General Indian Defence News

[kurup]

DRDO set to harness ocean power

CHANDIGARH: Given the pressure on land and limited sources which can be tapped for generation of electricity, the ministry of earth sciences is now focusing its attention on oceans to meet growing power demand. It has started working on developing wind farms in ocean, which have a potential of power generation for 300 days in a year. Coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are being studied for the purpose.

Shailesh Nayak, secretary, Union ministry of earth sciences, who was the chief guest for the 'National workshop on renewable energy systems for mountainous regions' in Chandigarh on Friday, informed about the new renewable sources of energy that were being tested. The workshop was jointly organized by the ministry of new and renewable energy and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, SASE - a wing of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

"As land is not easily available for the purpose, we have thought of oceans. The coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have shown a high potential of more than 6m/sec wind velocity. This can sustain power for 300 days in a year," said Dr Nayak. However, how much power in terms of wattage will be produced is yet to be worked upon. "That depends upon the number of wind turbines which will be installed," said the secretary.

DRDO set to harness ocean power - The Economic Times

 

[ejaz007]

India Proposes 10% Budget Increase; 3.3% Boost for Procurement

NEW DELHI — India has proposed a 10 percent increase in defense spending for the financial year beginning April 1, but the plan includes a boost of only 3.28 percent for new weapon procurement compared with a jump of 9 percent the previous year.

Indian Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram announced in Parliament Feb. 17 that defense spending for 2014-2015 would be 2.24 trillion rupees (US $36.3 billion) compared with 2.36 trillion rupees in 2013-2014. Because the rupee was weaker at that time, the defense budget was worth only US $33.95 billion.

For weapon and equipment purchases, the equivalent of US $14.93 billion has been allocated for the next fiscal year, compared with US $14.56 billion for the current year.

The budget allocations proposed by Chidambaram could change, however, when the new government announces its budget after general elections slotted before May. Chidambaram presented an interim budget, which would govern spending only for the next four months.

“The budget proposals are subject to change by the new government after the general elections. As such the latest proposals only give a direction of the defense spending in the year 2014-15, because these figures can be changed by the new government,” said Nitin Mehta, defense analyst.

Resources available to buy new arms over the past year shrunk sharply because of a decline of more than 10 percent in the value of the rupee against the US dollar, and because funds for weapons were diverted for other purposes.

The Indian defense minister diverted US $1.3 billion from the Capital Head of the budget, which was intended for new weapons and equipment, to the Revenue Head, which is largely used to pay salaries, pensions and other day-to-day equipment for the troops, said a Defence Ministry source.

The fund diversion affected the inking of several defense projects, including the purchase of Boeing AH-64-D Apache helicopters worth US $1.16 billion, Boeing Chinook heavy-lift helicopters worth US $833 million, and the purchase of 145 light howitzers from the US subsidiary of BAE Systems for US $583 million.

The fate of defense projects in the pipeline will only be decided by the next government, scheduled to take over in June.

“If the failure to spend [US $1.66 billion] in 2012-13 is also taken into account with the falling rupee and diversion of funds, then the picture is a clear starvation of fresh contracts by the government in the last two years and the trend looks the same given the small increase in money for weapons and equipment,” said Mehta. ■

Email: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com.

India Proposes 10% Budget Increase; 3.3% Boost for Procurement | Defense News | defensenews.com

 

[kurup]

Anti-IED device failed test: Sandhu

Two devices procured by the Army to counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) failed as the device proved a “dud” and could not detect explosives on two occasions in Jammu and Kashmir, deputy national security advisor (NSA) Nehchal Sandhu said on Wednesday at a seminar organised by counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).

Addressing the seminar on ‘Terrorists Weapon of Choice: Improvised Explosive Device’ Sandhu said the security establishment has seen innovative IEDs used by militants, Naxals and terror groups that leave no signature and are hard to detect.

NSG Director General Jayanto Chowdhury said a US company approached him with the anti-IED device during his posting as Assam DGP.

Sandhu, a former IB chief, clarified, “The device A3 procured by 15 Core (Indian Army) on trial basis turned out to be duds. Twice, there were blasts and the device failed,” said Sandhu.

