Indian Army News & Discussions

[RPK]

3 corps 25th Raising day today

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 3 (MExN): On the eve of the 25th raising day of the 3 corps of the Indian Army Lieutenant General NK Singh, AVSM, VSM, GOC 3 corps interacted with a section of media persons from the north eastern region at Rangapahar Military Station, Dimapur on Wednesday, February 3. The 3 corps raised on February 4, 1985 is headquartered in Dimapur, Nagaland.
The GOC conveyed his appreciation to all ranks of the 3 corps also known as the “Spear Corps” for their commendable achievements during the last 25 years while also conveying his good wishes to the people of the region.
GOC Lt General NK Singh interacts with NE media on the occassion
This formation of the Indian Army was raised to combat insurgency in the north eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya with the 8th and 57th Mountain Division under its command in addition to troops of the Assam Rifles.
Lt. General NK Singh in his statement said that the NE region has gained “greater significance in recent times due to changes in strategic dimensions perspective”. The GOC sated that the 3 corps will accomplish its responsibility of guarding the frontiers of the region aside from ensuring congenial political atmosphere in the north-east.
The GOC averred that the security scenario in the north east has made “varying degrees” progress since October 16, 2009 when Singh had a similar interaction with the media in Rangapahar. “Overall…the situation is steadily improving” Singh claimed.
On the scenario in Nagaland the GOC said that aside from the sporadic violations of Ceasefire Ground Rules the situation has been quite congenial. Those violations the GOC claimed are however resolved according to the provisions of law. He stated that the FNR has “gathered greater momentum, the political dialogue… has also been taking place at various levels in several different ways”.

Replying to queries the GOC said that coordinated operations are on the plans to flush out militants holed up in the thick jungles on the Myanmar side of the border. The GOC was asked earlier whether any efforts are being made with the Bangladesh and Myanmar authorities to shut down NE rebel camps in the neighbouring countries. Particularly mentioning Paresh Baruah, ‘commander-in-chief’ of the ULFA, the GOC said that the requirement of tracking down the ULFA chief and others have been intimated to the Myanmar and Bangladesh authorities. As of now the GOC said that it is the “discussion stage”.
According information inputs the GOC said that there are around 40-45 NE rebel camps on the Myanmar side of the border. An equal number of camps are also operating inside Bangladesh, the GOC added.
Of the camps inside Myanmar, the GOC said that 25-30 are relatively big and established while the rest are temporary camps. However, these numbers keeps on fluctuating. The GOC indicated there are fairly good information as far as the locations of the camps is concerned, while some camps in Bangladesh are operating in the cover of villages.
With unconfirmed reports of four NSCM (IM) cadres being killed along Indo-Myanmar border as a result of in-fighting two to three days back, the GOC said there have no confirmed reports at present.
Illegal immigration a topic of serious concern in the region the GOC said that a start has been made on border fencing in Manipur, around north of the border town of Moreh. Fencing along the south of the trading centre is expected in a few months, the GOC said. Fencing along the Nagaland stretch of the border with Myanmar, the GOC said the state government is not very keen on it.
Citing “free-move regime” phenomenon as one of the reasons aiding illegal immigration, the GOC said monitoring mechanisms will be put in place to check elements who take advantage of it. It has been the age-old practice of indigenous peoples living on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar and Indo-Bangla borders to indulge in unrestricted barter trade. Underground elements take advantage of this essential system of trade.
The GOC accepted that Dimapur is a hotbed of underground groups from the region, particularly from Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. However, these groups avoid from indulging in major violence aside from extortion activities. The GOC surmised this is because the groups, if they involve in serious violence, it would activate the full force of the army, making it difficult for them to continue with their extortions quite freely. The GOC said steps will be taken up in coordination with the Dimapur police in this direction.

 

[RPK]

Five nations to take part in India's first military music fest


New Delhi, Feb 5 : Military bands from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France and Britain will participate in India's first ever military music festival here Feb 25 to March 9.

The festival is being organised by the army at the parade ground in Delhi cantonment, the Purana Qila and the India Gate, a senior army official told IANS.

Invitations were sent to France, Britain, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Kazakhstan. “Thailand and Kazakhstan are not participating,” the official said.

Asked about Pakistan, when other immediate neighbouring countries are participating, the official said: “They were not invited.”

From India, bands of all the three arms - army, navy and air force, Kalaripayattu (traditional martial art of Kerala) display team, teams from northeast, bhangra dance, Ladakh dance and lezim dance from Maharashtra would also be showcased.

