India Issues Global Tender for Maritime Recon Planes

India is on a global hunt to procure nine medium range maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft equipped with anti-ship missiles.

The tender, worth more than $2 billion, was sent to overseas defense majors Alenia of Italy; US-based Boeing and Lockheed Martin; Saab of Sweden; Germany’s EADS, France-based Dassault; Embraer of Brazil and Bombardier of Canada.

The latest global tender is a rebid of tender floated in 2008 to buy six MRMR aircraft. That was withdrawn later because none of the vendors could meet the qualitative requirements of the tender.

In the latest tender, the nine MRMR aircraft will replace the Indian Navy’s Islanders (BN-21A) surveillance aircraft, which were used for coastal surveillance for many decades. The Islander aircraft, bought in 1976, will be given to the Coast Guard or could even be gifted to foreign countries,said an Indian Defence Ministry source. India has already donated two Islander aircraft to Myanmar.

The MRMR should have an endurance of about four hours and a range of about 400 nautical miles. Indian Navy sources said the range was lowered from the earlier planned range of 500 nautical miles and endurance of six hours. No reason for this dilution is known.

The current procurement is in addition to the purchase of 12 long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft purchased from Boeing on a government-to-government basis for more than $3 billion. Eight P-8I Poseidons were contracted in January 2009 for $2.1 billion and another four P-8Is were contracted last month for more than $1 billion.

The latest tender requires the MRMR to be equipped with anti-ship missiles, and is not specific on the supply of anti-submarine missiles, which would require bigger aircraft, said an executive of an overseas company who refused to be identified. In addition, the tender requires the supply of spares along with two engines.

The MRMR must be able to perform maritime reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare, electronic intelligence, electronic support measures, communication intelligence, search-and-rescue and medical evacuation.

The MRMR aircraft needs to be powered by two engines, which the tender says should be of current production generation and have full authority digital engine control system. The overseas defense company executive said the engine requirement is not very clear as the price of an aircraft could vary on the choice of the engine.

On weapons capabilities, the MRMR needs to have detection-and-tracking capability against air targets. The aircraft must also carry and launch at least two anti-ship missiles on surface vessels at ranges of at least 100 kilometers.

On its surveillance capabilities, the aircraft should be able to track up to 200 surface targets automatically.

The MRMR will be used in tropical conditions prevailing in the Indian Ocean region. As such the aircraft and its engines and all other systems should be optimized for prolonged operations over salt-laden seas.

India's first defence satellite GSAT-7 launched successfully

India's first exclusive defence satellite GSAT-7 was successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on Friday, giving a major push to the country's maritime security.

Indian Navy would be the user of the multi-band home-built communication spacecraft, expected to be operational by September end.

The Rs 185-crore GSAT-7, the country's maiden dedicated spacecraft for defence applications, was launched during a 50-minute launch window which started at 2am, and it was telecast live by Doordarshan.

After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee (nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degree with respect to the equator.

During August 31-September 4, three orbit-raising operations will be performed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to place the satellite into geostationary orbit of 36,000 km above the equator.

By September 14, GSAT-7 is planned to be positioned in its orbital slot of 74 deg East longitude and subsequently the satellite's communication transponders will be switched on.

The frequency bands of GSAT-7 will help space-based marine communications. It has coverage over India landmass as well as surrounding seas.

"It's important from security and surveillance points of view", an ISRO official said.

According to a senior space scientist, so far the Navy had limitation from line of sight and ionospheric effects, among others, as far as space-based communications were concerned.

It was thought essential to have an integrated platform for the Navy's exclusive use.

Earlier, satellite communication in ships was through Inmarsat, a major provider of global mobile satellite communications services.

The state-of-the-art satellite carrying payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands, had a lift-off mass of 2625 kg and is based on ISRO's 2500 kg satellite bus with some new technological elements, including the antennae.

According to ISRO, GSAT-7 is an advanced communication satellite to provide wide range of service spectrum from low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication. Its payload is designed to provide communication capabilities to users over a wide oceanic region including the Indian land-mass.

The launch cost for ISRO is around Rs 470 crore, including insurance.

ISRO cannot launch heavy satellites like GSAT-7 as its home-grown GSLV rocket, with indigenous cryogenic stage, is still at works and needs two successful flights before it is declared operational.

In addition to GSAT-7, the Ariane 5 orbited another spacecraft EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail.

EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 - which rode in the top position of the Ariane 5 payload "stack" - separated first, some 27 minutes after liftoff.

At approximately 34 minutes into the flight, the lower passenger - GSAT-7 - was deployed, completing the mission.

Indian ambassador to France, Arun Singh and director of Bangalore-based ISRO Satellite Centre, S K Shivakumar, were among those who witnessed the launch.

Singh said the launch event is also a reflection of strategic partnership between India and France.

Shivakumar said GSAT-7 would be operational by next month-end.

