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IndiaSTRATEGIC2
November 2016
For nearly 15 years now, the New Delhi-headquartered BrahMos Aerospace is participating in defence exhibitions around the world, apparently hoping to export the world’s first supersonic missile to at least some “friendly”countries. That is, countries which are acceptable to both India and Russia, the two partners in this strategic joint venture.
There is a list of a dozen countries that has broadly been agreed to also between the foreign ministries in New Delhi and Moscow, but then of course, there is periodic rethinking of diplomatic and military repercussions in the regions they are sold in.
The range of the BrahMos is limited to 290 km with a 500 kilo payload in accordance with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), to which earlier Russia was a signatory and now India also is. At least one country, I understand from diplomatic sources, wants a little higher range, and then of course, there are issues over pricing, servicing and maintenance for this well-tested (in trials) One-Shot-Kill missile.
Besides the defence shows in India like Defexpo and Aero India, I have seen BrahMos’ persistent presence at IDEX in Abu Dhabi, since I think, 2003. BrahMos was there at the recent Euronaval in Paris in October, drawing attention from many, particularly the Chinese whose uniformed officers took photo shots of its models from every angle. China is known for reverse engineering, and pictures and models, which are usually to scale, should be helpful to anybody to build upon something similar.
Defence shows are great places to learn about emerging technologies, and who is doing what. In fact, big companies want official trade visitors in the hope of possible sales while media, always hungry for news, acts as the catalyst to spread the (generally) good word about them. Information is reasonably well open and available, and if one is a potential buyer, then he or she is treated with respect.
Many companies were selling an impressive array of missiles, of higher ranges and higher payload, which could be fired from ships, submarines, land and aircraft.
BrahMos, which has already conducted several successful tests from land and ships, is on the anvil of developing air-launched versions for IAF’s Su-30 MKI aircraft.
An interesting presentation at its stand was the model of a Russian Amur class nuclear powered submarine, which could be fitted with the BrahMos if the Indian Navy leases it from Russia. Talks in regard are on.
Is there a comparison between the BrahMos and other missiles! Although an armed force needs different missiles for different requirements, there is an element of finality about the BrahMos. It is The Only supersonic cruise missile in the world.
Gulshan Rai Luthra
Editorial DirectorGulshan R Luthra
CEO & Managing EditorAir Marshal V K Bhatia (Retd)
Editor AviationAir Marshal Ashok Goel (Retd)
Editor Diplomatic AffairsAmbassador R Rajagopalan
Editor ArmyLt Gen V Patankar (Retd)
Consulting EditorsTarun Basu
Vinay KumarNilova Roy Chaudhury
Rear Adm Rakesh Chopra (Retd)Assistant Editor
Niha LuthraSenior Correspondent
Shweta SehgalInternational Correspondent
Cmde Ranjit Rai (Retd)Foreign Correspondent (Europe)
Murielle Laird
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Ambassador K RaghunathAmbassador Santosh Kumar
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Mr Vinod MisraMr R I SinghDr Prahlada
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EditorialThe BrahMos Finality
IndiaSTRATEGIC 3
Contents
Talking Points ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
Appointments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Defence Procurement and Blacklisting Policy ���������������������������������������������������� 20
Indian Air Force Celebrates 84th Anniversary ��������������������������������������������������� 22
Defence against Drones A Formidable Challenge But Achievable ��������������������� 28
ABC Aviation ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 40-51
Euronaval: New Technologies and Cyber Defence Dominate the Show���� ��������� 52
Industry ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 62-67
Surgical Strike on Corruption, Terrorism and FICN ����������������������������������68
Around the World ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������72
Lastly ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������80 Flying for Everyone!42
38 M777 ClearsCustoms Check
8Focus of Goa BRICS SummitTerrorism and Development
Forces34 Mechanised
Cover Pix: MEAContent Partner: Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi
Cover Story
REGIONAL AVIATION
Cover StoryCover Story
Civil Nuclear Cooperation Deal 14 India, Japan Sign
November 2016
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Boeing-Equipped P-8A Training Centre Opens at Whidbey Island
ST. LOUIS. Boeing has installed a new P-8A Poseidon training centre at Naval Air Station Whidbey
Island, Washington, as the base begins preparations for the arrival of P-8 aircraft beginning in 2017.
“About 70 per cent of the training we do for our P-8 crews happen in this building,” said US Navy Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad. “That is going to make that wonderful aircraft last longer and longer. As much as 45 years.”
The aircrew training devices installed at Whidbey Island have the same configuration as the aircraft that will be stationed there next year. Boeing is on contract to modify and provide updates to the training devices over the next three years.
Boeing also provides P-8A aircrew training devices, electronic classrooms and courseware for the Navy at its
Integrated Training Centre (ITC) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. Aircrews began training in the ITC in early 2012.
MC K I N N E Y, T E X A S . R a y t h e o n C o m p a n y plans to build the T-100
Integrated Air Training System on a shovel-ready site in Mississippi, should the US Air Force approve the company's proposal for the Advanced Pilot Training programme.
The T-100 Integrated Air Training System is a comprehensive, next-genera t ion t ra in ing so lu t ion
customised to meet and exceed the US Air Force's mission requirements. Based on the Aermacchi M-346, it combines cutting–edge, ground-based simulators with computerized classroom training to prepare the next generation of pi lots. Leonardo-Finmeccanica, CAE USA and Honeywell Aerospace have partnered with Raytheon to offer the T-100 to the US Air Force.
Raytheon chooses US site to manufacture Air Force jet trainer
TALKING POINTS
Hiratagakuen signs Contract for two H145//BK117D-2s
TOKYO. Airbus Helicopters Japan has signed a contract with Hiratagakuen for two H145//
BK117D-2s, becoming the f i rst customer for the H145//BK117D-2 in Japan. Delivery of the first rotorcraft is scheduled in 2017, and it will be used for emergency medical service operations. Co-developed with KHI, the H145//BK117D-2 comes with state-of-the-art Helionix avionics suite and designed-in mission capability and flexibility, especially in high and hot operating conditions.
November 2016
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GUANGZHOU, CHINA. Boe ing and Ch ina Southern Airlines on
October 12 finalised an order of 12 787-9 Dreamliners, valued at $3.2 billion at current l ist prices. The new order strengthens China Southern’s expanding long-haul fleet.
China Southern Airlines, China’s launch customer of the 787, currently operates 10 787-8s. The airplanes have enabled the Guangzhou-based carrier to launch six new non-stop global routes, connecting Guangzhou to London and Rome in Europe, Vancouver in North America, as well as Perth, Auckland and Christchurch in the Oceania area.
“China Southern has been a long-standing Boeing customer and we truly appreciate their confidence
RAKHMANOV, informed SAN DIEGO. General Atomics announced in October that the US Department
of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released its newest flight software which fields GA-ASI's proprietary Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) system. The ATLC system is designed to increase safety and efficiency of air crews. This release allows CBP to realize a major capability
milestone following the upgrade of its operational Predator B/ Guardian aircraft fleet with other advanced equipment. The design of the ATLC system for CBP's Predator B's was leveraged directly from the well-proven Automatic Takeoff and Landing System (ATLS) on the Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system, which has logged tens of thousands of successful automatic takeoff and landing events with the US Army.
DHS Fields New Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability for Predator B Fleet
Boeing, China Southern Airlines Finalise Order for 12 787-9 Dreamliners
GA R E T H J E N N I N G S , LONDON. The Bangladesh Army has ordered a single
Airbus Defence and Space (DS) C295W tactical transport aircraft to be delivered in the second half of 2017, the company announced October 11. The order, which will see the aircraft delivered in its baseline transport configuration, includes training and support. No contract value was disclosed. The Bangladesh Army already operates a number of utility and tactical transport aircraft types, including the Piper PA-31 Navajo and Cessna 337 Skymaster, but the C295W with its payload of 8.5 tonnes is by some distance the most capable platform that the service has ordered to date.
AM S T E R D A M . B o e i n g announced October 20 that Yangtze River Express signed an
agreement to become the first Chinese airline to use Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox Records to automate its maintenance record keeping. Toolbox Records will eliminate paper-based maintenance records from the airline’s operations and will reduce operating costs through improved efficiency. Toolbox Records uses data analytics processes to help airlines make better operational maintenance decisions and manages scanned and digitally produced maintenance and flight records, with immediate access to critical files. Toolbox Records integrates seamlessly into existing airline maintenance and engineering systems, to provide increased operational efficiency and a unified user experience.
Bangladesh Army Orders Single C295W Airlifter
Yangtze River Express Becomes First Airline in China to Sign for Digital Boeing Toolbox Records
TALKING POINTS
in the 787,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president, Northeast Asia Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 787-9 will help the airline achieve a new level of efficiency and profitability.”
China’s largest airline by fleet size, China Southern Airlines currently operates 700 aircraft, includ ing Boeing 787, 777, 747, 757 and 737s. By 2020, the airline expects to have a fleet of 1,000 aircraft with passenger traffic surpassing 160 million annually.
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC6
APPOINTMENTS
NEW DELHI. Rear Admiral Vennam Sr in ivas has assumed the duties of
Flag Officer Submarines from Rear Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, October 24. Rear Adm Srinivas was commissioned into Indian
Navy on July 1, 1987, and has served 25 years in the Submarine Arm. He has commanded two conven t i ona l submar i ne s , a destroyer pr ior assuming command o f t he nuc l ea r submarine INS Chakra.
Whilst serving ashore, the officer commanded the Navy’s submarine training establishment and has been the Pr incipal Director at Naval Headquarters.
He is an alumnus of prestigious College of Naval Warfare, and has also completed the Staff Course in Defence Services Staff College at Wellington. He is a recipient of Nau Sena Medal (NM). n
NEW DELHI. Vice Admiral SN Ghormade assumed the charge of Director General
Naval Operations October 21 at the IHQ MoD (N). The Flag Officer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 1, 1984. He is a graduate of National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune, United States Naval Staff College at Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and the Naval War College, Mumbai. In addition to a specialisation in Navigation and Direction within the Navy, the Admiral holds a M Phil in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Mumbai, MSc Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras and Master Degree in Personnel Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (University of Pune).
During his career spanning over 32 years, he has been through a myriad of operational and staff appointments. His operational appointments include commands of the Guided Missile Frigate
INS Brahmaputra, Submarine Rescue Vessel INS Nireekshak and Minesweeper INS Allepey and second in command of Guided Missile Frigate INS Ganga. On promotion to the Flag Rank in 2012, he held the appointments of Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development) and Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Naval Area. Prior taking over as DGNO he was the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area. The officer is the recipient of the Presidential award of Nau Sena Medal (NM). n
Rear Admiral Vennam Srinivas Takes Over as Flag Officer Submarines
Vice Admiral SN Ghormade Takes Over as Director General Naval Operations
Vice Admiral SV Bhokare is the new INA Commandant
NEW DELHI. Vice Admiral SV Bhokare took over charge as the Commandant of Indian Naval
Academy (INA), Ezhimala, October 20, 2016.
Vice Admiral SV Bhokare is a specialist in Navigation and Direction and a Graduate of National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu. He attended the Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and holds a Master’s Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from Australian Defence College, Canberra.
The officer belongs to the elite submarine arm of the Indian Navy. In his illustrious career spanning 32 years, he commanded three frontline Submarines, INS Sindhughosh, Sindhudhvaj and Sindhushastra, as well as Guided Missile Frigate INS Beas and Submarine base INS Vajrabahu. He has also held various prestigious staff and operational appointments including Command of Submarine Squadron as Commodore Commanding Submarines (West) and Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at Eastern Naval Command. On being promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in 2012, he was appointed as Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) and in 2015 as Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF).
Vice Admiral Bhokare is the seventh in line and the first ever submariner to take over the reins of the Indian Naval Academy. He is a recipient of YudhSeva (YSM) and Nau Sena (NM) medals. n
November 2016
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NEW DELHI. Vice Admiral GS Pabby assumed charge
as the Chief of Materiel, Ind ian Navy October 31. The Admiral is a graduate with Honours in Mechanical Engineering and M Tech in Systems and Controls from IIT Mumbai.
During his illustrious career spanning over three and a half decades, the Admiral has served onboard a wide range of front line ships including Russian Petya class of ships, Russian Kashin class Destroyers and indigenously designed and built Delhi Class Destroyers.
On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral in December 2009, he was appointed as the Chief Staff Officer (Technical) at Headquarters, Western
Naval Command and later moved to Naval Dockyard V i sakhapatnam. As Admiral Superintendent o f Nava l Dockya rd V isakhapatnam, the Admiral was responsible for the major refits of all ships and submarines on the East Coast and a
number of mid life upgrades of ships and Russian submarines were carried out under his stewardship.
The Vice Admiral was later appointed as Director General Naval Projects at Mumbai, where he oversaw the construction of the new dry dock, which would be the largest Naval dry dock.
The Admiral is a recipient of Presidential awards of Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). n
Vice Admiral GS Pabby Assumes Charge as Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy
NEW DELHI. In a rare move, the Government gave second extension
of one year to senior IPS officer Sharad Kumar by re-employing him as Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a period of one year. The Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for re-appointment of Kumar on the post of DG, NIA on “re-employment” for a period of one year beyond end of previous one year, an official statement said.
Kumar, an IPS officer of 1979 batch of Haryana cadre, was appointed as Chief of NIA on July 30, 2013. His continuance was approved apparently to help the agency in completing some of the important cases which includes Pathankot terror case, terror strikes in Kashmir, Burdwan blast case and Samjhauta blast cases.
H a v i n g g o t n u m e r o u s outstand ing reports during service, Kumar is also a recipient of President’s Police medals for meritorious and distinguished services in the year 1996 and 2004, respectively. n
Sharad Kumar Gets Second Extension of one year as NIA Chief
Boeing Names Mounir New Sales, Marketing Leader for Commercial Airplanes
SEATTLE. Boeing on October 14 announced that Ihssane Mounir has been named the new vice
president of Sales and Marketing for Commercial Airplanes. Mounir succeeds John Wojick, who is retiring after 36 years of company service, effective early 2017.
In his new role, Mounir will be responsible for the sales and marketing of all commercial airplanes and related services to airlines and leasing customers in all markets worldwide. His team's duties include sales strategy, operations and customer relationships.
"Ihssane is a seasoned sales leader with in-depth knowledge of Boeing customers worldwide," said Boeing Commercia l Airp lanes Pres ident and CEO Ray Conner. "His extensive knowledge of our products and services puts him in the best position to help our customers address their fleet and operational needs and be successful in today's competitive environment."
Mounir has held several leadership pos i t ions with in Boeing's Sa les organisation, mostly recently as vice president of Sales for Northeast Asia. He previously served as vice president of Marketing, Sales Strategy and Operations, responsible for developing and implementing cross-regional strategies for Commercial Airplanes. n
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC8
NEW DELHI. The eighth BRICS summit came to a successful close with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16 summing up proceedings by stating that the five countries were
united in their efforts to combat terrorism, a “key priority” for their countries, since it hampered development.
BRICS – a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – agreed at the end of their eighth summit of leaders that combating terror, including cross-border terror, would be a “key priority” for them and they were united in their efforts to combat it, said the Indian Prime Minister.
Summing up the salient parts from the Goa Declaration, issued at the end of the eighth BRICS
summit, hosted in the western state of Goa, Mr Modi said, “We agreed to close coordination on tracking terrorists, their funding and weapons.”
It is traditional in the group for the host leader to sum up the most critical part of the deliberations held by the leaders.
Development and equitable growth was the other key focus area of the BRICS summit which concluded on Sunday, October 16, with the adoption of the Goa Declaration and Action Plan, which said, “BRICS countries represent an influential voice on the global stage through our tangible cooperation, which delivers direct benefits to our
n By Nilova Roy Chaudhury
Terrorism and Development Focus of GOA BRICS SUMMIT
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC 9
become more effective.”“The BRICS countries’ role in the global economy
continues to grow,” President Putin said. “In 2007, we accounted for less than 24 per cent of global GDP, but this year, we account now for more than 31 per cent. The five BRICS countries are active participants in developing multilateral decisions and agreements that will accelerate global growth and trade and help to resolve the unemployment issue,” explaining the importance of their decisions.
His words were echoed in the Goa Declaration, which said, “We note with appreciation the approval of the first set of loans by the New Development Bank (NDB), particularly in the renewable energy projects in BRICS countries. We express satisfaction with NDB’s issuance of the first set of green bonds in RMB. We are pleased to note that the operationalisation
people. In this context, we note with satisfaction the operationalisation of the New Deve lopment Bank (NDB) and of the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), which contributes greatly to the global economy and the strengthening of the international financial architecture,” the leaders stated in the Goa Declaration.
In his address to the plenary session of BRICS, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “We value greatly the fact that the Indian presidency has ensured continuity and has taken into account the initiatives that Russia put forward in Ufa a year ago,” adding, “We believe that our industrial cooperation can
(Left page) Prime Minister Narendra modi formally welcomes the President of Brazil Michel Temer to the BRICS Summit in Goa(Above) Prime Minister modi in a group photo with the BRICS Leaders’
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC10
of BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangements (CRA) has strengthened the global financial safety net.”
Addressing the plenary session of the BRICS summit, the Indian Prime Minister said, “Selective approaches to terrorist organisation and individuals” will be counterproductive. “Criminality should be the only basis for action against individuals and organisations carrying out terrorist acts.”
Without naming Pakistan, Modi referred to that country as the “mother-ship” of terrorism at the closed door session of the BRICS leaders.
“This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset... that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains,” the Indian foreign ministry spokesman quoted Mr Modi as saying at a closed-door meet of the BRICS leaders, including President Michel Temer of Brazil, President Putin of the Russian Federation, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and President Xi Jinping of China, a close ally of Pakistan.
“We agreed (that) those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves,” Mr Modi said. “We underscored the need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and target the hardware of terrorism, including weapons’ supplies, ammunition, equipment and
training,” the Indian Prime Minister said, adding, “BRICS needs to work together and act decisively to end this menace of terrorism.”
His concerns were reflected in the strong language in six paragraphs on terrorism included in the Goa Declaration issued at the end of the BRICS summit. Mr Modi stressed that it was important for BRICS nations to act both “individually and collectively” to provide a “comprehensive response” to terrorism, which he said had “grown more lethal and adept at the use of technology”. A “selective approach against terrorism,” he cautioned, was both futile and counterproductive.
The Ind ian PM received strong support from Russian President Putin, who said after his summit meeting with Mr Modi on October 15 that Russia unequivocally condemned cross-border acts of terrorism against India, while expressing “strong support” for India in its fight against “cross-border” terrorism.
“We want to fight terrorism together,
“We agreed (that) those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves,”
November 2016
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Summit of BRICS Leaders with the Leaders of BIMSTEC member countries - Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation comprising of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The meeting will be an opportunity to renew our friendship with BIMSTEC countries as well as to jointly explore possibilities of expanding trade and commercial ties, and investment cooperation between BRICS and BIMSTEC countries, while advancing our common goals of peace, development, democracy and prosperity,” the Goa Declaration stated.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose statements were closely analysed, was convivial in his remarks, saying, “We need to deepen our partnership, we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity. October is the season of harvest and this year marks the tenth anniversary of BRICS cooperation,” the Chinese President pointed out.
President Xi and the Chinese delegation strongly condemned terrorism, but did not want it to become country-specific, avoiding any attempts to name any country.
Denying media criticism that the Goa summit was a “unifocal” summit, only concentrating on counter-terrorism issues, Amar Sinha, Secretary, Economic
we all will collectively work on it,” Mr Putin reiterated while speaking at the BRICS outreach session with the seven member countries of BIMSTEC late on October 16.
BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is an organisation comprising a group of South Asian and South East Asian countries. These are: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
As is traditional, India had a choice of which neighbours to invite and chose to invite the leaders of BIMSTEC, all developing countries, to jointly discuss developmental and other issues with BRICS leaders. At the Ufa summit in 2015, Russia had invited leaders from the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for the outreach with BRICS leaders.
