Faster induction of fighters new IAF chief’s priority

Air Marshal Arup Raha, who will take over as IAF chief from Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne on December 31, has his task cut out. His topmost priority will have to be faster induction of new fighters, grappling as IAF is with just 34 fighter squadrons when at least 44 are needed for "effective dissuasive deterrence'' against China and Pakistan.

The government's formal announcement on Tuesday that Air Marshal Raha, commissioned into "fighter stream'' in December 1974 and currently the IAF vice-chief, will succeed ACM Browne came as no surprise.

But as the man in the hot seat, Air Marshal Raha will have to contend with the fact that IAF has been forced to delay the already long-overdue retirement of its ageing MiG-21s and MiG-27s to ensure the number of its fighter squadrons (each has 16-18 jets) does not fall below 34. IAF will continue to fly its 110 upgraded MiG-21 "Bisons'' (of the total 260 MiG-21s still in its combat fleet) till 2025 to meet the shortfall.

Given its fast-eroding combat edge, IAF's topmost priority is the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 fighter jets. The long-drawn MMRCA technical and commercial evaluation process began in August 2007, with the French Rafale fighter finally emerging the winner in January, 2012.

But the project — under which the first 18 jets will be imported and the rest manufactured under licence by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) over six years — is still nowhere near being inked.

ACM Browne, earlier this month, had held the IAF has "no back-up plan" to the MMRCA project. "It is the only option, and is highly doable. If we sign it by next year, the first MMRCA should come to us by 2017. We cannot delay it any further. The MMRCA and the first two squadrons of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (the indigenous fighter project sanctioned in 1983 but still to fully fructify) are very critical for us to maintain our deterrence capability,'' said ACM Browne.

Air Marshal Raha, who has clocked over 3,400 hours of flying and commanded the Central Air Command and the Western Air Command during 39-year career, will have his hands full during his almost three-year tenure as the IAF chief.  - Times of india

India develops new tactical missile 'Pragati'

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India has developed a new tactical surface-to-surface missile 'Pragati' with a range between 60-170 km and will offer it to friendly countries.

The new missile, now on display at a defence exhibition in South Korea, is based on the Prahaar missile developed by the DRDO for the Army and can be termed as its export variant with minor differences, a DRDO official said today.

The government has approved that it may be offered to friendly countries if anyone shows interest in it, he said.

The missile is the main exhibit of the DRDO which is showcasing an array of indigenous weapons at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2013).

This is the first time ever that an array of latest defence equipment developed by the DRDO, will be unveiled internationally at such a scale. DRDO chief Avinash Chander is leading the Indian delegation at the show.

"DRDO is showcasing 'Pragati' tactical missile, 'Akash' missile system and 'Tejas' LCA and its variants. Explosive Detection Kit developed by the DRDO and recently launched in the US will be yet another key exhibit," a release by the Indian embassy in South Korea said.

The LCA is a long-delayed project of the DRDO which is yet to be completed and the aircraft not been inducted by the IAF so far.

ADEX 2013 is expected to host more than 300 companies from 33 countries. DRDO's participation also commemorates the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea. -times of india  

Fifth PAK FA fighter aircraft made its first flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur

The fifth prototype of the prospective 5^th - generation aviation complex (PAK FA,  T-50) made its maiden flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur at the Y.A.Gagarin KnAAZ aircraft plant of the Sukhoi Company. The plane was piloted by distinguished test pilot of the 1^st  class Roman Kondratiev. The fighter aircraft spent 50 minutes in the air and landed safely on the factory airfield runway. The test flight was a success and in full accordance with the flight plan. The stability of the aircraft and the propulsion system were tested during the flight. The aircraft performed well in all phases of the planned flight program. The pilot confirmed reliability of all systems and equipment.
Upon completing the test flights program in Komsomolsk the aircraft will join the flight tests in the city of Zhukovsky near Moscow. Four 5^th – generation fighter aircraft have already joined these tests. Two more planes are involved in ground tests - one as a complex ground stand and the other undergoes static tests.
The first flight of the PAK FA took place on January 29, 2010 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Currently work is underway on the full range of ground and flight tests. To date, more than 450 flights were carried out under the flight test program.

indrus.in

India to lay 14 strategic railway lines near China, Pak border

As part of preparations to meet challenges from China and Pakistan, India is planning to lay 14 strategic railway lines close to borders with these two countries to help in easier and faster movement of troops.

The railway lines are besides 73 roads being constructed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, sources said in Delhi on Sunday.

Out of the 14 planned railway lines, survey has been completed for 12, they said.

The railway lines have been planned in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

Of the 73 roads with a total length of 3812 km, laying of 61 roads covering 3,404 km have been assigned to Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the sources said.

27 of the 61 roads are being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh, 12 in Jammu and Kashmir, 14 in Uttarakhand, five in Himachal Pradesh and three in Sikkim.

17 roads have been completed, they said. Out of 73 roads, 12 are being constructed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for ITBP, they said.

The infrastructure development is being carried out as China has made strides in this regard and India is lagging much behind.

Defence minister AK Antony conceded in Parliament last month that China is "superior" in terms of border infrastructure as India was late in deciding on building roads and other capabilities near the LAC because of the impact of the 1962 war.

He had described it as a "collective failure" of all the successive governments.

Antony, who was answering questions on increased intrusions by Chinese troops, had said all steps were being taken to safeguard national security while seeking a peaceful solution to the long-pending boundary disputes between the two sides.

"I have no hesitation to say that China is in a better position than India in terms of border infrastructure. It is a mistake, it is all of us who are to be held collectively responsible for it. It is a historical legacy," he had said.

After "years of neglect", he said India is fast developing capabilities near the China border, including building of roads, raising of two mountain divisions and setting up many new airfields and landing grounds.

"...If you compare overall, in the last ten years, our government has developed maximum infrastructure in those areas," he said.

The increased incursions by Chinese troops have lately resulted in some incidents of face-off.

Commenting on those situations, Antony had said, "Infrastructure is coming up in disputed areas (along the LAC) also. Patrols are coming closer and as a result, we see there are incursions. They come and go, they come and go and sometimes, situations of face-off also take place. We feel we can go to the areas we feel are ours and they also do so."
Times of india

India’s Share in Joint Fighter Project With Russia Likely to Grow

(RIA Novosti) – India’s share in research-and-development work for the joint Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project with Russia is currently limited by India's domestic industrial capabilities but will gradually increase with the project’s implementation, a Russian military expert said Friday.
India’s The Economic Times newspaper reported on October 17 that Indian military officials were concerned over the country’s work share in the FGFA project, which is currently only 15 percent even though New Delhi is bearing 50 percent of the cost.
According to the paper, India’s defense minister is expected to raise that issue during his visit to Russia beginning November 15.
“The figure cited by the Indian side reflects current capabilities of India’s industry, in particular the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [HAL] corporation,” said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Global Arms Trade.
“With the progress in the implementation of this project, we expect the Indian engineers and designers to approach the share determined in the [Russian-Indian] agreement: 50 percent,” Korotchenko said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti.
Russia will certainly provide all necessary knowledge and logistics support to Indian specialists, but developing skills and acquiring experience in design and development of advanced fighter aircraft takes a long time and substantial effort, the expert added.
The FGFA project began following a Russian-Indian agreement on cooperation in the development and production of the perspective multirole fighter, signed on October 18, 2007.
The Indian fighter jet will be based on the Russian single-seat Sukhoi T-50 or PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter, which now has four prototypes flying, but it will be designed to meet about 50 specific requirements by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
In December 2010, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi Company signed a preliminary design development contract worth $295 million for the new aircraft.
 Currently the $11 billion final design and research-and-development contract is under negotiation between the two countries. The total program is expected to cost India about $25 billion to 30 billion.
The IAF had initially planned to order 166 single-seat and 48 twin-seat fighters, but India’s chief of air staff said in October last year that New Delhi would now go for only 144 single-seat jets, with domestic production slated to begin in 2020.