Air-launch BrahMos to fly late this year

The air-launched version of the Russian-Indian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile will have its first flight before the end of 2013, according to BrahMos Aerospace managing director A Sivathanu Pillai.

It will be carried by a SU-30MKI fighter that will conduct captive carry and drop tests before attempting the first powered test launch in mid-2014.

The basic surface- and submarine-launched missile has now completed 36 successful test flights, so the test programme for the new variant will be fast-paced. The system is due to enter Indian Air Force service in 2015.

India to replace bursting tank barrels in 1,500 crore deal

Seeking to address the issue of bursting barrels of Army tanks due to ammunition, the government is planning to replace them with canons of T-90 tanks in collaboration with Russia.

T-72 tanks, the mainstay of the Indian armoured fleet, are facing problems with their ammunition as they sometimes bursts in the barrel and 200 such cases have been reported causing concern in the Army.

The Defence Ministry is planning to replace the barrels of the T-72 tanks with the ones fitted in the T-90 tanks.

Under the plan, around 800 barrels are to be procured from Russia under a deal expected to be worth around Rs 1,500 crore, government sources told PTI here.

The issue is expected to be taken up for discussion during the high-level talks between India and Russia during the visit of Defence Secretary Radha Kant Mathur to Moscow next week, they said.

Earlier this year, the Army told a Parliamentary panel that barrels burst sometimes due to ammunition and wondered whether its troops will be "afraid" to fire even after seeing the enemy.

"It (the T-72 ammunition) used to burst in the barrel. If it bursts in the barrel, then the firer is afraid to fire his own gun, which is not a correct thing. If he is afraid to fire his own gun, then even if he sees the enemy he will not fire," the Army had told the Standing Committee on Defence.

The Army informed the government and the Parliamentary Committee that over a period of time, there have been 200 such accidents involving the ammunition and "it brings down the confidence of the firer, especially, with regard to tank ammunition".

In terms of the numbers, the T-72 tanks are the backbone of the Indian armoured fleet and have undergone several upgrades since their induction to be able to fight effectively in the battlefield.

GSLV flight with indigenous cryogenic engine only in Dec: ISRO

The flight-test of GSLV with indigenous cryogenic engine, called off ten days ago following a leak in the second stage of the rocket, is now expected to take place only in December, Indian Space Research Organisation said on Wednesday.

ISRO has started the process of de-stacking the rocket and the second stage would be shifted to Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), a facility of the space agency located at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, for an investigation into the cause of the leakage.

The launch of the GSLV-D5, scheduled for 1650 hrs on August 19 from the Sriharikota spaceport was called off, as a leak was observed in the UH25 fuel system of the liquid second stage during the pre-launch pressurisation phase on the vehicle just two hours before the scheduled lift-off.

The propellants were later drained from the cryogenic stage, liquid second stage and the four liquid Strap-ons of GSLV-D5. The rocket was moved back to the vehicle assembly building.

An ISRO official told PTI in Bangalore on Wednesday that the first and third stage of GSLV would be “preserved” while the second stage would have be built again, a process which has already started.

ISRO would be busy with the Mars Orbiter mission in the next two months. “We can expect the GSLV flight in December”, the official said.

ISRO has drawn flak from some quarters for using an “old tank” for the second stage as the materials used for building it were “prone for delayed cracks”. It was said have been delivered to ISRO four-years ago and was to be the last in the series of the kind that ISRO planned to use.

A senior space scientist called it a “gross error of judgement” on the part of ISRO which obviously seemed to focus more on the third (cryogenic) stage, as the first two were a “given” as it’s similar to the proven PSLV, the workhorse launcher.

GSLV is a three stage vehicle that is 49 metre tall, with 414 tonne lift-off weight. First stage comprises S125 solid booster with four liquid (L40) strap-ons. Second stage (GS2) is liquid engine and the third stage (GS3) is a cryostage.

The final/third stage of GSLV is the cryogenic stage, which is more efficient compared to the liquid stage in PSLV.

This means that the thrust developed by burning each kg of propellant is higher in cryo engine, hence can place larger payloads with higher weight into orbit.

“Cryo stage as final stage is hence essential for a launcher with higher payload capacity”, an ISRO official said.

PSLV is capable of launching 1600 kg satellites in 620 km sun-synchronous polar orbit and 1050 kg satellite in geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

“This poses a serious limitation on launching communication satellites which are heavier. The GSLV will be capable of launching satellites which are 2000 kg-2500kg which matches with the GSAT class of Communication satellites”, it was noted.

Currently, India is forced to outsource the launch services from abroad which are not a cost effective solution. The establishment of a proven GSLV launcher is the need of the hour. The successful development of indigenous cryo stage will boost India’s confidence in terms of its self-reliance in the launch capability, ISRO officials said.

