Indian Army News and Discussion

[aaaditya]

hey guys great news indian army chief has inaugurated a new army shooting node constructed in a record time.

here check out this link and article:


http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/06oct01/state.htm

On the second day of his tour, the Chief of the Army Staff, General J J Singh visited the Crossed Swords Division. He was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Deepak Kapoor, GOC-in-C, Northern Command and Lt Gen T K Sapru, GOC 16 Corps.
During his visit the COAS inaugurated the Northern Command shooting node which has been constructed in record time. The art of node has seven firing ranges to enable honing of combat, reflex and precision shooting skills of all ranks.
These ranges are the first of their kind in Northern Command and are seminal in the Army’s quest for securing a berth in international events including the next Olympics. Some parts of the firing ranges would also be opened for budding students of Jammu region and would provide them with opportunities to develop requisite shooting skills with an eye on national and international events.
The COAS expressed his appreciation at creation of such modern facilities in field and hoped that officers and men of Northern Command as also students of the region would gainfully utilise the ranges to hone their shooting skills. The shooting node has been developed as part of the "Mission Olympics" vision of the Army Chief and its construction was approved in Jan 2005.

 

[kams]

Indian Army to acquire Israeli Heron UAVs mid 2007

Israel will start delivering the Heron aircraft, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the Indian Army, by the end of this year which will be fully functional by mid next year. The Heron deal was concluded at US $ 220 m in January this year.

Herons with their range of 250 kilometres and their ceiling capacity of 30,000 feet above sea level are being preferred for their proficiency over the currently in use Searcher Mark-IIs which have a range of 200 kilometres and a ceiling capacity of 20,000 feet. Already functional in the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Herons are considered quite successful.

The first consignment of the Herons that the Indian army is due to acquire is 16, eight each for 14 and 15 corps based in Jammu and Kashmir. The Srinagar based 15 corps will initially get four Herons and the rest four later. They are expected to operate from Manasbal and the Avantipore based Victor Force. As part of infrastructural developments, there is a proposal to build an approximately 2 kilometre long runway in Manasbal and in Avantipore, for which work is already underway. In Leh the Herons will operate from the IAF runway, as having a new runway in the Kargil based 14 corps is not feasible.

Some of the UAVs will also be deployed in the western sector, where they will operate from the IAF runways. According to sources, the Searcher Mark-IIs stationed in the Bhatinda based 10 corps find it difficult to operate in the Bikaner based Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, owing to long distances.

The Herons are huge birds with a distance of 17 meters between the wings, fuselage being 8.5 m in length and the machine standing at four feet from the ground.

Herons for Army

 

[aaaditya]

india will also be jointly developing with israel the gagan,male(medium altitude long endurance ) drone based on the israeli hermes series and the pawan (most probably to be based on the indian nishant series).

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys , great news,indian army will be acquiring 1000 more t-90's to supplement the 310 already acquired ,these 1000 t-90's will be built under licence in india.seems the problems in the t90 tanks have been resolved.

also india will be upgrading its existing t72's under project rhino with polish,israeli and russian assistance.

india plans to have a tank fleet of 3800 main battle tanks.

here check out this link and article:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2091386.cms

NEW DELHI: India is now gearing up to produce as many as 1,000 more T-90S main-battle tanks, in addition to the 310 such tanks already imported from Russia, to add "more teeth" to its armoured might.

The Army gameplan is to have 21 regiments of T-90S 'Bhishma' tanks and 40 regiments of upgraded T-72 M1 'Ajeya' tanks by 2020 since the "speed and shock effect" of mechanised forces will continue to play a decisive role in future wars, say sources.

An armoured regiment typically has 45 tanks, along with another 17 for training purposes, war reserves and replacements. So, the 1.13-million Army intends to face future armoured battles with a mix of around 3,800 T-90S and T-72 tanks.

This will ensure India retains the conventional armoured edge on the western front with Pakistan, which is also strengthening its forces with induction of the 'Al Khalid' MBT developed with China's help and upgradation of its T-59 tanks, apart from 320 T-80UD tanks bought from Ukraine.

"We plan to progressively manufacture 1,000 T-90S tanks from 2007-2008 onwards under transfer of technology from Russia. There should be no problems since there is a lot of commonality between T-90S and T-72 tanks, which we already manufacture," said sources.

This virtually means the much-hyped indigenous Arjun MBT, not considered to be "fully combat-worthy" even after 33 years of developmental work, is only being thought of as "a technology demonstrator" by the Army as of now.