“In order to reach out and enrich our understanding and engagement with fellow developing and emerging economies, we will hold an Outreach
(from left) pm modi welcomes Russian president Vladimir Putin, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and President of the Republic of South Africa Jacob Zuma, respectively, to the BRICS Summit
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC12
Relations, in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said the summit agenda was “forward-looking” and “wide-ranging,” reflected in the 93-paragraph long Summit Declaration and Action Plan.
Sinha said a great deal of the discussion among BRICS leaders was about enhancing economic ties within BRICS, where trade is lagging. The leading Indian negotiator and “sherpa” at the BRICS summit, Sinha said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Customs Cooperation was an important outcome. The MoU would lead to a trade facilitation agreement to promote trade between the five countries.
“We see BRICS as providing a new perspective to global challenges, a major one of which is countering terrorism,” Sinha said. “We succeeded in bringing a focus on terrorism, which is important from India’s perspective, because it hampers our development. At the summit, the leaders also focused on democratisation of the global architecture, and on reforms in global taxation and on issues of tackling corruption.”
“Clearly, contrary to predictions of doom, we are doing well as a group, because the (BRICS web) site has been hacked,” he said wryly.
Highlighting the economic agenda, on which BRICS was founded, President Putin said, “New areas of cooperation and frameworks, for example, industrial cooperation, are being developed on top of structures that already exist, such as the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement with a total capital of $200 billion, a substantial amount that wil l further increase in the future. We are discussing introducing uniform technical standards. These are fundamental initiatives that pave the way to harmonising economic development and policies.”
“The BRICS countries share close positions on current global and regional
Prime Minister Modi with leaders of Bimstec countries: from left nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and thailand
November 2016
IndiaSTRATEGIC 13
(BRICS nations) have similar challenges, we can work together to overcome them,” the Brazilian President said.
“The world is faced with new inter connected challenges which require our concerted efforts to resolve,” South African President Jacob Zuma said at the plenary session.
Speaking to journalists after the BRICS summit, President Putin dismissed western suggestions that BRICS was losing its relevance, in part because of tensions between countries like India and China.
“Every country, and even more so major powers, has its own interests that may run counter to those of its closest allies. That said, what underpins the mutual interest of BRICS countries? It is underpinned by the similarity of their economies and the objectives that they face. This is so obvious that you do not even have to be an expert to understand this. All it takes is to look at their economic structure, development patterns, growth rate and objectives,” President Putin said.
“It is this objective interest in maintaining contacts and promoting cooperation in various areas that lies at the core of our association and encourages optimism. Furthermore, to be honest I am pleased with this meeting, because for the first time I saw that all parties involved were genuinely interested in developing relations within this framework, which could pave the way to cooperation in specific areas,” the President noted.
Reiterating their resolve for a just and equitable world order to ensure development can take place, the BRICS leaders stated, “We note the global character of current security challenges and threats confronting the international community. We reiterate our view that international efforts to address these challenges, the establishment of sustainable peace as well as the transition to a more just, equitable and democratic multi-polar international order requires a comprehensive, concerted and determined approach, based on spirit of solidarity, mutual trust and benefit, equity and cooperation, strong commitment to international law and the central role of the United Nations as the universal multilateral organisation entrusted with the mandate for maintaining international peace and security, advance global development and to promote and protect human rights,” the Goa Declaration said.
Summing up the deliberations held during the 8th summit, the host said, “In a world of uncertainties, BRICS stands as a beacon of peace, potential and promise. We are celebrating 10 years of our partnership under BRICS, it has produced strong benefits of cooperation,” said Mr Modi. n
issues, call for resolute action to fight terrorism, and joint efforts to counter other serious threats and challenges in today’s world,” Mr Putin said in his statement. “We believe that international conflicts should be resolved exclusively through political and diplomatic means and we reject all forms of pressure using force and infringement of other countries’ sovereignty.”
Brazil’s President Michel Temer said he wanted to “congratulate PM Narendra Modi for the effort to take BRICS out of meeting rooms, to public spaces,” he said, referring to the enhanced agenda of outreach programmes which have been held through the year, most recently with the BRICS Trade and film fairs. “We all can expand our partnership in different areas now,” said President Temer. “We
“In a world of uncertainties, BRICS stands as a beacon of peace, potential and promise. We are celebrating 10 years of our partnership under BRICS, it has produced strong benefits of cooperation,”
PHOTO COURTESY: MEA
November 2016
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NEW DELHI. The Ind ia-Japan civil nuclear cooperation agreement, in the works for over six years, was finally signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan on November 11
and 12, for the annual prime ministerial summit with Japan, a key feature of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The Japan-India Nuclear Civil Agreement (NCA) opens, in theory, the way for the construction of six Westinghouse/Toshiba AP1000 reactors at Mithivirdi, in the state of Gujarat.
While basic parameters of the long-awaited civil nuclear deal were agreed upon by the two Prime Ministers in 2015, the final concessions were made
INDIA, JAPAN Sign Civil Nuclear Cooperation Deal
barely hours before Mr Modi reached Tokyo.
Sources told India Strategic that the agreement is “broadly the same” as the civil nuclear agreements India has with other countries, including the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal of 2008. However, India had made concessions, taking into account “Japan’s Special sensitivities”, as the only country ever to have suffered a nuclear attack.
“It follows the same template, but compresses the developments which have taken place since 2007,” a source said. “It reflects commitments which were made at the time of the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) waiver in
n By Nilova Roy Chaudhury
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in a separate note,” sources said, adding that “no additional commitments have been made by India.”
The Note is a record, being kept by the negotiators of their respective views.
“It states what could be Japan’s views in advance, on what is a hypothetical situation (India conducting a nuclear test); that is their national prerogative,” sources said. “At the same time, it also records India’s position on the same issue, which is a reiteration of the September 2008 commitments (for the NSG waiver). No change is envisaged from those commitments,” sources reiterated.
The joint document signed by the two countries lays down a roadmap for bilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. “This would provide for the development of nuclear power projects in India and thus strengthening of energy security of the
2008, many of which were unilateral in nature (including not conducting further nuclear tests),” said the sources.
“The termination clause is there in other NCAs we have signed, including with the US (Article 14). However, the circumstances triggering a possible termination are never sharply defined,” the source told Ind ia Strategic, responding to a specif ic question about whether India had agreed to a “nullification clause”.
“Consideration has to be given to mitigating factors. Given Japan’s special sensitivities as the only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack, it was felt that their views should be recorded
(Left page) Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe(top) both leaders addressing a Joint Press Conference after the summit meeting
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country. The present agreement would open up the door for collaboration between Indian and Japanese industries in our Civil Nuclear programme,” it says.
However, getting signatures on the dotted line was not easy. There were several questions and concerns that delayed the agreement, some of which remain. Policy-makers and parliamentarians in Japan argued that a nuclear agreement with India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), would undermine the nuclear regime.
Addressing those concerns, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, “This agreement is a legal framework that India will act responsibly in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and also in the non-proliferation regime, even though India is not a participant or signatory of the NPT. It (the agreement) is in line with Japan’s ambition to create a world without nuclear weapons,” Prime Minister Abe said.
Defence cooperation and maritime security was another key issue addressed.
A joint statement issued after the talks between the two delegations stressed the role of India and Japan for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, with the two Prime Ministers reiterating the need to further consolidate their security and defence cooperation.
“They welcomed the entry into force of the two Defence Framework Agreements concerning the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology and concerning Security Measures for the Protection of Classified Military Information. They underscored the need to further expand defence engagement through greater two-way collaboration and technology cooperation, co-development and co-production, by expediting discussions for determining specific items including through the Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation,” the joint statement said.
“The two Prime Ministers appreciated the successful Annual Defence Ministerial Dialogue held in New Delhi, Japan’s regular participation in the Malabar Exercise and the International Fleet Review off the coast of Vishakapatnam. They reaffirmed their desire to further deepen bilateral security and defence dialogues, through the “2+2” Dialogue, Defence Policy Dialogue, Military-to-Military Talks and Coast Guard-to-
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welcomed by China, “the two Prime Ministers underscored the rising importance of the Indo-Pacific region as the key driver for the prosperity of the world. They stressed the core values of democracy, peace, the rule of law, tolerance, and respect for the environment in realising pluralistic and inclusive growth of the region. In this context, Prime Minister Abe appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s active engagement in the region under the “Act East Policy,” and briefed Prime Minister Modi on the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.” Prime Minister Modi appreciated Japan’s greater engagement in the region under this strategy. They recognised the potential for deeper bilateral cooperation and synergy between the said policy and strategy,” the joint statement said. “They further stressed that improving connectivity between Asia and Africa, through realising a free and open Indo-Pacific region, is vital to achieving prosperity of the entire region. They decided to seek synergy between India’s “Act East” Policy and Japan’s “Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure,” by closely coordinating, bilaterally and with other partners, for better regional integration and improved connectivity as well as industrial networks based on the principles of mutual consultation and trust.”
Japan’s National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi
Coast Guard co-operation,” the joint statement said.
With the inaugural air force staff talks held earlier this year, both countries now have institutional wide ranging dialogue mechanism in place covering all three services. The two Prime Ministers plan to expand dialogue and cooperation in the defence sector to cover exchange of observers in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) exercises, and exchange and training of personnel in other fields.
While there was no deal on the purchase of the US-2i ‘ShinMaywa’ search and rescue aircraft, “Prime M i n i s t e r M o d i c o n v e y e d h i s appreciation for Japan’s readiness to provide its state-of-the-art defence platforms such as US-2 amphibian aircraft. It symbolises the high degree of trust between the two countries and the distance that Japan and India have covered in advancing their bilateral defence exchanges,” the statement said.
In what wil l def initely not be
(left to right) PM Modi in the delegation level talks with Shinzo Abe, at Kantei at Japan Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Tokyo; in the driver’s seat: Modi with Abe during a tour of Shinkansen Bullet Train at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) Plant in Kobe
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visited India November 5 for bilateral consultations with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, during which they firmed up the agenda for the Indian Prime Minister’s visit and discussed India’s renewed interest in buying the US-2i ShinMaywa amphibious search-and-rescue (SAR) aircraft from Japan.
India has been keen to acquire a dozen of these marine reconnaissance aircraft but, despite five years of negotiations, some details of pricing need to be worked out before the billion dollars plus deal can be finalised. Beijing is sure to be closely watching the outcome of the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Tokyo. It has already objected to reported Japanese offers to lower the sale price for India, calling it “disgraceful.”
During their discussions, the two NSAs shared a view that “the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, that was agreed to during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Japan in August-September 2014, is a key partnership for promoting peace, prosperity and development in the region and the world. Their discussions, which were centred on important issues covering bilateral, regional and global dimensions, helped to further underscore the commonalities of views, shared interests and need to promote universal values. NSA Yachi conveyed
Japan’s continued commitment to enhance Japan’s engagement with India on regional and global issues,” said a statement issued by the MEA.
Mr Modi had an audience with the Emperor of Japan while in Tokyo for the third Annual Summit meeting between him and PM Abe. Increased collaboration in space and enhanced skills development, and raised Japanese investments in Indian infrastructure, particularly the railways, were among other signif icant outcomes of the summit.
During PM Modi’s visit in August-September 2014 to Japan, the f irst bilateral visit outside Ind ia’s immediate neighbourhood that PM Modi undertook, the relationship was upgraded to a ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.
Mr Ken j i H i ramatsu , Japan ’s Ambassador to India, said Japan was looking at some ‘’concrete’’ action with India in the realm of maritime security, while he expressed concern
(top) Japan to Sell ShinMaywa US-2 Amphibious Planes to the Indian Navy (right page) A Westinghouse/Toshiba AP1000 reactor at Beaver Valley Power Station nuclear power plant in the US. Similar Reactors are being offered to india
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the unilateral building activities in islands of the (South China) Sea are not acceptable to us,’’ Mr Hiramatsu said.
The Indo-Japanese joint statement in December last year, issued after Mr Abe’s visit to India, had mentioned the South China Sea for the first time.
‘’In view of the critical importance of the sea lanes of communications in the South China Sea for regional energy security and trade and commerce which underpins continued peace and proprietary of the Indo-Pacific, the two Prime Ministers called upon all states to avoid unilateral actions that could lead to tension in the region,’’ the 2015 statement said.
Both India and Japan have outstanding territorial disputes with China; India along the Line of Actual Control or land boundary with China, while Tokyo has a dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.
Tokyo was keen to collaborate with New Delhi on the Chabahar project, which would provide India connectivity to Central Asia via Afghanistan. India, Iran and Afghanistan have already signed an agreement to develop the port town and routes of connectivity. The strategically located Chabahar project in Iran could serve as a strategic option for India as a counterweight to China’s presence at Gwadar in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
‘’Chabahar has great strategic importance as it would connect south Asian countries to Central Asia and Turkey through Afghanistan. Japan can certainly help the countries developing the project,’’ Ambassador Hiramatsu also said.
Every aspect of the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Japan, a “natural ally” was very closely monitored in Beijing. n
over recent developments in the South China Sea (SCS).
China, which lost an international arbitration case over its claims over the SCS, is locked in a series of territorial disputes with Japan and other littoral states including the Philippines and Vietnam and has even taken some aggressive, even hostile measures to bolster its claims.
India and Japan have an established mechanism to discuss maritime issues as they both seek that “the status quo in the maritime domain should not be changed militarily and every nation should follow the international laws of the sea”, Mr Hiramatsu said.
‘’We are trying to understand the situation. We do not have specific plans at the moment, but eventually we may identify some concrete action,’’ Mr Hiramatsu said when asked how the maritime mechanism was working.
Japan also wants India to be part of its Indo-Pacific initiative, which Prime Minister Abe articulated at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in August at Nairobi, the first outside Japan since the launch of the initiative in 1993.
‘’Japan bears the responsibility of fostering the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and of Asia and Africa into a place that values freedom, the rule of law, and the market economy, free from force or coercion, and making it prosperous,’’ Mr Abe said at the sixth TICAD in August, spelling out his new diplomatic strategy for the Indo-Pacific Ocean region, to counter Beijing’s aggressive stance in the region.
The Japanese Ambassador said Prime Minister Abe briefed Prime Minister Modi about the Indo-Pacific initiative and sought his views on how to give the initiative shape when they recently met at Laos.
The initiative concerns ways to connect Japan, India and Africa in the maritime space, and how to ensure continuous connectivity and freedom of navigation along trade routes.
‘ ’We are concerned over the developments in South China Sea, and
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n By Amit Cowshish
EW DELHI. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, cleared procurement proposals worth around `82,000 crore ($12.35 billion) and also approved the new blacklisting policy in the meeting held on November 7.
The DAC is a high powered body which accords approval in principle – also known as the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) - for all capital acquis i t ions, exceed ing `500 crore ($75 million approximately).
Proposals for lesser amounts up to `150 crore ($23 million) and `300 crore ($44 million) are approved by the Services Capital Acquisition Plan Categorisation Committee (SCAPCC) and the Defence Procurement Board (DPB), respectively.
Although the DAC meetings get extensive coverage in the media, it is becoming a routine staid affair with proposals worth thousands of crores being accorded AoN in every meeting with hardly any word on the status of the approvals accorded in the previous meetings. If one adds all proposals approved in the last two years since the present government came to power, the total amount may add up to around $50 billion.
That is a staggering amount by any stretch of imagination. The question, however, is how many of these approvals have culminated in contracts.
Be fore the Defence P rocurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 brought down the validity of AoNs to six months, every AoN used to be valid for one year within which the Request for Proposal (RFP) had to be necessarily issued to prevent its lapse. This is odd, for the broad time table for procurement activities, given in DPP 2016, allows only eight weeks to issue the RFP
from the date the AoN is accorded.Be that as it may, excessive focus on the
value of proposals approved in principle by DAC has overshadowed the fact that by themselves, AoNs do not guarantee procurement of equipment. These have to be converted into contracts.
There is little information available on the number of AoNs accorded so far and the ones that fell through because the RFPs could not be issued within six months, as also the progress of those that did not. At any rate, the journey from AoN to signing of contract is long and arduous; many an AoN has fallen prey to the rigours of this journey and never reached the destination.
Going by the information provided from time-to-time by MoD to Parliament or contained in the reports of the standing committee on defence, the rate of conversion of AoNs into contracts has not witnessed any spurt. In 2012-13, MoD had signed 73 contracts for procurement of defence equipment. This figure came down to 42 and 47 respectively, in the two succeeding years.
During the last six months of 2015-16, 28 contracts were signed. Even if this is taken as the yardstick, the total number of contracts signed during 2015-16 would be around 56 – much below the number of contracts signed in 2012-13.
It is important, therefore, that in its monthly meetings DAC takes stock of progress of AoNs accorded in the past that are yet to culminate in contracts and resolve any issues that might be hindering the progress in specific cases.
The benchmark for assessing the progress of cases already exists. The DPP envisages a time frame of 74-114 weeks – an additional 12 weeks if winter trials are also contemplated – from AoN to signing of the contract. Unless every single AoN is monitored by DAC,
Defence Procurement and Blacklisting Policy
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especially those which entail manufacturing in India, this time frame will remain only on paper, which has largely been the case so far.
Once in a while, DAC also takes up other policy issues, such as approval of the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), Defence Five Year Plans, and revised versions of the Defence Procurement Procedure.
In its November 7 meeting, DAC also approved the much awaited policy on blacklisting of defence companies involved in bribery and other transgressions. The policy is expected to be uploaded on the ministry’s website within a few days. Though not the main cause, blacklisting of companies in the past has indeed resulted in MoD scoring many a self-goal. Several procurement programmes, ranging from ammunition to guns, ran aground because of the blacklisting of the potential suppliers. More damaging is the long period of suspension of dealings with the potential supplier preceding the actual blacklisting.
There have been instances of dealings with companies being put on hold even if there were no allegations against them but they happened to be the sister concern of another company facing corruption charges. Suspending dealings with or blacklisting an entire group of companies for wrong doing on the part of one of the subsidiaries is counterproductive. For example, India’s new conventional submarine, INS Kalvari has sailed out into sea for trials without being equipped with the Black Shark torpedoes because the Italian firm WASS that makes the torpedoes happens to be a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, the holding company of AgustaWestland which figures in the bribery scandal surrounding purchase of VVIP helicopters.
It is almost certain that the new policy will do away with indiscriminate blacklisting of the entire group of companies if there are charges of bribery against some other subsidiary of the same group. The new policy is also expected to prescribe graded penal action, from payment of hefty fines to blacklisting for one to ten years, depending on the nature of transgression. Some reports suggest that companies may be blacklisted for one year at a time. The much-awaited policy could have a provision for fast track investigation into allegations and for taking the duration of investigation
into account while prescribing the ban. These are important decisions but unless the policy is worded unambiguously and the procedure for handling allegations of bribery is laid down with absolute clarity, its implementation could pose unforeseen challenges.
There are many challenges in this. For one thing, MoD does not have an investigative mechanism of its own. It will have to depend largely on the Central Bureau of Investigation and the foreign investigation agencies. Given this constraint, it is difficult to visualise how will MoD ensure a speedy investigation.
No penal action is normally taken unless a show cause notice is issued to the offender. There has to be absolute clarity about the manner in which the response to such notices will be processed in MoD, failing which the tendency will be to seek the advice of the investigating agencies and the law ministry. This could become a never ending exercise. Clear guidelines will also need to be laid down for deciding the quantum of punishment to make sure that the officials responsible for taking action against the offending companies do not hesitate in taking decisions in the fear that their decisions could be questioned on the grounds of subjectivity.
It is a good idea to have a clear policy on blacklisting but considering that the current trend of wearing rectitude on one’s sleeves, execution of the policy could run into difficulty unless there is political consensus on it, cutting across the party lines.
The fear is that it may be too late for that.
– The author is a former top official of the Ministry of Defence, who dealt directly
with military acquisitions till a couple of years ago.
