Despite Chinese incursions, Army unlikely to get operational command of ITBP

Notwithstanding a 20-25 per cent increase in the number of transgression bids along the Sino-India border, there is no move to hand over operational command of the border guarding force ITBP to the Indian Army.

Top government officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs said there has been an increase in transgression by 20 to 25 per cent this year along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

However, the officials said this was largely due to the perception issue of LAC which had not been properly demarcated and did not rule out the possibility of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel also stepping across the line at times.

Asked whether there was any proposal for handing over operational command of the ITBP to the Indian Army, the officials said there was no such move “as of now”.

The Army, through the defence ministry, has been routing requests for many years to the home ministry for handing over the operational command of the ITBP to it for better coordination between the forces along the LAC.

Asked about the situation in Sikkim, the officials said the ITBP was not deployed along the border in the northeastern state and therefore, they were not in a position to comment on the issue.

 indianexpress

DRDO’s quick reaction missile hits target in 30 seconds

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday successfully test-fired the quick reaction surface-to-air missile (QR-SAM).

According to DRDO sources, the test was conducted from LC-3 (Launch Complex) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, along the Odisha coast.

Mounted on a truck, the short range missile took off from a canister at 11.27 am and hit the target within 30 seconds. An electronic target was used during today’s launch.

This was QR-SAM’s second launch with the maiden one conducted on June 4, 2017.

Developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), scientists from DRDO’s other labs including RCI, R&D Engineers and ITR were part of the QR-SAM mission.

Around 100 scientists were part of the launch campaign with majority of them being youngsters, with their average age being 35 years.

During the next launch, DRDO plans to engage the missile against an unmanned aerial platform. A home-grown seeker would also get onboard the missile for the subsequent launches.

With Indian Army being the first prospective user, DRDO is hopeful of the missile’s induction after seven to eight more launches. The missile has a range between 20-30 kms.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley congratulated DRDO scientists soon after the launch via a tweet.

“Successful flight test of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile paves way for complete indigenization of Surface to Air missile domain. This will add to India's defence capabilities,” Jaitley tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given the first stage forest clearance to DRDO for setting up a new missile test launch facility at Gullalamoda village in Krishna district.

 mathrubhumi

Indian Army To Deploy Military Helicopters To Chinese Border For The First Time

Defense sources told Sputnik that initially a squadron of 10 HAL Dhruv Mk-IVs will be deployed in the north-eastern part of Assam, which will happen near simultaneously with the building of additional heli bases which are going to be operational in the coming months along eastern border.

Designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, the twin-engine, multi-role helicopter comprises 50% imported content. It is considered highly efficient for close air support and high altitude operations. The helicopter is equipped with 20 mm turret gun and can carry 70 mm rockets, Mistral air-to-air missile, air-to-ground missile, helmet pointing system and anti-tank missiles. The Indian Army currently operates over 100 HAL Dhruv helicopters in all variants.

“Any country will employ any available weapon platform or equipment that meets its military needs at a given time and place. Helicopters are more useful in mountains where the ground mobility and deployment areas for guns are restricted due to geographical constraints. This does not mean India is preparing for a war with China,” Brigadier Rumel Dahiya, a Delhi-based military analyst, told Sputnik.

Indian Army is, in the recent past, establishing dedicated attack helicopter fleet integrated with its strike corps. It has placed an order of 114 indigenously developed light combat helicopters (LCH) as well. The Army is also expected to receive US made AH-64E Apache heavy attack helicopters for the northeastern region.

 defenceaviationpost

‘Desperate’ Congress stooping to new low, insulting Indian Army regularly

Hitting out at Congress for its remark on India-China standoff in the border, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said that the latter has been regularly insulting the Indian Army by raising such points.

Congress in a press conference in the capital had accused the Modi government of “caught napping” as the reports of incursion by Chinese army at the border surface.

Speaking to media, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar condemned Congress for targeting Centre by insulting army by raising such comments. “Today in their press conference Congress raised questions about what is happening on the Indo-China border. Earlier the asked to prove the authenticity of the surgical strikes,” he said.

Adding further, the minister said that asking for proof for the surgical strike is insulting the “brave soldiers who participated in the strike” across the border at the militants’ launch pads sponsored by Pakistan. “Earlier they called names to the Army Chief, they not only insulted the Army Chief but they insulted the entire Indian Army,” Javadekar asserted.

Taking a dig at the Congress, Javadekar said that the comments from them are acts of “desperation” as the party that ruled India for over 50 years has “stooped so low that they are making politics out of foreign policy and defence policy.”

