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viewpoint: why should never join CpeC Page 15

SP’s An SP Guide PublicAtion

Vol: 7 Issue 1-2 ❚ January 1-31 • 2017

` 55.00 (IndIa-based buyer only) www.spsmai.com maiONLY FOrtNightLY ON Military aerospace internal security

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, who flew MiG-21 Type 96 solo, before the flight leading from the front Page 16

eXclusiVe interView chief of the army staff Bipin rawat 2016: an eventful year for Page 8 Page 5 Ministry of Defence

FroM the Military aerospace corporate eDitor’s DesK 4 Viewpoint 11 Developments 17 News 20 security Breaches 22 Updates 12 Unmanned 19 Technology 21 DELENG/2010/34651 “In a country like India with limited support from the industry and market, initiating 50 years ago (in 1964) publishing magazines relating to Army, Navy and Aviation sectors without any interruption is a commendable job on the part of SP Guide“ Publications. By this, SP Guide Publications has established the fact that continuing quality work in any field would result in success.”

Narendra Modi, Hon’ble (*message received in 2014)

SP's Home Ad with Modi 2016 A4.indd 1 01/02/17 5:33 PM SPotlIght

VIEWPOINT: WHY INDIA SHOULD NEVER JOIN CPEC PAGE 15

SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

and royal Air Vol: 7 Issue 1-2 ❚ January 1-31 • 2017

` 55.00 (INDIA-BASED BUYER ONLY) www.spsmai.com maiONLY FORTNIGHTLY ON force of oman Chiefs review MILITARY AEROSPACE INTERNAL SECURITY Cover: General Bipin Rawat took over as the new exercise eastern bridge-iv at Chief of the Army Staff on January 1, 2017. In an interview with SP’s M.A.I., he gave his

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, who flew MiG-21 Type 96 solo, before the flight Leading from the front candid views on a wide range of subjects Jamnagar PAGE 16 and the major challenges confronting the he Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW B.S. Dhanoa, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Army Staff and how these are being tackled General Bipin Rawat 2016: An eventful year for Ministry of Defence PAGE 8 Page 5 institutionally. and Commander of of Oman FROM THE MILITARY AEROSPACE CORPORATE EDITOR’S DESK 4 Viewpoint 11 Developments 17 News 20 SECURITY BREACHES 22 Updates 12 Unmanned 19 Technology 21 (RAFO) Air Vice Marshal Matar Ali Matar Al-Qbaid- DELENG/2010/34651 Cover images: PIB, IAF t 1_SP's MAI Cover 1-2, 2017.indd 1 01/02/17 5:07 PM ani reviewed the progress of fourth joint Indo- Oman Air Exercise Eastern Bridge-IV at Air Force Publisher And editor-in-Chief sP’s websites Station Jamnagar on January 18. The exercise com- Jayant Baranwal Sr Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish menced on January 16, 2017. Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma AssistAnt GrouP editor © SP Guide Publications, 2017 R. Chandrakanth subsCriPtion/ CirCulAtion sr teChniCAl GrouP editors Annual Inland: `1,320 • Foreign: US$ 325 Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) E-mail: [email protected] Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) [email protected] Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) letters to the editor R. Adm S.K. Ramsay (Retd) [email protected]

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Owned, published and printed by Jayant Baranwal, printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd and published at A-133, Arjun Nagar (Opposite Defence Colony), New Delhi 110003, India. 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 prior written permission of the Publishers. During review the Chief of the Air Staff and Com- mander of RAFO interacted with the participating crew and held bilateral discussions. The RAFO is participating with five F-16 Block 50 Air Defence Fighters belonging to No. 18 based at Thumrait. IAF is participating in the exercise with Su-30MKI Air Dominance Fighters, MiG-29 Air Superiority Fighters, Jaguar Maritime Strike aircraft and MiG-27 aircraft. This is the first time that RAFO F-16s are partici- pating in an air exercise outside the Gulf countries. sP

PhotograPhS: IaF www.spguidepublications.com

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 3 From the EdItor’S dESk

Indian Army moving towards a ‘capability based modular and responsive structure’ P’s M.A.I. has begun 2017 on an optimistic note, starting with Marshal Arup Raha who had been at the helm of affairs since Janu- the exclusive interview with the new Chief of the Staff of the ary 1, 2014. Soon after taking over, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa set Indian Army, General Bipin Rawat. In an exhaustive interview, a fine example of ‘leading from the front’ when he embarked on Sthe General has rightly pointed out how important it is to carry forth a solo mission on a MiG-21 Type 96 at an air force the great tradition of the Indian Army, even while accelerating the base in the Western Sector. This has helped revitalise confidence of pace of modernisation. fighter pilots in the MiG-21 fleet and had a positive impact on the The interview with our team, he has touched upon various morale of personnel in the IAF. aspects of the Indian Army, wherein the General has pointed out In his fortnightly viewpoint, Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) has how the Army is doing its best to expedite the procurement and said that India should never join the CPEC (China-Pakistan Eco- maximise operational readiness, by setting achievable targets. nomic Corridor) as it does not give land access to India to Afghani- Some of the initiatives have been to reduce the procurement time- stan and Central Asia through Pakistan; it may increase India-China lines as we all know in many instances how procurement decisions trade but with the existing bilateral imbalance heavily in favour of have protracted for years together, impacting the capabilities of the China, it would increase the imbalance manifold and also Chinese armed forces. The General has said efforts were on to strengthen belligerence; and it would legitimise PLA lodgement and projects in procurement organisations, ensure concurrent procurement activi- Gilgit-Baltistan (Indian territory) undertaken without any reference ties, faster decision making and establishment of a robust monitor- to India; it would also indicate India’s intransigence to Pakistan’s ing mechanism. genocide in Balochistam; and it will fit into Chinese plans to keep On the need to be ever alert, the General has said the principal India boxed into South Asia. regional and extra regional threats are from across the land frontiers. We wrap up this edition on a good note, the launch of -V The threats need to be deterred by maintaining requisite ‘strike for- and India joining the exclusive ICBM 5,000+ league. This indeed is a mations’. The active borders characterised by harsh and inhospita- proud moment and a feather in the cap of the DRDO. ble terrain mandate a 365 days vigil with ‘boots on ground’. These We wish all our readers a Very Happy New Year! threats need to be deterred by maintaining combat ready ‘strike Happy reading! formations’ thus translating into force structure imperatives. He has underscored how India needs a multi-role force capabilities wherein conventional and subconventional capabilities can be balanced to respond across the spectrum of conflict, with minimum restruc- turing and at optimum costs. “We need to make a transition from the present ‘threat-cum-capability based force structuring’, which has its underlining theme as ‘war prevention through deterrence’, towards a ‘capability based modular and responsive structure’ based on envisaged future force application scenarios. Right-sizing commensurate to ongoing modernisation is also a key imperative that impacts current and future force structures.” As the New Year dawned, the Indian Air Force (IAF) welcomed Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, a fighter pilot of repute and with an impeccable professional credentials and an impressive career pro- Jayant Baranwal file, who took over as the 25th Chief of the Air Staff from Air Chief Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

4 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com MILITARY Interview

EXCLUSIVE

The Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat addressing the press conference as run up to the 2017, in New Delhi on January 13, 2017 ‘We need multi-role force capabilities wherein conventional and subconventional capabilities can be balanced to respond across the spectrum of conflict’ General Bipin Rawat took over as the new Chief of the Army Staff on January 1, 2017. In an interview with SP’s M.A.I., he gave his candid views on a wide range of subjects and the major challenges con- fronting the Indian Army and how these are being tackled institutionally. Excerpts...

SP’s M.A.I. (SP’s): Having taken over the reins of our illustrious  Vision. Ensure capability enhancement and operational effec- Indian Army at the start of the new year 2017 and with a fairly tiveness of the Army to meet all contemporary and emerging reasonable tenure of three years you are in a position to make sub- challenges. stantial changes within the force and in maintaining a cordial civil-  Key Result Areas military relationship. What will be your key result areas that you – Ensure the highest standard of operational preparedness to may have chalked out for yourself? meet present and emerging challenges. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS): The vision statement and thrust areas – Ensure force modernisation incorporating relevant contem- have been enunciated by my predecessor. I find these are all encom- porary technologies. passing, well defined and we need to continue with our efforts in real- – Make up critical deficiency of weapons and equipment at the ising these. An abrupt change would only cause confusion amongst earliest.

