Indian Army thread

[nitesh]

All army related discussions here please, just a request

outlookindia.com | wired

India needs space command to counter China: Army

NEW DELHI, JUN 16 (PTI)
Citing China's rapid militarisation of space, Army chief Deepak Kapoor on Monday raised the pitch for establishing the much-delayed tri-services space command for persistent surveillance and quick response to any threat to India's assets in orbit.

Kapoor's remarks came in the wake of India's defence establishment, shaken up after China demonstrated its capabilities to shoot down satellites in January last year, initiating counter measures to ward off the anti-satellite (ASAT) threats.

Only last fortnight, Defence Minister A K Antony had announced the setting up of an integrated space cell at the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters to act as a single window for military use and security of space resources, apart from performing the role of interface among army, navy and air force, besides Department of Space and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

"Chinese space programme is expanding at an exponentially rapid pace in both offensive and defensive content. There is an imperative requirement to develop joint structures in the Indian armed forces for synergising employment of space assets," Kapoor said, inaugurating a day-long training for army officers on 'space applications for military use' here.

 

[Mohammed Azizuddin]

We have been given a seperate thread to discuss Indian affairs, it is more than enough, I dont think we need to create seperate threads and name them Indian army thread, Indian navy thread, Indian this thread..Indian that thread....

Please do not take any offence Nitesh, but I dont think we need specific threads.

 

[nitesh]

We have been given a seperate thread to discuss Indian affairs, it is more than enough, I dont think we need to create seperate threads and name them Indian army thread, Indian navy thread, Indian this thread..Indian that thread....

Please do not take any offence Nitesh, but I dont think we need specific threads.

My request was to keep things related to one side. for example for each every missile test, one thread gets opened. And then fades when another test of different missile happen. this does not help to reach to any conclusion on anything.

 

[nitesh]

outlookindia.com | wired

SIACHEN
Despite Pak protest, Army plans civilian trek to Siachen

N C BIPINDRA NEW DELHI, JUN 17 (PTI)
Notwithstanding Pakistan's vociferous protests, Indian Army will organise a civilian mountaineering and trekking expedition to the forbidding Siachen Glacier for the second year in a row in October-November this year.

Even before the planned Siachen trekking kicks off, the Indian Army will take out its own expedition to the glacial heights of Khatling on the Indo-Tibetan border in Uttarakhand later this month.

"The Siachen trekking expedition this year is in its planning stage and we are determined to take civilian mountaineers to the Glacier this year. Khatling expedition by the Army's 15 Mechanised Infantry Regiment will take place from June 25 to July 7," an Army headquarter source told PTI.

Both the expeditions are meant to show to the international audience that Indian troops hold both the Siachen and Khatling glacial heights and neither Pakistan nor China were anywhere near the two Glaciers.

Amidst reports of frequent intrusions by China's Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) into the Indian territory along the Indo-Tibetan border, the Khatling expedition would leave imprints of the Army team's visit to the Glacier.

"The imprints could be anything from an Indian-made shoe or a copy of an Indian newspaper adequately sealed in a plastic folder to ensure it does not get wet or damaged in the snowy terrain. This would enable India to assert Khatling Glacier is its territory and counter any future threat of a Chinese claim," a source said.

The civilian Siachen expedition last September had run into a controversy after Pakistan lodged a strong protest, calling it "incongruous" to ongoing peace efforts between the two countries.

Though the Army halted the trip immediately after the protest, it went ahead with the trekking expedition after a go-ahead was given by the UPA government.

Despite protests from Pakistan, India maintains that it does not need Pakistan's approval to send trekkers to the 78 km-long Siachen, which is essentially an Indian territory.

The Khatling expedition team will comprise two officers and an equal number of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), apart from eight Other Ranks (ORs), all volunteers from the Regiment.

Inducted 10 days prior to the expedition, the team would also have an eight-member support team comprising a JCO and seven ORs.

