www.sailorswarriors.com land, naval & homeland security magazine | April - July 2021| Vol VIII | Issue 5 & 6 India to build six state-of-the-art submarines Supporting India for Self-Reliance in Modern Battlefield in association with 2 SAILORS & WARRIORS C M Y CM MY CY CMY K SAILORS & WARRIORS 3 Editorial Indian Navy’s life-saving missions uring extremely grave disasters, the civilian authorities often find crisis management an uphill task and the Armed Forces get into action. Over the Dyears, the Indian Navy has regularly deployed its ships and other vessels along with personnel wherever their presence was needed. Among the recent incidents that have witnessed the involvement of the Indian Navy are the oxygen crisis faced by the country due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cyclone. When there was a shortage of oxygen needed for treatment of COVID-19 patients Regional Representatives in several hospitals, the Indian Navy deployed ships to the Middle East and Singapore to bring liquid oxygen, cryogenic oxygen tanks, oxygen concentrators and oxygen Berlin, Germany cylinders under Operation Samudra Setu II. Earlier, during the first phase of the Detlef Becker pandemic in 2020, Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu I to evacuate E : [email protected] Indian nationals stranded in various countries. T : + 497 112317595 Moreover, the Naval Dockyard Technical team under the Eastern Naval Command in M : + 491 701626053 Visakhapatnam designed, developed, and built Mobile Oxygen Generation Plants. Also known as 'Oxygen on Wheels', the plants are intended to meet the shortage of oxygen Paris, France and provide a direct feed to any hospital's pipeline system. Marie-Thérèse Bonfigli Similarly, during Cyclone Tauktae that wreaked havoc in the Arabian Sea off the E : [email protected] western coast of India, Indian Navy sent ships including INS Kochi, INS Kolkata, INS M : +33 (0)6 89 20 95 68 Talwar, INS Beas, INS Betwa and INS Teg and a number of helicopters to Heera Oil Fields in Bombay High area where a barge engaged in drilling activities for ONGC sank and Moscow, Russia another was stranded. There were 273 personnel on board Barge 'P305' that sank and George Smirnov the Indian Navy could rescue a majority of them. E : [email protected] During Cyclone Tauktae, Indian Navy also rescued the crew of a tug off Mangalore M : +7 (906)711-03-51 / (495)644-17-33 and engaged in relief operations at Chellanam in Kochi which was affected by floods. In addition, the Indian Navy carried out a fire safety audit in all government hospitals Cairo, Egypt in Kerala. Dr. Ashraf Rashed Not surprisingly, these efforts of the Indian Navy have saved numerous lives. Even E : [email protected] though its main role is protecting the maritime borders of India and keeping the oceans T : + 2 01222164036 surrounding the country safe, the Navy gives equal importance to the benign tasks also. This was evident in these recent developments and every Indian citizen should New Delhi congratulate the Navy and personnel for the remarkable efforts and be grateful to Wg.Cdr.(Rtd) G.C.Mahabhatra them. E : [email protected] T : + 91 9818903111 Sunny Jerome Managing Editor Tamil Nadu Sundaram Ramaswamy E : [email protected] For Publishing Articles, Advertisements T : + 91 9443222805 Editor, Sailors & Warriors, Aeromag Asia, Sunny Jerome B-2, SAPPHIRE, 1st, Block, 3rd Cross, Prakruthi Township, Babusapalya, Managing Editor Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560113, Karnataka, India Call: +91 94490 61925 | Tel: +91 80 43747492 Preethi M. Email: [email protected] Associate Editor Printed at Rashtrotthana Mudranalaya, 19/1, K.G. Nagar, Bangalore - 19 4 SAILORS & WARRIORS Content 08 06 Indian Navy saves lives during oxygen crisis, Cyclone Tauktae 08 New submarine project to give big thrust to Atmanirbhar Bharat 12 Navantia launches 3rd corvette for Saudi Navy 14 14 Supporting India’s Goal of Self-Reliance for the Modern Battlefield and Soldier 18 Elcom Group - Market Leader in Defence Electronics & Communication 22 Advanced Light Helicopters Inducted at INS Dega 24 GRSE Lays Keel of 3rd Ship of Project 17A Advanced Stealth Frigate 25 IAI & Thales to Offer Next Generation Ship-Killing Solution for the Royal Navy 27 Raytheon Group Companies send life-saving machines to India 31 Navantia opens Training Centre in San Fernando 30 35 SAILORS & WARRIORS 5 Indian Navy saves lives during oxygen crisis, Cyclone Tauktae he Indian Navy has four major and natural disasters such as Cyclone The recent missions of roles to play – military, diplomatic, Tauktae. the Indian Navy included Tconstabulary and benign. During Among the most notable transporting liquid oxygen and the recent weeks, the Navy has been developments on this front was the tanks from abroad; developing engaged in urgent missions involving design and development of Mobile oxygen generation plants and rescuing people from stranded benign activities such as search and Oxygen Generation Plants, termed and sinking vessels during rescue, disaster relief and humanitarian 'Oxygen on Wheels' by Naval Dockyard the severe cyclone that hit aid. This