DRDO’s international coming out party in Seoul features new Pragati tactical missile system

India’s growing military industrial complex has begun to seriously look towards international markets which could be quite considerable for Indian defence wares if properly cultivated. To that end, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has decided to feature a range of indigenously developed armaments along with its production partners at the ‘International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX-2013) scheduled to be held at KINTEX, Seoul, South Korea from 29 Oct – 3 Nov 2013′, which has participants from more than 30 countries.
Apart from the choice of venue itself for DRDO’s big international coming out party what else is rather interesting is of course the kind of hardware which it will put on display at Seoul. Particularly striking will be the Pragati surface to surface missile (SSM) which is being exhibited for the first time abroad or anywhere for that in this avatar. Pragati is an export variant of the Prahar tactical battlefield support missile which was tested in July 2011 and is meant for the Indian Army’s artillery arm.
The system that will be exhibited at Seoul broadly has the same specs as the Prahar though it is being advertised abroad with slightly different ranges than what has been reported domestically for the Prahar (see the specs sheet given below). Importantly, Pragati like Prahar also depends on an indigenous ring laser gyro based inertial navigation system that can receive GPS updates to remove accumulated errors.

Now the market for such tactical battlefield missiles has been expanding in recent times as armies around the world want to possess rocket artillery that would allow them to engage communication and ammunition nodes in the rear. The Chinese and Israelis have been early movers in this market and have exhibited long ranged precision guided systems of this variety in the past few years. The United States has of course sold the ATACMS to its allies here and there. Be that as it may, the fact that a usually conservative MEA has approved the exhibition of offensive weapons overseas for potential sales in a much more concerted manner is indicative of a welcome shift in the Indian mindset. Needless to say, defence exports can help India defray the costs of development and serve as a major tool for diplomacy
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Coming back to the Pragati, if India is able to bring down production costs for this system a large market could exist for it amongst ASEAN and African countries. Now, the Prahar/Pragati configuration shares its missile frame and some avionics with the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor from DRDO’s ballistic missile defence program. So both the AAD and Prahar/Pragati could actually be produced in tandem facilitating greater economies of scale thereby bringing down costs associated with both sets of systems.
In a manner of speaking, a part of the total R&D costs of the Pragati has in any case been amortized by those expended on developing the basic airframe of the AAD interceptor. Apart from the Pragati the following systems have also made it to Seoul as DRDO delineates in the following release:
AKASH (Surface to Air Missile System) Akash is a medium range surface to air missile system which provides area air defence to mobile, semi-mobile and static vulnerable points/ areas against multi directional air threats. The weapon system can operate in autonomous or group mode of operation. State of the art real time OS and open system architecture of the weapon system provides fully automatic and network centric operation.
ASTRA (Beyond Visual Range Air -to-Air Missile) Astra is a BVR Air-to-Air Missile having high Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP), and is very reliable. It is an all aspect, all weather missile with active Radar terminal guidance. It has excellent ECCM features, smokeless propulsion and process improved effectiveness in multi-target scenarios. It can be launched in both autonomous and buddy mode operation with features for lock-on before launch (LOBL) and lock-on after launch (LOAL).
ABHYAS (High-speed Expendable Aerial Target) High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) offers a realist threat scenario for practice of weapon systems. HEAT-ABHYAS is an expendable high-speed unmanned aerial target developed by DRDO. ABHYAS is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot. A lunberg lens in the nose cone improves the RCS of the target for weapon practice. It also has an Acoustic Miss Distance Indicator (AMDI) to indicate the miss distance.
LCA (Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas) The Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) is an indigenous fighter aircraft developed by ADA with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as its principal partner, in India. The air force variant christened Tejas is the smallest, light weight, multi role, single engine, tactical fighter aircraft with compound delta wing. LCA is being developed to the meet the versatile and stringent requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF), as its front line multi mission tactical aircraft. LCA fighter has take-off clean weight of 9800 Kg and can carry external stores of up to 3500 kg. The special features of LCA fighter are compound delta Planform, Relaxed static stability, composite structure, fly-by-wire flight control system, glass cockpit, etc., LCA fighter can carry Air-to-Air missiles, Air-to-ground missiles, Anti-ship missiles, Laser guided Bombs, Drop Tanks, Night targeting pod, EW suite and bombs of various weights. LCA Tejas is an amalgamation of contemporary concepts and technologies which makes the aircraft very agile and carefree maneuvering capabilities. LCA fighter has excellent handling qualities and performance characteristics. It rockets off the runway and into the air in a mere 500 meters. It has control harmony and carefree handling characteristics. With efficient fuel consumption and in built air refueling capability LCA Tejas is a contemporary fighter. The Indian Air force has placed production orders for LCA fighter.
LCA Navy (Naval Light Combat Aircraft) The Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Navy) is being developed to meet the requirements of I the ndian Navy. LCA Navy will operate from an Aircraft Carrier with a concept of Ski-jump and lands in 90 meters using an arrester hook engaging an arrestor wire on the ship. Derived from the Air force version it is longitudinally unstable, fly-by-wire aircraft making it an agile war machine. Flight control system of LCA Navy is augmented with Leading Edge Vortex Controller (LEVCON) aiding reduction in approach speed for landing. Auto throttle function incorporated in LCA Navy reduces pilot load by maintaining constant angle of attack during the critical phase of flaw-less carrier landing. Fuel dump system is an additional feature in LCA Navy to enable safe landing by reducing weight in the event of an emergency immediately after launch from a carrier. Landing gear of LCA Navy has been adequately strengthened to withstand increased landing loads in carrier operations. LCA Navy is supersonic at all altitudes and has Air-to-Air, Air-to-Sea and Air-to-Ground roles.
LCA Trainer LCA Trainer is a two seat tandem configuration Air Force Trainer derived from the fighter version. It is mainly used for training purpose, even though it has the capability to launch weapons. It has been an endeavour on the part of the developers to maintain maximum commonality amongst all the LCA variants i.e LCA fighter, LCA Trainer, Navy Trainer and Navy fighter. Front fuselage is modified to accommodate the second cockpit. Both front and rear cockpits of trainer are configured to replicate the Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) as in the fighter version. The trainer version has drooped nose for better cockpit vision and larger canopy to accommodate rear cockpit with additional vision for rear cockpit. It has mechanical interconnected control stick, Rudder pedal and throttle. LCA Trainer has been designed not only as a trainer but also as precision weapon launch platform for Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground, Air-to-Sea missions with effective stores management system capable of handling a wide range of weapons and stores. It can also be equipped with variety of sensors like Multi Mode Radar, Litening Pod and Helmet Mounted Display and Sight (HMDS).
AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) AEW&C systems detect, identify and classify threats present in the surveillance area and act as a command and control center to support different air operations. The system with its multiple Communication and data links alerts and directs fighters against threats while providing “Recognizable Air Surface Picture” to Commanders at Ground Exploitation Stations. It also comprises electronic and communication support measures that interrupt and classify unfriendly radar transmissions and communication signals.
AAAU (Active Antenna Array Unit for Surveillance) The AAAU houses primary Radar (PR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) electronics. The PR is the active electronically steered array Radar with a normal detection range and an extended range against RCS of fighter class of aircraft. Two radiating planar arrays assembled back to back and mounted on top of the aircraft fuselage provide 240 deg Coverage on either side of AAAU. The SSR emits a message querying the target in a particular sector. Replies from the target are automatically associated with the primary radar detections.
TRMM (Active Antenna Array Module) TRMM is the state-of-the-art technology for active array radar which is indigenously developed and productionized with a private sector enterprise. It has undergone severe environmental qualifications for airborne application. An extensive study on thermal aspects carried out and optimized. IFF Interrogator (Identification Friend or Foe System)
The IFF Interrogator is a compact, light-weight system using state-of-the-art technology and can be used for ground/ surface as well as airborne application. It operates as per the recommendation of Annecture-X of ICAO and STANAG 4193. It is designed using VME architecture that provides complete flexibility for futuristic upgrades. Operation in Mode S-level 2 gives capability of selective addressing and data link features which is very critical in dense air-traffic. IFF Transponder (Aid Platform Identification) The Airborne/surface IFF Mk XII(S) transponder is a compact and light weight system and can be tailor made into different form factor depending upon the platform requirement. It is designed using CPCI/SBC based architecture that provides complete flexibility for futuristic upgrades with all the system features as per standard laid down by ICAO/STANAG 4913. It has MIL 1533 and ARNIC 429 interface for integration with mission controller and data computer/ aircraft system.
IFF CIT (Identification System for Fighter class) The Combined Interrogator Transponder is state-of-the-art compact light weight system that can be used in either interrogator mode or transponder mode specially designed for airborne application to avoid fracticide while using BVR weapons. It has Gigabit Ethernet/ MIL 1553/ ARINC 429 interface that are mostly available interfaces for integration with mission controller and other aircraft systems.
WLR (Weapon Locating Radar) WLR is a coherent, electronically scanned pulse doppler radar. The radar automatically locates hostile artillery, mortars and rocket launchers and tracks friendly fire to locate the impact point of friendly artillery fire to issue necessary corrections. The radar is designed to detect projectiles with small cross section across the battle space horizon. The radar uses advanced signal processing techniques for detection and tracking projectiles in the presence of ground, weather clutter and other forms of interference in EW scenario. Vehicle based physical profile of the radar is designed for high mobility, quick deployment and decamp. System is designed to survive physical rigors of battlefield and soft hostile electronic warfare. The radar comes with an advanced navigation system that provides accurate position information. Software advanced solutions compensate for terrain variants like slope.
ROHINI (3D Medium Range Surveillance Radar) 3D Medium Range Surveillance Radar, Rohini is a ground based mechanically scanning Pulse Doppler radar for air space surveillance to detect and track air targets with reliability, even under hostile EW operational environment. The flexible architecture is a reliable and adaptable technology for multiple applications – early warning for air defence weapon system, air defence sensor at airbases. The radar has advanced technologies like digital receiver, programmable signal processor providing high resolution, accuracy, response and information availability. The radar, packaged on two vehicles, is easy to operate, mobile, transportable by air, rail and road, can be deployed and decamped in less than 30 minutes.
BFSR-SR (Battle Field Surveillance Radar – Short Range) BFSR-SR is a battery powered, light weight, man-portable surveillance radar. It can search a specified sector, simultaneously perform track while scan on multiple targets and carry out doppler based classification of various ground surface targets.
ABHAY (Compact Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS) System) ABHAY is an advanced integrated active cum passive sonar system designed for shallow water ASW platforms. It is specifically targeted for installation on smaller platforms such as ASW corvettes, coastal surveillance and patrol vessels. It employs advanced adaptive signal and information processing techniques for detection, tracking & classification of targets. The hardware architecture is based on state of the art open-architecture processor technologies that will enable smooth up-grade of the system capabilities in the future. A compact transducer array, modular front-end signal conditioning hardware and high efficiency switched mode power amplifiers make up the rest of the system.
3G UWACS (Underwater Acoustic Communication System) 3G UWACS is a state-of-the-art Underwater Wireless Acoustic Communication System based on SDR Architecture. This system incorporates advanced modulation and coding techniques in addition to data recording and analysis features. The system offers the user a tunable wideband communication capability over multiple bands in voice and data communication modes. In addition to the enormous flexibility in operation through a comprehensive GUI, it also supports remote operation and monitoring through standard networking technologies.
CTD Logger CTD Logger is a state-of-the-art sensor for measuring the three important oceanographic parameters – salinity, temperature and depth. These parameters form the regional description of ocean. Salinity is determined through conductivity measurement, and depth through pressure measurement. Speed of sound in ocean depends to a large extent on salinity, temperature and depth, thereby necessitating the accurate profiling of these parameters for sound profiling and characterization. As the conventional surveillance systems onboard ships and submarines use the acoustic method of detection and ranging, CTD logger finds immense applications for use in maritime or homeland port security, apart from its use in ocean research. So apart from some key munitions being developed by DRDO that are either already in service with the Indian military or will certainly see service with the Indian military (i.e Astra, Prahar) we also find a host of sensor equipment on display- an area that has emerged as a domestic strength. Of course, the LCA family will also be showcased and I leave you with this video of the LCA during the test phase. Watch out for the laser guided bomb release at round 00:24 seconds.

