careful to make clear that former President Bill Clinton, who traveled to Pyongyang last week to retrieve two captive U.S. journalists, did not negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on behalf of the Obama administration. However, Clinton "was able to convey his personal views of the issue issue of the moment, which is making sure nuclear weapons do not appear on the Korean Peninsula," Jones said.

Pyongyang signed nuclear disarmament agreements in 2005 and 2007 and made some moves toward meeting its commitments under those documents. However, the process stalled last year and appeared to collapse completely this spring in the wake of the North's nuclear and missile tests.

"North Korea can't continue to make commitments and then violate them and expect to start from where they left off," said Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "The ball is in their court"

Jones said the North Korean leader Kim seems to retain "full control" of his government despite rumors that poor health had sidelined him from leadership duties and portended an imminent power struggle among his possible successors, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday.

The dictator is believed to have suffered a stroke a year ago, and a South Korean news outlet recently reported that he might be terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. Although Kim is thought to have named his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as his successor, many analysts believe the 26-year-old heir could face a power struggle with party elders that could destabilize the government.

However, "preliminary reports" from Clinton and his delegation "appear (to show) that Kim Jong Il is in full control of his organization, his government."

The delegation also reported that the North Koreans "have indicated that they would like a new relation, a better relation with the United States".North Korea said it will be watching to see if a planned satellite launch from South Korea draws the same international ire that Pyongyang incurred when it launched what it claims to have been a rocket-mounted satellite in April, AFP reported.

The United Nations believes the April launch was a long-range missile test disguised as a satellite launch and publicly condemned the North. Pyongyang responded by withdrawing from multilateral denuclearization talks, marking the start of a deterioration of relations with the international nonproliferation regime.

"Their reaction and attitude towards South Korea's satellite launch will once again clearly prove whether the principle of equality exists or has collapsed," Pyongyang said through the state-run news agency.

Pyongyang re-emphasized its displeasure over being condemned for what it argues was a peaceful activity that was within its right.

The U.N. condemnation "resulted in violating the principle of respect for sovereignty and equality, the life and soul and basis of the talks, and bringing them to an end," it said. "We will closely watch if the above-said parties will also refer to South Korea's satellite launch to the [Security Council]".



NTI: Global Security Newswire - India Holds North Korean Ship on Nuclear Suspicions

 

[SammyCheung]

Is this real? This could turn out really bad. The UN resolution only permits interdiction if the flag country of the ship allows.

Is India prepared for escalating conflict with Myanmar and North Korea?

 

[RPK]

Rise of malevolent non-state actor worrying: Navy chief | Sindh Today - Online News

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta Monday said that 26/11 was the result of the merging of the “state” with the “malevolent non-state entities”.

“Today, we have come to live in an era characterised by the rise of insidious and malignant forces which have redefined security responses the world over. And here, I refer here to the rise of the malevolent non-state actor,” Mehta said during a function organised by the National Maritime Foundation in the national capital.

“Even more ominously, the occasional coalescing of the ’state’ with malevolent ‘non-state’ entities has created an evil-hybrid that we might describe as the ’state-sponsored, non-state actor’.

“It is this hybrid that lies at the heart of our current security dilemma, which for India has been made all the more pressing by the tragic events in Mumbai in November of 2008,” he added.

 

[RPK]

Aw, India is less macho now
- Candid navy chief: Military no match for China’s might


New Delhi, Aug. 10: The country’s seniormost serving commander has admitted that India’s military is no match for China’s might — the most candid public confession by an officer that did not change ground rules but can touch a raw nerve.

Admiral Sureesh Mehta, the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee and the chief of naval staff, added that New Delhi also does not have the “intention” to be comparable to China.

“In military terms, both conventional and non-conventional, we neither have the capability nor the intention to match China, force by force,” the admiral, who retires at the end of the month, said here this evening at a lecture organised by the National Maritime Foundation, a thinktank of the navy.

For most of the last six decades, the ethos of the Indian military has been to prepare for a battle on two fronts — to the west with Pakistan and to the north with China.