Each contingent would be of 50 people each. The foreign military bands arrive in New Delhi Feb 25.

According to officials, President Pratibha Patil would witness the bands-performance Feb 28.

“We are still awaiting confirmation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's presence at the event,” the official added.

Beside the VVIPs, the common people too can enjoy the cultural programmes and music at India Gate.

In the past, Indian military bands too have participated in international events.

A 400-strong Indian military detachment took part in the Bastille Day parade in France July 14 last year. Drawn from the army, navy and the air force, the contingent marched to Indian martial music played by a 90-member band.

A army band also participated in Edinburgh in 2008.

Copyright Indo Asian News

 

[Tejas-MkII]

8ak - Indian Defence News: Mahindra and BAE Systems? $22m JV to target land systems, artillery programs alone worth US$8 billion

Mahindra and BAE Systems’ $22m JV to target land systems, artillery programs alone worth US$8 billion

08 Feb 2010 8ak/Mahindra/BAE PR: Buoyed by an almost certain win of the US$647m M777 ultra light howitzer deal, BAE systems and Mahindra today announced their proposed JV (to be set up in the near future) which has the ambition to become an artillery centre of excellence in India that covers not just manufacturing but development, testing and support. As per a recent industry report, India proposes to spend over US$8 billion on purchasing about 2,814 artillery guns of various types. Besides the manufacture, the spares and service of these guns will in itself be a huge market.

Defence Land Systems India will be headquartered in New Delhi with manufacturing at a purpose built facility South of Faridabad, just outside of Delhi. Initially there will be about 100 employees and existing projects include the Axe high mobility vehicle as well as up-armored and bulletproof Scorpios, Boleros, Rakshak, Rapid Intervention Vehicles and the Marksman light armored vehicle. A key project is the development of a mine protected vehicle specifically designed to meet the needs of the Indian armed and paramilitary forces.

Approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board of the Government of India (GoI), the parent companies' initial investment will be US$21.25 million over a three year period. The company’s equity split will be 74% Mahindra and 26% BAE Systems, in accordance with the current defence sector Foreign Direct Investment regulations of the GoI.

Mr. Deepak Chhibba and Mr. Arne Berglund will be Defence Land Systems India’s CEO and Deputy CEO respectively. Deepak Chhibba was earlier EVP International Operations Mahindra & Mahindra and has over 32 years industrial experience. The newly appointed Deputy CEO, Arne Berglund, was previously a director at BAE Systems, Global Combat Systems, in the UK. Arne and has also worked in Singapore, Canada, Sweden and the United States with various BAE Systems and other joint venture companies.

 

[Mister X]

Army chief releases joint operational doctrines

New Delhi
, Feb 9(ANI): In a major step towards enhancing joint fighting capabilities, Indian Armed Forces on Tuesday promulgated three joint operational doctrines.

The doctrines, namely Joint Doctrine for Sub Conventional Operations, Joint Doctrine for Electronic Warfare and Joint doctrine for Maritime Air Operations, were released by Chief of the Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, who is also the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The joint doctrines collectively aver that it may be more appropriate to call the battlefield of future as battle space, since wars would be fought not only in air, on land and sea but also in cyberspace, on electronic fronts, along information highways and media fronts.

Success in such a battle space depends on joint teamwork by maritime, ground and air forces operating effectively, individually and together in support of shared military bjectives.

Considering the prevailing security environment in the country and its neighbourhood, it is mandatory to ensure that thrust of all agencies involved in combating terrorism is focussed towards the common enemy and the synergised endeavour produces best results.

Taking the lead from the operational imperatives, these doctrines would fundamentally shape the way Armed Forces plan, think and train for military operations Indian Armed Forces are one of the few militaries in the world which have joint operational Doctrines for optimising their capabilities.

The doctrines have been formulated by the Doctrine Directorate of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff to create the requisite synergy between the three services, thereby contributing to their overall operational efficiency. (ANI)

 

[ironman]

Contender prepares for Indian artillery evaluation

Manufacturer's trials are due to begin in March with the new Mounted Gun System (MGS) under development by BAE Systems Global Combat Systems, Karlskoga, Sweden. MGS is a hybrid of the company's 155 mm 52-calibre FH-77B05 towed howitzer and the Archer 155 mm 52-calibre fully automatic self-propelled howitzer it is developing for the Norwegian and Swedish armies

Jane's Defence Weekly - Your first line of defence

 

[sudhir007]

8ak - Indian Defence News: Antony promises to look beyond the Ordnance Factory Boards

11 Feb 2010 PIB: Speaking at a meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry on the subject ‘Ordnance Factories’, Shri Antony said Defence Public Sector Undertakings alone will not be able to meet all the requirements of the Armed Forces at the pace and time – frame envisaged by the Government. He however, ruled out corporatisation of the Defence arms industry saying “minus corporatisation, we will give more room to the private sector”. The Defence Minister said now that revision of Defence Procurement Procedure has become an annual affair, the thrust this year would be to give more roles to the Indian private sector. There would be more room for ‘buy Indian, make Indian’.