IbnLive

80-110 satellites needed to monitor Indian ocean: DRDO

India should develop capabilities to fully monitor the Indian Ocean region in a complete and three-dimensional manner, said Avinash Chander, DRDO director general and scientific advisor to the Defence Minister.
He opined that India should develop 80-110 satellites to cover the region.
“There are 19 Chinese satellites keeping a watch over the Indian Ocean. We need to develop capabilities for complete monitoring of the region,” he said.
Underlining the need to develop real-time data exchange and image transfer, Avinash said underwater navigation and seabed mapping would be vital in this regard. He was speaking after inaugurating Sympol 2013, a symposium on ocean electronics organised by Cochin University’s electronics department, here on Wednesday.
Later speaking to reporters, he said India should have 80-110 satellites to ensure the complete surveillance and monitoring of the Indian Ocean region. “We need to identify every movement in the region, and should have the ability to pinpoint it. There should be 80-100 satellites, maybe of a limited life, which can be deployed. They should be ready-to-use ones which can be launched within a short time,” he said.
Avinash said the proximity of the Indian Ocean was both an opportunity and a threat. Considering the untapped resources and energy, transit routes for 70 per cent of the global trade in oil, and navigational access to 50 per cent of international shipping, ocean technology helps in harvesting the potential of the region.
“The Indian Ocean region witnessed a steep increase in global terrorism, with many regional organisations covertly and inadvertently aiding and abetting subversive elements. The region is the hotbed of international crime, with the most incidents of piracy, and human and drug trafficking taking place in its waters,” he said.
Avinash said sensors that make possible measurements of physical, chemical and biological processes are also required to be developed. Underwater sensor networks would be required for monitoring daily ocean life, emergency events for military purposes and environmental research in future, he said.
Avinash said the government should invest to strengthen R&D in this field. “Researchers should take up initiatives and develop systems which can make harvesting of resources easier,” he added.

Indian Express

DRDO to export sonars to Myanmar soon

 

Two Scorpene submarines will have Indian AIP system: Avinash Chander

Signalling the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) strong intent to export military products to friendly nations, its chief and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister Avinash Chander said DRDO-made sonars would soon be exported to Myanmar in a groundbreaking initiative.

