Upgraded Indian Submarine Starts Seas Trials in Russia

An Indian Kilo class diesel-electric submarine that has been overhauled at the Zvezdochka shipyard in northern Russia has sailed for two-week sea trials, the company said.
INS Sindhurakshak, which was handed over to the Indian Navy in 1997, has been upgraded under a direct contract between the Zvezdochka shipyard and the Indian defense ministry, signed on June 4, 2010.
“The Indian submarine, which has been repaired and modernized at the Zvezdochka shipyard, sailed for sea trials on Monday,” the company said in a statement.
The upgrade program stipulated a complete overhaul of the submarine, including its hull structures, as well as improved control systems, electronic warfare systems, and an integrated weapon control system. The upgrade is reported to cost around $80 million.
The sub is expected to be delivered to India by the end of 2012, following a series of additional tests.
Russia has built ten Kilo class submarines for India and has already overhauled four of them: INS Sindhuvir, INS Sindhuratna, INS Sindhughosh, and INS Sindhuvijay.
The overhauled Indian submarines are equipped with 3M-54 Club-S (SS-N-27) anti-ship cruise missiles, the Indian-developed USHUS sonar, CCS-MK radio communications system and Porpoise radar.

RIA Novosti

Boeing’s Chinook wins Indian heavy lift helicopter tender

New Delhi. US Boeing’s Chinook CH 47F helicopter is set to win the Indian Air Force’s helicopter tender, defeating the Russian Mi 26 in the open international tender by a decent margin
The tender was opened recently in the presence of representatives of both the companies, and according to reliable sources, the quote by the US company was “surprisingly much lower” in both the initial and lifecycle costs.
Russia – and the erstwhile Soviet Union – has been the biggest supplier of aircraft and defence equipment to India , but all these so far have been acquired on the basis of government-to-government agreements.
With the loss of the heavy-lift tender, Russia has lost both the competitive tenders against the US in India in which it participated, the other being that of combat helicopters. In that, Russia withdrew its Mi-28, and Boeing's Apache AH 64D won on both technical and financial merit. Earlier, the Russian Mig 35 lost against the French Rafale in the six-corner combat jet competition on technical grounds for 126 aircraft for the IAF.
IAF had issued tenders, officially called request for Proposals (RfPs), after evaluating globally available machines for 22 combat and 15 heavy lift helicopters.

 The result for the combat helicopters was announced earlier, and for the heavy lift, it should be officially announced within a few days. But sources confirmed that the Chinook is L-1, or the lowest in acquisition and maintenance costs in the official jargon.
Notably, IAF has been using the Mi 26 for a quarter century now, and there appeared to be a leaning towards this machine because of familiarity and the fact that it can carry more weight than the Chinook. But Russia does not make this helicopter any more, and even with refurbished machines perhaps, its projected costs are higher.
The Chinook is a much more versatile machine, and the only helicopter in the world that can also float on water for launching and recovering inflatable boats with commandoes. In terms of operational capability, while the Mi 26 can carry more weight, it is nowhere near the American machine.

In fact in the Himalayan heights, the Mi 26 has sometimes had problems in taking off and small runways had to be built to give it some lift. According to Lt Gen BS Pawar (Retd), an expert on rotorcraft, the newer version of the Chinook which India will get from the US , is a proven machine and perhaps the best in comparison to other helicopters. “It is versatile and has proved as a great workhorse both in Afghan and Iraq operations in heavy logistic roles.”
 Chinook will be useful not only in ferrying under-slung artillery guns and jeeps but also be useful for integrated day and night commando operations for which it is well-equipped,” Lt Gen Pawar observed adding that the aircraft has also proved extremely useful in disaster relief operations.

- Iindiastrategic.in

Ensure all weapons trial are fair, transparent: Antony's warning to service chiefs

Defence Minister A K Antony has cautioned the three service chiefs asking them to ensure that all weapons trials are fair and transparent at all stages. Mr Antony's advice comes days after his ministry wrote to the Italian government seeking details of an internal inquiry into helicopter-maker Finmeccanica for allegedly paying bribes to secure contracts across the world, including India.

