Indian Special Forces (archived)

[rkhanna]

New trend in Para SF, attend the NSG course and add another badge on uniform

Sure this is only for Attending the Course? I dont think NSG hands out Unit Badges for Course Completion. Think this gent did a stint with SAG. I know a number of SF people who rotate through SAG.

 

[abingdonboy]

Para SF or MARCOS ?

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PARA (SF)



...................................

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Probably old photo, Marcos now use AK-103 and Tar-21 ..

 

[AbRaj]

View attachment 9719

Who are those guys with such variety of weapons.. Ak's, INSAS and MP9's.. ??

They need a proper head gear and better protective wests

 

[Bornubus]

Probably old photo, Marcos now use AK-103 and Tar-21 ..

Interestingly the Jacket they wear had been worn by Para for long and still is. The helmet is surely not belong to Para.

 

[rkhanna]

They need a proper head gear and better protective wests

Sometime ago i saw a video on Youtube (American made) of an interview of a US SF NCO taking part in Joint Excercises with Indian SF. The interviewer was US Army, it was made for US Consumption.

One of the things he said (apart from how good the indians are blah blah) was the Indians had Zero Interest in their Kit - Weapons, body Armour, comms. The ONLY thing the Indians 'drooled' over was the optics the Americans carried with them.

Secondly. No LRRP type mission is every kitted out with full body armour. Same goes for the SAS, SEALS, etc. Direct Actions missions sure. but missions where you have to spend days if not weeks out in the wilderness carrying water, food, ammo - body Armour will get ditched everytime.

 

[rishivashista13]

Sometime ago i saw a video on Youtube (American made) of an interview of a US SF NCO taking part in Joint Excercises with Indian SF. The interviewer was US Army, it was made for US Consumption.

One of the things he said (apart from how good the indians are blah blah) was the Indians had Zero Interest in their Kit - Weapons, body Armour, comms. The ONLY thing the Indians 'drooled' over was the optics the Americans carried with them.

Secondly. No LRRP type mission is every kitted out with full body armour. Same goes for the SAS, SEALS, etc. Direct Actions missions sure. but missions where you have to spend days if not weeks out in the wilderness carrying water, food, ammo - body Armour will get ditched everytime.

If available , please share video or link also .

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[rkhanna]

If available , please share video or link also

Give me till the weekend sir will have to go through alot of Youtube videos

 

[rkhanna]

Okay so first off my memory was fuzzy so apologies for that. It was not a SF Joint Ex it was a Armored Cav exercise.


Please see from about 2:35 onwards or so. Basically Indian troops had no liking for all the heavy gear of the American Infantry man. Primary reason stated is that it limited the field of maneuver. It comes down to how we train and utilize our Infantry. Also keep in mind that an American soldier is usually chauffeured into combat and then chauffeured out. Indian troops generally have to do it the hard way. More so for SF than regular infantry.

The three primary terrains of India - Desert, Mountains and Jungle are simply NOT conducive for heavy gear.

 

[abingdonboy]

Okay so first off my memory was fuzzy so apologies for that. It was not a SF Joint Ex it was a Armored Cav exercise.


Please see from about 2:35 onwards or so. Basically Indian troops had no liking for all the heavy gear of the American Infantry man. Primary reason stated is that it limited the field of maneuver. It comes down to how we train and utilize our Infantry. Also keep in mind that an American soldier is usually chauffeured into combat and then chauffeured out. Indian troops generally have to do it the hard way. More so for SF than regular infantry.

The three primary terrains of India - Desert, Mountains and Jungle are simply NOT conducive for heavy gear.

I'm pretty sure I've heard the exact same sentiment during joint Indo-US SF exercises also (no interest in most of their kit other than other than night optics). And, when one thinks about it, this makes sense. Indian SF have the basic gear any SF unit in the world has but their night optics are seriously lacking (1-2 generations behind the current gen used by the world's top units) and this is actually a HUGE hinderance to the operational capabilties of Indian SF. Night optics are perhaps the one peice of kit that truly differentiates the abilities of such units- top Western SOF units can be dropped in anywhere in the near pitch black and thus can gain a true strategic/tactical advantadge over their enemy. Meanwhile Indian SF units are hindered by their outdated NV optics meaning they have to operate on a more even playing feild (full moon or higher ambient light levels) which drastically reduces their means to gain an advantadge over the enemy.

No "gucci" helmet/plate carrier/multi-cam is going to fundamentally change the way the Indian SF operate but some truly high end NVGs WOULD.

And this actually extends beyond just those SF operators. If you think about a night time aerial assualt, it would be required that the aviation crew are also equipped with the most sensitive high end NV optics also so as to operate in near pitch black conditions. And it is here that Indian SF really lag behind their Western counterparts- support infrastructure. In 2016, India still is without a joint spec-ops command (most nations in the west have had them for 20-30 years now) meaning there is actually very little support infrastructure for the SF teams (of all 3 services) beyond their very limited in-house means. And this is what seperates the good from the truly great and it's why I think Indian SF are easily 15-20 years behind the top teams in the West.


