Indian Navy (IN) News and Discussion

[aaaditya]

hey guys,great news here ,indian coast guard is to acquire upto 6 maritime patrol aircrafts.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=73&id=540638



Coast Guard to acquire six maritime surveillance aircraft

NEW DELHI, JAN 31 (PTI)
Apprehending that security threats from the high seas could increase once key projects like Setu Samundram channel get under way, the Coast Guard plans to acquire six multi-mission maritime surveillance aircraft.
"Such aircraft would give us the capability to mount round the clock vigil around our coastline with eyes from the skies," Vice Admiral R F Contractor, Director General of the force, told mediapersons here today.
"We already have mounted a strong vigil on the country's southern coastal waters and projects like the Setu Samundram could bring in more security problems," he said.
But the Coast Guard chief said security measures would be put in place once the channel becomes operative. He said similar security apparatus has been put in place in other channels like Panama Canal, Malacca straits as well Suez Canal.
Asked if Coastguard had put its views on security threats perceptions before the Government, Contractor said both the Navy and Coastguard had been asked to give their views by the Government as a prelude to the project being cleared.
Contractor said that Coast Guard had mounted a round the clock aerial and sea vigil in the Palk Bay as well as Gulf of Mannar to guard against infiltration of Sri Lankan armed cadres into India.
Contrary to speculation, Contractor said that number of Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka had dropped this year, after almost touching a high of 16,619 last year. "Security centres are active in all places where migrants boats berth and antecedents of all refugees are being checked".
On reports of LTTE Cadres sneaking into Kerala, Coast Guard chief said he had no such information. He said in 2007 only 3,779 Tamil migrants had been officially registered. "We have aircraft keeping a 24-hour vigil over the southern coastal areas as well two warships deployed permanently there".
As a means to check security threats from the high seas, the Coast Guard chief said already 41 marine police stations of the proposed 82 had been set up.
"We have trained 862 marine policemen from various coastal states," He said. Under the Government scheme, it is proposed to set up 68 such police stations on the mainland, four in Lakshawadeep and 10 in Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Contractor said "Coast Guard had proposed to various State Government to enlist ex-servicemen, retired naval personnel or men from Para-military forces for the marine police force as these personnel were already trained in use of infantry firepower".
"We are taking these marine police personnel on board Coast Guard ships to help them grow sea legs," he said.
On his force's expansion plans, he said the six maritime reconnaissance aircraft would be inducted by next three to four years. Coastguard would be the second force after navy to induct such spyplanes. Navy is currently evaluating bids from Boeing and European consortium EADS for its plans to acquire eight much longer reach maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
"We plans to have much more compact aircraft," the Coast Guard Chief said.
"By 2012 we propose to have force level of 217 warships and 74 aircraft," Contractor said. At present, he said, 24 warships of various variants were under construction in Government and private shipyards. These include two Advanced Offshore patrol vessels, 11 interceptor boats, 3 pollution control vessels and five inshore vessels.
The induction of three more pollution control ships would give the Coast Guard capability to fight oil spills ranging from 700 to 10,000 tonnes of oil.
Coast Guard also plans to acquire twin engined helicopters.
Contractor said that Coast Guard had been appointed as the focal point in the country's efforts to combat piracy and Armed Robbery in the high seas under the Regional Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP). The agreement involves 16 countries of the region.

 

[rickusn]

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14598535Print | Mail | Post your comments | Rate this FeatureIANSIndia to pay more for Russian aircraft carrierFriday, 01 February , 2008, 19:36
New Delhi: India is reconciled to paying at least a part of the additional $1.2 billion that Russia is demanding for an aircraft carrier the Indian Navy has purchased for $1.5 billion.

