SOLE OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER • India’s• Internal Defence Security Procurement • Events’ Policies Reference & Procedures - Insert • NEW IN THIS EDITION - Map: DRDO and DPSUs Headquarters February-March 2014 Volume 11 No. 1 `100.00 (India-Based Buyer Only) TM SP’s AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION 2013 ST TM Finmeccanica and India: in the spirit of partnership. 2013 41 41 ISSUE ISSUE ST Editor-in-Chief Price: Inland Rs 7,495; JAYANT BARANWAL Foreign (Surface Mail): Stg. £ 415.00; US$ 735.00 SP military yearbook 110x181_11.indd 1 27/06/12 10.39 WWW.spslANDFORCES.COM SP's MYB Cover 2013 - Final.indd 1 589_Rafale_Press Ad 221 276.indd 1 24/08/12 12:21 27/12/12 4:07 PM ROUNDUP IN THIS ISSUE THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED to LAND FORCES DEFEXPO 2014 SPECIAL >> INTERVIEW Visit us at Hall 14 Booth 14.3 PAGE 6 Modernisation and Acquisition Plans ‘The profession of arms We need speedy induction of 155mm/52 calibre howitzers to replace the present equipment. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor is a ‘calling’, rather PAGE 8 Keys to Success: Net-centricity, Command, Control, Synergised Operations There is not only the need to undertake periodic holistic reviews but more than being just a job’ importantly technologies available globally photogRAphS: ANOOp kamath / Sp guIDe pubNS must be optimised ensuring required security to enhance our C4I2SR capabilities. Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 9 India’s Infantry Modernisation The lack of progress of acquiring even the weaponry, which is the easiest and most fundamental, is depressive to say the least because it directly and most adversely affects the soldiers fighting ability in the field. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor PAGE 11 Decades of Obsolescence Majority of AAD weapon systems are of erstwhile Soviet origin with an average vintage of 30 years. Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand PAGE 12 Night Vision Technologies Night vision devices comprise an image intensifier tube, a protective housing and a mounting system. Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PLUS Consolidating & Equipping the Special Forces Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch 14 Interview Communications and electronic surveillance provide critical support in handling Loïc Piedevache, MBDA, Country Head, India 16 of counter-insurgency and terrorist operations. Lt General Nitin Kohli, Signal Mine-resistant Ambush Officer-in-Chief and Colonel Commandant, Indian Army, in an interview with Protected Vehicles SP’s Land Forces, gave out details of the role played by the Corps of Signals in Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch 17 the areas of low-intensity conflict and counter-insurgency operation. Managing the Land Borders Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch 18 SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): Can you define these requirements, is the key enabler of It seems that the Air Force and the Navy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the Army the role and give out the charter of duties the transformation process of Indian Army are far ahead in this field. May we have Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand 19 of the Corps of Signals? towards net-centricity. your observations and comments on this Lt General Nitin Kohli (SO-in-C): The Corps vital issue? SP’s Exclusives / News in Brief 21 of Signals as “Information Warriors” are SP’s: The challenge today is to achieve SO-in-C: Net-centricity in functioning of responsible for providing telecommunica- successful integration of sensors, shoot- the Indian Army is the ultimate goal given tion and information connectivity to the ers and the decision-makers, thereby by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). This Indian Army. It has also been charged with enabling a dynamic, reliable and secure is to be achieved in three stages. We have the responsibility of providing substan- operational decision loop. How far have already completed the stages of “network- tive communication support to the Indian we achieved this capability? Where we are ing” and “net enabling” the Indian Army. Air Force and Navy. The Corps, based on as far as network-centricity is concerned? Various applications to achieve the desired APPLIED FOR 1/2014 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> INTERVIEW of LAC, the month of October capability building efforts have replacements, and holdings of all in May this year it is unlikely 2013 saw India and China taking been tardy and sluggish to say the types of missiles, anti-tank and that any big-ticket item, like artil- some necessary steps forward least and the political leadership, specialised ammunition was criti- lery howitzers, air defence guns/ in order to end the growing trust the bureaucracy and the military cally low. Thus pointing