The volunteers would undertake graduated acclimatisation and endurance exercises in coordination with 2 Rajput Regiment, apart from liaising with the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkasi for experience on trekking and survival skills in high altitude.

The Khatling expedition would involve a 12-day trekking from Malla to Gaurikund, covering a distance of 165 km of icy heights, ultimately touching the Glacier at 4717m altitude.

The Khatling team would also send in Daily Situation Reports to the Army headquarters all along its trek to the Glacier.

Beginning the ascent from Sila at 2085m altitude, the Army team would go up the Glacier, touching Kush Kalyani, Kyarki, Parital, Sahasra Tal, Kalyani, Gowki and reach Khatling Glacier on the eighth day. It would move to Mashar Tal, Vasuki Tal, Kedarnath and Gaurikhund in the second leg of its trek, sources said.

 

[blain2]

Please use the existing Indian military threads for this type of discussion. The more threads you open, the more there is to manage.

Thank You!

 

[nitesh]

outlookindia.com | wired

Army to learn war-fighting lessons from Ramayan, Mahabharat

NEW DELHI, JUN 18 (PTI)
Keen to make India's war fighting techniques popular in contemporary military discourse, Indian defence forces will take a leaf out of the epics 'Ramayan' and 'Mahabharat' to define and prepare doctrines on "Indian ways of war fighting".

At a two-day seminar conducted under the auspices of the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters here, army officers and thinkers would look at ways of taking forward the "Indian war doctrines," army sources said today.

The seminar beginning tomorrow would also debate means of popularising Indian war doctrines to beat "the western thinking and military jargon" that have increasingly crept into global strategic affairs debate, sources said.

"The mythological wars described in Ramayan and Mahabharat contain many doctrinal, strategic and operational aspects that appear to be relevant in modern times too," a note prepared for the seminar said.

Despite the fact that a few 'modern' western concepts had a place in ancient Indian literature, the need for such a seminar was felt because western thinking and military jargon were poised to make deep inroads into the minds of planners and practitioners of military art in India, the note said.

"Moreover, as a nation, we have a long history of warfare and have had opportunity to exhibit our own way of war-fighting," Army officers said.

Despite such glorious history of war fighting, have we (Indians) really made any conscious linkages and studied the contours of the past wars and battles in order to arrive at our own unique way of war fighting, the note queried.

"In a resurgent India, answers to these questions would help providing useful lessons for future security," officers said.

In its long and complicated history, India tried to ward off territorial threats and it was only proper to portray how various generations of Indians managed the security imperative, the note added.

"To determine whether there was any distinct Indian way of warfare and whether it was suitable in the present context, eminent speakers from the strategic community would guide the seminar towards this important goal," officers said.

Union Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju would inaugurate the seminar.

 

[nitesh]

Western firms vying to sell combat vehicles to India - ExpressIndia.Com

Western firms vying to sell combat vehicles to India

Posted online: Tuesday , June 24, 2008 at 12:53:13
Updated: Tuesday , June 24, 2008 at 12:53:13

Paris, June 24: Leading Western armament companies are vying with each other to grab a USD two billion tender for the supply of mine protected combat vehicles to Indian armed forces for its anti-insurgency operations.

Drawing upon the experience and needs of forces engaged in combat zones Afghanistan and Iraq, leading American and Western defence companies are now coming up with more and more advanced surveillance systems for protection of combatants in battle against terrorists.

Western experts said that India would issue global tenders for 1,500 such vehicles within a month and western companies were ready to team up with Indian companies for this order.

“This is just an initial order. The demand of Indian security forces could run up to few thousands of such vehicles,” they said in Paris.

Leading armament companies are each month churning out new devices in the battle against terrorism, which in turn could have major technology spin-offs for India, also engaged in major anti-insurgency campaign.

The market for such systems for the west, has been estimated to run into billions of dollars as US and NATO forces face threats like land mine blasts, suicide bombers and need for greater mobility in the battle against terrorists.

