Airbus, Mahindra Announce Joint Venture To Make Helicopters For India's Armed Forces

Airbus Helicopters said on Friday that it will partner with Mahindra Defence, a unit of the $16.9 billion Mahindra Group, to produce helicopters in India.
The joint venture will be the first private manufacturer of military helicopters under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. Airbus Helicopters is a unit of Europe's Airbus Group.
“We have extensive expertise in engineering, automotive and fixed-wing sectors and have made substantial investments in aero components manufacturing, while Airbus Helicopters offers best-in-class rotorcraft platforms," said S. P. Shukla, Group President, Aerospace and Defence Sector and Chairman, Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd. in a statement.
Mahindra Aerospace is also in the process of manufacturing a 10-seat turboprop Airvan 10, which is scheduled for certification this year.
“The tie-up is in line with our intent to develop an indigenous industrial ecosystem dedicated to helicopters. The joint venture will be dedicated to supplying the Indian Armed Forces with made-in-India, state-of-the-art helicopters of high reliability, quality and safety standard based on combat-proven platforms," said said Guillaume Faury, President and CEO, Airbus Helicopters in the statement.
The Indian government will spend $620 billion between 2014-2022, of which half will be capital expenditure said a February report by industry association FICCI and financial services company Centrum Capital Ltd. That represents a huge opportunity for Indian firms and major companies such as Mahindra Group, Reliance Group, Adani Group, Bharat Forge Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd, the Tata Group, Larsen and Toubro Ltd., and the Godrej Group have announced their forays in the defence sector.

 huffingtonpost

India to renew hunt for assault rifles after scrapping 4-yr-old tender

India will now re-launch the hunt for new-generation assault rifles for its 1.18-million strong Army, following the scrapping its four-year-old tender for the guns worth around Rs 4,850 crore.

TOI on May 20 had reported that the proposed mega project for the assault rifles, with interchangeable barrels for conventional warfare and counter-insurgency operations, was on the verge of being scrapped since it had run into major problems.
Now, the armament firms that had participated in the extensive trials -- Colt (US), Beretta (Italy), Ceska (Czech) and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) - have been told that the proposed contract was being retracted. This is a serious blow to the long-standing demand for new rifles to replace the 5.56mm indigenous INSAS (Indian small arms system) guns, which have suffered from technical bugs since their induction in 1994-95.
As per the now-cancelled project, 65,000 rifles were to be directly acquired from the selected foreign vendor to equip the 120 infantry battalions deployed on the western and eastern fronts. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was to then subsequently manufacture over 1,13,000 such rifles after getting transfer of technology from the foreign company.

But the proposal for the new rifles -- with a 5.56x45mm primary barrel for conventional warfare and a 7.62x39mm secondary one for counter-terror operations - was found to be "impractical" both in terms of high costs and technical requirements, said sources.

The plan now is to either get a foreign arms company to shift some of its manufacturing facilities to India or task the OFB to manufacture the new assault rifles with foreign collaboration.

Weighing around 3.5-kg, the new rifle will need to have a 1-km range, advanced night-vision devices, holographic reflex sights, laser designators, detachable under-barrel grenade launchers and the like.

The INSAS rifles, with an effective range of just 450-metre and weighing over 4.25-kg, had replaced the even more cumbersome 7.62mm self-loading rifles. The Army also uses over one lakh AK-47s, known the world over for their sheer ruggedness and fail-safe nature, for counter-insurgency operations in J&K and northeast. 

 

timesofindia

MiG 29K simulator commissioned

A state-of-the-art cockpit simulator of MiG 29K fighter aircraft was commissioned at the Southern Naval Command, the force’s training command, on Wednesday.

Chief of the Command Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba set the simulator to work at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT).

The simulator, which offers a real-life flying experience on the fourth generation Russian-origin naval combat plane, would be used to train budding naval pilots, aircrew and maintenance personnel on the dynamics of cockpit operation from a maintenance point of view. “Such a simulator is a real boon, as it exposes the maintenance crew to the technical characteristics and behaviour of the cockpit in different flying conditions which they would not get otherwise,” said a naval officer. “Further, it would familiarise ab initio flyers to the technical aspects of cockpit operations.”

This is the second MiG 29K simulator of the Navy. The first was commissioned two years ago at naval air station INS Hansa in Goa — home to the ‘Black Panther’ squadron comprising MiG 29K fighters.