"The original negotiations were sketchy. This has forced us to re-examine the entire issue," a defence ministry official said here Friday.
"We will have to arrive at a mutually agreed price. It's hard to say at this stage exactly how much more we will have to pay," the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the subject.
After protracted negotiations, India had in 2004 agreed to purchase the Admiral Gorshkov, now renamed INS Vikramaditya. If the contracted amount, approximately $974 million was to be spent on upgrading and refitting the ship, which has been mothballed since a devastating fire in 1994.
The remaining $526 million was meant for the 16 MiG-29 jets and six Kamov Ka-31 attack and reconnaissance anti-submarine helicopters that will be deployed on the vessel.
Last year, the Russians arbitrarily raised the price by $1.2 billion, saying the work involved in refurbishment had been grossly underestimated and much more would require to be done before the ship was made seaworthy.
India has hitherto been maintaining that the vessel was purchased on a fixed price contract. There now seems to be a paradigm shift in thinking, with the defence ministry official agreeing with the Russian assessment.
"When the engineers went in, they realised a lot more work would have to be done, particularly in the cabling, which would have to be almost entirely replaced," he pointed out.
"It was also discovered that the ship would have to undergo extensive sea trials after the refit and this alone would cost crores (millions) of rupees," the official added.
Asked why the sea trials had not been factored into the original contract, the official admitted to tardiness in the negotiations.
"Yes, they were sketchy but we have to accept that and move ahead," the official maintained.
It is to discuss these and other matters that Defence Secretary Vijay Singh will be leading a high-powered delegation to Moscow on Feb 19. The team will include Secretary (Defence Production) Pradeep and senior officers of the Indian Navy and the defence ministry.
Singh, it is learnt, will visit the Russian shipyard where the Vikramaditya is being refurbished to study whether adequate manpower is available for the job.
This issue has arisen because of reports that the shipyard has transferred the bulk of its workforce to a new nuclear-powered submarine it is building.
Singh and his team will also spend a few days in Moscow for price negotiations with their Russian counterparts.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony had raised the price issue with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov during his visit to Moscow last October. Two teams, one from the Indian Navy and another from the defence ministry, were then set up to discuss the issue further. The vessel was originally scheduled for delivery in late 2007 or early 2008. This was then pushed back to 2012. Even now, there is no certainty as to when the ship would arrive. "Assuming the negotiations are completed by the end of this year, the refit will take three years from that, followed by a year of sea trials," the defence ministry official explained.

 

[Rish]

found this to be interesting. human error or faulty equipment?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/story...Headline=5+killed+in+accident+on+INS+Jalashwa

Five sailors were killed and three injured in an accident on the Indian Navy's newly-acquired troop carrier INS Jalashwa during an exercise in the Bay of Bengal on Friday evening.

"Medical resources within the fleet have been concentrated to treat the injured. The ship is proceeding to Port Blair, where the deceased and injured personnel would be brought ashore.The vessel, the former USS Trenton that was inducted into the Indian Navy last September, is now heading for Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the victims and the injured would be brought ashore, an official statement said.

"The Indian Navy regrets to inform the occurrence of an accident on board INS Jalshawa on the evening of Feb 1 while the ship was at sea, engaged in exercise with the fleet units between Visakhapatnam and Port Blair," the statement said.

"While the cause of the accident and other details are being ascertained, we can confirm with deep sorrow that five sailors lost their lives and three personnel are injured," the statement said.

"Medical resources within the fleet have been concentrated to treat the injured. The ship is proceeding to Port Blair, where the deceased and injured personnel would be brought ashore.

"Relevant additional details would be made available on receipt. A board of inquiry has been constituted," the statement added.

Defence Minister AK Antony has expressed his deep regret at the loss of lives, the statement said.

 

[funtz]

found this to be interesting. human error or faulty equipment?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/story...Headline=5+killed+in+accident+on+INS+Jalashwa

This is really sad, Confined spaces are always dangerous in Industrial settings any type of fumes (hazardous or not) can cause an accident (Oxygen deficiency/airborne toxic substances or flammable gases), these things are well known and steps are taken to ensure that any such space is safe to enter before any work is done,

The five naval personnel who were killed on Friday night on board warship INS Jalashwa, died due to inadvertently inhaling hydrogen sulphide gas, leaking from one of the compartments of the vessel.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/feb/02navy.htm

H2S is very toxic, exposure to high concentrations can causes immediate death. even exposure to small quantities can cause serious injuries. It can cause paralysis.

This is weird, working in confined spaces (i assume a ship to be one), and that too in close proximity of such chemicals, it is not wise to be unprotected, or not to have gas detectors installed to warn the people who go into work in such spaces.

What are the general safety measures that the people in the Navy are required to take in such cases?

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14598535
IANSIndia to pay more for Russian aircraft carrierFriday, 01 February , 2008, 19:36
New Delhi: India is reconciled to paying at least a part of the additional $1.2 billion that Russia is demanding for an aircraft carrier the Indian Navy has purchased for $1.5 billion.