PHOTOGRAPHs: PIB the rank and file of the Army. These are reiterated as under: – Develop requisite capacities and infrastructure with special

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 5 MILITARY Interview

After taking over as the Chief of the Army Staff, in his first press conference on January 13, 2017, General Bipin Rawat answered a few questions posed by SP’s M.A.I.:

 China vs Pakistan ‘China a bigger threat.’  Reactive/Proactive ‘We need to be proactive and be offensive rather than only being reactive with any hostile activities of adversaries.’  Future Soldier Programme ‘We need to empower our soldiers with necessary gadgets, NVGs, network-centric capabilities.’  Induction of Latest Technology ‘We are buying some hundreds of UAVs. Will buy almost a 100 more UAVs.’

General Bipin Rawat reviewing the Army Day parade in New Delhi on January 15, 2017

emphasis on our northern and north-eastern borders. the soldier by improving battlefield transparency and facilitating – Enhance inter-Services jointmanship at all levels in letter and decision making process. spirit. I am quite satisfied with the progress. With much coordinated – Ensure the highest level of security consciousness amongst effort, we have been able to ink the contract for procurement of 145 our rank and file. ULHs (ultra light howitzers). We have also initiated a large number – Optimally enhance human resource development to fully of cases which are at trial or GS evaluation stage. Overall, I think we exploit the inherent strength of the Indian Army. are moving well. Minor glitches will always be there and those have – Improve the quality of life and living conditions of all ranks to be overcome. with special emphasis on the soldier. – Foster an organisational climate based on mutual respect and SP’s: Considering the current threats and challenges confront- camaraderie amongst all ranks. ing India and the nature of wars in our context in the future what – Ensure requisite welfare measures for ex-servicemen and major changes do you foresee in the force structuring and re- Veer Naris. organisation of the armed forces? COAS: Force structuring is a dynamic process and future security SP’s: The external threats and challenges to India’s sovereignty scenarios need to be benchmarked against appreciated timelines are evolving at a rapid rate and the nature of wars has changed. As and security implications. These need to be evaluated from the per- you have seen these developments taking place in your service in spective of national interests and its concomitant requirements on the Army, what do you think should be done to arrest the decline military as an instrument of national power. and to restore the Army’s modernisation status? In your view In the present day, our principal regional and extra regional which are the priority areas for modernisation? threats are from across the land frontiers. The threats need to be COAS: Army is doing its best to expedite the procurement and maxi- deterred by maintaining requisite ‘strike formations’. The active bor- mise operational readiness. We have set achievable targets and we ders characterised by harsh and inhospitable terrain mandate a 24 x are making steady progress. In-house measures have been initiated 7 x 365 vigil with ‘boots on ground’. These threats need to be deterred to reduce procurement timelines. These include strengthening of by maintaining combat ready ‘strike formations’ thus translating into the procurement organisations, ensuring concurrent procurement force structure imperatives. activities, faster decision making and establishment of a robust We need multi-role force capabilities wherein conventional and monitoring mechanism. With concerted focus and special impetus subconventional capabilities can be balanced to respond across the on indigenisation, as reflected in the Defence Procurement Proce- spectrum of conflict, with minimum restructuring and at optimum dure (DPP) 2016, the situation will improve in the coming years. costs. We need to make a transition from the present ‘threat-cum- Government has implemented several policy initiates such as lib- capability based force structuring’, which has its underlining theme eralisation of FDI policy and industrial licensing policy, simplifica- as ‘war prevention through deterrence’, towards a ‘capability based tion of export procedures, creating level playing field for Indian pri- modular and responsive structure’ based on envisaged future force vate and public enterprises, streamlining of offset implementation application scenarios. Right-sizing commensurate to ongoing mod- process and providing preference to ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy and Make ernisation is also a key imperative that impacts current and future (Indian)’ categories of capital acquistion over ‘Buy (Global)’ cate- force structures. gory in DPP to make the country self-reliant in defence production. With emerging technologies, we must ensure that our weapon The Indian Army has identified 24 priority proposals which are systems and equipment incorporates technology upgrades and are critically required; the procurement for the same is being pursued capable of operating in a digitised networked environment. SP on fast-track basis with support from the government. Broadly, these schemes address modernisation of our mechanised fleet, night For the complete interview, please refer to: enablement, replacement of aviation assets and empowerment of SP’s Military Yearbook 2016-2017

6 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com Unique.Unique. AheadAhead ofof thethe Art.Art. Unique. Ahead of the Art.

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Kalvari submarine at sea

[ By SP’s Correspondent ] forces, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex body of the Ministry of Defence in matters of acquisitions, cleared different criti- peedy modernisation of the armed forces to meet pres- cal and high-end defence procurement proposals to the tune of more ent and emerging challenges, development of requisite than `1,00,000 crore. capacities and infrastructure for making up critical defi- The new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 was pro- ciency of weapons and equipment and creating a robust mulgated for capital procurements and came into effect from April defence set up in the country through the ‘Make in India’ 1, 2016. DPP 2016 has a focus on achieving the ‘Make in India’ vision initiative, were the salient achievements of the Ministry of Defence by according priority to ‘Buy Indian–IDDM’ (Indian Designed, S(MoD) during 2016. Developed and Manufactured) and ‘Buy (Indian)’ categories. It also The year also saw progress for the welfare of ex-servicemen as focuses on enhancement and rationalisation of indigenous content. the much awaited One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme funds The Ministry of Defence also issued guidelines for penalties in reaching the accounts of ex-servicemen and families. During the business dealings with entities, which have come into effect from year as part of defence diplomacy, India engaged with its neighbours November 21. The guidelines lay down policy for levy of financial and Far Eastern countries, as well also developed countries through penalties and/or suspension/banning of business dealings with bilateral talks, ship visits and trilateral military exercises. To expe- entities, seeking to enter into contract with/having entered into a

PHOTOGRAPH: dite capacity building, as well as offensive capabilities of the armed contract for the procurement of goods and services by the Ministry

8 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com MILITARY Report of Defence. ‘Entities’ will include companies, trusts, societies, as Indian Navy was deployed extensively across the globe and con- well as individuals and their associations with whom the Ministry of ducted exercises with friendly foreign navies. Some of these are: Defence has entered into, or intends to enter into, or could enter into Naseem-Al-Bahr with the of Oman; the International contracts or agreements. The guidelines are available at http://mod. Fleet Review (IFR) 2016 at Visakhapatnam from February 4-8, cul- nic.in/writereaddata/guideentities.pdf. minated with Indian and foreign naval ships undertaking a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Bay of Bengal on February 9. Some 54 ships Indian Army that participated in IFR 2016 sailed out from Visakhapatnam in the Current Situation in Jammu and Kashmir: The security situation first ever PASSEX with combined participation of foreign and Indian in J&K is at an important crossroads. Ceasefire violations (CFVs) warships. The unprecedented scale and scope of the PASSEX was which saw a significant rise in the preceding months, wherein sev- indicative of India’s growing stature in the maritime domain and eral incidents of calibre escalation to artillery/120mm mortar were the bridges that have been painstakingly built by the Indian Navy attempted by Pakistan. This has seen a drastic reduction in CFVs towards achieving the motto of the International Fleet Review in let- post the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level ter and spirit ‘United through Oceans’. talks which took place on November 23. Relentless operations by Then there were Exercise Malabar 2016 with US and Japan; the Army both along the (LoC) and in the hinterland Exercise RIMPAC off Hawaii; Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol in concert with other security forces have thwarted the designs of (CORPAT); ADMM Plus Exercise on Maritime Security and Coun- the nexus to give a fillip to the proxy war being waged against India. ter Terrorism; Coordinated Patrol and India-Indonesia Bilateral Army along with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and J&K Maritime Exercise; Exercise Konkan 16; Indra Navy 2016; Indo- Police continues to put in relentless efforts to bring back normalcy Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR); deployment of P-8(I) to to the Kashmir Valley. Seychelles for EEZ Surveillance; INS Beas visits Doha; deploy- Situation along LAC: There is no commonly delineated line of ment to Male, Maldives: ships INS Vikramaditya and actual control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China. deployment to Mauritius: and Ships of First Training Squadron From time to time, on account of differing perception of the LAC, visited and . situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided Commission of Trials of Ships: INS Kadmatt, second ship of if we had a common perception of the LAC. Army regularly takes Project 28 (P-28) class anti-submarine warfare corvettes, indig- up any such situation along the LAC with the Chinese side through enously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, the established mechanism including border personnel meetings, flag Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by the Garden Reach meetings, meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coor- Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, was commis- dination on India-China Border Affairs and diplomatic channels. sioned at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on January 7. Surgical Strikes along LoC: Based on specific and credible Launch of Yard 2097/2098/2099: The sixth, seventh and eighth inputs about some terrorist teams having positioned themselves at ships of LCU MK IV project were launched in March, November and launch pads along LoC to carry out infiltration and conduct terrorist December at the GRSE. strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other states, INS Tarmugli: The Indian Navy commissioned the highly the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes on September 29 at sev- manoeuvrable fast attack craft INS Tarmugli at a ceremony at the eral of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists. Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on May 23. The operations were focused on ensuring that these terrorists did not succeed in their design to cause destruction and endanger Indian Air Force the lives of our citizens. During these counter terrorist operations Rafale Acquisition Deal: The much awaited Rafale deal with significant casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing France was signed on September 23 in New Delhi under which support to them. France will provide 36 Rafale fighter jets to India. The twin- Training Events and Military Exercises: The following exercises engine, multi-role aircraft will be capable of carrying out various were conducted with different countries: India-France Joint Military combat missions like air defence, ground attack, reconnaissance, Exercise Shakti; India-Nepal Combined Military Training Exercise anti-ship strikes, etc. Surya Kiran IX; India–Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti Tejas Induction: The light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas was IV; Exercise Force-18, the largest ground forces multinational field inducted into No. 45 Squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on July training exercise on Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacekeeping 1. The squadron will operate from Bengaluru for nearly two years, Operations culminated at Pune; Exercise Shatrujeet; Exercise Chakra- before it moves to its designated location at Sulur near Coimbatore. It vyuh-II; Exercise Jalrahat; Exercise Maitree; Exercise Yudh Abhyas; is the first fighter squadron to be a part of the Southern Air Command India-Kazakhstan Joint Exercise; Exercise Indra-2016 with Russia; of IAF headquartered at . Sino-Indian Joint Exercise, and India-China Joint Training Exercise. Operations Indian Navy The IAF had embarked on an ambitious reconstruction plan to To enhance its blue water capability, the Indian Navy opted to upgrade eight ALGs including infrastructure development at an strengthen its submarine arm for which request for proposal (RFP) overall outlay of nearly `1,000 crore following a MoU between the to acquire six more conventional submarines under Project 75(I) Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Ministry of Defence in was cleared by the DAC. The project will cost around `80,000 crore. June 2009. Five ALGs at , Along, , and Kalvari, the first of the Scorpene class submarine, being built at were upgraded and made operational in 2016. the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in (MDL), went to sea on May 1 under her own propulsion for the first sea trial, off the Exercises Mumbai coast. The submarine is presently undergoing advanced/ Exercise Iron Fist 2016: A day-night exercise demonstrating the deep-dive trials and is likely to be commissioned in early 2017. combat and firepower of the IAF was conducted on 18 Marat Raj- Bilateral/multilateral Exercises: To enhance India’s presence asthan’s Pokhran firing range in the presence of the President in the maritime arena/across area of responsibility/interest, the Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 9 MILITARY Report