It is almost certain that the new policy will do away with
indiscriminate blacklisting of the entire group of companies if there
are charges of bribery against some other subsidiary of the
same group
November 2016
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Indian Air Force Celebrates 84th Anniversary
THE AIR Force Day is a momentous occasion as we look back on our glorious past with pride and satisfaction in our achievements over the last eight decades. On behalf of all the serving men and women of the Indian Air Force (IAF), I
acknowledge with gratitude, the sterling contributions made by all our Veterans whose resilient spirit, leadership and vision have laid the foundation of today’s Air Force.
As the IAF flies into the 84th year, there is increasing turbulence in the global and regional security environment. India is being increasingly seen as a ‘Net Security Provider’ in the Indian Ocean Region. The diffused nature of threats, pose new and greater challenges. As a vital instrument of national power, the IAF is being called upon as the first responder in most contingencies both in peace and in war.
I am happy to state that over the last year, our operational preparedness has been of a very high order and the IAF achieved a number of milestones. The flying effort of more than 270,000 hours in the last year was the highest in decades and was 40,000 hours more than the last 10 years average. The successful conduct of Ex-Live Wire, the most intensive and extensive Air Force level exercise and the Fire Power Demonstration, Ex-Iron Fist-2016, conducted over day, dusk and night hours, aptly showcased the operational capability and readiness of the IAF.
Commending the Air Force Day Parade October 8 for their impressive turnout, precise and well-coordinated drill movements and spirited demonstration which truly reflected the sense of pride, professionalism and discipline of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha exhorted the air warriors to continue to serve the nation with honour and dignity in the highest traditions of the IAF to live up to its motto ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’. Major excerpts of the CAS’ address are given below:-
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha addressing the media at Air Force Station Hindon in Ghaziabad
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Giving respects to the Nishan Toli: Army Chief General Dalbir Singh with honorary Caption Sachin Tendulkar
Parade on the March: With a C-17 Globemaster III and the indigenous Indra Radar in the background
All eyes up: A trio of Su-30 MKIs performing the Trishul Split manoeuvre
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Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha inspecting the parade
Well Done: A pat for the leader of the IAF Rifle Drill Team
Nishan Toli’ marching past the daisPerfect timing: Mi-17s with IAF flags fly past as the parade salutes the reviewing dignitary
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Our participation in International Exercises like the recently completed deployment to Alaska for Ex-Red Flag and to UAE for Ex-Desert Eagle with a large contingent, demonstrated our growing strategic reach and power projection capabilities.
Continual Air Logistics missions for Police Forces flown towards Op Triveni and Air Maintenance of the Army, most of which were executed in challenging terrain and weather conditions, have been noteworthy.
Our Air Defence network has also been significantly strengthened by induction and integration of modern sensors and weapon systems. With the final phase of IACCS likely to be completed soon, we are progressively nearing our goal of establishing a robust Network Centric Operations capability.
The pilot phase of the Electronic Maintenance Management System, i.e., E-MMS project has been operationalised at AF Station Pune for Su-30 aircraft in May this year. Post its implementation across all fleets and systems, the maintenance work environment will be more efficient, resulting in reduced down times, increased operational preparedness and enhancement in maintenance safety.
This has been a historic year not only for the IAF and the Armed Forces but also for all the women of our country, as for the first time, three women officers have been commissioned as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force.
As always, the IAF fulfilled its important Nation building responsibilities with alacrity. The IAF’s swift and prompt response during the agitation in Haryana, floods in Chennai, suppressing forest fires in Kollam and Uttarakhand, airlift of relief material to Fiji and Sri Lanka and evacuation of our stranded diaspora from South Sudan was indicative of the IAF’s HADR capabilities, both within the country and abroad. Without regard for personal comfort and safety, our air-warriors braved daunting challenges and saved precious lives.
Accomplishment of all tasks allotted to the IAF speaks volumes of the professionalism and operational capability of our air-warriors.
It is indeed noteworthy that all organs of the IAF, i.e., Operations, Maintenance and Administration have worked tirelessly with total synergy to sustain high levels of combat potential.
To augment the strength of fighter fleet several steps have been initiated. The Mid-Life Upgradation of M 2000, MiG-29, and Jaguar fleets is already under way. Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft in next few years and early decision on indigenous ‘Make in India’ fighter aircraft project would greatly enhance our operational capability in the near term. Induction of additional C-130J special operations aircraft, Apache Attack Helicopters, and Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopters would further add to our capabilities.
However, to attain true strategic autonomy and be a credible Aerospace Power, the IAF is focussing on indigenous manufacturing of aircraft, radars, missiles and other aviation equipment. The first LCA squadron has been recently formed in Bangalore and orders for a total of 120 Tejas aircraft have also been placed. The induction of ALH, Akash SAGW, Air-to-Air Astra Missile, IACCS and AD Radars are some of the other success stories of our indigenisation effort. Induction of LCH, AEW&C, HTT - 40 basic trainer aircraft are also planned.
As I had mentioned earlier, the world today is in a flux and threats are no longer easy to identify. The terrorist attacks on Pathankot Air
Going through their paces: The Air Warrior Rifle Drill Team of the IAF
Parade marching in columns of squadrons
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Base and Uri Army Base are stark reminders of the troubled times we live in. To counter any future sub-conventional threat to our Bases, we have instituted various new security measures. Courses are being conducted to increase security training and consciousness, physical fitness and combat efficiency of air-warriors. Procurement of state-of-the-art equipment is on fast track to further bolster our security infrastructure and capacities.
Improving the standard of living and quality of life of our air-warriors and their families and providing a healthy work environment has been a key result area. Rapid progress has been made in creation of better accommodation and messes, schools, sports infrastructure, medical and recreation facilities in all our AF Stations.
Towards re-employment of our air-veterans a MoU has been signed between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Skill Development. All air-warriors who have undergone skill certification courses as a part of this initiative have been absorbed in the Private Sector.
The IAF is working with dedication to enhance ‘jointness’ amongst the Services. The core competence of each Service is being synergised to generate the desired effect and capability. Large scale participation by the IAF with the Army and the Navy in Joint exercises and vice-versa for AF exercises has been very rewarding. Recently, a Brigade level paradrop was conducted by night for the first time.
The Indian Air Force has truly transformed into a strategic Air Force with overwhelming precision strike capability, operating in a network centric environment. Pioneering spirit, capacity to embrace emerging technologies and to quickly operationalise them, will remain the abiding ethics of our future growth path. It is indeed a proud privilege to lead such a fine professional force of air-warriors.
The Indian Air Force is grateful for the People’s trust and confidence in our capabilities. I would like to express my gratitude to the Government for the support to our modernisation plans. On the 84th Anniversary of the IAF, I once again reassure the People of India of the IAF’s capability and commitment in meeting all National Security Challenges and defending the sovereignty of our aerospace frontiers.
Jai Hind. n
ALH (Dhruv) helicopters of Sarang Team performing a criss-cross
A PC-7 MK II BTA performing inverted flight during the air display
Surya Kirans taking off in threesomes with ‘Red Arrows’ providing a perfect backdrop
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Su-30 MKIs flanking the massive C-17 Globemaster III strategic air lifter
LCA Tejas proudly performing for the first time at the Air Force Day parade
The LCA takes off: Notice a parked Mi-17 V5 in the foreground
Spot on: An IAF Akash Ganga para jumper with the Air Force flag
coming in for a perfect touch down
The ‘New’ Surya Kirans performed on Hawk (AJT) aircraft
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THE UNMANNED Aerial System (UAS) is as much an attackers’ delight as it is a defenders’ nightmare. In that, while the attackers are celebrating many a virtue of the unmanned phenomenon (long range, tremendous
endurance, precision kill, all weather all-terrain employability and above all teaming with manned aircrafts in joint operations and more), the defenders are at their wits’end in finding new and innovative ways of bringing down the unmanned machines. The most prominent talk in the defenders’ domain is that of the growing imbalance between the total cost of a UAS vis-à-vis the cost of the SAM/manned/ground based kill system that may be deployed to kill it. Since the latter is far-far higher than the former, the major concern today is to reduce the cost of killing the UAS by using innovative technologies, preferably in the soft-kill mode.
CHALLENGES GALORE Bringing down a UAS throws up multiple challenges. The first is the detection challenge defined by low Radar Cross Section (RCS), small size, low acoustic signature and low IR signature of the UAS. Though Predator/Reaper type of UAS flying at about 100 miles per hour at low altitudes may be a child’s play to shoot down, however, if a drone flies higher, it will pose problem for electronic detection due to its lower RCS. For example, the Predator is undetectable beyond 3,000 feet and inaudible beyond 1,000 feet. The smaller drones have their survivability (implied high degree of difficulty in detection) built into their miniature sizes or stealthy features. Both these manifest as low RCS signature.
WHAT IS BEING DONE IN THE DEFENDERS’ CAMP?Defenders are busy researching new and innovative
A Formidable Challenge But Achievable
DEFENCE AGAINST DRONES
methods to detect small UAS. Cutting edge research has shown that phased array radar technology coupled with the tremendous growth in radar computing and processing power has the capability to pick up small manoeuvrable UAS using the technique of electronic beam switching.
UAS possess lower speeds in comparison to aircraft which aids in radar detection. In this scenario, pulse doppler radars with MTI facility prove to be quite effective. The optimal frequency bands include S band, X band or a combined S/X band. For detection of
n By Lt Gen VK Saxena (Retd)
November 2016
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system based on IR is a two-tier system to include a wide-area, panoramic search sensor platform with passive IR sensors and a tracking and verifying sensor platform with a high-resolution IR sensor and a Laser Range Finder (LRF). Once a tentative track is established by wide-area search sensors, the verification sensor’s line-of-sight is directed instantaneously to the track co-ordinates indicated by the search sensors with the help of rapidly steerable mirror gimbals. A closed-loop control using the viewer’s IR image, links the LRF’s line-of-sight on to the target for precise laser ranging. The target in range velocity is determined by means of computed range measurement. Such silent mode air surveillance systems are normally employed in conjunction with other active systems which aim to
small, un-cooperative, low RCS targets in high clutter environment, like the unmanned systems, the trend is to go for higher speeds of scanning incorporating multiple solutions on the same platform, viz, pure RF/Radar solution, electro-optical solution or even visual warning, as the last resort.
Another vulnerability of UAS based on its electro-magnetic uplink and downlink is being used by passive sensors to perform the function of alerting and cueing. Equipment in this category include IR alerters and ESM acoustic alerters. A typical passive IR detection
9K35 Strela-10 “SA-13 Gopher” SAM
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have the incoming threat on a closing-in-track with the silent passive system focused on the end game. IR sensor based detection systems are also ideal for areas in the ‘radar shadow’ or as a gap-filler in certain geographical areas.
ESM based solutions are also useful in detecting the UASs through recognition of their RF/EM signatures. Though the ESM based sensors have been around since World War II, a host of new technologies have entered this field to improve the probability and accuracy of detection. The traditional frequency range is between 1-2GHz to18GHz. Some technologies being used include ‘Instantaneous Frequency Measurement’ and higher speeds in sampling and digital processing of signals.
Acoustic sensors have the advantage of not being restricted to the line-of-sight operations. Besides, these can have all weather operational capability. They can also deploy search-while-track capability and can provide useful track information about UAS. Unlike their electro-magnetic or electro-optic counterparts, acoustic sensors are capable of searching all frequencies and all angles allowing for a wide-open range capability. Heat and electromagnetic radiation seeking sensors are easily fooled through countermeasures like dispensing flares or jamming, while to avoid an acoustic sensor, the aerial vehicle must hide its acoustic signature. This is not easy, as many a UAS cannot operate without generating a certain (albeit low) acoustic signature. Acoustic sensors have the further advantage of operation in cloudy or overcast battle environments undeterred by smoke blanketing. On the flip side, such sensors however do not have enormous long range capability. Besides, these are also affected by atmospheric conditions. The presence of mean temperature profiles can cause sound waves to refract, thus reducing the effectiveness of such sensors.
THE KILL GAMEOnce detected, the UAS are a soft target for conventional hard kill systems. Conventional fair weather/all-weather VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defence) systems consisting of guns and man-portable/short range SAMs, (such as Star Streak, Igla 1M,Strela 10M, OSA-AK, etc.) which have the capability to kill a UAS, provided it has been detected, either visually or electronically, by their surveillance/tracking/missiles guidance radars.
During the Kosovo War, machine gun fire from helicopters was effectively used to shoot down UAS in the visual domain. Yugoslav forces also brought down a few Pioneer UAS using ground based fire. In the context of UAS kills, the experts, however, count gains vs losses in terms of the number of ‘pilots’ lives saved’ and the ‘cost of doing business’. In yet another kill option, defender’s UAS can be pitched against adversary’s UAS in a kinetic-kill mode wherein, a mini/micro UAS can be used to hit the target UAS. The challenges of initial acquisition, tracking and providing continued guidance to own UAS need to be surmounted. Active seeker/fire and forget, laser designation, riding on the guidance beam of a mother system and more, are options under active implementation.
Bes ides the VSHORAD system, designers of several Short Range SAMs (SRSAMs) have claimed that their weapon
Left: 9A34 Strela-10 Right: the indigenous Akash tracked sam system for the indian army
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the Israeli Spyder missile System from rafael
systems are capable to take on the UAS. The Israeli IAI industries claim that their Barak SRSAM, is capable to take on UAS besides aircraft and anti-ship missiles. While Barak-1 has an operational range of 10-12 kilometers, its higher versions (Barak 8) goes up to longer ranges 70/100/120 kilometers. Similarly, the Spyder (Surface-to-Air Python and Derby) anti-aircraft missile system developed by Rafael of Israel is also claimed to be effective against unmanned systems.
Open med ia also reports about engagement of UASs using manned aircraft. In one such event, a manned US aircraft was launched to pro-actively kill a Reaper UAS over Afghanistan when its ground control station lost control over the drone. There is a report of Israeli manned aircraft shooting down a UAS by using an Air to Air Missile (AAM). The UAS was alleged to be an Iranian UAS, launched from Lebanon and tasked to carry out reconnaissance deep inside Israeli airspace. Iran probably used its Su-25 fighter jets to fire on a US Predator UAS in November 2012.
While the hard kill options for the UAS using SAM system or worse, the manned aircraft, may appear to be straight, it is obviously badly out of balance in terms of cost consideration between the arsenal being used and the target being addressed. Besides, such hard kill measures can address individual targets or at best, a few; what about Swarms? For these threats, such options may neither be viable, nor effective.
The most potent option to take on a UAS is the soft-kill option. This kill method is anchored on debilitating the real-time data link between the UAS and its Ground Control Station. The UAS’s ground-to-air or air-to-ground data link signal to its GCS can either be jammed (which in all probability may result in UAS abandoning its mission and returning to base) or be hacked and exploited, in which case, the UAS’s control can be taken over from the adversary and made compliant to the defenders’ commands.
In the above context, Iran claimed that its Electronic Warfare unit downed a US RQ 170 Sentinel UAS that had violated Iranian airspace. The photographs of the
downed UAS show the aircraft relatively un-damaged except for minor damage on its left wing. This ruled out the possibility of a crash/engine/navigational malfunction. Experts feel that either it was a cyber/electronic warfare attack system (indicating a soft kill) that brought the system down or it was a glitch in the command and control system.
Essentially, the soft killing of UAS involves attacking its communication links. Normally, UAS use a line of sight radio link in the Military C band 500-1000 MHz or satellite communication in the KU band between10.95-14.5 GHz (uplink band to satellite is normally13.75-14.5GHz and the down-link from the satellite is normally10.95-12.75 GHz). If the UAS’s communications to its GCS are jammed then the GCS operator becomes blind and the UAS flies around till it crashes or is out of fuel. To block the safe return route of UAS to GCS, both the above communication links must be jammed.
There was a report in the open media from the Russian aircraft industry site, Aura Port that efforts are on to incorporate ELINT based UAS killing capability in Ground Based Short Range AD Weapon System. For this, the existing radars of the Ground Based AD
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Weapon Systems (GBADWS) are being revamped with ELINT stations along with opto-electronic sensors, thus making such weapons capable of detecting the EM signature of the UAS. The soft kill is achieved by jamming the communication data links of the UAS. There are also reports of Britain developing Directed Energy (DE) weapon package applicable for use against UAS. The kill energy was to be derived on the higher power microwave route. Specific details about the weapon system are not known.
Laser based killing of UAS is already an established option. Boeing mounted a 1KW laser system on its established Avenger platform and showed its capability to shoot down a handful of small UAS. In the next phase of this weapon system, it installed a 10 Kilo Watt solid-state laser on a Higher Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator to take on various threat representative targets which includes UAS. Raytheon has already demonstrated its capability wherein, a 50 Kilo Watt solid-state laser had a UAS in flames. The manufacturers are developing a low-cost directed energy laser system to complement the close-in-kinetic energy systems. Laser Area Defence Weapon is already a reality. It promises to provide an effective kill solution to short range threats like the rockets, missiles, UAS and such other targets. The kill speed is the speed of light and the magazine is nearly ‘unlimited’.
Kinetic kill vehicles to take on UAS type of threats are old wine. Cougar is a kinetic kill solution manufactured by QinetiQ of UK as a cost-effective counter to low cost tactical UAS. In this system, a low cost un-cooled long wave IR seeker is used to acquire the target and guide an interceptor on a collision course. The Cougar interceptor is designed to approach a UAS threat with
closing speed that will be sufficient to cause catastrophic structural, damage to the target, giving an observable hard kill. Target UAS’s low signatures in all wavebands, necessitates midcourse guidance to place the Cougar interceptor in the collision course from where its onboard seeker could acquire and home on to the target.
Peregrine Eagle is another air launched decoy/drone system employed as an anti-UAS system in the Kinetic Energy kill domain having a range of 800 miles with a service ceiling of 40,000 feet. It employs high power microwave and is an electronic counter to UAS control.
THE WAY AHEAD IN OUR SCENARIOWith such high proliferation of UAS in our immediate neighbourhood, building and refining capabilities to killing them in the combat domain is an operational need whose time has long come. Some thoughts on moving forward in our scenario are as follows:-n Our basic premise must remain anchored on achieving cost-effective kill on UAS. Bringing them down using close-in-weapons like the air defence guns, man-portable missiles or more ‘inappropriately’ using VSHORADS (Iglas, Strela, OSA AK SAMs) or SRSAMs (Kvadrat/Akash) or worst by scrambling air defence aircraft in search-n-shoot missions which should however remain as the last option.n Going with the flow of realised technology at the cutting edge today, we need to go in for two types of cheap kill solutions, namely, ‘hit-to-kill’ and laser kill.n Developing a cheap ‘hit-to-kill’ system of the type of Peregrine Eagle or Cougar is well within the capability of ADE and DRDO with technological and software support from the private industry, where many a start-up are emerging in the unmanned sector.n We already possess the capability of having a basic PTA (BPTA), the missing component is to design a kill vehicle; either strap-on or as a detachable integral, that can be put on a guidance course to the UAS. This guidance package must make use of the existing sensors keeping the kill
HS M09 hybrid air-defence system on BOV-3 vehicle
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A missile firing unit (MFU) of the SPYDER-SR system
vehicle as cheap and simple as possible (no RF/IR seeker to be configured on board).n Latest interaction with the industry, DRDO, ARDE in the CENJOWS/IMR International Seminar on UAVs September 26-28 revealed that we already have all the tools required. The need is to realise this capability by bringing the sub-set capabilities on one integrating platform. DRDO/ARDE could take the lead taking on board the Army AD Directorate.n The second and parallel direction in which to move simultaneously is to develop the anti UAS Laser kill system. In this field also, the excellent work already at hand by the LASTEC/DRDO (details not covered) must be taken further and must get amalgamated with the nascent players offering technological capability in the field of Lasers (both indigenous, as well as, foreign OEMs; latter on the JV/MoU route).n The User AD Directorate could provide an integrating platform where the already spelt out felt need can be addressed by the LASTEC/DRDO and the relevant private players whose details are available at the requisite level.