Anti-IED device failed test: Sandhu | The Indian Express

 

[IndoUS]

Anti-IED device failed test: Sandhu

Two devices procured by the Army to counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) failed as the device proved a “dud” and could not detect explosives on two occasions in Jammu and Kashmir, deputy national security advisor (NSA) Nehchal Sandhu said on Wednesday at a seminar organised by counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).

Addressing the seminar on ‘Terrorists Weapon of Choice: Improvised Explosive Device’ Sandhu said the security establishment has seen innovative IEDs used by militants, Naxals and terror groups that leave no signature and are hard to detect.

NSG Director General Jayanto Chowdhury said a US company approached him with the anti-IED device during his posting as Assam DGP.

Sandhu, a former IB chief, clarified, “The device A3 procured by 15 Core (Indian Army) on trial basis turned out to be duds. Twice, there were blasts and the device failed,” said Sandhu.

Anti-IED device failed test: Sandhu | The Indian Express

Good thing it was during trials.

 

[kurup]

Shortage of ammunition to end as cabinet clears procurement proposal

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh, on Thursday cleared the Army’s critical proposal to acquire ammunition for its tank fleet to meet its shortage.

The Army has a fleet of around 3,000 T-72 and T-90 tanks and its ammunition comes from Russia. But the quantity of its ammunition exported from Russia is very low. The issue of acute shortage of ammunition of its tank fleet of T-90 and T-72 tanks was raised by former army chief General VK Singh. In its communication to the prime minister, General Singh had claimed that the army has ammunition for only four days. The matter of ammunition shortage was also mentioned by the parliamentary standing committee on defence.

Besides ammunition, the proposal for night-vision equipment for tank fleet was also taken up. The night vision devices for tanks will enhance performance of the tank fleet during nights.

The mechanised forces, which include 63 armoured corps regiments and over 30 mechanised infantry battalions, constitute a critical component of the Army’s preparedness for high-intensity, fast-tempo and short-duration battles of the future.

The Army had also informed the standing committee on defence about the shortage and how the situation had worsened by the blacklisting of its biggest ammunition supplier — Israeli Military Industry (IMI).

Shortage of ammunition to end as cabinet clears procurement proposal | idrw.org

 

[kurup]

Security risk at sensitive DRDO, Navy test sites

Several disasters related to the Indian Navy have taken place over the past few months – with the latest being the fire that was detected on Wednesday on board the submarine INS Sindhuratna off the Mumbai coast – raising questions about the security of our defence assets. However, the lessons do not seem to have been learnt with security not being beefed up at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sites at Rushikonda and other defence establishments in the area.

The APTDC is set to issue tender notifications for the development of Rushikonda and Bheemili beaches as part of the Beach Corridor Project. However, the authorities have overlooked that Rushikonda Beach, which draws huge crowds, also houses DRDO’s missile testing centre and naval practices take place on one of its sides.

APTDC general manager, Vizag Bheema Sankara Rao, said, “Tender notification for development of Bheemili and Rushikonda is being given. It would be shortly developed but we haven’t spoken to theDRDO or Navy people about barricading their test sites. It’s at one side of the beach and does not disturb tourist inflow.”

Melville Smythe, a surfer and yachting instructor, who is also working with Sports Authority of AP said, pointed out that there is a security threat.

“The testing centre should not be here at all in this crowded beach but should be shifted towards the beaches in the vicinity of INS Kalinga Naval station. There’s absolutely no security and people can walk towards the sensitive defence equipment and computers kept at the site. There’s no guarantee that a tourist approaching towards it is not a terrorist”.

The area is not even barricaded and most of the times a lone security guard is posted though there is sensitive defence equipment such as satellite radar there.

Moreover, Naval personnel also frequent the area and beach for practice, for training and certain tests involving ships and boats and sometimes are disturbed by curious visitors and tourists, divulge sources.

This TOI correspondent, who visited the area posing as a tourist, managed to take photographs and was not stopped either by the security personnel or the DRDO staff there.

The beach attracts 1,000-5,000 visitors during peak season and is usually crowded in the mornings and evenings. What is worrisome is that picnickers, tourists and other revellers can walk up to the DRDO testing centre or even get in through a side, where DRDO officials, especially from Odisha, are found working. A DRDO officer, who came from Chandipur-on-sea in Odisha to work on missile tests conducted this week, said, “Some research equipment and computers are kept here but only for temporary period. The missiles are test-fired from Chandipur and here we check their range and target.”