out the missiles, aviation assets, night deficit on both sides. Of the nine themselves are all to blame for lack of preparedness to fight and fighting aids, sensors of various pacts signed by Prime Minister this indefensible and unpardon- win wars on the battlefields of the categories or even basic small Manmohan Singh and Chinese able state of affairs as it directly 21st century arms such as new assault rifles premier Li Keqiang on October impacts upon the security of the Following this it seems that and new carbines for the infan- 23, 2013, during the Indian Prime country. Some details in respect of the Defence Ministry had asked try will fructify. In the meanwhile Minister’s visit, one of the most the army are given in the succeed- Army Headquarters to fast-track the Cabinet has sanctioned the important was on maintaining ing paragraphs. acquisitions and the list of es- raising of a Strike Corps for the peace and tranquility along the Indian Army’s modernisa- sentials was prepared and sent. mountains and the work on it has Defexpo India 2014, the eighth in LAC between the two countries. tion schemes amounting to over However, the situation has not commenced. However except for the series of biennial Land, Naval In the context of the violence on `70,000 crore in the Eleventh improved but in fact has wors- manpower it is not understood and Internal Homeland Security LoC, both India and Pakistan on Plan (2007-12) alone, have not ened in the last one year. On the as to how will the Army equip Systems Exhibition, will be held December 24, 2013, decided to fructified. The revised Defence one hand, nothing has come so this operational level formation at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi ‘re-energise’ existing mecha- Procurement Procedure (DPP) far, on the other hand, missiles which, apart from basic weapon- EDITORIAL from February 6-9, 2014. India’s nisms to maintain the ceasefire over the years has done little to and specialised ammunition hold- ry and communications, requires Ministry of Defence believes that on the LoC as per the declara- accelerate the pace of moderni- ings which have a shelf life, have many types of force multipliers to Defexpo India is clearly steering tion that came at a meeting of sation. A dispassionate analysis dipped further. The government be effective in the mountains. the path of steady growth and has the Directors General of Military would indicate that the voids in has now sanctioned the Twelfth Moreover what is surprising been receiving overwhelming and Operations (DGMOs) of the two equipment and munitions in the Five Year Defence Plan as a re- is that this sorry state of affairs unprecedented international re- sides, who held face-to-face talks Army to fight a modern war to- sult of the severe criticism over in the field of defence prepared- sponse with each edition. While for the first time in 14 years at the gether with the lack of moderni- delays in the past. However, for ness is not even being talked this maybe true, however this Wagah border. sation of equipment in virtually the Army it is a cosmetic paper ex- about by the major political par- time let us hope that Defexpo has While efforts to maintain all fighting arms of the Army is ercise as even the Eleventh Plan ties in their in their attempts to more deliverables at the end. The peace and tranquility at the bor- alarming and has caused a ca- procurements have not materi- woo voters prior to the elections reason is that there is no discern- der is advisable and beneficial, it pability gap vis-à-vis our likely alised. Thus considering the lack in 2014. In fact the current weak- able forward motion in defence is also indicative of the fact that adversaries and this is becom- of implementation of the Eleventh nesses need wide publicity so procurements. While the military skirmishes along unresolved bor- ing more pronounced day by Plan and the Army’s modernisa- that the people themselves put is anguished at the inordinate de- ders can break out at any time day. It is in this context that the tion process, the procurement of the pressure on the Government lays in procuring new equipment and this constitutes a challenge as letter written by General (Retd) both Eleventh and Twelfth Plans of the day. A country like India, to replace obsolescent hardware, well as a threat. In any case me- V.K. Singh, the former Chief of need to be hastened. which faces innumerable secu- the industry is frustrated at the less dia reports as well as statements Army Staff (COAS), to the Prime The defence budget for 2013- rity challenges, needs a political than the pedestrian pace at which from the former army chiefs from Minister on March 12, 2012, 14 grew by 5 per cent over the leadership which is alive to the the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is 2009 onwards indicate that the which was deliberately leaked to previous year, with defence capi- dangers of not being militar- moving.