Even if the military balance with China is heavily loaded against India, it is simply not in the culture of armed forces officers to publicly acknowledge the weakness.

Mehta has gone against the grain, fully aware that he was giving a reality check.

“These are indeed sobering thoughts and, therefore, our strategy to deal with China would need to be in consonance with these realities,” he said.

Mehta is the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee because he is the seniormost armed forces officer in the country.

Among the audience this evening at the India Habitat Centre that heard his confession were the chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik; Admiral Mehta’s predecessor, the former navy chief, Admiral (retired) Arun Prakash; at least three other former armed forces chiefs, diplomats from India and abroad, retired armed forces officers and school students.

“The traditional or ‘attritionist’ approach of matching ‘division for division’ must give way to harnessing modern technology for developing high situational awareness and creating a reliable stand-off deterrent,” Mehta said.

Translated, this means Mehta is calling for a halt to matching China’s military in terms of numbers — of ships, submarines, army divisions or combat aircraft. Instead, he is urging that New Delhi’s military energies focus only on building a defensive capability. Mehta later said, answering a question from the media, “We cannot cope in terms of numbers, so we must look at technologies, get smarter.”

In his lecture, he said: “On the military front, our strategy to deal with China must include reducing the military gap and countering the growing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean region.” To some extent, this would be possible if India developed relations with the littoral countries — largely island nations in the waters around India.

Mehta emphasised that India’s military weakness vis-à-vis China was merely reflective of its backwardness in other spheres.

“Whether in terms of GDP, defence spending or any other economic, social or development parameter, the gap between the two is just too wide to bridge (and getting wider by the day).”

Mehta said that once China consolidated its national power and military capabilities, it would be more assertive with its claims in the neighbourhood. “Our ‘trust deficit’ with China can never be liquidated unless our boundary problems are resolved,” he said.

But a military conflict would be damaging for both India and China. So it was important that New Delhi and Beijing “co-operate with each other in mutually beneficial endeavours, and ensure that the potential for conflict is minimised”, he said.

India’s annual defence expenditure was approximately $30 billion for 2008-09. Mehta quoted US thinktank Rand Corporation and US Defence Intelligence Agency figures for China’s defence spending for the same period, which stood between $70 billion and $200 billion

 

[RPK]

?China could turn more assertive on its claims?


Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Monday warned that Beijing was likely to be more assertive on its claims in the neighborhood and called for countering its space- and cyber-warfare capabilities.

"China is in the process of consolidating its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capabilities. Once that is done, China is likely to be more assertive on its claims, especially in the immediate neighborhood," Mehta told the National Maritime Foundation here.


"China's known propensity for intervention in space- and cyber-warfare will be major planning considerations in our strategic and operational thinking," Mehta said during a lecture on 'National Security Challenges: An Overview'.

Commenting on the widening gaps between China's military might and India, Mehta said it would be foolhardy to compare India and China as equals, considering that Beijing was in the process of "consolidating" its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capabilities.

"It is quite evident that coping with China will certainly be one of our primary challenges in the years ahead. Our trust deficit with China can never be liquidated unless our boundary problems are resolved," the Navy chief said.

India and China, which fought a war in 1962, are yet to resolve their 4,500-km-long boundary issues. After the war, Beijing seized 36,000 sq km area in Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan unilaterally ceded 5,120 sq km area in Kashmir, occupied by it in 1947, to China under a pact in 1963.

China has also been laying claims on 90,000 sq km area in Arunachal Pradesh in India's North East.

Mehta said India's annual defence spending at USD 30 billion (hovering at two per cent of GDP) was less than half of what China spent, though Beijing's official defence budget was USD 40 billion.

"It is widely believed that China actually spends more than twice as much. RAND Corporation and other international studies peg China's defence spending to be anything between USD 70 billion to USD 200 billion," he said.

Whether in terms of GDP, defence spending or any other economic, social or development parameters, the gap between the two was just too wide to bridge and getting wider by the day, he added.

"In military terms, both conventional and non-conventional, we neither have the capability nor the intention to match China, force by force. Our strategy to deal with China would need to be in consonance with these realities...common sense dictates that cooperation with China would be preferable to competition or conflict," the Navy chief said.