Principal scientist of National Institute of Oceanography V S N Murty said that missile tests that are carried out are targeted deep in the sea and hence won’t affect the beach visitors. “However, considering it’s a sensitive area, hopefully the Navy and DRDO are taking all necessary precautions. Especially when tests are going on, they should bar the public from approaching the site,” he said.

Security risk at sensitive DRDO, Navy test sites | idrw.org

 

[SRP]

Another scam guys.

https://twitter.com/x/status/440097968080056320

https://twitter.com/x/status/440099239063224320

https://twitter.com/x/status/440097407410634752

 

[SRP]

https://twitter.com/x/status/440812883740340224

https://twitter.com/x/status/440812172273152000

 

[kurup]

Youths must concentrate on ‘strategic technologies’ : DRDO scientist

India with its vast multitude of youth power could leverage the “strategic technologies” to join the elite club of the developed nations, according to P.Sivakumar, Director, Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

He was delivering the 16th Graduation Day address of VRS College of Engineering and Technology at Arasur near here. Mr Sivakumar said that information technology, biotechnology, nano technology and space technology were termed as “strategic technologies.”

He pointed out that the IT and space technologies had converted the modern day battle fields into digital battle fields and turned the weapon-centric warfare into a network-centric warfare. Space technology was relevant for the purpose of communication and navigation.

Satellites were found to be important in intelligence gathering. Nano technology would make ships, aircraft and spacecraft stronger. Bio-technology could provide logistic support.

Acquiring mastery over these technologies would also enable India to bridge the “digital divide” of the developed countries. Mr Sivakumar further stated that India was one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Thirty-three per cent of its population, was in the “general youth” category. Mr Sivakumar quoting former President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam said that “small aim is a crime.” Vijaya Muthuvannan, Chairperson of the college, N.Muthuvannan, director, S.R.Ramanathan, Correspondent, and N.Anbazhagan, Principal, participated.

Youths must concentrate on ‘strategic technologies’ : DRDO scientist | idrw.org

 

[kurup]

New game plan to deny soldier’s right to cast the ballot


(Photo Courtesy: Shib Shankar Chatterjee)

Earlier soldiers (which includes sailors and airmen too) were required to cast their vote by postal ballot. The procedure devised for this was so convoluted, that it was simply inoperative. Less than 10 percent votes ever reached in time to be taken into account. Thus a citizen’s (soldier’s) most fundamental right in a democracy was, by design, denied to him.

The Representation of The People’s Act, 1950 (43 of 1950) and The Representation of People’s Act, 1951 (43 of 1951 ) makes a special provision for voting by postal ballot for those Indians who are living abroad or are posted abroad. Section 20 ( 3 ) of Part 111 of 1950 Act, states, “Any person having, ‘service qualification,’ shall be deemed to be ordinary resident on any date in the constituency in which, but for his having such service qualification, he would have been ordinary resident on that date.” Sub Sections 3 and 5 of Section 20 further clarifies this point. Sub section 8 of Section 20 defines, ‘service qualification,’ means being member of armed forces of the Union. (Section 20 (7) (a)) The wife of a soldier residing with him too will be considered, ‘ordinary resident,’ (sub section 6 of Section 20.) Change to this provision can be made by the Government of India in consultation with the Election Commission (and not by the Election Commission on its own!) 1950 Act (43 of 1950) further clarify this position in Section 60 , sub sections (a) and (b)

Therefore, Election Commission’s recent ruling that a soldier should have served in a constituency for a period of three years to qualify to cast his vote in that constituency is arbitrary and has no legal backing. Election Commission would be aware that less than 1 percent of soldiers remain posted in a given station (constituency) for 3 years. This is yet another device to denying him his fundamental right as a citizen of the Republic of India.

