Indian Defence and Strategic News Thread

[Muzungu]

Equal military tenure for men, women: Delhi High Court

One more gender inequity fell when the Delhi High Court on Friday made service conditions the same for men and women in India’s armed forces. For some of them, at least.
The order allows women joining the Army and Indian Air Force before 2006 to opt for Permanent Commission, and continue in service as long as their male colleagues.
Under a policy, which changed in 2006, these women were recruited through the Short Service Commission route with tenures from five to 14 years.
At the end of their tenure they could not upgrade to Permanent Commission and remain in service, an option available to their male colleagues.
Now they can.
“It is not a charity being sought by the women officers but enforcement of their constitutional rights,” said a bench of justices S.K. Kaul and M.C. Garg. “On the one hand, the government talks about women empowerment and reservation and, on the other hand, it expresses reservation in giving equal opportunity in the armed forces,” the Bench had said during the hearing.
The court’s reference to the women’s reservation bill is significant. The Rajya Sabha passed it with much drama earlier this week. More than 1,200 lady officers are tipped to benefit from the court’s ruling.
One of them is Wing Commander Anupama Joshi, 41, who will be reinstated now. “I plan to start jogging from tomorrow,” she said, adding, “I need to shed some weight, get back in shape.”
Joshi, who was one of the first women to join the IAF in 1993, added, “I had kept my uniform for emotional reasons. I never imagined I would get to wear it again. It’s been a long fight, a lonely one.”
She retired from the IAF in 2008 after putting in 15 years of service. Joshi is currently the CEO of a rural banking project in Uttarakhand, earning far more than an IAF officer of her seniority.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about what’s right and wrong. I felt I was given a raw deal only because I was born a woman. It was sheer gender disparity and nothing else.”
But the high court will not lead to complete gender equality in the forces. Women are not offered Permanent Commission at all except in the medical wing. They can come in only through the Short Service Commission route and leave the service after 14 years, with no hope of an upgrade to Permanent Commission.
Air Force, for instance, does not offer the upgrade to men either. But they at least have the option of coming in through Permanent Commission. Women don’t. It will take another court to break that barrier.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Delhi-...e1-518159.aspx

[JBH22]

In all, the two sides signed five agreements — two each in the nuclear sphere and fertilizers and one in the civilian space segment — in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.
Several other pacts were signed on the sidelines, including supplementary agreements on the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to finalise cost and technical issues, and a deal in the military aviation sphere that includes the purchase of more naval version MiG-29 fighters. Commercial level agreements were signed between Gazprom and ONGC; NPCIL and Atomostroy export (for the next two units at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu); and Alrosa and Diamonds India Limited, besides two between companies also engaged in the diamond sector.
“The range of agreements points to the diversification of our ties,” pointed out a Foreign Office official.
Both sides had discussions on regional and global issues and agreed to intensify consultations on Afghanistan and the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism in the region.
“In the run-up to and during Prime Minister Putin's visit, we finalised several important and long pending defence cooperation projects which will deepen our longstanding partnership in this vital sector. We have signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in Atomic Energy and agreed upon a road map for construction of nuclear power plants. An MoU for bilateral cooperation in Russia's satellite navigation system has been agreed upon,'' Dr. Singh said in a statement shortly after concluding delegation-level talks with Mr. Putin.
Dr. Singh also referred to the agreement on strengthening cooperation in hydrocarbons through greater collaboration between gas companies. “We have identified information technology and telecommunications as focus areas for our future economic cooperation,” he added.
Exhaustive discussions between officials from both sides closed deals pending for months and years, identified new areas of cooperation and narrowed divergent views in some areas. “We should not see this visit as a one-off affair. Rather, the discussions today are a continuation of the dialogue that has been taking place nearly every month between specialised delegations. We have several military agreements that have been in the pipeline for a long time. We also have another MoU in energy that takes discussions on this subject forward. Space and nuclear cooperation are the other areas where, like energy, there has been steady progress,” said the official.
Describing Mr. Putin as the “architect” of the strategic partnership between India and Russia, Dr. Singh said India owed a “deep sense of gratitude” to him for bringing the two countries closer to each other. Mr. Putin made the first of his five visits to the country a decade ago and since then was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2007.
On his visit to Moscow in December last year, Dr. Singh was closeted with the former two-term Russian President, both sides discussing ironing out the wrinkles in bilateral relationship and expanding their cooperation.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/13/stor...1363770100.htm