And western companies foresee an equally big market also worth more than five billion dollars for such equipment for Indian security forces in the coming years.

With such a heavy demand, the companies are now hitting the market, with more and more advanced mobile mine detectors, mine resistant combat vehicles and highly mobile battle vehicles to carry out surprise hit and run raids against terrorists.

French armour company, Nexter, has just launched a multi-purpose counter-mine vehicle SUVIM, which it claims can blast any type of mine.

SUVIM, the company officials said, had been launched for protection of French forces now operating in Afghanistan and can clear improvised explosive devices, infra-red mines, pressure mines, anti-personnel mines, as well as magnetic mines.

With eight to 10 feet tires, the new mobile mine sweepers have the capability of jumping around even anti-tank mines, which can be defused by specialised trailers it carries.

The vehicles are to be used by the French forces to open routes of military convoy for as long as 200 km in 24 hours and is seen as ideal for road opening for army convoys in Jammu and Kashmir, a task which is currently undertaken manually or with the help of specialised sniffer dogs.

“These vehicles are competitively priced,” a top Nexter official told visiting Indian journalists at the just concluded Eurosatory-2008 Land Combat Exhibition in Paris.

Nexter is ready for total technology transfer and production of these vehicles in India, which has already been introduced to the French forces.

Another breakthrough by the company is a 4x4 ARAVIS multipurpose heavily protected vehicles, for use against terrorists in thick jungle areas.

The new vehicles, company officials said, had for the first time in the world been tested to withstand even 50-kg TNT blasts and capability to defeat even 155-mm artillery blast all around it.

ARAVIS also claims that it can withstand even 10-kg mine blast under the belly and wheels and appears to be an ideal weapon for Indian security forces battling Naxals in Central India.

“The vehicles have SAFEPRO armoured technology that can defeat combined effects of blasts and fragments generated by both lethal IED mines and AP carbide heavy machine gun bullets.

The vehicles can carry upto eight combat troops and can be air transported by C-130J aircraft.

Most of the American and European companies have also come up with highly mobile mine protected 8x8 super mobility troop carriers, which Indian forces have been seeking.

Hope this tender goes through soon, and our security forces get these vehicles asap.

 

[GHATAK]

test test test

 

[nitesh]

» Indian Army orders 28 indigenous Weapon Locating Radars - Thaindian News

Indian Army orders 28 indigenous Weapon Locating Radars

June 29th, 2008 - 4:22 pm ICT by IANS

By Gulshan Luthra

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) The Indian Army is acquiring 28 highly sophisticated India-made Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) to track and neutralize hostile artillery fire. The radars are being integrated by the state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), set up in 1954 to meet the specialised electronic needs of the Indian armed forces, but a large number of components will come from the private sector, including some Commercially-available Off the Shelf (COTS) from the international market.

According to a report in the July issue of the India Strategic defence magazine, with the indigenous manufacture of the much-needed radars, there is likely to be no further import of the system from the US arms technology major Raytheon, which has supplied 12 radars to the Indian artillery under a 2002 government-to-government deal for around $200 million.

An advance copy of the India Strategic, made available to IANS, quotes Dr Prahlada, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), as saying that the Indian Army had approved the radar after several tests in electronic clutter and “high density fire environment”.

It may be noted that the Indian Army had asked for the WLRs in the mid-1980s but the government sanctioned their acquisition only after the 1999 Kargil War in which the Indian Army suffered more than 80 percent of its casualties due to the Pakistani artillery fire.

The need was felt so urgent that it was in fact the first acquisition from the US under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. Raytheon completed the order last year, and the radars were integrated on Tatra chassis supplied by the public sector BEML Ltd.

The Weapon Locating Radar, also known as Gun Locating Radar, helps track hostile fire and directs counter fire within seconds.

Pakistan has had the advantage of US-supplied radars from the mid-1980s, and they were also built by Raytheon, but an earlier model. The version supplied to India has longer range and reach, and the additional capability to destroy some artillery missiles.