This issue was raised with the Election Commission ( Shri Manohar Singh Gill ) who simply ignored the basic point and instead mooted the idea of proxy voting! He had either not read the Representation of Peoples Act (1950 and 1951) or believed in denying the soldier his right to vote. So he mooted the idea of, ‘proxy voting.’ Which according to the Act is not applicable to a soldier. However on this suggestion, a committee of secretaries was formed to consider proxy voting by a soldier. The committee took just 3 short years to approve this proposal and came up with a system and procedure, which was totally inoperative thus placing the soldier back in square one.

The moot question is as to why the government of India and the defence services Supreme Commander has been a party to this denial of the basic right of a soldier in a democracy by the Election Commission! The Indian soldier has defended the Constitution of India not through debate but with his blood. Yet all manner of tricks have been devised, these 65 years to deny him the right granted to him by the very Constitution in whose defence he has been laying down his life.

Soldiers stay away from their permanent place of residence for as long as 17 to 40 years with brief visits to places of permanent residence. X soldier may not be staying in a given military station ( constituency ) for more than two to two and a half years but soldiers as such are, for all practical purposes, permanent residents at such locations. So their interest in such constituencies is an essential feature and that is why they are considered as, ‘ordinary residents,’ of such locations.

Though the Election Commission had realized the inappropriateness of its policy and accepted that soldiers can vote at the place of posting, but as a second thought, perhaps not on its own, come up with the argument that presence of large body of soldiers in J and K and North East will influence the results in some of the constituencies in those areas. Soldiers are in these areas not on their own volition. They have been there for a very long time, with no prospect of their being pulled out, any time soon, and as such have a stake at those places as any other citizen.

The Supreme Commander of the armed forces needs to intervene in the matter and see that his troops are not denied their most basic democratic right.

New game plan to deny soldier’s right to cast the ballot » Indian Defence Review

 

[kurup]

Aerobatics, job fair, films to add zing to aviation summit

Four years after the inaugural session of the India Aviation Summit-2010 ended in tragedy after a naval HJT-16 Kiran Mk2 trainer carrying out aerobatic stunts crashed into a residential building, the roar of aircraft engines will once again fill the Hyderabad skies as daredevil pilots show off breathtaking aerobatic maneuvers to enthrall enthusiasts at the fourth edition of the biennial international exhibition & conference on civil aviation – India Aviation Summit – 2014.
Of course, for a change it won’t be dashing Indian Navy pilots doing the honours, but pilots from UK-based Mark Jefferies Airshows and Display Aerobatics that will add the much-needed colour and zing to the inaugural that will be graced by Union aviation minister Ajit Singh and Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan, apart from the who’s who of the aviation industry. The UK-based pilots – Mark Jefferies and Tom Cassells – will also perform spectacular manoeuvres, tumbles and spins in the air twice a day throughout the five-day show from March 12 to 16.

Apart from the regular exhibition, clinching of big ticket deals and flexing of aviation muscle by some of the big names in the industry, this year the summit will also host a job fair for final year students of aeronautical engineering. What’s more, flying enthusiasts will also be treated to a host of fiction and non-fiction aviation movies that will be screened at a 60-70 seater theatre that has been created at the venue, civil aviation joint secretary G Ashok Kumar told mediapersons here on Monday.

Giving details about the event, Ashok Kumar said a lot of mega deals are expected to be announced during the event as the primary objective of the aviation summit will be to attract big bucks in the aerospace sector in the country in general and Andhra Pradesh in particular.

The five-day extravaganza, being organised by the ministry of civil aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Fiwith US as the partner country, will see around 250 players from 18 countries set up counters at the nearly 20,000 sq mts of exhibition area at the Begumpet airport. The exhibitors include makers of commercial aircraft, helicopters, cargo aircraft, business jets, aircraft machinery and equipment along with aviation skill development institutions.

While March 12-14 will be open only for business visitors, the event will be thrown open to the public during the last two days. While the public will be allowed entry through tickets priced at Rs.300, business participants will have to shell out Rs.700 per head for entry.

The theme of this year’s aviation blitzkrieg is ‘Enhancing Air Connectivity’ as airlines are increasingly looking at new market opportunities beyond the metros. Some of the industry giants expected to be in attendance during the event include Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Gulfstream, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, HAL, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney and UTC among others.