[JBH22]

NEW DELHI: India, which has tripled its defense spending in a race against China's military buildup, is having trouble converting the funding into weapons and equipment its military says are urgently needed.

The government in five years has canceled two tenders for artillery guns, a contract for ammunition propellant and two helicopter tenders, together worth at least $4 billion. No contract exceeding $100 million has been awarded through competitive bidding in at least 23 years, said military analyst V.K. Kapoor. Defense Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said he couldn't immediately identify the last such deal.

India's "military capacity and preparedness are being reduced because of the inadequacy of the procurement process," said Uday Bhaskar, director of the National Maritime Foundation, a New Delhi research institute on strategic issues. The military's upgrading is "on hold and its obsolescence is increasing."

The cancellations have disrupted attempted weapons sales by Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter unit in Fort Worth, BAE Systems Plc and South Africa's Denel Ltd. Bhaskar said they have hurt troop readiness along more than 4,200 kilometers (2,600 miles) of Himalayan frontiers, where India has fought three full-blown wars with Pakistan and one with China.

India took 20 years to negotiate a 2004 contract for jet trainers, even as 157 pilots died in three decades of jet fighter crashes blamed partly on inadequate training craft.

Obsolete Weapons

The Defense Ministry, which wields the world's 10th-largest military budget, has surrendered 3% to 9% of its announced budget in each of the past seven years because it couldn't spend all the money allocated for arms, according to a January report by the New Delhi office of accounting firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry. Half of India's weapons are obsolete, the report said.

China has almost quadrupled its official defense spending since 2000 to $78 billion for fiscal 2011, 7.5% more than in the previous year. India will spend $32 billion on defense this year, triple its 2000 outlay and 4% more than in fiscal 2010.

India has bought no artillery for more than 23 years, a period during which the government has sought to buy more than 1,500 155 mm guns for use mainly along the Pakistani and Chinese borders. Such guns were used to defeat Pakistan in a 1999 conflict at Kargil in Kashmir; India would have had too few had that fight grown into a full-scale war, said Kapoor, who is also a retired army lieutenant general.

Howitzer Delays

India's military is adequately prepared on its borders and will benefit from an accelerating modernization program, Minister of State for Defense M.M. Pallam Raju said at a conference with defense companies in New Delhi on Feb. 16. "In the past five years we have created a faster, more transparent procurement process," he said.

That process is being tested as India's air force conducts flight trials in the world's biggest fighter-jet purchase in 15 years. Chicago-based Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and four European builders are vying under a 2007 tender to sell India 126 warplanes worth $11 billion.

India is expected to sign a separate deal for 29 naval MiG- 29 fighters during this week's visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

John Giese, a spokesman for Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed, called the fighter tender "one of the most challenging competitions in the history of fighter aviation." Given the complexity, "the competition has been very efficient, transparent and professionally managed," Boeing spokeswoman Mary Ann Brett said in an e-mail.

European Competitors

Lockheed and Boeing are competing with Paris-based Dassault Aviation SA, Stockholm-based Saab AB, European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co., which has headquarters in Paris and Munich, and Moscow-based OAO United Aircraft Corp.

While the military says rules last amended in November let it sign a contract within 20 to 34 months, it is too early to judge their effectiveness, said Gurpal Singh, a deputy director general for the industry federation in New Delhi.