There was, however, no Transfer of Technology (ToT) in the WLR acquired from the US, although Raytheon officials have separately told India Strategic that it is favourable to the idea if there are further orders.

The heart of the WLR is the advanced phased-array Rajendra radar, developed by BEL for a multiplicity of use. The Indian radar is also fitted on the BEML-supplied Tatra vehicles, which are produced in India under licence.

Prahlada, who is the interface between the DRDO and the Indian armed forces for the transfer of indigenously-developed technology, said the Indian radar developed by DRDO was good but as technology grows and improves, further development was always possible.

A military system generally has Mark I, and II, and so on. With this WLR radar also, the range and firepower would increase periodically.

The indigenous radar is based on two vehicles, as against three of the Raytheon WLR.

The sensor is on a single vehicle, and the radar has automatic projectile acquisition and data transmission even in high density fire environment. It has high resolution as well as remote displays with the facility to change sector coverage as required in a battlefield.

The range of the radar was not specified but it is believed to be 40-plus km.

 

[nitesh]

» Indian scientists evolve avalanche prediction system - Thaindian News

Indian scientists evolve avalanche prediction system

July 18th, 2008 - 1:55 pm ICT by IANS

By Richa Sharma
New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) In a boon for armed forces personnel deployed in high-altitude areas, defence scientists have developed a system for forecasting avalanches with maximum accuracy to enable corrective measures to be taken. The system, developed by researchers of the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), can predict any given day as an “avalanche day” or “non-avalanche day”.

The system, tested on a 60-km stretch of a new road being developed between Chowkibal and Tangdhar, some 200 km from Srinagar, an area prone to avalanches, has proved to be 80 percent accurate, its developers say.

“The data-based system will assist the defence forces in troop deployment by providing them details about inclement weather in advance,” scientists Dan Singh and Ashwagosha Ganju, who developed the system, wrote in the research journal Current Science.

“It is better than most of the classical and statistical methods now being used for forecasting avalanches,” they added.

SASE, an arm of the premier Defence Research and Developemnt Organisation (DRDO), is based at Manali in Himachal Pradesh. The avalanche study was conducted at its R&D centre at Chandigarh.

“The system is based on the input conditions and automatically generates the rule set for each new situation encountered at the input stage,” the scientists wrote.

In simple terms, the system works on the “if-then” concept and takes into account factors like temperature, snowfall, depth of snow on the ground and the average wind speed, and weather conditions to predict when and where an avalanche is likely to occur.

This data is gathered from sensors placed at various points along the road that transmit the information to a central control room.

Currently, avalanche prediction is being done by the statistical method that relies on strict mathematical procedure.

But, as the scientists said, “to completely transfer the forecaster’s logic in the statistical model is a difficult and challenging task”.

The system has been offered to the Indian Army, the Border Roads Organisation and the Border Security Force for being tested in field conditions.

“Based on their feedback, we will make whatever modifications that might be required,” a DRDO official said.

SASE was set up in 1969 to combat the hazards of heavy snowfall and avalanches, not only to help the armed forces survive in harsh climatic conditions but also to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development in otherwise inaccessible snowbound hill regions.

 

[nitesh]

Guys check this

Army Dare Devils break world record
Army Dare Devils break world record

 

[nitesh]

Double post

 

[nitesh]

guys check this
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | Herbal weapon for mosquitoes

Herbal weapon for mosquitoes

Soldiers engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast will soon have a new weapon to fight a deadly adversary — the malaria-spreading anopheles mosquito.

R.L. Srivastava, the director of the Tezpur-based Defence Research Laboratory (DRL), told The Telegraph that they would release a unique herbal vaporiser to protect soldiers from malaria, which has recently assumed alarming proportions.

The exact figures are not available, but defence sources said the disease afflicts scores of soldiers every year. “At least 15 to 20 jawans die in Tripura every year because of malaria,” a senior army officer said.