This is the only solution for this problem, till both sides compromise nothing can come of it, It seems the final agreement has not been signed,

The Russians should try to be bullish, after all they can use this carrier themselves, and i guess through some active steps make sure that the Indian government pays for a part of it. They should be interested in the carrier for their navy. The plane (MIG-29K) has already been developed to quite modern standards.

 

[ju87]

Why was there H2S gas in such amounts in a troop transport ship?

 

[kato]

Why was there H2S gas in such amounts in a troop transport ship?

Two words: Sewage tanks.

In particular on a ship with several hundred people on them.

 

[Firehorse]

The secret undersea weapon

Sandeep Unnithan
January 17, 2008

Located up the winding shipping channel in Visakhapatnam harbour is a secret, completely enclosed facility known only as the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC).
Inside this dry dock, nearly 50m below ground level, is a cylindrical black shape, which is as tall as a two-storey building and at 104 m in length, is longer than the Qutub Minar lying on its side.
Technicians working on it confess to a surge of national pride: India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine or SSBN is arguably its greatest engineering project.
For over a quarter of a century, the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV), smaller than the USS Alabama from Crimson Tide, has been among the most highly-classified government programmes, if not the most delayed.
Officials still refuse to confirm the existence of the project or the sea-based ballistic missile. A decade after India came out of the nuclear closet in the sands of Pokhran, it has moved some tantalising steps closer to realising the third and possibly the toughest of the three legs of the triad enunciated in its nuclear doctrine: a sea-based deterrent or a secure underwater platform for launching nuclear weapons.
“Things are developing as per schedule,” Defence Minister A.K. Antony recently said of ATV. Early last month, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta was the first government official to not only confirm its existence but also lay down a timeframe: “It is a DRDO project and a technology demonstrator. It is somewhere near completion and will be in the water in two years.”
The admiral had reason to feel confident about the project. Just last month, an 80MW nuclear reactor, smaller than a bus, was pushed into the hull of the submarine and successfully integrated—a milestone in the project approved by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1970.
By April 2009, the submarine will be launched and will begin sea trials before it is inducted into the navy. The goal is to field a fleet of three SSBNs by 2015, one in reserve and two on patrol, each carrying 12 nucleartipped ballistic missiles (Artist’s impression of India’s nuclear-propelled ballistic missile submarine) .
Possibly the last “gift” to India from the now-extinct Soviet Union, it was designed with Russian assistance in the late ’80s. Based on an entirely new design, the 6,000 tonne submarine (not the elderly Charlie class N-sub as thought earlier) will make India the world’s sixth nation to operate a “boomer”.
Part of the acceleration in the programme has to do with the rapid buildup of Chinese nuclear forces. China operates 10 nuclear submarines, and in the past year, has fielded as many as three new Jin-class SSBNs, each carrying 12 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). “Given the growing military asymmetry with China, India’s need for a reliable nuclear deterrent that can survive a first strike has never been greater,” says strategic expert Brahma Chellaney.
ATV is in line with India’s nuclear doctrine enunciated in 1999, which calls for its nuclear forces to be effective, enduring, diverse, flexible and responsive to the requirements in accordance with the concept of credible minimum deterrence. The doctrine calls for high survivability against surprise attacks and for a rapid punitive response.
A nuclear submarine that can remain submerged almost indefinitely and cannot be detected underwater, therefore, meets all these criteria and offers an almost invulnerable launch platform for nuclear weapons.
For a country like India with a no-first use policy, it is vital because it prevents a potential adversary from launching a crippling first strike that can knock out all nuclear weapons (see box). It also allows India to inflict considerable damage to the aggressor.
“One submarine carries at least 12 missiles with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles, which could mean as many as 96 warheads. When such a submarine goes out to the sea, that many missiles are removed from our own territory. The enemy’s targeting of that many sites gets neutralised,” says Rear Admiral (retired) Raja Menon.
ATV, with its suitably muted acronym, was a euphemism for a longdelayed project. Shrouded in obsessive secrecy for decades, it has been under the direct supervision of the prime minister, who also chairs ATV’s apex committee.
Nearly 200 naval officers and technicians are directly involved in the project that is managed by a vice-admiral who functions out of ATV headquarters in Delhi Cantonment. Funding was never a problem, even during the lean days of defence spending, like in the pre-1990s. An estimated Rs 2,000 crore was spent even before work on the submarine was started.
