Indian Army News and Discussion

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

i find it surprising that china was invited ,considering the fact that india and china had fought a war,i consider it foolish to expose indian weapon systems and tactics to the chinese.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

here is a news article giving some more info on the new armoured engineering and recovery vehicle:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/11/14/stories/2005111401961300.htm

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

hey guys here is an interesting article about russia's interest in indian sathis:

Russia evinces interest in Indian Army's 'Sathi'
Bangalore | November 28, 2005 5:31:35 PM IST

Russia and Israel have evinced keen interest in 'Sathi', the indigenously developed electronic gadget which proved handy for Army personnel to receive and transmit voice and data messages with least chance of intercepting.

Bangalore-based Encore Software Chairman and CEO Vinav L Deshpande, presenting his company's profile at the 'IT innovation in India 2005,' organised by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) here today, informed that the product, developed by his company with funding from the Indian Army, got wide attention from various countries.
'Sathi' with MP3 player and new dimension military technology, rechargeable through both solar and vehicles, had demonstrated Indian Army's strategic leadership to the world, he added.
Mr Deshpande said the Army had signed an agreement with Encore Systems to market the product outside the country and share the revenue. It was also agreed to keep apart some of the sale proceeds for further enhancing its quality and value.
Stating that its price was low when compared to a similar product in the United States, which was inferior in both hardware and software capability, he said the device sought to address the lack of precise information on location of soldiers and teams in the battlefield and any lack of operational and graphic picture to commanders directing the conduct of battle. It would provide accurate information about location during deployment of military missions within 20 metres and provide military commanders with operational picture every few seconds. Military commanders could thus respond to sudden developments by modifying operational plans real time, he added. The first leg of the event was held in Pune on November 21.


they even have mp3's.
i see brught future for this product.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

seems india is now getting activeli involved in iraq:
india is to export mine protected vehicles to the us forces involved in iraq:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1562907,0015002100000001.htm

Mine-protected vehicles to be exported to IraqHT Correspondent
Jabalpur, December 1, 2005

ORDNANCE FACTORY Board Director General & Chairman P K Mishra today disclosed that a consignment of mine-protected vehicles manufactured in the ordnance factories will be exported to Iraq. He said that the United States of America (USA) placed an order with India to secure mine-protected vehicles for Iraqi forces.
However, he didn’t disclose the number of variants to be exported to Iraq. Besides this, he said that the OFB would supply nearly 166 mine-protected vehicles to Indian Army. These variants will be manufactured in Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) in co-operation with two other ordnance factories here - Grey Iron Foundry (GIF) and Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), he said.
Talking to reporters at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur Inspection Bungalow before opening the All India Ordnance Factories Athletic Meet here on Thursday, Mishra said the Indian ordnance factories have developed in-house the anti-material rifle, for which the Denel Company of South Africa had been approached earlier.

 

[manupubby]

Indian Ground Forces - the latest

The other Indian Land forces thread is closed down. So posted this here. The new unmanned ground vehcile being prepared for the army is almost ready now with two prototypes more or less on their feet



VRDE: Civilian applications on the cards may include bomb disposal, fire fighting, sewage treatment

Unmanned Ground Vehicle in two versions




Pune, December 16: THE secret is finally out. The Unmanned Ground Vehicle being developed by the Ahmednagar-based Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) to cut down troop losses in counter insurgency operations will have two variants — a battlefield surveillance vehicle and a Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) contamination reconnaissance version.

First reported in Newsline on November 27, the vehicles are being developed for future warfare that would be fought from control rooms instead of actual battlefields. Work has already begun on the two variants and a pilot control vehicle.

The surveillance vehicle will be equipped with all weather, day-night cameras and a battlefield radar to get an accurate picture of the area. The vehicle will also have thermal sights, a laser range finder and a 12-meter high telescopic mast for maximum range.

The NBC variant will be used to identify contamination in suspected sites and will have a scooping system. A robotic manipulator arm and a turn table will help the vehicle collect soil and liquid samples for biological analysis. The UGV will also have a picket driving system to mark out a ‘‘safe route’’.

Both the variants will be controlled by a Pilot System Unit (PSU) vehicle and can be manipulated from a range of 5 to 10 km. The vehicle will move at a maximum speed of 25 kmph and will run for a maximum 80 km. The vehicles, as well as the PSU, will be protected by 7.62 mm PKT machine guns which will also be remotely controlled. The guns will be equipped with a day-night camera and a laser range finder to have a maximum range of 1 km.

VRDE scientist S V Londhe, who gave a presentation on the vehicle at a seminar on ‘Auto Excellence’ organised by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), said that vehicles will be equipped with advanced navigation systems, collision avoidance systems and a efficient fire detection and suppression system. Londhe said that VRDE is looking forward to industry participation to develop key components like the thermal imagers, sensors and gun turrets.

