See Page 19 April-May 2018 Volume 15 No. 2 `100.00 (-Based Buyer Only) DEFEXPO 2018 SPECIAL Latest EDITION Visit us @ AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION Hall 6 SP’s Stall 6.2.10

Reserve Your Own Copies, Now! [email protected] www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.COM ROUNDUP THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED TO LAND FORCES

IN THIS ISSUE >> LEAD STORY PHOTOGRAPH: SP Guide Pubns PAGE 4 Army Combat Capabilities Curtailed despite ’s T-90 battle tank Alarming Security Challenges The standing Committee noted that allocations made for the Services are “not supportive to the inevitable needs of the Army, with “huge deficiencies and obsolescence of weapons, stores and ammunition existing in Indian Army”. Lt P.C. Katoch (Retd)

PAGE 6 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Indian Army

Increasingly capable UAVs, both in the combat and reconnaissance roles, are carving their own niche. Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

PAGE 10 Turning Night into Day: Electro-optical Systems and Programmes Modernisation of the The EO sighting systems will provide all weather surveillance and targeting sights for small arms, armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), artillery guns and missile systems. Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) Army in Dire Straits

PAGE 11 Selection of Small Arms After more than a decade of complete neglect under UPA I & II it was expected In last two months, India has re-started the process of replacing its arsenal of small that military modernisation would pick up under the new NDA Government. arms, however going by past experience, However even after nearly four years of NDA rule, the ground situation remains replacemants on the ground seem distant. Rohit Srivastava gloomy and unimpressive.

PAGE 14 Interview  LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD) General , who took during that period, it was expected that mili- Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director, over as the chief of army Staff (coaS) on tary modernisation would pick up under Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd. t may be recollected that on august 1, 2014, said in an interview in the Nda Government. However the defence 12 march 2012, General V.K. Singh, January 2016, i.e. four years after General forces were in for a surprise because for nearly the then chief of army Staff, in a V.K. Singh’s letter, that “making up of the three and a half years of Nda rule, from PAGE 15 letter to the then Prime minister critical deficiencies in weapons and equip- may 2014 to February 2018 while reviews DMS Boots to the Officer Mess Parties, , had expressed his ment is on fast track.” He identified the defi- and assessments were carried, much hyped Actor Rannvijay Singha Tells You What Ianguish and frustration regarding the ciencies and obsolescence of same weapon declarations made, but the ground situa- Shapes a ‘Fauji Brat’ eroding operational capabilities of his systems. thus it became obvious, that noth- tion remained the same. lack lustre defence MTV Roadies winner goes down the memory one million strong force. He request- ing had been done by the defence ministry, budgets over three years gave no hope to the lane with his experiences in the cantonment. ed that suitable directions be given to in the intervening period of four years. If three Service chiefs that the modernisation Arpita Kala the ministry of defence to enhance the we go back in time the same situation was of their respective Services would receive the army’s preparedness. He blamed the existed during the entire period of UPa rule. attention that it deserved despite greater the PAGE 18 long-winded arms procurement process challenges facing the nation. many defence Defence Services Asia 2018 — and the recalcitrant bureaucracy for it. More Than Two Decades of Disregard acquisition council (dac) clearances were A Curtain Raiser He also pointed out to the large deficien- and Neglect given in respect of each Service but those Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) cies in essential ammunition, voids and after more than a decade of neglect under who know the system will tell you what little obsolescence in essential weaponry as the two UPa regimes, who had foisted one of impact these clearance have if the Political PLUS well as critical surveillance and night- the weakest and most clueless defence minis- will to move forward is lacking which is what News in Brief 18 fighting capabilities. ters, a.K. antony on the ministry of defence, is being experienced year after year.

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> LEAD STORY

from, however the present gov- siderably. However for political down in their assignments in the defence that there is no sepa- ernment too has not shown alac- considerations he was moved to short time available before their rate allocation for this. “So, this rity in this field that was expected Goa. The current defence minis- superannuation. money is also to be found from of them. The armed forces have ter is making all efforts to ame- We are aware that the pres- the same Budget leaving us with always considered the BJP gov- liorate the existing adverse situa- ent Chief of Army Staff is trying no choice but to re-prioritise, ernments to have greater nation- tion but as we have stated earlier his best to moderate the induc- either to reduce our requirement alistic fervour and therefore the it will take many years before we tion of new arms and equipment as far as the security of military lack of understanding shown see changes at ground level. in a manner that results in mani- stations are concerned or to go by them has caused dismay in I must point out that the Army festation of operational efficiency slow on some other acquisition,” the military circles. The lack of as a service must accept its on the ground in the shortest he told the Committee. So how modernisation especially in the share of blame for making unre- possible time frame, especially is perimeter security of army/ army is alarming. From the sol- alistic qualitative requirements in operational sectors on the line defence installations, some of diers basic weapons compris- such as the one made for the of control and the line of actual which have been attacked in the The recent revelations of the ing assault rifles and carbinesassault rifle with the requirementcontrol (LoC and LAC) opposite recent past, going to be achieved Standing Parliamentary Com- to more sophisticated weaponry of two types of barrels, 5.56 mm Pakistan and China respectively without additional funds? This mittee on defence regarding the like the anti tank guided missiles, and 7.62mm to cater for different and we wish him and the govern- sorry state of affairs of regard- shortages/voids and obsoles- light observation and surveil- operational scenarios which has ment all the best in achieving this ing adequate allocation of funds,

EDITORIAL cent equipment in the army has lance helicopters and field- artilinordinately delayed the induc- vital aim as soon as possible. modernisation and stores/equip- caused consternation among lery, nearly every weapon held tion of a suitable assault rifle. There is an oft repeated ment deficiency issues need to the public. While this was well by the army has become obso- In this regard our advice is that phrase being seen in the print be addressed at the highest lev- known among the political lead- lete and needs replacement. only general officers who are media these days in which it is els of the government in an expe- ers, senior government func- Considering the strength of our from equipment oriented arms being stated that adequate finan- ditious manner. tionaries (bureaucracy) as well army the political leaders must such as the armoured corps, cial powers have been delegated Happy reading and meet you as the media, however we are understand that if the modernisa- mechanised infantry and artil- to the Vice Chiefs to procure all at Hall 6 Stall 6.2.10. constrained to say that none of tion is neglected year after year lery should be considered for the urgently needed ammunition, them had considered the issue the stage will come where even if appointment of Deputy Chief of equipment and stores. Moreover seriously in the past and nor was it want sto procure new weapons Army Staff (Policy and Systems) he has now also been delegated there an informed debate on the from abroad or manufacture them who deals on equipment matters powers to spend `14,097 crore TV channels. indigenously it will not take less with all line directorates and the for strengthening ‘perimeter While we can blame the pre- than a decade. Former Defence Weapons and Equipment direc- security’ of army establishments vious UPA I and II Governments Minister Manohar Parrikar to his torate. Generally infantry officers across the country. Lt General for the neglect by A.K. Antony, credit, did try to rectify the situa- are not suited for this assignment told the Stand- the two term Defence Minister tion which had deteriorated con- and would find it difficult to settle ing Parliamentary Committee on Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

after the move of the erstwhile defence defence minister. this was especially galling rated fronts. thus seeing the writing on the What Ails the Ministry of Defence? minister, manohar Parrikar to Goa as the in view of the army’s continued involvement wall, the minister reacted with a number of If one was to ask what ails the mod and chief minister, an interim inactive period of in day to day counter terrorist and counter dac clearances, in respect of Small arms why is the modernisation process so slow about six months of dual-hatted tenure of insurgency operations in Jammu and Kash- of the army. these clearances however will even while the media is constantly report- arun Jaitley, followed. Nirmala Sitharaman mir and in the Northeast with outdated not affect the ground situation for the next ing the large number of projects being sanc- took over as the defence minister on Sep- small arms. additionally there is a shadow few years and if the Political leadership does tioned by the defence acquisition council tember 3, 2017. the gravity of the greately of conventional conflict confronting the not provide the necessary push forward, the (dac) and the cabinet and yet there are weakened operational capability of the nation even though it may be confined in clearances will remain on paper only. no changes on the ground. the answer army, seemed to have dawned upon the new the form of border wars on two widely sepa- lies in the complicated process of procure- Parliamentary Panel Says Army ment, the generally negative attitude of Dissatisfied with Lack of Funds the bureaucracy in the ministry of defence despite clearances the procurement process (mod) and among the bureaucrats in the is by itself inordinately lengthy and in any Finance ministry, the risk averse attitude of case if the army has no funds even for imple- the military, and last but not the least the menting the schemes already planned, how lack of funds to take forward the schemes. would additional clearances help? It is in this common sense on the part of the planners context that this years Parliamentary Panel should indicate the necessity of allocating report tabled on march 13, 2018, becomes a certain minimum amount to equip and important and relevant. In effect the army maintain a force equivalent to 40 divi- Vice chief informed the parliamentary sions of army (a division generally com- standing committee on defence, that the prises 15,000 personnel apart from varying budget allocated this year (Fy 2018-19) has categories and types of weapon systems, dashed all hopes for modernisation and its vehicles and equipment), 44 Squadron plans to roll out ‘make in India’ projects. He air Force (IaFs aspirations) and 140 Ships said that funds allocated this year will not Navy (aspiration of the Indian Navy). With even be adequate to pay for the instalments a defence budget of less than 1.5 per cent of of past purchases. the Vice chief told the the GdP how does the government intend to panel that the allocation of `21,338 crore for achieve this? thus the modernisation of the modernisation was insufficient even to cater services is well behind the schedule and at for committed liability of `29,033 crore for this pace and level of allocation of funds, it 123 on-going schemes, emergency procure- will never see the light of the day. ments and other requirements. He also clari- In this article we are focusing on equip- Partnering India fied that most of the equipment army holds, ment issues concerning the modernisation currently, can be categorised as vintage (in of the army. Make in India actual terms, obsolete). He said that modern to armed Forces should have one-third of its Update on Some Important Projects equipment in the vintage category, one-third an update on some of the equip- BAE Systems is proud to be a founding partner of defence manufacturing in India. in the current category and one-third in the ment projects planned, which are in vari- Having partnered Hindustan Aeronautics in establishing India’s own production state of the art category. as far as the Indian ous stages of development/procurement is line for the Hawk advanced jet trainer, we are excited to support Make in India army is concerned, 68 per cent of the equip- given in the succeeding paragraphs. with the M777 Ultra-Lightweight Howitzer programme which will provide the ment is in the vintage category, with just Indian Army with superior artillery capability and an operational advantage – about 24 per cent in the current, and eight Assault Rifles backed up by local assembly, integration and testing. per cent in the state of the art category. In September 2015, the mod terminated its It was brought out the total additional 2011 tender to import 66,000 multi-calibre We are committed to sharing knowledge, skills, and technology in Air, Land, requirement of funds by the army under the assault rifles as none of the four competing Sea, Cyber and Advanced Electronics. head capital is `12,296 crore and revenue is models qualified. thus the Indian army has There has never been a better time to Make in India. `9,282 crore which totals to `21,578 crore. re-launched its quest for an imported assault army chief General , who rifle, after recently rejecting the locally Visit us at DefExpo in Hall 5, Stand 5.2.1a was speaking at a seminar after the army’s designed option, in order to plug a vital oper- report to the parliamentary panel became ational gap. the army has once again sent www.baesystems.com public, made a case for increased spending out its global request for information (rFI) Copyright @ 2018 BAE Systems © All rights reserved. on defence, linking it to china’s rise and for 7.62 x 51mm assault rifles after reject- Photograph reproduced with the permission of DND/CAF 2016 asserting that military spending is not a

www.spslandforces.com burden to the nation. Continued on page 16...

2 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018

>> OPERATIONS Army Combat Capabilities Curtailed Despite Alarming Security Challenges The standing Committee noted that allocations made for the Services are “not supportive to the inevitable needs of the Army, with “huge deficiencies and obsolescence of weapons, stores and ammunition existing in Indian Army”.