Rafale acquisition deal was signed on September 23, 2016 The light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas was inducted into IAF on July 1, 2016

comprised of six packages depicting six themes in which more Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas: Indigenously developed than 180 aircraft, including fighters, transport and helicopters LCA is an advanced technology, single-seat, single-engine, super- participated. sonic, lightweight, all-weather, multi-role, air superiority fighter designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea combat roles. HADR Operations During the year, Tejas made its international debut in January 2016 Op Sankat Mochan: Stranded Indian nationals were evacuated with participation in the Bahrain International Air Show. The Hindu- from Juba, the capital of war-torn South Sudan on July 14. The Min- stan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over the first two Tejas air- ister of State for External Affairs, General V.K. Singh (Retd), flew to craft to IAF at a ceremony at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Estab- Juba in one of the two C-17 Globemaster aircraft in the operation lishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru on July 1, 2016, which will make up the which was named Operation Sankat Mochan. Flying Daggers 45, the name of the first squadron of LCA. Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM): LRSAM is a Defence Cooperation joint development programme of DRDO, Indian Navy and Israel Exercise Red Flag with US Air Force; Desert Eagle II with UAE: This Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missiles are intended to equip was the second in the series of bilateral exercises between the IAF three guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. LRSAM and the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF). This was a 10-day home-on-tests were conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) air combat exercise in which the IAF and the UAEAF undertook air during September to prove three intercept scenarios with Banshee exercises from Al-Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi starting from May 22. Jet 80 as target. India gets Women Fighter Pilots: History was created as the Medium-range Surface-to-Air Msissile (MRSAM): MRSAM is first three women fighter pilots of the IAF were commissioned at being developed for the IAF for protecting our territory and ground the Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal, forces from air attacks by intercepting aerial targets like fighter on June 18. With this, India joined a select few nations in the world aircraft and guided weapons. The system is jointly developed by that have women fighter pilots. These women fighter pilots are Fly- DRDO, IAF and IAI, Israel. During the year, three flight trials were ing Officers Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh. successfully carried out in June and July to evaluate target detection Subsequently, on August 12 Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan and tracking by Long Range Detection and Tracking Radar, missile Singh, DFC, felicitated the three women fighter pilots in New Delhi. launch and homing on target and radar tracking. Anti-tank Missile PROSPINA: Nag is a third-generation anti- Defence Research and Development Organisation tank missile (ATM) with fire & forget and top attack capabilities, Agni-V Successfully Test-fired: Agni-V, the long-range surface-to- which can be used in day and night. It is deployed on a specially surface , was successfully flight tested by DRDO on modified infantry combat vehicle (ICV) BMP-2 vehicle NAMICA. December 26 from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The full range During the year, guided flight tests of Nag were carried out with the test-flight of the missile further boosted the indigenous missile objective of demonstrating range capabilities of IIR Seeker during

PHOTOGRAPHS: Dassault Aviation, ADA PHOTOGRAPHS: Dassault Aviation, capabilities and deterrence level of the country. worst time of the day in summer environment. SP

10 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com MILITARY Viewpoint

India joins ICBM 5,000+ league Lt GeneraL P.C. KatoCh (retd)

ndia successfully undertook the fourth and final test-firing of the ing global ‘watchdog’ while herself blatantly violating provisions of Agni-V on December 26 from Wheeler Island, off the coast of the NSG through nuclear proliferation. China’s stance that she does Odisha. This is a wholly indigenously developed intercontinental not believe in waivers (NPT in case of NSG membership) is hollow ballistic missile (ICBM), which by itself is a gigantic achievement. because China herself agreed to a waiver in favour of India during the Even the BrahMos missile, which is a short-range ramjet super- Indo-US Nuclear Deal of 2008. However, any support from China on sonic cruise missile (not in ICBM category), has been developed with any issue, leave aside for NSG, would be utopian considering China IRussian collaboration. now is inexorably coupled with Pakistan in an anti-India embrace, With Agni-V, India joins the exclusive club of five countries that even repeatedly protecting terrorist mullahs of Pakistan at the UN. already possess ICBMs with a range of over 5,000-5,500 km; the five The Agni-V ICBM was tested to its full range. The Agni-V will bring countries being the United States, Russia, China, France and the UK. whole of China within the range. The Agni-V has a range of 5,500 km The first test of the three-stage Agni-V was and is nuclear capable with a payload conducted in April 2012 in open configura- capacity of 1,500 kg of high-explosive war- tion, followed by the second test in September head. Interestingly, the Chinese media 2013 in similar configuration. However, the went bellyaching with the Indian plans to third test conducted in January 2015 saw the deploy BrahMos missiles in our North East ICBM being fired from a hermetically sealed along the (LAC) with canister mounted on a Tatra truck launcher. China. India’s Strategic Forces Command This third launch on January 30, 2016, suc- (SFC) already holds the shorter-range cessfully proved operational flexibility for the and Dhanush missiles, and has armed forces for swiftly transporting and fir- inducted the Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni-III ing the ICBM from anywhere they want. missiles as well — mainly geared towards This was a game changer from earlier fir- Pakistan. The Agni-IV and Agni-V are ings in open configuration. The missile had specifically meant for deterrence against vertically blasted off from the truck mounted China. Following the final test of the Agni- launcher and splashed down in the India V, the SFC will begin user trials. It will per- Ocean 20 minutes later. The mobile canister haps take another two years for this ICBM version ensures the 50-tonne missile can be to be fielded with the SFC. As per DRDO fired from stop-to-launch in just few sec- sources, they are capable of developing onds, as also higher reliability, longer shelf- ICBMs with strike ranges of 10,000 km or life and lesser maintenance. The reaction more comparable to China’s DF-31A mis- time required to fire Agni-V is small, making sile that can hit targets at 12,200 km range. it highly survivable and enabling assured However, this is a policy decision that the retaliatory-strike capability, in line with government may not want to take for the India’s ‘no first use’ nuclear policy. time being considering that the Agni-V will DRDO sources had then said that only cover whole of China. one more test of Agni-V was required, after With Agni-V, India As of now, the DRDO has also been working which the objective was to begin induction by upon ‘manoeuvring warheads or intelligent re- end of 2015 itself. Understandably, India had joins the exclusive entry vehicles’ to defeat enemy ballistic missile decided to delay the final test of Agni-V because club of five countries defence systems as well as multiple indepen- of the negotiations for India to join the 48-coun- dently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) for try Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Unfortu- that already possess the Agni missiles; single missile carrying several nately China, smarting under the fact that India intercontinental nuclear warheads, with each programmed indi- was granted membership of the 34-nation Mis- vidually to hit different targets. Every Indian was sile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) while ballistic missiles looking forward to today’s launch of Agni-V and the same was denied to China, decided to block India joining the exclusive ICBM 5,000+ league. India joining the NSG. China has indicated it with a range of over This indeed is a proud moment and feather in