The facility, set up as part of the MiG 29K aircraft contract, would provide a platform for smooth transition of air crew and maintenance personnel from training environment to actual maintenance and operation scenario, said a defence statement. It would be used to impart real-time training to air crew and technical personnel on all systems of the aircraft. 

thehindu

India to Develop New Tank, Use Russian Armata as Prototype

 

India confirmed plans to design and build a new main battle tank (MBT) that is intended to replace the Soviet-made T-72 tanks, used by the Indian Army, Gazeta.ru reported.

Soviet and Russian military hardware makes up around 40 percent of all hardware in the Indian ground forces (it is even more in India's Air Force — 80 percent, and  Navy — 75 percent). In total, there are around 600 T-55 tanks, almost 2,000 T-72M1 and 640 T-90C tanks.

The new tank the Indian Army plans to design and manufacture is known as the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV). The new generation MBT will form the base platform for other armored vehicles, similar to the Russian-made Armata platform. The Indian army wants to use the platform for as many as 11 different tracked vehicles, including light tracked, wheeled, bridge layer and trawl tanks, self-propelled howitzers, air defense guns, artillery observation post and engineering reconnaissance vehicles, and armored ambulances, the Diplomat said.

India might likely use Russia's new Armata tank as a prototype for its own armored vehicle, Gazeta.ru reported. Earlier this month, defense expert Samir Patil from India's Gateway House analytical center said his country was willing to buy the Armata platform or some of its elements for future development of their own tank.

"I think India would like to purchase such a combat platform for its armed forces," Samir Patil said. What makes the Armata tank stand out from its domestic and foreign counterparts is that the crew is securely enclosed in a multi-layer armored capsule separated from the ammunition container. The vehicle is fully computerized and only needs three servicemen to operate it.
The tank has an unmanned, remotely controlled turret, digitally controlled by a crew-member located in a separate compartment. It is believed that this would eventually lead to the development of a fully robotic tank.
sputniknews

Navy Launches 3 Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft

The Navy on Tuesday launched three follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers here. They were launched by Medha Murugesan, wife of Vice Admiral P Murugesan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
The three Naval Ships –  Tarmugli, Tillanchang, Tihayu – are named after different islands in Andaman and Nicobar group of islands, and are among the four such warships being built by GRSE presently. Two of these ships are scheduled to be delivered to the Navy this year and are also among ‘follow-on’ series of 10 WJFACs delivered by GRSE to the Indian Navy during 2009 to 2011.  Vice Admiral Murugesan asserted that Indian Navy had been the torch-bearer in the drive for indigenous construction of warships. 
He acknowledged the role of GRSE as a reliable partner in pursuing the national goal of ‘Make in India’. The Vice Admiral commended the GRSE team for their significant contribution towards meeting the Navy’s growing requirement of state-of-the-art warships. They are designed for a maximum speed of 35 knots with an endurance of nearly 2,000 nautical miles at 12-14 knots.
The WJFAC are powered by the latest 4000-series MTU engines with advanced machinery control system. The craft would have the latest communication equipment and radars to enable effective surveillance.

 newindianexpress

Navy's 48 warships being built indigenously: Vice chief

Hailing the country's indigenous shipbuilding capabilities, Vice Admiral P. Murugesan, vice chief of the navy, on Tuesday said that 48 warships were currently under construction in Indian shipyards. These 48 ships being manufactured for the Indian Navy include aircraft carriers, frigates, destroyers, submarines, corvettes and fast attack crafts.
The vice admiral was speaking at the simultaneous launch of three Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts (WJFAC) at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) here. "It is a proud reflection of our indigenous capabilities that we are building all kinds of warships. GRSE has so far built 94 ships for the navy," added Murugesan.
The three WJFAC - Tarmugli, Tillanchang, Tihayu - are named after Andaman and Nicobar group of islands, and are among the four such warships being built by GRSE.
GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral A.K. Verma (retd) said two of the three WJFACs will be delivered for commissioning in the last quarter of the year. With a displacement of around 315 tonnes, the ships are designed for a maximum speed of 35 knots with an endurance of nearly 2,000 nautical miles at 12-14 knots.
Powered by the latest 4,000-series MTU engines with advanced machinery control system, the ships will be fitted with CRN-91 indigenous 30mm gun with optronic pedestal and have the latest communication equipment and radars to enable effective surveillance.
The WJFACs are ideally suited for interception of fast-moving surface craft and will perform anti-smuggling, fishery protection and search and rescue operations.