“We’ve attained total indigenisation in sonars and radars. Our ship-borne sonars are now being exported to Myanmar,” Mr. Chander told journalists after inaugurating an international symposium on ocean electronics organised by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) here on Monday. The DRDO, in a major change in its outlook, was open to sale of its defence products to friendly nations, he said.

(The Hindu has learnt from its sources that Myanmar has inked a deal with Bharat Electronics earlier this year for procurement of three units of export variant of hull-mounted sonar developed by the DRDO’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory located in Kochi.)

According to Mr. Chander, with the global market blobbing on its radar, the DRDO was taking part in the Aerospace and Defence Exhibition-2013 to be held in Seoul this month-end. “We’re taking an array of our systems, including Akash surface-to-air missile, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and Pragati surface-to-surface missile to the exhibition,” he said.

On the air-independent propulsion (AIP) system being developed by the DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory at Ambernath, he said it would be integrated onto the last two Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon Dock based on transfer-of-technology.

(AIP systems play a vital role in considerably enhancing the underwater endurance of conventional diesel-electric submarines. Conventional submarines devoid of AIP are required to surface once in a few days to recharge their batteries, a process when they are most vulnerable to attacks. Scorpenes being French-origin submarines, the French had offered to install their MESMA AIP on the Indian Scorpenes).

Mr. Chander said India needed some 80 to 100 satellites in the long-run to be able to ensure a fairly high degree of maritime domain awareness in the entire Indian Ocean region. There was need to launch low-cost, expendable satellites that could be swiftly deployed on demand, he said adding China already possessed such a capability, with some 19 satellites already keeping a watch over the Indian Ocean.

On Tejas, he said the aircraft in Mark-1 configuration would get full initial operational clearance by this year-end, and would brace for final operational clearance in 2014. Its series production had begun and induction of the first series production aircraft into the Air Force would also take place next year.

Main battle tank (MBT) Arjun in the enhanced Mark-2 configuration had some issues during the recent trials they would be resolved soon.

Mr. Chander was hopeful of seeing the induction of the 5,000 km-range Agni-V strategic missile in two years’ time. “But we need to hold three-four trials of the missile in user deployable configuration before that.”

The ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), he said, was on the drawing board and the basic configuration was being finalised at the moment.

“No country can progress by importing defence material and equipment” and therefore, the DRDO has identified several areas, where indigenisation could be done in a big way. “Ammunition for tanks and artillery guns for instance was one such area,” he said.

The Hindu

Second phase work on INS Vikrant to get under way in Cochin shipyard

 The carrier will displace 40,000 tonnes once it is fully built and fitted out

Two months after it was floated out at a ceremony at Cochin Shipyard India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant has now been taken to the bigger, repair dock of the yard for the second phase of construction.

Launched at 17,500 tonnes with the ski-jump in place, the carrier will displace 40,000 tonnes once it is fully built and fitted out. Structural work on the fleet’s air defence platform — including entire hull work, angle deck and island structure, all using about 4,000 tonnes of steel — is slated to be over by May next, when it will be undocked for integration of the crucial aviation complex, complete with hangars, hydraulics, command-control and the like.

Basin trials of the carrier will happen in the last phase, set to commence in 2017.

While the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) sanctioned Rs. 3,261 crore for the first phase of carrier construction, it is reliably learnt that the CCS is contemplating sanction of nearly Rs. 2,600 crore by way of cost to Cochin Shipyard for the crucial second phase.

The work-share arrangement for Vikrant construction under the Navy’s Project 71 is such that the Navy sources and supplies all equipment and material, with the yard’s role largely limited to formulating the detailed plan and putting it in place, under the Navy’s supervision.

Weapon integration

“It will be a real challenge for the yard once the hull construction gets over. The Navy will do some hand-holding when it comes to weapon integration. But the yard has to also set up fully integrated command-control networks like platform management and communication systems, which will be a real test of its capability, skill and adaptability,” said a defence official on condition of anonymity. Being a large vessel, the Vikrant will have some 2,500 km of cabling and nearly 70 km of pipe-network.

While work is apace to lay out cables and wires, obsolescence of equipment already delivered and kept in store for a few years is troubling the yard.

Some of the equipment, including the huge gas turbines, will have outlived their guarantee period by the time they go into the vessel and will be ready for trials.

“It will be a phase fraught with teething troubles. That the equipment on trial would be past their guarantee date is a little worrisome,” said an official. 

The Hindu

BEL to make aircraft harnesses for Pilatus

Bharat Electronics Ltd. on Monday said it would manufacture electrical harnesses for the global supplies of Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.

The two companies will set up a manufacturing facility at BEL’s Bangalore complex.

The arrangement is part of the offset commitment of Pilatus, which is supplying 75 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force for around Rs. 3,800 crore. The IAF-Pilatus contract includes an integrated ground-based training system, a comprehensive logistics support package and a 30 per cent obligation or return benefits to Indian industry.

As part of this, BEL and Pilatus this year signed a pact to produce certain aircraft electrical cable looms. Pilatus will transfer technology for tooling, jigs, while it is training BEL’s personnel in both the countries.

“The two companies are also reviewing additional potential offset project opportunities in the near future,” a release said. 

 The Hindu

US rejects Nawaz Sharif's call for intervention in Kashmir

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Washington DC on Sunday after having essayed the K-word during his stopover in London. The K-word, for those outside the Indian subcontinent loop, is code for Kashmir, eternal boondoggle/ bugaboo for all sides. Pakistan wants all of it; India has half of it and is hanging on to it; and US wants none of it - the issue, that is; not the territory. Now, for someone who is said to have complained that India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh brings his complaints against Pakistan to Washington DC like a "dehati aurat," it was rather rich for MianSahib to start his K-mantra during a layover in London, but the only K-word he heard on his arrival at Andrews AirForce Base in Maryland on a PAF Gulf Stream jet, was John Kerry, the secretary of state.

Arriving on a Sunday for an official visit has the great advantage of beating traffic into DC, but the downside is it's Obama's day off. Unlike Clinton, who came to work even on a July 4 when Sharif last came to Washington DC for Pakistan's "Dehati Aurat" part I - when it was getting a smacking in Kargil - Obama has no time for time or sympathy for losers. The president was out playing golf with his White House staffers, including Sam Kass, the chef and logistics guys Mike Brush and Marvin Nicholson, leaving it to his secretary of state to welcome the visiting prime minister. Kerry, seen in Indian circles as being a mite too sympathetic to Pakistan, duly met Sharif and hosted him for a dinner later in the night. The menu consisted of Butternut Squash Soup and Grilled Halal Lamb - and you can use your vivid imagination to divine any hidden messages there.

For the record though, Kerry welcomed Sharif with the following 127 words: "Let me just say that I'm really pleased to welcome Prime Minister Sharif here. He was just telling me that he hasn't been here since 1999 when he was last in office. He has received me several times very generously in Pakistan. We're very anxious to have a series of high-level, important discussions over the course of the next few days - the vice president, the president, tonight's dinner. We have a lot to talk about and the relationship with Pakistan could not be more important. On its own, a democracy that is working hard to get its economy moving and deal with insurgency and also important to the regional stability. So, we're very happy to have you here, Mr Prime Minister. I look forward to the conversations."