PHOTOGRAPH: Indian Army  LT GENERAL P.C. KATOCH (RETD) same 2,46,727 crore. media was quick in calling the allotment of 2,74,114 crore for He PUblIc WaS SHocKed to read Fy 2017-2018 as a 6.2 per cent hike. but it media headlines on march 14 like was naïve to not view this defence allocation ‘deatH by bUdGet: Is this Indi- in backdrop of the rupee depreciation and an army’s angriest report to the yearly inflation rates of defence procure- Government?’, referring to the 41st ment. It may be noted that defence alloca- Treport by the Parliamentary Standing com- tion of 2,46,727 crore in fiscal 2015-2016 mittee on defence presented to Parliament also stood at $40 billion, while 2,46,727 on march 13, 2018, which lambasted the crore in last fiscal (2016-2017) went below government for inadequate defence budget $40 billion in actual terms. as to surrender allocations. the news report brought out of funds, reform announced ‘roll on’ plan reasons why army is distraught: `21,338 for fresh acquisitions to overcome ‘surren- crore for modernisation insufficient to cater dering’ funds at the end of every Fy is mis- for `29,033 crore committed payment of nomer, as it still leaves loopholes. for 125 on-going schemes, emergency pro- curements, 10-days intense fighting ammo Relevance of Standing Committee and other dGoF requirements; 4.5 per cent on Defence and Debating Defence increase in revenue allocation consumed in Allocations 7th cPc implementation; balance over just the chairman of the Parliamentary Stand- 3 per cent doesn’t even cater for inflation ing committee on defence, General Khan- – adversely affecting routine maintenance, duri is from bJP, but it is an all Party com- emergency procurements and ammunition mittee, which needs to be taken seriously. for war; additional burden of `5,000 crore there were some serious tV debates on eve- on account GSt not catered; some on-going ning of march 13, where government was schemes may have to be foreclosed and no represented by young spokesperson trying money for 23 new schemes; mod delegated to defend defence allocations sheepishly. It financial powers to VcoaS and sanctioned would be appropriate for the defence Secre- `1487 crore for beefing security of camps tary and Finance minister to justify recur- and posts but no separate budget allot- ring poor defence allocations. the Finance ted; even with reprioritising total shortfall minister has been arbitrarily capping `21,578 crore (`12,296 crore for capital and defence budget projections, without consid- `9,82 crore for revenue). ering operational imperativs, as pointed out by Standing committee on earlier occasion. Indictment by Parliament’s Standing the defence Secretary (not defence minis- Committee on Defence ter) continues to be charged with defence of the Standing committee indicted the India under allocation of business & trans- government on all the above-mentioned Indian Army soldiers on Siachen Glacier action rules act 1961, which has not been issues (part of army’s 13-page input), the changed for dubious reasons. most scathing observations with respect to adversely affect the country’s defence pre- to the Prime minister, many others did simi- army’s equipment being: 68 per cent is vin- paredness as well as morale of armed forces. larly. Neither V.K. Singh’s letter nor current Why Poorly Equipped Armed Forces? tage; about 24 per cent current, and; only 8 Highlights of this report included: in terms of inputs to the Standing committee was given Not only is the mod without any military per cent state-of-the-art. the standing com- modernisation demands for Fy 2017-2018, to the media by the army. but who would professionals, an internal inquiry in mod mittee noted that allocations made for the army, Navy, and air Force have only received know better than the present defence minis- found: ‘make in India’ floundering, entire Services are “not supportive to the inevita- 60 per cent, 67 per cent and 54 per cent ter in her former avatar as moS (commerce weapons acquisitions process badly broken ble needs of the army, with “huge deficien- respectively; only `86,488 crore earmarked and Industry) with website of the ministry and beset with huge delays, with only 8-10 cies and obsolescence of weapons, stores for modernization from the total defence of commerce and Industry showing till late per cent of 144 proposed deals in the last and ammunition existing in Indian army”. outlay of `2,74,000 crore – what makes 2016 that 50 per cent of Indian military three Fy fructified within the stipulated time the committee also pointed out that 2.84 matters worse is bulk of this capital will be defence equipment holdings were ‘obsolete’. periods; average time taken by 133 schemes per cent in the Navy’s budget would not used to pay “committed liabilities” of earlier 52 months (more than twice the laid-down even cater to inflationary pressure-main- arms contracts instead of new projects. the Negative Defence Budgets time-frame) and average time taken to clear taining requisite armament level and emer- committee asked the government to allo- defence budget for 2018-2019 at 1.58 per files “120 weeks” (2.3 years) against stipu- gency procurements would require more cate additional `13,000 crore for defence in cent of GdP is the lowest since 1962. the lated 37 weeks by mod in 2016. this was funds, and; shortfall of `6,440 crore in rev- the current financial year ending marh 31, purported increase over previous year in all part of presentation by dr Subhash bhamre, enue budget of the Indian air Force is likely 2018, but nothing has been allotted. budgets under Nda II have been ‘negative’ moS (defence) to Prime minister modi in end to impact operational preparedness, ability in actual terms without catering for infla- 2017. the presentation pointed out: ten- to procure spares and fuel, apart from leav- Critics on Social Media tion and abovementioned associated issues. dency to find faults rather than facilitate pro- ing gaps in training program, serviceability there is criticism on social media why the It may be recalled that defence allocation cess; entire ‘make in India’ policy in defence of older systems and provision of basic ame- army is cribbing now and why such issues for Fy 2015-2016 and Fy 2016-2017 were production sector continues to languish due nities to air Force personnel. not raised during the UPa II. but the politi- procedural delays, without taking off in any cal hierarchy and mod bureaucrats are fully concrete manner; arms procurement pro- Periodi Indictments apprised of the criticalities through periodic DRDO’s focus should cess dogged by multiple and diffused struc- this is not the first time the Standing com- written reports, in addition to briefings dur- tures without single-point accountability, mittee has indicted the government. the ing the Unified commander and army com- be future technologies duplication of processes, avoidable redun- committee has been putting forth the state of mander-level conferences every six months. dant layers doing the same thing again and affairs periodically. In its report tabled in Par- General V.K. Singh, then army chief’s letter but instead is on again, delayed execution, no real-time moni- liament on march 9, 2017, it had slammed Prime minister manmohan Singh in 2012 commercialisation toring and no project-based approach. Government for its adhocism, casual and described critical voids of army? V.K. Singh dr bhamre’s presentation also con-

www.spslandforces.com lackadaisical approach saying it would was not the only Service chief who wrote tended more than a year after the new

4 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 >> OPERATIONS

defence Procurement Procedure (dPP) Security of Camps and Installations pushed for domestic defence manufactur- Post the terrorist attack on IaF’s Pathankot ing, acquisitions under the buy and make base in January 2016, the government- in India category still take longest to fruc- appointed Phillip campose committee tify, while least time is taken in buy Global submitted its report to mod in may 2016, category. the presentation projected that pointing out gaping holes in security and armed Forces continue to view mod’s asking for funds besides other measures. acquisition Wing “as an obstacle rather these should have been met on “emer- than a facilitator” and pointed to the need gent basis” but after many more terrorist for a “tectonic change” in mindset of the attacks, it finally took the terrorist attack ministry’s officialdom, also stressing that at Sunjwan army camp on February 10, the tendency to accept delays should be 2018, that expenditure of `1,487 crore was unacceptable. mod contacted by media approved, with defence minister demanding could not elicit any response from mod completion within one year, without allot- officials because the presentation is a tight ting any funds. the Finance minister says slap on face of the mod with all the noise periodically there is no dearth of finances of having simplified procedures every year for armed Forces but simultaneously caps and despite the Prime minister’s push for defence projections arbitrarily without con- ‘make in India’. sidering operational imperatives. What dr bhamre may not know is that these procedural delays are ‘deliberate’, Security Environment intended to create criticalities and facilitate aside from the crying need for military imports for money making. that is the very modernisation and making up critical defi- reason the buy Global category always has ciencies, operational requirements indi- smooth sailing. Sponsored media accuses cate expanding china-Pak nexus resulting armed Forces of favouring foreign arma- in heightening proxy war against India. ments but every decision for weapon/ china’s Pla has made strategic lodgment weapon-system procurement is taken by in Gilgit-baltistan with the cPec and Gwa- mod. more importantly, the qualitative dar port. Nepal, maldives and Sri lanka requirements (Qr) if changed, is done ‘by have opened their arms to china. china mod’ with the gun fired from the shoulder supports Pakistani radicals at the UN, has of the concerned service. decisions are also occupied North doklam and its state media manipulated. moreover, this state has per- threatens china can destabilize our north- sisted in mod right since Independence – east if India pressurizes Pakistan in Kash- past 71 years. mir. With our poorly equipped military, FdI in the defence sector from 2014 to china will likely make intrusion, especially december 2017 was measly `1.17 crore in where our border compared to the overall FdI inflow of infrastructure is weak. there is perception `3,86,885 crore in the country only during building there will be no conflict, forget- 2016-2017. as per SIPrI, India continues ting the maxim ‘if you want peace, be pre- to be largest arms importer having spent pared for war’. army chief General bipin $100 billion plus in last 10 years, with rawat said at Vivekananda International defence imports gone up 24 per cent dur- Foundation on march 13, 2018, “chinese ing 2013-2017 compared to preceding five have finally arrived…. they did not forget years. Ironically, this is the state despite the that military power should rise simultane- sprawling governmental defence-industrial ously with the economy. that is why they complex comprising drdo-dPSUs-oFs. to stand strong today in the international top this, caG reports over the years have world order, challenging the might of been pointing massive across-the-board USa…. there is a belief (in India) that the corruption, 30 per cent indigenous defence defence expenditure is actually a burden equipment sub-standard and excessive cost- on the state. they believe that whatever is ing. this, despite Joint Secretary-level offi- put in defence it is something that comes cers of mod and department of defence without any returns. I want to dispel that Production (dodP) on all boards of drdo, myth. If your economy has to rise, your dPSUs and oFs. the future, therefore, may military power has to rise simultaneously even be bleaker. to deter potential adversaries.” army jawans are short of requisite small arms, surveillance means, communi- Defence Budget India Needs cations, and protection and survival equip- the long-term Integrated Procurement ment. camps and installations continue Plan 2012-2027 approved by government to be without adequate protection despite and the 12th Five year Plan were based heightened proxy war. there is need to on defence allocation at 3 per cent of GdP augment artillery, armour, air defence, but the allocation of defence has always anti-tank capability, helicopters, induct been much below. When charles de Gaulle drones. ammunition needs to be built up. became French President in 1959, France army’s battlefield management System was militarily weak. de Gaulle ensured (bmS) pursued for 13 years has been fore- French defence budget remained greater closed for lack of funds. other informa- than 2 per cent-touching 5 per cent of the tion systems like battlefield management GdP, resulting in France emerging as a mili- System (bSS) and command Information tarily strong power. current French military and decision Support System (cIdSS) expenditure is 6.2 per cent of GdP. India are crawling at snail’s pace. the tactical needs a sustained defence allocation of 3-5 communication System (tcS) required per cent of GdP for the present and coming 20 years back is still not in place. border years, in addition to allocations catering for infrastructure continues to be in poor state inflation and associated expenditures. as seen during recent chinese intrusion in tuting area. most tanks and infantry com- Pre-Budget Delibrations bat vehicles are not fit for Nbc environ- lastly, In the US, all theatre commanders ment due to non-availability of particular and commander Socom make pre-budget type air filters and rubber seals. Procure- presentations to a congressional commit- ment of new IcVs has just been cleared but tee; covering present operational capabili- execution may take years. the FIcV project ties, funds requested given those funds what is yet to be cleared. the mod-drdo nexus their future operational capability would be. has not permitted private sector participa- It is the congressional committee that proj- tion in defence sector to come up the way ects budget requirement to the congress. it should have. the dhirendra Singh com- India needs to institutionalise Parliament’s mittee had recommended Strategic Part- Standing committee on defence in the loop nership purely for private sector, but the similarly. the Standing committee should drdo is coming into every project through project budget requirements to the govern- the backdoor because of mod. drdo’s ment with operational justifications. this focus should be future technologies but would streamline the defence allocations instead is on commercialisation. replacing current ad-hoc arrangements. SP

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 5 >> UNMANNED SYSTEMS Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Indian Army Increasingly capable UAVs, both in the combat and reconnaissance roles, are carving their own niche