 indiatoday

Dassault's Deal With India Was Important

Amid some controversy, India took to the news with a June announcement of the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation. It was an important move for the nation, which counts China and Pakistan as border ‘mates’.
India, which plans to spend about $100 million on modernizing its defense resources in the next 10 years, has suffered a spate of air fatalities in the past months as a result of an ailing air force.
We spoke with KPMG Partner and India Head of Aerospace and Defence Amber Dubey who says India currently lags behind in defense technology, and it is imperative they keep up.
What is the significance of India ramping up its air defense sector at this particular time?
Amber Dubey: It is not a ramp up, India is fulfilling critical operational requirements – which was long overdue. The fighter aircraft fleet strength is at a critically low level of just 34. The actual fully operational and reliable strength is just 25 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42. Several squadrons of MiG 21s and MiG 27s are likely to be phased out soon. That would hurt India’s operational readiness even more. It is not a happy situation.
What gave Dassault the edge on getting this deal?
Dubey: Rafale cleared the technical trials for the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat) competition [launched in 2007, providing a base for one of the biggest defense deals in recent times] and was declared the lowest cost supplier.
It is a tried and  tested aircraft which also has an operational naval version. Mirage 2000 has served the Indian Air Force well. The combined fleet of Dassault’s Mirage (52 aircraft) and Rafale (36 aircraft) from the same supplier could also save on maintenance repair operations costs and provide ease of operations for the entire fleet.
India’s need is for more than 36 Rafales – or modern fighter jets – so do we expect to see the government step up its buying? Or will the private sector will step in here?
The public sector undertakings, especially Hindustan Aeronatuics Limited (HAL) will be the key to deciding whether India buys more foreign or Indian made jets. HAL and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) need to warm up to the Indian private sector to build a robust defense industrial base.
They need to look at the Department of Atomic Energy and the Indian Space Research Organization to understand why India has done so well in the hi-tech fields of nuclear and space programs, despite international sanctions and technology denial by global powers in the past.
In defence tech we still lag behind and are completely dependent on foreign suppliers for India’s security. This has to change. Radical policy and procedural changes are called for.
In the short run, we may need to procure more Rafales, given the Indian Air Force’s significant capability gap currently vis-a-vis China and Pakistan.
Moving forward, is Make in India going to play a role in future aviation or arms contracts?
Dubey: Yes, if we focus on developing our supply chain of large and medium scale designers and manufacturers.
In defence of her borders, India’s capabilities versus those of her neighbours, or other threats?
Dubey: Future wars are going to be smart wars as there is deterrence in terms of nuclear warheads with China and Pakistan.  Capabilities would be defined by technological superiority in terms of unmanned aerial vehicles, missile systems, nex-generation radars, cyber and satellite warfare. 

forbes

Army still to get proper bullet-proof jackets a decade after demand

 

It was way back in October 2009 that the defence acquisitions council had cleared the acquisition of 1,86,138 such bullet-poof jackets.  

Something as basic as proper bullet-proof jackets remains a distant dream for Indian soldiers. The Army is yet to get light-weight modular jackets almost a decade after it first demanded them, and six years after the proposal was cleared by the government.

The new jackets, coupled with proper ballistic helmets, were supposed to effectively protect the head, neck, chest, groin and sides of soldiers as well as allow them to move with greater agility during counter-insurgency operations.
It was way back in October 2009 that the defence acquisitions council had cleared the acquisition of 1,86,138 such bullet-poof jackets since the Army was short of that number from its authorized holding of 3,53,765 jackets. Nothing has come out of it till now despite the Army's existing old and bulky jackets, which provide inadequate protection, themselves fast-approaching the end of their shelf-life in a year or so.

Given the operational urgency, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had last year announced the emergency procurement of 50,000 new jackets. But they, too, are yet to materialize. "The selection/procurement process is underway after the government sanction ... It will take at least another six months," said a defence ministry source on Monday.
The bigger case for 1.86 lakh jackets is still at the trial evaluation stage, with six vendors locked in competition. Each jacket's estimated cost was put at around Rs 50,000 when the project was approved, making it a total of around Rs 930 crore. All these jackets were to be inducted by 2012, with another 1.67 lakh jackets to be ordered in the second round.
But revision of technical parameters and re-floating of tenders as well as convoluted defence procurement procedures and politico-bureaucratic apathy have put paid to those plans. Several parliamentary committees have taken an extremely dim view of this "critical shortage" of bullet-proof jackets, slamming the government for "playing with the lives" of soldiers, as reported by TOI earlier.
The modular jackets are meant to provide "graded levels of protection" depending on the mission to be undertaken. The jacket would weigh less than 4 kg — with a trauma pad with all-around soft armour plate including front, sides, back, collar and neck — for low-risk/threat missions.