The air force asked the government in 1983 to order advanced jet trainers because pilots taught mainly in subsonic jets were losing control of supersonic MiG-21 fighters that were more than three times faster. Political and bureaucratic battles under 11 prime ministers added to the delays before BAE Hawk jets were purchased.

India's main political blocs -- led by the Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- have fought over arms buying since 1987. Indian newspapers reported then that Swedish artillery builder Bofors, now a unit of London-based BAE, bribed officials to buy its guns. The scandal scuttled most of the deal and helped drive the Congress government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to defeat in 1989 elections.

Reviewing Deals

India was still seeking artillery in 2004 when Congress was elected, and halted bidding as it reviewed defense deals under the previous BJP administration. When police investigated Pretoria-based Denel for paying illegal commissions in winning a 2002 army order for rifles, the government blacklisted the state-owned company.

Four more foreign companies were barred from defense contracts last year, after the Central Bureau of Investigation said they were being investigated on suspicion of bribery. That forced Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. out of the race, leaving London-based BAE as a single vendor and prompting officials to halt the tender.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12520

[JBH22]

russia and india have signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supplies of 29 more mig-29k carrier-based fighter jets to new delhi, the head of the russian aircraft corporation mig said on friday.
"an agreement on supplying an additional set of mig-29k fighter jets has been signed, the start of supplies is scheduled for 2012," mikhail pogosyan said.
The deal was signed during prime minister vladimir putin's visit to new delhi.
Pogosyan said russia should fulfill the previous contract on supplies of single-seat mig-29k fighters to india by 2010.
Russia and india signed a contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat mig-29ks and four two-seat mig-29kubs to india in january 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5 billion deal to deliver the admiral gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in russia for the indian navy.
India's first mig-29ks and mig-29kubs officially entered service earlier this year.
Analysts believe that india will remain the main purchaser of russian-made combat aircraft for the next 15 years under existing and future contracts, as the country desperately needs to upgrade its fighter fleet, which includes su-30mki and mig-29 fighters, but mainly consists of obsolete soviet mig-21 models.

ria novosti

[JBH22]

NEW DELHI, March 12 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and India will sign a contract of supply of 40 newest multi-purpose fighters Su-30MKI for the Indian Air Force later this year.
"We're conducting negotiations over this contract; we're expecting it to be signed this year," director of the Sukhoi corporation Mikhail Pogosyan underlined on Friday.
Su-30MKI (modernized, commercial, Indian) is a modification of SU-30MK, designed specially for India. Its top speed is 2,200 kilometers per hour. It has a range of 3,500 kilometers. Armaments: a 30-mm gun, with missiles or bombs on 12 suspension points.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12524

[JBH22]

NEW DELHI, March 13 (Bernama) -- India is to testfire its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defense (AAD) missile off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa Sunday, Press Trust of India (PTI) cited Defence Ministry sources as saying Saturday.

"The missile, which is capable of destroying any hostile ballistic missile at a low altitude, will be testfired from the Intergrated Test Range in Wheeler Islanad in Chandipur in the state's Balasore district. The missile is to destroy a target in mid-air over Bay of Bengal. The interception is to take place at low altitude," the sources said.

AAD is an anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 30 km. AAD is single stage, solid fueled missile.

On Dec 2007, AAD successfully intercepted a modified Prithvi- II missile acting as an incoming ballistic missile enemy target. The endo-atmospheric interception was carried out at an altitude of 15 km.

On March 6, 2009, India again successfully tested its missile defense shield, during which an incoming "enemy" missile was intercepted at an altitude of 75 km.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/ne....php?id=482294

[Kunal Biswas]

Pakistan should rein in Lashkar, says Robert Blake

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake on Saturday suggested that Pakistan rein in the Lashkar-e-Taiba, given its increasing capacity to target other countries, including the U.S.

In an interview, Mr. Blake said: “Lashkar-e-Taiba is a terrorist group based in Pakistan that has increasingly global ambitions and global scope … and so it's in the interest of Pakistan to rein in the activities of LeT.”