Relevant to bring out, that the cutting edge technology today is already addressing the following erstwhile challenges in the domain of laser kill weapons:-n Capability to aggregate the power of several laser sources at the point of impact to generate the kill beam of sufficient intensity.n Capability to auto-focus multiple beams from co-located sources at a single chosen point of impact (target) in near real time through an ‘auto cued-on’ arrangement.n Use of optics (gimbaled mirrors/reflectors and more) on board aerial kill vehicles to reflect multiple laser beams aggregated from different sources at earth as a strong ‘cumulated kill beam’ (unlimited magazine) on the target UAS.n The research in the field of charged particle beam and high power microwave must be kept alive by the DRDO, as well as a few other players in the private industry working in this vertical to come out with possible soft kill solutions in this still evolving field in the foreseeable future.n Army AD firmly moving ahead on the
path of modernisation is at the cusp of procuring several guns and missile systems (Successor guns- far into the future, VSHORADs, SRSAMs, QRSAM). Anti UAS capability, especially in the sensors (capability to detect minimalistic targets) must be checked out before any system/subsystem is procured.n Old gems (P-12, P-18, P-19, PRV-16... all old Russian radars) must not be junked. These are excellent radars in L and C bands that can detect slow moving UAS. Even the Flycatcher (X and KA Band), USFM (X Band) and sensors on board SPAGU/SAM-6, OSA-AK and upgraded Schilka have shown the capability of detecting small RCS UAS. The sensors on board such weapons must be used optimally in building cheap kill capabilities (say UAS hit-to-kill system).
And lastly, why kill the UAS when the following can be easily achieved:-n Make the UAS stream the audio/video data not only to its GCS but also to the hacker station.n Make the UAS send deliberately wrong data to its operator.n Confuse the UAS with false GPS information, waylay it or direct it in wrong direction. Just hijack it.n Take command of the UAV and make it fly to your wish/make it crash/use it like a guided missile. (remote hijacking)n Extract valuable seed data from the built-in threat library of the UAS and use it to your advantage.
This is a big bad world of hacking and phishing which throws up endless possibilities on how the dull, dirty and dangerous can be tamed to submission – perhaps, to be covered in a separate detailed article. n
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n By Maj Gen PK Chakravorty (Retd)
IN ANY battle, speed, accuracy and protection are extremely important. In days of yore, the Cavalry provided these and won the day with the artillery decimating the target prior to the assault. Gradually, engines came in and the speed of automobiles exceeded that of horses. During the First World War, both sides stagnated in their trenches till the British invented the tank in the First World War in September
1915. The first use of tanks on the battlefield was the use of British Mark 1 tanks at the Battle of Flers-Courcellete on September 15, 1916, with mixed results; many broke down, but nearly a third succeeded in breaking through. Of the forty-nine tanks shipped to the battle field, only thirty-two were able to begin the first attack in which they were used and only nine made it across “no man’s land” to the German lines. The tanks had been rushed into combat before the design was mature enough and the number was small but their use gave important feedback on how to design newer tanks, the soundness of the concept, and their potential to affect the course of the war. On the other hand, the French Army was critical of the British employment of small numbers of tanks in this battle. The Second World War witnessed massive employment of tanks and thereafter they became an important part of all wars. In India, tanks have played an important role in the three wars against Pakistan and are currently being tailored to play an important role against our adversaries.
CONSTITUENTS OF OUR MECHANISED FORCESThe Mechanised Forces primarily comprise of the Armoured Corps and the Mechanised Infantry. In addition, we have the Self-Propelled Artillery, mechanised units of Army Air Defence, Engineers, Signals and other Services. In our environment, war
with either China or Pakistan is likely to start in the mountains and spill over to the plains, deserts and to the Indian Ocean. As per globalsecurity.org the Indian Army has adequate number of regiments which are deployed with formations in plains, deserts and mountainous terrain. These regiments have proved their worth in all wars. The Mechanised Infantry is the youngest regiment of the Indian Army and is a unique blend of military heritage originating since 1776 and the latest state-of-the-art equipment profile. After 1965 Indo-Pak war, a need was felt to provide matching mobility to infantry units operating with armoured formations. In 1969, some of the oldest battalions from various infantry regiments were equipped with Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). Currently, the Indian Army has Armoured Brigades and Armoured Divisions. There are also units grouped with other formations based on their operational needs. The divisions are suitably grouped to fight in a particular theatre.
MECHANISED FORCES
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(left) Indian army T-72 battle tanks in Ladakh (top) Arjun MBT
The equipment held by our Armoured Regiments currently are the upgraded T-72, T-90 and Arjun tanks. In as much as our Mechanised Infantry Battalions are concerned, they are equipped with the BMP-2. The Arjun is an indigenously developed tank weighing 58.5 tons, which features a 120 mm main rifled Gun that fires an Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) ammunition, one PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine Gun and a NSVT 12.7 mm Machine Gun. In March 2010, the Arjun was pitted against the T-90 in comparative trials and performed creditably. Orders of 124 Arjun were placed on May 17, 2010 and 124 MK-II tanks on August 9, 2010. There are numerous modifications on the Mark-II version and weighs 68 tons. It has been manufactured with assistance from numerous sources. It has a 120 mm rifled Gun and also fires Lahat Anti Tank Guided Missiles with an effective range of 4,000 metres. The hull and turret were redesigned. Protection was improved by improved Kanchan armour. Further, locally developed Explosive Reactor Armour Modules were added. The tank is fitted with advanced laser warning and counter measures which confuse sensors. Overall, there would be about five Regiments of Arjun once all tanks are inducted keeping the current indents in view.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) and an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Future Infantry
Combat Vehicle (FICV). The Directorate General of
Mechanised Forces (DGMF) issued a Request for Information from vendors for designs for a Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) on June 10, 2015. The aim is to design and develop a new generation state-of-the-art combat vehicle platform for its combat vehicles in the future. The vehicle is to be inducted by 2025-2027. The FRCV needs to be modular in concept and would include numerous vehicles. This vehicle which would be called the FRCV will form the base platform for the Main Battle Tank which is planned to replace the existing T-72 tanks in the Armoured Corps. The FRCV must cater for future battle field threats to the tank from a distance of 25 metres to seven kilometer. It should be capable of being used in different terrains to include mountains, deserts, plains and riverine areas. The DGMF plans to develop the following variants on the FRCV platform:-
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l Tracked Main Battle Tankl Tracked Light Tankl Wheeled Versionl Bridge Layer Tank (BLT)l Trawl Tank and Mine Ploughsl Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV)l Self-Propelled Artillery Gun/
Howitzerl Air Defence Gun/Missile Systeml Artillery Observation Post Vehiclel Engineer Reconnaissance Vehiclel Armoured Ambulance
The process will be in three stages. The First stage will be the Design stage. The second stage will be the Prototype Development Stage and the third stage will be the production stage and obviously the final stage would be the Induction stage. The entire process would be deliberate and would take considerable time.
The FICV has been conceived as a multi-role platform that must perform three roles. It must be a troop carrier for the mechanised infantry to keep pace with armour; further, the guns on the platform must provide intimate support to the assaulting infantry and finally, the FICV must hold its own on the mechanised battlefield against state-of-the-art tanks. In addition, it must have amphibious capability, allowing it to cross canals, rivers and stretches of sea. It must be air portable with the ability to be air-transported or moved under-slung by a helicopter. It must fire anti tank missiles and possess a Cannon and Machine Gun that are operated with state-of-the-art Fire Control System. The Government of India has issued two Expressions of Interest (EoI). The first EoI was issued in 2010 to four vendors and cancelled in 2012 as the Ministry of Defence could not decide on the parameters for short listing two winning vendors. In July 2015, the Ministry of Defence summoned representatives from 10 Indian Companies and handed each an EoI which asks for
proposals for building a FICV. The EoIs were issued to Pipavav Defence, Bharat Forge, Mahindra, Larsen &Toubro, Punj Lloyd, Tata Power, Tata Motors, Titagarh Wagons, Rolta India and the Ordnance Factory Board. It is reported that Tata Motors and Bharat Forge are going to forward a combined proposal. It is also reported that Government may modify the EoI as the current document is issued under DPP 2008, whereas DPP 2016 has been issued. Accordingly, it would take considerable time before the proposal is examined and two vendors are selected. The Army is planning for upgrades for BMP 2 in the interregnum.
EMPLOYMENT Mechanised Forces have displayed their versatility in being employed in various types of terrain. Starting from Zozila in the first war with Pakistan to the present day where they are being deployed in the High Altitude regions, they have left no stone unturned to be force multipliers wherever they were employed. In the current strategic scenario, it is likely that operations would commence in the mountains and thereafter move to the plains.
Tanks and APCs can be used at a few places in mountains and High Altitude Areas. Based on their technical capabilities, they would be good in assault and fire support role. Currently, T-72 and
(left to right) BMP-2 Sarath; indian army t-90 tank
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BMPs are being used in these regions. The light tank which can be either procured or developed as part of the FRCV could be suitably optimised for these altitudes. Suitable engineering and logistics support must be provided for the tanks to be effective. The FICV would also be developed keeping these aspects in mind. Employment would depend on space available and would be in Combat Teams, Combat Groups and Combat Command.
In the plains and deserts, the war would be short and swift under a nuclear overhang. The offensives would be by Battle Groups which would be a Division with a Combat Command or a Combat group. The objectives in this mode would be shallow and there would be multiple thrust lines. However, it is felt that Pakistan’s nuclear threat in terms of usage of Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNW) is hyped.
The TNW is a Cold Tested weapon and its range being limited would have to be deployed in the field at about 40 Km from the Border making it vulnerable to own Air and missile attacks. Nuclear weapons of Pakistan are for deterrence, and providing parity with India in a politico strategic realm. The actual possibility of using tactical and strategic nuclear weapons is minimal. Some senior Pakistani officers who have categorically stated that the Indian response to Pakistan’s first use would be total Holocaust. In a late 2010 wargaming exercise, even with 90 TNWs it was found difficult to stop an Indian Armoured Division moving dispersed on a 30 km frontage. There would be a minimum inescapable requirement of 436 TNWs to stop an Armoured Division. With the reported accelerated production of plutonium from three military dedicated reactors in Khushab and a fourth under construction, it would result in an inventory of 200 warheads by 2020. To further compound to the existing problem, the issue of miniaturising the warhead to fit into the Nasr missile with a 30 cm diameter is a complex engineering problem. Further, data shows that a TNW used against a Combat Group
moving dispersed over an 8 km front, would at best produce 25 casualties and damage to about four tanks. Accordingly, not much should be read against the TNW and the Indian Army must retain the option of Deep Strikes particularly in the Southern theatre. The Artillery must work towards locating the Nasr and develop possibly with external assistance a Make in India project to destroy the Nasr in flight.
The entire response must be synergised and it is high time we took the fight back to Pakistani soil. The entire strategy calls for a changed Offensive Mindset which must work out the details and synergise the leaders, bureaucracy and the Armed Forces to meet the Pakistani challenge. In such an eventuality, deep strikes which enable mechanised forces to manoeuvre particularly in the deserts must be undertaken against our Western adversary. This would result in using our strike formation with a force level of an Armoured Division, two Reorganised Army Plains Divisions, an Artillery Division and an Independent Armoured Brigade. They would advance on multiple thrust lines with the idea of capturing a communications centre. This is a viable task and can be accomplished by our mechanised spearheads.
There is often a talk that mechanised formations must be grouped as independent Armoured Brigades and not as Strike Corps. The current strategic and operational environment certainly calls for operations at Strike Corps, Battle Groups and Combat Command level. It is easier to group a smaller force out of a bigger formation than vice versa. It would be prudent to allow current structures to exist and modify as per operational requirements. It is of utmost importance that the Mountain Strike Corps be raised at the earliest to enable us to exercise various options in the mountains. Currently, this needs to be expedited to be balanced in our capabilities towards the Northern adversary.
To conclude, it must be remembered that Mechanised Forces are a force multiplier for the Indian Army. They need to be gainfully optimised in operations to fulfil our national objectives. n
The FICV has been conceived as a multi-role platform that must perform three roles. It must be a troop carrier for the mechanised infantry to keep pace with armour; further, the guns on the platform must provide intimate support to the assaulting infantry and finally, the FICV must hold its own on the mechanised battlefield against state-of-the-art tanks
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M777 Clears Customs Checkn Mahindra Defence is partner in contract
NEW DELHI. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the additional costs on account of customs
duty for the procurement of 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers (ULH) for the Indian Army. It also cleared the incorporation of Mahindra Defence as a party, clearing the final obstacles to the contract which could now be signed as early as next month.
“Variations between India’s Letter of Request and the US Letter of Acceptance in this Foreign Military Sales (FMS) proposal have been reconciled with these DAC approvals, sources confirmed to India Strategic shorty after the decision on October 21. The deal now requires a final go-ahead by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
Customs duty will hike up the M777 tab for the Ministry of Defence by an expected 20 per cent beyond the indicated price band of $750 million to
$885 million. The Government of India’s recent decision not to give Customs exemption for military imports has delayed several defence procurements including the M777, since earlier price approvals did not factor in Customs.
The approval for Mahindra as a party will provide contractual clarity. Mahindra has been chosen by BAE Systems, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), as its partner for the setting up of an Assembly Integration and Testing (AIT) facility in India which will put together 120 of the 145 artillery guns.
The AIT facility will be set up to discharge the 30 per cent offsets obligations, and also to give this India-US FMS deal a Make in India flavour. Under this plan, the M777 AIT facility at Hattiesburg in Mississippi, US, will be shifted to India.
BAE Systems will not invest equity in this AIT facility, but this will be made part of the global supply chain for the M777. There are plans for this gun to
be exported from India in the future, company sources disclosed.
Indeed, it was the offer to transfer the AIT facility from the US to India which put this deal back on the table in 2014 after a prolonged stalemate over the earlier offsets plan, which was declared non-compliant by the Ministry of Defence.
The US has Congressional approval for the sale of this gun to India till 2018 in the price band of $750 million to $885 million.
The M777 will be the first new artillery gun to be purchased for the Indian Army after the acquisition of Bofors in 1986 which attracted allegations of corruption and poor quality from some politicians.
Battle-proven in Afghanistan and Iraq, the M777 will be a significant firepower augmentation to India’s mountain warfare capability. More significantly, it removes the curse cast by some politicians of yesteryears on the modernisation programme of the Indian Army. n
n By Vishal Thapar
can we carry more troops and more cargo and have fuel to spare?
the a330 mrtt – multIrole gIves you more.
More fuel – 111 tonnes to refuel every present and future receiver. More passengers – 300 sitting in airline comfort. More payload – 45 tonnes. The A330 MRTT is an exceptional all-in-one solution, able to do all of the preceding in the same mission and over huge distances. And the fact that it shares its airframe with one of the world’s most successful civil jets guarantees the A330 MRTT will continue to offer more for years to come. Find out more at airbusds.com/A330MRTT
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ABC
NEW DELHI. Airbus on October 14 celebrated the delivery of its 10,000th aircraft – an A350-900 for
Singapore Airlines. The milestone event was marked by a special ceremony in Toulouse hosted by Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders and attended by Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines.
The aircraft delivered on October 14 is the s ixth A350-900 for Singapore Airlines, out of a total order for 67. Featuring a special “10,000th Airbus” logo, the aircraft will be used to launch the airline’s new non-stop services between Singapore and San Francisco later this month.
The 10,000th Airbus delivery
comes as the manufacturer achieves its highest level of production ever and is on track to deliver at least 650 aircraft this year from its extensive product line. These range from 100 to over 600 seats and efficiently meet every airline requirement, from high frequency short haul operations to the world’s longest intercontinental flights.
“Since our earliest days innovation has been at the heart of everything we do at Airbus,” said Tom Enders, Ai rbus Group CEO. “This has seen us develop what is today the world’s most modern and comprehensive aircraft family. And with a strong emphasis on R&D, continuous innovation and product improvement, we will ensure that we remain ahead of the curve, delivering airlines the best our industry has to offer.”
“Singapore Airlines is honoured to be receiving the 10,000th aircraft that Airbus has delivered. Airbus aircraft have contributed greatly to Singapore Airlines’ successes over the decades, and we are proud to be sharing this important milestone
Airbus Celebrates the Delivery of 10,000th Aircraft
The 10,000th Airbus A350-900 aircraft delivered to Singapore Airlines featuring a special ‘10,000th Airbus’ logo
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with our longstanding and trusted partner,” said Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines.
Airbus delivered its first aircraft, an A300B2, to Air France on 10 May 1974. Initially working exclusively in the widebody sector with the A300 and A310, the manufacturer moved into the single aisle market in the mid-1980s with the launch of the best-selling A320. Setting new standards in aircraft design, technologies introduced on the A320 were subsequently incorporated on the A330 and A340 in the early 1990s, marking the first time that single aisle and widebody aircraft benefitted from similar operational characteristics.
T h i s h i gh l e ve l o f de s i gn commonality is unique to Airbus aircraft types and has been retained across the company’s product line ever since, including on the double
deck A380 and the all-new long range A350 XWB which entered service last year.
The current Airbus product line comprises a total of 16 models spread across four aircraft Families – the A320, A330, A350 XWB and A380.
Airbus has recorded over 16,700 orders for its various models and its aircraft are flying today with more than 400 airlines worldwide. The company’s backlog of 6,700 aircraft on order for future delivery is the highest ever recorded by any aircraft manufacturer and represents some 10 years of full production at current rates. n
CAAi Unveils New International Air Law Blended-learning Training Course
GATWICK UK. Civil aviation s imply couldn’t exist without the framework of international and national
laws that govern the ways we work. CAA International (CAAi), part of the UK CAA International Directorate, has launched a brand new training course, designed to support aviation managers across the industry with a solid grounding in international aviation law. This course explores the international conventions and agreements that govern civil aviation and examines how these international laws affect one’s everyday work. Developed by senior UK CAA legal experts and e-Learning technology specialists LEO Learning, the course uses a blend of both online distance learning and a one-day interactive classroom session. The online modules feature a mix of high-impact images, diagrams, audio clips, animations, infographics and videos, designed to create maximum impact and user engagement. The course takes the delegate on a passenger journey; from buying an airline ticket, to being at the airport all the way to arriving at the final destination. The course explores how international air law affects all areas of aviation from the perspective of a paying passenger.
In the classroom, delegates have the opportunity to apply their distance learning with a UK CAA expert. Through group discussions of past experiences, case study reviews and general observations, delegates can delve deeper into how international laws affect different scenarios and situations, the key international conventions and how this affects the work one does every day. Adrian Sayce, Senior Technical Advisor for CAAi and former ICAO President for the Air Navigation Commission said, “This course integrates the different elements of law to create a coherent and clear presentation of air law. This is done by following a typical passenger journey and reviewing the associated legal aspects. This is quite a different approach to the traditional teaching of air law and it makes the air law course both interesting and relevant to anyone involved in aviation. The law underpins every aspect of aviation. Law is not something that only lawyers can deal with. It is important for everyone involved or affected by aviation, including professionals, consumers and those on the ground, because the law establishes individual legal responsibilities and defines legal entitlements if anything goes wrong”.
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INDIA’S COMMERCIAL aviation industry is currently enjoying a period of vigorous and sustained growth. According to official statistics, domestic traffic grew 23.17 per cent during the first nine months of 2016 – by far the fastest rate in the
world. And the party seems set to continue. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that by 2026 India will be the third largest aviation
Flying for Everyone!
market globally, behind the United States and China.
Yet the industry has long suffered from a major shortcoming – its abysmal failure to take aviation services to the remote regions of this vast country. According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources, the top 45 Indian airports handle over 90 per cent of domestic passenger traffic, leaving just 10 per cent for the rest.
A number of attempts to set up airlines specifically to cater to un-served and underserved destinations have floundered, for one reason or another. Over the last few years, stand-alone regional carriers like MDLR Airlines and Air Mantra started small, stayed small, and sank without a trace. Indeed, an inability to grow the fleet is an obvious sign of distress.