PHOTOGRAPHS: IAI, USAF  LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD) Scientific Research Unmanned aircraft are also used for sci- He SyNerGy derIVed From the entific research in areas which may be too combination of technology with dangerous for piloted craft. examples are of operational art is taking warfare use during Hurricanes or in extreme cold to new realms which were never and severe climates. anticipated. While there are many Tchallenges, but there are also unbounded Armed Attacks opportunities. Some are evolutionary—and UaVs armed with missiles are now used as some are truly revolutionary. For example platforms for hitting ground targets in sen- in the aerospace realm even as fifth-genera- sitive areas. armed UaVs are being used by tion aircraft like the F/a-22, the F-35, and the US military for hitting militants and ter- the Sukhoi PaK-Fa, become operational, rorist leaders. the advantage of using an increasingly capable unmanned aerial vehi- unmanned vehicle, rather than a manned cles (UaVs) are carving out their own niche. aircraft in such cases, is to avoid a diplo- this brief review examines UaV functions, matic embarrassment should the aircraft their expanding missions and the capabili- be shot down and the pilots captured. Use ties of some of the current UaVs in use in of mQ-1 Predator UaVs armed with Hellfire various militaries. missiles in afghanistan and in tribal areas of Pakistan and in yemen by the US, are Functions now well known. Similarly Israel is using UaVs perform a wide variety of functions. UaVs armed with missiles in Palestine. the majority of these functions pertain many cases of targeting civilians have also to reconnaissance and are some form of been reported by the media proving that tar- remote sensing. geting without proper verification can lead to collateral damage. Remote Sensing remote sensing functions include electro- Search and Rescue magnetic spectrum sensors, biological sen- UaVs play a very significant role in search sors, and chemical sensors. electromagnetic and rescue and this is likely to increase in the sensors typically include visual spectrum, future. this was demonstrated by the suc- infrared, or near infrared cameras as well as cessful use of UaVs during the 2008 hurri- radar systems. other electromagnetic wave canes that struck louisiana and texas. It is detectors such as microwave and ultraviolet believed that Predators, operating between spectrum sensors may also be used, but are 18,000–29,000 feet above sea level, have uncommon. biological sensors are sensors performed search and rescue and dam- capable of detecting the airborne presence age assessment. the Predator’s synthetic of various microorganisms and other bio- aperture radar (Sar) is a sophisticated all- logical factors. chemical sensors use laser weather sensor capable of providing photo- spectroscopy to analyze the concentrations graphic-like images through clouds, rain or of each element in the air. fog, and in daytime or nighttime conditions; all in real-time. Counter – IEDs Vertical take off and landing (Vtol), UaVs Design and Development operated in afghanistan and Iraq have UaV design and production is a global activ- shown their usefulness in counter impro- ity, with manufacturers all across the world. vised explosive device (c-Ieds) tasks. Verti- the United States and Israel were initial pio- cal take off and landing UaVs are especially neers in this technology, and US manufac- versatile in locating Ieds with the air vehicle turers had a market share of over 60 per cent capable of hovering at a distance to find and in 2006. the share is due to increase by 5-10 locate Ieds. (Top) IAI’s Heron UAV; (above) General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper. per cent through 2016. Northrop Grumman and General atomics are the dominant man- ISTAR and SEAD surveys, in particular geomagnetic sur- to the airframe, but aerodynamics of ufacturers in this industry, on the strength of UaVs additionally offer an alternative to veys where the processed measurements the aircraft with the payload must be the Global Hawk and Predator/mariner sys- manned strike aircraft providing both intel- of the differential earth’s magnetic field assessed. tems. Israeli and european manufacturers ligence, surveillance, target acquisition and strength are used to calculate the nature form a second tier due to lower indigenous reconnaissance (IStar) capability as well as of the underlying magnetic rock structure. investments, and the governments of those suppression of enemy air defences (Sead) a knowledge of the underlying rock struc- UAS’ roles have expanded nations have initiatives to acquire US systems and deep penetration capability where there ture helps trained geophysicists to predict due to higher levels of capability. european is high threat from enemy air defences. the location of mineral deposits. the pro- to areas including market share represented just 4 per cent of duction side of oil and gas exploration and global revenue in 2006. Land Border Surveillance production entails the monitoring of the electronic attack, drone In the domain of land border surveillance, integrity of oil and gas pipelines and related Miniature and Micro UAVs there is a wide spectrum of possible techni- installations. monitoring activity could be strikes, suppression or Smaller, tactical UaVs are being developed to cal means that can be employed to provide performed using digital cameras mounted support tactical units with very short range effective surveillance including: daylight on one, or more, UaVs. destruction of enemy air “over the hill” and “around the corner” and infrared cameras, ground radars, fixed defense, network node intelligence, and assist in force protection. ground sensors, mobile systems, manned Transport While each mission requires a different pro- aircraft and satellites. However, Unmanned UaVs can transport goods using various or communications relay, file and capabilities, the man portable min- aerial Vehicles (UaVs) could also play an means based on the configuration of the iature aerial Vehicles (maVs) are designed important role in further enhancing border UaV itself. most payloads are stored in an combat search and to provide reasonably good performance at surveillance in the future, though they face internal payload bay somewhere in the an affordable price. to effectively support a number of technical and other challenges. airframe. For many helicopter configura- rescue, and derivations the field troops, smaller UaVs are designed, tions, external payloads can be tethered ranging from man portable (back packable) Exploration Missions to the bottom of the airframe. With fixed of these themes systems to insect-sized “mesicopters”, and

www.spslandforces.com UaVs can be used to perform geophysical wing UaVs, payloads can also be attached miniature “smart dust” sensors. they could

6 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 HERON TP A powerhouse in the sky

MOIC - Mission Operation & Intelligence Rely on IAI’s HERON TP RPAS for utmost Center for RPAS Missions versatility and mission flexibility SEE US AT DEFEXPO INDIA 2018 Backed by over 1,600,000 operational Hall 1, Booth 1.1.4a flight hours the Heron TP features: • Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) mission envelope • Typical mission payload -1000 kg • Operational ceiling - 45,000 ft • Highest safety and reliability • Operational with Israel’s Air Force www.iai.co.il • [email protected] >> UNMANNED SYSTEMS

be launched by hand, deployed by larger communications relay, combat search and “the higher you go, the more you see,” UaVs, or ejected from artillery or mortar rescue, and derivations of these themes. Indian army plans to buy said General Subrata Saha projectiles, as expendable sensors. these these UaS range in cost from a few thousand high-tech unmanned (retd), army’s deputy chief till march 2017. systems are broadly designated as maV. dollars to tens of millions of dollars, with air- “the precision afforded by Hale UaVs current systems are relatively large for a craft weighing from less than half kilogram aerial vehicles (UAVs) comes with top-end technology that can “micro” designation. However, new elec- to over 18 tons. be expensive.” the army is waiting for local tro-opto-mechanical integrated micro sys- to strengthen its vendors to respond to a request for infor- tems currently in research and development Indian UAVs mation (rFI) for 60 short-range remotely stage will enable these systems to be much UaVs are low-cost, low-risk, high payoff intelligence, surveillance piloted aircraft systems (rPaS) that can smaller, and operate autonomously in con- intelligence, surveillance and reconnais- operate for 10 hours at 15,000ft. cert, to monitor and sense the battlefield, sance (ISr) and target acquisition (ta) sys- and reconnaissance (ISR) and to engage and defeat a wide variety of tems. UaVs can be deployed quickly to cover Future Milestones hostile targets across the entire spectrum of vast areas and, hence, enhance responsive- capabilities and improve Aura/Ghatak conflict. US has conducted tests with many ness. the employment of UaVs improves the effectiveness of its In a major step forward for what is by far types of maVs [less than 15 cms] however situational awareness, helps to increase the India’s most ambitious aviation exercise, the these types of UaVs do not seem to have operational tempo and reduces the sensor- military operations first budgetary funds have begun to flow into been deployed operationally at present. to-shooter time lag. When employed in con- Project Ghatak. the classified effort to build junction with other sensors, UaVs assist in a stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle for- Endurance UAVs confirming or negating the efficacy of infor- mally received sanction as a ‘lead-in Proj- as far as unmanned aircraft systems have mation gathered and, thus, qualitatively making it especially suitable for missions ect’ in may 2016. a project that has direct come in the past decade, the emerging race to improve the intelligence available to com- over the Himalayas.developed by Israel, this oversight from the Prime minister’s office satisfy the US military’s demand for unblink- manders. Some of the UaVs in use or being UaV can attain a speed of 200km/hour and and the National Security advisor, Ghatak ing sensor and communications relay cov- developed are given below. can fly up to 18 hours at the relatively high (which began as the drdo’s autonomous erage over vast areas will push designs and Nishant – made for Indian army, this altitude of 18,500 feet, making it especially Unmanned research aircraft – aUra) has technology for unmanned aircraft even fur- UaV was developed by drdo’s branch, suitable for missions over the Himalayas. remained steadily out of view. Unheard of ther. leading the quest are two rival designs aeronautical development establishment. Indian army,Navy and air Force are the in, precious little is known about the project so advanced that they have been in develop- It requires a launching system with catapult users in Indian armed forces. It performs the beyond the very basics. ment and consumed hundreds of millions of technology as it doesn’t have self-propelling role of reconnaissance in the armed forces. Ghatak is likely to be powered by a modi- dollars in investment over nearly a decade to ability and gets down with the help of a fied dry thrust version of the Kaveri engine. reach this point. both the aeroVironment parachute. Four Nishant UaVs were given to Rustom It will have a flying wing planform with Global observer (Go) and the boeing Phan- the army and all four crashed while being It is an unnamed combat air vehicle, a pro- internal weapons and will sport stealth tom eye programmes were finally closed operated. the Indian army has cancelled duction of drdo dedicated to all three ser- characteristics developed wholly in-house. down. the Pentagon closed the development further orders of this UaV and decided to vices of Indian armed forces. the project is While the aeronautical development contract for the Global observer, the reason retire Nishant. under progress and some top private players agency (ada) is overseeing the programme being the crash in april 2011. the Global Heron – India already had about 12 in defence field are bidding for its manufac- along with the Gas turbine research estab- observer was used as a technology demon- Heron-1 drones before the 2005 sale, and turing deal. this UaV has come with wheels lishment (Gtre), the real r&d is being stration, not a program for a functioning they played a crucial part in search and res- which makes its take-off and landing a bit frontfooted by two academic institutions: aircraft. In april 2013, the Pentagon stated cue operations following the Indian ocean ahead of Nishant. Its variant rustom -2 is IIt bombay and IIt Kanpur. that no service or defense agency had advo- tsunami in december 2004. IaI Searcher also under progress with more specification cated for it to be a program. aeroVironment tactical UaVs and their high-end Heron UaV and durability. UAV Panchi is currently in possession of the second pro- counterparts were used to locate trapped on February 25, 2018, India’s premier Punchi is a wheeled version of Unmanned totype Global observer. survivors and missing bodies near the anda- defence research institute drdo carried aerial Vehicles Nishant which is undergoing as far Phantom eye is concerned man and Nicobar islands, relaying clear live out “successful” test flight of its rustom 2 trials. UaV Panchi has some plus points as although the primary role was airborne sur- feed photographs while in flight, and allow- drone, a medium-altitude long-endurance compared to UaV Nishant. It doesn’t contain veillance, boeing pitched it as a communica- ing immediate response as soon as survivors unmanned aerial vehicle (UaV), at chal- parachutes and landing bags which reduces tions relay for the U.S. Navy. boeing said that or victims were identified on screen. akere in Karnataka’s chitradurga district. its weight and increases its endurance and its iIt would have a role in the Navy without the Heron UaV is reportedly capable of rustom 2 is being developed on the lines of small size as compared to Nishant makes it taking up space on an aircraft carrier with flying for over 24 hours at a time at altitudes predator drones of the US to carry out sur- hard to find in the enemy’s sky. long-range reconnaissance still provided by around 32,000 feet. IaI lists flight time as veillance and reconnaissance (ISr) roles for the mQ-4c triton. a pair of Phantom eyes, >40 hours, and says that it has demonstrated the armed forces with an endurance of 24 Predator Guardian Drones from US one relieving the other after days of constant 52 hours of continuous flight. It has a maxi- hours, officials said. the US has cleared the sale of predator Guard- flight, could provide the Navy with continu- mum range of about 3,000 km and can carry drdo successfully flew its rustom 2 at ian drones to India, as President donald ous long range communications. a maximum payload weighing 250 kg/550 its aeronautical test range (atr) at cha- trump and Prime minister The latest endurance record for lbs. as a large male (medium altitude, long lakere at chitradurga. this flight assumes pledged on monday to deepen their defence an unmanned aerial vehicle flight now endurance) UaV, it’s built to carry multiple significance due to the fact that this is the and security cooperation. “reflecting the part- officially belongs to Zephyr, the solar pow- payloads at a time for a variety of missions. first flight in user configuration with higher nership, the US has offered for India’s consid- ered UaV built by Qinetiq, according to the the Indian government had approved power engine. the defence research and eration the sale of Sea Guardian Unmanned Fédération aéronautique Internationale the purchase of ten armed UaVs from Israel development organisation (drdo) said aerial Systems,” the joint statement said. (FaI). the Zephyr UaV achieved three world aerospace Industries, following a fast- the test flight was “successful” and all its India is looking to buy 22 predator records in July 2010. the UaV was launched tracking of the program by the modi admin- parameters were “normal”. Guardian drones from the US for $2 bil- for flight trials on 9 July 2010 and stayed istration in September 2015. the $400 mil- lion. India is buying the unarmed Guard- aloft for 14 nights (336 hours 22 minutes) lion acquisition will see ten IaI Heron tP Lakshya-Pilotless Target aircraft ian unmanned aircraft system (UaS) which at an altitude of 70,740ft (21,561m) above drones join other Israeli designs operated by this pilotless target aircraft is manufac- was developed by the US office of air and the US army’s yuma Proving Ground in the Indian air Force, with Harpy loitering tured by Hal and aeronautical develop- marine (oam) in partnership with the US arizona. It was brought back to the earth munitions. It seems that Heron is now being ment establishment (ade) of drdo for the coast Guard. the Guardian has been modi- on the morning of 23 July 2010. operated by all three Services i.e. army, primary use of army, Navy and airforce. fied from a standard reaper with structural, Navy and the air Force. the main purpose of its development is tar- avionic and communication enhancements Employment in the Future Harpy – the IaI Harpy is a loitering get acquisition and reconnaissance. It has a and an added raytheon SeaVue marine the military role of unmanned aircraft sys- munition produced by Israel aerospace rocket assisted launch and lands through a Search radar. Its electro-optical/Infrared tems is growing at unprecedented rates. In Industries. the Harpy is designed to attack parachute. the glamour of this UaV attracted Sensor is optimized for maritime operations. 2005, tactical- and theater-level unmanned radar systems and is optimised for the Sead many countries like Singapore, Israel, etc. the General atomics mQ-9 reaper aircraft alone had flown over 1,00,000 flight role. It carries a high explosive warhead. It (sometimes called Predator b) is an hours in support of operation enduring Free- has a maximum speed of 185 km/hr and Indian Army’s UAV Requirements unmanned aerial vehicle (UaV) capable of dom and operation Iraqi Freedom, in which 500 km range of flight. the Harpy has been the army plans to buy high-tech unmanned remotely controlled or autonomous flight they were organised under task Force liberty sold to several foreign nations, including aerial vehicles (UaVs) to strengthen its intel- operations, developed by General atomics in afghanistan and task Force odIN in Iraq. South Korea, turkey, India, and china. ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aeronautical Systems (Ga-aSI) primar- rapid advances in technology are enabling (ISr) capabilities and improve the effective- ily for the United States air Force. the more and more capability to be placed on Searcher ness of its military operations. engine of the aircraft is integrated with smaller airframes, which is spurring a large all three Services operate the Searcher series the force is laying the groundwork for digital electronic engine control (deec). increase in the number of small unmanned of UaVs. the Indian army has reportedly acquiring more than 120 high-altitude, It enhances the performance of the engine aircraft systems (SUaS) being deployed on deployed its first batch of 25 Israeli-made long-endurance (Hale) UaVs, a senior and increases its capability to prevent the battlefield. as the capabilities grow for all Searcher mark II unmanned aerial vehicles officer told Ht. Such UaVs can fly at over wasteful consumption of fuel at lower alti- types of UaS, nations continue to subsidize (UaVs) over its frontiers with Pakistan and 60,000ft and remain airborne for over tudes. currently the drone is being used their research and development, leading to china. as per media reports, India has pur- 30 hours. the army’s existing unmanned by australia, dominican republic, France, further advances and enabling them to per- chased 100 of the reconnaissance drones systems’ fleet comprises Heron medium-alti- Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, United King- form a multitude of missions. UaS no longer at a cost of $750 million and may double tude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs, and the dom and the United States. the aircraft can only perform intelligence, surveillance, and this order. the Indian army operates both smaller Searcher Mark II tactical drones, both be flown for over 27 hours in the air at a reconnaissance missions, although this still Searcher mk I and II. the Searcher mark II built by Israel Aerospace Industries. Herons maximum altitude of 50,000 feet and a remains their predominant type. their roles is produced by Israel aircraft Industries. It can fly at over 35,000ft and feed airborne maximum speed of 240 KtaS. With a fault have expanded to areas including electronic can remain airborne for 16 hours and has intelligence for over 45 hours compared tolerant, triple-redundant flight control attack, drone strikes, suppression or destruc- a maximum range of 150 kilometers at to Searchers that operate at 15,000ft for system, the drone has more than 90 per