PHOTOGRAPH: DRDO will continue to block India joining NSG — act- 5,000-5,500 km the cap of the DRDO. SP

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 11 MILITARY updates

further strengthened along the line of actual control with China to reduce tensions. The COAS highlighted contribution of Indian Army in UN peacekeeping missions, modernisation projects in the pipeline and welfare schemes being instituted for serving sol- diers, ex-servicemen and Veer Naris. He reinforced the point that redressal of individual grievances by serving personnel should be carried out through established mechanisms within army rather than resorting to platform of social media for the same. The parade was commanded by Rajesh Sahai, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area. The leading contingent of the parade was formed of the recipients of the Param Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra Awardees and International Sports Awardees. This was followed by army contingents which included T-90 tank Bhishma, infantry combat vehicle BMP-II, BrahMos missile system, weapon locat- ing radar (Swathi), Akash missile system, chemical, biological, radiological & nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance vehicle, mobile transportable satellite terminal vehicle and seven marching con- tingents including mounted horse cavalry. On Army Day, Indian Army The Veterans Tableaux, organised by the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans, depicted their role and contributions towards the celebrates being instrument of nation. A motorcycle display by ‘Shwet Ashw’ team of the Army Corps of Military Police was the other attraction during the parade. national power A paramotors display was also carried out by a team from the 50 (I) ndian Army celebrated its 69th Army Day on January 15, 2017. Para Brigade. General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), reviewed The grand finale was a combat demonstration, which showcased the Army Day parade at the Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi combat techniques of the army subunits. Combat actions included ICantonment, and awarded 15 Sena Medals (including five posthu- strafing runs depicted by armed helicopter, combat manoeuvres by mously) for individual acts of gallantry and 14 COAS Unit Citations tracked combat vehicles and special operations including air inser- for commendable performance of their respective units. tion and extrication of soldiers behind enemy lines. Every year Indian Army celebrates January 15 as ‘Army Day’ to The Indian Army is regarded as one of the most credible insti- commemorate the day when General (later ) K.M. tutions and instrument of national power. Indian Army operates Carriappa took over the command of Army from General Sir F.R.R in the most inhospitable conditions with resolve and pride. It Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became has acquitted itself extremely creditably in internal security and the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence. counter-insurgency operations and has extended invaluable aid General Bipin Rawat in his address stated that while India to civil authorities in disaster management and maintenance of sought peace on line of control, ceasefire violations or untoward law and order. incidents propagated by Pakistan will be responded to by force. He Earlier in the day, wreaths were laid at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India also brought out that confidence building measures were being Gate, by the three Service Chiefs to commemorate the Army Day. SP

Lt General Sarath Chand takes over as Vice Chief of Army Staff t General Sarath Chand took over as Vice Chief of Army Staff. The General Officer was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June 1979. During career spanning over 38 years, he Lhas served in all operational theatres and has participated in many active combat leadership roles at every stage of command. The early operational service of the General includes the command of Com- pany in the Kargil Sector of Ladakh and in active operations during Operation Pawan as part of the IPKF in Sri Lanka. He commanded battalion in Operation Rhino and Operation Falcon, an Infantry Brigade in the deserts and a Counter Insurgency Force deployed in the Kashmir Valley and thereafter commanded a crucial support to the Army Chief in discharge of his duties. He strategically important 4 Corps. He has also held a number of impor- will be responsible for ensuring the operational effectiveness of the tant staff as well as instructional appointments during his career. The Army by directly overseeing the functioning of the military opera- General Officer has served at the United Nations Mission in Somalia. tions, intelligence and logistics directorates. He will coordinate and The General Officer in his capacity as Vice Chief will head the facilitate decision making on critical issues involving multiple stake-

PhotograPhs: PIB, Indian army General Staff Branch at the Army Headquarters and will provide holders within and outside army. SP

12 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com MILITARY updates

Submarine Khanderi launched

handeri, the second of Indian Navy’s Scorpene class stealth submarine, was launched recently by the Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre paving the way for her sea Ktrials. Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, and a host of other dignitaries witnessed the launch at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The submarine is expected to be delivered to Navy by the year- end. She has been christened after her illustrious predecessor, an erstwhile Foxtrot class submarine decommissioned in 1989, which is as per the traditions of the Indian Navy. The construction of six Scorpene submarines is presently being progressed at the MDL, under Project 75 with transfer of technology from DCNS France as the collaborator. The first of the class submarine, Kalvari is pres- ently undergoing sea trials and likely to be commissioned into Navy by mid-2017. These submarines, post induction, would form the core of Navy’s conventional submarine arm. The launching of Khanderi also marks a critical milestone Dr Subhash Bhamre said that Project 75 Kalvari is a key milestone event for the shipyard which earlier has delivered two Shishu- in self-reliance and indigenisation for the country. Admiral Sunil mar class submarines in the 1990s and has now strengthened its Lanba said during his address that the fact that submarine Khand- position as a submarine building yard for Indian Navy. Started as eri compares with the best in the world, speaks highly of the experi- a small dry dock facility for East India Company, MDL today has ence and expertise our shipbuilders have gained over the years. He established itself as a forefront defence public sector undertaking, added that as Indian Navy celebrates golden jubilee of the submarine with indigenous construction of several ships and submarines for arm in 2017, the induction of Project 75 submarines would mark the Navy such as P-15(B) Destroyers and P-17(A) class stealth frigates beginning of a new chapter in our submarine capabilities. being the latest. SP

An armed forces team witnessed the flight test. Dr G. Satheesh Successful test-firing of guided Pinaka Reddy, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, was present during the test-firing. SP Meeting between Indian and Sri Lanka Coast Guards three-member delegation led by Director General of Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) Samantha Wimal- athunge, was on a three-day visit to India from January 3, A2017, for a high level meeting, with the (ICG). The Indian delegation was led by Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rajendra Singh. The visit was in continuation of the various efforts by the governments of the two countries in furthering coop- eration between the coast guards of two countries on maritime issues of mutual concern to formulate a cooperative approach. Of late the Sri Lankan Coast Guard has been proactive in meet- ing the challenges in the new global safety and security regime in he Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka was success- this region. The recent visit is significant in providing continued fully test-fired from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur on impetus to the existing ties between the two organisations. The January 12, 2017. The Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which evolved focus of the meeting was on further strengthening the operational Tfrom Pinaka Mark-I is equipped with a navigation, guidance and level interaction for search and rescue, preservation and protection control kit and has been transformed to a Guided Pinaka. This of marine environment, revalidating operational and communica- conversion has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of tion procedures between the two coast guards. Pinaka. The test-firing has met all mission objectives. The radars, During the visit, the Sri Lanka delegation also called on the electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur tracked and Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar and deliberated on issues of monitored the vehicle all through the flight path. The Guided Pinaka common maritime interests. is developed jointly by ARDE Pune, RCI Hyderabad and DRDL During the high level discussions, it was mutually agreed to Hyderabad. ITR Chandipur provided the range and launch support. strengthen the cooperation on evolving collaborative approach, in Dr K.M. Rajan, Director of ARDE, B.H.V.S. Narayana Murthy, addressing a spectrum of maritime issues concerning safety and Director of RCI, Dr B.K. Das, Director of ITR, and R. Appavuraj, security and further streamlining the procedure for release/repa-

PhotograPhs: Indian Navy, DrDo PhotograPhs: Indian Navy, Director, PXE, Chandipur, monitored the launch operations. triation of fishermen. SP