The word that caught my eye was "anxious." That about describes the state of the relationship and the feeling in Washington DC over Pakistan. When they say, "the relationship with Pakistan could not be more important," it is not the same as "defining partnership of the 21st century." More like ... you scare the hell out of us. Many Pakistanis take this as a compliment. Also duly noted that MianSahib did not say anything. Either his advisors/minders did not trust him to open his mouth or he's saving his much-improved English - upgraded during exile in Saudi Arabia - for a better occasion.

Anyway, after feeding Sharif and Party, Kerry is hoofing off to some other crisis spot somewhere in the world, determined one suspects, to beat Hillary Clinton's travel record of 956,733 miles, and become first million-mile secretary of state in US history. That leaves Sharif two whole days to twiddle his thumbs before he meets Obama at the White House on Wednesday, by which time I maybe hoofing off too - not that anyone would notice. Obama remains in town, and in fact, will do a Rose Garden event on the Affordable Care Act in the morning — so it is something of mystery why MianSahib is being made to cool his heels. Maybe he'll jet off someplace to woo investors — they don't play cricket in these parts.

Meanwhile, the White House has taken careful aim at the K-word and shot it off the agenda — not that it will stop the Pakistani caterwauling. Whether it is Kashmir or nuclear deal or predator strikes, the drone is incessant. For the record though, US officials who previewed the visit on background said on Sunday that the American policy on Kashmir "has not changed an iota" and it was left to the two sides to sort it out at time and pace and place of their choosing. The advice to Pakistan in the sub-text is: Forget Kashmir, and get on with other things, but as far as Islamabad (or rather, Rawalpindi) is concerned, Kashmir is some kind of facial tic which won't go away. It has to be mentioned at least for form's sake, even if the rest of the world starts yawning at the first sign or sound of it.

Then there's also the N-word and the D-word - other signature items on the Pakistani agenda. They are still sore that US and the international community have promoted India to a different nuclear league and want the same deal. In this they now have some help from their taller-than-mountains, deeper-than-oceans, sweeter-than-honey friends who have promised them a couple of spanking new nuclear reactors just to poke Uncle Sam in the eye for making nice with India. Going by past form, Uncle Sam will not be poked in the eye; he will just turn away and pretend the problem does not exist. Some day when the spit hits the fan, there will be many people in the world with spittle on their face.

As for the D-word, Pakistan has made such a song and dance about it that even the UN has taken note - not that this particularly bothers the US. The only reason drone strikes are tailing off is because there are very few people left in the badlands of Pakistan to kill by predatory strikes. They've all gone hell and Yemen - and Somalia - or they have become smart enough not to leave any electronic signatures. Of course, there are tons of them in other provinces of Pakistan closer to its eastern borders, but judging by the indulgence with which Uncle Sam has treated that fat terrorist who moves about in SUV convoys with state protection (despite a $ 10 million US bounty), they are not for US drones to take out.

Times of india

India likely to take second nuclear submarine from Russia on lease

Faced with a depleting fleet of submarines, India is expected to acquire on lease a nuclear submarine from Russia, a deal for which may be finalised during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit there starting today.

The move to acquire the second nuclear submarine from Russia comes two months after the Navy's frontline Russian- origin Kilo Class INS Sindhurakshak submarine sank at the Mumbai harbour after an explosion suspected to have occurred in its torpedo section.

A proposal in this regard was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister in its recent meeting. The deal is expected to cost India more than Rs 6,000 crore, highly-placed government sources told PTI.

The Indian Navy is already operating one Akula II Class nuclear submarine--Nerpa. The over 8,000-tonne warship was inducted in April last year at the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command and renamed 'INS Chakra'.

Under the project, India is planning to finance the construction of an old Akula Class submarine 'Irbis' in Russia, which could not be completed during the 1990s due to the lack of funds after the break up of the erstwhile USSR.

The two countries have been holding negotiations in this regard for quite some time and they were concluded recently. The construction of the submarine is expected to take at least three to four years.

India's submarine fleet, which is getting old, suffered a huge blow after the sinking of the INS Sindhurakshak at the Mumbai harbour, killing all the 18 people on-board.

 Economictimes

India close to signing with Kangnam for minesweepers

(UPI) -- India is set to sign a $1.2 billion contract later this year with South Korean shipyard Kangnam for eight minesweepers .
The deal is to replace India's aging fleet of 12 Pondicherry and Karwar class minesweepers.
DefenseNews.com quoted an unnamed Ministry of Defense official as saying the navy could give additional orders to the South Korean company for counter-mine ships, since the service has a requirement for more than 24 minesweepers.
No date was given for the signing that would end a 5-year procurement process.
DefenseNews.com also reported that the contract with Kangnam has been delayed because of issues relating to the procurement.
Italy-based Intermarine, which was competing for the contract, had approached India's anti-fraud agency the Central Vigilance Commission over concerns with transparency of the purchasing process.
The CVC cleared the purchase last year, DefenseNews reported.
The Hindu newspaper reported in 2011 that under the proposed deal Kangnam Corp. would build two of the vessels at their shipyard in Busan, South Korea.
The other six will be manufactured by India's Goa Shipyard after a transfer-of-technology agreement.
Last year the Times of India reported that the vessels will be made of composite material and high-grade steel to ensure minimal magnetivity.
High-definition sonars and acoustic and magnetic sweeps will be used to detect marooned and drifting mines. Remote-controlled systems including small underwater vehicles will be used to detonate the devices at safe distances.
India's 200-foot long Pondicherry class ships are minesweepers built for the Indian navy by the Soviet Union from 1978-88 and are modified versions of the Russian Natya class minesweeper. Later vessels often are referred to as Karwar class ships because of upgrades and the addition of surface-to-air missiles.
Last month the navy got it first indigenously built Hawk Mk-132 advanced trainer jets.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., which makes the aircraft under license from BAE Systems' aerospace division, delivered the Hawks during a ceremony at HAL's Bangalore plant, a statement by HAL said.
HAL said the five trainer jets to be delivered by the end of the fiscal year are part of a larger order from the navy for 17 aircraft to be delivered by 2016.
The Ministry of Defense ordered the navy's Hawks, as well as 40 more Hawks for the air force, in 2010. Their primary use is for training pilots, but the Hawk can be upgraded quickly to be used as a ground attack aircraft, HAL said.
India is now the third naval operator of Hawk trainers, along with the U.S. Navy and that of the United Kingdom, a statement from BAE Systems said.

India to finalise Rafale deal this fiscal year: air force

(Reuters) - India will finalise a $15 billion deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation by March 2014, an Indian air force official said on Thursday, after the deal had been held up by differences over local manufacturing.
New Delhi picked the Rafale for exclusive negotiations in January 2012 after a bidding contest against Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, made by a consortium involving EADS , Finmeccanica and BAE Systems .
But there were differences over the role of India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in manufacturing the jets.
Air Marshal S. Sukumar, deputy chief of air staff, told an aerospace conference the deal would be signed within the current financial year, according to a statement issued by conference organiser, the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Under the deal, Dassault is expected to send 18 ready-made jets and would manufacture the rest in India. Hindustan Aeronautics will be its lead partner.
Dassault had earlier expressed doubts about the ability of the local partner to make such a sophisticated fighter. Hindustan Aeronautics has been developing a light combat aircraft since the early 1980s with no success so far.
A spokesman for Dassault declined to comment. The French company is still hoping to finalise the deal by the end of the 2013.
India's government wants to encourage Indian companies to partner with foreign suppliers to reduce its reliance on imports and boost a domestic defence industry that is dominated by underperforming public sector companies.
A separate tender to buy and build 56 military transport planes at an estimated cost of 119 billion rupees has been extended by two months, Sukumar also said. The Defence Ministry launched the tender in May to replace an ageing fleet of Avro jets.
The ministry had originally said the transport planes deal must be struck between a foreign supplier and an Indian private company. However, Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel said last week that public-sector firms already making products for the armed forces should have been allowed to take part in the bidding.
The Defence Ministry has said it will look into Patel's complaint, potentially delaying the tender. Many of India's foreign arms purchases run into long delays because of accusations of corruption and bureaucratic complications.