SP www.spslandforces.com tion of enemy air defense, network node or the relatively high altitude of 18,500 feet, nearly 20 hours. cent system operational availability.

8 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018

>> ELECTRO-OPTICS Turning Night into Day Electro-optical Systems and Programmes The EO sighting systems will provide all weather surveillance and targeting sights for small arms, armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), artillery guns and missile systems

PHOTOGRAPH: Trijicon  LT GENERAL NARESH CHAND (RETD) TRIjICoN SNIPE-IR’s. It is clip-on thermal sight lectro–oPtIcal (eo) SIGHtING which is small and lightweight and designed aNd sensors systems have numer- to fit comfortably in front of the optical day ous applications for the army to sight for 24-hour weapon sighting appli- carry out surveillance, reconnais- cations. the SNIPe-Ir’s No-SHot Zero sance, target acquisition, target feature makes it simple to verify bore sight Eengagement and missile guidance. the sys- when attached. It offers easy sight-in inte- tem accesses information from emitted or gration for accurate calibrations with the reflected energy across the wavelengths of 4x32 acoG® and 3x and 4x day optics, as infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light, and well as a large range of variable rifle sights. thus can provide all weather, day and night Trijicon IR-PATRoL®. For missions fighting capabilities. the systems which such as searching for a suspect or secur- operate on separate principle for thermal ing your position, the trijicon Ir-Patrol® imaging and image enhancement. thermal is the ideal multipurpose thermal imaging imaging functions in the upper region of the monocular. It’s compact, lightweight, rug- infra red spectrum whereas image enhance- ged and offers some of the most advanced ment works by accumulating and amplify- performance options on the market—such ing miniscule amounts of light including as microIr™ 640x480 12 Sensor and the lower end of the infra red spectrum so 640x480 digital oled display—for a clear, that it is possible to view the target. Nor- sharp image. the system can be hand- mally it is the image enhancement product held, helmet-mounted or rifle-mounted Ir which are commonly called as Night Vision Patrol system. devices (NVds). the eo sighting systems will provide all weather surveillance and Trijicon IR-PATROL Thermal Monocular BAE SySTEMS targeting sights for small arms, armoured HAMMER (Handheld Azimuth Measur- Fighting Vehicles (aFVs), artillery guns and (HHtI) which is normally based on cooled RAyTHEoN ing, Marking, Electro-optic imaging missile systems. For aFVs first round hit detectors and can see a group of persons at AN/PAS-13B Thermal Weapons Sight and Ranging) System. this is a lightweight probability is provided by Integrated Fire around 2.5 Km. cooled tIs are also used as (TWS). aN/PaS-13b is an advanced Ir precision targeting solution. the system control System which is a fully computer- thermal sight for medium range weapons, weapon sight developed by the US army and enables dismounted Forward observers and ised fire control system, mainly consisting Fire control System (FcS) and surveillance raytheon. the combat-proven aN/PaS- Joint terminal attack controllers to rapidly of stabilised day/night sighting system (s), system. tIs based on un-cooled detectors, 13b combines rugged, lightweight, modu- identify, precisely locate, and accurately laser range finder (lrF) with an integrated which are generally cheaper, are used for lar construction with superior tI technol- mark targets for precision Global Position- ballistic computer. this system facilitates short range applications. Gimbaled payloads ogy to give today’s war fighter the ability to ing System guided and laser-guided muni- acquiring, locking and engagement of mov- with tI and other sensors have become very shoot equally well day or night, significantly tions. It works in all weather and lighting ing targets by means of manual/automatic popular for various applications for UaVs, increasing survivability and lethality mar- conditions, and transmits targeting data to tracking, while own tank itself is on the helicopters, aFVs etc as it provides stabiliza- gins on the 21st century battlefield. existing forward entry systems. a variant of move. the concept of first round hit capabil- tion for a moving platform. ToW ITAS. ItaS increases target detec- the Hammer precision targeting system is ity is also applied to artillery systems by pro- tion, acquisition, recognition and engage- currently being refined and qualified in the viding accurate target data by the forward Laser Range Finder (LRF) ment ranges; fires all versions of the toW engineering and manufacturing develop- observation post (FoP)officer through better accurate range to the target is an essential missile from both the m41 ground launcher ment phase of the U.S. army’s Joint effects electro-optical and geographic information parameter for engaging the target for which and the m1121 high mobility multipurpose targeting System (JetS) programme. system (GIS) systems. lrF has become an key device as it is very wheeled vehicle platform. It can also be accurate. It works on the basic principle of integrated with future missiles systems. the INDIAN PERSPECTIVE Thermal Imagers emitting a laser beam which gets reflected ItaS includes a second-generation FlIr, an BEL optronic Devices Limited. this is thermal Imager (tI) works on the princi- from the target. a high speed clock then eye safe lrF and other digital components a subsidiary of bel. It has been pal that all objects emit a certain amount measures the time taken for the laser beam which increase detection and identifica- established for conducting research, devel- of radiation as a function of their tempera- to reach the target and return to the emit- tion ranges by a factor of 2X, increasing the opment and manufacture of Image Intensi- ture/emissivity. Generally speaking, the ter. this time is converted into range which probability of hit over the existing toW 2. fier tubes and associated high voltage Power higher an object’s temperature, the more can be seen accurately or directly fed into the Supply Units for use in military, security and Ir radiation it emits. a tI can thus detect ballistic computer. thus lrFs have become SAfRAN ELECTRoNICS commercial systems. this radiation in a way similar to an ordi- an essential part of any FcS or to carry out Spider Artillery fire Management Sys- IRDE (DRDo). Irde develops a whole nary camera does for visible light. It works artillery survey. tem (fMS). this is a sensor to shooter, fully range of eo-FcSs for aFVs and naval ships. even in total darkness because ambient integrated digital FmS which automates the Some systems are tI based Surveillance Sys- light level does not matter. With the recent Electro-optical System Programmes- entire firing chain starting from the Forward tems (standalone and platform mounted); advancement and rapid development of Ir some examples observer who designates the target, down to lrF, designators, Seekers and Proximity detectors, it has become possible to carry the weapon platform, through the fire sup- Sensors; Holographic Sight and Surveil- out surveillance and target acquisition L3 TECHNoLoGIES port’s assessment and coordination levels, lance Systems. during night; similar to daylight hours. tIs (BNVD)-1531. l3 Warrior Sensor Sys- which results in accurate firing, target effec- Alpha Design Technologies. alpha have become the primary choice of defence tem’s binocular Night Vision device tiveness and short reaction time which is design technologies Pvt ltd., has been forces for their weapon sights and surveil- (bNVd)-1531 combines key features of the essential for artillery to be effective in battle. established with a view to put into action lance equipment. aN/PVS-15 and aN/PVS-31 night vision Autonomous modular thermal “maKe IN INdIa” policy of the Government goggles in a smaller, lightweight solution cameras. these cameras provide optimum of India. alPHa specialises in r&d, manu- TI camera which incorporates features such as adjust- visualization of targets for missile launch- facture, assembly, testing, qualification, a tI camera mainly consists of an optical able diopters, manual gain adjustment, ing and direct fire. integration & installation of defence elec- system, Ir detector ,amplifier and signal individually rotating monoculars and an Target designation. target designa- tronics, avionics & Space Satellites systems. processing electronics which can be seen integrated infrared illuminator; all of which tion requirements are provided with porta- It has a Joint Venture with elbit of Israel and on a display unit as the Ir is converted into enhance situational awareness, enabling ble pointing and target acquisition systems has tied up with adani aero defence Sys- visible light. most commonly used form of operators to conduct missions more effec- such as Goniolight and Sterna, and its mis- tems which is a part of the Gautam adani-

SP www.spslandforces.com tI camera is Hand Held thermal Imager tively and efficiently. sile guidance solutions. led group.

10 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 >> SMALL ARMS Selection of Small Arms

In last two months, India has re-started the process of replacing its arsenal of small arms, however going by past experience, replacemants on the ground seem distant

PHOTOGRAPH: DPR Defence  ROHIT SRIVASTAVA INSaS with 5.56x45 mm. the army has now decided to go for bigger calibre rifles of N PreVIoUS tWo decadeS, multiple 7.6x51 mm for more effective firepower. unsuccessful attempts were made to In his annual press conference, on Janu- acquire these weapons. It is needless ary 12, army chief bipin rawat had said to say that it is high time that India that the army will have two kinds of ars. replaces the older generation small “the hi-tech rifles, for instance, will be only Iarms which have become unfit for current for infantry battalions deployed on the front. operational needs. the bulk of the weapons will have to come through the indigenous route, the ordnance Small Arms factories or the private industry.” all personal weapons that are part of militaries of the world want to arm the standard issue to any soldier which their soldiers with personal weapons that includes revolvers and self-loading pis- are light, small, dexterous, automatic tols, rifles and carbines, assault rifles, sub- with a high rate of fire, which can be fit- machine guns and light machine guns ted with various kinds of sight and aiming are defined as small arms. the former two devices and detachable under barrel gre- are standard issues to the soldiery while nade launchers for ars. these also need the lmGs are “Section” (three sections in to be easy to maintain and resistant to a platoon, and three platoons in a com- weather extremities. pany) weapons issued in a fixed number to army units. carbines, used in close quarter Types of small arms battles, are issued to commanders at vari- ous levels. Generally, people confuse small Pistols/Revolvers arms with light weapons which according these are primarily issued for the personal to Small arms Survey (1997 UN Panel of defence of commanders at various levels. Governmental expert report) are two dif- urban and jungle terrain. the requirements there has been rethinking within the ferent set of weapons. of this kind of sub-conventional war are army over the ar’s calibre after using the Continued on page 13... their light weapons list includes heavy better equipped soldiers capable of operat- machine guns, hand-held under-barrel ing in all terrain and in all weather condi- and mounted grenade launchers, portable tions in smaller groups and teams. anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti- Indian purchase plan tank missile and rocket systems; portable on February 28, defence acquisition coun- launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems cil (dac), chaired by defence minister Nir- (maNPadS); and mortars of calibres of less mala Sitharaman, accorded approval for than 100 mm. procurement of 41,000 lmGs and over 3.5 lakh close Quarter battle carbines under Why do we need new weapons? buy and make (Indian) category. out of the battlefield requirements and military total quantities envisaged, 75 per cent will technology are interlinked. they keep evolv- be through Indian Industry under ‘buy ing with respect to each other. to keep pace & make (Indian)’ category and balance with the change in requirements, weapons through oFb. the total cost for procure- evolve and armies are compelled to acquire ment of carbines and lmGs for the soldiers new solutions to meet new challenges. of the three Services is `4607 crore and the battle field requirements have `3000 crore respectively. changed. the likelihood of conventional earlier in the month, on February 13, battles are few and far between and if at dac approved procurement of essential all we fight a conventional war it is more quantity of lmGs for the three Services likely to be on the pattern of a border war/ through the Fast track Procedure at an esti- skirmish, limited in time and space, such as mated cost of over `1,819 crore. this will be the 1999. but the more preva- over and above the decision of February 28. lent challenge in front of all militaries of the dac also approved the much-anticipated world are the fourth-generation hybrid war- procurement of 7.4 lakh assault rifles fare and /counterter- for the three Services. these rifles will be rorism (cI/ct) operations which includes ‘made in India’ under the categorisation of fighting non-state actors in the urban, semi- ‘buy and make (Indian)’, through both ord- nance Factory board and Private Industry at an estimated cost of `12,280 crore. Assault Rifle are In another decision, it approved the pur- chase of 5,719 Sniper rifles for the Indian expected to maintain a army and Indian air Force at an estimated cost of `982 crore. high degree of accuracy For the immediate requirement of the troops deployed on the borders, mod, on even in automatic firing January 16, gave its nod for the procure- ment of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 mode. Some of the carbines on fast track basis for `3,547 crore. more than a million soldiers of Indian other features of ARs are army need replacement of indigenous robustness, dexterity – INSaS (Indian Small arms System) rifles designed and developed by drdo and man- operational from both ufactured by ordnance Factory, which have been found operationally inadequate. thus hands, flexibility to take the requirement of more modern and reli- able rifles. In addition to the ar, the army add-on equipment and also needs more accurate close quarter bat- tle carbines. currently, India is using rus- maintainability. sian aK-47/56 for anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North east.