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 13 MILITARY updates

Representatives of various ministries and departments of central and state governments, ports, oil handling agencies and other stakeholders participated in the exercise. In addition, representa- tives of Oil Industry Safety Directorate and observers from three foreign nations also witnessed the NATPOLREX-VI exercise. Some 125 personnel from various agencies/stakeholders participated in the exercise. Nine Coast Guard ships, two Coast Guard helicopters, two Dornier aircraft, one Indian naval ship, one air force aircraft (C-130J Super Herculeus), three tugs from KPT/Mundra Port, one tanker of the Shipping Corporation of India, 2 MSV/OSV from other resource agencies and teams for beach cleaning from state government also participated in the exercise. The highlight of the exercise was participation of ICG pollu- tion control vessels (PCV) and integration of air force into the Oil Spill Disaster Management System for aerial assessment/ delivery of oil spill dispersant (OSD) for mitigation of the spilled National level pollution response oil. The NATPOLREX-VI was precluded by a table-top exercise on December 20, 2016, for simulation of the situation. exercise The Indian Coast Guard assumed responsibility of protect- ndia’s energy requirements (approximately 70 per cent) are ing marine environment in her maritime zones on March 1, 1986, met by oil resource that is being imported into our country by when these responsibilities were transferred from the Ministry of ships. The transportation of oil through sea route is fraught with Shipping. Subsequently, the Coast Guard prepared the National Iinherent risks and requires preventive measures to be taken both Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) for combating oil by the ship-owners and the oil receiving facilities inside port. spill disaster at sea, which was approved by the committee of sec- The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is the central coordinating retaries in 1993. The Indian Coast Guard has also established three authority for oil spill response and has put into place a robust Pollution Response Centres at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair pollution response system to check the preparedness levels of oil and has the capability to respond to oil spills up to 10,000 tonnes handling agencies at regular intervals. The Gulf of Kutch houses with assistance of various agencies. ecologically sensitive mangroves and coral reefs, which are fraught Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijaybhai R. Rupani reviewed the with danger in case of an oil spill. To address issues relating to an preparedness of all agencies during the exercise on December oil spill, the sixth edition of National Level Pollution Response 21, 2016, from onboard Coast Guard ship Sarathi along with Exercise (NATPOLREX-VI) was conducted by the Indian Coast Rajendra Singh, PTM, TM, the Director General of the Indian Guard on December 20-21, 2016, off Mundra in Gulf of Kutch. Coast Guard. SP

India’s largest bank teams up with the nation’s largest warship NS Vikramaditya, the largest warship and latest aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, has a strength of over 1,500 personnel. A versa- tile national capability and a full-fledged township by herself, the Iship has a new acquisition — an ATM machine installed onboard by the nation’s largest bank and banking network, the State Bank of India (SBI). The one-of-a-kind ATM machine was inaugurated onboard at a function at the naval base Karwar on January 21, 2017, jointly by Rear Admiral K.J. Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding, Kar- nataka Naval Area, and Rajnish Kumar, Managing Director and Group Executive (National Banking Group), SBI. The facilities offered by the SBI to the ship include cash with- drawals, generation of mini-statements, access to bank balance details and change of PIN numbers. In the near future, the facility will be upgraded to a recycler machine with a cash deposit facility. Additionally, facilities like cash transfer, card-to-card transfer, credit card payment, mobile number registration and updation would also be available. The Indian Navy has a memorandum of understanding tions the two organisations share. The ATM machine is a unique with the SBI that operates defence salary packages. This joint ven- floating banking system, and along with the point of sale machine ture between India’s largest warship and largest banking network is that is also proposed to be installed onboard, would go a long way a significant step towards cementing the partnership between the in supporting cashless transactions on the ship, in line with the gov-

PhotograPhs: ICg, Indian Navy Navy and the bank further, underlines the mutually supportive rela- ernment’s policy of digitising the Indian economy. SP

14 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com MILITARY Viewpoint

Why India should never join CPEC Lt GeneraL P.C. KatoCh (retd)

haled Ahmed, consulting editor, Newsweek Pakistan, in ilar strategic purpose. China keeps harping for India to join the CPEC his recent article titled ‘Corridor of Uncertainty’ writes but on the question of land access for India to Afghanistan and Central that Pakistan’s General Aamir Riaz inviting India to join Asia, responds that CPEC is only bilateral arrangement with Pakistan. the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is condi- The obvious intention is to keep India restrained, plus if CPEC is only tional on India calling off its Afghan proxy warriors mobil- ‘bilateral’ arrangement then why the façade of asking India to join it? ised expressly to disrupt CPEC because it “endangers India’s security”. Clearly, Gwadar is a future Chinese SSBN base, which together with KWhether Riaz has been recruited by the Communist Party of China the Pakistani naval bases of Karachi and Omari to which China has (CPC) as another joker in the Chinese pack is not known but Riaz call- access, would challenge India at sea. ing his offer contingent upon India calling off its Afghan proxy war- China has deep links with Taliban even the ones based in Qatar, riors certainly is joke of the decade, considering the intense proxy war Pakistan has hold on both Taliban through the Haqqani Network waged by Pakistan across its western and eastern borders. What Riaz chief Sirajuddin Haqqani, the ISIS in Af-Pak is the creation of Paki- does not realise is that India is never eager to join the CPEC. stan, and most importantly all Pakistani proxies also are Chinese On November 13, 2016, the CPEC became provisionally opera- proxies. That is why with the strategic though covert lodgment of PLA tional with the first convoy of trucks laden with Chinese goods tra- in PoK and Pakistan, terror attacks in Afghanistan and violence in versing the CPEC’s 3,000-km journey Jammu and Kashmir including ceasefire from Kashgar in China arrivng at Gwadar violations by Pakistan have shot up expo- and further seen off in a Chinese ship nentially. Pakistani objective of carving from Gwadar to Middle East and Africa. out more Afghan territory as strategic Pakistan’s top civilian and military lead- depth (implying influence at subconven- ers were reportedly present at Gwadar to tional level) is in sync with China’s stra- see off the Chinese ship. Prime Minister tegic designs. Pakistan’s growing hostil- Nawaz Sharif stated that Pakistan will ity towards India suits China similarly. provide best possible security to foreign Repeated terror attacks in Baluchistan investors to enable them to use Gwadar aids Pakistani designs to subdue the Bal- for international trade. uch population and eliminate maximum The CPEC is to absorb $46 billion non-Sunnis in the entire country. Chinese investment — $11 billion by Chi- Terror attacks against Baluchis suit nese Government and balance $35 billion China very well too as it desists Baluch by private companies of China. Pakistan rebels from any feeble attempts to dis- expects its GDP to rise because of the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif unveiling the plaque rupt the CPEC which anyway is guarded CPEC and 7,00,000 jobs for Pakistanis. No of CEPC pilot project at Gwadar in 2016 by the Pakistani Army. India should never Pakistani can enter Gwadar Port (guarded join the CPEC because: one, it does not by PLA) without valid ID card. Pakistan is give land access to India to Afghanistan responsible for the security of the CPEC with all costs to be borne by and Central Asia through Pakistan, which India has always wanted; Pakistan. Pakistan has raised additional forces for specifically guarding two, it may increase India-China trade but with the existing bilateral the CPEC, with major portion of this special security force deployed in imbalance heavily in favour of China (according to information pro- Baluchistan. Obviously, Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military hierar- vided in Parliament, it stood at close to $45 billion in 2015-16 with chy received hefty bribes for bartering Pakistan’s sovereignty to China India’s exports amounting to only around $8 billion), it would result in in exchange of Gwadar and the CPEC. increased imbalance manifold with increased Chinese belligerence, As per analysts, economically it is 11 times cheaper to transport having conned India into such arrangement; three, it would legitimise the same goods by sea even to and from China than through the CPEC, PLA lodgment and projects in Gilgit-Baltistan (Indian territory) under- even though the sea journey is longer. But the CPEC is alterative to the taken without any reference to India; four, it would also indicate India’s Malacca Dilemma of China should the Straits of Malacca get choked. intransigence to Pakistan’s genocide in Balochistam, fully backed by Under cover of economic activity for “mutual benefit” and “good for China, and; five, most importantly it will fit into Chinese plans to keep the region”, what China would never admit is that the CPEC is China’s India boxed into South Asia. SP Strategic Highway to the Indian Ocean. The CPEC became even more

photograph: CpEC important when Myanmar denied China the use of its territory for sim- The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author.