2nd nuclear submarine lease likely to be 'X factor' in Indo-Russian summit

At least half a dozen bilateral agreements in spheres like energy, biotechnology, metrology and technical regulations, and a big ticket deal on an undisclosed subject, are expected to be signed at the 14th Indo-Russian annual summit in Moscow on October 21, key officials involved in the negotiations (which are still going on) said. However the X factor that is likely to dominate the summit and the strategic outcome, whether announced or unannounced, is Russia agreeing to lease second nuclear submarine to India.
India has been looking to take a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia and talks are believed to have progressed well. The two sides are keeping budget-level secrecy on this subject. The issue is likely to dominate discussions between Singh and Putin during a restricted meeting where the two principals meet with select aides.
Normally, sensitive subjects like nuclear submarines are not announced formally. It is yet to be seen whether the subject will find a mention in the Joint Statement to be released after the visit but a broad framework on defence and scientific cooperation is likely to be unveiled after the talks.
The only nuclear submarine with the Indian Navy currently, INS Chakra, has also been taken on lease from Russia. The boat joined active service in the Indian Navy in April 2012. The ten-year lease has cost India almost a billion dollars.
The Indian Navy personnel are quite satisfied with the leased nuclear submarine as the 80-personnel capacity boat can remain under water as long as human endurance allows. Another operational advantage of the boat is that its noise level is virtually zero which enhances its stealth qualities.
The second nuclear submarine lease is likely to cost considerably more. Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is scheduled to hold a press conference on Manmohan Singh’s visit to Russia and China during which she would inevitably be asked questions about the second nuclear submarine lease plans.
Defence ties
Government-to-government route, comparable to the American Foreign Military Supplies (FMS) programme, is being actively considered to repair the strains in Indo-Russian defence relations from the Russian viewpoint.
Russia has been complaining to India for losing out on several defence deals over the past two years largely because of India’s radically changed Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) which puts greater emphasis on indigenization.
But despite some recent setbacks, Russia still tops the list of foreign defence suppliers, having secured orders worth $16 billion in orders during the three-year period of April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2013. This amounts to almost 40 percent of the Indian defence imports in this period which totaled $38 billion. Currently Russian arms factories are working on cumulative Indian orders worth $20 billion, enough to keep them busy for years.
Energy, trade, investment issues
The October 21 summit will be dominated by energy, trade and investment issues.
On the energy front, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant’s 3^rd and 4^th units and Indian concerns about ONGC’s loss-making investment in Imperial Energy which is engaged in mineral extraction in western Siberia would be the main talking points at the summit, officials said.
It is a work in progress on the tricky issue of KNPP 3 and 4 and no agreements are likely to be signed during the summit. The matter is currently at the technical talk’s stage.
The two sides’ prime focus will be on giving a much-needed impetus to the bilateral trade, currently at a below-par $11 billion with a target of taking it to $20 billion by 2015. The leaders will be tightening bolts and screws of a mechanism of deepening cooperation in multiple and diverse sectors such as information technology, fertilizers, infrastructure and aviation.
The two leaders are likely to discuss the idea of Russians producing passenger aircraft SSJ-100 and Irkut in India for India to keep the cost of production considerably lower. Again, an agreement is unlikely to be signed during the summit in this context because the matter is being discussed by technical experts from the two sides.
Fertilizer sector is another highly important area that promises rich returns as Russia is a leading producer and India a major importer of the commodity. The two sides are likely to agree to intensify their cooperation in this area which can give billions of dollars to Russia in the long run

 indrus

NHI, Sikorsky extend bids for Indian naval helicopter programme

Two overseas manufacturers have extended their commercial bids for the Indian Navy's (IN's) long-delayed Naval Multi-Role Helicopter (NMRH) requirement until December 2013.
Official sources said Europe's NHIndustries (NHI) and Sikorsky, which are offering their NH90 and S-70B Seahawk helicopters respectively, had recently agreed to the six-month extension for the second time in a year at the Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) request.
The MoD is trying to resolve a complaint by NHI against Sikorsky in the more than USD1 billion programme, for which field trials were completed in 2011. In an early 2012 letter to the MoD, NHI claimed that during the trials the MoD had "granted" the Sikorsky S-70B helicopter several technical waivers.

 janes.com

Finally, Tejas gets electronic warfare systems

After eight years of research and postponement, India’s first indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, positioned at HAL Bangalore, has finally been fitted with electronic warfare (EW) systems.

Now, new test flights will happen with electronic warfare anytime during November or beginning of December. The 2,348 test flights of the LCA so far have not had electronic warfare. The new test flights will bring in new data and information for further development of the aircraft and the electronic systems.

Sources in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told Deccan Herald that the LCA Prototype Vehicle-1 (PV-1) has now been fitted with a radar-warning receiver, a radar-warning jammer, laser warner, missile-approach warner, emitter, and a flare dispenser. The systems are now undergoing ground trials with aeronautical engineers simulating multiple threats to the aircraft and then examining its response.

The results of the ground trials will help fine-tune the electronic systems for the actual test flights. The ground trials will take about a fortnight or a month. So, test flights will be held in mid-November or December.

Engineers and scientists working on the project say the radar receivers and jammers will track enemy signals from air and ground, while the emitter will watch out for missile launches from ground. Systems to track missiles from air and enemy aircraft will also be part of the LCA. The entire system has been developed by both Indian and Israeli engineers and scientists.

The fitment of the electronic systems has an interesting history. For almost eight years, a section of the aeronautical community has been resisting its fitment, anxious that the add-ons may cause a first crash, which has never happened so far in the LCA’s test-flight history. They have been very keen on securing the operational clearance, initial as well as final from the Indian Air Force, even if the LCA did not have the electronic system.

Their reasoning was that once the IAF certified it as operationally worthy, they would have a successful product to showcase to the world. Also, the LCA has had a perfect record of test flights and no one wished to risk an add-on on the LCA that had not been tried. The idea was to defend the ‘zero crash’ record.

This was made known sometimes explicitly to engineers and scientists working on the electronic systems, who, however, had been pressing for very long that the systems ought to be fitted and trials conducted to be able to fine-tune them. This difference of perception on the LCA persisted for long, and one consequence was, no vehicle or version of the LCA was identified for many years to fit the equipment. This caused delay of over five years in launching the electronic systems on the LCA and to questioning of the very purpose and objective of building the systems.

After haggling for over eight years, it has been finally decided to instal the electronic systems on the LCA prototype Version-1. But there’s a catch here. The PV-1 has not flown for very long and has been parked in the hangar with later versions of the LCA undertaking the test flights. The PV-1, which began flights in around 2001-02, has completed 242 test flights after which it has been grounded. Now, there is a bit of anxiety about how an aircraft that has not done flights for long will perform with the new electronic warfare systems.