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 11 >> MARKETING FEATURE Unlimited Use of the ADS Assault Rifle

ombat dIVer UNItS aPPeared therefore, special forces going on a combat the objective of developing the adS unfolding/folding of the buttstock. in our country in the latter half mission both underwater and on land, had assault rifle was to create a special amphibi- Forward ejection of fired cases with of sixties. In 1967 an Inshore to take two weapons: undersea for water ous assault rifle and special underwater car- sealed receiver reduces gas contamination Undersea Warfare Unit was orga- and regular for surface combat. tridge to replace the in-service aPS assault at shooter’s face, prevents from injuring nized (IUWU) at the black Sea modern marine special forces are mul- rifle as a combat weapon for special forces of by a case when working in a group, also Cfleet. the reason for this was active foreign tifunctional because they mostly comprise the russian Navy. (unlike sideward ejection) makes it possible development work on regular combat diver universal combat divers capable of per- the assault rifle is designed for enemy to fire by a left or right-handed shooter with- units to perform commando-type recon- forming any tasks: underwater sabotage manpower engagement and fire weapon out swapping any parts. naissance operations. Fresh in the memory in enemy’s seaports, protection of water neutralization: Use of impact-resistant plastic, spe- was the wreck of the Novorossiysk battle- areas against enemy underwater swimmer - on land – when firing assault rifle with cial materials and coatings contributes to ship happened in the bay by Sevastopol on saboteurs and while doing so, act as normal any standard 5.45 x 39 mm cartridges enhanced corrosion resistance and lower 29 october of 1955. although assumption scout saboteurs on land. russian and foreign and underbarrel grenade launcher weight of the weapon. of sabotage was least probable (even now), experience of using by such units confirms with standard 40-mm VoG-25 and a gas regulator added to the gas system to write off such danger was impossible. that they fulfill their tasks on land in 80 – VoG-25P rounds; enables to switch between “water” and “air” the divers of counter underwater war- 90 % cases. therefore, such units required - under water – when firing special gas operation. fare support required a weapon capable of to have special multipurpose (underwater underwater 5.45 x 39 mm cartridges. at present, the adS assault rifle is being undersea firing. and above water) in-service weapon, a sort It was made possible by developing a tested by marine special forces subunits of the 5.66-mm aPS assault rifle and 4.5- of universal amphibious rifle. Its firing effec- new underwater cartridge with the same the Northern, black Sea and Pacific fleets of mm SPP-1 pistol designed for this purpose tiveness (accuracy, grouping, armour pene- overall dimensions as standard land car- russia. It has been positively evaluated by are of particular interest in the range of tration), however, must equal the 5.45-mm tridges. the units employing it for its versatility and underwater weapons due to unusual engi- aK-74 assault rifle on land and 5.66-mm the adS special amphibious assault compact size. neering solutions. aPS assault rifle under water. rifle with integrated underbarrel grenade For the first time in global practice, one despite the advantages of the systems, a In 2007, KbP Subsidiary tsKIb Soo launcher features bull-pup layout that weapon allows the combat diver to perform significant shortcoming with them is inef- completed its development work on the enables shorter assault rifle length in com- missions under water and on land. SP fectiveness when firing on land. In addition, 5.45-mm adS special amphibious assault parison to conventional layouts (with the it must be noted that life of the aPS assault rifle, designated as adS that solved the same barrel length), enhanced manoeu- The advertorial is based on article of

www.spslandforces.com rifle when firing on land is just 180 shots. problem of firing under and above water. vrability, better balance and eliminates V.I.Bolotnikov and B.A.Volkov

12 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 >> SMALL ARMS

Small Arms... continued from page 11

Pistols are selected for their ease of pulling minutes. these are used for suppressive fire Bullpup out, accuracy and lethality at short ranges to pin down an enemy or to eliminate them Modern small arms are to fire heavy calibre bullets, guns need lon- and if required it should fire in both semi- at long distances. the defining character- expected to be modular, ger barrel, but this restricts effective target automatic and single shot mode. istics of these guns are accuracy, high rate acquisition in close quarters. this is where of fire, weight, robustness, ease of handling easy to maintain and carbine comes handy as they give firepower Assault Rifle and maintainability. through smaller barrel. bullpup design the basic weapon of any soldier is the ar Some of the major aspects of small arms should allow add-on of merges the two kinds of guns. It retains the which is a selective-fire rifle which can fire are described below barrel length of an ar by placing the trig- 1,000 rounds per minute, in automatic accessories. A modern ger in front of the action and magazine. mode, at a distance of over 300 metres. these Calibre this reduces the effective length of the gun. are also capable of semi-automatic and sin- In the late 1970s, the western armies began soldier is a system in itself Hence, it merges the accuracy and firepower gle shot firing. these are very effective in all to arm their soldiers with smaller calibre of ar with the handiness of carbines. kinds of engagements. ars are expected to (internal diameter of the barrel of a gun) maintain a high degree of accuracy even in rifles as the objective was to injure a soldier other features automatic firing mode. Some of the other who would require two or more men to take -21, tavor-7 and Scar-H weighs slightly modern small arms are expected to be mod- features of ars are robustness, dexterity – him out of battle, which would take three over three kg. the lighter weapon gives less ular, easy to maintain and should allow operational from both hands, flexibility to to four men out of the fight. Within next recoil and is easy to fire in burst mode. add-on of accessories. a modern soldier take add-on equipment and maintainability. decade most armies moved from 7.62mm is a system in itself. He should be capable modern assault rifles come with Picatinny guns to 5.56 x 4 mm (Nato). Accuracy of operating in all condition and weather rail to add-on different kinds of accessories but today, when armies are fighting non- aK-47, most used firearm in the world, through both day and night. this is achieved like sight and targeting devices. state actors (terrorists/militants/Jihadis), who with its all qualities is not considered very through use of various kinds of gadgets. are trained, motivated and equipped to fight till accurate in engaging targets at longer Some of these equipment are reflex sights Carbines death and hence continue to fight even after range. today, forces look for a gun which is – to aim with open eyes; flashlight; laser tar- these are basically short barrel rifles injury with the aim of inflicting maximum capable of the high rate of fire but it should get designator; rangefinder; telescopic sights which fire pistol calibre bullets, like the causalities on the opponent there is a need also be accurate enough to engage targets and different kinds of infrared/night vision famous mP-5. but with new demands of to stop this individual before he can do more at 300 to 400 metres range. this is where devices. to integrate these accessories, mod- the cI/ct operations armed forces across damage and therefore the forces are moving modern small arms come into picture. most ern weapons must come with Picatinny rail. the world are going in for medium calibre back to higher calibers such as 7.62mm. of the latest rifles can effectively and accu- the modern small arms are evolving (5.56 mm) carbines. these are expected to rately engage targets at this range. Simi- into a standardized system and are being be easy to handle with a high rate of fire Weight larly, for lmG, the range with accuracy is developed keeping in mind the need for to engage the enemy in all types of terrain modern infantry’s battle load is in excess of around 800 metres. add-on accessories. In comparison to the including confined places like a building around 40 kg which includes personal weap- previous generation of weapons, these new etc. like ar, the modern carbines come ons, ammunition, food, water, communica- Robustness entrant gives soldiers reprieve from tack- with Picatinny rail. tion devices, batteries etc. all armies prefer a gun cannot be a fragile thing. It has to ling many of the problems associated with lighter guns which are easy to carry along be robust enough to survive shocks and managing weapons. this brings vital relief LMG with battle load and are effortless to handle. hits that it may face during the conduct of to a soldier who is pre-occupied with the these are long barrel automatic guns with INSaS which weighs around 4.2 kgs (with- exercises in peacetime and during conflicts. larger operational issues and does not want over 800 m range and also capable of the out magazine) is around 500 gm heavier a gun has to be tough but on other hand it to think about things as fundamental as the sustained rate of fire of over 600 rounds/ than aK-47. modern assault rifle like tavor should also be light and compact. functioning of his rifle/carbine. SP

Meet us at Defexpo India 2018 Hall No.5 Apr 11-14, 2018 Chennai, India

© 2018 Allison Transmission Inc., All Right Reserved

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 13 >> INTERVIEW / HFCL

‘We are committed to participate in emerging eco-system in the country to meet the indigenisation effort and manufacture equipment of global standards’

Interview with Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director, Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (HFCL)

SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): Can you give brief diversification strategy in the year 2014. Nahata: HFcl commissioned a turnkey have already technically qualified on the details of your company’s profile? leveraging the strength in telecom manu- microwave network in the Northern com- aWaN 2 project. Mahendra Nahata (Nahata): HFcl is a lead- facturing, infrastructure end to end solu- mand to provide vital communications to ing telecom company in India, both in the tions and strong project management, the Field army operating on the line of con- SP’s: What OEMs – both Indian & Foreign field of manufacturing and telecom infra- HFcl is actively participating in Govern- trol. the project was executed in the counter – you plan to have strategic partnership structure. In the manufacturing segment, ment of India’s ‘make in India’ initiative. Insurgency environment. the network com- under the ‘Make in India’ initiative? our offerings range from wireline/wireless as per the vision of present Government, prised of 24 links and extended from Nagrota Nahata: defence communication infrastruc- products, optical Fibre cable and Intelligent defence industry is the centrepiece of to Poonch all along the . It ture projects are complex and challenging, Power Systems. In the field of telecom infra- ‘make in India’ programme. We are com- provided the mainstay communication for involving multifarious systems for switch- structure, the company provides end to end mitted to participate in emerging eco-sys- the troops fighting insurgency in the state of ing, graphic displays, processing, test, power solutions to telecom service providers both tem in the country to meet the indigeni- J&K. this network is functional till date. In and environment equipment. a large quan- in public and private sectors. We have imple- sation effort and manufacture equipment addition, the company executed a satellite tity of these equipment are indigenous, but mented several Greenfield telecom projects of global standards. our soldier should be based project in the mountainous terrain of yet a substantial component is imported. in the past, including setting up of wireless equipped with the state-of-the-art weap- ladakh to provide VSat based reliable com- HFcl is making all possible efforts to follow networks, satellite communications, wire- onry and equipment to meet the challenges munications to remote posts in High altitude the Preferential market access (Pma) policy less spectrum management, dWdm optical of the security environment in the sub- regions where landline communications are of and ensure minimal transmission network, etc. continent. our efforts are aligned with the prone to frequent disruptions. import content. However, at this stage, some We provide end to end infrastructure policy framework of the Government and In 2013-15, HFcl executed optical of the equipment has to be imported. For the solutions to its customers, from designing are optimistic of carving a sizeable defence Fiber layout for defence Forces in the cen- imported content, we have partnered with to development, execution, integration and manufacturing business for our company. tral region as part of project ‘Network for major global oems and are simultaneously maintenance of networks. the company is to achieve this, we are forming new stra- Spectrum’ (NFS) on behalf of tcIl. interacting with them to transfer technology uniquely positioned to contribute to Govern- tegic partnerships and joint ventures with In 2014-15, the company bid for pan- to the country, for indigenous manufacture. ment’s major initiatives towards pan-India global oems. India NFS projects and is presently execut- connectivity through ‘bharatNet – National In the last two years, through col- ing these projects on pan-India basis, in the SP’s: Does your company have design- optical Fibre Network (NoFN)’ and ‘rural laborations and joint ventures with global remote undeveloped corners of the country ing, research and development capability, Wireline broadband Scheme’ programmes. oems, we are in the process of manufac- including high altitude areas. these projects skilled manpower and infrastructure to our solutions are well accepted and recog- turing technologically superior and essen- are most challenging, keeping in view the match the ‘Make in India’ vision? nised both nationally and internationally tial equipment for our defence Forces that difficulties of the harsh terrain and the Slas. Nahata: In the past 30 years, HFcl has suc- for quality, robustness and cost competitive- include opto electronics equipment, elec- the other major projects on our hori- cessfully manufactured wireless/wireline ness. the company has secured a number tronic Fuses, radio communication and zon are cellular cdma, mINt, aWaN 2, equipment with tot from several leading of orders from defence sector that include Unmanned aerial Vehicles (UaVs). Hcrr and remaining projects of NFS. We global oems. today, HFcl is fully equipped installation of pan-India backbone networks In addition, we are actively pursuing the to absorb most sophisticated technologies. in remote borders and island territories. border management and Surveillance Sys- In addition, HFcl has acquired in-house In addition, the company has now com- tem due for implementation by the Indian “Leveraging our above expertise in design, development, planning menced development, indigenous manu- Government and have signed an moU with and execution of complex projects. facture and supply of critical equipment a French mNc as our technology Partner strengths, we are the skilled manpower on permanent and surveillance systems for security forces, for Portable opto electronics to manufac- rolls of HFcl has vast experience in handling Homeland Security, railway communica- ture a wide range of Portable Night Vision well positioned to state-of-the-art technologies. We have exten- tions and Smart city Projects. devices. our solutions are customized as sive tailor-made training program to skill the HFcl is the second largest producer per the terrain requirements in India. also, work collaboratively dedicated teams for handling and exploit- of optical Fiber cable in the country. We a facility for manufacturing of opto elec- ing inducted technologies. In addition, the manufacture about 2,25,000 km of cable tronics equipment is underway to fulfil with international company has formed a defence team com- each year and export to over 45 countries our vision of transforming India into a net technology to prising of competent experts with over 30 in europe, South america, africa, middle exporter of defence equipment. years of experience in defence, as a guiding east, South and South east asian countries. design and manufacture force for understanding peculiar require- HFcl recently added another optical Fibre SP’s: What are the defence products HFCL ments of the defence Forces. through our cable manufacturing unit at chennai and is manufactures and are they in service with cost efficient products network building and execution knowledge, setting up a basic raw material, ‘Fibre’ plant the defence forces? we understand the criticality of functions at the Fab city, Hyderabad. the Fiber unit Nahata: HFcl has made entry in four fields, for Indian industry. under extreme terrain and harsh operational shall have an annual capacity of 6.4 mil- namely opto electronics, electronic Fuses, conditions. Human resource coupled with lion fibre kilo metres. the new manufactur- radio communication and Unmanned aer- With this backdrop, strong ePc (engineering, procurement and ing facility will strengthen our optical fibre ial Vehicles (UaVs) to actively support Gov- we are confident of construction) capabilities, in-house power cable business with capacity, capability and ernment’s indigenization program. Some of management and strong project execution market expansion. our equipment has been technically tested delivering state-of-the- skills, makes HFcl suitable to compete for by defence customers and is approved. We the ‘make in India’ programmes. SP’s: HFCL has acquired a wide range of have responded to a number of rFPs in art technologies and leveraging our above strengths, we are commercial licenses to manufacture prod- above mentioned domains and expect our well positioned to work collaboratively with ucts ranging from electronic components, equipment to be introduced in the defence unsurpassed equipment international technology majors to design communication equipment, radars, air- services very shortly. and manufacture cost efficient products for crafts and helicopters. What is your strat- vide ‘Make in India’ Indian. With this backdrop, we are confi- egy to manufacture these products? SP’s: Can you give some details of Projects dent of delivering state-of-the-art technolo- Nahata: We had decided on a full-fledged implemented by HFCL in Northern Com- programme. gies and unsurpassed equipment vide ‘make

SP www.spslandforces.com entry into defence industry as part of our mand and ‘Network for Spectrum’? in India’ programme.

14 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 >> BY THE WAY / CANTONMENT TALES

PHOTOGRAPH: Rannvijay Singha / Facebook

DMS Boots to the Officer Mess Parties, Actor Rannvijay Singha Tells You What Shapes a ‘Fauji Brat’

MTV Roadies winner goes down the memory lane with his experiences in the cantonment

 ARPITA KALA boots is something most defence progeny parties, the unit picnics, croquet matches, an army officer’s kid is unbelievable. I really aspire too. and, the former roadie earned dart throwing competitions and the works. value that,” he says. HoUGH actor raNNVIJay his pretty early. “I had my first dmS when I “later on, when I grew up, I felt blessed that SINGHa may not have carried was going into the 7th standard, I think so, we had so many opportunities to actually do Almost Got the Maroon Beret on his family legacy of joining because my dad’s in the Infantry and every- whatever we wanted...like ‘oh you want to go the first-ever winner of the insanely popu- the forces, he still thinks fondly one was wearing dmS, so I got them really rock-climbing? Just go to the uncle posted in lar reality show, roadies, in 2003, Singha’s of his days spent in the canton- early,” he says. In the capital to host the first- Siliguri’ or ‘Wanna play basketball? Just go to original plan was to follow his dad’s footsteps. Tment. With six generations of family in the ever sneaker festival, Soledition, with his pal the rajrif, the team is practicing, just prac- and, he was almost on track with that too defence forces, including his dad lt General Siddharth Pal, the actor even gave a tried and tice with them’. Playing tennis, golf, going for having cleared the SSb, qualified for the Ima Iqbal Singh Singha, rannvijay says, “I was tested tip to break into your dmS boots. He a swim...the kind of infrastructure we had as as well as the ota. but then, he took two actually a boarding school child after the says, “dmS actually means double moulded months off to win his favourite motorbike in a 8th standard. but I remember dad’s Samba shoes and are something that all the army television show and never looked back. and, (Jammu & Kashmir) posting because I was people wear for almost everything. When I “I would have loved to clearly he has thought about the what-ifs too. still living with them at the time. We were got mine, I did what all the guys used to do “I would have loved to join the rajputana staying about eight kms away from the line - you got to wet it and put your feet in it for join my dad’s regiment, rifles, like my dad, but the debate was that my of control and I had a very ‘Famous Five’ like five hours. It takes the shape of your foot, chacha is from Grenadiers and dad’s really kind of a life. We used to get on the cycles, so you can do anything you want. but you Rajputana Rifles, unless close family friends were from Guards, arty, go to the river, then the mango orchard or go can’t play a lot of specialised sports in it like armoured this and that. they were all argu- pluck berries...it was an amazing life.” basketball.” of course, if I had got ing over which regiment I would join. I would and though, it’s been a while since he lived have loved to join my dad’s regiment unless of Of DMS Boots and Croquet Parties the life out of an enid blyton book, Singha through the Paras” course, if I had got through to Para (Parachute rocking the chunky, very punk-rock dmS still has fond memories of the officers mess regiment), which I would have...,” he says. SP