Russia to deliver six Mig-29k warplanes to India

Russia is set to deliver six more jet fighters of 4++ generation this year to Indian Air Force as per a deal with New Delhi, the MIG aircraft corporation said Wednesday.

“India currently exploits 21 aircrafts. In line with a contract, we must deliver 29 planes by 2015. Last year, we’ve delivered four planes. This year, we’ve delivered one plane and six aircrafts remain to be delivered,” MIG’s director general Sergei Korotkov told reporters at the MAKS air show, Xinhua reported. 

The six-day MAKS show kicked off in Zhukovsky city outside Moscow Tuesday. MIG signed a $1.5 billion deal with India in 2010 to deliver 29 MIG-29K-KUB warplanes.

This is the second such contract between the Russian aircraft construction corporation and New Delhi. The first deal to supply India with 16 MIGs-29 was signed in 2004 and completed in 2011.

During MAKS, the Russian corporation also signed two deals worth $55 million to build a centre in India to service MIG’s avionics and hardware, the corporation’s spokesperson Elena Fedorova said.

MIG’s partner in those deals is Basant Aerospace Private Ltd, she added.

MIG commenced production of new unified family of multi-role fighters of the 4++ generation in 2005.

The double-seat MIG-29K-KUB is a multi-role fighter intended for air-defence missions of naval forces, air superiority gaining, sea and ground target destruction with high precision guided weapons day and night and in any weather condition.

India developing E-bomb to paralyze networks

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing an E-bomb which will emit electromagnetic shock waves that destroy electronic circuits and communication networks of enemy forces, its chief and scientific advisor to the defence minister Avinash Chander said.

So next time there is a Kargil or a LoC violation, you may not hear gunshots or mortar shells, because the electromagnetic bomb will throw life out of gear.

"It will be a weapon that would explore the strong electromagnetic field generating a brief but intense or high power pulse of electromagnetic energy," Chander told TOI at the Missile Complex in Hyderabad. He said the spectrum of targets will be broad and in times to come, E-bombs would form the core of tactical warfare and electronic combat operations to damage the command, control and communications of enemy forces.

The director general of DRDO said that the electromagnetic shock wave from the bomb will destroy electronic circuits and communication network "while paralyzing them in terms of radars, communication networking, information gathering sensors, controls and other electronic equipment." Work is in full swing at the Research Centre Imarat, the Hyderabad-based laboratory of DRDO, to build the new bomb which will be ready for operational deployment within a few years.

Chander said the E-bomb would give an option to the military as the bomb can target the enemy's mobile targets, air defence systems, mobile or static radars, naval vessels with communication systems and even ill-shielded communication or electronic systems at a military base. The GPS-guided E-bombs would precede the conventional munitions for strategic air attacks and can cripple military units as weapons of electric destruction

by releasing high voltage pulses. Other DRDO officials said the E-bomb warheads can be delivered by combat aircraft equipped to deliver guided munitions and cruise missiles.

Chander also said DRDO was developing the next generation of smart bombs or guided bombs, which would have a longer range of upto 100 km (starting from 10s of kms)

and higher accuracy. "Smart bombs are basically precision guided munition equipped with electronic sensors, control system and adjustable flight fins for providing steering or gliding capacity to hit a designated target with much more accuracy," the DRDO chief said.

India's first military satellite will help keep tabs on Indian Ocean region

India's first dedicated military satellite GSAT-7 or "Rukmini", which will be launched by Arianespace from French Guiana on Friday, will provide the Navy with an almost 2,000-nautical-mile-footprint over the critical Indian Ocean region (IOR). 

Essentially a geo-stationary communication satellite to enable real-time networking of all Indian warships, submarines and aircraft with operational centres ashore, the 2,625kg Rukmini will also help the Navy keep a hawk-eye over both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. "From Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait, it will help cover almost 70% of the IOR," said a source. 

The "over-the-sea use" Rukmini, with UHF, S, Ku and C-band transponders, is to be followed by GSAT-7A with the IAF and Army sharing its "over-the-land use" bandwidth. The Navy has been clamouring for such a satellite for close to a decade now to shorten its "sensor-to-shooter loop" - the ability to swiftly detect and tackle a threat — but the delay in the indigenous GSLV rocket to carry satellites and other factors have been the stumbling blocks. 

India, of course, has been a late — and somewhat reluctant — entrant into the military space arena despite having a robust civilian programme for decades. Without dedicated satellites of their own, the armed forces were relegated to using "dual use" Cartosat satellites or the Technology Experimental Satellite launched in 2001, apart from leasing foreign satellite transponders for surveillance, navigation and communication purposes. 

China, in sharp contrast, has taken huge strides in the military space arena, testing even ASAT (anti-satellite) weapons against "low-earth orbit" satellites since January 2007. "With counter-space being a top priority, China has been testing its 'direct-ascent kinetic kill' capabilities. It also has active programmes for kinetic and directed-energy laser weapons as well as nano-satellites. By 2020, it hopes to have a space station with military applications," said a source. 