Signalling growing concern in the U.S. over the rise of the LeT, Mr. Blake's comments came a day after a hearing on the Capitol Hill where Congressmen noted, “The LeT has put the world on notice that they intend to escalate the carnage and spread it worldwide.”

Threat of terrorism

Touching upon the first India-Pakistan talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Mr. Blake said: “We do believe that one of the most important things to work on is this issue of terrorism, because I think, it's something that threatens not only both of these countries but also the United States.”

Mr. Blake explained that in addition to a significant increase in civilian assistance, the U.S. was also “helping the Pakistani military to reorient itself from its historical focus on India and the threat that might have been posed by India, towards improving its counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist capabilities, so that it can really grapple and deal with the challenges in its border areas.”

He said there could never be success in stabilising Afghanistan without the full participation of Pakistan.

Civilian nuclear pact

On the civilian nuclear agreement with India, Mr. Blake affirmed that “The United States, under President Obama, remains very much committed to the nuclear agreement that was signed under President Bush, and Prime Minister [Manmohan] Singh.”

Pointing out that “very important talks on reprocessing” were under way, he said he expected the discussions to be completed “well before” the August 2010 deadline.

Mr. Blake emphasised that the U.S. was very much hoping that the Indian government would proceed with very important legislation on nuclear liability, and was gratified to learn that the President of India had announced India's intention to introduce this Bill in the current session of Parliament.

“We'll be following the progress of that legislation very closely,” he said, adding the U.S.' ultimate goal was to allow export of nuclear reactors to India.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/intern...icle244095.ece

[Kunal Biswas]

Indo-German technology centre in Delhi soon

An Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) will be established in about two months here.
This was stated by T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), and Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, following the 8th meeting of the Indo-German Committee on Science and Technology here on Saturday.
The Committee meets once a year alternately in Germany and India.
The centre's mandate is to bring together scientists and industry from both countries to carry out R&D projects in a “2+2” collaborative arrangement. That is, scientists from India will identify a partnering Indian firm to collaborate with a corresponding German scientists-industry partnership group.
“We are now in the project evaluation process,” said Dr. Ramasami. Both nations had agreed to contribute €2m each every year over the next five years towards the funding of projects.
Already a programme on ‘Lean Manufacturing' has been launched among IIT Delhi, PSG College of Technology (Coimbatore) and the Institute of Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools, Darmstadt.
A programme on ‘Automotive Resource Policy' has also been taken up in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute as part of which three workshops were held in the last year-and-half, according to Dr. Ramasami.
Given the frequent comparisons made between India and China on S&T matters, Jens Urban, head of the press and public relations at the German Embassy here, pointed out that no such centre was created for Sino-German S&T cooperation.
“We have travelled a considerable distance together. In the last five years since the collaboration began, we have been working very closely and strengthening S&T cooperation,” Dr. Ramasami said. Last year alone, as many as 1,700 scientists moved between the two countries as part of the scientists exchange programmes. This marked an increase of 35 per cent over the previous year.
“There was some concern earlier that there were more Indian scientists travelling to Germany than German scientists coming here. Now the symmetry has been restored with a 40 per cent increase in the number of scientists from Germany. The real hallmark of our cooperation has been the symmetry and co-sharing of resources,” he said.
The cooperation focussed on research in areas related to sustainable development, energy and water.
According to Mr. Rachel, Germany had earmarked €12 m for a five-year period beginning this year for funding mobility of students to India and Indian students to Germany under the German campaign called ‘New Passage to India.'
A corresponding investment by India towards this exchange programme was mooted and was under the consideration of the Indian government, Dr. Ramasami said.
Innovation house
The German Education and Research Ministry proposed to set up a German House of Science and Innovation (GHSI) in New Delhi, an entity distinct from the IGSTC.
The GHSI, an initiative of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German Federal Foreign Office's Research and Academic Relations Programme, will be a platform for interaction among Indian and German collaborating scientists and technologists.
This will be one of the five Houses being established in five cities on four continents to create a global network that will showcase German competence and innovative strength in science and technology: in New Delhi, Tokyo, New York, Moscow and São Paulo.
The Indian GHSI will be the third innovation house to be established around the world; the first one was in São Paulo, Brazil, about six months back and the second was in New York about three weeks back.
“This is indicative of the importance we attach to cooperation in science and technology with India,” Mr. Rachel said.
The House is being established in conjunction with 6-7 major German universities and German research foundations such as German Research Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service, the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society, the Helmholtz Association and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
“This forum will also help to avoid overlap and repetition in the collaborative research being undertaken as part of programmes separately under these agencies,” Dr. Ramasami said.
German President Horst Koehler has announced that the year 2011-12 will be a German-Indian year by showcasing German politics, culture, art and S&T. President Pratibha Patil too has patronised the idea by announcing an Indian-Germany year that would project Indian achievements in Germany during 2012-13.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/nation...icle244343.ece

