Indian Special Forces (archived)

[vampyrbladez]

Indian Army SF to get US SF weapons

Mon, 07/29/2019 - 10:29

By Rohit Srivastava

Post Balakot, India is on a purchasing spree to enhance the combat capability of its armed forces. In a recent decision, a high powered committee of the Ministry of Defence(MoD), has cleared an Indian Army’s proposal to equip its Special Forces with weapons and equipment used by the US Special Forces.

Since the surgical strike on the terror launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), India Army has been mulling over the idea to equip its Special Force (Para) with best weapons and equipment available in the market. What better than what is in service with the US SF?

The approved proposal includes 715 Mk 48 light machine guns, 1,050 Scar (H) assault rifles (7.62x51), 1,400 Scar (L)/ HK 416 assault rifle (5.56x45), 110 FN .50 cal Browning heavy machine gun, 400 helmet-mounted night vision goggles, 600 combat free-fall parachutes, 100 Barret M107 A1 heavy sniping rifles, 20 million ammunition rounds.
The purchase will be made from the US through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.

The expected cost of the acquisition is over Rs 800 crore. Instead of going through the usual route, the purchase is expected to go through the emergency power of the Vice-Chief of Army Staff which does not require any go-ahead from the Defence Acquisition Council, the apex capital purchase body of the Ministry of Defence, for proposal below Rs 300 crore. To comply with this, each item will be ordered separately.

The biggest chunk of the purchase will be from the Belgian FN Herstel which manufacture Scar (H) and (L) assault rifles and .50 cal heavy machine gun. For the 5.56 gun mainly to be used as a close-quarter carbine, the Indian army is expected to choose Scar(L) over its rival HK 416, as the two Scars share 80 commonalities in parts and near-identical training and maintenance manuals.

Reportedly, the proposal was approved by the Services Capital Acquisition Plan Categorization Higher Committee (SCAPHCC) sometime last week. Each assault rifle will come with add ons like telescopic sights, silencers, target designator, reflex sights etc.

Scar (H) is considered as the best assault rifle in the market today and was Indian Army’s preferred choice for its assault rifle competition. But due to the prohibitive cost of this ultra-modern and accurate rifle, it was well beyond the sanctioned budget for the programme.

https://indiandefenceindustries.in/indian-sf-get-us-sfweapons

 

[Unknowncommando 2]

#NSG Combat Free Faller during R-Day Parade 2017
SIG 551 SB Rifle with mounted Night Vision Sight & attached SIG GL5040 Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL)

 

[Waanar]

#NSG Combat Free Faller during R-Day Parade 2017
SIG 551 SB Rifle with mounted Night Vision Sight & attached SIG GL5040 Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL)

Homegrown to NSG or Paras on deputation?
If homegrown, CAPFs or Army or both?
Appreciate your tireless posts btw, dude.

 

[sorcerer]

Another thing NSG should have an archive for floor plans of all major mall, offices and government building.
Knowing floor plan of your operational area could help plot plan more efficiently.

True.... some nations have virtual simulations of it..every vent..every plumbing details..and all stuff into it...for mostly all vital buildings..installations..hotels...public places..etc etc.
I suppose we do have some projects for such running hush hush

 

[Unknowncommando 2]

Homegrown to NSG or Paras on deputation?
If homegrown, CAPFs or Army or both?
Appreciate your tireless posts btw, dude.

PARA SF operator on deputation. Because of these operators NSG has capability of launching combat divers & free fallers if needed.

 

[Popeye]

Any Chance of NCTC in future with NSG involvement ?

 

[rkhanna]

Each assault rifle will come with add ons like telescopic sights, silencers, target designator, reflex sights etc.

Thats great news!! Pray that the powers that be understand the need to match specific barrel lenght to Supressors.
Hope comms are also part of the upgrade

True.... some nations have virtual simulations of it..every vent..every plumbing details..and all stuff into it...for mostly all vital buildings..installations..hotels...public places..etc etc.
I suppose we do have some projects for such running hush hush

IMO the right way to do this is to get the urban planing department g every city/town/ to upload schematics of ALL structures in their muncipality into a federal database or allow federal agencies to acess them in real time.

NSG to maintain such a database would be a waste of resources.

 

[abingdonboy]

Another thing NSG should have an archive for floor plans of all major mall, offices and government building.
Knowing floor plan of your operational area could help plot plan more efficiently.

This is already done. Plenty of information on this in years since 26/11

The narrative has gone from a "New" Tier I unit raised from existing Cadre to a Prototype experiment in Joint Command.