Incidentally, around 300 dedicated or dual-use military satellites are orbiting around the earth, with the US owning 50% of them, followed by Russia and China. But India has lagged far behind in utilization of the final frontier of space for military purposes, refusing to even approve the long-standing demand of the armed forces for a full-fledged Aerospace Command, as earlier reported.

Though officially against " any offensive space capabilities or weaponization of space", the defence ministry in 2010 had come out with a 15-year "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap" that dwelt on the need to develop ASAT weapons "for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000km altitude above earth's surface) and GEO-synchronous orbits". These portions were quietly deleted in the roadmap released earlier this year. 

DRDO contends it can develop ASAT weapons if required by marrying the propulsion system of the over 5,000-km Agni-V missile with the "kill vehicle" of its two-tier BMD (ballistic missile system) system. 

Apart from working on "directed energy weapons" at its Laser Science &Technology Centre, DRDO also has futuristic programmes for launching "mini-satellites on demand" for use in the battlefield as well as "EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hardening" of satellites and sensors to protect them against ASAT weapons. 

But all that is in the future. Dedicated military satellites like Rukmini will help India keep real-time tabs over the rapidly-militarizing IOR, where China is increasingly expanding its strategic footprint, as well as on troop movements, missile silos, military installations and airbases across land borders.

India all set to lease a second nuclear submarine from Russia

India is all set to acquire a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia. The two sides have had preliminary discussions and a serious push is expected when Indian Defence Secretary RK Mathur meets his Russian counterparts during his visit to Moscow next week.

The idea had germinated in the Indian strategic establishment long before the Russian-built electric-powered submarine INS Sindhurakshak got sunk at its moorings in Mumbai naval dockyard on August 14.

Now with the Sindhurakshak practically gone forever and the Indian submarine fleet having been constricted to just 13 – of which only 7 or 8 can be operational at a given time – the Indian idea has acquired a greater steam.  The loss of INS Sindhurakshak seems to have catalysed the Indian defence establishment to come up with ideas that would ensure that India’s undersea warfare capabilities are actually bolstered, and not dented. 

Indian Defence Secretary RK Mathur is all set to lead an Indian tri-service delegation to Moscow for the next round of High Level Monitoring Group on Defence. Mathur will be reaching Russia on September 1 for these crucial talks and the issue of taking on lease a second Russian nuclear submarine for the Indian defence forces will be very high on his agenda.

Sources say the Indian defence secretary will be negotiating with his Russian counterparts on many other agendas but his foremost talking point would inevitably veer around the subject of India acquiring the nuclear submarine on lease as it would provide New Delhi an immediate solution to deal with maritime threats in the neighbourhood.
 
The Russians are positively inclined to the idea of leasing a second nuclear submarine to India, according to sources. Actually, if this idea were to translate into reality, it would be the third nuclear submarine that the Russia would be leasing to India. 
 
The first time it was then Soviet Union which had leased a nuclear submarine (named INS Chakra by the Indian Navy) way back in 1988. The lease at that time was only for three years and the Indians duly returned the vessel after the lease expired.
 
The second time India got on lease a nuclear submarine from Russia was a couple of years ago when India and Russia finalised the contract for it in 2011 and the Russian Nerpa class submarine was inducted into the Indian Navy last year as INS Chakra. The lease cost a billion dollars to India for a period of ten years.
 
The third lease, if it transpires (which it should given the political will from both the sides), should also be for a minimum of ten years. However, the lease values may be a bone of contention for the two sides. While the Indians are willing to shell out a billion dollars for taking on lease another nuclear submarine for a period of ten years, the Russians have jacked up the monetary value. 

Moreover, the Russians have already conveyed to their Indian interlocutors that India cannot hope to get a nuclear submarine on lease from any other country. From India’s point of view, though the Russian logic seems to be well in place but then other countries like France and the UK may be persuaded to lease a nuclear submarine given India’s standing in the comity of nations currently.
 
The Indian strategic establishment seems quite upbeat on the idea of acquiring another nuclear submarine. The Indians have even named their probably acquisition as INS Chakra III. 

Chinese clearing forest cover to grab border land in Arunachal Pradesh

While the government insists that frequent Chinese incursions on the Sino-Indian border are “routine” and according to “established pattern”, sources in the security establishment say there are reasons to worry as the “pattern” is fast changing. Apart from frequent patrol drills inside Indian territory, agencies have observed that Chinese troops are also clearing forest cover in Arunachal Pradesh and taking away timber and other forest produce.

Sources said this was a new development as earlier, Chinese troops merely engaged in muscle flexing through intrusions, patrols or short stays on the Indian side. “It has been observed in the recent past that in Arunachal Pradesh, several forest areas along the border have been cleared by Chinese troops. They have carried away timber and other forest produce. There is also evidence of make-shift timber cutting units in the area,” said an officer from the security establishment.