Javadekar said that the Indian Army deployed on India-China border is working despite harsh conditions and the Congress is insulting them. “Comments from Congress are condemnable and everybody will condemn this kind of insult to the Army and the forces,” he added.

Earlier Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had slammed the Centre and called Modi govt of having “a reluctant Defence Minister” to a “part-time Defence Minister” referring the exit of Manohar Parrikar to take charge as Goa CM and Arun Jaitley getting Defence as an additional portfolio to his existing Finance Ministry. “Unfortunately, it appears the government has been caught napping and has not been able to implement significant accords of recent origin,” he added, reports ANI.

Delhi and Beijing have been interlocked in a series of confrontation along the border in a disputed territory between China and Bhutan.

newsx

Lockheed Martin F 16 carries no improvement potential for India, say IAF veterans

Despite the ovedrive by the US-based aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, no agreement for the F-16 Block 70/72 production was inked during the recently concluded visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US. Lockheed Martin has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F-16 Block 70/72 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement —with a condition: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has to choose the world’s largest-sold fighter aircraft for its fleet.

Sources told FE, “No decision for the aircraft suitable to meet the immediate needs of the IAF is expected to be taken in the next six months. The Block 70/72 F-16 that is proposed is nothing but the same Block 60 aircraft developed for the UAE air force.

This was the same aircraft that participated in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft competition to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and was rejected, along with Swedish SAAB ‘Gripen’ in 2011. One of the reasons for the failure of F-16 at the time was that there was no room for any improvements or growth in the aircraft, explained a former fighter pilot who was one of the test pilots involved in trials. Today, the F-16 being offered to India for the IAF has absolutely no growth potential.

“Therefore, we should not buy these obsolete machines for the IAF. If procured, the aircraft will be in service for the next 40 years, which would be old for the air force,” he explained. The F-16 is a 40-year-old air frame; all the upgrades that are possible are already done. There is no room for any more growth. A 40-year-old design does have its limitations that cannot be overlooked. Today, modern fighter designs, whether single or twin engine, have matured — enabled by high technologies such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis — such that these aircraft are highly manoeuvreble and have exceptional dog fight capabilities.

Aided by new technology radars and beyond visual range missiles, these aircraft are super fighters with exceptional dog fight or combat capability. Best examples are Russian Su-30, Su-35, Lockheed Martin’s F-22 & F-35, French ‘Rafale’, and European ‘ Typhoon’, etc. Going for a single-engine-old aircraft, versus a multi-role aircraft for the IAF is a complete no. “Choice of single engine or twin engine does not depend on dog fight issue.

It has more to do with longer range and endurance, higher weapons capability, etc,” explained a former senior IAF officer.

According to Air Marshal M Matheswaran (retd), former deputy chief Integrated Defence Staff, “F-16’s airframe is a third generation design that has outlived its utility. It cannot measure up to even 4th generation aircraft any more, despite all the avionics upgrades. Its components, aggregates, fuel efficiency, life cycle costs, will all be in the 3rd generation.”

 financialexpress

PM Modi Israel visit: India to soon get Heron TP armed drones; check images, facts and importance

Even as Narendra Modi creates history by becoming the first Indian PM to visit Israel, India is set to get 10 Heron-TP armed drones soon! Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Heron-TP armed drones form part of a $400 million deal that was quietly cleared by the Defence Ministry in 2015. In 2016, India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), paving way for it to acquire the Heron-TP drones. We take a look at some salient features of the drones and what role they will play in India's defence preparedness:

The armed-versions of Heron-TP drones can detect, track and take down targets with the help of air-to-ground missiles.

The Heron-TP drones boast of all-weather capability and a "mission endurance" of around 30 hours.

According to IAI, the Heron-TP drone is capable of carrying a payload of over a tonne at an altitude of 45,000 feet. At Aero India 2017, IAI had showcased the MTCR-compliant Heron-TP XP drone - an export-variant of the Heron TP with broadly similar specifications. But, IAI has modified it to limit the payload to 450 kg.

"A large payload bay in the fuselage offers enough space for the carriage of large payloads and the platform provides adequate power and cooling to support simultaneous operation of multiple payloads," says IAI.

Payloads for Heron TP can include electro-optical, infra-red or laser range finders with "high power optics" that can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

The Heron-TP drone is autonomous. It can be supervised by a single operator without any need for an external pilot.

