Modernisation of Indian Army Infantry

[mayfair]

50,000 bullet-proof jackets procured for Indian Army
The Indian Army has procured 50,000 bullet-proof jackets in the past two years and 186,138 more vests were in the process of being purchased from an Indian manufacturer, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

For me this is heartwarming. Now 50,000 brave officers and soldiers will be equipped with what they deserve for putting their lives on line for the country.

I look forward to the day when every man and women in uniform is adequately equipped and protected in the line of duty.

 

[WolfPack86]

The Indian Army's 1st new helmets in years are ready for deliveries. Our report from the production line churning them out, up soon.
https://twitter.com/livefist?lang=en

 

[Raj Malhotra]

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Revolutionary Bullet-Proof Jacket designed for Armed Forces will save India Rs 20,000 crore every year
The empowered committee of the Ministry of Defence has given its go-ahead to the use of a bullet-proof jacket designed by Bengali scientist and professor Shantanu Bhowmick.

The ultra lightweight, thermoplastic jacket can be manufactured completely through indigenous technology. Notably, this is the first time in 70 years that the Indian Army will have bullet-proof jacket manufactured completely in India.

According to The Times of India, Bhowmick, the departmental head of aerospace engineering in Coimbatore's Amrita University, has dedicated this jacket to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

It is made from completely indigenous thermoplastic technology. The report added that its manufacturing will begin once it gets approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the `Make in India` initiative on September 25, 2014, with the primary goal of making India a global manufacturing hub.

The product will be included in the 'Make in India' project, reported the daily.

Bhowmick joined hands with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Ministry of Defence to design the jacket that will be the first in 70 years to be manufactured in India, said the report.

At present, jackets used by the military and paramilitary forces are being imported from the US and each costs Rs 1.5 lakh. However, Bhowmick's design will cost Rs 50,000 per jacket. This means, it will bring down the defence spending by Rs 20,000 crore annually, reported the daily.

Also, the bullet proof jackets currently being used by Army, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and police personnel are heavy, weighing between 15 and 18 kilograms. The new version weighs almost eight times less at about just 1.5 kilograms.

It has 20 layers and the carbon fiber in it will enable the jacket to work in 57 degrees Celsius also, reported the TOI.
http://www.defencenews.in/article/Revolutionary-Bullet-Proof-Jacket-designed-for-Armed-Forces-will-save-India-Rs-20,000-crore-every-year-26

This article published in ET and TOI also, is stupid on many counts. India is not importing BPJs but TATA is providing them. Cost is Rs. 30,000 and not Rs 1.5 lakhs each. Saving of Rs 20,000 crore per annum is not possible as that would require procurement of 20 lakhs jackets per annum while total requirement is around 4 lakhs only. Weight saving of 6 times is not possible though weight saving of 6kg is possible. .......

 

[Raj Malhotra]

This article published in ET and TOI also, is stupid on many counts. India is not importing BPJs but TATA is providing them. Cost of indigenous TATA BPJ is Rs. 30,000 and not Rs 1.5 lakhs each. Saving of Rs 20,000 crore per annum is not possible as that would require procurement of 20 lakhs jackets per annum while total requirement is around 4 lakhs only. Weight saving of 6 times is not possible though weight saving of 6kg is possible out of say, 20kg. Further it will take 5-10 years for BPJs based on new Technology to be manufactured and made available to soldiers.

 

[TPFscopes]

This article published in ET and TOI also, is stupid on many counts. India is not importing BPJs but TATA is providing them. Cost of indigenous TATA BPJ is Rs. 30,000 and not Rs 1.5 lakhs each. Saving of Rs 20,000 crore per annum is not possible as that would require procurement of 20 lakhs jackets per annum while total requirement is around 4 lakhs only. Weight saving of 6 times is not possible though weight saving of 6kg is possible out of say, 20kg. Further it will take 5-10 years for BPJs based on new Technology to be manufactured and made available to soldiers.