That is not to say the T-90S tanks, apart from attracting flak for being "expensive", have not suffered from technical glitches. There have been several problems with its Invar missiles, thermal imaging system and the like.

But the Army is now gung-ho about the T-90S tanks, dismissing the glitches as "teething problems".

With both conventional armour-plating and "explosive reactive armour" as well as a wide array of missiles and laser-guided weapons, T-90S tanks are "quite lethal", it says.

At present, the 310 T-90S tanks imported from Russia, at a cost of over Rs 3,625 crore, under the February 2001 contract are divided into five to seven regiments between the XXI (Bhopal) and II (Ambala) "strike corps".

The first lot of 124 T-90S tanks was bought off-the-shelf, while the rest 186 were imported in knocked-down condition to be subsequently assembled at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi.

The T-72 tank fleet, is also moving towards "substantial upgradation" under "Project Rhino", in collaboration from Israel, Poland and Russia.


however i believe that the rest of the tanks would be arjuns or else india will have to acquire some western tank,since the t-90 and t72 will together amount to only around 2800 tanks leaving a shortfall of around 1000 tanks.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys interesting news article,seems that india will now increase its spending on intelligence and surveillance,i believe india will noe pay more attention towards space based surveillance.

here check out this link:

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=420700

With new threat of "unconventional and asymmetrical" conflicts facing India, the Army is laying special emphasis on revamping surveillance and intelligence gathering systems and focussing on deterrent and preventive action, Army chief Gen. J J Singh has said.

The stress was to integrate surveillance and intelligence gathering into the information and decision support mechanism, Singh told Jane's Defence Weekly.

Observing that the era of all-out wars is slowly being replaced by 'war by other means--unconventional and asymmetrical' among others, Singh said "in this new threat paradigm, the Army will increasingly need to focus on deterring or preventing, preparing for and mitigating the consequences of threats to the nation, across the entire spectrum of conflict".

The Indian Army, the second largest in the world, was well on its way to becoming a more agile, balanced and versatile force, the Army chief said.

"With the induction of state-of-the-art technology and increased technical threshold within its personnel while retaining traditional skills as its main pillar, the Army shall fulfill its role of maintaining national security and the core interests of the nation," the General said.

Referring to steps taken to improve performance, Singh said adequate attention was being given to improve the night fighting capability of the combat support arms, in addition to making the aviation wing of the army more versatile by enhancing its capability at the operational and tactical levels.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys an interesting news article ,seems that the ulfa (united liberation front of assam) will be having a realy tough time ahead.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/07/stories/2006100722460100.htm

Operation to flush out ULFA militants from national park


Militants vacated the park in 2005
They re-entered it in 2006
Troops kill ULFA "sergeant major"

Guwahati: Army helicopters on Friday dropped commandos in upper Assam's Dibru Saikhowa National Park to flush out militants of the 28th battalion of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Army sources told The Hindu that "special forces have been deployed in the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park to flush out ULFA militants holed up there. These special forces were airlifted from an Army base in Jorhat."
The source said the flush out operations have been launched by troops of 2 Mountain Division inside the Park and also in Arunachal Pradesh. Troops have thrown a cordon around the 765 sq km park area, which has a 340 sq km core area.
He said ULFA militants temporarily moved out from the national park areas in 2005. In 2006, they re-entered the park taking advantage of the unilateral truce declared by the Centre.
The Army called off its operations inside the park last year following pressures by the ULFA-appointed People's Consultative Group (PCG) on the Centre. The ULFA had nominated it at the peak of the operations in the park. The PCG and the ULFA had alleged that the Army, during its operation, killed 12 cadres of the outfit and threw their bodies into a river. The charge was denied by the Army.

 

[Notski]

I think It's wrong to separate the ka-50 and ka-52 on the polls. This is because ka-52 is basically the strike/trainer's version of ka-50.


http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/ka-50.htm

 

[vijayshimla]

K2-52

I think It's wrong to separate the ka-50 and ka-52 on the polls. This is because ka-52 is basically the strike/trainer's version of ka-50.


http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/ka-50.htm

This is now a moot question i think- because nothing much is happening with Ka=50/52 !

 

[extern]

This is now a moot question i think- because nothing much is happening with Ka=50/52 !