With Heron-TP drones being acquired, India's defence preparedness against Pakistan and China will get a definite leg up. Says Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur VM (Retd), "Heron drones will reduce the sensor-to-shooter time greatly. With normal unarmed drones, you identify a target, but by the time you bring in a system to destroy it, the target has disappeared. Now, once the target is identified, it can be shot down immediately with the help of air-to-ground missiles." "Additionally, because it (the drone) doesn't have any pilot, there is no danger of casualty," Bahadur tells FE Online.

 financialexpress

China deploys submarine in Indian Ocean Region even as India-China standoff continues

 

Highlights

• This is not the first, but the seventh submarine to be deployed in the area.
• Chinese warships and submarines in the Region appeared three years ago 2013-14.
• Recently, Indian satellites and naval assets picked up at least 14 Chinese Navy warships.

In an aggressive move, China has deployed a submarine in the Indian Ocean Region, as the month-long stand-off in the Doklam plateau between the Indian and Chinese People's Liberation Army continues.

Wading through the Indian Ocean now is a Yuan class - conventional diesel electric - submarine which is better that aging Indian Sub. And this is not the first, but the seventh submarine to be deployed in the area.

The submarine is being supported by Chinese Naval Ship (CNS) Chongmingdao - the Chinese Navy's submarine support vessel. Indian assets picked up the submarine entering the Indian Ocean Region recently.

The Indian Navy has underlined the heightened Chinese People's Liberation Navy activity in the Indian Ocean Region to South Block. Chinese warships and submarines in Indian Ocean Region appeared three years ago 2013-14 - ostensibly for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

But from a modest beginning of a flotilla of just three warships - two destroyers and a support ship - in 2013-14, more and more Chinese warships are prowling in the waters around India.


WAR GAMES ::

Recently, Indian satellites and naval assets have picked up at least 14 Chinese Navy warships in the Indian Ocean Region. These include the latest Luyang-III or the Kunming class stealth destroyers.

Armed with surface-air and long range missiles the Chinese warships are projecting power far away from the Beijing's backyard but in India's immediate vicinity. The silver lining - India is constantly monitoring the movement of Chinese warships courtesy Indian satellites and long range maritime surveillance platforms.

The Indian Navy's long range surveillance platforms like the US made P81 has been watching and recording movements of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean. "Over the years, we have augmented our capabilities manifold. More force multipliers are being added. We have the region covered as well," a senior officer told India Today.

The first Chinese nuclear submarine was picked up in December 2013. The Shang Class- a nuclear propelled submarine was deployed for almost three months in the waters around India till February 2014.

It was followed by Song Class - diesel electric -submarine for another three months between August and December 2014. The Song Class followed by another nuclear vessel - a Han Class nuclear submarine. Last year China deployed a nuclear submarine - a Han Class Nuclear submarine - and a conventional submarine respectively.


WORRYING SIGN?

These boats were snooped around the Indian Ocean for over six months. The Yuan class submarine detected by the Indian Navy this year is first the submarine to be sent to the Indian Ocean Region in 2017. Worryingly for India, the increased warship deployment goes hand in hand with the deployment of Hydrographic, Oceanographic vessels and spy-ships in the Indian Ocean to map the sea bed.

Bathymetric data among other things detail how currents and noise behave at particular depth, the lay of the ocean floor are critical for submarine deployments.

Top sources told India Today that Chinese Naval Ship Haiwngxing -spy ship -entered the Indian Ocean this month. The spy ship equipped with sophisticated equipment is deployed to collect electronic intelligence among other things. It is capable of honing on electronic signals which can be returned to China for analysis. New Delhi has been told that the spy ship is the Indian Ocean region to monitor the annual tri-lateral India-USJapan naval exercise - Malabar that starts on July 7. The same ship was used to spy on previous Indo-US Naval exercises.

 indiatoday

'US state dept issues Guardian drone export license for India'

The US state department has issued the necessary license for the export of 22 predator Guardian drones to India, a government source here said, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump had their first bilateral meeting at the White House.

The state department has "issued the DSP-5 Guardian export license" for India, the source told PTI.

A DSP-5 category license is issued for permanent export of military hardware as found in the US Munitions List which is defined by the International Traffic Arms Regulations.

The Guardian drones will enhance India's maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean region and their sale was announced by Trump on June 26 after he met Modi for their first face-to-face meeting.

The drones are estimated to cost around USD 2 billion and are being built by General Atomics, considered a pioneer in the unmanned aerial vehicles domain.

The speed with which the Trump administration decided on India's request for the drones, the source said, is reflective of the desire in White House to strengthen India's military capabilities in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, where China's aggressive diplomatic and military posture has unnerved other countries.

"We are extremely pleased that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have had excellent deliberations and the path forward for a game-changer in US-India defence relations has been charted," said Vivek Lall of General Atomics.