The excessive secrecy, say experts, was based on a misinterpretation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)—that building a nuclear submarine would be a violation. There was, therefore, a lack of accountability, which harmed the project.
Project officials in Vizag are now sealing the reactor with a special shield and plugging in the control systems, turbines and piping. The next few months are critical. After the reactor compartment is sealed, the tail sector— which includes the propeller and the shaft—will be welded in and the submarine will be ready. By April next year, the dry dock will be flooded and the vessel will be officially launched.
After it hits the water, the nuclear reactor will be jump-started and the submarine’s propellers— seven highlyskewed brass blades—will be tested. After the reactor and all its associated control systems are successively proven, the submarine will be towed out of the harbour for extensive sea trials lasting over a year before it is inducted into the navy around 2010.
While the impending launch of ATV is reason for cheer, the actual fielding of a secure second-strike capability is still three years away. This is the time it will take to integrate and successfully test fire the missile from the submarine. Without its nuclear missiles, the submarine is just a platform.
The missile is being concurrently developed under an equally-classified programme. Announcing its successful test in April last year, DRDO chief M. Natarajan called it “a strategic system which I cannot talk about”.
The enigmatic two-stage missile— dubbed K-15 under the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Sagarika (oceanic) project— is a technological breakthrough. Rapidly ejected from the submarine’s launcher by igniting an underwater gas booster, it rises nearly 5 km above the ocean.
When it reaches a pre-determined height, it ignites a solid booster and travels to a range of nearly 750 km. Tested three times from a specially-designed submersible pontoon, the yetto-be-named “naval missile” is another feather in India’s cap.
The 100-member crew, which will man the submarine, is being trained at an indigenously-developed simulator in the School for Advanced Underwater Warfare (SAUW) at the naval base in Vizag. Hands-on training will be done on the INS Chakra, a 12,000-tonne Akula-II class nuclear-powered attack submarine being taken on a 10-year lease from Russia next year.
SBC in Vizag is to become the assembly line for three ATVs, costing a little over Rs 3,000 crore each or the cost of a 37,000 tonne indigenous aircraft carrier built at the Cochin Shipyard.
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has begun building the hull of the second ATV at its facility in Hazira, to be inducted into the navy by 2012. The SSBN fleet will be housed on the east coast at a new naval base in Rambilli, a few kilometres south of Visakhapatnam, where nearly 3,000 acre of land has been acquired for India’s first strategic base, to be manned entirely by military personnel.
Unlike the narrow single channel in Visakhapatnam, it will offer the nuclear fleet direct access into the sea. The first phase of the project, costing approximately Rs 1,500 crore, will be ready by 2011.
Why has the project taken so long? For a country that built only two conventional submarines of the Germandesigned HDW Type 1500 class in the early ’90s, building a nuclear submarine was the ultimate challenge: a DRDO official sees the learning curve to be the equivalent of a scooter mechanic building a Mercedes.
The key challenge, however, was not in designing or fabricating the hull, but the reactor and containment vessel, which consumes one-tenth (nearly 600 tonne) of the vessel’s total displacement. The hydrodynamics of a vessel with one-tenth of its weight concentrated in one place is a formidable naval engineering challenge, but miniaturising a nuclear reactor the size of a football field to fit inside an 8m enclosure is an even bigger hurdle.
This was among the reasons for the decade-long delay in the project. The nuclear reactor in a submarine generates heat to convert water into saturated steam to turn the submarine’s turbines. Unlike an oilfired boiler, it does not require air to operate. All other parts of the submarine are the same as any steam-powered turbine plant’s.
The reactor operates on uranium enriched to nearly 45 per cent (uranium used in civilian nuclear reactors is less than 5 per cent and bombs use uranium enriched to over 90 per cent).
In 1998, L&T began fabricating the hull of ATV but the struggle with the reactor continued. After BARC designs failed, India bought reactor designs from Russia.
By 2004 the reactor had been built, tested on land at the IGCAR and had gone critical. Its modest size, around 6,000 tonne (the Ohio class SSBN in the movie Crimson Tide weighs over 14,000 tonne), has led experts to call it a “baby boomer”. While the present project ends at three units, defence officials have not ruled out building larger submarines on the basis of national strategic imperatives. These have changed since the conception of the project.
The plan, until late ’80s, was to build an SSN—a fast-moving deep-diving nuclear-powered attack submarine, which would hunt surface ships.