Listing China alongside US and Russia that have acquired considerable capability in cyber warfare and web espionage, Mehta said international studies warned that international cyber espionage is set to be the biggest single threat to national security and over 120 countries were already on the bandwagon.
The primary targets of cyber spies were national infrastructure network systems including power, air traffic, financial markets and government computers, Mehta said.

"Indian armed forces are increasingly investing in networked operations. We cannot afford to be vulnerable to cyber attacks. It is in our interest to leverage the country's known information technology strength in developing formidable offensive and defensive cyber warfare capability," he said.

On coastal security challenges, the Navy chief said intrusions via the sea were extremely difficult to prevent with the security agencies' current state of material and organizational preparedness, as exposed rudely by the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26 last year.

He called for a "whole-of-government" approach and robust coordination among various ministries and agencies to enhance situational awareness, rapid response and total synergy among enforcement agencies to carry out surveillance well beyond the exclusive economic zone, risk and threat assessments and prosecution, which was a very complex process.

Calling for cohesion in thought and action among all wings of the armed forces and national security apparatus, Mehta proposed the idea of "functional commands" such as for military aviation or air defense, which could be the pre-cursor to joint theatre or geographical commands.

 

[RPK]

The Hindu : National : China will be one of our primary challenges: Navy Chief

NEW DELHI: The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, on Monday underscored the primacy of challenges posed by China as India draw its national security plans to keep pace with its rise to global prominence.

“It is quite evident that coping with China will certainly be one of our primary challenges in the years ahead. China is in the process of ‘consolidating’ its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capabilities. Once that is done, China is likely to be more assertive on its claims, especially in its immediate neighbourhood,” Admiral Mehta said in his lecture “India’s national security challenges – an armed forces overview” organised by the National Maritime Foundation.

Admiral Mehta acknowledged that India’s trust-deficit with China could never be removed completely till the boundary issues are settled and flagged that Beijing’s propensity for intervention in space and cyber-warfare would also be major planning considerations in New Delhi’s strategic and operational thinking.

He said cooperation rather than competition or conflict with China was preferable since it would be “foolhardy” to compare India and China as equals in terms of economy, infrastructure and military spending.

The Navy Chief said both in convention and non-conventional terms military terms, India neither does have the capability nor the intention to match China force for force. According to some American studies, China spends anywhere between $70 billion to $200 billion even though the official figure by Beijing is under $40 billion, he said.

A military conflict, he said, would have grave consequences on the economic front for both nations and therefore it would be in the interest of both the countries to cooperate with each other in mutually beneficial endeavours and ensure that the potential for conflict is minimised.

The military strategy to deal with Beijingshould include reducing the military gap and counter the growing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean region, and harness modern technology for developing high situational awareness and creating a reliable “stand-off deterrent.”

Another significant challenge, flagged by the Navy Chief was that of cyber warfare and web espionage. He quoted a 2007 report of McAfee that warned that international espionage was set to be the biggest single threat to national security in 2008 with some 120 countries on web espionage bandwagon.

Overall, he painted on the broad canvas the other aspects including the growing challenge from non-state actor and the country’s responses to it. The policy of engagement in shaping India’s neighbourhood; securing the country’s long maritime border; dimensions of internal security, need to have cohesive working of different intelligence agencies, and the need for integration among the tri-services.

 

[venom]

Russians Again Hustle Indians For More Money

August 11, 2009: For reasons that remain unclear, the Russian shipyard that is building three Talwar class frigates for the Indian Navy, is demanding nine percent more money to complete the ships. The price of these ships has risen from about $365 million each to nearly $400 million. Compare this to over $533 million each for the planned stealth versions also being built. The Russians are blaming currency fluctuations for the boost, but the Indians know better.

The builder, the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, is the largest in Russia. Since it was established in 1945, Yantar has built some 650 ships, 23 percent of them military. Like most other Russian defense industries, Yantar fell on hard times after the Cold War ended in 1991. But Yantar scrambled and hung on. In the first quarter of the year, Yantar made a profit of $35 million, versus a loss of $40 million for the first quarter of 2008.