Sources said this was a way of asserting ownership of the region by the Chinese. “It is basically a way of saying that the natural resources of the region is ours,” the officer said. The August 13 incursion in Arunachal Pradeh’s Chaglagam area by Chinese troops, when they came 20 km inside India’s territory and stayed for three days, is also being cited as a notable change in the Chinese incursion pattern.

Sources said China so far has been focusing on the Tawang region in Arunachal Pradesh because of its proximity to Tibet, historic ties that give its claim some legitimacy and the existence of one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the region that China fears may be used by the Tibetan government in exile to help the Tibetan struggle against China.

“Most incursions by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh happen in and around the Tawang region. Chaglagam falls in what is called ‘rest of Arunachal Pradesh’ where Chinese troops have comparatively little activity. So, this incursion is worth looking at carefully,” said another officer who has observed Chinese activity in the region.

Sources said these developments coincide with frenetic road building by China on the Sino-Indian border in the past one year and are significant. China already has a wide network of over 58,000 km of roads near the Indian border and is constantly building on it even as India struggles to catch up due to a late start, poor terrain and red tape. While Chinese troops can make it to the border within 48 hours, it takes Indian forces over a week to reach a border outpost in Arunachal as there are no roads.

Indian Navy’s quest for deep sea rescue vehicle almost over

The Indian Navy’s much delayed plan to acquire the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), a pressurised capsule meant to rescue sailors from disaster-struck submarines at sea, has made some headway with the completion of technical evaluation of two contenders.

Two companies, one each from the United Kingdom and Russia, are in the fray for the project. Sources said the technical evaluation of both has been concluded, and the process is set to move forward pending the defence ministry’s nod.

The navy is hopeful that the DSRV will be acquired within the next two years.The need to procure a DSRV has long been felt by the Navy, but the pursuit has gained a sense of urgency in the wake of the accident involving the INS Sindhurakshak which killed all 18 personnel on board.

INS Sindhurakshak was rocked by explosions when the submarine was berthed in the dockyard, but the danger of the navy’s ageing fleet of underwater boats meeting a mishap in deep sea is frighteningly real.

India has 15 submarines, most of which are old. Apart from the nine Russian kilo class submarines equipped with land attack missiles, the navy operates four German type 209 attack submarines and a single nuclear powered INS Chakra, an Akula class submarine leased from Russia.

The process to acquire the DSRV was started more than five years ago, and bids invited in 2010. The navy is looking for a vehicle in the 3,000-tonne category and at the time, platforms still under development were also under consideration.

Student Builds Drone Bomber for Rs 60000

The drone designed by Subhanjan Saha

A 21-year-old computer science student in India has come up with a design for a drone bomber aircraft made of scrap metal and costing Rs 40000, IBTimes UK has learned.The unmanned aircraft cost Subhanjan Saha about 60,000 Indian rupees and he is hoping the Indian army will buy his design.

The cost of the aerial vehicle will fall to £400 for bulk orders, said Saha.The battery-operated drone, codenamed Safety Aircraft for India (SAFI), can fly at an altitude of 5,000 to 10,000 feet and has a range of 10km.

The prototype is capable of dropping bombs and launching rockets. But Saha admits that the machine’s operational effectiveness needs to be improved. The inexpensive materials used in the aircraft could also be replaced with more advanced ones, he adds.


The drone carries high-resolution cameras that could relay live pictures to an operations centre.

When asked if he is familiar with existing drone technologies, he said: “Although I don’t know the exact details of all the drones across the world, I’m familiar with the mechanisms. In fact, I didn’t know what I was making was a drone until I made it.”

Saha is studying at Manindra Chandra College in the Indian state of West Bengal.

The project has been funded by the NGO Prantakatha. Speaking to IBTimes UK about the project, Bappaditya Mukherjee, the founder of the organisation, said: “We have been supporting young Indians to involve themselves in such projects which are helpful in nation-building. We decided to support Saha’s initiative because of his keen involvement in the project despite his lack of expertise in aeronautics.”

When asked about his expectations from the government, Mukherjee said he did not have high hopes as there are several restrictions to prevent the administration from carrying forward the project.

Saha has asked India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to take a look at the prototype. He hopes the aerial vehicle will be useful given increasing tension in India’s border regions with Pakistan and China.

Officials at the DRDO could not be reached for comment.

In order to prevent interception of the pictures taken by the drone, the young Indian student is also working on anti-hacking technology.

Submarine shock: Antony fast-tracks projects

Jolted by the sinking of submarine INS Sindhurakshak, the government is finally undertaking a three-pronged strategy to ensure the country's weakening underwater combat arm is not blunted any further.