The minister's words of caution came on a day when the ministry's Defence Acquisition Council cleared buying equipment worth Rs. 6,000 crore. The ministry cleared proposals for the procurement of 3,000 Light Support Vehicles (LSVs) for the Army at a cost of Rs. 1,500 crore and Special Operations Vessels (SOVs) for the Marine Commandos of the Navy at a cost of Rs. 1,700 crore.

The meeting also cleared proposals for the purchase of Search and Rescue (SAR) equipment for Indian Air Force choppers at a cost of Rs. 1,000 crore, 3,000 Hand-held Thermal Imagers (HHTIs) that help see in the dark for the Army at Rs. 800 crore and a Cadet Training Ship for the Navy at Rs. 480 crore, which will be built by the private sector ABG Shipyard.
 Finmeccanica and its subsidiary AgustaWestland have been dealing with the Indian armed forces to sell its helicopters. One of the deals, worth $720 million, is for 12 VIP helicopters to be used by the Prime Minister and President. This was signed in 2010.

The other was a bid by the company for India's requirement of 197 light utility helicopters to replace its aging fleet of Cheetahs and Chetaks. Though Finmeccanica's bid was rejected, India has asked the Italian government to share details of an investigation that has revealed that an Indian Army brigadier, who led evaluation trials, offered to doctor them favourably for a $5 million bribe.

Finmeccanica is being investigated by Rome after some its former employees alleged that the defence conglomerate had regularly paid bribes across the world to secure contracts. The Ministry of Defence wants to find out if kickbacks were paid for the $720 million deal too.

Finmeccanica had vehemently denied paying any kickback, saying in a statement, "AgustaWestland is not involved in any irregularity concerning the supply of its helicopters to India."

The Indian Embassy in Rome on its part wrote back to New Delhi saying that while Italy wasn't sharing any details, inquiries from its local sources hadn't revealed anything negative.

NDTV

CCS clears 10,000 Russian anti-tank missiles for Indian Army

A Rs1,200 crore proposal for procuring 10,000 anti-tank guided missiles for the Army from Russia was cleared today by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The CCS cleared the proposal to acquire Russian-origin 10,000 Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles for the Mechanised Infantry and Infantry battalions of the Army, sources told PTI here.
The Konkurs-M are part of the weapon systems being procured by the force to augment the anti-tank arsenal in the Army, they said.
The CCS had last week cleared the purchase of 25,000 Invar missiles for the T-90 tank fleet under a Rs 2,000 crore proposal.
The Konkurs are part of the anti-tank weapon family of the force which includes the Milan anti-tank guided missiles which India has been buying from France and also license-producing it at the Bharat Dynamics Limited facilities here.
Soon after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, there were reports suggesting that the Army was facing a severe shortage of tank ammunition as well as anti-tank weapons.
Former Army Chief Gen V K Singh had also written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh highlighting a critical shortage of tank ammunition and obsolescence of the air defence weaponry.
Soon after the letter was received, Defence Minister A K Antony held several rounds of meetings with top Ministry brass and military officials and since then has taken steps to ease the shortfall.

DNA

Second phase of China border upgrade project to start in mid-2013

Indian government is hoping to start implementing the second phase of its China border modernization project by mid-2013, when the programme's first phase, including formation of two new Army divisions and activation of several advanced landing grounds, would be completed.
Discussing Indian military capability along the Chinese border, 50 years after its humiliating defeat in the 1962 war, a senior source in the government told TOI that the three military chiefs have been asked to work out an integrated strategy for the second phase.