+ point well made about the LRRPs and different mission-specific load outs bro, many have false images of how SF actually operate because of COD type imagery.

 

[Bahamut]

I'm pretty sure I've heard the exact same sentiment during joint Indo-US SF exercises also (no interest in most of their kit other than other than night optics). And, when one thinks about it, this makes sense. Indian SF have the basic gear any SF unit in the world has but their night optics are seriously lacking (1-2 generations behind the current gen used by the world's top units) and this is actually a HUGE hinderance to the operational capabilties of Indian SF. Night optics are perhaps the one peice of kit that truly differentiates the abilities of such units- top Western SOF units can be dropped in anywhere in the near pitch black and thus can gain a true strategic/tactical advantadge over their enemy. Meanwhile Indian SF units are hindered by their outdated NV optics meaning they have to operate on a more even playing feild (full moon or higher ambient light levels) which drastically reduces their means to gain an advantadge over the enemy.

No "gucci" helmet/plate carrier/multi-cam is going to fundamentally change the way the Indian SF operate but some truly high end NVGs WOULD.

And this actually extends beyond just those SF operators. If you think about a night time aerial assualt, it would be required that the aviation crew are also equipped with the most sensitive high end NV optics also so as to operate in near pitch black conditions. And it is here that Indian SF really lag behind their Western counterparts- support infrastructure. In 2016, India still is without a joint spec-ops command (most nations in the west have had them for 20-30 years now) meaning there is actually very little support infrastructure for the SF teams (of all 3 services) beyond their very limited in-house means. And this is what seperates the good from the truly great and it's why I think Indian SF are easily 15-20 years behind the top teams in the West.


+ point well made about the LRRPs and different mission-specific load outs bro, many have false images of how SF actually operate because of COD type imagery.

The Jungle and high altitude terrain limited the use pf APC but we have a less no of APC.The army is now locking for good night and IR sight but the domestic producer have very low quality but top SF get imported IR and NVG which are very good.

 

[abingdonboy]

This Independence Day, Discovery Channel will lift the veil off India’s elite special forces

They work in utmost secrecy, sometimes even dying in the line of work in some distant part of the world–yet, year after year young men from the Indian Army try desperately to enter the elite para special forces, which sees 90-95 percentage of attrition rate during the selection process itself. Come this Independence Day, Discovery Channel will reveal, in its hour-long show, Indian Paratroopers: Earning the Badge, the grueling selection process. “Some of these elite soldiers, in the front line of our battles, come from little known towns and villages in our country–we thought it was the right time to honour them,” begins Prabhu Asgaonkar, the producer of the show, who had to spend 15 months in production, with a good part spent on research as little is known outside the defence circles about these troopers.

Toughest day

In the show, which was filmed in an undisclosed location, 23 men–all in their early 20s are pushed to physical and mental extremes like non-stop 100 kilometre runs, uphill sprints, cold water swims, while also being put through days of sleep deprivation–all during the selection phase. The men are also put through exercises, which require them to demolish structures, evade capture, survive in the wild, give emergency medical aid and converse in a range of languages. “The whole exercise is a roller coaster ride from hell and back, where men break down, but the strongest have succeeded to earn the precious maroon beret and The Balidaan Badge (the winged blade of sacrifice),” says Asgaonkar.

Enemy lines

Thanks to Hollywood, Indian viewers know more about Navy Seals and British SAS over their very own maroon beret paratroopers. Not any lower than their American and British counterparts, these ghost operatives regularly work behind national borders to foil terrorist attacks and safeguard national interests with the latest being a counter insurgency

operation in Myanmar. “Indian para ranks amongst the very best special forces operatives in the world as they serve in the most difficult terrains including the Siachen Glacier–the highest battlefield on earth,” says, Asgaonkar adding that this coming out of the special forces will hopefully enable us to add these men to popular culture. On Discover Channel.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/english/This-Independence-Day-Discovery-Channel-will-lift-the-veil-off-India’s-elite-paratrooper-special-forces/2016/08/12/article3576079.ece

 

[abingdonboy]

The Jungle and high altitude terrain limited the use pf APC but we have a less no of APC

SF have very little need for APCs, they require light and highly mobile utility vehicles that are highly customisable for their needs and different roles/missions.

but the domestic producer have very low quality but top SF get imported IR and NVG which are very good.

Very true, hopefully this is rectified with the private sector being exposed more to the defence forces/industry.

 

[armyofhind]

I'm pretty sure I've heard the exact same sentiment during joint Indo-US SF exercises also (no interest in most of their kit other than other than night optics). And, when one thinks about it, this makes sense. Indian SF have the basic gear any SF unit in the world has but their night optics are seriously lacking (1-2 generations behind the current gen used by the world's top units) and this is actually a HUGE hinderance to the operational capabilties of Indian SF. Night optics are perhaps the one peice of kit that truly differentiates the abilities of such units- top Western SOF units can be dropped in anywhere in the near pitch black and thus can gain a true strategic/tactical advantadge over their enemy. Meanwhile Indian SF units are hindered by their outdated NV optics meaning they have to operate on a more even playing feild (full moon or higher ambient light levels) which drastically reduces their means to gain an advantadge over the enemy.