Appreciating the role of Ordnance Factories over the years, Shri Antony said these units have been by and large successful in establishing indigenous production facilities for a variety of defence equipment. These include production of T-72, T-90 and Arjun Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, mine – protected and bullet proof vehicles, artillery guns, naval guns, night vision devices and fire control systems for armoured vehicles, small arms and many varieties of ammunition. “Indigenisation of different products have been one of the main objectives of Ordnance Factory Board”, he said.

The Ordnance Factory Board comprises 39 ordnance factories. Two new factories are coming up at Nalanda in Bihar and Korwa in Uttar Pradesh for production of artillery ammunition and carbines respectively. In the year 2008-09, the total turnover of Ordnance Factories was Rs. 7229 crore. It is expected to increase to Rs. 8,720 crore during the current financial year. During 2010 – 11, the turnover of Ordnance Factories is expected to go up to Rs. 9846 crores due to increase in the requirement of arms and ammunition and armoured vehicles. The non-defence sales are expected to be around Rs. 1360 crores.

The meeting witnessed enthusiastic participation in the discussion by the Members of Parliament. Some of them felt that the products of the Ordnance Factories are not of desired quality and that they are still producing many obsolete arms and ammunitions. One of the member wanted to know, whether the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is geared to match the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces because of the shift in their doctrines, recently. Some of the members suggested that OFB should only focus on cutting edge products and ‘not try to reinvent the wheel’. The Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju also took part in the discussion.

The Members of Parliament, who attended today’s meeting included Shri Manish Tewari, Shri Naveen Jindal, Shri Gajanan Dharmshi Babar, Shri Shivaji Adhalrao Patil, Shri Kailkesh N Singh Deo, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shri NSV Chitthan, Shri Lalit Mohan Suklabaidya, Shri SS Ramasubbu and Shri Gopal Singh Shekhawat from Lok Sabha and Shri Ram Chandra Khutia, Shri Shivanand Tiwari, Shri Balwant Alias Bal Apte and Dr. Mahendra Prasad from Rajya Sabha. The meeting was also attended by the Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar, the Secretary Defence Production Shri Rajkumar Singh and the Scientific Advisor to the Raksha Mantri Dr. V.K. Saraswat.

Speaking to a senior OFB board member, 8ak learnt that these units were sometimes set up in far away/rural outposts purely because an influential politician wanted to create jobs in his constituency. Other reason for placing them in rural areas was because they were producing weapons and explosives they had to keep a minimum distance from inhabitation. These places had serious infrastructure & transportation problems and nobody-of-merit wanted to be posted here.

 

[sudhir007]

BAE Expects to Start India Trial for FH77 B05 Howitzer By Early March - WSJ.com

NEW DELHI --BAE Systems Ltd. expects to start trials in India for its FH77 B05 towed howitzer by early March for a potential contract to sell 400 units to the Indian Army, a senior India executive said Monday.

The FH77 B05 will be manufactured and marketed in India by Defense Land Systems India, BAE's joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Mark Simpkins, vice president and general manager at BAE Systems India (Services) Pvt. Ltd., told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview on the sidelines of DefExpo 2010. Mahindra & Mahindra is India's largest sports-utility vehicle manufacturer by sales.

He added that the U.K.-based defense and aerospace company also expects to start trials for the M777 ultra-light howitzer in India by the end of 2010.

Mr. Simpkins said the initial order for the M777 howitzer is likely to be for 145 units, which could increase to 1,000 units in the future.

BAE Monday also unveiled a mine protected vehicle at DefExpo 2010, which it aims to sell to armed forces. Mr. Simpkins added that the company is exploring opportunities in naval defense in India, particularly relating to design and construction of ships.

Providing details on its global strategy, Simpkins said: "We are working on a worldwide strategy called home market, which means through JVs, partnerships and acquisitions, we will do all of that in a country to manufacture products, develop and design and provide support for the armed forces of that country."

He added the ultimate aim of BAE is to also export defense products from its "home markets".