The jacket would weight 11.5 kg, with hard armour plates for front, rear, sides, upper arms, groin and throat, in turn, for high-risk missions. "The hard armour plates, in conjunction with the soft ones, are meant to withstand six rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm mild steel core ammunition fired from an AK-47 from 10 metres," said the Army.
Incidentally, as reported by TOI earlier, the long-pending quest to acquire new-generation assault rifles for infantry soldiers has also hit a dead-end. The 2011 tender for the new assault rifles with inter-changeable barrels is now likely to be scrapped.

 - TOI

 

China could deploy nuclear weapons in Cuba, says report

China could risk a repeat of the Cuban Missile Crisis by deploying its DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missile to Cuba if the United States decides to deploy tactical nuclear missiles to the Asia-Pacific, according to Fujian-based news portal Taihainet.
Nuclear non-proliferation laws prevent the US from deploying nuclear weapons to South Korea or any members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The nearest deployment it would be able to get to China would be Japan or Australia, both countries where the public does not want such weapons on their soil. The US government is only able to work with them in secret, according to the report.
The deployment of a nuclear weapon in any shape or form to the Asia-Pacific would most likely backfire in the form of anti-American resentment among strategic allies. The only way the US could inch closer to China's soil and prevent a diplomatic crisis would be to deploy the weapons to Guam.
With its own nuclear arsenal, China has various ways to defend against the deployment of American nuclear weapons to the region. One would be to deploy DF-31 ICBM to Cuba, only 145 kilometers away from Florida's Key West. The DF-31 is reported to have a range of 11,200 kilometers. Armed with either neutron or nuclear warheads, the missiles could devastate targets on US soil, according to the report.

 wantchinatimes

Tejas to test fire Python-5 and Derby Air to Air missiles in July

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is all set undertake critical test flights carrying an array of missiles and bombs to complete its scheduled weapon trials. Top sources with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to this Correspondent that the integration of Russian-made Close Combat Missile (CCM) R-73 has been completed.
The ground integration of the Israeli-made CMM Python-5 too has been completed ahead of the flight trials. The Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile Derby has also been integrated on to the aircraft. Tejas can carry two CCMs with a range of 15 km at the extreme end pods. These missiles can home on to the enemy aircraft based on their heat signature.
The Derby (two missiles) is being integrated on the mid-board-pods of Tejas and they have a range varying between 80 and 100 km. The home-grown fighter carries the laser-guided bomb (LGB) Griffin, which has a range of 5-6 km. Tejas will also carry LGB Paveway, which according to sources, has already demonstrated its capabilities with an accuracy of 1 meter. “These missiles have demonstrated their capabilities to strike with precision during day and night,” says an official.
BVR missiles to be tested in July
The laser-designator pod also has been integrated on to the aircraft. “Tejas can carry drop tanks with 1200-litre and 800-725-litre capacity. The R-73 has completed flight trials in Goa, Jaisalmer and Jamnagar over 10 times. The LGB has been tested for six times now,” the official said. The BVR testes scheduled to be held in May has now been fixed for July at forward bases. “The CCMs and BVRs used on Tejas are capable of SSKP (Single Shot Kill Probability). In a war scenario, the pilot can increase the kill probability by opting for firing both CCMs, or both BVRs together,” the official added. The integration of Russian-made gun for Tejas Gsh-23 has been completed. The gun has been already ground tested at a facility in Nasik.
FOC may spill over to March 2016?
When asked whether Tejas would skip the December 2015 deadline for Final Operational Clearance (FOC), the top MoD official said: “There are still some passing clouds hanging around. But the teams from Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) are confident of beating the deadline.” However, another official told this Correspondent that the programme might skip the December deadline by maximum three months. “May be it will spill over to the last quarter of this FY. The FOC will be in by March 2016,” he said.
Refueling probe, nose cone radome awaited
To complete the FOC points, the air-to-air refueling probe from Cobham hasn’t arrived yet. The nose cone quartz radome too is being awaited. There are already some rumours floating around in the corridors of HAL and ADA over the delay in accessing these pending foreign systems. A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official says that they are hopeful of thrashing the issue. “Definitely there are concerns. But, we are hoping to get clarity by July. Hopefully, we should have access to all hardware within a month. We don’t see any more technology challenges after the integration of these pending items,” says the senior DRDO official. ADA says that almost 75 per cent of work related to FOC has been completed. The siblings of Tejas have completed 2971 flights so far logging around 1909 hours, at the time this piece went live on the web.

oneindia

India’s Upgraded Attack Submarine to Re-Enter Service

The Indian Navy’s INS Sindhukirti to undergo final trials before officially re-entering into service with the Indian Navy next month.Indian Navy’s INS Sindhukirti will enter its final full-power trials after a decade-long renovation process.
The attack submarine will officially return into service with the Indian Navy next month, providing a much-needed advantage to India’s limited submarine force.