No "gucci" helmet/plate carrier/multi-cam is going to fundamentally change the way the Indian SF operate but some truly high end NVGs WOULD.

And this actually extends beyond just those SF operators. If you think about a night time aerial assualt, it would be required that the aviation crew are also equipped with the most sensitive high end NV optics also so as to operate in near pitch black conditions. And it is here that Indian SF really lag behind their Western counterparts- support infrastructure. In 2016, India still is without a joint spec-ops command (most nations in the west have had them for 20-30 years now) meaning there is actually very little support infrastructure for the SF teams (of all 3 services) beyond their very limited in-house means. And this is what seperates the good from the truly great and it's why I think Indian SF are easily 15-20 years behind the top teams in the West.


+ point well made about the LRRPs and different mission-specific load outs bro, many have false images of how SF actually operate because of COD type imagery.

Very true.. support infrastructure is what SF lack.
But if rumors are to be believed, the special operations command is already in the pipeline and unofficially functional as well.. although no confirmation yet.
One does hope it comes online soon. Officially.

As far as heli insertion capabilities are concerned, I'm given to think that a particular Army Aviation unit, The Soaring Gideons -(202 HU I think it is) has converted to this task.

 

[ezsasa]

I'm pretty sure I've heard the exact same sentiment during joint Indo-US SF exercises also (no interest in most of their kit other than other than night optics). And, when one thinks about it, this makes sense. Indian SF have the basic gear any SF unit in the world has but their night optics are seriously lacking (1-2 generations behind the current gen used by the world's top units) and this is actually a HUGE hinderance to the operational capabilties of Indian SF. Night optics are perhaps the one peice of kit that truly differentiates the abilities of such units- top Western SOF units can be dropped in anywhere in the near pitch black and thus can gain a true strategic/tactical advantadge over their enemy. Meanwhile Indian SF units are hindered by their outdated NV optics meaning they have to operate on a more even playing feild (full moon or higher ambient light levels) which drastically reduces their means to gain an advantadge over the enemy.

No "gucci" helmet/plate carrier/multi-cam is going to fundamentally change the way the Indian SF operate but some truly high end NVGs WOULD.

And this actually extends beyond just those SF operators. If you think about a night time aerial assualt, it would be required that the aviation crew are also equipped with the most sensitive high end NV optics also so as to operate in near pitch black conditions. And it is here that Indian SF really lag behind their Western counterparts- support infrastructure. In 2016, India still is without a joint spec-ops command (most nations in the west have had them for 20-30 years now) meaning there is actually very little support infrastructure for the SF teams (of all 3 services) beyond their very limited in-house means. And this is what seperates the good from the truly great and it's why I think Indian SF are easily 15-20 years behind the top teams in the West.


+ point well made about the LRRPs and different mission-specific load outs bro, many have false images of how SF actually operate because of COD type imagery.

Weren't SF Heli lauched into myanmar for that operation at night? doesn't this recent example negate your theory that our SF don't get to use choppers in their operations..

 

[Chinmoy]

Weren't SF Heli lauched into myanmar for that operation at night? doesn't this recent example negate your theory that our SF don't get to use choppers in their operations..

Yes and No..... The troops were not airdropped behind enemy lines. They were dropped inside Indian territory and had crossed over into Myanmar on foot.
It was just like any standard IA ops. Not like something which SEALS had undertaken in Pak.

 

[ezsasa]

Yes and No..... The troops were not airdropped behind enemy lines. They were dropped inside Indian territory and had crossed over into Myanmar on foot.
It was just like any standard IA ops. Not like something which SEALS had undertaken in Pak.

My post was indicative of night vision capabilities, but anyways..

I don't think both operations are comparable. Myanmar op was against a confirmed militant camps, OBL mansion was not a militant camp. i doubt that any SF knowingly will fly directly into target militant camps.

 

[Bornubus]

Weren't SF Heli lauched into myanmar for that operation at night? doesn't this recent example negate your theory that our SF don't get to use choppers in their operations..

Albeit the fanboy speculations, an Army Aviation unit is permanently attached to Para SF, mostly Dhruvs and if require they have IAF Mi 17 or even Mi 26 at their disposal. This was one of few lessons Para learned in Sri Lanka as IPKF. Can't say about Marcos and Garud never cared about em.

Para are few SF in the world which carry it's own arty with them.

Dhruv and Mi 17 both in service of Para SF

 

[armyofhind]

http://www.stratpost.com/army-day-special-the-soaring-gideons#_

Good Read. 202 HU

 

[abingdonboy]

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