Yantar's fundamental problems are twofold. First, the yard did not keep up with modern technology during the Cold War (like most Russian industries) and has long been scrapping together funds needed to rebuild and become competitive in an international market. The second problem is poor management. Yantar can't get ships done on time and with the kind of quality customers require. Offering low prices only goes so far to make up for the other problems. Now, Russian industry as a whole is getting up to international standards, and there not as much skilled labor available for low wages. Yantar is losing its price advantage.

Another Russian yard is currently negotiating a $1.6 billion increase in the cost of refurbishing a used Russian aircraft carrier India is buying. Thus the Indians are in no mood to have previously negotiated prices, on another class of ships, unilaterally jacked up.

The 4,000 ton P-17 project Talwar's are 386 feet long, carry 24 anti-aircraft and eight anti-ship missiles, four torpedo tubes, as well as a 100mm gun, short range anti-missile guns, a helicopter, and anti-submarine weapons (depth charges and missiles). The ship has a very complete set of electronics gear, except for the troublesome Indian sonar. There is a crew of 180. All of the Talwars are being equipped with eight BrahMos anti-ship missile each. The Talwar is a modified version of the Russian Krivak IV design.

The P-17A "stealth" frigates are the same size as the Talwars, but the superstructure would be changed so as to reduce the radar signature (making the ship less likely to show up on enemy radars). Improved weapons and electronics are installed as well.

Leadership: Russians Again Hustle Indians For More Money

 

[venom]

Indians Fire On North Korean Ship

August 11, 2009: Another North Korean cargo ship has run afoul of local authorities because of suspicious behavior, and fears that the North Koreans are trying to smuggle weapons. On August 7th, the Indian Coast Guard found the North Korea cargo ship Munsan illegally anchored off one of the Andaman islands. When an Indian coast guard ship approached, the North Koreans lifted anchor and attempted to flee. But after warning shots were fired, the North Koreans stopped, and allowed themselves to be brought back to the anchorage. An Indian inspection team boarded the ship and found a crew of 39 North Koreans. The ships paperwork was found to be incomplete, with no records kept for several stops the Indians knew (from other sources) the Munsan has made on its voyage from North Korea to the Andaman Islands. The Indians searched the Munsan, but found no illegal cargo (just a load of sugar, being carried from Thailand to Iraq.) The Indians are continuing to search the Munsan, believing it likely that if the North Korean were moving illegal cargo, it would be well hidden.

Last June, the UN passed resolution 1874, which sanctioned North Korea for its recent nuclear weapons test, and prohibited North Korea from trading in weapons.

Sea Transportation: Indians Fire On North Korean Ship

 

[Sridhar]

Threads merged...

 

[RPK]

The Hindu News Update Service

Kochi: China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) guided missile destroyer Shenzhen sailed off from Kochi on Tuesday after a four-day visit. Captain Adhir Arora, Commanding Officer of INS Sarvekshak, saw off the ship on Tuesday morning.

Shenzhen, on its way to the Chinese port of Zhanjiang, arrived at the port here on Saturday after completing its deployment in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy operations. An ambience of bonhomie and professional exchange marked the visit of the Chinese vessel, said sources in the Navy. On Monday, Shenzhen’s crew paid visits to the Southern Naval Command-based Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School and the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT). A basketball match genially played in mild drizzle, had mixed teams from Indian and Chinese Navies making a game of it.

On Monday, Zhang Yan, the Chinese Ambassador to India, along with Rear Admiral Yao Zhilou, the Deputy Commander of China’s South Sea Fleet, and Senior Captain Zhao Chang Sheng, Commanding Officer of Shenzhen, called on Navy personnel aboard Shenzhen in which senior officers of the Southern Command including Admiral Damle participated. Vice-Admiral Sunil K. Damle, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. On Sunday, the Chinese Ambassador hosted a reception for the Indian Navy personnel aboard Shenzhen in which senior officers of the Southern Command including Admiral Damle participated.

 

[RPK]

Indian Naval Ships On Goodwill Visit To Brunei | Local News

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Airavat and Khukri, both Indian Naval Ships (INS) arrived in Brunei on a goodwill visit, coinciding with the Bridex 2009, from August 9 to 12.