With submarines being critical for neutralizing hostile warships, laying offensive mine-fields and blockading enemy harbours, the aim is to retain the "combat edge" over Pakistan and maintain "dissuasive defence" against China.

Sources said defence minister A K Antony has directed that top priority should be given to maintaining the "health" of the existing 13 conventional diesel-electric submarines - 11 of which are 20-27 years old -- through "faster" life-extension, upgrade and maintenance refits.

The Navy can currently deploy just seven to eight of its 13 aging submarines, which includes nine Kilo or Sindhugosh-class vessels of Russian-origin and four HDW or Shishumar-class boats of German origin, as was first reported by TOI last week.

Second, there should be no more slippages in the ongoing construction of six French Scorpene submarines at Mazagon Docks (MDL) in Mumbai, under the Rs 23,562 crore programme called 'Project-75', which is already running four years behind schedule.

Most importantly, Antony has now asked officials to "expedite" the 30-year submarine building plan, which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) way back in July 1999 but has been stuck in the doldrums for years.

It envisaged induction of the first dozen submarines - six each under Project-75 and 'Project-75India' with foreign collaboration - by 2012. Another 12 submarines with "totally indigenous design" were to be inducted in the 2012-2030 timeframe. But 14 years later, Navy is yet to induct even one of the 24 planned submarines.

The "draft CCS note" for the long-delayed Project-75I, under which the six stealth submarines will be armed with both land-attack missiles and air-independent propulsion (AIP) for greater underwater endurance, is now finally ready. "The note will be sent to CCS for approval within a month or so," said a source.

The fresh CCS nod is needed because the over Rs 50,000 crore Project-75I will see the first two submarines being directly imported from the foreign collaborator to save time, while three will be constructed at MDL, and the sixth at Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) in Visakhapatnam. The earlier CCS clearance was for all six vessels to be constructed in India.

Since it will take a decade for the first submarine to roll out under Project-75I, MoD is also stressing upon timely refits for ensuring operational availability of submarines. Two Kilo and two HDW submarines are stuck in prolonged "mid-life medium-refit cum upgrades" at HSL and Mumbai naval dockyard. Another two vessels are undergoing the relatively shorter "assistance maintenance" programmes. "One Kilo-class submarine, for instance, has been at HSL for several years," the source said.

The first Scorpene submarine, in turn, will now be delivered by November 2016. "MDL has assured MoD that one submarine will thereafter roll out every 10-11 months. All the six hulls are ready," he said. 

Under-defended India

The disastrous explosion in Mumbai that sunk INS Sindhurakshak, one of India’s 14 conventional submarines, and damaged another is a body blow to India’s depleted underwater force. A third submarine lies in Visakhapatnam, crippled by a decade-old attempt to overhaul it. At any given time, the navy can only muster 7-8 submarines. The 30-Year Submarine Construction Plan, sanctioned in 1999, planned to quickly build 24 submarines, but not one of those has entered service.

Meanwhile, the navy’s plan to field three aircraft carriers remains a pipedream. When INS Vikramaditya gets here from Russia, it will be more than five years late. The vintage INS Viraat is to be decommissioned by 2018-19, when Cochin Shipyard delivers the INS Vikrant. The navy continues to dither over the specifications of the Vikrant’s successor. The defence ministry silently watches.

Also languishing are Project 15A and 15B for building six destroyers in Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai (MDL) and Project 17A for seven frigates. They are delayed by the navy’s decision to do “concurrent engineering”, that is developing advanced Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) alongside the construction of the warship. But with the LR-SAM delayed, the warships are delayed too. This isn’t global best practice by any means; proven systems should be used on new platforms.

Indian Air Force (IAF) planning is even more lamentable, with just 36 fighter squadrons today, against an authorised requirement of 39.5 squadrons. Worse, in 2015, when 8 squadrons of MiG-21s and MiG-27s are due to retire, to be replaced by only four squadrons of Sukhoi-30MKI and a single squadron of Tejas LCAs. In 2017, another 6 squadrons of MiG-21s will retire, creating a fresh crisis. None of this is a surprise; these dates have been known for a decade. The Tejas LCA, now on the cusp of completion, would be a cheap and capable replacement; instead, the IAF has lobbied relentlessly for expensive foreign aircraft.

Consider: The cost of 126 Rafales is some $18 billion; 250 Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighters will cost $30-35 billion; and 100-odd Sukhoi-30MKI will cost $10 billion. Add another $10 billion for C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules and replacing the Avro; $3-4 billion for trainers; and $10-15 billion for the light, utility and combat helicopters currently being procured. That takes the IAF’s aircraft purchases to $81-92 billion over the next 10-15 years. If the IAF condescends to buy a few squadrons of Tejas LCA, its shopping list will kiss $100 billion.