VRDE is also looking at civilian applications of the vehicle. Future variants like fire fighting, application in agriculture, waste site survey, sewage treatment and bomb disposal are under consideration.

The history
VRDE has been working on an experimental UGV and a prototype was successfully mounted on a Maruti Esteem in 2002. The vehicle is equipped with six cameras and a 11 MBPS wireless control system. The vehicle has successfully completed an endurance running of 1,000 km.

The link
The UGV will be controlled by the pilot vehicle using these links
* Radio: A radio transmitter and receiver will be used to remotely operate the vehicle.
* Fibre optic: In case of frequency jamming during war conditions, a fibre optic link can be attached to the vehicle. The fibre optic line will be rolled off when the vehicle moves away from the PSU and will pass instructions.
* Cellular link: VRDE is also contemplating a 3 G cellular link to communicate with the UGV.


http://cities.expressindia.com/archivefullstory.php?newsid=161714&creation_date=2005-12-17

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces - the latest

fantastic news,the image of that vehicle(prototype) was posted on the indiadefence website, i tried to post it here,but could not,can you please try to post that image.also i tried to post a relatively older article with the india defence link however it is not being displayed when iam submitting my post.
its 1000 kms endurance is realy great,i hope it would be equipped with a 40mm cannon mounted on the israeli remote controlled turrret,would look realy cool.

 

[manupubby]

Re: Indian Ground Forces - the latest

hmmm...it will not have a 40 mm cannon but the 7.62 PKT machine gun as of now. In fact, the gun has already been designed and has three cameras and a laser range finder attached to it. It looks cool too. The gun turrent however seems to be having some problems. DRDO has asked private industries to come with some ideas for the same.

However, the picture in Indiadefence is of the wrong vehcile. That pic is of a simple ROV (remotely operated vehcile) which is esentially a robot. This new UGV is different and is a full fledged and jeep sized vehcile. Will post an article on the ROV as well which was developed by R and D E Pune.

 

[manupubby]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

Here is the article about ROV, the remotely operated bomb disposal/minedetector/NBC survey robo.




A robot that can sniff out bombs

Express News Service

Pune, December 7: When the Construct India Expo opened up at the Sakhar Sankul grounds on Wednesday, the main attraction was a remote controlled bomb disposal robot developed by city-based Research and Development Establishment (Engineers).

Totally indigenous and displayed for public viewing for the first time, the robot has been developed by a team of 10 engineers over the past three years and promises to drastically cut down troop loss in urban warfare.


The remotely operated vehicle (ROV-II) — its controller unit works from 500 meters — is equipped with four cameras and an extendable arm that can be used to pick up suspicious objects or defuse bombs.

The ROV uses an inbuilt X-ray scanner to detect explosive devices in any suspicious object like a suitcase or a bag. An onboard water jet, which can fire a stream capable of piercing a suitcase cover or half an inch of plywood, is then used to defuse the bomb.

‘‘Suspicious objects can be scanned with the X-ray and the water jet can destroy the batteries which power bombs,’’ explained an engineer. The robot, which can work continuously for three hours, can also climb stairs and is therefore useful in multi-storied buildings.

The ROV is also designed for carrying out nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance and can even monitor the contamination levels using its sensors and detectors.

Right now, ROV I is undergoing stringent tests at the R&D Establishment in Dighi. Engineers are now awaiting Army trials. ‘‘The army will test the robot in different terrains and check if it can be operated at extreme temperatures before they induct it,’’said the engineer.


http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=160590

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces - the latest

hmmm...it will not have a 40 mm cannon but the 7.62 PKT machine gun as of now. In fact, the gun has already been designed and has three cameras and a laser range finder attached to it. It looks cool too. The gun turrent however seems to be having some problems. DRDO has asked private industries to come with some ideas for the same.

However, the picture in Indiadefence is of the wrong vehcile. That pic is of a simple ROV (remotely operated vehcile) which is esentially a robot. This new UGV is different and is a full fledged and jeep sized vehcile. Will post an article on the ROV as well which was developed by R and D E Pune.

that is very very interesting ,by the way do you have an image of the vehicle that you are mentioning,i was thinking that the ugv would be a variant of the rov.

 

[manupubby]

Re: Indian Ground Forces - the latest

I could not get a picture.. anyway the only visual there was a sketch diagram. But i had no luck ! The ROV and UGV will be seperate vehicles with totally with different roles.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

well can you please post the link for the site,by the way which lab is developing it.