ATV project sites
Like pieces of a complex jigsaw puzzle, ATV project sites are scattered across the country.
Kalpakkam
Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre near Chennai fabricates ATV’s light water nuclear reactor.
Visakhapatnam
ATV production line at the Ship Building Centre.
School of Advanced Underwater Warfare (SAUV) for training ATV crews.
Indigenously developed control room simulator.
Evolution of strategic submarine operational doctrines.
Rambilli
Strategic submarine base south of Vizag will be commissioned by 2011.
Delhi
ATV project headquarters.
Ratnahalli
Rare Materials Project near Mysore supplies enriched uranium for ATV reactor.
Hyderabad
Sagarika complex is fabricating and developing SLBM. Project began in 1994.
Balasore
Special underwater launch test platform for test-firing ATV’s missile.
Kochi
Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory developing ATV sensors.
Around the time India leased a Charlie-I class nuclear-powered attack submarine from the Soviet Union, it had already veered towards building a submarine carrying ballistic missiles. The hull design was lengthened and the SSN quietly transformed into an SSBN.
There are, however, some key challenges to be overcome. ATV’s SLBMs have a range of only 750 km, a big leap from its start of 250 km a decade ago, but still smaller than the SLBMs deployed by the Big Five, which boast ranges in excess of 5,000 km. DRDO is working on fielding a submarine launched variant of the 5,000-km Agni III missile, which will give the submarine true striking power and flexibility.
Scientists believe the submarine’s present reactor output of around 80 MW is limited because it imposes operational restrictions on the submarine’s speed and will mean that the reactor will have to function near peak power at most times.
The reactor would also need constant refuelling— a fairly expensive process where the hull is cut open and the nuclear cores replaced every decade. For the moment, however, the immediate challenge lies in successfully sending the submarine out to the sea.
http://www.1913intel.com/2008/02/03/india-the-secret-undersea-weapon/

I would have been suprised if they didn't work on SSBNs! BTW, France also fielded SSBNs 1st, before SSNs!

 

[mysterious]

Instead of simply posting articles; it would be nice to hear more than a one-liner of opinion on this piece that you've provided. IMHO, its another piece of patriotic rhetoric which many a country in the subcontinent is prone to resorting at one time or another. 'Scooter mechanic building a Merc' isn't exactly the best of examples when the Merc mechanic hands over the engine & other structural blue-prints for a stack of green-backs.

 

[Firehorse]

The article admits that this boomer will have less than perfect performance, but they have to start somewhere! As we learn more about this project, I'll be able to form a more detailed picture in my mind- only then will I be able to express my non-expertly opinion!

 

[funtz]

'Scooter mechanic building a Merc' isn't exactly the best of examples when the Merc mechanic hands over the engine & other structural blue-prints for a stack of green-backs.

Why, thank you for that in depth intelligence analysis, i wish i had access to those files too.It must feel good, to know beyond the obvious eh?

I would have been suprised if they didn't work on SSBNs! BTW, France also fielded SSBNs 1st, before SSNs!

The article admits that this boomer will have less than perfect performance, but they have to start somewhere! As we learn more about this project, i'll be able to form a more detailed picture in my mind- only than will i be able to express my non-expertly opinion!

Why, what happened to the unlimited access to the great Russian knowledge base of nuclear submarines that is being transferred to us for the ATV for the last 25 years?

About time they came up with one (or two), after crying about this magical guaranteed second strike capability for so long. Just wonder what difference will nuclear weapons under the water make over well protected long ranged ballistic missiles distributed throughout the country.

 

[Firehorse]

For the same reason the USN, RN, FN, RFN, and now PLAN has SSBNs-they don't need a lot of troops guarding them inport, and when on patrol the ocean is a better guard!

 

[kato]

For the same reason the USN, RN, FN, RFN, and now PLAN has SSBNs-they don't need a lot of troops guarding them inport, and when on patrol the ocean is a better guard!

Do you realize how big for example FOST is?

 

[Salty Dog]

Just wonder what difference will nuclear weapons under the water make over well protected long ranged ballistic missiles distributed throughout the country.

SSBNs are highly mobile and difficult to find and track in contrast to fixed ICBM sites which for sure are already targeted for first strike.