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 15 AeroSPAce Viewpoint

Leading from the front Air MArshAl B.K. pAndey (retd) The positive results of the solo flight on MiG-21 Type 96 by Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff, IAF, are immense and cannot be quantified or measured

n the occasion of New Year’s day this year, Air Chief Mar- However, flying a solo sortie by a serving CAS has implications shal B.S. Dhanoa took over as the 25th Chief of the Air and is not without potential hazards. The reliability of the MiG-21 Staff (CAS), Indian Air Force (IAF), from Air Chief Mar- being somewhat doubtful, a hazardous situation could well develop shal Arup Raha who proceeded on retirement. Within if a technical failure or malfunction should take place during the mis- two weeks after taking over as the CAS, Air Chief Marshal sion. However, the CAS undertaking a solo flight especially on the Dhanoa scripted history of sorts when he, while on an official visit to MiG-21, would certainly have a phenomenal impact on confidence OAir Force Station, Utarlai in Rajasthan, undertook a solo flight on the levels and the morale of personnel of not only the squadron which MiG-21 Type 96 combat aircraft of the IAF. This was the very first visit operates the particular aircraft, but on the entire air force fraternity. by the CAS to a forward operational base in the Western sector after he took over his new appoint- ment. The stated aim of the visit was “to assess operational readiness and review the morale of the personnel stationed there”. The Air Chief Marshal flew a sortie lasting for around 30 minutes in the MiG-21 Type 96 single- engine aircraft. The aircraft is also known as the MiG-21M. In his younger days, he had flown the same type of aircraft during the war in Kargil. In the operations against the Pakistani forces entrenched in the icy heights of Kargil, he had carried out several night strike missions in the mountainous terrain. It was for his role in and contribution to the victory in Kargil that he was honoured with the award of Yudh Seva Medal by the . The MiG-21 Type 96, one of the variants in the MiG family of combat platforms, was inducted into the IAF in the mid-1970s and has now been in service for over four decades. Over- all, the MiG-21 fleet of the IAF has not enjoyed a good reputation as it has had a troubled his- tory of accidents attributable to technical failure Air chief Marshal Dhanoa in the cockpit of MiG-21 Type 96 before the flight or malfunction. The fleet has recorded 22 major accidents in the period May 2007 to March 2015 as per a report of Thus a solo flight by Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa though lasting for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence submitted to a mere 30 minutes would have helped restore the confidence of pilots the Parliament. In fact, the MiG-21 aircraft was dubbed as the “Fly- in the IAF who are deputed to fly this aircraft as also the other vari- ing Coffin”, a sobriquet that would have been somewhat discom- ants of this platform. Also, it would elevate the spirits of the technical forting for those flying the aircraft and their families. Fortunately personnel who maintain and service the fleet as a solo flight by the for the IAF, this fleet is on the way out and is scheduled to be retired CAS on the aircraft would symbolise the trust and faith he reposes from service by the end of this decade. in the capability, competence and dedication of the technical team. This action by Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa is not without prece- This symbolic action by the CAS will also help strengthen the bonds dent. Earlier on, Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh who was the CAS between officers and airmen in the organisation. The positive results from 1981 to 1984, and Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis who held this of the solo flight by the CAS are immense and cannot be quantified, appointment from 1998 to 2001, too flew solo missions on the MiG measured or assessed. series while on visits to operational bases. After the solo flight, Air In the final analysis, Air Chief Marshal Dhnoa is clearly lead- Chief Marshal Tipnis had said that he flew the aircraft solo to send a ing from the front and has started his tenure as the CAS literally

PhotograPh: IaF message to all that the aircraft was safe to fly. with a bang! SP

16 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com AeroSPAce Developments

Air Marshal S.B. Deo Training Wing, TACDE and College of Air line bases of the IAF at Jaisalmer and Ambala. Warfare. He is a graduate of Defence Services He has held various staff appointments at Air takes over as Vice Chief Staff College and National Defence College. HQ. These include Principal Director at Direc- He has commanded a MiG-21 Sqn, TACDE torate of Information and Electronic Warfare, of the Air Staff of IAF and a front line fighter base. His staff appoint- Director in Personnel branch and Joint Direc- ir Marshal ments include Ops-1A, Air-I at HQ WAC and tor at Directorate of Concept Studies. S.B. Deo has Deputy Director Air Staff Inspection, Direc- For his distinguished service Air Mar- taken over tor Operations (Joint Planning) and Assistant shal Khosla has been awarded Ati Vishisht Aas Vice Chief of the Chief of the Air Staff Operations (Offensive) Seva Medal, and has been Air Staff (VCAS) at Air HQ and Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ commended by the CAS. SP at Air HQ. He was South Western Air Command. commissioned as The Air Marshal was AOC-in-C HQ East- Air Marshal Sanjay a fighter pilot in ern Air Command (EAC) prior to his present the IAF on June 15, appointment. He was awarded CAS com- Sharma takes over as 1979. He is an alum- mendation in October 1997, Vishisht Seva nus of the National Medal in January 2005, Vayu Sena Medal in Air Officer-in-Charge Defence Academy and the Defence Services January 2011 and in Maintenance Staff College, Wellington. He is a Fighter January 2016. SP Combat Leader and a ‘Cat A’ Qualified Fly- ir Mar- ing Instructor with over 3,800 hours of Air Marshal Anil shal San- operational and training flying. He was also jay Sharma Directing Staff at Tactics and Air Combat Khosla takes over as Aassumed the Development Establishment (TACDE). responsibilities Air Marshal Deo has been AOC of a AOC-in-C, Eastern Air of Air Officer-in- major fighter base. He commanded a MiG- Command Charge Mainte- 21 Bison squadron and a Signal Unit besides nance at Air Head- being the Chief Ops Officer of a forward ir Marshal quarters, New base. As Station Commander of the Signal Anil Khosla Delhi, on January 1, Unit he was actively involved in the induc- took over 2017. The Air Mar- tion of modern assets and sensors in the Aas Air Officer Com- shal was commissioned in the Aeronautical IAF. Prior to taking over as VCAS, he was the manding-in-Chief Engineering (Electronics) branch of IAF on AOC-in-C of Western and Eastern Air Com- of Eastern Air Com- July 12, 1979. He is a graduate in electronics mands, DG Air (Ops), AOC COBRA Group, mand on January 1, engineering from University of Indore and AD Commander & Air I and has held vari- 2017. Air Marshal post-graduate in computer science and data ous staff appointments and worked in Ops/ Khosla, an alumni processing from IIT Kharagpur. Plans Directorates at Air HQ (VB). of the National He is also an alumnus of the prestigious In recognition of his meritorious ser- Defence Academy, National Defence College. He has rich expe- vice and professionalism, he was awarded was commissioned in the fighter stream of rience in the fields of high power radars, real Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht IAF in December 1979. Air Officer has to his time data processing systems, automation of Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva credit over 4,000 hours of accident free flying command & control systems and communi- Medal and ADC by the President of India. SP mainly on different variants of Jaguar, MiG- cation & information technology. 21 and Kiran aircraft. He is equally experi- Prior to assuming the present appoint- Air Marshal C. enced on both ground attack and air defence ment, the Air Officer had held various impor- roles with specialisation on maritime role. tant appointments, Chief Technical Officer Harikumar takes over He is post-graduate from Defence Services of THD 1955 Radar Stations, Senior Project Staff College and holds two M.Phil degrees in Engineer (Radar) at erstwhile RCPO, Director as AOC-in-C, Western military studies. He is an ‘A2’ category Fly- IACCS (Tech Planning), Director Signals (Air), Air Command ing Instructor and a fighter strike leader. He Principal Director of IACCS, Assistant Chief has had the distinction of standing first in the of Air Staff (Signals & IT) at Air HQ, Deputy ir Marshal order of merit in all the courses he attended Senior Maintenance Staff Officer at HQ Main- C Hariku- (i.e Flying Instructor course, Fighter Strike tenance Command, Assistant Chief of Air mar took Leaders course, Junior Command course and Staff (Maintenance and Planning) and Direc- Aover as AOC-in-C, Staff course). He was awarded Commandants tor General (Aircraft) at Air HQ. He has also Western Air Com- medal during Higher Command course at commanded a major Communication Hub mand (WAC), on Army War College. He has attended Senior Centre and was deputed to the Government January 1, 2017. Air Defence Management course at College of of Botswana for three years to oversee installa- Marshal Harikumar Defence Management and is also an alumni tion and commissioning of Radar Automation was commissioned of National Defence College. System of Botswana defence forces besides in the IAF in the Air Officer has vast instructional experi- setting up the Technical Training Wing for year 1979. A Quali- ence and has been Directing Staff at presti- their Air Defence Operations Centre. fied Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat gious institutions TACDE and Flying Instruc- For his distinguished service, Air Marshal Leader, he has over 3,300 hours of flying. tor School (FIS). He has commanded a Jaguar has been commended twice by the Chief of

PhotograPhs: IaF He has done instructional tenures at Fighter squadron with maritime role and two front Air Staff in 1998, and 2007. SP

