April-May 2019 Volume 16 No. 2 `100.00 (India-Based Buyer Only) Limited Copies Available SP’s AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION Order Your Copy Now! Stock Running Out Fast [email protected] www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.COM ROUNDUP Ear panel 2017-18.indd 1 17/01/19 2:11 PM THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED to LAND FORCES IN THIS ISSUE >> LEAD STORY ILLustration: Anoop Kamath PAGE 4 Pulwama to Balakot – Myths, Realities and Challenges The larger strategic picture of evolving subcontinental geopolitics remains blurred in some of the myths, realities and challenges that merit a review. IAF Mirage 2000s launch Spice 2000 bombs Lt General A.B. Shivane (Retd) BALAKOT LoC The smart bombs glide PAGE 6 towards the target Tactical Communications: Evolving Technology CHakotHI INDIA The unique scene- matching algorithm of the Spice 2000 adjusts the flight path of the bomb Integrated tactical communications systems are expected to be the key in military Spice 2000s home in and communications trends as technology makes penetrate the exact target location ever-advanced capabilities possible. Map not drawn to scale and boundaries are only for representation Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) How it unfolded: A graphic showing the launch and strike by Spice 2000 smart bomb from IAF Mirage 2000 on February 26, 2019 PAGE 7 Interview Timothy Soine, Sr. Manager, Product Management, International Radio Products, Communication Systems, Harris Takeaways from Corporation. PAGE 8 Indian Army’s Tactical Communications Programme Balakot Army’s Tactical Communication System (TCS), which should have been fielded in year 2000 was expected to kick-start in 2017 has been We need to move away from a hyped up national fervour bordering on jingoism meandering till date. Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) orchestrated by a hyperbolic media to a balanced view on national security issues. A realistic assessment of our capabilities and limitations is imperative to adopt a PAGE 10 Electro-Optical Devices for Image Enhancing mature approach. Integration of thermal and laser imagery with electro-optic systems is the way ahead for effective surveillance solutions by day GENERAL DEEPAK KAPOOR (Retd) ‘preemptive’ and ‘non-military’ nature of they lost a F-16 and a pilot in the process. and night in all weather conditions. the strike intended to convey to the inter- Obviously, their response too reflected an HE INDIAN AIR FORCE (IAF) national community and the other side effort to buttress public opinion that Pak Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) needs to be complimented for a that India had acted against terror and not military is no pushover. well planned, coordinated and Pakistan and its military. However, this did Wing Commander Abhinandan’s PAGE 12 meticulously executed strike on seem to give credence to the allegations by immediate release simultaneously with The Gold Standard for Small Arms a crucial Jaish terror hub at Bala- a section of the public in both countries Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s SP’s Land Forces’ Vishal Thapar profiles Tkot, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prov- that it suited BJP’s electoral politics. repeated requests to India to start a dia- some of the world’s most iconic military ince of Pakistan. The Pakistani response a day later by logue to resolve issues depicted Pakistan rifles, and also takes a peek into the Indian While going ahead with Balakot strike, sending its air force in broad daylight to as a nation wanting peace and shifted the Army’s new Infantry weapons the government simultaneously sent out attack Indian military installations along focus of the international community signals to indicate that it did not want to the Line of Control (LC) in Naushehra away from Pakistan’s cultivation of terror PLUS escalate matters to a full-fledged confron- Sector was nothing more than a blunder infrastructure for proxy war in J&K. In the tation with Pakistan. Addressing of the knowing fully well that the IAF would be euphoria of Abhinandan’s quick return, Special Reports 14 press conference, the Foreign Secretary prepared for such a retaliation and would the shrill cacophony of perceived victory News in Brief 15 (not the Defence Secretary) stressed on the arrange a befitting reception. No wonder orchestrated by Indian electronic media 2/2019 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> LEAD STORY complimented for a well planned, sessment of our capabilities and with the new generation of high vices with electro optical systems coordinated and meticulously ex- limitations is imperative to adopt throughout satellites are making like thermal images and laser ecuted strike on a crucial Jaish a mature approach.” it increasingly cost effective for sensors to make it an all weather, terror hub at Balakot, located in This issue has a focus on the military. day and night