SMALL CARRIERS, BIG WOESThe latest troubled regional airline
n By Joseph Noronha
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fill the regional space to some extent but their heart is not fully in it.
AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COMEAgainst the backdrop of this rather unsatisfactory regional scene, the Indian government recently introduced the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The contours of the RCS, which is a key part of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, were revealed towards the end of October. Also known by the catchy acronym UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) it has clearly been prepared after extensive stakeholder consultation. It hopes to attract travellers by limiting the fare for a one-hour flight of approximately 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft (or a 30-minute journey on a helicopter) to Rs 2,500 per passenger. The pricing will vary proportionately for routes of different flight durations. If it works, it will generate economically viable flights on regional routes and will make flying affordable even for passengers from the small cities and towns that so far have been left off the aviation map. UDAN helicopter services too will significantly reduce travel timings in remote and hilly regions and island territories.
Infrastructure enhancement is integral to the plan. The AAI currently manages 125 airports. However, only 94 are operational and just 75 attract scheduled services. The government plans to revive or develop up to 60 airports in the “no-frills” category during the first phase of the RCS enhancement.
The first UDAN flight should take off in January 2017 according to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju. Winning the right to a particular route through the twice-yearly bidding process means the selected carrier can run it for three years without another airline muscling in. Significantly, the government is also taking steps to facilitate leasing of small aircraft. And the risk for international lessors, who are otherwise noticeably unenthusiastic about offering their planes to Indian carriers, will also be reduced.
is Bengaluru-based Air Pegasus. It commenced operations in April 2015 with a fleet of three ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft but suddenly ceased operations on July 27, 2016, due to mounting financial woes. Although the carrier is trying to resume operations, its aircraft have been deregistered and there’s no clarity about its future.
Vijayawada-based Air Costa has been operating since October 2013 and has a fleet of three Embraer E-190 regional jets. Hyderabad-based Trujet has three ATR 72-500 aircraft. Both enterprises are not yet firmly established. Air Carnival, the country’s fourth regional airline, launched operations from Coimbatore on July 18, 2016. It has just one ATR 72-500 and recorded the highest cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines for September. The national carriers like IndiGo, Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet are trying to
Air India Regional landing at Gwalior air port; Vijayawada-based Air Costa regional jet
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The success of the RCS rests on financial measures, including attractive incentives to regional carriers to compensate for losses suffered by them. Its main features are a financial stimulus through significant concessions from Central and State governments and airport operators. For instance, the airport and other charges at all RCS airports will be waived and perhaps lowered at the metro airports. A Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) will be used to help the operator airlines keep passenger fares at the specified levels.
PROBLEMS AND PITFALLS Regrettably, the RCS does little to ease the stranglehold of taxes and levies that plague the airlines, often threatening their very survival. The RCF will itself be funded through yet another “levy or fee per departure on all domestic flights” subject to certain exemptions. This is an obvious cause for concern in one of the most heavily-taxed civil aviation sectors in the world. The promised fare of Rs 2,500 is premised on the fairly low current cost of aviation fuel. However, it is unlikely that such favourable conditions will last. If the price rises steeply, will the fare be raised or will the government’s subsidy bill be increased to support it?
Even without UDAN, carriers are flying regional routes more frequently than their quotas require. This is an irreversible trend because the inter-metro routes are saturated and a substantial number of the hundreds of new aircraft the airlines have ordered can only be deployed on regional routes. Indeed, the country’s aviation infrastructure is inadequate for current traffic leave alone the explosive growth the RCS envisages. At present, there are about 440 aircraft in service and more are flying in every week. A severe capacity crunch looms for runway operating slots, parking bays and terminals. While small regional aircraft may find their operations unchallenged at
remote airports they will inevitably get embroiled in the congestion at the metros, with no assurance of obtaining suitable slots. The average time an aircraft spends orbiting before it can land at Mumbai during peak hours is already over 45 minutes.
Many of the designated RCS airports are inadequate for the workhorses of the airline industry – the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 – and need regional aircraft. But apart from Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet, no other major airline has such planes. Air Costa, Trujet and Air Carnival are too tiny to fulfil the soaring ambition of the RCS. At this point, given the uncertainties of Indian aviation it is by no means assured that carriers will order small aircraft, because they are much more expensive to operate in terms of per-seat cost than larger ones. Regional aircraft would also entail a mixed fleet – a strict no-no for low-cost carriers in general. So far, only Air India has firmed up orders to induct small aircraft, including ten 72-seat ATR 72-500s and ten 19-seat Dorniers. Being state-owned, its enthusiasm is understandable and risk-free.
Many of the designated RCS airports are inadequate for the workhorses of the airline industry – the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 – and need regional aircraft
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From left to right: Dimapur Airport is located at Dimapur in the state of Nagaland. The airport built during World War II is located at 3rd mile It is the gateway and the only civil airport in the Northeast Indian state; SpiceJet and Jet Airways aircrafts at Jolly Grant Airport, dehradun; Indigo Airlines at bhubaneswar airport
rush of regional passengers into the aviation market will have a positive impact on the entire aviation scene. And there’s nothing in the scheme that cannot be fixed, provided the Ministry of Civil Aviation is willing to listen, learn and rectify.
Thus far the Ministry has displayed a refreshing flexibility by immediately and drastically reducing the bank guarantees to be provided by airlines to fly on each regional route. The subsidy amount has also been increased to around Rs 2,350 to Rs 5,100 per seat for three years. This amount will not be decreased even in case of improved passenger load factor. However, the concessions assured to UDAN flights at small airports need to be unambiguously extended to larger ones, as the economic attractiveness of the entire project may hinge on this.
The next few months are crucial. The smooth conduct of a simple and transparent bidding process, prompt allotment of routes, and speedy launch of scheduled flights, will provide a welcome spur to UDAN. More importantly the regional services thereafter should be dependable and sustained. Sadly, the regional carriers regularly appear at the bottom of the reliability and punctuality charts with Air Carnival and Trujet notable for cancelled flights. This must change. Otherwise, the short flight lengths mean the aam nagrik who has been disappointed once may well opt for a less comfortable but more trustworthy mode of surface travel the next time. n
Indeed, UDAN’s success is heavily dependent on government backing. So far, only a few state governments appear keen to make initial investments and provide necessary subsidies, without which the central government and airport operators won’t contribute.
The bidding process is also fraught with risk. In the absence of adequate industry expertise and authentic market surveys, many irresponsible bids may not fructify, as the sad experience with the highways and telecom sector bidding has shown.
UDAN – READY FOR TAKE-OFFPerhaps the most fundamental objection to UDAN is that it contradicts a principle of this government as enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Minimum government and maximum governance.” Shouldn’t the government simply focus on improving the ease of doing business and fostering competition, and leave the rest to market forces?
However, leaving aside such weighty questions, the RCS is certainly a well-intentioned and well-fashioned initiative to take flying to the masses. The expected
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EAST HARTFORD, CONN. Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine has entered passenger service with
Spirit Airlines, which is the first US carrier to fly the Airbus A320neo. The aircraft made its first passenger service flight from Detroit to Los Angeles on October 16. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp.
Spirit Airlines calculated that on the 2,000 mile flight between Detroit and Los Angeles, the new aircraft saved about 422 gallons of fuel compared with the previous model. Performance on other aircraft also confirms that the PurePower Geared Turbofan engine reduces fuel burn by 16 per cent, lowers emissions by 50 per cent and reduces the noise footprint by 75 per cent.
PurePower engines are already in service with eight airlines around the
world, and are yielding a better than a 99 percent dispatch reliability rate. The eight carriers are flying 22 GTF engine powered aircraft across the globe. GTF engines have earned more than 30,000 revenue hours and more than 20,000
take-offs and landings.The PurePower Geared Turbofan
engine backlog continues to grow. Pratt & Whitney has engine orders, including options, from more than 80 customers in 30 countries.
Revolutionary Pratt & Whitney PurePower Engine Joins Spirit Airlines Fleet
BBEIJING. Boeing, China’s leading provider of commercial airplanes, projects a demand for 6,810 new airplanes in the
country over the next 20 years. Boeing released its annual China Current Market Outlook (CMO) September 13 in Beijing, estimating the total value of those new airplanes at $1.025 trillion. China becomes the first trillion dollar aviation market in Boeing’s forecast.
“As China transitions to a more consumer-based economy, aviation will play a key role in its economic development,” said Randy Tinseth, Vice President of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Because travel and transportation are key services, we expect to see passenger traffic grow 6.4 per cent annually in China over the next 20 years.”
Boeing predicts China will need 5,110 new single-aisle airplanes through 2035, accounting for 75 percent of the total new deliveries. Low-cost carriers and full-service airlines have been adding airplanes and expanding new point-to-point services to cater for both leisure and
business travel demand from a rising middle class in China and throughout Asia.
Today, Boeing jets are the mainstay of China’s air travel and cargo system. More than 50 percent of all the commercial jetliners operating in China are Boeing airplanes. n
Boeing Forecasts Demand in China for 6,810 Airplanes, Valued at $1 Trillion
New Airplane China Deliveries Through 2035Airplane type Seats Total deliveries Dollar valueRegional jets 90 and below 140 $10BSingle-aisle 90-230 5,110 $535BSmall wide-body 200-300 870 $240BMedium wide-body 300-400 630 $220BLarge wide-body 400 and above 60 $20BTotal ----------- 6,810 $1.025T (17% of world total) (17% of world total)
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ZURICH. Boeing and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) October 26 confirmed a new order for one 777-300ER
(Extended Range), valued at $339.6 million at list prices. The Swiss airline had previously ordered nine 777s and taken delivery of six this year as it continues to establish the 777-300ER as its flagship.
“The 777-300ER wil l be the backbone of our long-haul fleet for many years to come,” said Peter Wojahn, Chief Technical Officer,
Swiss International Air Lines. “As one of the largest operators of the 777-300ER in Europe we can offer our passengers unrivalled frequency and passenger comfort to a number of intercontinental markets thanks to this super-efficient long-haul aircraft.”
The 777-300ER is the most fuel and cost-efficient airplane in its class as well as the most reliable twin-aisle aircraft in the world. It also has the highest cargo capability of any passenger airplane.
“We value the continued confidence
SWISS places in the 777 program and are honored that the 777-300ER will to play prominent role in the airline’s expansion plans,” said Monty Oliver, Vice President, European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The 777-300ER has consistently won many accolades including “Best Aircraft Type” based on passenger preference polls, “Best in Class” based on fuel burn, passenger load cost and performance and “Best Residual Value for a Twin Aisle Airplane” among others. n
EVERETT, WASHINGTON. Boeing and UPS on October 27 announced an order for 14 747-8 Freighters. The agreement
also includes an option to purchase an additional 14 of the cargo airplanes.
“These aircraft are a strategic investment for increased capacity for UPS customers around the globe,” said Brendan Canavan, President, UPS Airlines. “The 747-8 will allow UPS to upsize our network in both new and existing markets.”
The 747-8 Freighter is the world’s most efficient freighter, providing cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large freighter on the market. With its iconic nose door, the airplane has 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400F. The airplane also reduces the noise footprint around an airport by 30 per cent compared to its predecessor.
“UPS could not have selected a better aircraft to meet its growing business
needs,” said Brad McMullen, Vice President, Sales, North America and Leasing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We’ve continued to make the 747-8 Freighter even better, and we look forward to seeing UPS introduce it to its fleet.”
UPS is a global leader in logistics,
offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. n
Boeing, SWISS Confirm Additional Order for 777-300ER
Boeing, UPS Announce Order for 14 747-8 Freightersn Airplanes will support carrier’s fleet expansion plans
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NEW DELHI. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken a major step towards making flying a reality for
the small town common man.Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok
Ga japath i Ra ju launched the Ministry’s much awaited Regional Connectivity Scheme “UDAN” in New Delhi October 21. UDAN is an innovative scheme to develop the regional aviation market. It is a market-based mechanism in which airlines bid for seat subsidies. This first-of-its-kind scheme globally will create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Raju expressed hope that the first flight under the scheme would be able to take off by January next year. He said the scheme had been prepared after
a lot of stakeholder consultation and called for support from all players to make it a success.
Also speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said that the objective of the scheme was “UdeDesh Ka AamNaagrik”. He said this scheme ensures affordability, connectivity, growth and development. It would provide a win-win situation for all stakeholders – citizens would get the benefit of affordability, connectivity and more jobs.
The Centre would be able to expand the regional air connectivity and market. The state governments would reap the benefit of development of remote areas, enhance trade and commerce and more tourism expansion. For incumbent airlines there was the promise of new routes and more passengers while for start-up airlines there is the opportunity of new, scalable business. Airport
operators will also see their business expand ing as would or ig ina l equipment manufacturers.
The scheme UDAN envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports. The scheme would be in operation for a period of 10 years.
UDAN has a unique market-based model to develop regional connectivity. Interested airline and hel icopter operators can start operations on hitherto un-connected routes by submitting proposals to the Implementing Agency. The operators could seek a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) apart from getting various concessions. All such route proposals would then be offered for competitive bidding through a reverse bidding mechanism and the route would be awarded to the participant
Civil Aviation Ministry Launches Regional Connectivity Scheme “UDAN”
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati at the launch of the Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN of MoCA, in New Delhi. The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation RN Choubey and the Director General (M&C), Press Information Bureau AP Frank Noronha are also seen.
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quoting the lowest VGF per Seat. The operator submitting the original proposal would have the Right of First Refusal on matching the lowest bid in case his original bid is within 10 per cent of the lowest bid. The successful bidder would then have exclusive rights to operate the route for a period of three years. Such support would be withdrawn after a three-year period, as by that time, the route is expected to become self-sustainable.
The selected airline operator would have to provide a minimum of nine and a maximum of 40 UDAN seats (subsidised rates) on the UDAN Flights for operations through fixed wing aircraft and a minimum of five and a maximum of 13 seats on the flights for operations through helicopters. On each such route, the minimum frequency would be three and maximum of seven departures per week. Route networks would also be encouraged under the scheme to achieve economies of scale and optimal usage of aircraft.
The fare for a one-hour journey of approx 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft or for a 30-minute journey on a helicopter would now be capped at Rs 2,500 with proportionate pricing for routes of different stage lengths/
flight duration.This would be achieved through
(1) a financial stimulus in the form of concessions from Central and State governments and airport operators and (2) a Viability Gap Funding to the interested airlines to kick-off operations from such airports so that the passenger fares are kept affordable.n Central Government would provide concessions in the form of reduced excise duty, service tax, permission to trade ASKMs for Non-RCS (UDAN) seats and flexibility of code sharing at the RCS (UDAN) airports.n State governments will have to lower the VAT on ATF to one per cent or less, besides providing security and fire services free of cost and electricity, water and other utilities at substantially concessional rates.
n Airport operators shall not impose Landing and Parking charges and Terminal Navigation Landing Charges in addition to discounts on Route Navigation Facility Charges.
A Regional Connectivity Fund would be created to meet the viability gap funding requirements under the scheme. The RCF levy per departure will be applied to certain domestic flights.
The partner State Governments (other than North Eastern States and Union Territories where contribution will be 10 per cent) would contribute a 20 per cent share to this fund. For balanced regional growth, the allocations under the scheme would be equitably spread across the five geographical regions of the country viz. North, West, South, East and North-east.
The States have a key role under the scheme. The selection of airports where UDAN operations would start would be done in consultation with State Governments and after confirmation of their concessions. It may be recalled that revival of dysfunctional airports and starting operations on un-served airports has been a long-standing demand of most States and this will be addressed through UDAN to a large extent.
The UDAN is likely to a give a major fillip to tourism and employment generation in the hinterland. Through introduction of helicopters and small aircraft, it is also likely to significantly reduce travel timings in remote and hilly regions, as well as islands and other areas of the country. n
The States have a key role under the scheme. The selection of airports where
UDAN operations would start would be done in consultation with State
Governments and after confirmation of their concessions
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NEW DELHI. Vistara (TATA-SIA Airlines Ltd), India’s fastest growing ful l service carrier –
known for impeccable operational excellence and consistently high On-T ime Performance (OTP) records - has now received the Category III Bravo (CAT III-B) certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The certification could not have been more well-timed for Vistara to maintain its stellar performance during the upcoming fog season. Permitting its CAT IIIB compliant fleet and crew to safely take-off and touch-down with a Runway Visibility Range (RVR) of as low as 75 meters, the approval is a milestone achievement as it is the highest level of low-visibility rating awarded in India currently. The certification will enable Vistara to safely operate under low visibility conditions due to fog or any other poor weather conditions, which is anticipated in north east and northern parts of the country, typically during year-end and the
beginning of the year. Expressing delight, Phee Teik
Yeoh, CEO, Vistara said “Although a bad weather condition is beyond our control, we always endeavor to minimise the inconvenience faced by our customers during a flight delay or diversion arising from inclement weather. We value the trust and faith our customers repose in us when they make
Vistara their choice of travel. We are therefore committed to offer a seamless flying experience to them – be it in terms of deploying the most advanced technologies and systems for our aircraft, adequately training our crew or providing a memorable on-board experience. I am proud of my team’s relentless efforts in the past months to secure the regulatory approval for Cat 3B well in time before the fog season sets in. This certification will allow us to provide a seamless flying experience to our valued customers.”
Vistara’s current fleet of 13 brand new A320s come with the integrated CAT IIIB auto land system, and its crew is given rigorous training to ensure the safety of its customers and providing a world class travel experience. Vistara has consistently maintained its high On-Time Performance (OTP) throughout the year.
In a short span of less than two years, Vistara has expanded its network to 18 destinations across India with 430 weekly flights, further connecting Ind ia with multiple international destinations via its fast-growing network of interline partners. Having already flown more than 2.5 million happy customers, Vistara continues to grow and gain accolades as it redefines air travel in India.
TATA SIA Airlines Limited, known by the brand name Vistara, is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with Tata Sons holding the majority stake of 51 per cent in the company and SIA holding the remaining 49 per cent. Vistara commenced its commercial operations on January 9, 2015 bringing together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence. n
Vistara Receives CAT III-B Certification for Low Visibility Operations Ahead of Winter Fog Season
Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara
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NEW DELHI. As the Centre finalises the contours for the ambitious ‘Regional Air Connectivity’ scheme,
the Airports Authority of Ind ia said September.. as many as 20 un-utilised airports were ready to start operations for regional flights.Another 30 airports can be made ready for operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) by making “some investments”, AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said.
Under the scheme, announced in the new civil aviation policy, the ministry has proposed capping fares at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights on un-served and under-served routes besides various financial concessions for airlines. He said the government plans to have no-frills airports for regional air services and AAI was
studying the design parameters for such aerodromes.
There are 394 un-served and 16 under-served airports in the country. Under-served aerodromes are those which have less than seven flights a week.
Under the new civi l aviation
policy, the Airports Authority of India would be the nodal agency for implementation of RCS.
Mohapatra said cost of setting up an airport depends on the size.”Today the construction cost is about Rs 1,00,000-1,10,000 per sq m of the terminal building,” he said.
20 Airports Ready for Regional Flights, Says AAI Chief
IFS Brings to Market Tail Planning, Optimisation and Assignment Solution for Civil Aviation Sector
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN. IFS, the global enterprise applications company, has brought to market a 24/7 tail
planning and maintenance allocation solution for the global civil aviation industry. IFS Tail Planning, Optimisation & Assignment maximises aircraft allocation efficiency, supports aircraft planning and optimally schedules maintenance events - allowing airline operators to make informed decisions faster.
IFS Tail Planning, Optimisation and Assignment provides full visibility and dynamic optimisation within a single solution, well in advance of planned flight tasking and maintenance events. Planners can now handle a wider planning window and dynamically manage hard and soft constraints that affect aircraft scheduling, such as dest inat ion or maintenance
requirements, and analyse the impact of these events on the flight schedule. Maintenance engineers now benefit from full visibility, ahead of planned
maintenance events and available aircraft ground times.