With the massive military modernization across the border by China and India's continuous efforts to play catch up, what is unfurling is the world's biggest conventional military build-up along a frontier anywhere in the post-Cold War era. Half a century after the border war between the two Asian giants, a host of factors are now forcing the huge militarization along the border, their growing economy being among the key factors.
The senior government source told ToI that the chiefs of staff committee, comprising the three military chiefs, has been asked to prepare an "integrated strategy" for modernization of military capability along the China border in phase II. "The PMO has asked for an integrated plan. We do not want to have silo approach by the Army, Air Force and Navy," he said.
The move to evolve an integrated strategy came in the face of an Army proposal to create country's first and only mountain strike corps along the Chinese border as well as other components, together worth over Rs 64,000 crore. The proposal was approved by the ministry of defence (MoD) and circulated to the finance ministry and the PMO. In response, the PMO has asked the military chiefs to evolve an integrated strategy.
He said by mid-2013, the government is hoping that the first phase of the modernization would be complete. This includes the ongoing raising of two new Army divisions, activation of eight advanced landing grounds — air fields abandoned at various times since the World War II — and construction of several roads and tunnels close to the border.
The Indian response along the border, virtually abandoned without any modernization since the 1962 war, started only about a decade ago, after it formally reversed the strategy of not developing border infrastructure. India is far too late in catching up with the Chinese side, which has built an impressive infrastructure, with all-weather roads almost up to their forward military posts.
The Indian military also assess that China has built over the years a massive fighting ability across the border.
Namrata Goswami, a research fellow at the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said in a recent paper that China has replaced its old liquid fuelled CSS-3 missiles with more advanced CSS-5s, deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles north of Tibet, and deployed 13 Border Defence Regiments with around 300,000 PLA troops close to Indian border. The paper also points out that China has established airfields in Hoping, Pangta and Kong Ka in addition to the already existing six airfields in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).
"Of critical value to China's force structure in this regard is the PLA's 23 Rapid Reaction Forces (RRFs). The RRFs have been considerably modernised into a hi-tech force equipped for a limited war in the Himalayas. They are on a 24 hour operational mode, and are trained to function in any environment. These units are composed of two group armies, nine divisions, three brigades, and seven regimental or battalion level units with an approximate strength of 400,000 personnel including the Resolving Emergency Mobile Combat Forces (REMCF)," Goswami says.

Times of India

Russia’s Pantsir-S System Downs Cruise Missile in Test

Two missiles fired from a Pantsir-S short-range air defense system shot down a cruise missile during tests at a practice range in northern Russia on Friday, the Defense Ministry said.
A real cruise missile was launched from a Tu-95MS Bear strategic bomber targeting a building 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.
“The Pantsir-S hit the target with two missiles and prevented the destruction of the defended building,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“The live firing practice at the Pemboy range has confirmed high performance characteristics of the new air defense system,” the statement said.
The system has previously only been tested against practice targets imitating cruise missiles.
Cruise missiles represent a difficult target as they are small, fast-moving, can fly at very low levels and often have a low infrared and radar signature.
The Pantsir-S, produced by Russia's KBP, is a gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-optical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles, and is designed to take on a variety of targets flying at low altitudes.
The Pantsir can engage targets up to 20 km (12 miles) by missiles and 4 km (2.5 miles) using cannons, KBP claims.
The Defense Ministry has so far ordered 100 Pantsir-S units for Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces, which are expected to be delivered in the next few years.
The export version of the system, Pantsir-S1, has been sold to the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Algeria.
Under a recent $4.2-bln arms contract with Iraq, Moscow will supply Baghdad with 50 Pansir-S1 systems.