BAE's current home markets are the U.K., the U.S., Australia, Sweden, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

 

[Cityboy]

india must incorporate its private sector in to defense ..it will lower the cost of procuring and will also provide employment..lets hope Mr.antony address this one asap.

 

[Choppers]

Tata, AgustaWestland set up JV

NEW DELHI: Tata Sons and Italian Defence major AgustaWestland on Tuesday signed an agreement for formation of a joint venture (JV) company here which will establish a final assembly line for AW-119 helicopters for the Indian Army and the global market.

The agreement was signed here by Tata Group chairman, Mr Ratan Tata and AgustaWestland CEO, Mr Giuseppe Orsi.

The AW-119 has been offered to India by Agusta for army’s requirement for 197 choppers to replace its ageing fleet of Cheetha and Chetak light helicopters.

As per the agreement, the new company will be responsible for AW-119 final assembly, completion and delivery while AgustaWestland will be responsible for worldwide marketing and sales, Agusta officials said here.

The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered from the new facility in 2011 with production forecast to rise to 30 aircraft per year to meet worldwide demand, they added.

“The establishment of a Joint Venture to set up an AW-119 assembly line in India will provide extraordinary industrial opportunities both in the country and worldwide through the synergies generated by AgustaWestland and Tata Sons,” Agutsa CEO, Mr Orsi s aid after the signing of the agreement.

He added that the two companies were exploring further commercial, technical and industrial collaboration opportunities in the rotor craft industry to strengthen their relations. - PTI

 

[Choppers]

L&T ties up with US defence co Raytheon

NEW DELHI: Engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) on Tuesday said it has tied up with the US-based defence major Raytheon to bid for the upgradation of T72 tanks used by the Indian army.

“Under the proposal, Raytheon will provide infrared imaging sights and electronics that will greatly improve target accuracy and increase overall system lethality on the battlefield for T72 tank battalions,” L&T said in a statement.

It will provide fire control system, sensors and will accomplish final integration along with customer support services, it added.

Speaking about the tie up, the L&T Executive Vice-President and Board Member, Mr M.V. Kotwal, said the collaboration with Raytheon would also be aimed at biding for overseas. projects.

“This beginning would lead to new avenues in Indian and global defence markets for both the partners working together,” Mr Kotwal said.

When asked about the project size and other details, he declined to comment.

Raytheon, a US-based defence firm has reported sales of around $25 billion in 2009. — PTI

 

[Choppers]

Defence offset contracts worth 49000 crores in pipeline: Pallam Raju

2010-02-16 18:20:00

Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju today saqid that Indian defence industry is gaining strength as offset contracts worth Rs.49000 crore are in the pipeline while offsets worth Rs.4200 crore have already materialised.

Speaking at a Seminar on "The Indian Army: Next Generation Systems, An Evolution" organized by PHD Chamber at the DEFEXPO 2010, Pallam Raju said that the defence acquisition process has continuously been revamped.

"New categorization of buy and make in India has been introduced from December 2009 and this should give a special impetus to defence manufacturing in the country," he said. allam Raju said that for ensuring security at the lowest cost in a transparent manner, the armed forces would like to get the best arms and equipments from the private industry along with the government.

Lt. Gen. J P Singh, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (PP and FD) speaking on the theme "Future Systems of Indian Army" informed that new defence procurement policy will soon be out and action plans for defence acquisition will be drawn in the form of Five Year Plan with annual acquisition plans to be the first gateway of entry for the private sector in the defence industry. HD Chamber expressed that the Government should provide necessary linkages for defence acquisition as well as maintenance, which would offer tremendous scope of opportunities for SMEs operating in the area of defence production and operation.

PHD Chamber recommended that India 's plans for defence modernization should lead to a substantive up-gradation of India 's defence base and manufacturing prowess. (ANI)

 

[Choppers]

Samtel-Saab ink MoU for new generation head-up display

By IANSFebruary 16th, 2010


New Delhi:Samtel Display Systems (SDS), one of India’s leading private sector aerospace companies, has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Swedish major Saab to jointly develop, manufacture and market a new generation head-up display (HUD) for helicopters, it was announced here Tuesday.


“RIGS is a new-generation advanced lightweight HUD designed by Saab to provide helicopters with a cost-effective display solution,” a statement jointly issued by Samtel and Saab said.

RIGS gives all-weather capability, ideal for flying and landing helicopters in challenging conditions, by presenting landing information and images from enhanced vision sensors, enabling pilots to see through darkness, smog, smoke and various levels of snow, rain and fog.