The confidence, however, is that the aircraft may perform well because its health has been under check almost daily and every department concerned will certify that all parts of the aircraft are flight-worthy. Without this certification, the PV-1 will not be allowed to fly. But once it passes the certification, the LCA PV-1 will become the first vehicle to fly with electronic warfare systems.

Deccan Herald

Army to buy 49 mini unmanned aerial vehicles for J&K

Jammu: Army's Northern Command has issued a global tender for procuring latest miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for gathering intelligence and carry out reconnaissance of areas along Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and Sino-India border.
 In the wake of frequent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C) Northern Command has issued Request for Proposal (RFP) tender recently for procurement of 49 NK Mini-UAVs for the Army units deployed in Northern Command theatre in J&K.

The bids are invited from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)of Defence Procurement Manual 2009 or Permanent Registered Authorised Distributors of OEM, a senior officer of Electric and Mechanical Engineers (EMA) Branch at Northern Command Headquarter, said.

Mini UAVs, which will serve as an electronic eyes to Army troops in most sensitive Northern theatre, for gathering intelligence and carrying out reconnaissance of areas along LoC with Pakistan and Sino-India border in Lakdah besides some specialised counter terrorist operations in J&K.

The procurement of Mini-UAVs have become all the more important in view of the fact that Jammu and Kashmir's LoC and International Border (IB) has become 'hot and active' with Pakistani troops' ceasefire violation due to firing, infiltration bids, BAT attacks on forward posts and sniping incidents on Indian forward posts on regular basis since August this year.

This year has witnessed several fold increase in the ceasefire violations as Pakistani troops violated border truce more than 130 times along LoC in J&K -highest in past eight years.

PTI/ Zeenews

Refitted Aircraft Carrier to Leave for India November 30 – Deputy Premier

(RIA Novosti) – A Russian-built aircraft carrier refitted for the Indian Navy will finally leave for India on November 30, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Monday, following an overhaul that is years late, and cost over twice the original budgeted price.
The carrier Vikramaditya, which is now five years past its original 2008 delivery date, was supposed to have been handed over to India in December 2012 after the contract was renegotiated, but had to undergo additional repairs after last year’s sea trials revealed that the vessel's boilers were not fully functional due to problems with their insulation.
“The problems revealed during sea trials last year have been fixed,” Rogozin, who oversees Russia’s defense and space industries, said at a meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“The ship is ready a month ahead of the handover ceremony and will leave our territorial waters on November 30,” Rogozin said.
Russian arms exports monopoly Rosoboronexport said in September that the Vikramaditya will be handed over to India on November 15 and was expected arrive at the Indian naval base at the port of Mumbai by February.
The warship, previously known as the Admiral Gorshkov, is a Project 1143.4 or modified Kiev class aircraft carrier commissioned by the Soviet Navy in 1987 and decommissioned in 1996 after cuts to the Russian Navy fleet.
The refit of the ship has lurched from one crisis to another since India and Russia signed a $947 million deal in 2004 for its purchase and refit according to the Times of India. Delivery has been delayed three times, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the vessel to $2.3 billion, sparking acrimony between Moscow and New Delhi over the contract.
The Indian Navy has already taken delivery of some of the carrier's MiG-29K naval fighter aircraft, that were completed before their parent ship was ready for sea.

Russian Air Force to Receive 30 New Fighter-Bombers by 2015

(RIA Novosti) – The Sukhoi aircraft maker will deliver a total of 30 Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft to the Russian Air Force by the end of 2014, the Defense Ministry said.
The Su-34s are manufactured by the Novosibirsk aircraft plant, part of the Sukhoi holding, located in Russia’s Siberia region.
“The current [2013] year plan on the delivery of 14 [Su-34] aircraft under the state defense order will be fulfilled, and the plant has promised to deliver another 16 fighter-bombers next year,” the ministry said in a statement Friday citing a report by the Novosibirsk plant.
The Air Force is due to get a total of 124 Su-34s by 2020 under two contracts with the Sukhoi holding. According to official data, 29 series-production Su-34s have been delivered to the Russian military so far.
A two-seat derivative of the Su-27 fighter, the Su-34 can carry a payload of up to eight tons of precision-guided weapons over 4,000 kilometers.
The aircraft will eventually replace all of the ageing Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft in service with the Air Force and the Navy

Experts brainstorm on anti-submarine systems

Stealth submarines capable of launching long-range missiles are a threat in any naval warfare scenario. Enhancing the detection capability of the anti-submarine warfare systems is of vital importance in such situations.

Indian Navy experts and scientists and engineers from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) met to discuss the challenges in the development of airborne systems and sensors involved in anti-submarine warfare at a national workshop in Kochi on Friday.

"Unlike the threats from the surface and air during any naval war, the threat that comes form under water, from submarines, is the most unpredictable. The biggest advantage in war at sea is having airborne surveillance systems mounted on aircraft or helicopters operating from ships," said the Indian Navy's assistant chief of naval staff (ACNS), Rear Admiral D M Sudan.

Delivering the inaugural address at the workshop, he said that the Navy always supported indigenization in its systems and worked closely with DRDO scientists so that user-inputs can be incorporated in the systems at the design development stage.

"The helicopter-mounted dunking sonar is ideal for detecting submarines. Once the submarine is detected, the helicopters can launch an attack on their own or along with the ship. This is a big advantage against a submarine hiding in the waters," he said, adding that lot of progress has been made on the low frequency dunking sonar (LFDS) which is being developed by DRDO's Kochi-based Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL).

Replying to a query on the sidelines of the workshop, Rear Admiral Sudan said that reorganization of the DRDO into clusters, as recommended by the Rama Rao committee, will help in the laboratory-industry-services relations in the development of indigenous systems.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) director (R&D) John P Zacharia, in his keynote address, spoke on the need to indigenize and maintain the quality of every bit of the system. "All our computer systems have a micro-processor developed by us. Just like you see the Intel processor for all MS systems, we have fabricated our own and named it Vikram 1601. So no company in the world can hold our work to ransom by denying us technology. We don't use anything from outside. Every bit and piece is developed by our own R&D," he said. - Times of india

China gives Arunachal archers stapled visas

The visa row between the two countries returned to haunt two young archers from Arunachal Pradesh as they could not a board a flight to China on Thursday to participate in the Youth World Archery Championship since they were carrying stapled visas.

An Archery Association of India (AAI) official told TOI on Thursday that the two archers — Maselo Mihu and Sorang Yumi — were the only ones in the 30-member contingent to have been issued stapled visas for the event starting in Wuxi on Saturday.

"We had applied for visa for 24 archers and six officials. All of them were given proper visas apart from these two girls. Twenty-eight of them got their visas at 4 pm while we kept waiting to get visas for these two Arunachal Pradesh girls. We got their stapled visas at 6pm. When we asked the embassy officials about it, they said it will do. They told us to ask the girls to keep the stapled visas carefully," AAI official Gunjan Abrol said.

"But when we reached the airport to catch the 11 am flight, the airlines authorities advised us against sending these two girls since they ran the risk of being deported back to India. The girls were bitterly disappointed to find themselves in such a situation for no fault of them. AAI president VK Malhotra is aware of the development and he will take up the matter with the ministry of external affairs on Friday."

 

Times of india

Helicopter Dhruv clocks 1,00,000 flying hours

The country's first indigenous chopper, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH -Dhruv), designed, developed, produced and maintained by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to meet the requirements of military and civil operators, today achieved a new milestone of clocking one lakh cumulative flying hours.