RIA Novosti

MK 54 Torpedo Ordered by U.S., Australian and Indian Navies

News release from Raytheon:
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $45.3 million U.S. Navy contract to provide MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related engineering and repair services for U.S. fleet inventory and in support of foreign military sales to the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy. The award represents an exercised option of a current Navy contract for MK 54 torpedo kits.
“As enemy submarines remain a threat to security, stability and access to the world’s oceans, naval forces worldwide require a reliable and effective undersea warfare weapon,” said Kevin Peppe, vice president of Seapower Capability Systems for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Together with the U.S. Navy, we continue to advance the development of the world’s most effective lightweight torpedo, delivering its proven capabilities to meet the anti-submarine warfare needs of U.S. and allied fleets.”
Raytheon is the U.S. Navy’s sole production supplier for MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, in production since 1999. With an established infrastructure and experienced workforce co-located with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Keyport, Wash., the company works directly with the Navy to meet the lightweight torpedo requirements of U.S. and allied fleets.
The MK 54
The MK 54 is the Navy’s next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon deployed from surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to detect and attack underwater targets. Sophisticated processing algorithms allow the MK 54 to analyze the information, edit out false targets or countermeasures, and pursue identified threats. The MK 54 is designed for both deep water and littoral environments, making it the only lightweight torpedo capable of striking any underwater target in the world’s oceans, regardless of water depth.
Integrated onboard the MH-60R maritime helicopter, the MK 54 is the primary weapon for the helicopter’s ASW mission. Most recently, the U.S. Navy successfully launched the first MK 54 lightweight torpedo from the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The torpedo adds a critical capability to these long-range ASW, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, which will be capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.

Ottawa Citizen

Cabinet clears Rs 8,000cr missile purchase for armed forces

Proposals worth over Rs 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 'Invar' missiles from Russia for the Army's T-90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF were cleared on Thursday by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

The decision for purchasing these missiles for the two services was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) held under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sources told PTI in New Delhi.

The IAF proposal worth over Rs 6,000 crore to buy BrahMos missiles for the IAF involves sanctioning of funds for the integration and testing of the BrahMos missile on Russian-origin Su-30MKI of the IAF, they said.

As per plans, the first test of the air-launched version of the supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, is to be conducted by December-end. Two Su-30MKI of the IAF would also be modified by the HAL at its Nashik facility where they will also be integrated with the aerial launcher developed by the BrahMos, they said.

The BrahMos missiles integrated on the Su-30s will help the IAF achieve the capability to deliver a deadly blow to enemy formations from stand-off ranges of around 300 km without getting close to them.

Under the proposal to procure Invar missiles for the T-90 tank fleet of the Army, 10,000 Invar missiles would be brought from Russian manufacturers and there will be an agreement for license-producing 15,000 missiles by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) under Transfer of Technology (ToT), they said.

In a letter to the Prime Minister in March, former Army Chief Gen VK Singh had pointed out that only 3-4 days of tank ammunition was left with some of the units while highlighting the shortages faced by his force. Invar is a weapon fired from the gun barrel of T-90, over 1,600 of which would be inducted into the Armed Forces in the next few years.

MoneyControl

Second Indian Frigate Gears Up for Delivery

JSC Yantar Shipyard (Kaliningrad, Russia) has finished sea phase of acceptance trials of Project 11356 frigate INS Tarkash built for Indian Navy.

The sea phase of trials took place in the Baltic Sea and finished on Oct 12. All shipboard systems and arms were tested in the presence of the client's state commission. The frigate was found ready for the closing phase which started on Oct 15 at the shipyard's basin.

According to the acceptance trials program, the shipyard must paint the ship's hull, complete furnishing of interior premises and hold the proof trial run. That will be done till Nov 9 when the frigate is to be handed over to Indian Navy.

The solemn handover ceremony of INS Tarkash will be held on Nov 9 at Yantar. The ceremony will start at 10.25 am on the ship moored at the outfitting quay. At 12.30 am, it is planned to hold press conference on the ship's heliport. The ceremony will be attended by top-ranking representatives of Indian embassy and Joint Naval Staff, directors of United Shipbuilding Corporation, Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, Rosoboronexport, and regional authorities.
JSC Yantar Shipyard was established on July 8, 1945 on the basis of Koenigsberg shipyards F. Schichau. It is specialized in construction of light and intermediate tonnage vessels for military and civil purposes, as well as ship repair works. Through the 67-year long history, the yard has built 155 warships and over 500 civil vessels. Currently, Yantar's majority shareholder is government represented by United Shipbuilding Corporation.