system for better Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Tactical Communications and Indian Army is on the verge image resolution. Laser applica- Pakistan. While going ahead with we have articles highlighting the of a major change in small arms tions include Laser radar called Balakot strike, the government future trends in Tactical Commu- with the induction of the state of Ladar (Laser detection and rang- simultaneously sent out signals nications driven by technology art assault rifles, machine guns ing), laser range finder (LrF) and to indicate that it did not want to and also on the TCS program and sten guns for close quar- a laser pointer. The article also escalate matters to a full-fledged of the Indian Army, both writ- ter battle and sniper rifles. New includes some examples of the confrontation with Pakistan. Ad- ten by Lt. Gen. Katoch (Retd.) technology in small arms trends latest EO systems globally. dressing of the press conference, former DGIS. As per the Global include better reliability, longer The issue as usual ends with the Foreign Secretary (not the Market Insights, Inc., the global life, more lethal ammunition as Special Reports and the news This year has been very eventful Defence Secretary) stressed on tactical communications mar- per operational requirement and digest. so far with the onset of National the ‘preemptive’ and ‘non-military’ ket will value around $30 billion better sighting systems which im- Wish you discerning readers Elections, expectations of a new nature of the strike intended to by 2024, growing at a CAGR of prove accuracy and first shot kill. happy reading! government and budget, and convey to the international com- more than three percent in 2017- Vishal Thapar lists the Gold Stan- EDITORIAL tangible tension on the Indo-Pak munity and the other side that In- 2024. Replacement of outdated dard in Small Arms and profiles border. The horrific attack on the dia had acted against terror and legacy systems is expected to the leading rifles being used. CRPF convoy and the reactions not Pakistan and its military. He drive market growth. The author The article on electro-optical have left a deep scar on the Indo- ended with a note of caution by highlights some of the technolo- devices by Lt General Naresh Pakistan relations. The former stating that, “We need to move gies like VSAT Networks; Eth- Chand (Retd) highlights that such Army Chief of the Indian Army away from a hyped up national ernet and VoIP; 3D Printing and devices enhance the image and General Deepak Kapoor gives fervour bordering on jingoism or- Synthetic Telepathy; Quantum thus the raison d’etre for multiple out the narrative which led to the chestrated by a hyperbolic media Communications and concludes applications for the armed forces, Balakot air strike. He said that, to a balanced view on national Tactical and battlefield communi- medical and commercial devices. JAYANT BARANWAL “The Indian Air Force needs to be security issues. A realistic as- cations are improving rapidly and The trend is to integrate other de- Publisher & Editor-in-Chief PHoTograph: IAF changed the mood of the nation from anger military in the past is gradually eroding. As to jubilation. A subsequent pronounce- a percentage of the GDP, our defence budget ment by the government that a repeat of has been continuously declining over the Pulwama would invite greater retribution last 10 years. The political authority should for Pakistan next time effectively signaled appreciate the fact that a nation can achieve closure of the Pulwama chapter and com- greatness only when it is strong both eco- mencement of ‘business as usual’. nomically and militarily. It may be interesting Now that the dust seems to be settling to note that China’s military expenditure has down over our Balakot action and we are been about three and half times more than gradually getting back to ‘normalisation’ ours for the last two decades. with Pakistan, as happened post 26/11, Our intelligence acquisition capabil- Pathankot and Uri episodes, we need to look ity against Pakistan can decisively be bet- at the takeaways from the aftermath of the ter than what it currently is. With massive heinous Pulwama attack in which 40 of our satellite launching ability recognised the brave CRPF jawans were martyred. world over; we should be able to put in space The Pulwama massacre, for which satellites to monitor every single activity in Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) has publically Pakistan on a minute to minute basis. The claimed responsibility, is part of the proxy human intelligence network dismantled war which Pakistan state has financially, during Prime Minister Narsimha Rao’s time diplomatically and militarily supported in in the nineties has still not been resurrected J&K, to ‘bleed India by a thousand cuts’. fully. The irony is that even in J&K our intel- Their preferred weapon for achieving this ligence failed to detect the occurrence of is, of course, terrorism.