was necessary as the nation has Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval the western coast of India been struggling to manage the oxygen Command (ENC). The plants, which crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are intended to meet the shortage of oxygen used in COVID-19 treatment, were inaugurated by Vice Admiral A B Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in- Chief ENC. The Naval Dockyard Technical team conceived and developed the Oxygen Generation Plants with 100 litres per minute capacity, designed to provide a direct feed to any hospital's pipeline system. The Oxygen Plants, mounted on trailers, can easily be transported to remote hospitals and connected to the hospital's fixed oxygen piping system - to serve as the main feed for up to 16 beds. The Oxygen System can also serve as a backup to prevent incidents of low oxygen pressure especially in smaller hospitals and rural areas. Earlier, ships of the Indian Navy transported several tonnes of liquid 6 SAILORS & WARRIORS Admiral_Karambir Singh PVSM,AVSM,ADC Chief of Indian Navy oxygen, scores of cryogenic oxygen Barge 'GAL Constructor' with 137 people tanks, numerous oxygen concentrators onboard about 8 nautical miles from and thousands of oxygen cylinders under Mumbai, INS Kolkata sailed for the Operation Samudra Setu II (Ocean Bridge rescue mission. II) from Middle East and Singapore to Moreover, during the cyclone, 11 Indian meet the needs of India’s healthcare Navy Diving Teams were deployed in sector fighting the pandemic. addition to 12 Flood Rescue Teams and medical teams. Navy’s Maritime Cyclone Tauktae Reconnaissance aircraft on surveillance Indian Navy also was also engaged in continuously broadcast cyclone warnings rescue missions during Cyclone Tauktae to fishermen. that raged off the western coast of India. Relief operations by naval teams were For instance, in a swift response to an also undertaken at Kochi. Three diving SOS by an Indian vessel adrift in Arabian teams along with Quick Reaction Teams Sea, a naval helicopter was dispatched from Southern Naval Command were Cortina Hospital which was completely for rescuing the stranded crew of Indian deployed at Chellanam area for providing inaccessible due to water-logging. flagged Tug ‘Coromondel Supporter assistance to the local people stranded IX', which was adrift North West of due to flooding. These teams ferried Fire safety audit Mangalore. food, water and provisions to the relief Yet another mission of the Indian Similarly, on receipt of a request for camp which was inaccessible by vehicles Navy was a fire safety audit. Based assistance for a Barge 'P305' adrift off due to heavy water-logging. Stranded on a request by the Chief Secretary, Heera Oil Fields in Bombay High area people were ferried in Gemini rubber Government of Kerala, to conduct such with 273 personnel onboard, INS Kochi craft from their houses to relief camps an audit of government hospitals in the swiftly sailed to render assistance. In on higher ground. The Naval teams also state, the Southern Naval Command response to another SOS received from provided water and essentials to the deployed five teams to various hospitals in Ernakulam district. After an initial assessment, an additional 22 teams were deputed for the task in the remaining 13 districts of Kerala. There are 140 government/ taluk hospitals and other treatment centres/ infrastructure handling COVID cases in the state. Teams from INS Zamorin and Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala were deputed to conduct the audit of hospitals located in Kasaragod, Kannur and Kozhikode districts and teams from INS Agrani at Coimbatore were deputed in Palakkad. SAILORS & WARRIORS 7 India to build six state-of-the-art submarines at Rs 43,000 crore According to the Ministry of Defence, the mega submarine project is the first case processed under the Strategic Partnership model. Moreover, it would be one of the largest ‘Make in India’ projects and will serve to facilitate faster and more significant absorption of technology and create a tiered industrial ecosystem for submarine construction in India iving a major boost to its Navy, India has decided create a tiered industrial ecosystem for submarine construction to indigenously build six conventional submarines in India, according to the MoD. The Government also believes Gequipped with state-of-the-art technology such as air that from a strategic perspective, the initiative will help reduce independent propulsion system at a cost of around Rs 43,000 the current dependence on imports and gradually ensure crore. A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of greater self-reliance and dependability of supplies from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) held under the Chairmanship indigenous sources. of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave clearance to issue of The approval will also help the country realize its 30- Request for Proposal (RFP) for construction of the submarines year submarine construction programme envisioned by the under Project P 75 (I) of the Strategic Partnership (SP) model.