Ministry of Defence
08-October, 2017 16:29 IST
Defence Minister Reviews Operational Preparedness in The Northeast
Defence Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, arrived at Tezpur today as part of her maiden visit to the Eastern Command as Defence Minister. The Minister who was accompanied by Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Sarath Chand and GOC-in-C Eastern Command Lt Gen Abhay Krishna was received at Tezpur Airforce Station by GOC Gajraj Corps Lt Gen AS Bedi and other senior dignitaries of the Army and the Air Force. The visit which is part of her familiarisation with all the formations of the Indian Army & the Indian Air Force (IAF) comes close on the heels of her visit to Northern Command recently and her visit to Sikkim yesterday.
At the outset, the Defence Minister extended her good wishes to the Air Warriors on the occasion of 85th Air Force Day anniversary as she interacted with them at the strategically important Eastern airbase of Tezpur. She also reviewed the operational readiness of the airbase, seeing the Sukhoi fighter aircraft & other IAF assets at first-hand.
Thereafter, Smt Sitharaman visited the Gajraj Corps HQ where she was briefed by GOC Gajraj Corps Lt Gen AS Bedi on the overall security situation in Assam and the Kameng Sector of Arunachal Pradesh and the operational preparedness of the Corps. The Minister reiterated the Government’s resolve to give further impetus to development in the border areas.
The Defence Minister subsequently visited Solmara Military Station, Tezpur where she interacted with the officers & jawans over a cup of tea. She appreciated the high standards of military discipline and preparedness of the army men and their excellent performance in the difficult terrain and challenging environment in which they are operating. Smt Sitharaman further praised them for their steadfast commitment and their high morale in facing the diverse challenges thrown up by the dynamic security environment. She exhorted the troops to continue with the same zeal and sense of pride and honour showing due respect to Human Rights. She expressed satisfaction at the level of preparedness of the forces and extended her greetings to the troops for a happy Diwali before her departure for Delhi.
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The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman being received by GOC Gajraj Corps, Lt. Gen. A.S. Bedi and other senior dignitaries of the Army and Air Force, on her maiden visit to Tezpur on October 08, 2017.
The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman interacting with the officers and jawans, during her visit to the Solmara Military Station, Tezpur on October 08, 2017.
The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inside the cockpit of the state-of-the-art fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MKI, during her visit to the Air Force Station Tezpur on October 08, 2017.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...tice-dhanoa/article19824337.ece?homepage=true
The Indian Air Force is prepared to fight a war at short notice, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said here on Sunday. Addressing personnel on Air Force Day, he said the force was fully geared to face any security challenge.
He said the Air Force was acquiring multi-spectrum strategic capabilities and remained committed to building “jointmanship” with the Army and the Navy.
He said the security of Air Force stations had been enhanced to combat any threat, even sub-conventional ones, after the terrorist attack on the IAF base in Pathankot last year.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...hief-dhanoa/article19823174.ece?homepage=true
Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa says Indian Air Force is prepared to fight at a short notice.
Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa on October 8 expressed at the loss of lives during peacetime even as he said the Indian Air Force (IAF) was prepared to fight at a short notice if needed.
“Notwithstanding the high intensity of our flying we cannot afford to have accidents and lose valuable lives and assets. Our losses during peacetime are a cause of concern and we are making concerted efforts to prevent accidents and preserve our assets,” Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said paying homage to the seven personnel. He was addressing the Air Force on the occasion of the 85th anniversary after reviewing the parade at Hindon Air Force station.
Elaborating on the measures taken to improve safety, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said state-of-art flight simulators have been inducted for training air crew. “To ensure a flying devoid of bird strikes we have enhanced out capability of conducting bird surveys by induction of micro-light aircraft,” he said.
On October 6, a Mi-17 V5 helicopter on an air maintenance mission crashed in Tawang killed five IAF personnel and two Army personnel.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said according to preliminary assessment, the accident was caused as the helicopter’s tail rotor dis-engaged and added, “The exact cause will be known latter. Will not speak more on the issue as the court of inquiry is on.”
Surya Kiran in full strength
The IAF enthralled the audience with an interesting flypast by various types of aircraft. The aerobatic team Surya Kiran performed at their full strength with nine aircraft after a gap of several years and indigenous eye in the sky Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system on an Embraer aircraft made its debut during the flypast.
The Surya Kiran team was disbanded for four years due to shortage of intermediate jet trainers and was re-formed in October 2015 with Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT). The aircraft strength was gradually being built up and on Sunday it performed with its full strength.
An interesting aspect of the Surya Kiran performance was the various formations that were presented. While the nine aircraft flew in the forms of frontline Su-30, indigenous Tejas and soon to be inducted Rafale. The surprise formation was that of the SAAB Gripen which is in the race for the single engine aircraft tender along with F-16 of Lockheed Martin.
IAF is expected to issue the tender for over 100 single engine fighters in the next few weeks. The deal is estimated to cost over ₹60,000 crore.
Bhawana Kath, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh, the first three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force. File | Photo Credit:
K.V. S. Giri
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...lot-may-fly-mig-21-bisons/article19824056.ece
Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa indicated that after honing their skills in flying MiG-21 Bisons, the three women can fly other jets.
The first three women fighter pilots of the country are likely to fly the MiG-21 Bison jets, one of the potent combat aircraft in the IAF’s armoury.
The three women pilots — Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh are set to script history next month when they will fly military jets after completing a strenuous training programme within three weeks.
“The present consideration is to put them to MiG-21 Bison squadron. Our opinion is that it will sharpen their skills as the aircraft has more manual features than other sophisticated aircraft,” Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said on October 8.
He indicated that after honing their skills in flying MiG-21 Bisons, the three women can fly other jets.
The IAF chief was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to celebrate the Air Force Day.
The three women were commissioned as flying officers in July last year, less than a year after the government decided to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis.
A senior IAF official involved in training of the three women pilots said they will steer the combat jets next month.
Currently, the three women pilots are flying Hawk advanced jet trainers.
The IAF has already selected the next batch of three women trainee pilots for fighter stream.