Air l ines further benef it from access controls, dynamic role-based workflow management, and master data management for constraints - while taking into account service level agreements (SLAs).
“The solution maximises fuel savings by reducing maintenance inefficiency through better allocation of aircraft to long-haul routes and assigning an aircraft for maintenance, within the maintenance window,” said Graham Grose, Industry Director for Aerospace & Defense at IFS. “The solution will play a key role in helping airlines achieve business goals and grow even further in what is an extremely competitive market. As a global leader in the aviation industry, IFS looks forward to continuing to work with airlines across the globe.”
Graham Grose, Industry Director for Aerospace & Defense at IFS
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PARIS. It was all about new technologies at Euronaval, the world’s premier biennial naval exposition held at the Le Bourget Exposition Centre on the outskirts
of the French capital.India Strategic was there in
strength, with four persons including these writers, to see and listen to what the world’s best military industry had to say on meeting global requirements. There were 400 exhibitors from 34 nations in 15,000 sqm of space from Oct 17 to 21. They included shipyards, makers and integrators of weapon systems and EW sensors, and specialists on every aspect of warfare.
The event was well-managed, and facilities for participants, delegates, visitors and media were good.
India, which has an ambitious
programme to build new generation of submarines and ships, including a second aircraft carrier over the next 25 years, was of special interest to the participants.
DCNS, which is assisting the Indian Navy in building six Scorpene submarines, gave us a briefing on
its next generation of underwater warfare. So did Safran, ECA, Thales, MBDA and many other companies. Security of shore-based assets, cyber and satellite connectivity, manned and unmanned long range patrols by vessels and aircraft, including drones, were the subjects in focus.
France, which has been hit by a series of terror strikes, is obviously laying a lot of emphasis on anti-
New Technologies and Cyber Defence Dominate the Show
n By Cmde Ranjit B Rai (Retd) and Shweta Sehgal
Special to India Strategic
Indian Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre with
Rear Admiral R Vishwanathan at the BrahMos stand
DCNS displaying its capabilities
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terror protection, and several French companies were willing to share the expertise they were developing.
Naturally, India was there. So were the Chinese and Pakistanis and Arabs, other European countries and the US with dominating presence from General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
G e n e r a l A t o m i c s m a d e presentations on unmanned aircraft and its innovative Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which is the new standard for next-gen US Navy aircraft carriers. India is in touch with it for both the Predator drones and EMALS.
Lockheed Martin showcased its ship-based Aegis Combat System, which has just been introduced with the Australian Navy.
INDIAN PARTICIPATIONIndia had an official delegation led by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre, who was accompanied by Rear Admiral R Vishwanath, a specialist Marcos Commando officer who is a graduate of the RCDS in UK.
CMD of Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) Rear Admiral (Retd) Shekhar Mital was also
at the show viewing MCMV equipment with his staff. Mr Bhamre was taken to Toulon to visit the military harbour on the Mediterranean Sea which is home to the Mediterranean Fleet with the latest FREMM frigates and six nuclear SSK submarines of France of the Rubis class (Rubis, Saphir, Casablanca, Emeraude, Amethyste and Perle). These are armed with F-17 torpedoes and SM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles and equipped with a multifunction sonar, a very low frequency towed sonar, a radar detector Arur-13 and a satellite communications system.
Vice Admiral Charles Henri De Chu is the Commander of the French Forces in the Mediterranean.
INDIA’S BRAHMOSIndia’s BrahMos Aerospace put up an impressive display of the world’s only supersonic missile made by it with Russian collaboration. The India Strategic stand was located next to it, and the Russian Rosoboronexport, opposite it.
Many delegations visited the large BrahMos stand, as its presence ind icated that Ind ia and Russia together had some intent to sell it to friendly countries. Details were not available.
Nonetheless, half a dozen Chinese navy officials took interest in the BrahMos and were seen taking pictures of the missile models from all angles.
BrahMos has proved to be a One-Shot-Kill missile with no protection to an enemy, and is already in service with the Indian Navy and Army. The Indian Air
Team India Strategic with General Atomics' Michael Maughan
Chinese delegates taking pictures at the BrahMos stand
A model of BrahMos Supersonic Missile on IAF's Su-30 MKI aircraft
India Strategic stand at Euronaval
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Force is just about to induct its slimmer version on its Su-30 MKI aircraft.
News broke at Euronaval that the Indian Navy had commissioned its first home built nuclear strike submarine INS Arihant. This evinced discussions on Arihant capabilities and of its K-15/B-05 nuclear tipped missiles.
There are indications that if India acquires a second nuclear propelled submarine from Russia, it will be armed with the BrahMos. In fact, a model of such an Amur class boat was displayed at the BrahMos stand. An updated version of the missile could also be fitted on the new line of Project 75 (I) submarines that the Indian Navy is seeking.
Authoritative sources however have told India Strategic that while discussions between the two countries are on, there is no decision yet.
MKU, PRIVATE INDIAN PLAYERThe presence of one private Indian company, MKU, is worth mention. A world leader in protective armour and bullet proof vests, it has a partner in Germany and its stand was located near the German pavilion. Notably, MKU has been voted the largest private defence export company in 2014-15.
No major orders were reported at this edition of Euronaval, but the organisers stated that the turnover in monetary terms towards upgrades, refits and new offerings
of technology and weapons for ships and submarines, helicopters, UAVs and UUVs registered well.
Many nations which were buyers earlier, like India, Brazil, Singapore, UAE, Pakistan and Australia, have also become ship builders, impacting in reduced orders for European companies, and economies.
SUBMARINESThe consensus, however, was that Asia was leading the way, and both China and India increasing their maritime strength while Pakistan was leasing its security to China by giving it the Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea and also military facilities in the
Himalayas. Due to China’s claims of most of the strategic South China Sea, resulting in tension with nearly all its neighbours, the buildup of underwater fleets is projected to be high in the Pacific region.
Euronaval showed that orders for submarines the world over are up with several countries building or buying underwater assets. There are new operators like Vietnam (6 Russian Kilos), Bangladesh (2 from China), Indonesia (2 South Korean Daewoo Boats) and France (6 Barracuda SSNs), Japan (Soryus), India (6 Scorpenes, 3 SSBNs and plus), Australia (12 Scorpenes) and Pakistan (8 Chinese). Submarine equipment stalls saw many visitors engaged in meetings.
The exhibition was opened on October 18 by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who had earlier on September 23 signed the nearly Euro 8 billion contract with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to supply 36 Rafale Dassault fighters in New Delhi.
Le Drian, a political heavyweight who could be the next French Prime Minister, prefaced his three hour tour of the show with award of trophies for “Drones, Robotics and Autonomous systems”, to ECA and for “Conceptships” to VOITH TURBO, as
India Strategic's Cmde (Retd) Ranjit Rai at MKU's display
Scorpene's interior
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the vessel of the future for its Linear Jet engine. With a short speech, he emphasised, “I do not have to remind you how important the sea is in the 21st century”.
Le Drian also unveiled a new economical intermediate sized Frigate called FTI, designed by the French DGA. Five FTIs will be delivered to the French Navy by 2023 for Euro 3.2 billion by DCNS which has an ongoing six 2,000-ton Scorpene submarines project for $5.1 billion for the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock and Shipyard Ltd (MDSL).
Brazil's Odebrecht is also building four Scorpene submarines for $ 3.95 billion to be delivered by 2020. Three years later, in 2023, Brazil is slated to build its first nuclear submarine under the SNAC-2 nuclear-powered submarine programme.
ELCOME MARINEAirbus Defence which has bought out Carl Ziess from Cassidian announced that it will jointly build submarine periscopes in Nhava Shava with the Mumbai-based Elcome Marine under the Make in India programme.
Atlas Elektronik, supplier for maritime technology, which had upgraded the India Navy’s HDW-1500 submarines with fire controls and Carl Zeiss periscopes, showcased its wide spectrum of products, innovations and capabilities and
displayed the Sea Spider and Actas towed sonars it has supplied for the Type 15 warships.
CHINESE DESIGNSChina, which specialises in reverse engineering and copies designs while developing manufacturing skills, has been aggressive in the global market. It bought the tri-maran design of a private luxury swath technology boat from Australia’s INCAT, a shipbuilder and designer from Tasmania for civil use, but converted it in to the impressive high speed Hobbei missile boats.
ENGINE MAKERSEngine suppliers to Indian Navy and others, like MAN, Rolls-Royce with Kamewa/MTU and MJB water jet
makers, were there at the show.So were Israeli majors like Elbit, Elta
and IAI, and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems which is India’s collaborator for the successful Barak 8 LR with DRDO for India’s medium range and long range SAMs for the Indian Navy and Air Force.
LANDING HELICOPTER DOCKSTheir was interest in helicopter platforms also and Leonardo, the new Italian defence avatar of Finmeccanica, presented its Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) at the show.
ITEMS OF INDIAN INTEREST:n French Defence Conseil International (DCI) that handles training for navies explained how the French and Indian retired submariners were executing the first Indian Scorpene submarine trials off Mumbai. The first submarine, INS Kalvari, is due for commissioning around December.n GICAN, the Flagship for French Marine industries, arranged meetings and a conference on Secure Seas during one afternoon and spoke on renewable energies.n The Mistral LPD at DCNS stall drew a lot of visitors and India is due to open the bids for 4 LPDs turned in by Indian Shipyards with DCNS and Navantia.n Many shipbuilders displayed lighter integrated masts and all round bridges
A model of Landing Helicopter Dock at Leonardo's display
Engine supplier MAN's display was next to India's BrahMos Aerospace
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which use more and more fireproof composites and is being used in newer designs.n Remote controlled guns were on show and BAE showed its naval systems and 127 mm gun, as fiber
optic gyros overtake ring laser gyros and merge with GPS receivers.n L3 showed Riva Calzoni Masts on contract for India’s Kilo submarines in arbitration. n RIBs by Zodiac Aerospace which
can be launched from a Scorpene and accommodate six.
NUCLEARCustomer requirements, close matching of power outputs for various ship types, compact and low weight design and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) seemed the key selection criteria for typical operating profiles of navies and hence selection of new potential propulsion configurations from Gas Turbines to CODOG, Electric, Water jets and the ultimate Nuclear. AREVA of France, which has provided the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and submarines with nuclear reactors, showed a cut-away of a reactor but did not allow discussions with non-uniformed visitors.
Overall EURONAVAL 2016 was a professional naval exhibition where one gets educated in modern naval technologies and systems and it is laced with French hospitality as wines, beer and refreshments are offered in routine during business development meetings. n
A model of the Russian Amur Class nuclear propelled submarine, which the Indian Navy hopes to induct in the coming years. Discussion between the two countries are on. Meanwhile, BrahMos, which proposes to install its missiles on this boat, has prepared this reference model for the Indian Navy
A UAE delegation at the BrahMos stand
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PHOTO GALLERY
India Strategic's Editorial Director Gulshan Luthra with Nathalie Bakhos of Dassault Aviation
MBDA put up impressive display of its missiles India Strategic with MBDA's Mati Hindrekus
MBDA's MARTE ER 3rd Generation missile system
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PHOTO GALLERY
LHD being displayed by DCNS that Pipavav Defence has offered to Make in India
Supplier and support services to UK Armed Forces Babcock International was their at Euronaval
Sagem displayed Scorpene periscopes, masts and Inertial Navigation Stytem (INS)
Raytheon stand
Thales displayed radars, EW and sonar systems. Indian Navy has RAWL-08 on INS Chennai and SUBTICS CIC and radar on the Kalvari Scorpene Class
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Groupe SNEF at Euronaval Fincantieri's display
Mototok at EuronavalRafael displayed its C-DOME
A maritime engine by MAN which is also used by the Indian Navy Euronaval Conference on 'Secure Seas'
A French Mistral amphibious assault shipSafran's EW Systems
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PARIS. At Euronaval 2016, the French ministry of defence unveiled the FTI (Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire) medium-
size frigate programme for the French Navy. Working alongside DCNS, Thales has been selected to provide a number of latest-generation systems for the future frigates.
Thales anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine and maritime security systems are widely recognised for their performance and are in service with more than 50 navies. Thales brings unparalleled expertise to client navies all over the world, and will be providing the following systems for the France’s future FTI:
CAPTAS-4 COMPACT SONARThales is launching a compact, modular version of the CAPTAS-4 towed array sonar currently in service on the FREMM multi-mission frigates. The compact version of CAPTAS-4 delivers the same very long-range detection performance with 20 per cent lower weight and a footprint almost 50 per cent smaller, bringing the FTI the most effective underwater detection capability available on the market.
SEA FIRE RADARDeveloped with the support of the
French authorities, the SEA FIRE is a fully solid-state multi-function radar with a four-panel phrased array antenna. It meets the requirements of a broad range of missions, from ship self-defence to extended air defence, and can deploy ASTER missiles. The SEA FIRE is designed to perform in the complex conditions of the littoral or in heavily jammed environments to counter conventional, asymmetric or emerging air and surface threats. The new radar is suitable for all types of corvettes and frigates.
AQUILON INTEGRATED NAVAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMThales is also supplying the Aquilon fully integrated naval communication system and an IFF system associated with the SEA FIRE radar. Aquilon is already in service with the French Navy and numerous other naval forces. Built around an IP architecture, it provides all shipboard and external communications and delivers secure connectivity services for frigate and
crew, guaranteeing interoperability between all the actors taking part in the FTI’s future missions.
ESM1 ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEMThe new SENTINEL electronic warfare system from Thales is also built around the very latest technology. With a modular architecture, this all-digital system guarantees electromagnetic compatibility with modern shipboard systems and is capable of precisely identifying fast manoeuvring threats in the complex RF environments encountered in littoral waters.
As of 2016, Thales equipment and systems are in service with 53 navies on board more than 500 vessels.
“With more than 50 years of experience provid ing high-tech equipment, systems and naval services to client navies around the world, Thales is proud to have been selected by the defence ministry to take part in the French Navy’s future medium-size frigate programme”, said Mr Patrice Caine, Chairman & CEO, Thales. n
Thales High-tech Systems on Board French Navy’s Future Medium-size Frigates
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ECA Group Receives Innovation Trophy for STERNA Application for UAVs
PARIS. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian awarded the Innovation Trophy October 18 to ECA Group during the
inauguration of the Euronaval trade show. ECA won the prestigious trophy for its patent application, baptized STERNA, which combine the use of an UAV and a magnetic sensor carried by a drone to measure a ship’s magnetism.
This patent is the fruit of a joint effort between ECA Group and EOST (Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre), the French School and Observatory for Earth Sciences, in the scope of a partnership related to magnetism in the naval sector, an ECA statement said here.
The application has been installed on an IT180 drone, a mini rotary-wing UAV that can be easily operated from any ship due to its compact size and its high-accuracy navigation even in strong winds. The application can also be configured to operate in a tethered version to act as a radio relay or to detect drifting mines.
The innovation, rewarded at the opening of Euronaval here, includes
a drone carry a magnetic sensor able to measure a ship’s magnetism while performing an aerial survey. Having a low magnetic signature is essential for these ships to avoid exploding on mines able to detect a magnetic mass. Measuring a ship’s magnetism is important as it enables in adjustment of onboard compensation systems in order to modify its magnetism to the lowest possible values. Using this innovation, any vessel equipped with UAV IT180 will be able to verify and periodically adjust its magnetism as often as possible.
So far, this capability is available only at submarine bases with fixed or permanent facility.
This innovation is rooted in a multi-task approach of the IT180 in the naval sector. Any ship can accommodate the IT180 as a technical tool capable of performing various tasks serving the ship’s crew or its mission, such as:-n Interception of suspicious vessels;n Detection of drifting mines;n Measure a ship’s magnetism;n Radar calibration;n Radio relay for communications with aerial or surface drones;n Recovery of data from underwater drones. n
n By Shweta Sehgal
SYNTACS Steps Ahead
PARIS. At Euronaval 2016, the German bridge system integrator Raytheon Anschütz
announced the next step forward for their Synapsis Tactical Command System (SYNTACS). The capabilities of SYNTACS are enhanced through the integration of ballistic modules, weapon computer and additional shipborne surveillance equipment, enabling the system to provide a complete fire control solution.
“SYNTACS is a scalable integrated mission management system solution, which has proven its effectiveness in numerous installations over the past two years, including the HSI32 Interceptor vessels bui lt at French shipyard CMN,” said Raytheon Anschütz’ Dr. Thomas Lehmann, segment manager of C2 solutions. “With the next level of SYNTACS, customers in the small naval combatant or OPV market will benefit from a cost-effective solution for basic combat management, an optimal fit for their mission needs.”
SYNTACS current ly combines command and control, advanced situational awareness capabilities as well as navigation features. With the integration of the ballistic modules, SYNTACS offers a seamless turn-key solution for the entire functional chain from surveillance, situation analysis and detection, to engagement and fire control. SYNTACS demonstrated the exceptional features of this highly-effective tactical bridge system solution for small naval platforms and coast guard vessels at this prestigious event. n
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New HE-MRO Centre to Support Indian Helicopter OperatorsG
OA. Defence Minister, Mr. Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture
of Safran and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, (HAL), in southwest Goa October 23. This Joint Venture will support helicopter engines operated by national and international operators from a 1,000 sq m office and a 3,800 sq m shop facility.
This new centre wil l provide maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters. It will start its activities in 2017 with a capacity of 50 repaired engines a year and a full-capacity goal of 150 in the coming years. By then, the initial staff of 30 will also grow to 100.
The centre’s capabilities may be enlarged to include other engines as mutually agreed. Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL will provide their customers with a first-class service including optimised engine availability.
With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and 250 Shakti, India’s armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed
helicopter engines. Shakti is the Indian designation for the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL and produced under license.
INDUSTRY
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar are explained about the specifications of a helicopter engine section displayed at the HE-MRO centre at Bhuipal
This new centre will provide
maintenance repair and
overhaul (MRO) services for Safran
TM333 and HAL Shakti engines
installed on HAL-built helicopters
HAL’s New Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)
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T. Suvarna Raju, HAL Chairman and Managing Director said: “HE-MRO reflects the close relationship established over many years between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines. This new MRO centre will improve customer satisfaction through improved serviceability and reduced cycle time”, he added.
Bruno Even, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, commented, “HE-MRO marks a new step in the long-lasting and fruitful partnership between Safran and HAL. We are extremely proud of the continued confidence placed in us by HAL. Together we are committed to delivering world-class support to our customers, both in India and throughout the region”.
Shakti is fitted to HAL’s ALH/Dhruv and has been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The Ardiden 1U variant powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-tonne single-engine aircraft that made its maiden flight in September 2016.
Safran has maintained a presence in India for over 60 years in its three core markets – aerospace, defence and security. With a workforce of 2,500 domestic employees, its activities range from R&D to design, production and maintenance. Safran now powers and/or equips 65 per cent of Indian airplanes and helicopters, and is the chief supplier of key systems and equipment for the Rafale.
Besides helicopter engines, Safran has partnered with HAL over decades through local businesses such as Aircraft Engines (180-employee JV in Bangalore) and Electronics & Defence equipment (Inertial Navigation Systems & Automated Flight Control Systems). n
Rockwell Collins at APEX and FTE Asia 2016
SINGAPORE. As airlines and airports came together in Singapore for the Airline Passenger Experience (APEX) Expo and Future Travel Experience (FTE) Asia Expo, Rockwell Collins showcased its powerful portfolio of solutions that deliver a complete end-to-end experience for passengers At APEX (October 25-26), the focus was on the
company’s PAVES in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, Inmarsat GX Ka-band connectivity and applications and value-added services — all aimed at engaging, connecting and entertaining airline passengers.
“Airlines are interested in how they can provide their passengers with the best experience in the airport, onto the aircraft and through to the final destination,” said Jeff Sare, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Air Transport Cabin Solutions for Rockwell Collins.