This wish list is an unaffordable fantasy given the IAF’s modernisation budget is $5.7 billion this year. And, given that an aircraft’s purchase price is just 20-25% of its life-cycle cost, the MoD should have warned the IAF off costly foreign procurement and towards indigenous design, development and manufacture. Instead, there are pro forma statements, like “whatever our brave soldiers need for defending the country will be made available.”

Tokenism also suffuses the unnecessary announcement about strengthening the China border by raising a new strike corps and several tank brigades. Instead of tackling the key weakness on the border --- poor roads that prevent the army from moving --- the government has thrown Rs 70,000 crore at the problem. But a strike corps is useful only if it can deploy rapidly.

India’s defence crisis runs far deeper than a shortage of warships, aircraft or divisions. In the absence of a strategically aware opposition, academia, media and public, the government and the military are not called to account for their titanic misspending of lakhs of crores. During peacetime, pro forma statements can paper over the voids. But when the rubber hits the road, as it did in 1962, capability alone will matter.

(Slightly abridged version in Business Standard today)

Second test-firing of Agni-V missile next month

Working at a fast pace towards production and induction of Agni-V missile into the forces, Defence Research and Development Organisation is reportedly planning its second test fire next month. The maiden test fire of Agni-V, the first intercontinental ballistic missile of India, was carried out in April 2012. The successful trial catapulted the country into the exclusive ICBM club comprising six elite countries, United States of America, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom.

Dr V G Sekaran, chief controller R&D (Missiles & Strategic Systems) and programme director, Agni, said that while no date has been fixed for the test as of now, it will be conducted in September. “This test shall be aimed at repeatability of the previous test for stabilizing the performance of sub-systems,” he said, adding that DRDO is working at starting the production and delivery phase by 2015 for Agni-5. Dr Sekaran further revealed that the forthcoming test fire is a part of development trials (usually 2-3, if successful) and the user trials will start after this.

Meanwhile, DRDO is leaving no stone unturned for kick starting the canisterization process for Agni V by this year end. Simultaneous qualification tests will be conducted for the same as well. Canister launch of the missile will enable higher flexibility in launching speedy firing from any location on a road.

The indigenously developed 50-tonne long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing more than a tonne, has a 5,000 km range as per DRDO officials, who confirmed that preparations are at full swing at Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast for a September launch. Once inducted, India’s range with respect to missile reach would include the entire Asia as well as parts of other continents. Agni V will be inducted into the force equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs) for shooting multiple warheads at the same time.

RCI to celebrate silver jubilee

Research Centre Imarat, DRDO, Hyderabad, is celebrating its silver jubilee on August 26, 2013. Governor ESL Narasimhan, former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, minister of state for defence Jitendra Singh will be present at the celebration. RCI is the premier DRDO Laboratory spearheading the design, development and delivery of state-of-the-art avionics systems for the entire Indian missile development programmes.

India Defense Ministry Signs Contract for T-90 Missiles

India’s Defense Ministry has signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited for delivery of T-90 tank missiles manufactured under Russian license to the Indian army, Under the contract, estimated at $470 million, the deliveries of the Invar missiles, to be put on T-90 tanks, are to be completed within the next five years.  Invar is a laser-guided antitank missile with a range of five kilometers (three miles) and capability of penetrating explosive reactive armor.

Bharat Dynamics has been manufacturing the missiles in collaboration with Russia’s state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, the newspaper said.

According to media reports, India is planning to procure 25,000 Invar missiles for its T-90 tanks, including 10,000 to be bought directly from Russia and 15,000 to be manufactured domestically under Russian license.

Boeing Delivers Indian Air Force 3rd C-17 Globemaster III

The third Boeing [NYSE: BA] C-17 Globemaster III airlifter for the Indian Air Force (IAF) departed for India Aug. 20 from the company’s Long Beach facility.

It joins the first and second India C-17 airlifters, which arrived in June and July, respectively. Boeing is on track to deliver two more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014.

In operation since 1991, the C-17 is a large, versatile military transport aircraft able to carry heavy, oversize loads long distances and land on rough and unprepared surfaces. It has been used in humanitarian and military missions around the world and recently surpassed 2.6 million flight hours.

Boeing has delivered 256 C-17s, including 222 to the U.S. Air Force and a total of 34 to Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.

Arjun Mk.II begins user trial-by-fire

It’s the most crucial phase for Project Arjun. The new and improved Arjun Mk.II has begun user trials in the deserts of Rajasthan, an exercise that hopefully confirm its usefulness to the Indian Army. With over 90 improvements to the base Mk.I version, the Chennai-based Combat Vehicles R&D Establishment (CVRDE) has been steeped in fine-tuning the platform for the last 24 months, hoping to meet the stringent demands of the Army, a customer who was hard to please with the Mk.I as well. The results of the Mk.II user trials will be crucial to the future of a project that traces its origins to the aftermath of the 1971 war. The Army has placed an indent for 116 Mk.IIs, in addition to the 124 Mk.I tanks already in service with two tank regiments in the Rajasthan sector.