I think, ET is comparing the price of BPJ on the basis of armour standards/level.
Because the last BPJ procured for armed forces have similar armour level as if designed by this scientist which is TYPE III armour level BPJ whereas TATA produced BPJ of ₹34000 is TYPE I BPJ.

 

[Adioz]

I am trying to figure out how much vehicle space an infantry battalion will take once embarked onto an Amphibious warfare ship.
Please help me out if you know the answer to any one of the following questions:-

• What types and how many vehicles are issued to a standard Infantry battalion? How many Stallions? How many Gypsies? How many Jeeps?
• Are the number of vehicles provided enough to carry the entire battalion and all its supplies and equipment at once or are more vehicles requisitioned from a higher formation when the battalion has to move?
• How many troops fit into a single Stallion?

Would be great if you can tell me those numbers for non-infantry units as well (like Armoured and Mech Infantry).

 

[sthf]

@Adioz Look for "Infantry battalion organization" on Bharat Rakshak. It is from the 80s but will give you a good idea. But keep in mind specialized forces like amphibious battalions have a much lighter logistics footprint.

 

[Raj Malhotra]

What will Army do with Type 1 BPJ? Unlikely

 

[TPFscopes]

What will Army do with Type 1 BPJ? Unlikely

Not for army, but local police may have.

 

[WolfPack86]

So, I went down to Kanpur to check out a facility building the Army's first new combat helmets in TWENTY FIVE years. https://www.livefistdefence.com/2017/06/up-close-indian-armys-1st-new-combat-helmets-in-25-years.html…
https://twitter.com/livefist?lang=en

 

[WolfPack86]

UP CLOSE: Indian Army’s 1st New Combat Helmets In 25 Years
Starting this August, Indian Army fighting units on the Line of Control and in the Kashmir Valley get to add a most rudimentary piece of equipment to their arsenal, one that won’t just offer them better protection, but free them up significantly for more potent combat.

Because let’s face it, for all the consternation over stalled modernization of Indian Army’s weapons regiments, it’s easy to miss the comparable — or worse — delays in addressing that most basic of needs: personal combat protection for infantry soldiers. Thankfully, as you probably know, there’s been some belated movement on that front this past year. And as tensions escalate along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir, the churn at little facility in northern India couldn’t be more welcome.

Straight up, in less than two months, the Army gets to start replacing its patkas and standard issue Model 1974 infantry combat helmets, both deemed inadequate for the surge in scale and breadth of operations Indian soldiers have had thrust on them. The new combat helmets that the Army will begin taking deliveries of in August will be its first in a quarter century. The first lot of the 1,58,000 ballistic helmets built outside Kanpur by Indian firm MKU will be shipped to infantry and counter-insurgency units, expectedly starting with battalions based in Jammu & Kashmir.

Livefist had the opportunity to visit MKU’s production facilities last month to inspect the high tempo run that’s been supplying to foreign militaries, paramilitaries and police services for years. And now speeding up to meet the Indian Army’s delivery schedules — its first such order from the Indian armed forces.

MKU’s Mukut ballistic helmets are manufactured at an integrated MKU facility at Malwan in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, about 40 minutes from the industrial hub of Kanpur. Starting with bales of KEVLAR that MKU sources from three international suppliers, to final integration with communication sets (50,000 of the 1,58,000 helmets will be commander configuration with in-built COMMS kits), the Malwan unit is currently building customized versions of the Mukut helmet on its primary production line, with ongoing production continuing for foreign customers, including Chile, Spain and Malaysia.

The helmets are a bolted variant of MKU’s flagship Mukut ballistic combat helmet. The latter, MKU says, are more expensive but significantly stronger, with uniform ballistic protection that ‘minimizes lethal injuries due to helmet shell compromise’. As part of their proving phase, the new helmet design has been tested at HP White Labs in the U.S. and MKU’s own ballistics testing facility in Germany. Apart from ballistic protection from rounds, MKU says the Mukut helmet being supplied to the Army also sports a Behind Armour Blunt Trauma (BABT) of less than 10mm, ‘nearly 40% lower in comparison’ to the Model 1974 currently in service, and a compelling factor for the headgear upgrade. The strengths (and weaknesses) of the new helmets are necessarily classified, though Livefist can confirm that the Army has opted for the new kit based on a variety of factors: principally strength, but also coverage (head top, sides and back), robust fit with memory foam padding that rules out the need for constant adjustments (dangerous in an active combat scenario) and the ability to take on accessories.