Strategic or not time will tell.

who created this narrative? Officials have always been clear that AFSOD was the first step to SOCOM. SOCOM was what was meant to be raised but armed forces settled on a SOD to act as a test subject with the idea of expanding to SOCOM later.

 

[rkhanna]

Any Chance of NCTC in future with NSG involvement ?

From what i have read about the proposed NCTC it is supposed to be a part of the IB. All IB resources for CT will get amalgamated here including an offensive capability.

NCTC will then in turn be integrated to the CS/NCA via the the various alphabhet soups - IB/NIA etc etc

Instead of being a nodal agency on CT, it is ONE of them. the others ofcourse include the NSG.

But currently with all the agencies being structured and new ones set up by the current govt the NCTC is currently stuck in Limbo with various aspects being fought over by various stakeholders.

 

[Gessler]

Thats great news!! Pray that the powers that be understand the need to match specific barrel lenght to Supressors.
Hope comms are also part of the upgrade.

This is the same deal that was mentioned first by Sandeep Unnithan earlier in March when it failed to clear DAC.

This article is from July. But I doubt the DAC approval was actually accorded, we'd have heard from multiple sources if it did.

 

[rkhanna]

This is already done. Plenty of information on this in years since 26/11


who created this narrative? Officials have always been clear that AFSOD was the first step to SOCOM. SOCOM was what was meant to be raised but armed forces settled on a SOD to act as a test subject with the idea of expanding to SOCOM later.

Good question - Post the surgical strikes the whispers were of a new unit. And the NDTV article is oddly very specific.

So the question is are the two things in parallel ? and things have just got jumbled by DDM? Or was it always a SOCOM experiment with Jingos (like me) going off into fantastical tangents of mental masturbation

 

[Gessler]

This is already done. Plenty of information on this in years since 26/11


who created this narrative? Officials have always been clear that AFSOD was the first step to SOCOM. SOCOM was what was meant to be raised but armed forces settled on a SOD to act as a test subject with the idea of expanding to SOCOM later.

Good question - Post the surgical strikes the whispers were of a new unit. And the NDTV article is oddly very specific.

So the question is are the two things in parallel ? and things have just got jumbled by DDM? Or was it always a SOCOM experiment with Jingos (like me) going off into fantastical tangents of mental masturbation

Even in US, even though JSOC is a part of SOCOM it was JSOC which was established first...it was only several years later that SOCOM could be formed around it.

It's never easy to bring entire Regiments under a new chain of command, it's totally understandable that starting with a smaller unit makes sense.

I do believe AFSOD will end up being a Tier-1 force, while remaining within the umbrella of INSOCOM.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

shat shat naman.

 

[12arya]

All you need to know about Indian Army’s first Para Commando Lt. Col. AG Rangaraj who is being honoured as Korean War Hero

South Korea is currently commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Korean War with its neighbour North Korea

Lt Colonel A G Rangaraj
Engagements348

The South Korean government has announced that Lt Colonel AG Rangaraj, the first para-commando of Indian army, will be awarded as the Korean War Hero for the month of July 2020. Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs made the announcement to reward the paratrooper for his role in South Korea-North Korea war that took place in 1950-1953. He had let the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance Platoon, a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), during the Korean war.

The first Indian airborne formation was 50th Parachute Brigade which consisted of British, Indian and Gurkha parachute battalions. Lt. Col. AG Rangaraj, MVC, of the Indian Medical Service and RMO of the 152 Indian Para battalion, was the first Indian along with Havildar Major Mathura Singh to make a parachute descent.

The members of the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance were medics who were also parachutists. They jumped into the combat zone along with fighting infantry and provided medical care to injured soldiers in the middle of the war zone.

The 60 Parachute Field Ambulance was part of the 50 (1) Para Brigade, and it was sent to Korea to join the United Nations Forces in 1950 as per of the Commonwealth Division. India didn’t send any combating unit to Korea, only the para ambulance unit was sent. The unit commanded by Lt Col. A.G. Rangaraj took part in difficult Air Borne operations in Korea. The Indian media unit has 364 men and it had gained the respect of Commonwealth troops for its high-quality medical care and the courage of the soldiers during the war. The unit had become a medical evacuation unit for the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade in 1950, and supported the Brigade throughout the Korean war. The unit has been awarded official recommendation of the Korean government several times.

During the entire Korean war, the Indian parachute ambulance unit had treated around 200,000 wounded, including around 2,300 field medial operations. They also trained local Korean doctors and nurses.