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 17 AeroSPAce Developments

Hawk AJT clocks 1,00,000 hours with Indian Air Force he Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) has clocked 1,00,000 hours of flying hours with the Indian Air Force (IAF). BAE Systems, the makers of Hawk Mk132 AJT, termed the Tachievement as an “important milestone” and a compelling story of success. BAE quoted Steve Timms, Managing Director, Defence Information, Training and Services, saying: “Hawks provide new-generation training to next-generation air warriors and delivering our commitment to ‘Make in India’ in partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The IAF is one of the largest operators of the Hawk globally and we wish its air warriors safe landings.” The IAF operates Hawks based out of Air Force Station in in Karnataka. The IAF also has its Surya Kiran aerobatic display team now flying the Hawks. The team’s first public display of four Hawks was at AFS Hindon during Air Force Day celebrations in 2015. Since November 2016, the team has added two more jets to the display team and even- tually the strength will be raised to nine. BAE credits the latest milestone to the long-standing associa- tion with the IAF and HAL. “Together, BAE Systems and HAL are ties, globally,” says a company release. committed to strengthen their relationship through ongoing dis- The Indian Navy operates around 17 Hawks, mostly based out cussions on exploring long-term sustainable business opportuni- of INS Dega in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. SP

First production Air Force Base in Wichita and conducted a a non-Department of Defense military air- range of manoeuvres during the one hour craft design. The Scorpion is very versatile conforming Scorpion jet and 42 minutes flight. The multi-mission, in terms of mission flexibility with its cen- twin-engine jet performed extremely well tre payload bay, six hard points, high dash completes successful and was piloted by experimental test pilots speeds and extended endurance and loiter first flight Don Parker and Dave Sitz, who verified the time at cruise speeds. SP avionics and aerodynamic performance as well as a number of aircraft systems. DRDO successfully The latest version of the Scorpion incorporates a number of improvements flight tests Smart Anti- based on target customer feedback as well as results from the extensive flight test pro- Airfield Weapon gramme. The programme has accumulated he Defence and Research Develop- more than 800 flight hours in both test and ment Organisation (DRDO) success- real-world operational settings. fully flight tested the Smart Anti-Air- The company also announced Garmin Tfield Weapon (SAAW), from an Indian Air as the avionics provider for the enhanced Force (IAF) aircraft. SAAW, an indigenously Scorpion. This avionics platform is based on designed and developed 120-kg class smart the advanced G3000 integrated flight deck weapon, developed by DRDO, is capable and is optimised for rigorous military opera- of engaging ground targets with high pre- tions. The newly configured G3000 avionics cision up to a range of 100 km. The light- extron AirLand LLC announced the system features a large, high-definition dis- weight high precision guided bomb is one successful maiden flight of the first play complemented by two high-definition of the world-class weapon systems. production-conforming Scorpion jet. touch-screen controllers and provides more The captive and release trials were TThis programme milestone closely follows mission capability in the forward cockpit tracked by radar and telemetry ground sta- the recent successful weapons capability position, additional navigation capability in tions at ITR during the entire duration of exercise on the prototype Scorpion com- the rear cockpit position and overall weight the flight. The performance of all systems pleted in early October. The Scorpion jet savings for improved performance as a were satisfactory with mission objectives is a bold new direction for tactical aircraft multi-mission aircraft. achieved. designed to excel in roles ranging from intel- The first production conforming Scor- Secretary, Department of Defence ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to pion will start a robust flight test programme, (R&D) & Chairman, DRDO, Dr S. Chris- close air support and armed reconnaissance. working closely with the US Air Force on the topher, congratulated DRDO and the IAF

PhotograPhs: BaE systems, textron aviation PhotograPhs: BaE systems, textron The aircraft took off from McConnell first of its kind airworthiness assessment of teams for the successful mission. SP

18 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com UnMAnned Updates

Reaper drones: Delivery of the second system and order of the fourth he French Direction Générale pour l’Armement (DGA) ordered a fourth MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) Reaper unmanned aircraft system. The 2014-19 Military TPlanning Act (LPM) provides that the air force will have by 2019 four complete systems, each comprising three unmanned air- craft. The order of this fourth system of Reaper drones thus allows the ministry to meet the objectives of this Act. Delivery will take place in 2019. The second system has been approved by the DGA. Two drones were delivered on December 31 in Niamey. The third drone will soon arrive at Cognac airbase, where it will be used in particu- lar for the training of personnel of the 1/33 Belfort squadron which operates France’s MALE drones. On arrival, the French Air Force and the DGA will conduct a test campaign to validate the Reaper system’s air-transportability onboard French transport aircraft, mainly the A400M, as well as technical conditions for its operation in the electromagnetic envi- ronment of Cognac airbase, and more generally the territory of metropolitan France. SP

technical support. Starting in 2018, Thales Thales to equip the will provide French forces up to 210 mini- French Forces with reconnaissance UAVs. The Spy’Ranger is the new ‘eye in the Spy’Ranger mini- sky’ for the combined arms tactical group, able to be operated in a stand-alone mode reconnaissance UAVs or connected to a C4I system. The Spy’Ranger is specifically tailored to the needs of the armed forces, as well as to those of essential operators. The Spy’Ranger, developed by Thales in collaboration with several French SMEs, is a mini-UAV designed and manufactured throughout the campaign and performed in France. SP its mission more than 100 times with an extremely high success rate. Six times more Kochav Following operation “Protective Edge”, the Kochav was officially integrated in UAVs next year the IAF and since then the squadron has he Israeli Air Force (IAF) UAV squad- grown steadily. “We are widely occu- ron that operates the Kochav (Hermes pied with the technological capabilities hales’s latest-generation Spy’Ranger 900) UAV will multiply the number of UAVs”, shared Lt Daniel. “We mini-surveillance and reconnais- Tof Hermes 900 UAVs that it operates by six are proceeding steadily and we recently sance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the coming year. “The Kochav will broke the aircraft’s endurance record and Thas been chosen by the French Defence revolutionise the world of UAVs”, stated Lt reached a number of hours that even the Procurement Agency (DGA) to equip the Colonel Daniel, the Squadron Commander. manufacturer couldn’t reach”. French forces. Up to 70 mini-UAV recon- “The platform is a base for many opera- Clearly, most of the interesting details naissance systems (SMDR) will be made tional technological abilities that will be regarding the aircraft are classified. But we available from 2018. integrated and immigrate from manned to can say that it consists of a technological The armed forces require real-time unmanned platforms”. quantum leap that provides the IAF with access to ever more reliable imagery. On July 15, 2014, during operation new capabilities and allows it to operate in Spy’Ranger will provide them with a decisive “Protective Edge” over the Gaza strip, very long ranges. The Kochav has a capac- tactical advantage by offering the capacity the UAV took off for its first operational ity of a 350-kg and is designed to be able to to observe day or night, for long periods of mission in the IAF. Its mission was part carry a number of payloads on hardpoints time and at a distance of up to 30 km. of a process that ended with an air strike under its wings. Its endurance abilities Each system consists of three mini- that destroyed terror infrastructure. The allow it to perform very lengthy, long range

PHOTOGRAPH: defense.gouv.fr, Elbit Systems, Thales PHOTOGRAPH: defense.gouv.fr, UAVs, a ground segment and the associated Kochav gathered hundreds of flight hours missions during a single sortie. SP

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 19 CorPorAte News

India evolving as a global hub in defence manufacturing Defence Research and Development and Chairman DRDO, along- with Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Min- ister and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, briefed the Defence Minister on various technological developments. Defence Minister Parrikar congratulated all DRDO, scientists for the recent successful missions including smart anti-airfield weapon, long-range ballistic missiles Agni-V and Agni-IV, guided Pinaka and Astra. He complimented the missile complex for indigenising various technology products and strengthening the defence industrial base in the country. The Defence Minister said, “There is lot of knowledge and infra- structure base with the DRDO and the same needs to be tapped by the MSME and private industries which in turn will lead towards the establishment of a self-reliant defence industrial ecosystem in our country. Today, the industries are significantly contributing in the realisation of various defence products with the know-how provided by the DRDO and few of them have even graduated as lead integrators. The partnership between the DRDO and indus- efence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited Defence Research tries is transforming our country into a global defence manufac- and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Dr A.P.J. Abdul turing hub. This synergy has provided the much-needed thrust for Kalam Missile Complex during his visit to Hyderabad on exporting our defence products globally. We are taking necessary DJanuary 16, 2017. He visited the integration centre at Research Cen- initiatives in this direction and I am sure that our state-of-the-art tre Imarat (RCI) and reviewed ongoing missile technologies and missiles and weapon systems will garner the much-needed inter- related programmes. Dr S. Christopher, Secretary, Department of est in the global markets and generate foreign exchange.” SP