The High Commission of India said the visit is an important component of India's overall contribution to the Bridex which includes participation by the Indian defence industry and senior defence delegates.

It added that the visit also signifies the importance that India 'attaches' toward sustaining and strengthening the age-old links and friendly relations with Brunei Darussalam.

The INS Airavat is the fifth indigenously built Landing Ship Tank (Large) or LST (L) of the Indian Navy and was commissioned on May 19. The ship measures 125 metres in length, 17.5 metres in breadth and displaces 5600 tonnes and can achieve speed in excess of 16 knots.

Third of the Shardul Class of ships, INS Airavat is one of the most sophisticated LST (L) in the Indian Navy, designed for amphibious operations.

The ship can carry 10 main battle tanks, 11 combat trucks and 500 troops during operations. Aside from amphibious operations, the ship is a potent assault platform capable of operating both Seaking 42C and the indigenous Dhruv helicopters. In addition, the ship acts as a fleet tanker through stern refuelling of other naval vessels and also as hospital ship. The ship is commanded by Commander Manish Sharma, a specialist in navigation and direction.

Meanwhile, the INS Khukri was commissioned in the Indian Navy on August 23, 1989 in Mumbai. It is a corvette of the Project 25 class of ships built at the Mazgaon Docks Limited. Being entirely indigenous in concept, design and construction, Khukri demonstrates India's technological advancement in the field of electronics, sensors and ship building. For her stellar service in the Navy, the ship was awarded the unit citation in 2006. It is commanded by Commander Ashutosh Ridhorkar, a specialist in antisubmarine warfare.

During their stay in Muara, the ships and crews will participate in professional interactions with the Royal Brunei Navy. The commanding officers will call on the senior defence, police and port officials. The crew will also be participating in community services.

The ships will be open to the public between 10am and 2pm on August 11 and 12. The ships will sail off on August 12 for Bitung Bay on the Sulawesi Island of Indonesia to participate in an International Fleet Review.

 

[RPK]

Indian Navy’s solo round-the-world sailing mission from Aug 19

Panaji, Aug 10 (IANS) The Indian Navy’s solo round-the-world sailing mission kicks off Aug 19 with the state-of-the-art Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei attempting to make history.
The yacht, manned by Commander Dilip Donde, Monday left its port of manufacture in Goa for Mumbai, from where it will set off on its 21,600 nautical mile journey.

Speaking to reporters at the Goa Shipyard Limited jetty Monday, from where the INSV Mhadei set sail, Vice Admiral (retd) M.P. Avati, who has been lobbying for the Rs.6.5 crore project, said it was being funded by the defence ministry, right from building the yacht from scratch to working out navigational details.

“When he comes back in April or May 2010, Commander Dilip Donde will become the first Indian to have circumnavigated the world single-handed. There have been several such attempts made by sailors from European nations though,” Avati added.

“Commander Donde will be sailing south of the three capes - namely Cape Australia, Cape Horn (South America) and the Cape of Good Hope (Africa). The INSV Mhadei will make brief halts along the way to replenish its supplies,” Avati said.

These halts will be at Freemantle (Australia), Christchurch (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands Islands) and Cape Town (South Africa).

Speaking about the possible challenges that could confront Dhonde on his nearly year-long adventure, Avati said the seas in the southern hemisphere were very unstable and choppy, with waves rising to more than 30 to 40 feet.

“There is also the grave issue of icebergs from the Antarctica floating northwards in summer. They could be lethal if the boat comes in contact with one such chunk of ice,” he pointed out.

INSV Mhadei is 56 feet long with a set of six sails that can be used in different combinations for speeds of up to 10 knots.

According to Avati, this is the first time that a boat of such specifications and calibre has been built in the country.

“We had hired consultants from Holland to come up with an appropriate design and it took us about a year to fabricate the vessel from scratch,” he said.