 

[funtz]

Is it "more difficult to find", or is it "will consume more enemy resources& hence money to find"?
(I personally do not know any thing about under water warfare).

Targeting and neutralizing all fixed land based sites which are well protected against anything except a direct strike (assuming a huge number) in a land mass as huge as India, will make sure that none of this good earth is left untouched (sort of like a nuclear winter/apocalypse), that might consume too many resources in itself (a land based absolute deterrent that is, considering the cost of maintaining such facilities and nuclear weapons in general).

 

[Salty Dog]

Is it "more difficult to find", or is it "will consume more enemy resources& hence money to find"?

An SSBN on patrol will strive to be silent. Tactical ASW is not an easy task. The open ocean environment is harsh even with sophisticated acoustic listening and processing equipment. Experienced submariners know where to hide their boats. So you may require more assets (MPA, surface towed array, or SSN) to find them.

 

[Firehorse]

The USSR (and now the RF) are the largest land masses contolled by a central government, and even they chose to have boomers. Missile subs are the most survivable strategic platforms, and will be such for a long time to come. Enough said on my part!

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys ,great news here, isro is developing a satellite based coastal surveillance system,iam sure these (even though being developed for peacefull applications) will be of considerable value to the indian navy.

here is the link and article:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/07/stories/2008020751830500.htm

Tenali (AP), Feb. 6 India is planning to establish a satellite-based coastal surveillance system to monitor and guard its long coastline extending beyond 7,500 km.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has prepared a blueprint for the system and has made some headway in developing the ingredients for it, according to Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller (R&D).
The major national project to be launched soon would require a dedicated satellite, which would be fabricated. It has to be placed in the geostationary orbit, where India’s Insat series are operating and beaming communication, television, meteorological and other imagery to meet the country’s demands, Dr Pillai told Business Line here.
The satellite would be something on the lines of the Oceansat of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The total cost of the project is being worked out and it would be a reality in the next 4-5 years, said the top DRDO scientist and Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Aerospace.
Dr Pillai, who was here to receive the 16th Dr Y. Nayudamma Award and deliver the lecture, said the surveillance system was important for the country because the vast coastline needs to be continuously monitored and key assets have to be protected.
The Kochi-based Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory, under the DRDO, would be the nodal lab to implement the ambitious project.


A major feature of the system would be the installation of sea bed arrays in critical locations. They will throw up information that would be captured by the satellite. This information is relayed to a Central Control Centre. A string of smaller centre’s in different regions would also be linked for sharing the data, he said.
The ISRO has on its own put in place a satellite-based system to help fisherfolk in distress on the sea, be it due to rough sea conditions, sudden health problems etc. They are installing a receiver on fisherfolk boat, which continuously tracks their location and relays distress signals, by the pressing of the button onboard to a Central hub.

 

[Salty Dog]

The ISRO has on its own put in place a satellite-based system to help fisherfolk in distress on the sea, be it due to rough sea conditions, sudden health problems etc. They are installing a receiver on fisherfolk boat, which continuously tracks their location and relays distress signals, by the pressing of the button onboard to a Central hub.

Nice to see other non-military applications that benefits businesses and individuals. Great strategy for seeking funding too.

 

[aaaditya]

Nice to see other non-military applications that benefits businesses and individuals. Great strategy for seeking funding too.

besides it is an excellent tool for efficient monitoring of a large coastline and outlying island terrioteries ,and iam sure shall reduce the workload on the indian coast guard ,it will also be beneficial to friendly nations like srilanka,bangladesh,maldives etc ,for they can co-ordinate their fishing activities with india and maintain a close surveillance on anti social activities.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,interesting news here ,it seems that the indian navy is determined to acquire upto 8 boeing p-8 mma aircrafts from usa,they have completed an evaluation of the boeing and airbus aircrafts and have found the p8 to be superior.

here is the link and the article:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...2_billion_Boeing_deal/articleshow/2738886.cms

NEW DELHI: After joint combat exercises to develop "interoperability", the Indo-US military tango is now firmly waltzing into the arms purchase arena as well. With the over $1-billion deal for six C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft in the bag, an even bigger defence contract is now headed the US way.

Sources on Monday said the defence ministry and Boeing have begun the "commercial price negotiations" for the purchase of eight P-8i long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) patrol aircraft, with anti-submarine warfare capabilities, for the Indian Navy. Unlike the Super Hercules deal, which as reported by TOI earlier is a direct 'foreign military sale' contract under a government-to-government arrangement, the P-8i has emerged the victor in the global LRMR sweepstakes held by India to plug operational gaps in its maritime snooping abilities.