Only internal production of Ka-50 is going. Since the russian army made its last choice for mass production on 2-sits Mi-28N, and its serial production was started this year, Ka-50s in army stock ( 12-13 units) are going for special forces of GRU (Military Intelligence and SpecOps Forces). They asked more some about 13 units of Ka-50/Ka-52, and now a limited production of this helo is going in Artemevsk (Far East). In near 5 years they are expecting to make 2-3 units each year. To note especially, that Ka-50 was over all need tests and was officially commissioned in middle 90th.

 

[aaaditya]

Only internal production of Ka-50 is going. Since the russian army made its last choice for mass production on 2-sits Mi-28N, and its serial production was started this year, Ka-50s in army stock ( 12-13 units) are going for special forces of GRU (Military Intelligence and SpecOps Forces). They asked more some about 13 units of Ka-50/Ka-52, and now a limited production of this helo is going in Artemevsk (Far East). In near 5 years they are expecting to make 2-3 units each year. To note especially, that Ka-50 was over all need tests and was officially commissioned in middle 90th.

the ka-50 suffered a major setback a couple of months back when one of the helicopters crashed killing a top russian army commander who was test flying that helicopter.

 

[vijayshimla]

Ka-50

As the Soviet Union's collapse vastly reduced military spending before Ka-50 could go into full-scale production, a relatively small number of these aircraft have been built, even though it beat Mil's rival Mi-28 "Havoc" in virtually all the tests in the contest for the Red Army's next attack helicopter. Now like a lot of other really brilliant Russian weapon designs- KA-50 is doomed for the museum- unless somebody comes up with 1 Billion Dollars in hard cash for product development & improvements for final mature product ready to fight wars.

 

[extern]

the ka-50 suffered a major setback a couple of months back when one of the helicopters crashed killing a top russian army commander who was test flying that helicopter.

It was chief testing pilot when he tried to make some illegal maneur. Accident like this - it is not some extraordinary event with a new hardware stuff.

 

[extern]

Now like a lot of other really brilliant Russian weapon designs- KA-50 is doomed for the museum- unless somebody comes up with 1 Billion Dollars in hard cash for product development & improvements for final mature product ready to fight wars.

Ka-50 is not in museum - it's operable helo, that even took part in special ops during 2nd Chechen War. I'll bring a video for you about this. I have it, but I must have som time to prepere it for internet.

 

[Apocalypse]

Check out the Ka-50-2 Erdogan (not to be confused with the Ka-52). It's made by IAI and Kamov. I think India would be able to acquire this copter since the strong relationship with Israel and Russia. I dont know if it is as good as the Ah-64 Longbow, but it sure looks cooler.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/ka-50-2.htm

 

[aaaditya]

it looks realy cool,but still it is just an extensively modified version of the ka-50(2 seated in a tandem seated arrangement as opposed to the ka-50's single seated and the ka-52's side by side seating),also i believe it was the frontrunner for the turkish attack helicopter order (80-200 attack helicopters) beating the ah-64 and other competitors(cobra was the second),so it cant be that bad,by the way does anyone know the status of the turkish attack helicopter competition?

 

[swerve]

Check out the Ka-50-2 Erdogan (not to be confused with the Ka-52). It's made by IAI and Kamov. I think India would be able to acquire this copter since the strong relationship with Israel and Russia. I dont know if it is as good as the Ah-64 Longbow, but it sure looks cooler.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/ka-50-2.htm

It isn't made by anyone at the moment. It was a 1990s proposal which has not not gone into production. It came second in the competition it was offered for, in 2000, which was won by the AH-1, but no order was placed. It has reportedly been offered again to Turkey, but is no longer on Kamovs website, which only has the single-seat Ka-50 & the Ka-52, so I'm not sure if it's still being marketed.

The Turkish attack helicopter requirement is now for 50 helicopters, & the last I heard the A129 & Rooivalk were front-runners.

 

[extern]

Ka-50s in 2nd Chechen War, secret video: http://www.webfile.ru/1146816

 

[vedang]

Artillery????

Hey anybody got any idea what happened to the "very very urgently" needed artillery programme????any rfps or any tests???

1 of my uncles is in the IA...and hearing from him, it really sounds that the condition is pretty serious...the ARTY is in tatters...

 

[aaaditya]

Hey anybody got any idea what happened to the "very very urgently" needed artillery programme????any rfps or any tests???

1 of my uncles is in the IA...and hearing from him, it really sounds that the condition is pretty serious...the ARTY is in tatters...

well vedang it seems that the bofors is the favourite as of now,the bofors gun on offer is the bofors fh77b05l52 field howitzer.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=18033

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) The Indian Army will decide by early next year on purchasing additional Bofors 155mm howitzers to shore up its depleting stocks of field artillery or on opting for another gun system, it was announced here Tuesday.