 

[manupubby]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

There is no web site for it yet. This is all first hand info. They have not put it on any site yet. UGV is being developed by VRDE while ROV is being developed by RnD E .

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

well seems indians are really pleased with the performance of the tungushka gun cum missile systems and are acquiring more of them:

India, Russia sign $400 mn defence deal
http://hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif
Press Trust of India
http://hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif
Moscow, December 20, 2005
http://hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif
India has signed a $400 million contract for purchase of four batteries of Tunguska-M1 gun-missile air defence complexes from Russia, media reports in Moscow said on Tuesday. India already has more than 60 older versions of Tunguska and two batteries (12 units) of the new complexes capable of destroying enemy aircraft within a range of 10 km with its precision missiles and shells, Interfax news agency reported quoting unnamed defence industry sources.
Serially produced at Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant in Volga region, Tunguska-M1 are all-weather air defence complexes to defend military units on the march and in battle array from the military aircraft and cruise missiles.
Self-propelled Tunguska gun-missile complex is the only air defence system with integrated gun and missile channels.
Its 360 degree radar can detect hostile aerial targets within the radius of 18 km flying at the altitude of 15,000 to 3,500 metres.
http://hindustantimes.com/on/img/0.gif

well here is the link:

http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1578405,00050003.htm

i believe this deal is a part of the indo-russian agreement to purchase 10billion dollars worth of arms and ammunition from russia between 2000-2010.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

finally the nsg are getting new headquarters,new weapons are next to follow,though iam not exactly sure wether the nsg will get their own helicopter wing or not:

here is the link: http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/26/stories/2005122616921700.htm

New NSG headquarters inaugurated

Staff Reporter
One of the most beautiful structures that we would be proud of: Shivraj Patil



[SIZE=-2]PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY [/SIZE]

HOMING IN: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil trying his hand at shooting a pistol after inaugurating the new National Security Guard headquarters near the domestic wing of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil inaugurated the new National Security Guard (NSG) headquarters building near the domestic wing of Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Sunday.
Admiring the NSG headquarters, Mr. Patil said the capital had in recent times added some magnificent architectural structures to its landscape, such as the Lotus Temple and the Akshardham Temple. "This building will also be one of the most beautiful structures that we would be legitimately proud of," he said.
Mr. Patil said the new building would help in enhancing the efficiency of officers, as working in such an ambience would be a pleasure. However, he said maintaining the structure would be tough. "Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan are the most beautiful buildings, but we face problems in their maintenance," he said. He advised the NSG officers to go for futuristic equipment to maintain its excellence.
Mr. Patil went on a tour of the building along with senior bureaucrats and visited the underground shooting gallery, where he tried his hands at latest weapons such as the briefcase gun, pistol and rifle.
The proposal for the new NSG headquarters was put up in 2000 and construction was started in 2003. The site was selected after considering the suitability of its location in view of operational requirements and its proximity to the airport and the NSG's Manesar garrison in Haryana.
Various facilities

The building houses facilities for target shooting, a gymnasium and a seminar room in the basement. There are lounge and mess facilities for officers and a canteen for other ranks. Unlike most government buildings, the NSG headquarters stands out for the emphasis given to landscaping, involving water bodies and a small putting patch. Art works, a controlled waterfall, a fountain, bronze sculptures of the Mahabharata characters Arjuna and Karna at the entrance door of the building, and a water body inside the plush office of NSG Director-General A.K. Mitra are its other highlights.

it looks more like some kind of a five star hotel ,but then such facilities are needed.

 

[amit21mech]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

NSG should be abolished and rather state police forces should be modernised. I am not against the concept of creating NSG but what use they are of. Almost all the commandos are deployed for VIP security and to unfortune of India most of these VIPs are keeping them only for status symbol ( no real threat). And when NSG were required during Akshardham they spent 2 hours negotiating road traffic from Manesar to IGI Airport, New Delhi. And you may judge what these two hours can be for a commando operation.

 

[Focus]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

"India already has more than 60 older versions of Tunguska and two batteries (12 units) of the new complexes capable of destroying enemy aircraft within a range of 10 km with its precision missiles and shells".

Other than Mig-21 planes and AK-47 rifles......no other Russian equiptment has been able to match or beat the US counterpart. There was so much said about the T-72s and it proved to be less than half as good as M-1A tanks. A lot of blame was put on the fact the Iraqis did not put up a good fight and surrendered meekly etc. etc. but when T-72 shells are hitting the M1s and bouncing off then there is a problem blaming the soldier training and coordination. India should be very selective when buying any arms from anybody. There is a lot said about Su-30MKI, but real 'guts and glory' will be seen only when pitted against F-15/16s flown by NATO pilots.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

"India already has more than 60 older versions of Tunguska and two batteries (12 units) of the new complexes capable of destroying enemy aircraft within a range of 10 km with its precision missiles and shells".