The P-8i, based on the Boeing-737 commercial airliner, has out-performed the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company's A-319 maritime patrol aircraft and other contenders in meeting 'qualitative requirements' in the technical trials held by the Navy. "The contract will be signed soon. The first P-8i will be delivered within 48 months, that is in mid-2012 and all the eight by mid-2015. They will replace the Navy's eight aging Tupolev-142Ms," said a source.

India, incidentally, had earlier rejected the US offer to lease two P-3C Orion reconnaissance aircraft under a $133-million contract. India, of course, remains unhappy over the American decision to sell eight more P-3C Orion aircraft to Pakistan, which already has two such planes in its inventory. Once it's inked, the P-8i deal worth around $2 billion will be the biggest-ever defence contract with the US, a minor player in the lucrative Indian arms market so far.

While Russia notches up sales worth about $1.5 billion to India every year, Israel chalks up an annual tally of around $1 billion. America's only big-ticket deal with India in recent years has been the $190 million contract in 2002 to supply 12 AN/TPQ-37 firefinder weapon-locating radars.

Then, of course, India last year acquired amphibious transport vessel USS Trenton for $48.23 million, with the six UH-3H helicopters to operate from it costing another $39 million. With India spending a whopping $25 billion on arms imports since the 1999 Kargil conflict, and planning another $30 billion worth in 2007-2012, the US is obviously desperate to grab a big piece of action. It has been particularly aggressive in marketing its F/A-18 "Super Hornets" (Boeing) and F-16 "Falcons" (Lockheed Martin) for the gigantic $10.4-billion project to supply 126 multi-role combat fighters to IAF.

Apart from the defence deals, with US secretary of defence Robert Gates slated to arrive in India on February 25-26, the two countries are getting ready to sign agreements like the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Container Security Initiative (CSI) and the end-use verification agreement of US defence equipment. The Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) — under which Indian and American militaries propose to provide each other with logistic support, refuelling and berthing facilities for each other's warships and aircraft — has, however, been put on the backburner due to opposition of the Left.

CPM leader Prakash Karat has termed LSA "far more dangerous than the nuclear deal" in its implications. But despite Left opposition to military ties with the US, the two nations have already scheduled at least five joint combat exercises in 2008. "Procurements is just one facet in the overall robust defence engagement with the US. The American forces, for instance, now want to further scale up the level and complexity of exercises with Indian forces. Brigade-level exercises will be in place in four-five years," said a source.

and here is another link and article:


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...r_navy_planes_Report_/articleshow/2782881.cms

NEW DELHI: The Indian navy's plans to buy eight long-range maritime reconnaissance planes from Boeing or EADS for two billion dollars are at an "advanced stage," a report said on Thursday.

"The Indian navy plans to replace eight old (Soviet-era) TU-142 planes with an equal number of state-of-art aircraft," Indian navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told the media.

"The case has been progressed strictly in accordance with the current defence procurement policy and presently it is at an advanced stage," he told the media.

"The intention is to have the first aircraft delivered in mid-2012 and all the eight aircraft by mid-2015."

Indian defence ministry officials separately told the media on Thursday that Boeing's P-8i "outperformed" its closest rival -- A-319 patrol aircraft from the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, or EADS.

Highly placed government sources said clearance to buy planes from Boeing was likely "during or around" an official trip to India by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates later in February.

If the contract is awarded to Boeing, the deal would be India's biggest military aircraft deal with the US in five decades.

"We are in discussions and we can assure P-8i is a strong programme and it will help the Indian navy in a global supply chain," said Ian Thomas, president of Boeing India.

The company added it was also discussing with New Delhi the possible procurement of as many as 24 heavy-lift and attack helicopters for the military.

"We have a sense of momentum in the talks. We have two strong offers," Thomas said of the Apache combat gunship and the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter Boeing has offered to India.

The Seattle-based company is also in the race to pick up a contract to supply 126 fighter jets worth 10.24 billion dollars to the Indian airforce.

Analysts say India, the largest buyer of arms among emerging nations, is likely to spend 50 billion dollars between now and 2018 to modernise its 1.23-million-strong military, the world's fourth largest.

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