He continued, “We offer extensive experience in a connected aviation ecosystem. Airlines are already taking advantage of our latest solutions with unprecedented reliability and we look forward to meeting with airlines at APEX to find solutions that meet their specific needs, especially in the area of of Ka-band connectivity.” At FTE, Rockwell Collins will promote and demonstrate its next-generation airport solutions that are improving efficiencies in passenger processing, security and passenger experience.
“APEX and FTE attendees will have the opportunity to experience the breadth of Rockwell Collins expertise across the entire curb-to-curb experience, including integrated passenger processing, biometric identity management, self-service baggage handling, and interactive flight information and wayfinding,” said Chris Forrest, vice president, Airport Solutions for Rockwell Collins. “Rockwell Collins is in a unique position. We’re excited to showcase how we can support the entire aviation ecosystem.” n
Ardiden 1H1
n THROUGH THE AIRPORT, ONTO THE AIRCRAFT, TO THE DESTINATION
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INDUSTRY
IAF to Arm their Drones Acquired from IsraelNEW DELHI. The unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones so far used for surveillance
may soon be equipped by the Indian Air Force (IAF) with missiles under a top secret programme code-named “Project Cheetah”. The project that will cost more than `10,000 crore is being worked out in tandem with defence major – Israeli Aircraft Industry (IAI), to equip the Israeli-made Searcher and Heron drones with advanced snooping capabilities and missiles that can target terrorists and their hideouts, both within India and across the borders. The project has been in the work for quite some time and the government
has recently ordered to involve the Indian agencies, including the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics to use their experience.
The precision guided missiles would help in specific elimination of the desired targets with none or minimum collateral damage in such operations, sources in the IAF said. They said the drones can locate the terrorist hideout in the higher reaches of Kashmir and the missiles can be safely fired to destroy the terrorists without any fear of causing injuries to the civilians.
India has, at present, a fleet over 200 drones bought from Israel and they are deployed on both eastern
front with China and western front with Pakistan. The Army was the first to launch these UAVs in the 90s, starting with Searcher Mark I and Mark II that can operate at an altitude of 15,000 feet and the Heron which could operate at 30,000 feet. The IAF followed the Army and acquired the same Israeli UAVs. The Indian Navy also has three operational squadrons of UAVs deployed along eastern and Western sea board. The Navy is now in the process of acquiring Predator XP drones used by the US Navy. It has sought 100 latest UAVs, both armed and surveillance versions worth $2 billion from the United States. n
Boeing Forecasts World Air Cargo Traffic to Grow Long Term as Economy Strengthens
PARIS. Boeing projects air cargo traffic will grow at an annual rate of 4.2 per cent over the next 20 years, with 930 new and 1,440
converted freighters needed to meet market demand by 2035. The company released its biennial World Air Cargo Forecast at TIACA (The International Air Cargo Association) Air Cargo Forum and Exhibition in Paris October 26.
“T he a i r ca rgo market has faced several years of below trend growth,” said Mr Randy Tinseth, Vice President, Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “As trade continues to recover, we’re confident the air cargo market will see growth over the long-term.” Boeing projects the e-commerce market will be one of the primary factors driving that growth, reaching $3.6 trillion by 2020. Additionally, China’s express market keeps expanding, with a five-year growth rate of 55 per cent in volume and 39 per cent in revenue.
The forecast shows markets linked to Asia will lead all other international markets in average air cargo growth.
Dedicated freighters still carry more than half of air cargo traffic and remain the leading cargo capacity provider.
Boeing products make up more than 90 per cent of the world’s dedicated freighter capacity. Boeing offers integrated solution for freighter operators, whether they carry express cargo or industrial goods.
From standard-body freighters to large freighters, the Boeing Freighter Family has an unmatched selection of capacity and capability with superior economics. Boeing offers a complete family of production freighters – the 767-300, 777 and 747-8 Freighters – as well as the 737BCF and 767-300BCF conversion freighters. n
Mr Randy Tinseth, Vice President, Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
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US Air Force Small Diameter Bomb II’s Tri-Mode Seeker, to be Ready by 2018
TH E U S A i r Fo rc e i s engineering and testing a new air-dropped weapon able to destroy moving targets in all kinds of
weather cond itions at ranges greater than 40-miles, USAF and Raytheon officials said. The Small Diameter Bomb II, or SDB II, is designed to destroy moving targets in all kinds of weather, such as small groups of ISIS or terrorist fighters on-the-move in pick-up trucks. A weapon of this kind would be of extreme relevance against ISIS fighters as the group is known to deliberately hide among civilian populations and make movements under cloud cover or adverse weather in order to avoid detection from overhead surveillance technologies.
The new bomb is slated to be operational on F-15E fighter jets by 2018 and F/A-18 Super Hornet by 2020.
An Air Force F-15 Eagle recently
destroyed a moving surrogate-model T-72 tank during a live-fire test of the new Small Diameter Bomb II at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Raytheon officials explained that the surrogate T-72 tank was moving at tactically relevant battle speeds when it was destroyed by the SDB II during the live-fire test. Most of the testing of the SBD II thus far has been on an Air Force F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet; however the weapon has also been fitted and tested on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The SDB II also has the ability to classify targets, meaning it could for example be programmed to hit only tanks in a convoy as opposed to other moving vehicles. The weapon can classify tanks, boats or wheeled targets, Raytheon officials added. The potential value of the entire SDB II production run is expected to be $2.792 billion for 17,000 SDB II weapons for US armed forces alone. n
n CAN DESTROY MOVING TARGETS IN ADVERSE WEATHER
Indian LUH Completes First Flight with Ardiden 1U Engine
BANGALORE. The first flight of Safran’s Ardiden 1U engine, powering the Indian LUH (Light
Utility Helicopter), took place in Bangalore recently.
LUH is a new three-tonne, single-engine, multipurpose rotorcraft designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The Ardiden 1U met all the performance targets set for this maiden flight. “This flight marks a major milestone in our partnership with HAL,” commented Bruno Even, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO. “Safran is demonstrating through this programme its ability to deliver on-time best-in-class products for new generation helicopter. We are delighted with Ardiden 1U progress. Selected by HAL in 2014, first bench tests took place in December 2014 and it has taken less than three years to get to this maiden flight”.
Specifically designed to power single-engine rotorcraft, the 1U is a derivative of the Ardiden 1H1 1,400 shp engine. Certif ied by EASA in 2009, the 1H1 was co-developed by Safran and HAL. It is now in production under the Shakti designation, and powers HAL’s Dhruv and Light Combat Helicopter and today, more than 250 units are in service. n
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May visits Dynamatic Technologies’ Facility in Bangalore
BANGALORE. The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, visited Dynamatic Technologies’ facility in Bangalore November 8, as Airbus took delivery of
the first commercial set of A330 flap track beams, produced jointly in the UK and India. Airbus’ footprint in India has increased significantly in the last 40 years, and Dynamatic is providing flap track beams for Airbus’ twin aisle A330 model. The parts will be jointly manufactured in Dynamatic’s facilities in Swindon, Bristol and Bangalore.
Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister, Theresa May, said, “This agreement between Dynamat ic Technologies and Airbus highlights the strength of the UK-India partnership
which will provide real benefits for both our economies and ensure we remain at the cutting edge of technology and manufacturing.
Udayant Malhoutra, CEO & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies said, “Our facilities in the UK & India are able to provide Global Best Value to Airbus, with the manufacture of complex parts at our factories in Bristol & Swindon, along with artisanal craftsmanship and assembly at our facilities in Bangalore. We are grateful for the support we have always received from Her Majesty’s Government, and take great pleasure in welcoming Prime Minister Theresa May to our factory at Bangalore.”
Touring the facility, the Prime Minister met Udayant Malhoutra,
CEO & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies Limited, Pierre de Bausset, President & Managing Director of Airbus Group India and Srinivasan Dwarakanath, President of Airbus India. She saw first-hand the beams being assembled and made ready to be sent to Airbus and met with apprentices working on the production and assembly line.
Flap-track-beams are high tech guide rails fitted to the wings of the aircraft, which are crucial in controlling speed, direction and balance. With sites in Swindon, Bristol and Bangalore, Dynamatic carries out its technical engineering design in the UK and is the only Indian Tier 1 supplier to Airbus. n
GA-ASI Conducts First Flight of Avenger Extended Range
SAN DIEGO. General Atomics A e ro n a u t i c a l Sy s t e m s announced November 10, the successful first flight of its new Avenger Extended
Range (ER) aircraft, an extended range version of its multi-mission jet-powered Predator C Avenger which has accumulated over 13,000 flight hours to date. The flight occurred on October 27 at the company’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif.
“The first flight of Avenger ER is a significant achievement in the evolution of Predator C’s proven performance and multi-mission capability,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. “The increased endurance and high payload capacity will deliver tremendous capability to our customers, who need persistent situational awareness and strike mission affordability.”
With an increased wingspan of 76 feet and 2,200 pounds of additional fuel, Avenger ER extends the legacy Avenger’s already impressive endurance from 15 hours to 20 hours. The RPA
provides an optimal balance of long loiter Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and precision-strike capability, supporting a wide array of sensors and weapons payloads to perform ISR and ground support missions. Like the legacy Avenger, Avenger ER features avionics based upon the combat-proven Predator B/MQ-9
Reaper, has a 44-foot long fuselage, 3,000-pound payload bay, and is capable of flying at over 400 KTAS. Avenger ER, along with its predecessor, is designed to carry payloads such as the all-weather GA-ASI Lynx Multi-mode Radar, the MS-177 Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor, and the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). n
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Honeywell Selected to Provide Advanced Cockpit Technologies for Cessna’s Citation Hemisphere
OR L A N D O , F L A . Honeywell’s Primus Epic integrated cockpit system has been selected by Cessna Aircraft Company
for its new Cessna Citation Hemisphere large-cabin business jet. Honeywell’s transoceanic flight management system — including SmartView for lower minimums, precision inertial reference sensors and a comprehensive Connected Aircraft solution — will enable Hemisphere operators to reach destinations faster and with reduced cost.
Cessna’s Citation Hemisphere aircraft will come well-equipped with Honeywell’s Primus Epic cockpit, which will provide pilots with a conformal 3-D view of the outside world even in challenging weather conditions such as fog, rain or snow to improve situational awareness. Honeywell’s Connected Aircraft solution includes satellite communications and connectivity airtime as well as cockpit, cabin, and maintenance apps and services.
“We continue to lead the way in business aviation by providing our customers with advanced cockpit technologies and reliable connectivity systems that are ready to fly anywhere, any time and for less,” said Brian Sill, president, Commercial Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace. “Honeywell engines already power the Citation Longitude, and this agreement expands our relationship with Cessna in the large-cabin aircraft segment.”
Honeywell’s Cockpit and Connectivity TechnologiesHoneywell is providing Cessna’s Citation Hemisphere with Primus Epic, the latest integrated cockpit system, and other advanced technologies:n SmartView Synthetic Vision System (SVS) provides a 3-D color image of runways, terrain and obstacles, giving pilots a clear view of the outside world even during bad weather and at night through all phases of
flight from takeoff to landing. n IntuVue Volumetric Weather Radar system provides the most advanced, automatic, complete, accurate and intuitive view of airborne weather hazards, resulting in more efficient hazard avoidance. n Airport 2-D and 3-D Moving Maps display runways, taxiways and airport markings on navigation displays, and they integrate seamlessly with SmartView SVS for an “out-the-window, gate-to-gate” view of the airport. n Honeywell’s transoceanic Next Generation Flight Management System enables the most efficient flight and next-generation approach capabilities with Required Navigation Performance
Approval Required. n Honeywell’s latest generation of advanced LED large-format, high-resolution displays provides optimal situational awareness. n Touchscreen controllers integrated with cockpit and aircraft systems provide advanced functionality for system management and audio control to reduce pilot workload and increase efficiency. n A s p i r e 3 0 0 s a t e l l i t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s e n a b l e s simultaneous cockpit voice and
data connectivity via the Iridium satellite system for safety services. n Optional JetWave cabin satellite communications delivers a high-bandwidth, g lobal connect iv i ty experience for passenger productivity and entertainment.
Honeywell continues to offer a suite of advanced technologies to help customers keep up with increased expectations for longer range, greater reliability and better fuel efficiency in the business aviation market. To hear more about this and Honeywell’s other cockpit technologies, come by Honeywell’s Booth 2200 at NBAA 2016. n
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NEW DELHI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done another surgical strike on November 8 when he announced that currency notes of `1000 and `500 would not be a legal tender from
midnight. The demonetisation of the high value currency notes would be a gargantuan assault on corruption, terrorism, fake currency and hawala transactions. Mr Modi elaborated that these high denomination notes can be exchanged in banks as well as in Post Offices up to December 30, with some restrictions. The second surgical strike was welcomed by masses and fully supported by experts as the black money puts an unnecessary burden on the honest tax payers.
Mr Modi rightly mentioned that corruption and black money are deeply entrenched in the system and demonetisation of these notes is a big step
Surgical Strike on Corruption, Terrorism and FICN
to curb the menace. The Global Financial Integrity report revealed that $94.8 billion was siphoned off from India in 2012. Again Swiss National Bank reported that Indians deposited `14,000 crore in Swiss banks in 2013. According to the Swiss Bankers Association, Indians stashed about $2 billion in all Swiss banks. There are about 70 places in the world where black money can be deposited. Hence one can imagine the quantum of black money abroad. But it is also a fact that bringing back black money from abroad is a nightmare.
Black money within country is much more than what was deposited abroad. The analysts claim that currency of about `3,35,000 crore would be destroyed because of demonetisation of currency notes of `500 and `1000. Hence government should first handle black money within country and then efforts should be made to bring back the black money which has left the shores.
Large amount of black money is utilised in real estate which has hiked the price of houses so much that it has gone beyond the reach of lower or even middle class. The experts point out that if use of black money is stopped in real estate the prices of houses would come down and more people would be able to purchase the houses. Real estate is a major source of generation of employment and if it functions well it will strengthen the economy.
There is a nexus between politicians and business houses and black money
n By JK Verma
prime minister narendra modi addressing public on demonetisation
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Nepal, Bangladesh, Gulf Countries, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Myanmar. ISI also smuggles FICN through Indo-Pak borders.
The intelligence officers claim that ISI spends about `39 in printing of one `1,000 note and sells it to smugglers for about ̀ 400, it pumps FICN worth `1,700 Crore hence it earns a net profit of about `600 Crore annually, which it utilises in intensifying terrorist activities in India especially in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
ISI funds various terrorist outfits including Indian Mujahideen (IM), Lashker-e- Taiba (L-e-T), Jaish-e-Mohammed (J-e-M), al Badr and separatist leaders of J&K. The nefarious ISI also assists various terrorist organisations of Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Dawood Ibrahim who is a protégé of ISI and has a big network of agents and sub agents in India also plays a vital role in smuggling of circulation of FICN in the country. Aftab Batki who is the foremost man behind FICN smuggling to India was previously based in Dubai, now shifted to Karachi.
Ind ian security off icials arrested several smugglers with FICN and they also confirmed the involvement of ISI officers in the smuggling. A prominent L-e-T operator Abdul Karim Tunda during interrogation also confirmed ISI
is extensively used by political parties. According to National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms, 75 per cent donations to all the political parties are through undeclared sources. In most of the democracies like United States, Japan, Nepal, Germany etc. the donations to the political parties are in public domain but unfortunately in India there is no transparency, hence black money plays a vital role in the elections. The present demonetisation may cleanse forthcoming assembly elections also.
The surgical strike of November 8 would also decrease the hazard of counterfeit currency. India is a cash-based society and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) became a big hazard for the economy of the country, the new currency notes have more security features and would be difficult even for Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)-superintended Pakistani presses to emulate.
According to a reliable assessment India had ̀ 169,000 crore FICN in 2000 and at present it might have reached to 1,200,000 crore.
The intelligence agencies claim that the ISI which has waged a low intensity war, pumps crores of counterfeit notes of `1,000 and 500 denominations in India. According to a recent study `1,000 notes constitute about 60 per cent of FICN in circulation in the country.
T he D i rec to ra te o f Revenue Intelligence (DRI) which is the lead agency to curb smuggling claims that FICN are printed with precision in Pakistan government controlled presses with maximum security precautions. The quality of the FICN is so good that it is difficult to distinguish between the real and counterfeit notes. Pakistan is involved in printing of FICN is evident by the fact that it imports much more paper and ink them required for printing its own currency.
The powerful ISI prints FICN in government controlled printing presses in Multan, Quetta, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar and then pumps it in India through numerous countries including
Economic Affairs Secretary Mr Shaktikanta Das showing the design of the new 500 rupee note
November 2016
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entanglement in smuggling of FICN.The MOU signed with Bangladesh in 2015
immensely helped in curbing the smuggling of FICN through Bangladesh. The present Sheikh Hasina
government smashed ISI network within country. The present Nepal government has also taken stringent actions against smuggling of FICN through Nepal. In past one year. First Secretary of Pakistani mission in Nepal was sent back because of his participation in smuggling of FICN.
ISI uses Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as well as diplomatic bags in smuggling of FICN to diverse countries. In Pakistani diplomatic missions ISI officers distribute FICN to their various couriers and sub couriers who smuggle it to India.
The Hawala operators also use large denominations notes especially of ̀ 500 and ̀ 1,000 and the demonetisation of these notes would adversely affect their illegal transactions.
Demonetisation of `1,000 and 500 notes is also a big blow to multiple terrorist outfits. According to reports few leaders of LWE organisations have already threatened the contractors and businessmen of the areas to convert their defunct currency which is in several Crore. A businessman was already caught when he was converting `25 lakh of a leader of Peoples Liberation Front.
The defunct notes have to be deposited in the bank hence more and more persons would open bank accounts. It will also prove to be a major step towards a cashless society.
The decision of demonetisation of bigger denomination notes is an admirable decision but it appears that full preparation was not made. There are long queues in front of Banks. Most of the ATMs are not functioning and as usual bank employees are not fully cooperative. Government should have taken adequate measures so that there are no hassles in deposits and withdrawals from the banks, which is necessary to keep the confidence of public intact in the banking system of the country.
Government should also make the tax system easy and transparent. It must take sufficient measures so that black money is not generated and the corrupt persons are punished quickly. n
November 2016
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Defence Industry
PARIS . Ai rbus Defence and Space has successfully completed the maiden flight of the f irst new standard A330 MRTT Mu l t i Ro l e Tanker Transport. This model incorporates a number of enhancements introduced o n t h e b a s i c A 3 3 0 a s well as upgraded military systems as part of Airbus and Airbus Defence and Space, continuous product improvement programme. The three-hour flight took place on September 30 and the crew reported that the aircraft performed in line with expectations. The new standard A330 MRTT features structural mod if icat ions, aerodynamic improvements giving a fuel-burn reduction of up to one per cent, upgraded av ion ics computers and enhanced military systems. First delivery is due in 2018. A total of 51 A330 MRTTs have been ordered by 10 nations of which 28 have been delivered.
D U L L E S , VA . T h e U S Navy awarded R a y t h e o n Company a $255 million contract for development and production readiness of its next generation precision landing s y s t e m . T h e Joint Precision Approach and Landing System uses GPS satellite navigation to provide more accurate land ing guidance for manned and unmanned aircraft, replacing radar and beacons used in older systems. This contract was announced by the Department of Defense on September 21.
R a y t h e o n w i l l c o m p l e t e development for an auto-land capability to be used by both manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as finalise the integration with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: the first aircraft to be equipped with JPALS technology. When operational in 2018, the US Navy and Marine Corps will use JPALS on the F-35C carrier variant, F-35B short takeoff/
vertical landing variant, and the MQ-25A multi-mission unmanned vehic le . "The JPALS solut ion revolutionises landings for manned and unmanned military aircraft," said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "
JPALS improves navigat ional alignment prior to approach, allowing aircraft to land on any aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship, day or night, even in adverse weather conditions. As the only military ground-based augmentation system in the world, the system features anti-jam protection to ensure mission continuity throughout a range of threat environments.