Other than Mig-21 planes and AK-47 rifles......no other Russian equiptment has been able to match or beat the US counterpart. There was so much said about the T-72s and it proved to be less than half as good as M-1A tanks. A lot of blame was put on the fact the Iraqis did not put up a good fight and surrendered meekly etc. etc. but when T-72 shells are hitting the M1s and bouncing off then there is a problem blaming the soldier training and coordination. India should be very selective when buying any arms from anybody. There is a lot said about Su-30MKI, but real 'guts and glory' will be seen only when pitted against F-15/16s flown by NATO pilots.

well focus one of the reason why the t72's failed during the gulf war was that they were dug into the ground as fixed fortified posistion and here were sitiing ducks for the us battle tanks which were roaming around freely.

indian army has been operating the t series of tanks and our neighbours have been operating the derivatives of the t series of tanks ,and they are quite happy about them.

indian army is so happy about its t series of tanks(t72) that they went for the t-90's and are trying to compare the arjun to the t90 standards(arjun is a heavy tank similiar to the abrahms),americans use heavy tanks ,these type of tanks are considered to be unsuitable in the subcontinent since they require lot of infrastructure and lack mobility(the chief argument about arjun).

as regarding the tungushka gun cum missile system,there is no other choice regarding the matter since it is a very unique system ,the tungushka and pantsyr-s1(both developed by russia,pantsyr is used by the germans too) rae the only gun cum misssile self propelled platform currently available in the market,they give a tremendous advantage to any army since they enable the air defence corps to keep pace with the armoured corps.

the biggest reason why the russian systems are popular in the indian subcontinent and china is that they are cheap,rugged and easy to maintain and handle as opposed to the western systems.

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

well seems india has resumed the supply of defence technology to srilanka,i hope the proposed indo-srilankan defence agreement would be signed soon.

here is the link:

http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/28/stories/2005122804511300.htm

these indra2 radars are highly capable radars and the name stands for indian (in)doppler(d) radar(ra)

 

[d_berwal]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

India's Army Aviation Corps (AAC) proposes to buy 60 helicopters outright with the remaining 137 being built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in a deal worth between $500-$600 million. AAC wants the new helicopters to ferry loads of up to 75 kg to troops based at heights of 23,000 feet in Kashmir and on the Siachen Glacier. Operation at these altitudes has traditionally been very challenging for helicopters, owing to reduced rotor lift in the thinning air.

Military sources said Russia's Kamov 226 along with Bell and Eurocopter, had responded to the AAC's Request For Proposal in late 2003, but was eliminated early during the paper evaluation as it had been unable to obtain flight certification. But AAC sources said the Ka 226 had subsequently been granted certification and requested participation in the upcoming evaluation, but no decision had yet been taken on the matter. The Ka 226 is reportedly significantly cheaper than its rivals, but has few customer at this point and India is keen on moving away from Russian equipment and diversifying its equipment profile.

Main contenders

Ka-226
Bel - 407
AS - 550

Links
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may102005/national14471200559.asp
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/aircraft/commercial/maUtility407.cfm
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/as550_fennec/
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/ka226/
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/14/stories/2005021402980500.htm

 

[aaaditya]

Re: Indian Ground Forces News and Discussion

India's Army Aviation Corps (AAC) proposes to buy 60 helicopters outright with the remaining 137 being built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in a deal worth between $500-$600 million. AAC wants the new helicopters to ferry loads of up to 75 kg to troops based at heights of 23,000 feet in Kashmir and on the Siachen Glacier. Operation at these altitudes has traditionally been very challenging for helicopters, owing to reduced rotor lift in the thinning air.

Military sources said Russia's Kamov 226 along with Bell and Eurocopter, had responded to the AAC's Request For Proposal in late 2003, but was eliminated early during the paper evaluation as it had been unable to obtain flight certification. But AAC sources said the Ka 226 had subsequently been granted certification and requested participation in the upcoming evaluation, but no decision had yet been taken on the matter. The Ka 226 is reportedly significantly cheaper than its rivals, but has few customer at this point and India is keen on moving away from Russian equipment and diversifying its equipment profile.

Main contenders

Ka-226
Bel - 407
AS - 550

Links
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may102005/national14471200559.asp
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/aircraft/commercial/maUtility407.cfm
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/as550_fennec/
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/ka226/
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/14/stories/2005021402980500.htm

ka-226 was rejected early in the competition .

bell407,as550 and agusta a109power wre in the running.

latest news is that the agusta a109 power and the bell407 are fighting it out.