While the Indian Army hasn’t opted for MKU’s Multiple Accessory Connector System (a proprietary integrated, all-in-one mounting system for NVD, torches, cameras, masks and communication headsets), it has the option to procure them as an add-on. MKU, incidentally, is also in the race for a large Indian Army night vision device (NVD) order, for over 44,000 devices, and has plans to diversify into electro-opticals for air land land platforms, thermal imagers, weapon sights, medium caliber ammunition and even assault/sniper rifles.

The 1,58,000 helmets ordered by the Indian Army are only a fraction of what the the force will finally need across its units. MKU managing director Neeraj Gupta hopes to more than quadruple the company’s order for the 700,000 helmets he says the Army will finally require. Overall, the company sees business for more than a million helmets across the variants it builds them in — for police, paratroopers, tank crews, airborne troops and special forces.

MKU currently also competes with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for the Indian Army’s biggest buy of bulletproof jackets in decades — for 1.86 lakh units. Look out for Livefist’s post on that contest shortly.
https://www.livefistdefence.com/201...armys-1st-new-combat-helmets-in-25-years.html

 

[Neexis]

Look at the white gloves, can anyone explain the reason behind the white colour? Or is it PVC dotted fabric work glove?

 

[Trinetra]

Is this the new Indigenous jacket that IA is going to buy??

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Surgical gloves, I believe these men belong to Army medical corp ..

View attachment 16779
Look at the white gloves, can anyone explain the reason behind the white colour? Or is it PVC dotted fabric work glove?

 

[Neexis]

Surgical gloves, I believe these men belong to Army medical corp ..

Thats definitely a possibility. Thanks a lot. But i still wonder why even the driver would wear that?
Plus I guess guys at AMC will only wear these gloves when dealing with a casualty.

 

[WolfPack86]

Inside the facility that could supply the Indian Army nearly 200,000 light bulletproof jackets. Full report on the contest soon.
https://twitter.com/livefist?lang=en

 

[Prashant12]

Army gets the first lot of 7,500 hi-tech helmets

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has received its first lot of 7,500 high-tech ballistic helmets that can withstand bullet fires and shrapnel hits. Many of them are also equipped with the communication device.

It is part of an order of about Rs 170 crore to procure 1.58 lakh ballistic helmets from Kanpur-based defence firm MKU, which supplies military equipment to the UN and NATO, defence ministry officials said.

They will replace the older helmets being used by the army, which offer little or no protection from bullets and shrapnel. Two-thirds of the first tranche of helmets will shortly be given to soldiers engaging terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and those deployed on borders with China, while 2,500 helmets have been already given to Indian Army soldiers deployed in UN peacekeeping missions.

In addition, 6,000 more helmets will undergo trials at DRDO’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh, which assesses the terminal effects of military weapons, officials said.


The Centre has approved procurement of 3.28 lakh ballistic helmets, they said. The 1.58 lakh new helmets will be given as part of “standard kit” to soldiers.

“These helmets are for the battalions deployed in counter-terrorist (in J&K) and counter-insurgency (in the North-East) operations and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and Line of Control with Pakistan,” said a senior defence ministry official, adding that about 13,981 helmets are for the Indian Navy.

Two types
The new helmets come in two kinds. The first is the “normal helmet”, which merely offers protection to a soldier’s head. Head is normally the first body part exposed in any combat situation.

These helmets offer effective protection against 9mm bullets fired as close as 10 m away. But quite often it is not a bullet injury, which proves fatal. Shrapnels from nearby explosions or cranial impacts from shock waves prove fatal. MKU, in its website, explains that these issues warrant ballistic head protection as an essential gear.