In June last year, the Arjun Mk.II Project Director G.K. Kumaravel was tragically killed near Jodhpur when he was being driven to Pokhran to witness a round of development trials. Still mourning the loss, Team Arjun now has fresh resolve to see the Mk.II put into service with no further delays or slip-ups. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) new Chief Avinash Chander has also placed emphasis on seeing the Arjun pushed into service as quickly as possible.

The Arjun Mk.II is a hugely improved weapons platform compared to the base Arjun Mk.I. This month, the Army will see final trials on many of those new capabilities, including the missile firing capability from the primary 120mm gun tube, the ability to fire additional types of ammunition (including penetration rounds, penetration and blast combined rounds) and explosive reactive armour covering the front portion of the tank akin to the T-90 and T-72 in service. Other improvements include a crucial night-fighting capability (absent on the Army’s other tanks as well), thermal imaging, an air-defence secondary weapon, laser ranging, target tracking, larger wheels for greater stability and a more comfortable ride for the driver and tank commander.

While the scene seems set for some successes, the Arjun Mk.II, in reality, is stacked up against huge odds. On the one hand, the Indian Army has officially clarified that the T-90 will be its main battle tank, and that the Arjun will not. On the other, the Army has made no commitment to inducting the Arjun Mk.II in large numbers even if trials are successful, which means there is no guarantee that that the Army will operate a fleet of 240 (124 + 116) Arjuns of both variants. The DRDO in 2008 had appealed to the government in 2008, and is doing so again now, that the Arjun programme as a whole is a dead loss if the platform isn’t ordered in a certain minimum quantity. As time has passed, this number has increased. In 2008, the DRDO had calculated that the Army needed to order at least 500 Arjun tanks (in any combination of variants) to amortise costs infused into the programme over decades. Now, the DRDO is of the view that the Army will need to purchase at least 500 of just the Arjun Mk.II to make good on investments in the project. In effect, the DRDO is saying that unless the Army immediately adds 384 units of the Mk.II to its existing indent, the project is unviable, uneconomical and a loss to the public exchequer—a serious issue for a project that has taken so long to deliver results.

“The DRDO has been extremely professional about the Arjun Mk.II, and gone with the user at every stage, accepting the requirement and fulfilling them in a steady manner. It would be extremely disappointing if after so much hard work from all sides, the project is a loss for the country. The Army should feel proud to induct the country’s very own tank,” says a senior DRDO official, earlier with CVRDE. What the DRDO also has to account for is the fact that the Arjun Mk.II is still far from a fully indigenous machine—more than half the tank in value terms is still imported, including the German powerpack, Delft-SAGEM gun control system and Belgian gunner’s main sight. The DRDO has argued in the past that while the percentage of import content is 60 per cent in the first lot of 124 tanks, it would reduce to under 45 per cent with the manufacture of first 200 tanks and under 30 per cent with the manufacture of about 500 tanks. For now, those remain hypothetical figures.

A former DG Mechanised Forces, who oversaw trials on the Arjun Mk.I, says, “The Arjun in any variant is a heavy machine. It is not suited for the terrains it is intended for. It is not a system conducive to strike corps operations. It is an impressive development in terms of the technologies we have been able to build in-house within our laboratories, but the DRDO must not accept that it cannot continue to harp on the Arjun. There are other more pressing solutions to think of, like the Tank-X and the FMBT.”

While the Tank-X (an Arjun turret on a T-72 chassis) hasn’t been accepted as a viable proposition by the Army yet, the FMBT is still only in the conceptual stage. The Army believes that the DRDO must invest all lessons from the Arjun MBT programme into the FMBT, and ensure that the similar pitfalls are never encountered. For instance, the Army needs light, nimble tanks that can be deployed in deserts, and are air-transportable (the Arjun wasn’t even rail-transportable before BEML made special wagons that could carry it—the Mk.II is about 10 tonnes heavier than the Mk.I).

As with any long and arduous indigenous development effort, cross-roads like the ones drawn in the sand at Pokhran throw up critical questions for both the DRDO as well as the Army. For the DRDO, the questions that arise are: (a) Can it reconcile itself with the very real possibility that the Army will induct no more than 240 Arjun tanks? (b) Will the DRDO raise the levels to force the government to intervene on its behalf and force the Army to induct more tanks, thus risking the goodwill of one of its largest customers? (c) Is the DRDO willing to conduct a realistic assessment of its achievements, devoid of rhetoric that the Army accuses it of, and make a clinical plan forward? For the Army, the questions are equally serious: (a) Is the Army really better off without more Arjun tanks? (b) If the Arjun has proven to be a more potent platform than the T-90, why does the Russian tank remain the Indian Army’s MBT? (c) Will the Army commit itself to being a more reliable and reasonable partner in the FMBT programme, so the ghosts of Arjun are never raised again?