Follow us on Twitter

TM CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK

www.spguidepublications.com

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 15 >> LEAD STORY

Modernisation of Army... continued from page 2

ing drdo-designed excalibur 5.56 x 45mm ment and delivery of the arjun mk II. addi- Shivane said the FrcV would replace the rifle. the excalibur is an upgraded version Army Chief General Bipin tional problems are likely to be encountered russian t-72 tanks presently in service. of the drdo’s Indian Small arms System Rawat, who was speaking in production of spares by ancillary units Shivane is the director General of mecha- (INSaS) 5.56 x 45mm rifle that entered ser- due to the relatively small order of the tanks nised Forces in the army Headquarters. vice with the Indian army in the mid-1990s, at a seminar, made a case (118) for the army. Further delay is expected but was rejected by it in 2010, for being in series manufacture of the arjun mk II. Air Defence ‘operationally inadequate’. the army com- for increased spending T-90 Tanks have been inducted in fairly considering the high costs of new weapon manders conference in in april large numbers in the army. as per media systems, the army is going in for weapon 2016, has unanimously opted to import on defence, linking it to reports the army’s total requirement is 1,657 upgrades for l-70, ZU-23-2 twin gun, and the more powerful 7.62 x 51mm rifle for its t-90S tanks. to enhance its strike capability, ZSU-23-4 Schilka. meanwhile, the army infantry battalions and its 100 odd counter- China’s rise and asserting the army is now working on a project to add is looking for successors to l-70 and the insurgency units (both and more teeth to its t-90 main battle tanks by ZU-23-2 (23mm twin guns). Successor rifles). thus 72,000 assault rifles that military spending is arming them with a third generation missile to Schilka (ZSU-23-4) already exists in the are to be procured on “fast track” basis and not a burden to the nation system. the sources said the third generation form of tangushka, but in limited numbers. 7,40,000 assault rifles on the ‘buy and make missile should achieve a depth of penetration a request for information has already been (Indian)’ are now planned as noted above in of 800-850mm and will be capable of hit- issued to find a replacement for Schilka. the approval of January 6, 2018 and Febru- ting targets up to a range of 8 km in day as In the missile systems, Kvadrat (medium- ary 13, 2018 respectively. well as night. currently, the t-90 tanks are range) and oSa-aK (short-range) are also bested russia’s mSta-S self-propelled gun. equipped with a laser guided INVar missile at the end of their life-cycle. they were to Carbines However trials with indigenous ammuni- system. the future missiles, to be fired from be replaced by akash and trishul surface- the mod was in the process of finalising the tion have not proved successful so far. the 125mm gun barrels of t-90 tanks, will to-air (Sam) missiles. trishul has been fore- outcome of the 2010 tender for 44,618, In the towed category of howitzers, be able to hit targets by taking a pre-flight closed and akash is being inducted for semi- 5.56mm close quarter battle (cQb) car- France’s Nexter Systems, with its trajan programmed manoeuvres. the missiles mobile roles and as per the latest reports the bines, trials for which concluded in 2013. 155mm/52-calibre howitzer modified for should be capable of firing against mobile as comptroller and auditor General (caG) has Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) ace car- the Indian tender of 2011-12, and elbit of well as static targets. severely criticised India’s home-made akash bine was shortlisted over the Italian rival Israel’s atHoS 2052 gun were required the army is also working on a separate air defence missile system. It stated that the beretta’s arX-160 model, but over the past to undergo the supplementary trials from project to install a modular engine for the t-90 missile systems ordered by the Indian air few months the contract ran into proce- mid-2015 after completing desert and high- tanks so as to enhance their strike capabil- Force to counter china is “deficient in qual- dural problems and has been scrapped on altitude firings in 2013-14. the army plans ity in high-altitude battle field. the proposed ity” and has a 30% failure rate, which posed September 29, 2016. the army has been to acquire 400 guns under the defence Pro- modular engine for t-90 tanks is envisaged to an “operational risk during hostilities”. operating without a carbine since 2010. curment Procedure’s (dPP) ‘buy and make’ have a variable power output of 1200- 1500 For air defence of mechanised units, it as per the latest approvals 93,895 carbines category and licence-build the remaining HP to cater to high battle field agility. has been planned to acquire medium-range are to be procured on ‘fast track’ basis and 1,180 towed howitzers. The T-72 M 1 modernisation pro- Sam (mrSam) and Quick reaction Sam 3,50,000 lakh carbines under ‘buy and The import of 145, M777s was gramme under Project rhino is inordinately (QrSam) systems. mrSam will be based on make’ (Indian) category as per dac approv- approved in may 2015 by the mod. m777 is delayed. this was intended to extend the the same system which Israel in collabora- als given on January 16 and February 28, a 155mm ultra light howitzer, and is being service life of the mbt by 20 years; enhance tion with drdo is providing to the Indian 2018, respectively. imported along with Selex laser Inertial their accuracy with new fire control system Navy and the Indian air Force. artillery Pointing Systems (lINaPS) via the (FcS) whose trials have been completed and VSHoRADS is the state of art man por- Sniper Rifles and Light Machine Guns US foreign military sales (FmS) programme. some units have received the new fire con- table, missile system for ad Protection of the dac has approved procurement of the dac approval was given once again on trol systems. However, when all the modifi- logistic columns & nodes, bridge Heads & 5,719 Sniper rifles for the Indian army June 25, 2016 but till to date there is no cations will be completed is not known. by Special forces. this critical system will and Indian air Force at an estimated cost change in the ground situation. the m777 replace vintage IGla-1m held presently. of `982 crore. While these high precision purchase is to equip the army’s 17 mountain Future Combat Vehicle Programmes weapons will be bought with ‘buy Global’ Strike corps, which is presently being raised future Infantry Combat Vehicle (fICV) Army Aviation – Helicopters categorisation, the ammunition for these for deployment along the disputed border programme which was initiated in 2008- Presently the army aviation corps (aac) will be initially procured and subsequently with china. two guns which have reached 09 but abandoned three years later, was has in its inventory the light observation manufactured in India. approval has also India are being used by the army for making resurrected once again in 2014. the FIcV class (cheetah and chetak) mostly. these been accorded for the procurement of range tables with indigenous ammunition. project is a ‘test case’ for India’s indigenous helicopters are obsolete and have been in 41,000 light machine Guns. the total cost one gun has been damaged apparently due weapon-designing capability. service since the 1960s and require imme- for procurement of carbines and lmGs for to faulty ammunition and under the circum- the defence ministry’s expression of diate replacement. the soldiers of the three Services is `4,607 stances the induction is likely to get delayed. Interest (eoI), which invited ten compa- Under the Indo-russia joint venture, 200 crore and `3,000 crore respectively. the original induction schedule includes nies on July 16, 2015, to submit propos- Kamov 226t helicopters will be produced five guns per month from march onwards till als to develop the FIcV under the ‘make’ out of which 60 would be supplied to India Artillery Firepower all 145 are inducted by June 2021. procedure, specified that two development in fly-away condition. one hundred forty as part of its artillery modernisation plan, ordnance factories Board (ofB) had agencies would be chosen. However, even helicopters will be manufactured in India the army is looking at inducting several been tasked to produce a 45-calibre/155mm as that competitive selection was under- under a USd 1 billion deal inked in 2015. types of howitzers through in-house manu- howitzer based on the transfer of technol- way, the ordnance Factory board (oFb) was the project will be implemented on the basis facture by drdo/ordnance Factory board, ogy (tot) obtained from bofors in the 1980s. included additionally. of an inter-governmental agreement, under inter-governmental pacts and global ten- the dac approved a proposal from the oFb With some critical technologies related to which the russian side has taken the obliga- ders. the last major acquisition of towed to manufacture 144 pieces of 155mm/45- the project slated to be sourced from foreign tion to transfer technology and achievement gun-howitzers was that of 400 pieces of calibre howitzers with the option to acquire firms and global defence majors like General of the highest possible level of localisation 39-calibre 155mm FH-77b howitzers with another 400 provided the prototypes suc- dynamics, lockheed martin, bae Systems, in the customer’s country. the Hindustan a range of 30 km from bofors of Sweden in cessfully meet the army’s GSQr in user trials. and rheinmetall eyeing the deal, the defence aeronautics limited (Hal) is likely to form 1987. this gun proved its mettle in the Kar- DRDo Designed ATGS 155 mm, 52 ministry, is considering pushing the deal a joint venture with russian Helicopters to gil conflict. after about 25 years of neglect Calibre Howitzer has given its go-ahead under the Strategic Partnership Policy (SPP). licence-build 200 Kamov Ka-226t ‘Hood- attempts are now afoot to fulfil its long- by the army after seeing the performance the bids are from five private sector com- lum’ light multi-role helicopters to replace postponed 1999 Field artillery rationali- of the weapon. additions or improvements panies that have technology tie-ups with the obsolete cheetas and chetaks held by sation Plan (FarP), under which the army to the gun envisaged by the army can be overseas vendors and the oFb. they will the army which are more than 30 years old. aims to import, locally develop, and licence- incorporated in later versions. So we can see design and build 2,610 tracked, amphibi- produce some 2,820 to 3,000 assorted that while many projects for enhancing our ous and air-transportable 20-tonne FIcVs Conclusion 155mm howitzers to equip its artillery regi- artillery firepower are afoot, nothing has to replace the army’s ageing fleet of russian the list of voids and obsolescence of army’s ments for an estimated $8-9 billion. these materialized on the ground till date. bmP-2/2K Sarath IcVs under the dPP’s major weapon systems is alarming. this include 1,580 towed gun systems (tGS), ‘make (Indian)’ category. happens to a force when it is neglected by 814 mounted gun systems (mGS), 100 self- Armour mod has appointed a 10-member Inte- the government for a long period of time as propelled howitzers (SPHs) — all of which Presently the army is hard put to maintain grated Project management team (IPmt), it has happened in the case of the army. We are 155mm/52-calibre — and 145 bae its current fleet of arjun mk1 tanks because headed by a two-star army general who will have only covered four arms of the army. If Systems m777 155mm/39-calibre ultra of lack of spares. the arjun tank is indig- evaluate the bids and shortlist two develop- every arm and service of the army is con- lightweight howitzers. locally upgraded enous in name only because a large number ment agencies (da) that will build one FIcV sidered for filling up of voids and moderni- and retrofitted guns will make up additional of its systems and parts amounting to about prototype each within 24-36 months. sation the list will indeed be endless. How numbers. While many projects are afoot, 60 per cent are still imported. the FIcV is an ambitious effort to indig- are the army and the government planning none has fructified. Arjun Mark II tank development enously design and manufacture a futuris- to make up these shortages and voids if the South Korean Self Propelled How- of with a large number of improvements tic infantry vehicle by the private industry funding remains at the current level? the itzers (SPH), an l&t version of Samsung has commenced and some technical tri- by roping in foreign original equipment defence services together require a bud- techwin’s K9 thunder 155mm/52-calibre als incorporating the improvements have manufacturers. get allocation of at least 2.5 to 3 per cent gun was customised for India’s 2012 SPH been carried out in . However, the The future Ready Combat Vehicle of GdP (less defence pensions) to sustain tender. In december 2015 the mod began abnormally high weight of 68 tonnes plus, (fRCV) Programme on the other hand, themselves and to modernise. Should this price negotiations with larsen & toubro would now demand new tank transporters is at the tender stage for the procurement not be feasible then the government should (l&t) for 100 modified, worth around $800 and new railway rolling stock. these facts of futuristic tanks through the Strategic seriously consider other options including million. the K9 Vajra-t, was shortlisted for together with the unsuccessful trials of fir- Partnership model. In November 2017, reducing the size of its armed forces and acquisition in late September 2015 follow- ing the anti-tank missile through the main the army had issued the request For Infor- review its foreign policy on forming alli-

SP www.spslandforces.com ing trials the previous year. In these the K9 gun of the tank have held up the develop- mation (rFI) for 1,771 tanks. lt General ances with friendly nations.

16 SP’s LAND FORCES 2/2018 >> MARKETING FEATURE IEMP Kupol is Ready for the Challenge To Make Land and Sea AD Systems

(Top, L-R) Tor-M2KM on KAMAZ chassis; Tor-M2U; (Above, L-R) TorM2K; Tor-M2KM fire.

USSIa’S mIlItary aUtHorItIeS critical for land ad systems – osa ad system after all, the latter have two times less dis- tromechanical Plant (IemP) Kupol, points Had always recognized unification had only target acquisition radar antennas placement. therefore, the value of each spe- out that “making unified weapons for oper- of land- and sea-based weapons as stabilized, missiles had to be guided at halt. as cific combat unit of the Navy has increased ation in different conditions – important one of the most important chal- a result, only 9m33 surface-to-air missile was much. and leaving even small ships unde- task. the solution would greatly decrease lenges for building armed Forces’ unified. the same happened during develop- fended against air attacks wouldn’t be wise. cost of production and operation due to Reffective structure. back in the end of the ment of next-generation short-range ad sys- on the other side, up-to-date industry is batch production enlargement, as well as to XIX-th century there was a pretty successful tem – land-based tor and sea-based Kynzhal. quite capable of providing the Navy with manipulate production facilities more effec- attempt made to create a 10-inch long-range once again, using the same missile the sys- space-effective ad systems suitable not only tively. today we are already capable to per- gun unified for ships and land fortresses. In tems were significantly different in arrange- for cruisers and destroyers but for low dis- form major efforts in making sea and land the second half of the XX-th century missiles ment and performance. to understand the placement ships as well. short-range ad systems unified. Still, there and rockets became the main weapon of the difference in requirements to land and sea ad Present-day tor-family systems, start- will be some differences because of differ- army and Navy, but even then there was an systems these systems need to be compared. ing with tor-m2U, have 4 target chan- ent operating conditions, but great options intention to have them unified. especially the tor ad system had 1 target channel, and nels. New surface-to-air missiles 9m338K provided in the tor system makes it possible in areas where weapons enabled completion the Kynzhal ad system, accepted for service were adopted. the diameter of them is to manufacture nearly all the equipment of similar tasks like in air defense. In fact, in the same year, had already 4 channels. 35% smaller than the diameter of Sams unified, i.e. the differences would only be in the first Soviet sea-based anti-aircraft missile on the one hand, a combat ship is a much 9m330-2 used for Kynzhal ad system. that matching the ad system with the ship and systems were based on land-based air defense more attractive target comparing to a tank enables to increase ammunition load twice. computer systems algorithms”. systems. these were Volkhov-m m-2 ad sys- or a multiple rocket launcher and must have Finally, development of radio-electronic So, it is fair to say that domestic industry tem based on c-75 ad system of ad land more features to counter mass air attacks, on components makes short-range ad systems today is a footstep away to provide the Navy forces and Volna m-1 ad system – a sea-based the other hand, cruisers and destroyers of the capable to fire on the move. thus, in 2015 with effective, space saving and fairly low- version of c-125. but the Navy authorities Navy could carry heavier systems, compar- tor-m2U ad system destroyed airborne cost air defense system. Soviet admirals’ were not quite satisfied with “marinization” ing to those installed on land-based chassis: targets while moving at the speed of 25 dream is close to become true. SP of land ad systems. Next-generation systems whereas total weight of the tor system was km/h, and in 2016 the system performed – osa-m adS – were initially designed and 32 tons, just the Kynzhal launcher took 42 successful training firings while moving at manufactured to meet requirements of the tons of its carrier’s displacement. the truth the speed of 45 km/h. let us remind about Navy, but with a task to make them unified is that in the USSr Navy effective ad systems a necessary requirement to a sea ad system with land-based osa ad system. Sadly, the were installed on heavy and medium dis- capability to perform firing on the move. level of military and technical development placement ships only because of the Kynzhal to clear up performance of the tor- didn’t make it possible to complete this task systems heavy weight, and small-size forces of family systems in the Navy there were Almaz-Antey Aerospace Defense Concern, JSC at that time. Special features of sea-based ad the Navy had to use just artillery ad units or tor-m2U firing carried out in 2015 from a 121471, Moscow, Vereyskaya str., 41 systems were supposed to ensure firing on the sea editions of maNPadS. shoreline at targets flying over water. the Tel.: fax (495) 276-29-65 (495) 276-29-69 move – a destroyer or cruiser must not stop to However, within 30-45 years from the tors destroyed targets properly that simu- E-mail: [email protected] counter an air attack. anyway, such features date of put of the first osa and tor systems lated modern air attack means. In Septem- www.almaz-antey.ru require stabilization of all radar antennas in into service, the situation changed greatly. ber 2016 tor-m2Km ad system carried out three dimensions and powerful computer sys- on the one side, amount of combat ships in successful firing from the admiral Grigoro- tems, comparing to at-halt firing. this would the Navy became less, but their capabilities vych frigate, moving in the open sea at the increase the system weight. Heavy weight increased significantly. one cannot compare speed of 8 knots, at targets of different type, of an ad system is not a problem for heavy patrol ships of the 159a project and their including targets simulated an anti-ship Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol, JSC and medium displacement ships – their weap- torpedo-artillery weapons to small missile- missile. applicability of the tor-family sys- Russia, Udmurtia, Izhevsk, Pesochnaya str., 3 ons’ weight of hundreds and thousands tons launching ships of the 21631 project, car- tem by the Navy has been proved. Tel.: (3412) 72-5125, fax: (3412) 72-6819 would be added only couple tens of tons. rying the caliber systems, – that much is Victor Visner, deputy general director for E-mail: [email protected] Such increase in weight would turn out to be the difference of their attack capabilities, technical development of the Izhevsk elec- www.kupol.ru