[JBH22]

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 5th visit to India, superficially a success, in fact highlighted the one-way structure of the Russia-India relationship. The four pillars on which the relationship rests — strategic congruence; defence and space partnership; nuclear power generation; and hydrocarbons — remain biased in favour of Russia. Putin’s visit gives little hope that this is about to change.

But the strategic partnership remains strong, despite Russian dismay about the US-India tango. Moscow shares New Delhi’s concerns on terrorism. The Kremlin, scarred from Chechnya, worries that a radicalised Afghanistan or Pakistan could spread extremism to Russia’s Central Asian underbelly. Secondly, like Washington, Moscow too has deep concerns about the rise of China; India and Russia compare and discuss their perspectives on China. Finally, Moscow would like a powerful Indian Navy patrolling the Indian Ocean, leaving lesser space for the US and Chinese navies.

Based upon this strategic congruence, India and Russia have extended their “Long-term military and technical agreement” for the period from 2011-2020. Indian defence purchases have long been, and still remain, an important driver of Russian defence R&D and defence manufacture. While the MEA has stated that Russian equipment, which used to constitute 70 per cent of India’s military hardware, is now climbing down towards 60 per cent, that is still 35-40 per cent of Russia’s annual defence exports.
Russia’s readiness to supply India strategic platforms and technology that no other country will part with — such as a nuclear submarine on lease and assistance in designing an Indian nuclear submarine and underwater-launched missiles — maintains for that country a niche in a lucrative strategic sphere.
In the emerging field of joint aircraft development, the progress is slower than anticipated. It had been hoped that a $600 million joint venture would be set up during Putin’s visit, between India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), to develop a Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) for the Russian and Indian Air Forces to transport 18.5 tonne payloads over 2500 kilometres. This expectation was belied, and Business Standard has learned that both sides continue to bargain hard in ongoing negotiations.
Also mired in negotiations is the proposed HAL-UAC joint venture to develop and manufacture 250 fifth-generation fighters each for the Russian and Indian Air Forces. This even after the prototype fighter, named the Sukhoi T-50 or the PAK FA, has already taken to the skies in January 2010.
These disappointments notwithstanding, Russia drew satisfaction from the culmination of two years of negotiations over the price of the aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya, once it joins the Indian Navy in 2013). In supplementary agreements to the original contract, India undertook to pay US $2.33 billion for the Gorshkov, instead of the US $974 million that had been agreed upon in 2004. India also signed a US $1.6 billion deal to buy 29 MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters, over and above the 16 already purchased for operating from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The additional fighters, India’s most technologically advanced, will operate from the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) that is being built in Cochin Shipyard.
Russia’s multi-billion dollar defence signings were echoed in the realm of nuclear power production (NPP) equipment. The NSG waiver on nuclear trade with India has triggered a Russian campaign to sell reactors in India, co-opting Indian engineering companies in order to bring down costs. With India’s current generating capacity of 4000 MW slated to reach 20,000 MW by 2020, the coming decade could see the procurement of at least 12 nuclear power reactors from foreign suppliers. According to Alexander Kadakin, Russia’s ambassador to India, Moscow hopes to bag orders for at least 6 of those reactors.
During this visit, Moscow and New Delhi signed two documents relating to NPP: a broad “Agreement on Cooperation in the use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes”, and a specific “Road Map for the Serial Construction of Russian Designed Nuclear Power Plants in the Republic of India.” This road map, sources tell Business Standard, involves adding four more reactors to the existing two reactors at Kudankulam, and then developing another reactor site at Haripur in West Bengal.
Despite these initiatives, Indian officials complain bitterly that Russian officials, particularly in the important middle rung, are simply not interested in implementing Vladimir Putin’s vision of a close Russia-India relationship. Putin has recognised corporate India’s wish to invest in Russia and do business there, but little has been done to facilitate that.
“The relationship was far better during the Soviet era, because when a leader declared something, it was implemented faithfully by officials down the chain,” said a top-ranking government official. “But today, Putin’s genuine warmth is simply not translated into action.”
The unhealthy lopsidedness of the trade relationship will tilt further in Moscow’s favour after India’s purchase of nuclear reactors and supplies of nuclear fuel. The visa regime remains a major hurdle for business.
“Getting a business visa, even for an industrial head like Ratan Tata, involves delays and all sorts of procedural requirements; and Moscow does absolutely nothing to ease that”, says a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Russian officials are focused entirely on Europe and America. They simply don’t see India as a priority.”