Some of the achievement of the unit during the war are legendary. Like during the Operation Tomahawk in March 1951, the second largest airborne operation of the war, a dozen medics had para-jumped along with 4000 US troops, and had carried out 103 operations. In November 1950, when the Chinese attacked the UN lines, the parachute ambulance unit had to evacuate, but they had no transport to carry their medical equipment. During that time they stumbled upon an ancient steam locomotive, filled the boilers with water using buckets, and got it running despite having no experience on trains, finally returning to safety before the last bridge on the track was blown.

The unit had won many decorations from the governments of India, South Korea and USA, and the UN. Lt. Col. AG Rangaraj was decorated with Mahavir Chakra in 1951. The unit had won two Mahavir Chakras, six Vir Chakras, one Bar to Vir Chakra and 25 Mention-in-Despatches for its role in the Korean war.

South Korea is currently commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Korean War with its neighbour North Korea. UN forces with nations including India had supported South Korea in the war, while others led by the then Soviet Union and China backed North Korea.

“During the month of July 2020, the photo of Lt. Col A. G. Rangaraj will be put in the War Memorial and other public places in Korea. This gesture is a token of appreciation from the heart of Korean people for the sacrifices made by the participating nations,” said Col. Lee In, the Defense Attaché, Embassy of Republic of Korea in New Delhi, during a luncheon hosted by the Embassy for the family members of the Indian Army veterans who had participated in the Korean War.

“November 20 marks the 69th anniversary of 60 Para Field Ambulance of Indian Army’s arrival to Bussan in Korea in 1950. The event was to pay tribute to the sacrifice of the soldiers who participated in the Korean war. We as a nation will never forget your sacrifices and dedication. Korea also pays gratitude to all 21 nations who participated in the war to protect the freedom and democracy of the Republic of Korea,” added Col. Lee.

Former South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak had said in 2010, “Korea was fortunate to have India, the source of an ancient and noble civilization, as a friend during the war. The medical unit headed by Col A. G. Rangaraj valiantly rushed to the aid of wounded soldiers in the face of a fierce crossfire. For its distinguished service, the unit received citations of merit from the Korean government on a number of occasions. Had it not been for the devoted services and sacrifices of the Indian people, Korea would not have become what it is today.”

Before the Korean operation, Lt. Col. AG Rangaraj had fought against the Japanese in 1944 and was part of a battle in Burma during the World War 2. He was a specialist in Smallpox, and later he became a Senior Advisor to WHO in Afghanistan and the Gulf.

 

[cyclops]

Some of the achievement of the unit during the war are legendary. Like during the Operation Tomahawk in March 1951, the second largest airborne operation of the war, a dozen medics had para-jumped along with 4000 US troops, and had carried out 103 operations. In November 1950, when the Chinese attacked the UN lines, the parachute ambulance unit had to evacuate, but they had no transport to carry their medical equipment. During that time they stumbled upon an ancient steam locomotive, filled the boilers with water using buckets, and got it running despite having no experience on trains, finally returning to safety before the last bridge on the track was blown.

That literally sounds like something out of a movie.

 

[Unknowncommando 2]

NSG Commando

SIG 553 LB with Night Vision Sight

 

[abhay rajput]

NSG Commando

SIG 553 LB with Night Vision Sight
View attachment 40434

I think our nsg is best equipped among all forces including special forces

 

[abingdonboy]

NSG Commando

SIG 553 LB with Night Vision Sight
View attachment 40434

Okay but that wire management is terrible, helmet isn’t outdated and so is that sight.

hope this is a support unit (SRG)

have seen frontline SAG guys operating in the field looking far more operator and squared away than this nonsense.

 

[MrPresident]

NSG Commando

SIG 553 LB with Night Vision Sight
View attachment 40434

Noob question. Why would u need that bulky equipment for night vision on the rifles when u can have night vision goggles which I feel is more useful.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Unknowncommando 2]

Noob question. Why would u need that bulky equipment for night vision on the rifles when u can have night vision goggles which I feel is more useful.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

NVG is aligned with your head movement & NVS is aligned with you gun. Both are for different roles. Plus field view of NVG can't be compared with NVS. NVS covers more distance. In addition to that magnifier sight in front or back of the NVS will be more comfortable which is not the case with NVG ( But better in CQB for NVG ), because of it's small aperture. It will need an appropriate sight. Bigger NVS is usually mounted on gun or handheld & used on particular target while NVGs are often used in CQB/CQC.

Exceptions
Panoramic NVGs
Our forces use AN/PVS for both applications.

NVD application is very specific and complex. I have also heard that our Army has created it's own tactics along LOC particularly for NVDs.