The landmark was achieved early in the day today by the IA 3104 of 301 Army Aviation Squadron (Spl Ops).

"It is a proud moment for us that Dhruv has proved its mettle over the years. India is the sixth nation in the world to have the capability to develop helicopters of this class.

Dhruv has been exported to Ecuador, Mauritius, Nepal and Maldives," said HAL Chairman R K Tyagi.

"One lakh hours flown by the machine is an awesome feat to achieve. It is a dream machine for any pilot", said Lt Col Kapil Agarwal who completed the landmark flying hours.

ALH is being operated by the Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, BSF and state governments since 2002, said an HAL statement.

Currently, more than 132 Dhruv helicopters are serving the Indian Defence Forces. HAL has also built 12 civil variant Dhruv helicopters and they are being used by its customers.

According to Bangalore-headquartered HAL, Dhruv is extremely useful to the Indian defence forces in meeting the arduous tasks in the terrains of Himalayas like Siachen Glacier and Kashmir.

It played a key role in rescue operations after the tsunami (2004), flash floods at Leh (2010), earthquake at Sikkim (2011) and the biggest ever helicopter based rescue operation undertaken by Indian defence forces in flood and rain-hit areas of Uttarakhand recently, the defence PSU said.

ALH Dhruv is an all-weather helicopter which can carry 10-16 people at heights of 10,000 feet.  It is a multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 tonne weight class and meets Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) specifications, the company said.

HAL said Dhruv has demonstrated its capability in long distance flights, vertical climb and in maneuvering.

The advanced technology features incorporated in the design of Dhruv include hinge-less main rotor and bearing-less tail rotor, integrated dynamic system encompassing main gear box and upper controls in a single housing, higher powered Shakti engines, integrated architecture display system (glass cockpit), duplex automatic flight control system and redundancy with twin-engine, dual hydraulics and controls.

It also has advanced avionics (communication, navigation & surveillance) and mission systems.

"All this makes Dhruv, a versatile multi-mission, multi-role helicopter capable of operating in all-weather and extreme climatic conditions with high degree of reliability and survivability", the statement said.

NDTV

India test-fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile from Odisha

India on Monday test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350km from a test range at Chandipur, about 15km from here.

The surface-to-surface missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at about 9.14am, defence sources said.

"The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of DRDO as part of practice drill," the sources said.

"The missile trajectory will be tracked by the DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha," they said.

"The downrange teams onboard the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal will monitor the terminal events and splashdown," they said.

Inducted into India's Strategic Forces Command in 2003, the Prithvi II missile, the first missile to be developed by DRDO under India's prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) is now a proven technology, said a defence source.

"The launch was part of a regular training exercise of SFC and was monitored by DRDO scientists," the source said.

Such training launches clearly indicate India's operational readiness to meet any eventuality and also establishes the reliability of this deterrent component of India's strategic arsenal, the source said.

Prithvi is capable of carrying 500kg to 1000kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvering trajectory.

The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the same base on August 12, 2013.

Times of india

India Begins Indigenous Anti-Tank Missile Development Amid Javelin Talks

India has begun working on an indigenous man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), despite a U.S. proposal to co-produce the Javelin ATGM.
The project — a third generation Nag missile — is unlikely to derail the proposed Javelin deal, which is in only the preliminary stages of negotiation with the U.S., an Indian ministry official was quoted as saying by Defense News.
The Indian Army has a requirement for more than 20,000 third generation man-portable ATGMs, and all attempts to procure them from foreign countries over the past eight years has not been successful.
Israel’s offer of its Spike ATGM was rejected in 2007 because it was the only vendor to respond to the tender. The U.S., meanwhile, refused to transfer technology last year after a proposal to buy the Javelin on a government-to-government basis.
The full details of Washington’s latest Javelin proposal have not been released, but the U.S.wants to sell around 6,000 units within one year of the signing of the contract. In the future, the US would explore co-production of the Javelin and, at a later stage, work on the co-development of an ATGM tailor-made for India, according to Defense News.

The U.S. would also transfer Javelin technology, including the manufacture of the warhead, rocket motor, propellant, guidance and seeker, but no algorithms for guidance.
A team from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin has briefed the Indian MoD on the possibilities to be explored in the Javelin project, an Indian MoD official was quoted as saying in the report.
A Lockheed Martin says Javelin is better than any other man-portable ATGM because it is ejected non-explosively, which is useful to the Indian Army in higher terrain, the report added.
DRDO, meanwhile, has begun work on the Nag missile, which would weigh only 16 kilograms compared to Javelin’s 26 kilograms, the DRDO official was quoted in a report.

The man-portable version of the Nag missile is simpler than the vehicle-mounted version and, as such, could be developed in the next three years.
The Indian Army uses second generation, French-made Milan and Russian-made Konkurs ATGMs, which have a range of less than 2,000 meters.

Defensedworld

IAF Planning fighter plane base in Nyoma in Ladakh, IAF chief Browne says

As part of efforts to build up military infrastructure along the border with China, the IAF on Friday said it plans to develop a fighter aircraft base at Nyoma in Ladakh and is upgrading seven airfields for carrying out 24X7 operations in the northeast.

The service is also considering extending the runway length and upgrading the Kargil airfield close to the Line of Control with Pakistan, its chief NAK Browne.

"Nyoma is an important location for both the Army and the IAF in the south east of Ladakh where we have good weather all round the year... The cost of developing the air base would be around Rs 2,173 crore and it will take 4-5 years to develop it," he said, addressing the 81st Air Force Day press conference.

Browne said the proposal for developing the Nyoma air field was mooted in 2010 with the landing of an An-32 transport aircraft there. It is right now with the finance ministry and is expected to be taken up by the Cabinet next month, he said.

"All types of aircraft including fighters, helicopters and transport aircraft would be able capable of being deployed and operated from there," he said.

Browne said the airbase, located at an altitude of around 13,000 feet, is lower in height than the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Daulat Beg Oldie but was higher than the air bases in Leh and Thoise.

The IAF had recently created a record of sorts by landing its C-130J Special Operations aircraft at the DBO ALG, which is situated at an altitude of over 16,000 feet and is close to Depsang Valley where Chinese troops had infiltrated and pitched the tents for 21 days earlier this year. - Times of india

Russia Considering Offering India Airliner Assembly Deals

(RIA Novosti) – Russia could agree on a deal to start assembling Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Irkut MS-21 passenger jets in India, an official at the Russian Economic Development Ministry said Friday.
Russia is considering a number of projects to promote the country’s airliners “with the possibility of cooperating in their production,” said Yevgeny Popov, who heads the ministry’s department of Asia and Africa, adding that this concerns both the Sukhoi Superjet 100, now being built in Russia, and the next-generation Irkut MS-21, due to enter production in a few years.
He did not provide more details.
Popov made the statement ahead of the 19th meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation in Moscow on Friday.
According to Indian experts, assembling the Russian passenger jets in India could cut production costs per plane by 40 percent, Popov told journalists.
The Superjet 100 is a medium-haul passenger aircraft capable of carrying 75-95 passengers developed by the Sukhoi Corporation in cooperation with US and European aerospace companies.

The MS-21 is a family of twin-engine jet airliners still under development by the Irkut and the Yakovlev design bureau, part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation. It has a capacity of 150-212 passengers.
India has a long history of building Soviet and later Russian aircraft under license at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), going back to the MiG-21 in the 1960’s, but has only assembled military types. HAL is currently license-building the Russian Su-30MKI strike aircraft in India.