First New Standard A330 MRTT Makes Maiden Flight
Armed Forces
AROUND THEW RLD
Nuclear & SpaceHomeland Security
Defence Industry Armed Forces
Raytheon to Complete Development of Next Generation Precision Landing System
November 2016
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LONDON. The Royal Air Force (RAF) has awarded Raytheon UK a £131 million extension of its contract to manage support services for the Sentinel surveillance aircraft programme. The award extends the contract to 2021. Raytheon will optimise the design, modification, configuration management and support aspects of Sentinel at RAF Waddington and at Raytheon's facility in Broughton, Wales.
"The Sentinel fleet is well-recognised for the outstanding contribution it has made to military and surveillance operations around the globe over the last nine years," said Richard Daniel, chief executive officer of Raytheon UK. "As well as creating new jobs in Broughton, the extension of the
Sentinel fleet will support several hundred highly skilled jobs within Raytheon and its supply chain, while maintaining world leading expertise in the customer community."
The full range of Raytheon's technical support for the Sentinel fleet includes
fleet management, maintenance planning, maintenance service, technical and engineering services, obsolescence management, air vehicle integrity, supply and procurement service, training, design service and overarching service management.
ZHUHAI, CHINA. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company celebrated November 1, the 10-year anniversary of the S-92 helicopter operations in China during the Zhuhai Airshow.
“Sikorsky holds a long-standing relationship with China, providing more than 30 years of service to the China civil aviation industry,” said Sikorsky’s Vice President for Strategy & Business Development, Nathalie Previte. “We’re excited to celebrate a decade of operation of the S-92 helicopter in China. As we celebrate one million flight hours flown by customers throughout the world, we thank all operators for their continued trust, firm support and confidence in Sikorsky.”
In 2006, S ikorsky del ivered China’s first S-92 and S-76 aircraft to customers. Now more than 35 S-92 and 125 S-76 aircraft operate in
China and throughout Asia, including the modern S-76D helicopter. The majority of these aircraft perform the critical mission of offshore oil transportation.
Since 2004, Sikorsky has delivered more than 275 S-92 helicopters globally.
As part of the S-92 helicopter fleet’s one million flight hour milestone, Sikorsky has launched a “Thanks a Million” campaign to thank customers, employees, operators and suppliers for achieving this milestone in an impressively short time.
RAF Awards Raytheon UK £131 Million to Continue Sentinel Support
Sikorsky celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of S-92 Helicopter in China
November 2016
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Armed Forces
NEW DELHI. The Indian Coast Guard Ships ‘Aryaman’ and ‘Atulya’, the eighteenth and nineteenth in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, were commissioned at Kochi by Financial Advisor to Defence Services Sunil Kumar Kohli October 21.
The 50m long indigenous FPVs displace 317 tonnesand can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots with range of 1,500 nautical miles at an economical speed of 13 knots. Equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry, advanced communication and navigational equipment, the ships are ideal platform for undertaking multifarious close-coast missions such as surveillance, search and rescue and interdiction. The
special features of the ships include an Integrated Bridge Management System (IBMS) and Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS). The ships have been christened ICGS ‘Aryaman’ and ‘Atulya’. Aryaman literally meaning ‘Possessor of Greatness’ will be based at Kochi under the administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (West) and Atulya meaning ‘Unrivalled’ will be based at Visakhapatnam under the administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
ICGS ‘Aryaman’ is commanded by Commandant Neeraj S ingh and ICGS Atulya by Commandant (JG) Shivprasad. The ships have a complement of five officers and 33 enrolled personnel each.
NEW DELHI. Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Sunil Lanba visited Myanmar from November 1 to 4. The visit was intended to consolidate and enhance the bilateral maritime relations between India and Myanmar. During his visit the CNS held bilateral discussions with His Excellency U Myint Swe, First Vice President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Vice Senior General Soe Win, Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Defence Forces) and Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Army and Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy. The Navy Chief’s visit coincided
with the port call of Indian Naval Ships of the 1st Training Squadron which are on an Overseas Deployment as part of training curriculum of Indian Naval cadets. Officers from the Myanmar Navy are also embarked on the Indian Naval ships for the first time as part of the international training exchange programme.
The Indian and the Myanmar navies cooperate with each other in terms of Training and Operational interactions. India has been partnering the capacity building of the Myanmar Navy through assistance in Military hardware and equipment.
Indian Naval Ships Visit Phuket, ThailandNEW DELHI. Indian Naval Ships Tir, Sujata, Sail Training Ship (STS) Sudarshini alongwith Indian Coast Guard Ship Varuna comprising the 1st Training Squadron visited Phuket, Thailand October 27-31 as part of their Overseas Deployment during Autumn Term 16. The Senior Officer of the 1st Training Squadron, Captain DJ Revar, was embarked on board INS Tir.
India and Thailand have a close, long-standing relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which has strengthened over the years. The recent deployment of the Training Squadron to Phuket provided opportunities for extensive maritime engagement and further cements the close relations between the two nations and the two navies. The First Training Squadron forms part of Southern Naval Command (SNC) and comprises Indian Naval Ships Tir, Shardul, Sujata, ICGS Varuna and two Sail Training Ships Sudarshini and Tarangini, all of which have been built in India.
The primary aim of the Squadron is to impart training to Naval and Coast Guard trainees, with a 24 weeks ab-initio sea training being imparted. The trainees are imparted training in Seamanship, Navigation, Ship Handling, Boat Work, Technical aspects, etc while being exposed to the rigours of life at sea, so as to earn their ‘sea legs’.
The Indian Navy has also been providing training to personnel from Friendly Foreign Countries for more than four decades, wherein more than 13,000 personnel from over 40 countries have been trained. The Indian Navy’s focused approach for providing high quality training by constantly adapting to evolving tactics and technologies, has gained it a reputation of being one of the finest training destinations.
ICGS Aryaman and Atulya Commissioned into Indian Coast Guard
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba Visits Myanmar
November 2016
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NEW DELHI. Gen Dalbir Singh, the Chief of the Army Staff, felicitated the Indian Army team which has achieved the Gold standards in Cambrian Patrol in New Delhi October 27.
The team of two officers and nine soldiers of 2nd Battalion 8th Gorkha Rifle led by Capt Nikhil Nikam had participated in the Exercise conducted in Wales, UK. Cambrian Patrol is a grueling exercise which involves negotiating difficult terrain carrying a personal load of 30kgs over 50-60 km in 48 hour. During the exercise they are made to negotiate minefields, carry out river crossings and other such combat drills. As part of the simulations, the patrol also deals with hostage situation.
Cambrian Patrol Exercise 2016, which was conducted from October 13-24, saw participation from 18 foreign teams. The Indian Army team was nominated to participate after a tough trial. Displaying outstanding professionalism, grit and determination, the team achieved Gold Standard and was one of the four foreign teams to achieve these standards.
SHILLONG. An IAF C-17 strategic airlifted successfully landed at a high altitude Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Mechuka in Yargyap River valley of West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, recently. The ALG has been upgraded as part of IAF efforts to boost connectivity across the country. Notably, the road connectivity to the nearest air/rail head at Dibrugarh, about 500 km away, is hampered frequently by landslides; stretching the travel time to two days. Air services will help in the economic development of the area.
At an elevation of 6,200 Ft above mean sea level (amsl), the 4,200 Feet long runway is located just 29 km from the Sino Indian border.
Conventional military cargo aircraft operate from 9,000 ft long runways even at sea level airfields. The trial landing by C-17 aircraft on November 2 validated its short field landing performance even at high altitude and demonstrated IAF capability to reach out to this remote
ALG. Despite its huge size, The C-17 in fact made a short landing by using much lesser length of the full runway than many other aircraft.
This is a quantum jump from the existing capability of An-32 and C-130J aircraft. Such airlift capability facilitates critical requirement of transfer of men and material in this rugged terrain of several adjacent river valleys, interspersed by high mountain ranges that inhibit road connectivity.
Sources told India Strategic, IAF will continue to validate Airlift operations to the remaining ALGs as well, that are being renovated in Arunachal Pradesh. This would add a new dimension to IAF’s operational capabilities in the area.
Army Chief felicitates Indian Army Cambrian Patrol Team 2016
IAF C-17 LANDS AT MECHUKA Advanced Landing Ground
Naval Commanders’ Conference ConcludesNEW DELHI . T he second edition of this year’s bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference concluded October 27 after three days of fruitful deliberations.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had addressed the Naval Commanders on the inaugural day October 25 and complimented all personnel of the Indian Navy for ensuring maritime security of the country. Taking note of the wide expanse of naval activities spread across the oceans, he appreciated the high tempo of operations sustained in the last six months and efforts put-in for maritime security and coastal security. The Defence Minister also reviewed the pace of modernisation of Indian Navy, progress of various acquisition and infrastructure related cases.
Chairing the conference, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Sunil Lanba addressed the Naval Commanders on various important issues pertaining to operational readiness, capability enhancement, infrastructure development and human resource management.
Coastal Security construct was deliberated and reviewed during the conference. The Admiral was satisfied with the steady progress made in strengthening the coastal security apparatus viz. induction of FICs, ISVs and NC3 I project. He asserted the need to remain ever vigilant and focused towards our coastal security responsibilities through proactive coordination with other maritime agencies and coastal states in light of the increasing variety of asymmetric threats.
In his closing remarks, the CNS complimented all personnel of the Indian Navy for their professionalism and patriotism and exhorted them to prepare themselves and the Navy to meet all future maritime security challenges.
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Homeland Security Union Home Minister Addresses ITBP’s 55th Raising Day Parade
NEW DELHI. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has commended the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Force for securing the borders with China effectively. Addressing the 55th Raising Day Parade of ITBP at Greater Noida October 28, Mr Singh said instances of transgressions on the Sino-Indian border have declined significantly.
Referring to the ITBP guards successfully foiling the terrorist attacks to storm the Indian Consulates in Afghanistan at Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad, the Union Home Minister said the ITBP shoulders a big responsibility not only on the Himalayan border but also in the hinterland such as the LWE affected regions, insurgency in the North-East and key assets and missions at home and in the most challenging environments abroad.
On this occasion, the Home Minister reviewed and took the salute of an impressive parade. The Minister also gave away medals and trophies to the ITBP personnel and Battalions.
BAHRAIN. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India and Bahrain, both the countries, are vulnerable to the scourge of terrorism.
Mr Singh, who was on a three-day visit to Bahrain, said this during his bilateral meeting with Interior Minister of Bahrain Lt General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa in capital Manama October 24. Expressing his concern over the terrorism, he said that the terrorism constitutes the greatest threat to humanity since World War II. There are no good or bad terrorists, he added. Mr Singh said that terrorism should be dealt in a comprehensive manner. Segmented and partial approaches as adopted by some of the countries have been unsuccessful in countering terrorism, he added.
The Union Home Minister thanked Bahraini leadership for condemning the recent terrorist attack in Uri in September and the Pathankot airbase attack in January this year. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that the world opinion is with India in its resolution to dismantle the launching pads of terrorism from across the border.
The Home Minister said that signing
of agreement for Cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and trafficking in illicit drugs, narcotic and psychotropic substances and precursors chemicals has laid strong foundation for enhanced security/counter-terror ism cooperat ion between the two countries. He also said that India would like to enhance ties with Bahraini defence and security establishment. He further said that India is keen to strengthen trade and investment ties with Bahrain and avail of the strategic location of Bahrain as a “gateway” to the GCC market. While our bilateral trade is healthy and has reached about $1 billion, there is still a huge potential to further expand it, he added.
Mr Singh said that the presence of a large Indian community in Bahrain constitutes an important link between the two countries. Indians are the largest expatriate community in Bahrain, he added. He thanked the Bahraini authorities for launching the ‘Little India in Bahrain’. This is a praiseworthy gesture towards India and Indian community and will promote Indian culture in Bahrain, the Home Minister said.
Rajnath Singh Holds Talks with his Bahrain Counterpart
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh meeting the King of Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama
November 2016
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MUMBAI. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh stated “Strengthening Coastal Security is Centre’s Priority” while chairing the 22nd Western Zonal Council Meeting in Mumbai October 21.
He emphasised on better centre-state coordination for ensuring foolproof coastal security in the country. He said, in the light of the prevailing security environment, it is Centre’s priority to bolster coastal security through a series of measures, including modernisation of police forces, better surveillance and acquisition of modern equipment and assets. The Home Minister said Zonal Council Meetings have been playing an important role in addressing several problems and obstacles. “They are an important instrument of cooperative federalism” he added saying the meetings of all the five Zonal Councils were held in 2015, only a third instance
after 1972 and 2005. The Council also considered some of the important issues discussed in the meeting of Inter State Council held in July, 2016 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister. These issues related to bringing back Indian fishermen (many of them belonging to Gujarat) languishing in Pakistan Jails, Internal Security, education and Aadhaar, Pollution control and environmental
related issues were also discussed. The meeting of the Western Zonal
Council consisting of the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli was attended by the Chief Ministers and Ministers of these States and Administrators of Union Territories as well as senior officers of Central and State Governments.
Strengthening Coastal Security is Centre’s Priority
November 2016
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Nuclear & SpaceNuclear & Space
MUMBAI. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) promises to be an Indian space mission which will rocket instantly into global history books. If all goes well, on January 15, 2017, ISRO will launch 82 foreign satellites in a daring single shot, Subbiah Arunan, the project director of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), has said. Out of the 82 satellites, 60 belong to the US, 20 are from Europe and two are UK-made.
The record for launching the highest number of satellites in one go is currently held by Russia, which launched 37 satellites on June 19, 2014. The US had placed 29 satellites in orbit using the Orbital Sciences-built Minotaur-1
rocket on November 19, 2013. On June 22, 2016, India launched 20 satellites in one go. If the mission in January succeeds, India will once again break a global space record — for the second time in about two-and-a-half years. On September 24, 2014, in a record-breaking feat, India entered the Martian orbit in the very first attempt, garnering international acclaim. The rocket for ISRO's historic mission will be the advanced version of the proven four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) designated PSLV-XL. All 82 satellites will be placed in a 580-km polar sun synchronous orbit in a span of 20-25 minutes after launch.
ISRO all set to Rocket into Record Books
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Nuclear & SpaceNuclear & Space
BEIJING. China's largest carrier rocket, the Long March-5, will make its first trip into space in early November this year. The rocket, which arrived at the Wenchang launch centre in south China's Hainan Province in September, was transported to the launch area on October 28, after finishing final assembly and tests, said the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National
Defence (SASTIND).With the strongest carrying
capacity in China, the rocket will receive functional examinations and further tests before launch.
According to the SASTIND, the Long March-5 integrates top space technologies, including non-toxic environmentally-friendly fuel and a highly stable controlling system, representing a landmark in the country's carrier rockets.
RUSSIA. A Russian missile design company has unveiled the first image of a new weapon in Russia's arsenal: the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, nicknamed "Satan 2." The RS-28 Sarmat rocket "is capable of wiping out parts of the earth the size of Texas or France," Russian state news outlet Sputnik reported in May.
The image was published by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau on
its website. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borsiov said the Sarmat warhead was capable of destroying targets flying across both North and South Poles, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
The missile will have a range exceed ing 11,000 ki lometers (6,835 miles), TASS said. The warhead will weigh 100 tons and is designed as a successor to the R-36M Voyevoda.
China to Launch Long March-5 Carrier Rocket in November
Russia Unveils 'Satan 2' Missile, Could Wipe out France or Texas
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November 2016
‘Make in India’ Endeavours must include Private Sector
LASTLY
IT SEEMS India may soon be getting accustomed to ‘surgical strikes’, whether
these are across the LOC to teach India’s belligerent neighbour in the west some lessons in counter-terrorism or putting into a ‘spot’ its own belligerent black money hoarders by demonetising the 500/1,000 rupee notes most commonly used to
stash unaccounted cash. Both these are bound to be game changers in their own respective fields. But while Kudos must be due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on both counts for his bold (and imaginative) actions, what baffles one as to why a similar move is not being exercised in the field of India’s defence manufacturing?
To redux, India had opened up its defence industry to the private sector way back in 2001 in a bid to achieve its long-cherished goal of self-reliance in defence production. But, so strong has been the hold of the public sector that, even after 15 long years, private sector – in spite of its eagerness to come forward – has been unable to make a mark in defence production. In reality, still beset with the old and shackled bureaucratic notions of it being a strategic sector, private players have been willfully deprived of any meaningful participation in defence production. While MoD have come up with impressive figures such as their recent declaration in Parliament that since the opening of the private sector participation in defence sector, as many as 287 industrial licenses have been issued till date and while large claims are being made in terms of steps being continuously taken to ensure ‘ease of business’ by private players, the information relating to actual investment made in respect of Industrial Licenses is not available. MoD’s DPPs relating to defence procurement and production may have been tweaked more than half a dozen times since their inception in the last decade but it appears to be more akin to ‘American Shuffle’ famously articulated by Henry Kissinger in his memoirs (which means – one step forward and two steps back or, at best, sideways).
Since coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Modi came up with the ‘Make in India’ initiative, primarily in the defence sector to boost production of state-of-the-art defence equipment and weapon systems for the armed forces. But, while the DAC (Defence Acquisition Council) may have reportedly cleared a staggering $50 billion worth of defence projects, there is little clarity on how many of these will be executed through the Make in India initiative. The few that have moved to contract stages have been
either through direct procurement from foreign vendors or are being progressed through joint ventures with PSUs. A number of big ticket items such as the recently acquired US C-17 Globemaster III (10 aircraft for $4.1 billion), C-130J Super Herclues ($2 billion for 12 aircraft with six to be delivered in 2017), P-8I ($2.1 billion for 8 aircraft+ 4 more to be acquired by 2020) have all been on G2G (government-to-government)-deals basis with no Make in India options. The same is the case with the recently signed deal for the acquisition of 36 omni-role Rafale French fighters ($8.9 billion). The Indo-Russian defence deals signed last month in Goa however have seen a mixed approach being adopted in that, while the much coveted S-400 Triumf SAMs (4 systems for $4.5 billion) will be direct purchase, acquisition of 4 Grigorivich-class stealth frigates ($3 billion +) will be split with two being built in Russia and the remaining two in India. Similarly, the $1.5 billion deal for 200 Kamov Ka-226T light utility helicopters will also be split with 60 being produced in Russia while the remaining will be manufactured in India. Further, the Indian production would continue, to cater to the global demands.
It is ironical but despite high-decibel rhetoric and recommendations of many a committee in the past decade and a half, there has been no discerning change on the ground with public sector ruling the roost in terms of grabbing all the major contracts and private players reduced to the level of components/sub-components suppliers to the PSUs. This is despite the emergence of private sector as a very vibrant and dynamic force in defence manufacturing.
It is a well known fact by now that without the participation of the private sector India can never hope to attain the much coveted self-reliance in defence. But, why does the private sector always lose out? Take the case of the Kamov project – under consideration for more than three years – that generated a lot of hoopla with regard to private sector participation but finally went to the already overburdened HAL. How will HAL manage the project when there is a clear case of ‘conflict of interest’ with its own LUH programme underway? But, does it even bother the powers that be?
Perhaps, there is a need for another PMO-directed ‘Surgical Strike’ to correct this ever-pervading anomaly. The starting point (s) could be the manufacture of Ka-226T, as well as breathing fresh air into the languishing C295 project to be undertaken by the private sector. In addition, in the maritime sector, Grigorivich-class stealth frigates could be produced by one of the private sector shipyards – a decision that is yet to be taken.
The private sector continues to wait for deliverance!!– Air Marshal VK Jimmy Bhatia (Retd)
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• Automatic Takeoff & Landing System (ATLS)
• Lynx Multi-mode Radar provides photographic quality imagery all weather, day/night
• Land and maritime radar modes, Automatic Identification System (AIS)
• 30+ hours endurance
• Operating radius > 1,000 nm
Predator XP