Sindhukirti is the seventh Sindhughosh-class (Indian name for the Russian Kilo-class) diesel-electric attack submarine in the Indian Navy, which was originally commissioned in 1990. The Sindhukirti entered its upgrade process back in 2006.

India’s Sindhughosh-class submarines were co-developed between India and Russia’s Rosvooruzhenie. The Sindhukirti’s restoration involved extensive modernization.
The Indian government recently cleared an added $8 billion in funding for naval modernization, part of which will go to the construction of six additional nuclear submarines.

 sputniknews

Chinese submarine in Karachi: A worst case scenario for India, and here's what it needs to do

A conventional Chinese submarine docking in Karachi port last month and spending one week there is a disturbing development for India.
While warships are known to dock at foreign ports and sail away after a brief stay and refuelling, submarines are a different ballgame. After aircraft carriers, submarines are the most potent weapon in sea warfare.  The fully loaded and equipped Chinese submarine reportedly spent a full week in Karachi port in the last week of May with entire crew of at least 65 on boardIronically, the Chinese submarine – a Yuan class 335 boat equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) which gives greater stealth and longer duration under-sea capability – had docked in Karachi port on 22 May. This means that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wrapping up his maiden official visit to China (14-16 May) the Chinese were planning this provocative act.
The political symbolism emanating from the Karachi event is simple. China will stop at nothing in increasing its military might. There is nothing wrong with this, as this is the right of every sovereign nation. India too will have to get its act together and address vital defence issues in double quick time to keep pace with China.
But the problem is that the Karachi episode is a potential harbinger of things to come: China increasing its defence cooperation with Pakistan, and both are India’s arch-rivals.
Obviously the Chinese can’t be oblivious to the enormous outrage the development would trigger in India considering the fact that this was the first ever docking of a Chinese submarine in a Pakistani port.
Without being alarmist, one thing can safely be said in this context. The development accentuates fears of India’s worst case scenario: the joining of hands by the only two neighbours who have fought wars with India since its independence, and projecting a pincer attack threat.
There is nothing much that India can do here. At best India can politely tell China that it is an unnecessary manoeuvre which is best avoidable in future. As for Pakistan, India cannot tell even that much knowing the anti-India mindset of Pakistani security and strategic establishment.
Even a country like Sri Lanka under the leadership of pro-China president Mahinda Rajapaksa had ignored protests from India when a Chinese submarine had docked in Sri Lanka, and another similar incident had happened last year. India heaved a sigh of relief as the new Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena, who defeated  Rajapaksa in presidential polls earlier this year, announced that his government won’t allow Chinese submarines to dock in Sri Lankan ports.
It is highly unlikely that China would be sensitive to Indian concerns. In any case, no formal reaction from India has come thus far. It is well known that India moves with extreme caution in its dealings with China. Though India might have taken up the matter with China through diplomatic channels, it is unlikely that the Modi government would take this issue in the public domain with a formal reaction.
The only way forward for the Modi government is to expedite the delivery schedule of six submarines that the French are building in India and fast-track the process of acquisition of as many more submarines.
The India-France submarine project is moving at a slow pace and the first of the submarine is expected to be delivered only towards the end of next year. The completion of construction of the rest is likely to stretch up to 2020.The Modi government has recently come out with a Request for Information (RFI), inviting tenders for six more submarines. But it is a long-drawn process and given the pace at which the bureaucracy works, the boats won’t be available before 2025. The government has allocated $8.1 billion for the six submarines to be acquired. There is a strong fear of cost overruns if the project is kept hanging, as it usually happens in India.India presently has just 13 operational submarines at present as against China’s 60. Pakistan, a much smaller country, has eight operational submarines as of now. China is racing ahead in adding more submarines to its fleet and should have 75 submarines by 2020.
What is required off PM Modi is that he needs to do away with the red tape and expedite beefing up India’s submarine strength. This is a worrisome scenario. PM Modi needs to think out of the box. Ten days later he will be off to Russia for attending BRICS summit. The submarine issue should figure high on the talking points when he holds one-to-one talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

 firstpost