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 17 www.spslandforces.com T the royal malaysia Police. defence, themalaysian Forces armed and co-organised by the malaysian of ministry and dSa 2018willbehosted,supported vant security. toregionalandinternational analysts willdiscussanddebate issuesrele andsecurity experienced officers defence wherethere willbeconferences seniorand theexhibition, globe. onthesidelinesof technologies andSystemsfromaroundthe dSa 2018andshow casethebestdefence from 60countrieswilltake inthe part is expected that about 1,200 companies improved forthebetterover theyears. It experience thusithas three decadesof year. dSahavealternate organisers of Kuala lumpur, malaysia. Itisheldevery trade andexhibition centre (mItec) in tion centre, Kuala lumpur. at malaysia International trade andexhibi takedSa at placealongside thenewvenue 2018) hasbeenincluded. the debutwill National Securityasia2018 (NatSec asia ment on national security for asia, named– fall in the supply of arms duringthetime. arms inthesupplyfall of a andeurope reported theamericas, africa, east, whileand oceania andtothemiddle asia increasedto arms 17 periods,theflow of 2008-12. between the2008-12and2013- major weapons in2013-17from transfers international cent increaseinthevolume of showing a10 per data transfers onarms research Institute (SIPrI) hasrevealed new Peacethe Stockholm International tRanSfeR data fRom2013to2017 SIPRI PublISheS globalaRmS dSa a new seg to celebrate the 30 years of National Security Asia 2018 defence-malaysia. Hishammuddin tun of Hussein,minister Honour, by theGuestof y.b. dato’ Seri out the openingceremony willbecarried Opening Ceremony  conferences and exhibition the attend will countries 40 from delegations foreign 300 including countries 70 from visitors trade 42,000 while exhibit will countries 60 from companies 1200 that expected is It DSA 2018 imports in2013-17.In2013-17,Saudi imports global arms accounted for32percentof 103 percentfrom2008-12to 2013-17and dle eaststates registeredasignificant rise of respectively.mid imports, arms of Interms 55 percent,65and 145percent supply reportedly enhanced their arms by from 2008-12to2013-17. to have significantly increased by 38percent largest supplier, arms registered withexports tobethefifth that isreported period. china in exports thetotalUSarms for 49percentof accounting east tostates inthemiddle exports to98statesmajor arms in2013-17,with exported according toSIPrI,thecountry increased by 25percentfrom2008-12. which exports, totalarms for 34percentof duringtheperiod,USaccounted exports. allweapons accountedfor74percentof china theUS, russia,ers, France, Germany, and >> >> 18 L In 2013-17,thefive biggest arms export Israel, SouthKorea, and turkey have T GENERAL NARESH CHAND (RETD) PsLN OCS SP’sFORCES LAND NEWS INBRIEF SHOW PREVIEW built malaysia International april 16-19,2018,at thenewly isscheduledfrom and conference asia (dSa)exhibition Services 16tH edItIoNHe oF defence the 2/2018 - - - - - state groups. national organisations, non- andarmed production licences,between states, inter major weapons, includingsales,gifts,and of transfers vides data onall international 24percentin2013-17. increase of an reported import. arms the country the global and accounted for 12 per cent of intheworld majorarms of largest importer ates (Uae) was largest. thefourth the thirdlargest andtheUnitedarabemir ond-largest importer, arms whileegypt was arabia wastobetheworld’s reported sec brahmos aerospace. have been developed jointly bydrdo and missile andtheseeker cruise supersonic the Pokhran testrange inrajasthan. the cessfully today tested at 0842hrs flight at missile withindigenous seeker was suc brahmos, theformidable cruise supersonic wIth IndIgenouS SeekeR SucceSSful teSt fIRIngof bRahmoS dSa provides highlevel where conferences Conferences Foreign delegations from40countries. panies from60countries/regionand300 GroupPavilions,International 1,200 com from70countries/regions,29 trade visitors accommodate (also anticipated) 42,000 area to of 41,500 square metres(gross) more heavy and large exhibit areas. It has around theglobe. has45percent mItec from visitors thousandsof tensof needs of for thecontinually growing andevolving Kualation centre(mItec), lumpurtocater malaysia International trade andexhibi dSa 2018willbeheldat thebrand new Exhibition Centre (MITEC) TradeMalaysia International and included dG (missiles &Strategicincluded dG(missiles Systems) was trial, presentduringtheflight which ddr&d dr S.christopher & Secretary a high level team led by drdo chairman and brahmos alongwiththeIndianarmy. drdo was conducted by thescientists of andhitthepre-settarget. tory test the flight enous seeker initsdesignated trajec flew the SIPrI arms arms the SIPrI database transfers pro during theperiod,Indiabecame the precisionstrike weapon withindig — A Curtain Raiser Venue ofDSA 2018:MITEC,Kuala Lumpur inMalaysia. ------defence malaysia.defence is anInter this forum Security (midaS) of andthe ministry and defence the malaysian Instituteof ideas that industry. shape thedefence cuss thechallenges, fundamentalsandcore cials fromaroundtheworld gather todis andtopoffi experts professionals, industry cessful launch of thetactical weapon. cessful launchof alsowitnessedthesuc Senior IaFofficials theteam. enous seeker were of alsopart theindig fordevelopment of led theeffort and ProjectdirectorV. Prameelawho had tor General brahmosmishra. drSudhir dr G.Satheesh rm to & Sa reddy anddirec which enables to thebloodlostinsurgery also pioneeredabloodsalvaging technique, Gourlay’smedics. Professor research team operations andusedbyon military combat 5 kg, specifically designedtobedeployed areawithblood. supplies theaffected protective box and helpsreduceinfection the tissue. decontaminated airinsidethe to repair sustain the area while try doctors a protective ‘box’ at thehospital,which can ated toahospital. the limbisplacedinside damage untilthe patientfurther isevacu around theinjuredtissuetoprotectitfrom Following this, acooling‘sock’iswrapped to reduce damage caused to specific areas. points designed applies pressure at different isapplied tothelimb,a tourniquet which the treatment, to a care facility. of as part solutions topatients oncethey aretaken Italsoprovidesbat field. highly specialised akitthat canbeusedinthecom that offers the newtechniqueisathree-stage approach new lImbtReatment foRSoldIeRS develoPS dStl-funded ReSeaRch Healthcare andemergency preparedness. focusingspecificallyfeature onbattlefield andsecurityissues. national defence on regionalmote understanding and Inter meet, discussandshareknowledge topro cies, think tanks as well as academicians to policy andsecurityagen makers, defence rity that draws comprising participation andsecu ondefence national conference Putrajaya Forum. this isorganised by Programmedr director dashrath ram the lightweight technology weighs just cbrNe Forum. the cbrNe Forum isa PHOTOGRAPH: mitec.com.my ------ture in dSa 2018. cent increase. this willagain beavitalfea signed at dSa 2014, representing a 56 per were signed,exceeding billion therm1.86 contracts defence ($0.75 billion) worth of was fundedby dStl. theHemoSepproject version of military reduce theneedtousedonateda blood. Known as HemoSep, the technique helps be transfused directly backtothepatient. signed a contract to carry outtheproject. signed acontract tocarry technologyrheinmetall group and military Germany-based automotive supplier parts the australian Force’sdefence (adF) fleet. anddeliveredconstructed domestically to force.defence the new vehicles willbe its strengthen mobilityandfirepower of naissance vehicles (crVs) that would 211 new combat recon of acquire a fleet a$5.2billion ($4.09billion)to a totalof australianthe Government issettoinvest foR$4.09bn cRvS 211 newboxeR to auStRalIan defencePRocuRe foRce moUs. at dSa 2016, rm2.9 a billion record signsandannouncescontracts and defence at the show, malaysianthe of ministry to valueparticipation add exhibitors’ to Memorandum ofUndersatnding (MoU) Signing ofContractsand between andVisitors. exhibitors 222 meetings 2016 recorded a number of ties that dSa2018bringsonthetable.dSa to tap into the business opportuni parties that willenable both to fosterpartnerships locally-based andVisitors alikeexhibitors to solicit appointments with tional suppliers b2b provides amechanismforinterna Business toBusiness (B2B)Meetings period, theaustralian willbeable industry keeping, tohigh-threat operations. inaddition sions toensureregionalstability andpeace mis outawiderange of will beusedtocarry australian Vehiclearmoured light fleet. they cles aredesignedtoreplacethearmy’s existing out exercises acrosstheglobe. newvehithe that deployed arecurrently diers and carrying to provide toaustralian enhancedsafety sol crVswith theadF, is of thenewfleet expected to bedeployed with theadF. once inservice boxer its that crV evaluated thecapability of pleting athree-year tenderand testing process unconventional threats tonational security. and enhanceawareness inrecognising thechallenges pressing issuesconcerning oncyberSecurity,conference the toaddress responsible forcyber securitywillattend the attacks becomes direct threat, agencies involved involved andexhibitors participate. malaysia, agencies other international managementdisaster agency (Nadma) on issuesrelated toHadr where National (Hadr) conference. this event focuses cal, biological, radiological andexplosives. an extensive discussiononallthingschemi to deliver experts industry insights covering leading world, isanassembly thisfeature of attended by Surgeon Generals aroundthe the companythe hasbeenselectedafter com during theentire30-yearduring vehicle service cyber Security conference.cyber Security ascyber- Human assistanceanddisasterrelief SP ------>> NEWS IN BRIEF

to secure a$10.2 billion ($8.03 billion) of microwaves and lasers were used to tar- academies of Sciences, engineering, and the total investment in procuring and main- get and destroy common threats, includ- medicine. High-performance drones can be Publisher and Editor-in-Chief taining the crV vehicle fleet. this is expected ing 45 unmanned aerial vehicles (UaVs) modified to carry lethal weapons, identify Jayant Baranwal to generate up to 1,450 job opportunities and drones. the US army’s mFIX exercise long-range targets, and carry out electronic Editor across the country. the crVs are part of was conducted to demonstrate the ways warfare strikes. Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) the government’s a$200 billion ($157.58 that would help reduce the gaps in the the US army and department of Senior Editorial Contributor billion) investment in the nation’s defence army’s capabilities in long-range fires and defence (dod) are already developing coun- Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) capabilities over the next decade. they will in manoeuvering short-range air defence. termeasures to fight single UaS, more com- Senior Technical Group Editor help ensure that the adF is equipped to oper- the microwave system provided by ray- monly known as drones, but the report Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) ate in a challenging strategic environment. theon engaged multiple UaV swarms and highlights the need for separate measures Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) destroyed a total of 33 drones, knocking against multiple drones coordinated in Assistant Features Editor hIgh-PoweR mIcRowave and laSeR down two and three at a time. groups. the committee that authored the Arpita Kala SyStemS teSted duRIng uS aRmy mfIx report was asked by the US army to assess Principal Correspondent raytheon’s advanced high-power micro- multIPle dRoneS a thReat to the threat from UaS. It examined the cur- Rohit Srivastava wave and laser dune buggy was successfully InfantRy unItS: RePoRt rent capabilities of military units to counter Contributors demonstrated at the US army’s maneuver countermeasures are needed to tackle them, assessed related human performance India Fires Integrated experiment (mFIX). dur- multiple small unmanned aircraft sys- issues, and identified technologies appro- General V.P. Malik (Retd), Lt General Vijay ing the event conducted at the US army tems (UaS) being used against deployed US priate for short- and long-term science and Oberoi (Retd), Lt General R.S. Nagra (Retd), Lt General S.R.R. Aiyengar (Retd), Fires center of excellence, the high-power forces, according to a report by the National technology investments by the army. SP Major General Ashok Mehta (Retd), Major General G.K. Nischol (Retd), Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd), Brigadier S. Mishra (Retd), Rohit Sharma Chairman & Managing Director Jayant Baranwal Executive Vice President (Planning & Business Development) SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK 17-2018 IS COMING SOON! Rohit Goel Administration TO AVAIL EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, ORDER NOW! Bharti Sharma Asst-Admin, HR & Infra Pooja Tehlani Creative Director Anoop Kamath INDISPENSABLE COMPENDIUM Design Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht Research Assistant: Graphics Survi Massey Sales & Marketing Director Sales & Marketing: Neetu Dhulia General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh SP’s Website Sr. Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. Printed in India by Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd © SP Guide Publications, 2018 Subscription/ Circulation Annual Inland: `600 • Overseas: US$180 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Letters to Editor [email protected] For Advertising Details, Contact: [email protected] [email protected] SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD Corporate Office A 133 Arjun Nagar, Opp Defence Colony, New Delhi 110003, India Tel: +91(11) 24644693, 24644763, 24620130 Fax: +91 (11) 24647093 Regd Office Fax: +91 (11) 23622942 Email: [email protected] Representative Offices Bengaluru, INDIA Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) 204, Jal Vayu Vihar, Kalyan Nagar, Bengaluru 560043, India. Tel: +91 (80) 23682204 A CONCISE, YET EXTENSIVE PUBLICATION, FOR THOSE WHO SEEK MOSCOW, RUSSIA LAGUK Co., Ltd, Yuri Laskin DEFENCE-RELATED INFORMATION ON ASIA-PACIFIC REGION Krasnokholmskaya, Nab., 11/15, app. 132, Moscow 115172, Russia. Tel: +7 (495) 911 2762, Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260 www.spguidepublications.com www.spslandforces.com RNI Number: DELENG/2008/25818

Reserve Your Own Copies, Now!

[email protected]

2/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES 19 YOU CAN’T DEFEAT

WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE.

trijicon ReaP-IR® mini thermal Rifl escope With the Trijicon REAP-IR® mini thermal rifl escope, you get more technology per square inch than any other thermal sight. It’s small, light and powerful, and lets you engage targets in any light. Which means your enemy has just lost a tactical advantage. • 640x480 image resolution, 12 micron pixel pitch, and 60 Hz refresh rate deliver a clear, crisp image in a wide range of conditions • Advanced polarity control gives you multiple modes of white hot and black hot for rapid target identifi cation • Built tough and tested to MIL-STD-810G for extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, rain, sand and dust ©2018 Trijicon, Inc. | Wixom, MI USA | 1-800-338-0563 | 18TRIJ12271-T | trijicon.com MI USA | 1-800-338-0563 18TRIJ12271-T Wixom, | Inc. Trijicon, ©2018

See the technology at MADE IN TrijiconEO.com. THE U.S.A. Electro Optics Division