M777 ultra lightweight howitzer making India a fundamental part of BAE Systems names Nik Khanna the M777 production line. Managing Director for India Alan Garwood, Group Business Development Director, BAE Sys- tems Plc, said: “Nik’s experience and in-country relationships will AE Systems has announced the strengthen our ability to capitalise on growth opportunities in this stra- appointment of Nik Khanna as the tegically important market.” Managing Director of its India oper- Nik commented: “BAE Systems holds a pre-eminent position in the Bations with effect from February 1, 2017. industry and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued Nik joins the company from Ray- growth and development in India.” SP theon where as Country President he led business development, marketing and RUAG acquires cyber security strategy in India for the last four years. Prior to this he was Associate Vice Presi- specialist Clearswift dent at The Cohen Group. Nik has also he RUAG Defence division is acquiring the British Cyber Secu- served as Aerospace & Defense Director rity specialist Clearswift. With this acquisition, RUAG is making at the US-India Business Council. a significant investment in the expansion and long-term devel- Nik will steer the company towards achieving its vision and Topment of its cyber security business. Clearswift’s leading products ambition for India, building on the company’s track-record of shar- will be a significant addition to the RUAG Defence Cyber Security ing its knowledge, skills and technology in air, land, sea, cyber and business unit. As previously announced, the business unit will be advanced electronics with Indian industry. headed by cyber security expert Dietmar Thelen as of January 1, 2017. Nik takes charge shortly after the company was awarded a con- “The acquisition of Clearswift ideally complements our exist- tract from the US Department of Defense to provide 145 M777 ultra- ing portfolio of products and services. By combining our exper- lightweight howitzers to the Indian Army through a Foreign Mili- tise in network defence with Clearswift’s data loss prevention and tary Sale between the US and Indian Governments. BAE Systems’ gateway solutions we will further boost our efforts to make RUAG flagship air programme in India – the Hawk advanced jet trainer, Defence one of the leading cyber security specialists”, emphasises in association with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, is also well Dr. Markus A. Zoller, CEO of the RUAG Defence division. “We are placed for the future. aiming to become a principal solution and service provider for Based in New Delhi, Nik will join the BAE Systems India Board, organisations of all sizes and across all verticals, including local chaired by Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC Ltd, and will lead the and national government organisations, financial institutions and Company’s growth strategy anchored in a focus on ‘Make-in-India’. critical infrastructure providers. Clearswift’s global partner network The company will continue to expand and strengthen its partnerships and customer base in conjunction with its analyst-recognised solu- with domestic industry. It has recently selected Mahindra as business tions will play a key role in the growth of the RUAG Defence cyber

PhotograPhS: PIB, BaE Systems partner for the in-country assembly, integration and test facility for the security business unit.” SP

20 SP’S MAI Issue 1-2 • 2017 www.spsmai.com teChnology News US Army flies ‘hoverbike’ prototype

Army researchers and industry partners fly a prototype rectangular-shaped quadcopter during a visit from US DoD officials to Aberdeen Proving ground, Maryland

he Army Research Laboratory and industry partners dem- The laboratory began exploring the JTARV concept in the sum- onstrated the flying capabilities of a unique rectangular- mer of 2014. They identified a manufacturer, Malloy Aeronautics, shaped quadcopter during a visit from the Department of and a systems integrator, SURVICE, entered into a contract and Defense officials January 10, 2017. moved quickly from concept to full-scale prototypes. Dr William Roper, Director of the Strategic Capabili- The JTARV is now a joint effort with the Marine Corps, led by ties Office at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and members of Army researchers, at the Army Armament Research, Develop- This staff visited the Aberdeen Proving Ground laboratory to see the ment and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, New joint tactical aerial resupply vehicle (JTARV). Jersey; however, the Army Research Laboratory researchers still Also known as the ‘hoverbike,’ the vehicle may one day make it serve as subject matter experts on aeromechanics, assessment, possible for soldiers on the battlefield to order resupply and then analysis, propulsion, intelligence and controls and materials receive those supplies rapidly. and structures. During the visit, Roper told laboratory officials that he is con- “The project is successful because we went from concept devel- cerned about adapting future technology advances. He said he wants opment to engineering evaluation in collaboration with all vari- to figure out how to get people to “see something that’s coming on ous government agencies and industry,” explained Ernesto Garcia the shelf, immediately identify the use, determine if it’s good enough Lopez, ARDEC. “The demo we saw was a unique opportunity for us for rock and roll, get it into the field, but in a way that allows us to to show a seamless transition between one army organisation and keep one-upping it.” another army organisation and having the industry along the whole Researchers envision a future JTARV flying low to the ground or time,” he said. at thousands of feet at speeds of 96 km per hour or more. “Anywhere In addition to other industry, government and academic part- on the battlefield, soldiers can potentially get resupplied in less than ners, the JTARV project is teaming with the Office of Naval Research. 30 minutes,” said Tim Vong, Associate Chief of ARL’s Protection Divi- Researchers hope to demonstrate full autonomy in the near future, sion. He likened the concept to ‘Amazon on the battlefield.’ “We want Vong said. “I think the visit was a great success. It gave us an opportu- to have options like that,” Vong said. While the current prototype is nity to showcase to Dr Roper ideas and also the progress we’ve been electric, researchers are looking at a hybrid propulsion system that making in exploiting commercial UAS technologies,” Vong said. could dramatically increase range. The ARL is part of the ARDEC, which has the mission to provide “We’re exploring increasing payload capacity to 800 pounds and innovative research, development and engineering to produce capa- extending the range up to 200 km,” Vong said. “We’re also looking bilities that provide decisive overmatch to the army against the com- to integrate advanced intelligent navigation and mission planning. plexities of the current and future operating environments in support We’re looking to end up with a modular, stable platform that can be of the joint war-fighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordi-

PhotograPhS: army research Laboratory used for even more dynamic and challenging missions.” nate command of the US Army Materiel Command. SP

Issue 1-2 • 2017 SP’S MAI 21 InternAl SecurIty Breaches

Trooper held for hacking Kareena Kapoor-Khan’s income tax account, filing declaration 26-year-old fan’s dream to talk to actor Kareena Kapoor-Khan has landed him behind bars as the cyber police arrested him for hacking into the star’s income tax account and filing her Adeclaration. The accused, Manish Tiwari, is a paramilitary trooper posted in Chhattisgarh. The police said that last August, while searching for the actor’s mobile number on the Internet, Tiwari stumbled upon her PAN details. He then hacked into the actor’s income tax account and uploaded her declaration form for 2016-17. When Kareena’s chartered accountant (CA) Prakash Thakkar found out that she had already filed the declaration, he became sus- picious. A team, led by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjay Saxena tracked down Tiwari to Chhattisgarh recently and brought him to Mumbai city. SP

Kvitova said: “Thank you for all your heart-warming messages. Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova As you may have already heard, today I was attacked in my apart- attacked ment by an individual with a knife. In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand. “I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive. The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this. Thank you all again for your love and support and now I would appreciate some privacy while I focus on my recovery.” SP US veteran arrested in Florida airport shooting n US Army veteran, who complained that the government was controlling his mind, drew a gun from his checked lug- gage on arrival at the Fort Lauderdale Airport and opened Afire in the baggage claim area, killing five people and wounding eight, authorities said. He was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down n December 20, the two-time Wimbledon champion Petra and lying spread-eagle on the ground, one witness said. Kvitova said she is “fortunate to be alive” after being injured The gunman was identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of in a potentially career-threatening knife attack at her home. Anchorage, Alaska, who served in Iraq with the National Guard but OKvitova, 26, underewent surgery for severe lacerations to all four fin- was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory perfor- gers on her left hand — her playing hand. The incident, described as mance. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treat- a burglary, happened in Prostejov, Czech Republic. ment recently. Kvitova is ranked 11th in the world and has won a career total of 19 Santiago, who is in custody, will face federal charges. The gun- titles, including Grand Slam victories at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. man was arrested unharmed, with no shots fired by law enforce- It is understood she allowed someone posing as a utilities man ment officers, and was being questioned by the Federal Bureau of access to her apartment and while defending herself in a struggle, Investigation (FBI), Sheriff Scott Israel said. The airport was shut suffered the injuries to her hand. The intruder is believed to have down, with incoming flights diverted and outgoing flights held on

PhotograPh: Wikipedia, si.robi - Kvitova BM16 / wikimedia.org then run away and is being sought by police. the ground. SP

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