"We are currently in the final rounds of trials and should be in a position to take a decision by early next year," the army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh told reporters here on the conclusion of the biennial Army Commanders' conference.

The Bofors gun has been at the centre of a controversy ever since the first lot of 400 were purchased in the mid-1980s, with allegations of kickbacks being paid to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which said the charge could not be proved.

Even though the Bofors gun performed remarkably well during the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan - with military commanders saying it tilted the balance between defeat and victory - India's ruling Congress party, now headed by Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi, has been distancing itself from the weapon.

This is in spite of the fact that the Swedish manufacturer is now part of an US arms conglomerate.

This has held up the additional procurement of the weapon system, with the Indian Army's stocks plummeting to 200 due to wear and tear.

Asked why it had taken so long to decide on additional purchases, Singh said this was because the army wanted to err on the side of caution.

"We want to have a weapon system that is validated on a thorough set of trials based on our GSQR (general staff qualitative requirements). We have a 4,000-mile boundary and we have to try it out in a variety of conditions," he said.

"We don't want to take any short cuts. We are in the final stages of trials and should be in a position to take a decision by early next year," the army chief added.

"This is a weapon that will serve us for 30-40 years, so we have to be very careful what we opt for," Singh maintained.

What started out as a three-gun trial has narrowed down to a two-gun race after South Africa's Denel was blacklisted due to alleged corruption in another defence deal.

Then, the barrel of the Israeli Soltam gun burst during one of the trials and though the manufacturer rectified the defect, this could eventually be held against the system. Thus, it could turn out to be a one-horse race for Bofors.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys check out this link ,it contains some information on the efforts taken by the indian army for bolstering it's network centric warfare capabilities.

also indian army has tested an indigenous command ,control,communication and intelligence system built to meet the requirements of the futuristic battlefield .this system was tested by the indian army's western command ,it still has to be validated though.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200510180904.htm

Army commanders to speed up network centric force

New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI): Top armed forces commanders, meeting here on Monday, are finalising concrete plans to speed up the process of turning them into a network-centric force for rapid deployment.
To create a network-centric Army and Air Force was the main thrust at the week-long top Commanders conference of the Army and IAF, which opened on Monday, as the top brass asserted that India had to catch up with advancement made in the field by the Western Armies.
The Navy, which has already rolled in the network-centric warfare preparations, will be taking stock of the progress when its commanders meet here from Wednesday.
Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash has recently said that Navy had advanced plans to have the coverage of entire Indian Ocean region by using satellite and land-based receiver platforms to interlink armament, intelligence and communication set ups of the warship flotilla whether in mid-ocean or on shore.
Addressing the commanders, Air Chief S P Tyagi said "the IAF now has to look towards meeting the vision of strategic reach and focus has to be directed towards network-centric operations".
Top army commanders also meeting here are to give final touches to an anti-insurgency doctrine as well as to focus on modernisation of the force and making it "leaner".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee would address the commanders at a combined meeting on Thursday.
The conference chaired by Army Chief Gen J J Singh reviewed the operational situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly measures to be taken to guard against terrorists trying to infiltrate taking advantage of unsettled conditions caused by the recent devastating quake.
Singh emphasised the threat of terrorism to global peace, its transnational impact and evolving capability and reach, official sources said.
He also highlighted the negative influence of growing fundamentalism and increasing threat of instability it brought in the regional context.
Dwelling on the operational anti-insurgency environment, Singh said the improvement in situation in Jammu and Kashmir and in North-East was brought about due to present attrition ratio of 7.5, which he said was the best achieved since 1994.
The Army Chief said the forces strategy of "iron fist and velvet glove" coupled with surgical strikes against terrorists by avoiding collateral damage was showing encouraging results.
Singh also said the Government proposed to go ahead with the decision to raise additional Territorial army (home and hearth) battalions both for Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.
At the meeting, the Army Chief complimented his formation commanders for "prompt action" in providing relief and succor to the recent victims of the devastating quake in Jammu and Kashmir.
The army commanders would also deliberate on the deteriorating law and order situation in the North-East and efforts to shore up the peace process in the region.
According to official sources, the conference would also focus on enhancing the training of army personnel on information technology and to quicken the pace of movement towards the network-centric warfare. The commanders would validate an indigenous command, control, communication and intelligence system built for the futuristic battlefield. The new system has already been tested in war games conducted by the Western Army Command.