Lall, who in his previous capacity at Boeing, was instrumental in the sale of high-tech military hardware to India, is believed to have played a role in convincing the Trump administration to accelerate the sale of the drones.

"Given the Sea Guardian's capabilities, such a response to the Indian Navy's request demonstrates a major change in US policy as this type of aircraft capability is only exported to a very select few of America's closest defence partners," he said.

"This represents tangible implementation of US Congress' designation of India as a 'Major Defence Partner'," said Lall.

On Tuesday, Lall met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the annual US-India Business Council summit, when Pence endorsed the deal to provide India with Apache attack helicopters, C-17 transport aircraft, besides the drones.

The deal is seen as the biggest tangible takeaway from the Trump-Modi meeting towards the operationalisation of the major defence partner relationship.

The India Navy requested for the drones early last year.

But no tangible action was taken under the previous Obama administration, apparently because of the stiff opposition from the state department, which argued that this could upset Pakistan, America's ally in war against terror in Afghanistan.

The Trump White House spearheaded the inter-agency process to make a significant policy change in favour of India by granting this technology based on government-to-government interactions, the source told PTI.

India had been eyeing the Predator technology for years, and it was only the Trump-Modi combination that they were able to move the decision to this point, the source said.

Pakistan is said to be actively lobbying Washington against the sale of the drones to India. However, the White House overruled all objections, paving the way for a new phase of India-US defence relationship.

 zeenews

India successfully test-fires short range missile along Odisha coast

India on Monday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed quick reaction surface-to-air short range missile from a test range along the Odisha coast.
The sophisticated missile was test fired at about 11.25am from a truck-mounted canister launcher from launch complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore, official sources said.
It was the second developmental trial of the state-of-the-art missile with an aerial target. The missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other establishments.
The first test launch of the missile was conducted on June four, 2017 from the same base.
The missile, which has a strike range of 25 to 30 km, is capable of engaging multiple targets.
Designed to be a quick reaction missile, it involves an all-weather weapon system capable of tracking and firing.

 hindustantimes

China's actions on border risky, could lead to war: Bhutan public

Criticising China for constructing a road inside Bhutanese territory, residents here have stated that this action by Beijing could lead to war and cautioned the latter not to transgress Bhutan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"What China is doing on the border lines is very risky and it encourages war. India is just trying to warn them that China should respect Bhutan?s sovereignty. India is fully supported by Bhutan," Bhutanese local Chundu Singye told ANI.

Singye further stated, "Bhutan is a small country, but no one can invade our territory because the topography and geography is such, that invasion is nearly next to impossible."

Another Thimphu resident Tsheltrim Dorji said, ?I think China, India and Bhutan should come together and find a solution to the issue.?

?Indo-Bhutan share a really good relationship. Bhutan is small country, not proper way to acquire forcefully,? Choki Wangmo, another Bhutanese local said.

Echoing similar sentiments, one more Bhutanese local Namgay Dorji said, ?India and Bhutan are having good relationship since 1961. India is supporting our government in every aspect.?

Locals in Bhutan are severely critical about China proposing to construct the road inside Bhutanese territory, which they say is a direct violation of the agreements and affect the process of demarcating the boundary between the two countries.

Bhutan had last month issued a demarche to the Chinese envoy in India, asking Beijing to restore the status quo in the Doklam area where Chinese soldiers tried to unilaterally build a road towards their army camp in the Zomplri area.

China who refer to Doklam as Donglang was part of Chinese territory ?since ancient times and it doesn?t belong to Bhutan?.

 dnaindia

Citizens of Hong Kong demand independence from China - Xi Jinping talks tough

Chinese President Xi Jinping swore in Hong Kong’s new leader on Saturday with a stark warning that Beijing won’t tolerate any challenge to its authority in the divided city as it marked the 20th anniversary of its return from Britain to China.

Police blocked roads, preventing pro-democracy protesters from getting to the harbour-front venue close to where the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, tearfully handed back Hong Kong to China in the pouring rain in 1997.

Xi said Hong Kong should crack down on moves towards “Hong Kong independence”.

“Any attempt to endanger China’s sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government ... or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is absolutely impermissible,” Xi said.

He also referred to the “humiliation and sorrow” China suffered during the first Opium War in the early 1840s that led to ceding Hong Kong to the British.

Hong Kong has been racked by demands for full democracy and, more recently, by calls by some pockets of protesters for independence, a subject that is anathema to Beijing.