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...itants/388634/

[JBH22]

New Delhi: India and the US will hold a joint military exercise in April near California, focusing on counter-terrorism operations.

The exercise, Shatrujeet, will come just six months after the two armies conducted their largest joint wargame ever, YudhAbhyas, in Babina in Uttar Pradesh last October.
Around 150 to 200 men from the Indian Army will leave for the joint exercise between April 1 and 19 in which simulated terrorism scenarios would be played out and practiced.
The two countries have held over 50 joint military exercises in the last seven years, indicating the extent of growth in their military ties.
Last October, India had hosted the US troops for YudhAbyas, in which the Americans showcased their Stryker infantry armoured vehicles and Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) during the exercise, in a bid to convince the Indians of their potential and a possible sale.
The US is also eyeing the lucrative defence market and India's armed forces plans to acquire military equipment and weapons worth $50 billion in the next five years.
The Americans have sold six C-130J transport aircraft at $962 million for India's special forces in 2007 and eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy at $2.1 billion in 2009.
Another deal for 10 C-17 Globemaster-III giant strategic airlift aircraft at a cost of $2.2 billion for the IAF is expected soon.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12526

[JBH22]

Report by Karunakar Sahoo, Balasore: India to test indigenously designed and developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Orissa coast on Sunday.The target missile, a modified indigenously built 'Prithvi' posing as an enemy missile, lifted off from a mobile launcher from the ITR at Chandipur-on-sea and the interceptor AAD missile using a radio frequency seeker on-board blasted off from Wheeler Island about 70 km across the sea from Chandipur. It was orginally sheduled to test on Sunday Morning 10 am but Interceptor missile test postponed till 2 pm today.