 

[youngindian]

India Not Trying To Match Chinese Force: Navy Chief

11 Aug 2009

NEW DELHI - Within a fortnight of launching an indigenous nuclear submarine, the chief of the Indian Navy, Adm. Sureesh Mehta, has said that India does not have the capability nor the intention to match China's military strength.

The launch of the homemade Advance Technology Vehicle and the acquisition of a Russian-made nuclear submarine have been read by defense analysts here as a move to counter the growing strength of the Chinese Navy, including nuclear submarines."In military terms, both conventional and nonconventional, we neither have the capability nor the intention to match China, force for force. These are indeed sobering thoughts and therefore our strategy to deal with China would need to be in consonance with these realities," Mehta said, delivering an address Aug. 11 on National Security Challenges organized by the National Maritime Foundation.

Mehta said, "Common sense dictates that cooperation with China would be preferable to competition or conflict, as it would be foolhardy to compare India and China as equals."

The latest report of the Indian Defence Ministry issued in early July says China's military modernization needs to be "monitored carefully" for implications to Indian security.

India has already begun raising infrastructure along its border with China and is building new roads. Special troops are being raised for deployment along the Chinese border and tenders have been floated to buy ultra light 155mm guns and a variety of helicopters.

In his address, Mehta spoke of increasing defense spending and said, "Let alone bridging the gap between us and our potential adversaries [China], without a substantial increase, the gap may widen further and dilute our operational edge."

India Not Trying To Match Chinese Force: Navy Chief - Defense News

 

[natarajan]

oh why india is doing all this things at same time,something fishy

 

[Sridhar]

Indian Navy Entertains Guests On Board INS Airavat

BY : Borneo Bulletin
The Indian Navy, currently in the Sultanate on a four-day goodwill visit which coincides with the 2009 Bridex, held a reception Monday night on board the INS Airavat.
Both INS Airavat and INS Khukri arrived in the country on August 9 and will leave today.
During the reception, various dance and musical performances entertained the crowd on board the fifth indigenously built Landing Ship Tank (Large) also known as LST (L) of the Indian Navy.
Attending the event representing the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces was Colonel (L) Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy.
Invited guests at the event were the High Commissioner of India, Mr RV Warjri, Commander Ashutosh Ridhorkar, Captain of INS Khukri; Commander Manish Sharma, Captain of INS Airavat and Colonel PK Siwach, the Defence Advisor of India and other family members.


Indian Navy Entertains Guests On Board INS Airavat IDRW.ORG

 

[youngindian]

India successfully completes joint excercise

August 12, 2009

United News Of India
Mumbai, Aug 12:
A Task Group of the Indian Navy, comprising four indigenously built frontline warships, successfully completed joint exercises with the Royal Navy of Great Britain and the French Navy in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the extended deployment to the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the first time that 'Varuna'' and ''Konkan'', annual bilateral naval exercises, were undertaken by India with French Navy and Royal Navy respectively in the Indian Ocean, and carried out jointly ouside Indian waters.
The decision to hold the exercises away from the Indian Ocean Region accrued several gains for the Indian Navy, Rear Admiral S P S Cheema, flag officer commanding western naval command, who led the exercise, told reporters here today.
This deployment, codenamed ''Sambandh 2009'', stretched over three months, covering a cumulative distance of over 68,200 nautical miles.
Admiral Cheema said the Task Group included the destroyer INS Delhi flying the flag of the frigates INS Beas and INS Brahmaputra, all equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, and also the replenishment ship INS Aditya that can sustain warships at sea for prolonged durations.
This was the largest deployment of the Indian Navy in the Western Hemisphere. The ships visited 18 foreign countries showing the Indian tri-colour, building ''Bridges of Friendship'' and engaging in Maritime Diplomacy as also reassuring the Indian Diaspora, he said.
These exercises aim to promote mutual understanding, enhance interoperability and foster synergy between the Indian Navy and friendly foreign navies. They provide exposure to each other's operating procedures and professional practices, which help to build rapport between the two navies as well as generate greater confidence to operate together.
In addition to the ''Varuna'' and ''Konkan'', the ships also undertook Passage Exercises or Passex, with navies of 14 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy, Russia, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Algeria, Israel, Libya, France and Australia.

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