Srivastava said the laboratory has developed herbal vaporisers using herbs and shrubs found abundantly in the region.

According to him, these products “are more effective than synthetic chemical repellents, will not have any harmful effect on human beings and will keep our soldiers healthy”.

The laboratory has also prepared a “floating tablet” which kills larvae of mosquitoes when dropped in breeding areas.

“The tablet, which is effective for 30 days, will be used in cantonment areas to kill mosquito eggs,” Srivastava said. “It has proved very effective in areas we have used it in on an experimental basis,” he added.

 

[nitesh]

http://www.bel-india.com/images/itm-pdfs/june-11-2008-press.pdf

PRESS RELEASE

Army Chief inaugurates new electronic warfare production facility at BEL-Hyderabad

The Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, visited the Hyderabad Unit of Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) today (June 3, 2008) and inaugurated the new facility set up for production of large-scale land-based Electronic Warfare (EW) systems.
Mr V V R Sastry, CMD, and Mr Ashwani Kumar Datt, Director (Other Units), received the Chief of Army Staff. Dr R Sreehari Rao, Director, Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), was also present.
The Chief of Army Staff was briefed on the status of various programmes for the Army. He was also updated about the new technology initiatives taken up jointly by BEL and DLRL. He showed keen interest while witnessing the demonstration of current and futuristic EW systems and technologies.
General Kapoor commended the progress made by BEL in developing indigenous EW systems and thus, helping the nation to be self-reliant in the field. He also appreciated the efforts of BEL and DLRL in delivering network-centric EW systems for the Army and the initiatives taken towards developing new technologies for futuristic EW systems.
BEL’s Hyderabad Unit, set up in 1986, specializes in EW systems. BEL is an EW systems powerhouse having design, manufacturing, testing, integrating and commissioning capabilities – to deliver EW systems for a variety of platforms required by different users. BEL has successfully played its role as prime production agency for large EW programmes for the Indian defense.

 

[nitesh]

Info on FINSAS

The Week

Most armies of the world have recognised the requirement to harness advanced technologies to enhance the capability of an individual soldier. Twenty-two countries have commenced modernisation programmes, like the Objective Force Warrior of the US, the tri-service Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) of the UK, FELIN of France and iDZ of Germany.

Project FINSAS of the Indian Army, too, emphasises on the infantry-centric pattern of warfare at the lowest echelon of net-centric warfare. It envisages the soldier as a self-contained fighting machine.
Lethality: employs personal weapon accurately and effectively to destroy the enemy.
Communications: receives and passes back information in real time.
Mobility: be within overall weight parameters for better mobility.
Situational Awareness: know at all times, one's own location, location of team members and enemy.

Survivability: possesses high degree of survivability against bullets, shrapnel and mines.
Sustainability: operates effectively in all conflict scenarios, on all terrain and in all weather conditions, day and night.
While some of these systems will be developed indigenously, some will be done through transfer of technology. There could also be upgrades of equipment readied by way of the ongoing modernisation of the Army under Model 4B. The FINSAS soldier will have a modern rifle, a complete lightweight protective gear and modern communication instrument. The idea is to bring down to section commander level better communication equipment and palmtops that can display and transmit colour data and image, including GIS.

India has to deal with insurgencies and terrorism within. "Averting collateral damage is, therefore, very important to us," said Brigadier V. Manoharan, deputy director general, Infantry Directorate.
"The lightweight body armour will be indigenous. But we will have to shop outside for certain components. Helmets won't see any phenomenal difference as the purpose will be to deflect shrapnel. Helmets cannot be bulletproof, as its weight will then be a cause of disorientation. Monocle has also been ruled out, as we are not used to focusing on two things at a time," said Manoharan.
A multi-skilled fighter with increased situational awareness is expected to be creative and imaginative, even taking decisions on his own. But it will be some time before our infantryman is trained to do so.