Modernisation of Indian Army Infantry

AUSTERLITZ

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How do you arrive at 50 mechanised battalions
Right now we have 3 armoured div (3*4 mech bn), 7 Rapid (7*2), 2 mech brigade (2*2), about 7 armoured brigades on the West (6*1, 1*2 as one armoured brigade has a 4+2 structure instead of 3+1)
Plus a few more battalions on the East, adds up to 40-45.

Though would make sense to mechanise some more battalions considering how cheap and effective BMP-2s are.
As far as i understand some more have been added possibly recently.Possibly in the sub sector north and sakargarh bulge area.Anyway this number is stated by Lt gen Panag who irrespective of his political views was a competent armoured corps officer held in good regard.
 

Aditya Ballal

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Yes.Viper sniper rifle.
From 1:30.
Bolt action rifle is not a designated marksman rifle, it’s a proper sniper. Designated Marksman Rifleman must also have the ability to support the other rifleman if required in their tasks which requires a higher rate of fire, hence a bolt action gun will not fit the bill. Rifles like the Dragunov, SIG 716, M110, H&K G28 are appropriate for this role with the required modifications like heavier barrels,better triggers, higher powered scopes, better training, etc.
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Fire and groove

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You said that Exercises were Occasional and scripted , don't change your words . You don't even know what army exercises are . And you keep talking about JTCs , you yourself don't know heck about what are combined arms operations and how they are coordinated . Combined arms training is carried out in these exercises . NATO JTC focuses on joint and combined training at the tactical level. and that is what we essentially do in a field exercise !

RR was raised because CAPFs failed to deliver good performance in CI ops , RR was formed to overcome the shortcomings and gaps left by the CAPFs and Interior forces in Kashmir .

lol , some 30% of officers I know have served the RR . No one is obligated to serve RR or AR once in their career , especially not in Combat Support arms which form the largest portion of the officer corps .

Northern Command is primarily tasked with maintaining a detterence posture along the LoC and LAC . CI ops is again a role they were forced to take up because of the circumstances at that time . Ask any general what CI ops mean for the army . They'll tell you what I am telling you .

Service in these units isn't mandatory as I've clarified . What Do you mean by" formation of operational phases at strategic level ? " CI ops aren't something which make a difference at the strategic level of operations . They are purely tactical in nature .

That's what they were meant to do and that's what they should be doing . Para SF was even raised as an elite commando unit before the designation was changed to SF. Either you raise a true elite tier 1 force free from the army's control which can actually do that .

What exactly do we have in common with the US army that you are comparing us with them ? We aren't the guys who hunt for Osamas and Baghdadis . We are a force which can only project power in it's neighborhood . If you want a Pure Field intervention SF force then create one , para SF has the same role as PLA SOFs . They are attatched with corps for special Operations during ops at the Corps level . Example - 10 para SF is meant to be supporting XII corps in its operations .let's say they are supossed to carry out a recce of the deployment patterns of the mechanised brigades of 25 mech division under V corps and identify potential gaps between the brigades which can be used as a thrust point for launching an armoured assault into their territory .

We do have a land warfare doctrine and anyone who is well informed about the military would know that . We have had doctrines since the time we came into existence and they have been changing over time . What we don't have is a National Security Strategy .

Communications already exist at thr Squad Level as @SGOperative has clarified twice or thrice !

What part of my previous replies you haven't umderstood in this regard ! I have clarified that all tacitcal formations including platoons and Sections have access to communication Equipment ! I am sick of telling you this multiple times .


By your logic SAS should abandon it's recuitment process since it's too tough for recruits to withstand mentally and physically.

Junior Officers are supposed to lead operations at the platoon level and JCOs advise them and guide them in these operations , do you think an officer who hasn't ever even led a platoon in operations can have the experience to lead a Battalion ?

Not in all cases unless you are talking about NATO armies which have sadly become undisciplined due to loss of control over soldiers by the officer corps . If you want a disciplined military you need officers capable of controlling jawans at the grassroot level .


No training for proper utilisation of cover ? Heck ! now I am convined you haven't ever witnessed their training . This is one of the basic things taught at the Corps Battle school
I'm getting tired of typing long paragraphs at this point
 

Fire and groove

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@Fire and groove isn't able to understand this , he keeps insisting on building imaginary communications capabilities at squad level when we already have them . I don't have trust on some of our military hardware but I have Complete trust on the Communications capabilities of our units . Remember how 16 bihar assembled troops from the nearby medium regiment despite not being at the same location and that too in not a very long time
MKUs helmets aren't standardised nor do they cover a vast majority of the combat strength, not to mention integrated comms aren't radios themselves, they're earpieces that can be plugged into a rifleman's radio(s). The problem i've been getting at, is that radios aren't standardised for intra-section communications in an Indian army section. Every single infantryman should have an access to a radio so that they can communicate within the section itself, it's not just about inter-section communications. This is only seen in J&K where those rifleman radios aren't even encrypted SDRs, it's not a baseline standard in this day and age.
 