This will be the fourth such test being carried out by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. At least 3,000 ( 2474 adult and 746 minors of 400 families of 5 villages have been shifted to temporary camps at Khadipahi School, and Kalimandap. They will provide Rs 130/- per Adult members, Rs 65/- to each minors , Rs 25/- each for Fooding and Rs 10/- and Rs 5/- for entertainment . They will also be provided Rs 10/- for each animals. The Defence department has provided Rs 7 lakh to the district administration for the purpose

http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=17240

[JBH22]

New Delhi: Russia will build more than 1,000 stealth fighter jets within four decades, including at least 200 for its traditional weapons buyer India, the head of plane maker Sukhoi said on Friday.
Sukhoi test-flew its long-delayed fifth-generation fighter at the end of January, and Moscow said it would be able to compete with its U.S. F-22 Raptor rival built more than a decade ago.
Sukhoi said last week it hoped the fighter, codenamed T-50, would be ready for use in 2015.
"If you talk about warplanes of this type, there is definitely a market for it if we produce more than 1,000 jets," Sukhoi director Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters on the sidelines of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to India.
"We have all grounds to believe that there will not be tough competition on the world market," he said.
He said Russia would produce more than 1,000 of the planes within 35 to 40 years.
After the test flight, Putin said Russia had plenty of work to do on the plane.
Analysts say Russia's plans for a joint venture with India to produce the stealth fighters will likely be watched with unease by India's uneasy neighbour Pakistan and regional rival China.
Pogosyan said an agreement on joint output of the jet with India was still in the works and did not say when a deal might be signed.
"I believe that more than 200 planes will be delivered (to India)," Pogosyan said.
"I think (Russia's) defence ministry will buy no less than this amount," he said. About 600 of the planes would be sold elsewhere, he said.
Analysts say several nations, including Libya and Vietnam, have already expressed interest in the fifth-generation fighter.
"Apart from America, the only other fifth-generation project is Russia's, while the Europeans have given up such plans," Pogosyan said.
"Probably the Chinese will try and promote such a product, but I think they face an immense amount of work to make their product competitive," he said.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12525

[JBH22]

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was set up in 1970 as a manufacturing base for guided weapon systems. From a its humble beginning in a rented premises of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (APIDC), the company today boasts of two manufacturing complexes spread over 1,300 acres located at Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad and Bhanur, Medak District in Andhra Pradesh. Its CMD, Maj Gen Ravi Khetarpal,VSM (Retd), spoke to HT on a range of issues. Excerpts:
Please explain the importance of BDL in the Indian defence industry?
BDL is the prime production agency for manufacture of all types of missiles required by the armed forces and assumes a key and strategic role in the Indian defence industry. BDL is engaged in manufacture of guided weapons and systems, which have a very significant role in defence of the nation.
How does BDL stand in comparison with global weapon equipment manufacturers?
Today BDL manufactures a variety of guided weapons. These are primarily through transfer of technology from leading overseas manufacturers. BDL also manufactures weapons and equipment developed by DRDO. Weapon equipment manufactured by BDL meets the stringent standards set by the original equipment manufacturers.
What is the future diversification plans of BDL?
With the modernisation drive of the Indian Armed Forces, I foresee that in the next few years, BDL would be rapidly expanding it's product profile. To cite a few examples, third generation ATGMs, air defence missiles and a variety of surface-to- surface missiles would be rolling out of our production lines.
While the focus has been on guided missiles, does BDL plan to diversify to other defence products?
Missiles have been our emphasis so far so ... To broad base our product profile, we have forayed into manufacturing of underwater weapon systems like torpedoes for the Indian navy, which would be another major growth engine for the company.
Can you briefly elaborate on your R&D activities?
Guided weapon systems encompass numerous technologies, which are highly sophisticated and are developing at a rapid pace. Till date, the focus of BDL has been on imbibing the relevant manufacturing technologies. However, in parallel, BDL has designed and developed some systems of these have been inducted into the Armed Forces. Presently, we are drawing up ambitious plans to rapidly enhance products primarily aimed at value addition to the core products.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12533

[Muzungu]

New interceptor missile fails to take off

BALASORE: India's new Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, capable of destroying hostile missiles, on Monday encountered coordination problem and failed to take off during a planned launch from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.

"Coordinated exercise between target missile Prithvi from Chandipur and the indigenously built interceptor from Wheeler Island could not take place properly during the planned trial," defence sources said.