Off to a flying start

The five-day air show will see around 250 players from 18 countries set up counters at the Begumpet airport

Pilots from UK-based Mark Jefferies Airshows and Display Aerobatics to perform daring manoeuvres twice a day from March 12 to 16

This year’s summit will also see a job fair for final year students of aeronautical engineering

Fiction and non-fiction aviation movies to be screened at a 60-70 seater theatre at the venue

Last two days of the event to be thrown open for general public apart from business visitors.

Aerobatics, job fair, films to add zing to aviation summit | idrw.org

 

[kurup]

Increase engineering capabilities in manufacturing sector: DRDO official

India can be a force to reckon with in the world only when it increases its engineering capabilities in the manufacturing sector, said K. Muraleedharan, Director, Technical Materials, Technical Core Group, Defence Research and Development Organisation Headquarters, New Delhi.

Inaugurating the International Conference on Materials and Characterisation Techniques (ICMCT) 2014 organised by the Centre for Crystal Growth, School of Advanced Sciences (SAS) of the VIT University here on Monday, Dr. Muraleedharan said that at a time when the engineering colleges in India were offering only courses in civil engineering as a result of the design of the British rulers who wanted Indians to learn civil engineering to oversee the constructions of bridges and other government buildings and maintain them, the credit for starting courses in mechanical and electrical engineering went to Madan Mohan Malavia who started these courses in the Banaras Hindu University founded by him in 1916.

Through his efforts, Mahatma Gandhi urged the All India Congress Committee to pass resolutions for starting the mechanical and electrical engineering courses in its session, he said.

The DRDO official said that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s employable engineers will come from India, thanks to the many engineering colleges that have been started in India in the recent years.

“India will become a force to reckon with only when we increase our capabilities in manufacturing engineering,” he said.

P. Ramasamy, Dean (Research), SSN Engineering College, Kalavakkam, Chennai, said that scientists rewarded the society through their discoveries, and the society in turn decorated them with awards.

V. Raju, Vice-Chancellor, VIT University, released the conference souvenir.

Sankar Viswanathan, vice-president and S. Narayanan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of VIT participated.

V.M. Chandrasekaran, Dean, SAS and Conference Chairman welcomed the gathering. S. Kalainathan, Convener, ICMCT 2014, spoke about the conference.

Increase engineering capabilities in manufacturing sector: DRDO official | idrw.org

 

[kurup]

Pakistani mortar shell found in Tripura pond

A mortar shell, possibly used by the Pakistani army during the 1971 war with India, was recovered from a pond at Kamalasagar, a border village in Sipahijala district, the police said on Thursday.

During reclamation of an old pond, MGNREGS workers yesterday recovered the sealed mortar shell which bore the identification number LOT 7050666 PAK 71.

Police suspected that the shell did not explode as it fell into the pond. It was brought here for deactivation.

Tripura, surrounded by Bangladesh in three sides and sharing a 856-km border with it, was the war headquarters of the liberation soldiers.

Pakistani mortar shell found in Tripura pond | idrw.org

 

[kurup]

African parliamentarians seek India’s help in military capacity-building

A nine-member delegation from various African nations evinced keen interest Thursday in making India-Africa ties stronger and sought New Delhi’s help in building their military capacities.The nine-member team of young parliamentarians were from Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, South Sudan and Uganda. The team visited the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), a strategic think tank, for interacting with the experts.


The interaction was focused on the need to build on the strong historical ties between India and Africa for their mutual benefit in multiple spheres – political, economic, security, science and technology.

The delegates were also interested in the role of women in the armed forces and politics in India.

Ruchita Beri, who specializes on African issues at IDSA, emphasised the unique consultative nature of the India-Africa relationship and discussed the scope for further cooperation in the areas of energy infrastructure development and counter-terrorism.

African parliamentarians seek India’s help in military capacity-building | idrw.org

 

[HRK]

India to sell stake in HAL after general election - IHS Jane's 360

India is likely to push through its plan to divest a minority stake in state-controlled military aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the country's general election, which will be held over nine phases starting in early April.

An official in India's Ministry of Finance (MoF), who has direct knowledge of the matter, told IHS Jane's on 13 March that the planned sale of a 10% stake in HAL is "in process" and that it is likely to be concluded after the formation of a new government. An announcement on the divestment "can be expected in about two months", he said.