Automatic Kalashnikov

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How do you arrive at 50 mechanised battalions
Right now we have 3 armoured div (3*4 mech bn), 7 Rapid (7*2), 2 mech brigade (2*2), about 7 armoured brigades on the West (6*1, 1*2 as one armoured brigade has a 4+2 structure instead of 3+1)
Plus a few more battalions on the East, adds up to 40-45.

Though would make sense to mechanise some more battalions considering how cheap and effective BMP-2s are.
23 Brigade of Guards battalions+27 Mechanised infantry battalions= 50
 

Longewala

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As far as i understand some more have been added possibly recently.Possibly in the sub sector north and sakargarh bulge area.Anyway this number is stated by Lt gen Panag who irrespective of his political views was a competent armoured corps officer held in good regard.
No, I am sure your numbers are right.
I was just curious where the additional mech inf battalions fit in - do some of the armoured formations have extra BMP battalions ( a smart idea given how light on infantry the brigades are), or are they distributed to infantry formations as a possible anti tank reserve.
 

Angel of War

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Veterans in quora are saying it.

2016 report says 2 LMG per section.
It's 45 as far as i know
 

Angel of War

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Veterans in quora are saying it.

2016 report says 2 LMG per section.
There 36 combat sections in an infantry battalion. 9 per company and only one LMG is given to each section
 
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Angel of War

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How do you arrive at 50 mechanised battalions
Right now we have 3 armoured div (3*4 mech bn), 7 Rapid (7*2), 2 mech brigade (2*2), about 7 armoured brigades on the West (6*1, 1*2 as one armoured brigade has a 4+2 structure instead of 3+1)
Plus a few more battalions on the East, adds up to 40-45.

Though would make sense to mechanise some more battalions considering how cheap and effective BMP-2s are.
There are mech battalions attatched to infantry divisions in the plains , you didn't factor that in your equation . It's 50 .
 
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Angel of War

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As far as i understand some more have been added possibly recently.Possibly in the sub sector north and sakargarh bulge area.Anyway this number is stated by Lt gen Panag who irrespective of his political views was a competent armoured corps officer held in good regard.
You are absolutely correct.
 

Angel of War

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Only 36 combat sections (360 men)? A battalion is roughly 900-1000 men, what/where are the rest assigned?
Rest are combat support troops(signals , mortar troops , recce , medical ) , battalion and company HQ troops , Battalion reserve . Each battalion has 700 men , not 900-1000
 
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Angel of War

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MKUs helmets aren't standardised nor do they cover a vast majority of the combat strength, not to mention integrated comms aren't radios themselves, they're earpieces that can be plugged into a rifleman's radio(s) The problem i've been getting at, is that radios aren't standardised for intra-section communications in an Indian army section. .
i think you have comprehension issues or you are just trying to change the topic. We were talking about infantry communications at the platoon and section level not the ballistic helmets they are being issued . You don't require Comtacs for every soldier in a simple infantry section. You already have radio operators with every section responsible for providing communication to the section . Infantry sections operates in a limited radius of 100m , not beyond that and they can effectively relay communication over such a small distance . They are not SF teams which cover long distances with small detatchments of troops , infantry masses it's manpower at the enemy and overwhelms him with firepower and maneuvering .
Every single infantryman should have an access to a radio so that they can communicate within the section itself, it's not just about inter-section communications
This is only seen in J&K where those rifleman radios aren't even encrypted SDRs, it's not a baseline standard in this day and age.
nope , when they are operating within a limited radius where communication is relayed effectively without requiring special equipment you don't need communications system for every infantry man , that is costly and will waste funds . Regular infantry sections have a defined objective in the battle field where circumstances have predictable results . i will agree with you Only for troops involved in CI ops where uncertainty is high during operations and they require such capabilities where every man can communicate with the rest of the section as well as the SF troops but regular infantry dosen't need this .
 

Automatic Kalashnikov

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Rest are combat support troops(signals , mortar troops , recce , medical ) , battalion and company HQ troops , Battalion reserve . Each battalion has 700 men , not 900-1000

And the Bharat Rakshak link shared yesterday, showed 909 has battalion strength
 

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