Rusnavy

Russia to Test Pantsyr Gun System Against Cruise Missiles

The Russian armed forces are to carry out live firing tests of the Army's Pantsyr short-range gun-missile air defense system against cruise missile targets for the first time at a range in northern Russia, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The Pantsyr will be tested in live attacks for the first time against real cruise missile targets on the range," a Defense Ministry source said.
The system has previously only been tested against practice targets imitating cruise missiles.
"The system has been flown several thousand kilometers to an airfield near the Pemboi Range in the Komi Republic, after which it will be driven to the firing range," the source said.
The Pantsyr, produced by Russia's KBP, is a combined gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-opitical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles, and is designed to take on a variety of targets flying at low-level, including cruise missiles and aircraft.
Cruise missiles represent a difficult target as they are small, fast-moving, can fly at very low levels and often have a low infrared and radar signature.
The Pantsyr can engage targets up to 12 miles (20 km) by missile and 2.5 miles (4 km) using the cannon, KBP claims.

 

The system was first made in 1994 and first shown at the MAKS airshow in Moscow in 1995. A modified variant was shown at MAKS 2007

RIA Novosti

CCS to discuss BrahMos, tank ammunition proposals tomorrow

As the army faces ammunition shortage for its tank regiments, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is expected to consider a proposal of defence ministry to procure over 20,000 of Invar missiles from Russia for T-90 tanks at an estimated cost of around Rs. 2,000 crore. The meeting tomorrow is also expected to discuss the procurement of air-launched version of the 290-km-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF, they said.

Under the Army proposal, 10,000 Invar missiles would be brought from Russian manufacturers whereas the remaining would be license-produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) under Transfer of Technology (ToT), they said.
In a letter to the Prime Minister in March, former Army Chief Gen V K Singh had pointed out that only 3-4 days of tank ammunition was left with some of the units while highlighting the shortages faced by his force.
Invar is weapon fired from the gun barrel of T-90, over 1,600 of which would be inducted into the Indian armed forces in the next few years.
The proposal to buy BrahMos missiles for the IAF involves sanctioning of funds for the integration and testing of the BrahMos missile on Russian-origin Su-30MKI of the IAF, sources said.
As per the plans, the first test of the air-launched version of the supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, is to be conducted by December-end.
Two Su-30MKI of the IAF would be modified indigenously by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its Nasik facility where they will also be integrated with the aerial launcher developed by the BrahMos, they said.
The BrahMos missiles integrated on the Su-30s will help the IAF achieve the capability to deliver a deadly blow to enemy formations from stand-off ranges of around 300km without getting close to them.

Hindustan Times

‘Mini-air force’ to see big-ticket investment

With the government accepting the Army's demand of owning and operating attack helicopters, it will be spending several crores to build the 'mini air force'.
The Army received a letter from the ministry of defence mentioning that all 'future procurements' of attack helicopters will be done by the force. “It means that in all probability, the 22 Boeing Apache AH-64D helicopters to be procured for $1.4 billion will go to the Indian Army,” a senior Army officer said on conditions of anonymity.
The Defence Aquisition Council (DAC) has given an 'in principle' approval for the attack helicopters for the Army. The decision to let the Army operate attack helicopters was taken on Thursday despite the opposition from the Indian Air Force (IAF) over 'duplication of assets'. “The Indian Army's request for a 'mini air force' was actually referred to the NSA who favoured the army's request,” a source told FE.
Just last week, IAF chief NAK Browne had said: “The 22 heavy-duty Boeing's AH-64 D Apache Longbow helicopters will be joining the air force.” In fact, Browne had reacted sharply to the question of the Army demanding air assets for itself as “duplication of assets”. “We cannot afford to have our own little air forces. Tomorrow the Coast Guard will ask for submarines will we give it to them?”
He had also revealed that in 2011, the IAF has conceded the Army’s demand for attack helicopters but the latter also wanted medium-lift helicopters and it was then that the Air Force put its foot down.
The procurement of the Apache helicopters is currently in the contract negotiation stage.
According to sources, the ministry of defence has given greater role to the Army in operating the medium-lift helicopters that are now being operated by the IAF, meaning that the tasks of the Army will be given priority. Though the Army will soon get its first indigenous ‘Rudra’ helicopter, it has also put out a request for 10 squadrons of attack helicopters.

The Indian Express