Though Prithvi - the target missile - was test-fired at 10.02 hrs from a mobile launcher from ITR's launch complex-3 at Chandipur-on-sea, 15 km from here, the interceptor missile failed to blast off, they said.

Though the exact reason behind interceptor missile's failure to take off was yet to be ascertained, preliminary analysis suggested that the target missile might have deviated from its stipulated trajectory, leading to lack of proper coordination, the sources said.

The trial, aimed at developing a multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday from the two different sites of the ITR but had to be put off due to some technical snag in a sub-system at Wheeler Island, they said.

Wheeler's Island is located about 70 km across the sea from Chandipur and the AAD missile was to intercept the target at an altitude of 15 to 20 km over the sea.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5684974.cms

[JBH22]

Army turns to HAL for 20 Cheetals in bid to plug chopper gaP

Bangalore: After years of delays in finalizing a global tender for 197 new helicopters, the Indian Army has recently decided to buy 20 Cheetal helicopters from Bangalore-based military plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), three people familiar with the matter said.
The army had first floated a global tender for 197 advanced choppers in 2003 to replace its ageing fleet of Cheetahs and Chetaks, also from HAL and in use for at least three decades.
The Cheetal uses the same platform as the Cheetah, even if it has more powerful engines to take troops and weapons to higher altitude regions in the Himalayas and the North-East.
The purchase is the latest of several ad hoc defence deals India has struck in recent years to tide over delays to the army’s modernization plans, often a result of bureaucratic hurdles, cautious decision-making or corruption charges.
“Ad hoc purchases also means you are spending the money allocated for some other aircraft and not necessarily the full funds,” said Deba Ranjan Mohanty, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a strategic think tank in New Delhi.
Each Cheetal costs about Rs25 crore. The estimated cost for the 197 choppers is nearly $1 billion (Rs4,500 crore).
A spokesman for the Indian Army did not respond to calls or emails sent early March.
The delay in the purchase of the 197 helicopters is because the army had to scrap the contract it had given to France-based Eurocopter SA after allegations of unfair trials by competitor Bell Helicopter, a division of Textron Inc. It floated a second tender in 2008.
“Delays mean using old aircraft on extended life, including training and operations,” said a defence ministry official, one of the three people mentioned earlier. “This will affect operational capabilities.” The official and the two other people familiar with the matter did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the development.
“These ad hoc purchases will affect the modernization plans of the armed forces,” said Mohanty.
Nearly half the weapons in India’s military inventory are obsolete, accounting firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said in a report in January. The defence ministry has had to surrender 3-9% of its capital budget in the previous seven fiscal years as it couldn’t spend all the money allocated to it for weapon purchases, said the KPMG-CII report. India is expected to spend $100 billion (Rs4.5 trillion) by 2022 on buying new aircraft, helicopters, ships, tanks and missiles, it said.
Its most expensive purchase would be that of 126 jet fighters at an estimated $10 billion. Trials are now on for the fighters.
The development of Tejas, the light combat aircraft planned to replace the ageing MiG-21 fleet, has been delayed by at least five years. The government is also yet to finalize the upgradation of 51 Mirage 2000 fighters.
Last week, during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India agreed to buy 42 additional Sukhoi 30 MkI fighters. This is to fill gaps and beef up capacity of the Indian Air Force’s fighter squadrons. The air force is operating at least six squadrons below its sanctioned strength of 39.5 squadrons of 18 planes each.
Recently, India opted to buy 145 lightweight towed howitzer guns from BAE Systems Plc. after it had to scrap an earlier tender, in which the front runner Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd was blacklisted on charges of corruption.
When planned procurement processes get delayed and are “fast-tracked through ad-hoc purchases, it also means the model of open competition is also suffering,” said Ratan Shrivastava, director for aerospace and defence at researcher Frost and Sullivan. “You go in for whatever is available, which may not be an optimum solution.”

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/n...p?newsid=12540