Xi’s speech was his strongest yet to the city amid concerns over what some perceive as increased meddling by Beijing, illustrated in recent years by the abduction by mainland agents of some Hong Kong booksellers and Beijing’s efforts in disqualifying two pro-independence lawmakers elected to the city legislature.

“It’s a more frank and pointed way of dealing with the problems,” said former senior Hong Kong government adviser Lau Siu-kai on Hong Kong’s Cable Television. “The central government’s power hasn’t been sufficiently respected ... they’re concerned about this.”

The tightly choreographed visit was full of pro-China rhetoric amid a virtually unprecedented security lockdown close to the scene of pro-democracy protests in 2014 that grabbed global headlines with clashes and tear gas rising between waterfront skyscrapers.

Xi did not make contact with the people in the street or with any pro-democracy voices, forgoing an opportunity to lower the political heat through a softer, more nuanced approach.

The hardening stance of the democrats and Beijing could perhaps widen, spawning greater radicalism, though some activists also concede a spreading disillusionment has sapped momentum among the democracy movement since Xi came to power.

Under the mini-constitution, the Basic Law, Hong Kong is guaranteed wide-ranging autonomy for “at least 50 years” after 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula praised by Xi. It also specifies universal suffrage as an eventual goal.

But Beijing’s refusal to grant full democracy triggered the nearly three months of street protests in 2014 that posed one of the greatest populist challenges to Beijing in decades.

In the afternoon, tens of thousands gathered in sweltering heat in a sprawling park named after Britain’s Queen Victoria, demanding Xi allow universal suffrage. Organisers put the figure at more than 60,000.

Some demonstrators marched with yellow umbrellas, a symbol of democratic activism in the city, and held banners denouncing China’s Communist “one party rule”.

Others criticised China’s foreign ministry which on Friday said the “Joint Declaration” with Britain over Hong Kong, a treaty laying the blueprint over how the city would be ruled after 1997, “no longer has any practical significance”.

Xi in the morning addressed a packed hall of mostly pro-Beijing establishment figures, after swearing in Hong Kong’s first female leader, Carrie Lam, who was strongly backed by China.

A small group of pro-democracy activists near the venue were roughed up by a group of men who smashed up some props in ugly scuffles. Nine democracy protesters, including student leader Joshua Wong and lawmaker “long hair” Leung Kwok-hung, were bundled into police vans while several pro-China groups remained, cheering loudly and waving red China flags.


Lam as new chief executive ::

HONG KONG: Carrie Lam was sworn in on Saturday as Hong Kong’s new leader on the city’s 20th anniversary of the handover from British to Chinese rule, in a ceremony presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Lam and her cabinet swore to serve China and Hong Kong and to uphold the Basic Law, the territory’s mini-constitution. In a short speech, she reviewed the dynamic financial centre’s achievements and challenges, pledged to support central government initiatives and declared that “the future is bright”. The life-long bureaucrat was selected through a process decried by critics as fundamentally undemocratic, involving just a sliver of a per cent of Hong Kong’s more than three million voters.

 defencenews

IAF plans to construct 108 aircraft shelters

With militarily active borders on both sides of the country, Indian Air Force proposes to construct 108 new generation hardened aircraft shelters at a cost of more than Rs 5,000 crore to protect its fighter fleet.

The hardened blast panes are meant to safeguard the frontline Su-30MKI, Jaguars, Mirages and the upcoming Rafale aircraft from 2,000- pound enemy bombs in case of a war.

Each of these shelters, sources told DH, could cost more than Rs 50 crore as they would be made up of reinforced concrete, would be having iron doors and maintenance facilities.

Blast panes are integral part of a military air field where combat aircraft are kept during the war to save the metal birds from enemy bombs and missiles. The existing IAF shelters are capable of withstanding a blast from a 1,000-pound bomb. The new generation panes will be designed to withstand the hit by a 2,000-pound bomb, which the IAF apprehend the enemies may be possessing.

Besides, these shelters would be large enough to accommodate the big Su-30 MKI aircraft and will have proper maintenance facilities.

They would also be fitted with iron doors to minimise the chances of fragmentation damage from a missile strike.

While the proposals are under the consideration of the defence ministry since 2015, sources said the air headquarters had made a fresh pitch for its approval given the rapidly changing security dynamics in India's neighbourhood.

Construction of hardened blast panes is a key part of the IAF's plan to improve the infrastructure of its air fields particularly for the bases in the North East and Leh.

Two other components of the plan is to improve the infrastructure in Nyoma and Kargil airfield so that more fighter flying is possible near India's border with China and Pakistan, respectively.

 dailyhunt