It adds that the MKU’s ballistic helmets provide protection against bullets and fragments. Older helmets could only protect a soldier from splinters, rocks and a bullet that has ricocheted and grazed the helmet. But if a bullet directly hits one of these older helmets it would not protect the soldier.

As an alternative, the Army began using patkas, which is an improvisation to the older helmets. But a patka can only protect one’s forehead, not the rest of the head.

The other type of ballistic helmet is called the “commander helmet”. It has a communication device and has compatibility with three types of radio sets.

Army’s aim
The army aims at providing soldiers with enhanced lethality, protection, situational awareness, survivability and mobility. It is looking to make the soldier a “self-contained fighting machine”.

So besides protection, the Army also wants that as part of its future technologies, a soldier’s helmet should have provision for mounted search light, thermal sensors, night vision device and an audio headset.

The helmet should also provide protection against bio-chemical threats. The visor should have a heads-up display monitor.

The army in a recently released report titled “Future Core Technologies and Problem Statements” states that the existing helmet does not provide “real-time situational awareness”.

This means that it is difficult for a soldier to engage a target and he is not fully aware of the progress of the battle.

In addition, the report explained that to enhance a soldier’s situational awareness, the US land warrior programme developed an assembly to provide communications (speaker and microphone) and a hands-free display (helmet mounted display for viewing maps and messages) mounted onto a standard helmet.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...7500-hi-tech-helmets/articleshow/59585896.cms

 

[WolfPack86]

For the first time in 25 years, the Indian Army received 7,500 new ballistic helmets to protect its infantry soldiers.While the first batch has arrived at the ordnance depots, a second batch of 30,000 helmets is expected by 2017 end, whereas more than one lakh are to be handed over to the army by mid-2019.

https://www.facebook.com/IADnews/

 

[Prashant12]

Indian-made bulletproof jackets in few months: Lt GenJ P Singh

CHANDIGARH:The much-awaited state-of-the-art light weight bulletproof jackets for armed forces personnel would not only help them move with greater agility during counter-insurgency operations but they could be customized depending upon operational requirements.

Giving details about the upcoming bulletproof "Make in India" jackets for troops, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) consultant Lt Gen J P Singh (retd) told TOI that the jackets are under production at ordnance factory in Kanpur and set for induction in next few months. He also added that the new jackets would also give a feel of modular clothing to troops.

Lt Gen Singh, who retired as Army deputy chief, had shared these details on Thursday during a roundtable conference on "Reforms in Defence Procurement — Opportunities for the Northern Region" held at Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) regional officer.

Explaining about its security features, Gen Singh said the jackets would be completely indigenous and for the first time made according to Indian standards."After defining the standard, these prototype bulletproof jackets were made under controlled conditions," he said.

Thereafter, they were randomly picked up from different lots and put on trial to ensure that quality and safety is not compromised. Once the prototype was approved, we had ordered for their production at the ordnance factory and some private parties," said Gen Singh.

Stating the features of the jackets, Lt Gen Singh said that special focus has been given on the size of the jackets to ensure it fits on all size soldiers and they do not feel uncomfortable. It would not only a protection gear but would also be modular clothing, which would keep soldiers efficient during normal wear, he added.
He further explained that the new jackets would be customized and the soldiers would be able to wear them in accordance to their requirements.
"If a soldier is in picket, he need not to wear rear portion of the jacket and can continue duty with front portion of the jacket. Similarly the helmet, neck-guard, groin and sides can be customized as per operational needs", Gen Singh elaborated.

The DRDO had been working on the development of these prototypes bullet-proof jackets, as per the newer technical specifications, using different state-of-the-art ballistic materials.
This under-development prototype aims to protect against AK 47s and self-loading rifle bullets. Stated to be ultra-lightweight, these jackets are reportedly 8-times lesser in weight than the present jackets used by the armed forces. It is for the first time that Army would have bullet-proof jacket manufactured completely in India.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...in-few-months-lt-gen/articleshow/59814680.cms

 

[NeXoft007]

Here's another product you might take a look at...
One of the main purpose of this device is to provide targets' coordinates for initiating indirect firing and counter strike measures
[Check the whole tweet thread]