Safety is, therefore, enhanced via early detection of runway incursions and improved awareness of terrain during night and day operations.

The announcement of the MoU was made by Micael Johansson, a senior vice president of Saab and Puneet Kaura, executive director of SDS at the DefExpo land and naval systems exhibition.

“SDS is already in advanced stages of developing HUDs for fighter aircraft. Subsequent to this MoU, SDS will now also be involved in the development of RIGS HUD together with Saab. SDS and Saab will jointly market RIGS in India to potential Indian customers for the Indian commercial and military airborne market,” the statement said.

“SDS will be involved in the development of RIGS electronics and software and will also develop and manufacture parts of the RIGS HUD. Initially, the parts manufactured by SDS will be for the Indian market, with the potential of serving international market in the long run,” the statement added.

“SDS may also, at a later stage, leverage its relationship with HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) for the joint marketing activities of RIGS,” the statement pointed out.

According to Kaura: “Our current goal with reference to this MoU is to help Saab serve the Indian market in the HUDs segment. But we are hopeful that through our focus on quality, along with cost effectiveness, this collaboration will extend to other international markets as well over the next few years”.

This is the second MoU to be signed between Saab and SDS. The first identifies SDS as an offset partner if the Indian Air Force chooses the Saab Gripen for its order for 126 combat jets.

“India is a very important market for us and is an important cornerstone of our overall global strategy. We are very confident about SDS’ technological and manufacturing capabilities and are happy to partner with them. This collaboration marks our next step towards consolidating our position in the Indian aerospace and defence market,” Saab’s Johansson said.

 

[sudhir007]

Govt approves induction of 30,000 more personnel for BSF - India - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: In its efforts to augment the strength of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Centre has approved raising of 29 battalions, comprising around 30,000 personnel, for the country's frontier guarding force.

Of the 29 battalions, 16 would be deployed in riverine areas along Indo-Bangladesh border while 13 would serve as additional reserve battalions to be deployed on a rotational basis to ensure sufficient training, rest and recuperation for the personnel.

Minister of state for home Ajay Maken said the new battalions would go a long way in increasing the efficiency and service conditions of BSF personnel.

Attending the Passing-Out-Parade of a fresh batch of 129 BSF officers at Takenpur in Madhya Pradesh on Saturay, Maken said the exercise had began late last year. Two battalions have already been raised and seven are to be raised during 2010-2011.

With a view to enhance infrastructure to support the additional battalions, three frontier head quarters and seven sector head quarters will be created for control and command purposes, he said.

 

[Justin Joseph]

Indian Army rescued injured snow leopard in Ladakh


by Vijay Kumar March 03, 2010
Udhampur-Jammu, March 3 (Scoop News) - Indian army rescued an injured snow leopard who was trapped by the villagers of LAGA village near Tangtse in Ladakh of J&K state.

According to reports reaching here the snow leopard was hiding behind a big stone. On getting information about the snow leopard, which is among endangered species, troops from nearby location rescued it with the help of a camouflage net and a blanket.

Meanwhile, the department of Wild Life was contacted at Leh and a team from the Wild Life department headed by Mr. Norbu, reached at LAGA village and shifted the injured snow leopard to the Animal Rescue Centre with the help of the Army troops, where it was treated, fed and kept overnight.Finally injured lepored was shifted by the Wild Life team to Leh for treatment & rehabilitation.

 

[sudhir007]

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry seems to be finally taking some steps to procure more bullet-proof jackets after it faced trenchant criticism for not providing enough jackets to Army troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations and deployed along the Line of Control (LoC).

Master-General of Ordnance Lt-General V K Jetley on Tuesday told newspersons that the deal to procure around 100,000 bullet-proof jackets for the Army should be finalised "in a couple of months". The defence ministry has accepted bids from foreign as well as Indian companies for the supply of the jackets and the Army is in the process of evaluating the technical parameters.

More than 1,000 soldiers have died in counter-insurgency operations alone in J&K in the last three years. The parliamentary standing committee on defence had recently expressed its "deep concern and alarm" that only 1.24 lakh bullet-proof jackets are available with the troops when 3.53 lakh jackets were required.

"It is disturbing to note that such a huge shortage still remains notwithstanding the fact that the procurement action was initiated as far back as 1988-89," said the committee.

The defence ministry, in turn, says 1,24,640 bullet-proof jackets have been purchased for the Army through imports and indigenous production.
Army will procure more bullet-proof jackets - India - The Times of India